The London Boys: David Bowie, Marc Bolan and the 60s Teenage Dream
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- Author：Marc Burrows
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Summary
Rock n roll fanatics， mods， beat group wannabes， underground hippies， glam rock icons: David Bowie and Marc Bolan spent the first part of their careers following remarkably similar paths。 From the day they met in 1965 as Davie Jones and Mark Feld， rock n roll wannabes painting their manager's office in London's Denmark Street， they would remain friends and rivals， each watching closely and learning from the other。 In the years before they launched an unbeatable run of era-defining glam rock masterpieces at the charts， they were both just another face on the scene， meeting for coffee in Soho， hanging out at happenings and jamming in parks。 Here， they are our guides through the decade that changed everything， as the gloom of post-war London exploded into the technicolour dream of the swinging sixties， a revolution in music， fashion， art and sexuality。 Part duel-biography， part social history， part musical celebration of an era， The London Boys follows the British youth culture explosion through they eyes of two remarkable young men on the front lines of history。
Reviews
BAM the enigma
，
I have not started this book yet， and I think one reason for that is because I love 💕 looking at this severely unflattering photograph in my WTR shelf。 Ohm it’s so terrible 😂
Micah
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An absolute must-read for fans of Bowie， Bowlan， or just music in general。For myself， I am a huge Bowie fan but didn't know much about his earlier years， as his first few albums （up to Hunky Dory） didn't really do it for me。 As for T。 Rex， I never gave them a listen until I ordered this book。 Doing some listening I found they really aren't for me so I got a bit nervous that I wouldn't enjoy the book， but fortunately this wasn't the case - despite not caring for Bolans work， I truely loved this b An absolute must-read for fans of Bowie， Bowlan， or just music in general。For myself， I am a huge Bowie fan but didn't know much about his earlier years， as his first few albums （up to Hunky Dory） didn't really do it for me。 As for T。 Rex， I never gave them a listen until I ordered this book。 Doing some listening I found they really aren't for me so I got a bit nervous that I wouldn't enjoy the book， but fortunately this wasn't the case - despite not caring for Bolans work， I truely loved this book front to back and found it all incredibly interesting。The London Boys focuses on the beginnings of David and Marc - the recording of Bowie's first album doesn't occur until past the halfway mark of the book - but it's not a quick overview of 'first this happened， then this， and that。。。'。 Many pages are dedicated to laying framework and giving context to show how the two stars got to where they ended up。 Burrows covers topics from growing up in post-war England， to sexuality and gay （lack of） rights， to Orientalism， how the music industry worked， what other artists were up to， the various subcultures of the times， and so on。 Oh， and failures upon failures upon failures from both of the London Boys。 As someone who is neither English or old enough to have lived through it， I was aware of lots of this but not in as much detail and the way Burrows lays everything out is fantastic。Beyond the content itself， I really loved Burrows writing。 It's in depth without dragging on， light and conversational in tone， and with enough humour to keep the book from being dry but not overly so to the point of taking away from the story。 。。。more
Tara
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This biographical account of the intersected early lives of Bowie and Bolan is a skillfully woven tale that takes the reader on an immersive and engaging journey right from the start。Never let it be said that the author doesn't know how to set a scene。 The level of detail and research is exemplary and the book not only feels like a labour of absolutely respectful love， but also playful and at times， inquisitive。 There is a real warmth about the way the book is written， and it zips along at a jau This biographical account of the intersected early lives of Bowie and Bolan is a skillfully woven tale that takes the reader on an immersive and engaging journey right from the start。Never let it be said that the author doesn't know how to set a scene。 The level of detail and research is exemplary and the book not only feels like a labour of absolutely respectful love， but also playful and at times， inquisitive。 There is a real warmth about the way the book is written， and it zips along at a jaunty pace whilst still being incredibly informative and easy to read。 It's clear that Marc knows how intertwined the trajectories of Bowie and Bolan were seemingly destined to be， but he doesn't dictate to the reader， he draws you in and gives you plenty of insight into the lives of the London Boys， but in a way that makes you actively want to go off and research more about the 20 year-ish time period that the book spans。 I was brought up on Bowie and Bolan's music， with my mother having a friendship with Marc's mother。 I remember sitting in my bedroom as a kid in the mid 80's with my cranky old record player， listening to scratchy original flexi-discs from the T。Rex fan club and inherited copies of Hunky Dory and Aladdin Sane whilst all my friends were listening to the pop hits of the time。 So with that said， I consider myself a huge long-term fan of both artists， but there is a wealth of information within The London Boys that I didn't know about， such as David Bowie's midwife's mystical assertion that he was an "old soul" - I think she was probably right！ Having read quite a few biographies on both artists， there isn't really one that captures the shifting social dynamics of the era in quite the same way as this book does。The London Boys does justice to the friendship （and rivalry！） of two of the greatest musicians that this country has ever produced， and so this book is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of post-war London and the resultant cultural and musical revolution through the 50's and 60's。 Can you imagine a world without the musical legacy of Marc Bolan and David Bowie？ I can't。 And I don't think Marc Burrows can either。 I genuinely hope to see a follow up book that can sit alongside this on my bookshelf soon！ 。。。more
CPE
，
1947 was a vintage year， seeing the births of Elton John， Brian May， Mick Fleetwood， Greg Lake and， of course， David Bowie and Marc Bolan。 They didn’t quite grow up together， but they met as teenagers in 1965， painting the new office of Les Conn， David’s manager。 Marc Burrows’s book （yes， his parents named him Marc after Bolan when he was born in the early 80s）， The London Boys， takes us through their careers up to the point where Bowie had released Space Oddity and Bolan was recording Ride a Wh 1947 was a vintage year， seeing the births of Elton John， Brian May， Mick Fleetwood， Greg Lake and， of course， David Bowie and Marc Bolan。 They didn’t quite grow up together， but they met as teenagers in 1965， painting the new office of Les Conn， David’s manager。 Marc Burrows’s book （yes， his parents named him Marc after Bolan when he was born in the early 80s）， The London Boys， takes us through their careers up to the point where Bowie had released Space Oddity and Bolan was recording Ride a White Swan。It's astonishing to read how the two future stars released flop after flop for several years， despite both playing gigs in public before even reaching their teens。 Burrows shows us the early influences: Little Richard， Bill Haley， jazz。 However， both boys were convinced they would be stars and kept writing and recording until they each issued records that resonated with the public enough to reach the Top 10。Burrows has interviewed people who knew Marc and has documented the original sources of information when they’re known。 This is a thorough book， packed with information， but is a surprisingly easy read。 Burrows’s jokey asides sometimes don’t sit well with the careful historic approach and I confess some grated with me， but then others made me laugh。 You can’t please all of the people…The book’s not perfect: Radio Luxembourg wasn’t a pirate station; I’m not sure that the film Summer Holiday should be described as milquetoast， but it IS a very well researched book and will be an eye-opener for T。Rex and David Bowie fans who weren’t following them in the 1960s。 However， I couldn’t see any explanation for why the book stops at the point it does。 Is this meant to be volume one of two？ Did Burrows just want to publish what he’d written？ I'd like to give the book four stars but that unexplained chop means it only gets three - sorry。#TheLondonBoys #NetGalley 。。。more
S
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Pen & Sword Books for an advanced copy of The London Boys。Mark Feld and David Jones had much in common both were born in 1947 both were brought up around the bombsites of a war torn London， both would grow up to be rockstars， and both made a change to their names one would be known as Marc Bolin， the other known as David Bowie。The London boys covers the highs and lows of both their lives， along side their careers， but not only that it also covers the My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Pen & Sword Books for an advanced copy of The London Boys。Mark Feld and David Jones had much in common both were born in 1947 both were brought up around the bombsites of a war torn London， both would grow up to be rockstars， and both made a change to their names one would be known as Marc Bolin， the other known as David Bowie。The London boys covers the highs and lows of both their lives， along side their careers， but not only that it also covers the social history of the time。The author Mark Burroughs has created a fascinating and informative biography of both their lives and I'm going to recommend to quit a few music lovers I know who will be interested in reading it to。 I would add it's not going to be for everyone's cup of tea but I for enjoyed it。 。。。more
Janalyn Prude
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Mark Feld and David Jones were both born after World War II in 1947 in award torn London。 They would both go up to be rockstars one would be Mark Bolin and the other David Bowie they were equals rivals but more portly they were musicians and had talent。 London boys covers both their lives their careers mistakes and successes。 The author Mark Burroughs has done a great job covering their lives and just the right amount of juicy tidbits to keep the reader going。 Before reading this book I had neve Mark Feld and David Jones were both born after World War II in 1947 in award torn London。 They would both go up to be rockstars one would be Mark Bolin and the other David Bowie they were equals rivals but more portly they were musicians and had talent。 London boys covers both their lives their careers mistakes and successes。 The author Mark Burroughs has done a great job covering their lives and just the right amount of juicy tidbits to keep the reader going。 Before reading this book I had never heard of Mark Bolling but since reading this I have listen to his music on YouTube and can see the appeal and of course I already knew about David Bowie but the author cover things I didn’t know and that’s what’s so great about reading books like this I grew up listening to him and loved his music and now as an older adult I love breeding about those I grew up with and this is one book that I would highly recommend。 It’s not only a great autobiography but it chronicles their childhood And interaction with each other。 It really is a great book for fans and if you’re not a fan it’s still an interesting book to read about life after the war growing up and the musicians that were popular。 I love this book and will definitely read more by this author。 I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review。 。。。more
Phil Brett
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is the story of two lads， David Jones and Mark Feld， both born in London， in 1947。 A city shattered by the Blitz， with rationing， and grieving over 43，000 civilians killed。 Later， these boys would change their names to Bowie and Bolan， but this is more than just （another） biography， because Marc Burrows uses their lives to tell the history of the Capitals’s post-war cultural scene。 The Felds were a working-class Jewish family in North London， known for their anti-fascist activism against Os This is the story of two lads， David Jones and Mark Feld， both born in London， in 1947。 A city shattered by the Blitz， with rationing， and grieving over 43，000 civilians killed。 Later， these boys would change their names to Bowie and Bolan， but this is more than just （another） biography， because Marc Burrows uses their lives to tell the history of the Capitals’s post-war cultural scene。 The Felds were a working-class Jewish family in North London， known for their anti-fascist activism against Oswald Mosley， Britain’s tinpot wannabe fuhrer， who stoked fears over immigration; the Jones were lower-middle class， south of the river， in Brixton。 Globally such differences are minor， but were （are？） hugely significant in Britain。 Like many of their peers， they felt the explosive impact of Rock ’n’ Roll， colourizing their black and white world。 The more working-class Felds scoffed at Marc’s dreams of becoming a star， whilst the Jones were happy to indulge their son。 American music was shaking up British culture， blasting out from radiograms。 Young people saw it as an escape。 As the decades changed， the youth experimented with clothes as well as music， both men became Mods。 Coffee bars boomed， becoming hubs of creativity。 In Soho， Central London， numerous future writers， rock and movie stars， mingled。 It was an area of permissiveness， where， despite it being illegal， gay men could surreptitiously meet。 Something which would have an effect on both men。 Les Conn， a chancer， who tried his hand at everything， including having a few aspiring musicians in his charge， had an office there。 He got them to paint it。 Thus， Mark and David met。 The sixties wore on， hairstyles changed， music changed， and the pair prepared to climb the stairs of stardom。 The book closes with “Space Oddity” and Marc recording a ditty titled “Ride a White swan”。 The narrative always moves along nicely， mixing individual life-stories with social history。 For me， though， it’s the early days which are the most gripping， when these two London Boys dream of a different world。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
J Earl
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The London Boys by Marc Burrows is not so much a biographical look at Bowie and Bolan （though that is a central element） as it is a look at how a generation born into the destructive aftermath of war transformed themselves， their city， their country， and indeed the world through their music and their taking on and shedding of various personae。If you're of a certain age （as in old， like me） this will be nostalgic to some degree。 Most of the stories involving Bowie and Bolan will be familiar， but The London Boys by Marc Burrows is not so much a biographical look at Bowie and Bolan （though that is a central element） as it is a look at how a generation born into the destructive aftermath of war transformed themselves， their city， their country， and indeed the world through their music and their taking on and shedding of various personae。If you're of a certain age （as in old， like me） this will be nostalgic to some degree。 Most of the stories involving Bowie and Bolan will be familiar， but probably not in the detail or contextualizing Burrows gives you。 It is that extra specificity of relationships coupled with the broader societal situating of events that makes this a truly enjoyable book。Even those who know a good bit about these musicians will learn a lot。 I am no expert， maybe a dozen books about Bowie and a couple about Bolan/T Rex， but I didn't expect a lot of new information， mostly I was looking forward to new perspective on things I might already know。 I gained those new perspectives and also a lot of very interesting details which were new to me。 You gotta love when a book gives you what you want， plus a whole lot more。Certainly a must read for fans of Bowie， Bolan， and the music of the late 60s and 70s， but also a great read for those with an interest in social and cultural history more generally。 And for old folk like me， a great trip down memory lane。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Annarella
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A fascinating and informative biography of Marc Bolan and David Bowie but also the story of their career， of what was happening in the music world and in the society。The author loves these musicians and did and excellent job in writing this informative book。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine
Kate Henderson
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I absolutely adore David Bowie， and i'm a fan of Marc Bolan too - so was super intrigued and excited by this book。However I didn't actually enjoy this book disappointingly。 I found it very slow in pace， and a bit wishy washy in terms of having a strict narrative or point。I didn't like this book at all - not for me。 I absolutely adore David Bowie， and i'm a fan of Marc Bolan too - so was super intrigued and excited by this book。However I didn't actually enjoy this book disappointingly。 I found it very slow in pace， and a bit wishy washy in terms of having a strict narrative or point。I didn't like this book at all - not for me。 。。。more
Alex Sarll
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The story of how Mark Feld and David Jones took on the new identities by which they'd be remembered， but also of the times through which they ascended， their first， faltering attempts at fame weaving through the era and area which brought Britain out of its rubble-coloured post-War funk and left it pretty groovy for a while – even if the momentum of that fabulous half-century is now looking pretty thoroughly exhausted。 Marc has done his research on his leads， reconciling elements which don't mat The story of how Mark Feld and David Jones took on the new identities by which they'd be remembered， but also of the times through which they ascended， their first， faltering attempts at fame weaving through the era and area which brought Britain out of its rubble-coloured post-War funk and left it pretty groovy for a while – even if the momentum of that fabulous half-century is now looking pretty thoroughly exhausted。 Marc has done his research on his leads， reconciling elements which don't match in biographies of the two， and digging out details which were certainly new to me， who's read at least a couple of Bowie books and thought I had an OK handle on Bolan – stuff like David's time in the Riot Squad （the band， not the head-crackers， which would admittedly have been an even more surprising gig）。 But the further details about that band， how saxophonist Bob Evans refounded them after Joe Meek's death saw half the outfit quit， before going on to join the Bonzos， play the opening night of the Comedy Store， and provide Big Brother's face for the John Hurt 1984。。。none of that is really necessary to Bowie's story， or Bolan's for that matter。 What it does contribute， though， apart from being an interesting digression in its own right， is a sense of the scene without which the leads would never have been able to to manage their own feats， astonishing individuals though they were。 As ever， I'm left wishing there were a better word than 'scenius' because， Eno coinage or not， it's a godawful term for a crucial， fascinating phenomenon。 Bowie and Bolan were definitely friends， and rivals， probably lovers or something like it at times – but they weren't a unique pairing， because fiction loves to narrow things down to duos of one or another flavour， but in real life the webs are wider and stranger， so yes， they'd hang out together， but equally they were hanging out with various other faces and/or musicians， because Soho then was like that （and it must be said， visiting its gentrified ruins while reading this was quite the melancholy trip， mostly in the non-psychedelic sense of the word）。 If people hadn't been in these huge and shifting webs of acquaintanceship， after all， then Bowie in 1964 would never have been able to go through bands like the modern UK goes through ministers。Then too， it's an interesting period on which to focus because。。。well， we know the seventies story of Bowie and Bolan， don't we？ And the sixties story of the Beatles et al。 But the sixties story of Bowie and Bolan as something more than the hastily skipped through bit between childhood （though childhood is here too） and superstardom， that's novel。 There's been a trend towards this sort of music auto/biography lately， ones that stop in the early days， leaving the 'Needless to say I had the last laugh' imperial phase implicit – Bracewell's Roxy book， Jarvis Cocker， Madness， Brett Anderson （though admittedly Brett did cave and do a sequel， and one is planned for this too）。 There are things here which sent my sense of time a little wobbly， like being made aware that both men started off big fans of Cliff Richard – so that not only Bolan's brief， meteoric defining of a moment， but Bowie's whole extensive， culture-shifting era of fame， can be encompassed within Sir Cliff's unending， tedious， creepy， but definitely not criminal career。 And as time reshapes around us， so do critical assessments。 I do think London Boys is too kind on some， though certainly not all， of Bowie and Bolan's early efforts， but simply by paying full attention to them it does come up with useful insights， like Carlos Alomar's assertion that there's an unexpected amount of the Velvets' I'm Waiting For The Man in The Laughing Gnome。 And if Burrows' roots in performing as a comic and having previously published a biography of a comic author might be considered naturally to make him more sympathetic to a comedy song， well， they also mean he's the ideal person to write about the truly ludicrous career of the proto-punk racket that was John's Children。 As one German paper responded: "Poor John。" Elsewhere， though， he takes the reverse – and rare – approach in attempting， gods help us， a serious appreciation of Bowie's much-mocked mime period。 I was particularly taken with the would-be revolutionaries heckling his performance on the theme of Tibet's occupation， because how dare he be beastly to Maoist imperialism – the tankies， like the poor， we have always with us。So it goes: the story of Bowie and Bolan， picking up on overlooked indicators， scrutinising anecdotes which don't quite stand up without letting the book turn into a dry exercise in demythologising （this approach in particular is familiar from Marc's Pratchett book）。 Equally， he points out when the true story is stranger than has been fully appreciated; the chain of events which saw the young Mark Feld getting into rock'n'roll when he did， in particular， is so strange and tenuous as almost to make one believe in fate。 Or consider Bolan's relationship with John Peel， where it's a commonplace that Peel made Bolan's career， but people tend not to pick up on the corollary of how close Bolan came to sinking Peel's – and imagine the mess British music would have been left in then。 I did have occasional quibbles， many of them with little typo stuff （Brel's Court of Amsterdam， indeed） though one or two more substantial （the notion of Quentin Crisp as entirely comfortable with his own sexuality feels a little pat， given his insistence that the man for whom he longed would compromise that longed-for masculinity by reciprocating）; I suspect the Bolan ultras in particular will have more， though for my money Burrows' portrait of someone whose absolute certainty of his own imminent stardom was probably more charming from a distance gets it about right。 Conversely， people invested in the notion of Kenneth Pitt as bad for Bowie， perhaps because they somehow took Angie's book seriously， may not relish the rehabilitation he mostly gets here。 But at the very least it's another piece of the mosaic， and for my money a lot more than that。（Netgalley ARC） 。。。more
Louise Wilson
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David Bowie， Marc Bolan and the 60s Teenage DreamRock and Roll fanatics， mods， beat group wannabes， underground， hippies， glam rock icons: David Bowie and Marc Bolan spent the first half of their careers following remarkably similar paths。 From the day they met in 1965 as Davie Jones and Marc Feld， rock and roll wannabes painting their managers office in London's Denmark Street， they would remain friends and rivals， each waching closely and learning from each other。Although I was not a fan of Da David Bowie， Marc Bolan and the 60s Teenage DreamRock and Roll fanatics， mods， beat group wannabes， underground， hippies， glam rock icons: David Bowie and Marc Bolan spent the first half of their careers following remarkably similar paths。 From the day they met in 1965 as Davie Jones and Marc Feld， rock and roll wannabes painting their managers office in London's Denmark Street， they would remain friends and rivals， each waching closely and learning from each other。Although I was not a fan of David Bowie or Marc Bolan， I'm always intrigued by how people made it big。 London in the 1960s， we find out what was happening around both men in their early years。 This is a very detailed read that has some entertaining footnotes。 This a really interesting read。I would like to thank #Netgalley #PenandSword and the author #MarcBurrows for my ARC of #TheLondonBoys in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Pen & Sword Books for an advanced copy of this dual biography and study on two musical icons， their friendship， rivalry and influence。History has a habit of picking favorites， deciding on who should get all the accolades， while others might get passed over， more of a legend than a historical character。 Dying early， doesn't help as the arts always have a time where people look back and go， hey wait a minute， that was a good book， movie， painting， reco My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Pen & Sword Books for an advanced copy of this dual biography and study on two musical icons， their friendship， rivalry and influence。History has a habit of picking favorites， deciding on who should get all the accolades， while others might get passed over， more of a legend than a historical character。 Dying early， doesn't help as the arts always have a time where people look back and go， hey wait a minute， that was a good book， movie， painting， record， and suddenly a career on hold becomes a comeback story。 Some stars always shine， like David Bowie， some stars burn bright but fade in memory， like Marc Bolan， but with periodic flares。 This two men， friends， influencers to each to each other and others， rivals and at their last meeting playing music changed music， the scene and a bit of history。 The London Boys: David Bowie， Marc Bolan and the 60s Teenage Dream by author and musical historian Marc Burrows is both a dual biography of these icons， and a look at the music， art and fashions at a scene that was being created around them。 David Jones， later David Bowie and a lot of other names， and Mark Feld， later Marc Bolan， were both born in London in 1947。 England had won the war， but in many ways had seemed to have lost the peace， with austerity， food rationing and a society that seemed at a loss。 Both men enjoyed the arts， Bolan with an almost fanatical need to be famous， but not exactly sure how to gain it， except for being discovered。 Bowie， whose family was more financially secure grew up with art， studying design， art and music before finally entering the music world in 1969。 Bowie also wanted fame and all that came with it， but his artistic sense would get in the way， and a lack of good songs， for that matter。 By 1969 things were going for both men。 Bowie had a semi-hit with Space Oddity， Bolan and his band T-Rex were making the scene and selling records， dressing in woman's clothing and creating the glam scene almost by chance。 By the mid-seventies Bowie was ascendent， with Bolan drifting， due to band， marriage and health issues， before staging a comeback。 The two reunited for a concert performance on a BBC show Bolan was hosting， before Bolan was killed in a car accident a month later。 A very interesting book on both music， London and its numerous problems， and of these two men， friends， rivals， and friends again， as Bowie's star kept rising， and Bolan's wasn't falling but， was never near Bowie。 Writing a book about both men must have been difficult， as both were known to dance around the truth， the myth being for more interesting， and satisfying to the ego。 When these occasions occur， Burrows will list all the stories， and let the reader decide， unless something was so obviously true， or the lie really that bad。 The plotting is very good， sharing both men's lives together and never confusing or muddling the narrative。 Plus the music really comes through， and you can tell the writer， who was named for Marc Bolan， really cares about getting his subjects correct and telling their story。 A wonderful book for fans of both men， which is novel as London itself is made a character， and readers can see what that town's effect had on both men。 Recommended for music fans， and for fans of well written interesting biographies。 。。。more
Stella
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A detailed look at David Bowie and （my #1 love） Marc Bolan and youth culture in London， from their early years， before fame and to their ascent， leading to their reunion on the television show "Marc'。。。。 where they played a blowout performance shortly before Marc's untimely death。Burrows does a fabulous job inserting British history and the political goings-on during Bowie & Bolan's lives。 This is not just a rock & roll history， this is a pop culture and British history study。 So many Bowie fans A detailed look at David Bowie and （my #1 love） Marc Bolan and youth culture in London， from their early years， before fame and to their ascent， leading to their reunion on the television show "Marc'。。。。 where they played a blowout performance shortly before Marc's untimely death。Burrows does a fabulous job inserting British history and the political goings-on during Bowie & Bolan's lives。 This is not just a rock & roll history， this is a pop culture and British history study。 So many Bowie fans will pick this up， but THIS Bolan fan will sleep even better know that Marc's story is being told to more and more people。 GET IT ON。 BANG A GONG。Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Rita Egan
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The London BoysBy Marc BurrowsLondon in the 1960s， the music， the fashion， the faces about town。 Nothing encapsulates that time like David Bowie and Marc Bolan。 I was instantly drawn to this book because I was such a huge fan of glam rock， it was the soundtrack to my early childhood。 In this ambitious undertaking， the author wants to put us right back into that state of mind， that time and place， not necessarily promising the life stories of these two London boys， but more capturing the mood of The London BoysBy Marc BurrowsLondon in the 1960s， the music， the fashion， the faces about town。 Nothing encapsulates that time like David Bowie and Marc Bolan。 I was instantly drawn to this book because I was such a huge fan of glam rock， it was the soundtrack to my early childhood。 In this ambitious undertaking， the author wants to put us right back into that state of mind， that time and place， not necessarily promising the life stories of these two London boys， but more capturing the mood of moment。This is a fact heavy piece of work。 He walks us through what was going on around both men， what they were born into and grew up with， what informed their ambitions and aspirations。 As a piece of narrative fiction， it gives lots and lots of information， plenty of notes， there are hundreds of memories， but for me what was missing was the narrative arc。 It felt like a series of articles rather than a cohesive story， often repetitive， which impacted on the pacing。 I know I am probably being very picky， because this will be absolutely devoured by fans， but maybe it was a missed opportunity。Because I read an eARC， I can't tell what the finished book will be like， but I really hope it will be stuffed with artwork and photos。 If it is， I will certainly purchase a few copies because it would be the perfect christmas present for the Gen Xer in your life。Publication Date: 31th October 2022Thanks so much to #netgalley for sending me this ARC 。。。more
Stephen
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thanks to netgalley and the publishers for a free copy in return for an open and honest reviewdetailed look at the London boys Bolan and Bowie from their origins in London charting their careers up to the point Bolan died after the fatal car crash。 the book itself was interesting。
Mark
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A fascinating origin study of David Bowie and Marc Bolan’s early years focusing on their largely unsuccessful attempts to make names for themselves during the 1960s。 The author has obviously done his homework and is therefore able to offer us 5 plausible reasons for Marc’s choice of Bolan as his stage name。 I was impressed that Burrows is willing to embrace such uncertainty and avoid pedalling half truths， acknowledging that Bolan and Bowie’s tendencies to self-mythologise make it tricky to esta A fascinating origin study of David Bowie and Marc Bolan’s early years focusing on their largely unsuccessful attempts to make names for themselves during the 1960s。 The author has obviously done his homework and is therefore able to offer us 5 plausible reasons for Marc’s choice of Bolan as his stage name。 I was impressed that Burrows is willing to embrace such uncertainty and avoid pedalling half truths， acknowledging that Bolan and Bowie’s tendencies to self-mythologise make it tricky to establish the actual facts on occasion。Having read several Bowie biographies and watched the documentary about his early career， I didn’t feel I learnt very much I didn’t already know about him。 However， this book accomplishes the no mean feat of looking at his and Bolan’s formative years in tandem and putting their development into its social context。 It’s particularly intriguing where their paths intersect。 Burrows is also very even-handed and devotes as much space to Bolan as Bowie。 I don’t think critics have given Bolan’s musical achievements as much credit as they deserve and this book goes some way to redressing the balance。 。。。more
Kid Ferrous
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“The London Boys” is a penetratingly thorough history of the deep but often turbulent friendship/rivalry between the nascent rock stars David Bowie and Marc Bolan， from their early years to their eventual first flush of fame。 The introduction sets the scene with a depiction of the historic yet chaotic reconciliation of Bowie and Bolan on the latter’s TV show “Marc”， mere days before his death。 The book evokes the shattered post-WWII London landscape that both Bolan and Bowie grew up in through v “The London Boys” is a penetratingly thorough history of the deep but often turbulent friendship/rivalry between the nascent rock stars David Bowie and Marc Bolan， from their early years to their eventual first flush of fame。 The introduction sets the scene with a depiction of the historic yet chaotic reconciliation of Bowie and Bolan on the latter’s TV show “Marc”， mere days before his death。 The book evokes the shattered post-WWII London landscape that both Bolan and Bowie grew up in through vivid descriptions， and explores how the city and its rapid cultural development in the ‘60s shaped their future careers。 On the whole， “The London Boys” is a very detailed and workmanlike biography of both legends， but also a deep and intoxicating （it may even be eye-opening to a millennial reader） social history of Britain and its cultural heritage and development， hugely influenced by American music。 There are also some very entertaining footnotes in which many myths are busted。 Special mention must be given to chapter nineteen which has a unique structure that got made this old Bowie fan giddily excited， but you’ll have to read it yourself to find out why。 A dense， deep book but immensely scholarly and readable， with an uplifting ending （really， “the beginning”） “The London Boys” is an original， fabulous and moving， even slightly irreverent， addition to the written history of both artists， both of whom burst from the page so vividly that we get to know them better than ever。 。。。more
Wendi Manning
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I really liked this one。 I can never know too much about Marc Bolan and this is a great look at him。 It covers the world that made Marc and Bowie possible and how the opened the door to the things that came next。 It’s a British musician bio， so it obligatorily covered WWII， because no musician from that time wasn’t somehow impacted by it。 This wasn’t as in depth on that and that was perfect。 It’s always part of the story， but I loved that it wasn’t the whole story。 This is really well written an I really liked this one。 I can never know too much about Marc Bolan and this is a great look at him。 It covers the world that made Marc and Bowie possible and how the opened the door to the things that came next。 It’s a British musician bio， so it obligatorily covered WWII， because no musician from that time wasn’t somehow impacted by it。 This wasn’t as in depth on that and that was perfect。 It’s always part of the story， but I loved that it wasn’t the whole story。 This is really well written and although at times， it seems a little dismissive of Bolan and over impressed by Bowie， that’s probably just the nature of people in general。 Bowie lovers will love this， Bolan lovers will love this， and music history freaks will love this。 Thanks to NetGalley for letting me get my Marc Bolan on！ 。。。more
Louise Gray
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