Welcome to the Daisley age

As rock memoirs go, this weighty, lavishly illustrated tome is unusual, as it was entirely written by rock bassist Bob Daisley (of too many bands to number, but notably Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Blizzard Of Ozz). Here he reveals himself to be a down- to-earth and humorous storyteller and, as a diarist and compulsive archivist, has a wealth of resources to draw on in order to tell his very detailed story.

It is, in some ways, standard fare (young person from tough background becomes musician, works his way up from pubs to stadiums), but is unfamiliar enough to be gripping. Daisley was part of the postwar generation which grew up with Elvis, The Beatles and the Stones, but his background in Australia gives the narrative a distinctive atmosphere. After his beat group beginnings, Daisley’s career really took off and his anecdotes feature a who’s who of hard rock/heavy metal. Through it all he balances his personal life and career seamlessly, making for an entertaining, amusing and sometimes very moving read. Automatically recommended to fans, but also anyone with an interest in the history of hard rock.