John Prine Book:

		List Price: $29.95		Publisher: Ecw Press Salesrank: 212065
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Steve Goodman: Facing the Music Reviews:
Passion Begets Passion
2009-07-31 - Clay committed to print an amount of detail normally reserved for great presidents or colossal criminals. But if you ever were fortunate enough to see Steve in concert, you might very well understand the passion and dedication he brought to this project. I didn't know Steve but when he died, it most certainly was like a death in the family. The many times he came through Minneapolis, opening for John Prine so many times at the original Guthrie Theatre, are highlights in a life where I've spared no expense seeing the best this city's stages have offered. None are quite so memorable as this hipster. He could dazzle you with a style and audacity in his playing that no one seems to have mastered before or since. But more than that, his songwriting combined with a wicked sense of humor that had you rolling in the aisles with laughter one minute, and silenced by raw emotion the next. Prine, another first-class wit and showman, had to feel the pressure of following this guy onstage night after night. It would have been akin to a public suicide had Prine not been so gifted and likable himself. I understand Steve could be a handfull at times--passionate people can be that way. But when we lost him a quarter of a century ago, Steve reminded us how people like that change us forever and leave us crying out for more ... the way we did every time he left the stage.

Enlightening and Life Affirming!
2008-07-28 - If you're a Steve Goodman fan, you'll want to own this book. If you're not a Steve Goodman fan, you probably haven't been properly introduced!

The format is perfect, though the book looks imposing until you actually open it.

I love all the photos! I love getting to know a man I always admired and never had the opportunity meet. In reading Eals' engaging and detailed work, I am constantly surprised by the breadth of Steve's influence and the number of talented people who considered him their friend.

If you're new to Steve and have some doubts, buy his anthology. No Big Surprise: Anthology
Once you've heard that, you'll be back here pressing the "Add to Cart" button.

Thanks, Steve! Well done, Clay!

WOW!
2008-06-19 - Everything you wanted to know about Steve Goodman and then some. The author really did his homework....over 700 pages detailing Steve's life. Peoples' recollections of events 40 years ago seem like they happened yesterday. I guess that was the effect Steve had on people. A talented musician and song writer and even a better human being. It was fun reading about his interactions with the famous musicians/entertainers of the time: John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Arlo, Dylan, Kristofferson, Carly Simon, the Chapin brothers, Pete Seeger, Bob Seger, Steve Martin, Tom Rush, Johnny Cash, et al. He packed a lifetime into those 36 years. You left us to soon Steve.
Well done, Clay Eals!

Overkill?
2008-04-09 - Steve's music was great, but unfortunately he'll more than likely only be remembered for "City of New Orleans". The book is good, but it was on the overkill side. Outside of his immediate family and close friends, I'm not too sure that the rest of us are much interested in his day-to-day activities. I can think of a lot of great talent who never got a large-format, small type, 700 page book so in that light, Steve's family has something to be proud of. All in all a great book, but very time consuming to read.

Chicago Shorty
2008-04-07 - If you love Steve Goodman or any of the great singer songwriters of the 60's and 70's including Goodman's close friend, John Prine, then you have to have this book!. Exhaustive history not only of Steve but of the times with many anecdotes, stories, and characters. Good times. Sure miss them.