Praise for The Mansion on the Hill: Dylan, Young, Geffen, Springsteen, and the Head-On Collision of Rock and Commerce
"A sophisticated moral fable about the collision and fusion of art and commerce ... Rare for a book of this kind, the musical analysis is as astute as the business reporting." — Stephen Holden,
New York Times
"This enthralling history of what Goodman, a former editor of
Rolling Stone, calls the 'head-on collision of rock and commerce' reads like a modern day
Faust, underscoring the compromises of a generation that set out to sell its soul for rock and roll and settled for pawning rock and roll's soul instead." —
The New Yorker
"Goodman ... retain's a fan's core passion for the music's emotional and aesthetic power. But unlike most other rock journalists, Goodman is also able to cast a cold, discerning eye on the consolidation of a popular art into an entertainment Leviathan. Goodman's history discards the conventional arc of rock myth, which typically does little more than trace shaky lines of descent from one idol to another: Elvis begat Dylan, who begat Morrison (Jim or Van, take your pick), who begat Springsteen ... Instead, Goodman fastens onto the history of hard-bitten commerce within the rock scene, summoning up some remarkable stories in the process." — Chris Lehmann,
Newsday
"Why was rock-and-roll so important? And what caused its downfall? Although Fred Goodman's book,
The Mansion on the Hill, focuses on just a handful of rock's most influential figures, it provides some of the best answers anyone has ever offered for these questions...
The Mansion on the Hill provides an excellent chronicle of rock's sad metamorphosis from a quasi-moral force into an unstoppable money machine."—
New York Times Book Review
"Goodman has been writing about the business of music for 15 years and there is no better investigative reporter in the field." —
Seattle Weekly
"A well-reported pageturner." —
Philadelphia Inquirer Praise for Fortune's Fool: Edgar Bronfman Jr., Warner Music, and an Industry in Crisis
"Goodman was able to gain extensive access to Mr. Bronfman and many other important industry executives. His book is full of colorful anecdotes and astonishing quotes from his subjects ...
Fortune's Fool is a great read." —
New York Times"In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where it's due."
--Kirkus, STARRED "In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where it's due."
—Kirkus, STARRED “Writing about contracts, percentages and deals can be tedious, but Goodman makes it as exciting as reading about an artist's sex life. The book explodes with inside dope."
—Jim Farber,
New York Daily News“Fred Goodman makes this world come alive and any fan of rock or insider tales of the music industry will be in heaven reading about this fascinating, troubling character.”
—Judd Apatow “One highly engrossing read. . . . Fred Goodman is a superb writer and his account here of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most polarizing figures could not be more readable
. [A] triumph.”
—Yahoo! Music
“I want you to read it, so you can see how the world really works. Allen Klein reinvented the wheel.”
—Bob Lefsetz
"Goodman's eye-opening biography of a pivotal insider reveals the record-company machinations behind some of the biggest names from the 1960s."
—Booklist "In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where it's due."
—Kirkus, STARRED
“A compelling work of rock-’n’-roll history."
—Wall Street Journal
“Fred Goodman makes this world come alive and any fan of rock or insider tales of the music industry will be in heaven reading about this fascinating, troubling character.”
—Judd Apatow “Writing about contracts, percentages and deals can be tedious, but Goodman makes it as exciting as reading about an artist's sex life. The book explodes with inside dope."
—Jim Farber, New York Daily News“One highly engrossing read. . . . Fred Goodman is a superb writer and his account here of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most polarizing figures could not be more readable. [A] triumph.”
—Yahoo! Music“I want you to read it, so you can see how the world really works. Allen Klein reinvented the wheel.”
—Bob Lefsetz"Goodman's eye-opening biography of a pivotal insider reveals the record-company machinations behind some of the biggest names from the 1960s."
—Booklist "In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where it's due."
—Kirkus, STARRED “A compelling work of rock-’n’-roll history."
—Wall Street Journal“Fred Goodman makes this world come alive and any fan of rock or insider tales of the music industry will be in heaven reading about this fascinating, troubling character.”
—Judd Apatow “Writing about contracts, percentages and deals can be tedious, but Goodman makes it as exciting as reading about an artist's sex life. The book explodes with inside dope."
—Jim Farber, New York Daily News“One highly engrossing read. . . . Fred Goodman is a superb writer and his account here of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most polarizing figures could not be more readable. [A] triumph.”
—Yahoo! Music“I want you to read it, so you can see how the world really works. Allen Klein reinvented the wheel.”
—Bob Lefsetz"Goodman's eye-opening biography of a pivotal insider reveals the record-company machinations behind some of the biggest names from the 1960s."
—Booklist "In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where it's due."
—Kirkus, STARRED “Fred Goodman makes this world come alive and any fan of rock or insider tales of the music industry will be in heaven reading about this fascinating, troubling character.”
—Judd Apatow “Writing about contracts, percentages and deals can be tedious, but Goodman makes it as exciting as reading about an artist's sex life. The book explodes with inside dope."
—Jim Farber, New York Daily News“One highly engrossing read. . . . Fred Goodman is a superb writer and his account here of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most polarizing figures could not be more readable. [A] triumph.”
—Yahoo! Music“I want you to read it, so you can see how the world really works. Allen Klein reinvented the wheel.”
—Bob Lefsetz"Goodman's eye-opening biography of a pivotal insider reveals the record-company machinations behind some of the biggest names from the 1960s."
—Booklist "In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where it's due."
—Kirkus, STARRED "[A] savvy, evenhanded biography...Goodman makes the nuts and bolts really interesting...Sharp thumbnail sketches of various performers, managers, and record company executives also liven things up." —The Daily Beast
“A compelling work of rock-’n’-roll history."
—Wall Street Journal“Fred Goodman makes this world come alive and any fan of rock or insider tales of the music industry will be in heaven reading about this fascinating, troubling character.”
—Judd Apatow “Writing about contracts, percentages and deals can be tedious, but Goodman makes it as exciting as reading about an artist's sex life. The book explodes with inside dope."
—Jim Farber, New York Daily News "In this thoroughly researched biography, Goodman (a former
Rolling Stone editor and author of
The Mansion on the Hill) gives a much more complete, balanced look at the man . . . who has mostly been viewed as a cartoon villain, and fleshes out his portrait with more nuance and brush strokes than even before.
—Houston Press“One highly engrossing read. . . . Fred Goodman is a superb writer and his account here of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most polarizing figures could not be more readable. [A] triumph.”
—Yahoo! Music“I want you to read it, so you can see how the world really works. Allen Klein reinvented the wheel.”
—Bob Lefsetz"Goodman's eye-opening biography of a pivotal insider reveals the record-company machinations behind some of the biggest names from the 1960s."
—Booklist "In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where it's due."
—Kirkus, STARRED "[A] savvy, evenhanded biography...Goodman makes the nuts and bolts really interesting...Sharp thumbnail sketches of various performers, managers, and record company executives also liven things up." —The Daily Beast
“A compelling work of rock-’n’-roll history."
—Wall Street Journal“Fred Goodman makes this world come alive and any fan of rock or insider tales of the music industry will be in heaven reading about this fascinating, troubling character.”
—Judd Apatow “Writing about contracts, percentages and deals can be tedious, but Goodman makes it as exciting as reading about an artist's sex life. The book explodes with inside dope."
—Jim Farber, New York Daily News“One highly engrossing read. . . . Fred Goodman is a superb writer and his account here of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most polarizing figures could not be more readable. [A] triumph.”
—Yahoo! Music“I want you to read it, so you can see how the world really works. Allen Klein reinvented the wheel.”
—Bob Lefsetz"Goodman's eye-opening biography of a pivotal insider reveals the record-company machinations behind some of the biggest names from the 1960s."
—Booklist "In this balanced, fascinating, and well-written biography, Goodman gives [Allen Klein] credit where it's due."
—Kirkus, STARRED
