Five against One by Kim Neely
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Book Reviews of Five against One
Book Review: Balanced read that allows readers to draw their own conclusions
Summary: 4 Stars
The best elements of this book is the musical history of the band and its music. The author does an excellent job of placing the formation of the band in the context of the tension between "punk" and "rock". The tension between punk and rock music and culture is an important tool to explore the dynamics within the band (Eddie vs Dave A.), within the individuals (Eddie's self-image) and with the musical subculture (Eddie vs Cobain and Pearl Jam vs Mudhoney).
A significant portion of the text is committed to the re-creation of Eddie's family life. The text is fair and does not draw conclusions as to who was "right" or "wrong" in the various family conflicts described. Given the tremendous effort in recounting this history I was disappointed that the author could not better relate these details to psychology of the band or to Eddie's modern day image.
Book Review: A good, solidly well written book.
Summary: 4 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kim Kneely wrote a book that is insightful, and she maintains an objective distance. She does not pander to the band, is not fawning but also does not overlook a lot of the good things about the band. She tries to maintain an even-handed approach to the subject and I think she succeeds. My only mild complaint is the couple of chapters that deal only with Vedder. While he is the basic focal point of the band and therefore it was neccessary to write about him I thought it detracted from the rest of the band and the flow of the book seemed to stop when the book came to these chapters. The No Code era also seemed a little rushed. Some of the principle people were not interviewed, but she did a fine job of putting together what she did have to form a coherent story of the band. Recommended reading.Book Review: Detailed and Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
I loved this book, and would give this book 5 stars, but I reserve that rank to the great classics. FIVE AGAINST ONE isn't literary genius, but is still an excellent read. Neely is very objective in her book, seperating the myths of the Pearl Jam legend from the facts of the Pearl Jam reality. I found myself cringing from time to time, mainly because Neely doesn't pull too many punches...Eddie isn't portrayed as the nicest guy around, and I came away from the book feeling very sorry for Dave Abbruzzese, who obviously contributed quite a bit of information about his conflicts with Vedder. Since much of the book focuses on Eddie and Dave, there leaves litte room for info about Jeff, Stone, and Mike, outside of the pre-PJ chapters. Still, the book is very entertaining, revealing some neat tidbits about the band's history.Book Review: interesting and full-covered biography
Summary: 4 Stars
this is a quite full and interestnig biography concerning the first years of the PJ history also relating to the beginning of this (and other) seattle bands, which is of particular value to grunge fans i think, because this is now part of the rock n roll history!
the book gave me a human description of the band's mates and i was interested to read about the abruzzese period and the way it ended.
so i think the PJ story written in this book is a good description of the direction the band took since 1996 til today. i was also interested about the vedder's personal life chapters, but eventually i am not sure whether it is a good idea revealing really personal facts, but anyway it helps understanding vedder personnality , phylosophy and music.
Enjoy it, it is easy to read, and excuse my english faults.
Book Review: Black
Summary: 4 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. After I was through, my vision of Eddie has changed. Not to say I think he is the most sociable soul when it comes to interviews (evasive is a good word). Eddie comes across as a contradicting, manipulative control freak who influenced the band to release Dave because he was the only one who didn't click with him. I would of given this book five stars if there were more interviews with the rest of the band, and their decision regarding Dave's forced departure. Maybe Eddie has a tightrope on them from speaking out. If you are a Pearl Jam fan, or a fan of rock history, then I highly recommend this book. It offers a lot of detailed information that you usually do not see in music publications such as Rolling Stone and SPIN.