David Nolan has written a number of books dealing with the Manchester music scene. This bio of Bernard Sumner is an excellent rock biography. It's the work of a fan but not someone who has put the subject matter on a pedestal and it reveals in a highly informative and enjoyable way, a great deal about the subject matter and helps the reader understand just what it is that drives and motivates the singer, musician and producer.
It's not a perfect work by any means. There's quite a number of typos, spelling mistakes and bad grammar (a bit like a typical TVV posting then!!!) which will annoy some folk. But having said that, the research that has gone into this book to reveal all sorts of details and facts about a notoriously shy front-man who never wanted the job in the first place more than makes up for it.
The author, in his introduction, makes it clear that while it not an authorised biography, his approach was to give a copy of the manuscript to its subject matter to allow him to respond to some of the issues raised. This means that every so often, Bernard's commentary appears mid-page and it's said/written in a style that is quite different from David Nolan's. This only adds to the enjoyment factor.
Bernard Sumner's career has been astonishing and it's easy to overlook much of it and think of him simply as the singer with New Order. He's had chart success and enjoyed critical acclaim with three of the UK's most influential bands of the late 20th Century as well as being the often un-named producer behind many of the acts that were on Factory. He's co-written and/or played on tracks by Paul Haig, Chemical Brothers and Primal Scream among others. As this book demonstrates, he has been hugely influential, far more than the much more revered Ian Curtis, and yet without the suicide of the Joy Division singer it is by no means certain that he would ever have been given the space to display these talents. Although late and great Anthony H Wilson certainly believes Bernard would have been a success - his contribution to this book via what must have been one of the last in-depth interviews he gave to anyone is worth the cover price alone.
Five years on however, this book is now seemingly out of print. Certainly on Amazon, it's only available second-hand and folk are asking for silly money for it - £27 and upwards. It's the same at ebay. I'm not saying you should fork out such daft sums, but if you happen to come across a copy in a charity shop, car boot sale or the like then pick up a copy and have a read. You won't regret it.
mp3 : Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Pennine)
mp3 : New Order - Krafty
mp3 : Electronic - Idiot Country
mp3 : Sub Sub - This Time I'm Not Wrong (edit)
Happy Reading. And listening.
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