Down Thunder Road : The Making of Bruce Springsteen

An unauthorized biography of Springsteen describes his troubled childhood; rise to fame; treatment of roadies, band members, and girlfriends; business affairs; and personal relationships

Rock writer Eliot ( Phil Ochs: The Death of a Rebel , Watts, 1989) chronicles Springsteen's rise to stardom during the mid-1970s. By effectively patching together lengthy quotes, he outlines the rock star's New Jersey childhood, mentions his first bands, and concentrates on Springsteen's relationship and 1976 split with Appel, who managed the singer/guitarist to his Born To Run (1975) success and whose recollections form the basis of this book. Though overrating the importance of Appel, who is cast as a victim, and unable to interview either Springsteen or current manager Jon Landau, Eliot delivers a readable, sometimes fascinating text that sheds new light on the 1975 selling of Springsteen and should be read together with Dave Marsh's more laudatory biographies, Born To Run ( LJ 11/1/79) and Glory Days (Pantheon, 1987). Recommended to anyone interested in Springsteen, rock 'n' roll, or the music business.
- David Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.