David Bowie Rainbowman
On sale
5th September 2023
Price: £30
*A Times Best Music Book of 2023 – ‘For Bowie nuts this is research-heavy heaven’*
‘[Soligny] has talked to just about anyone who had anything to do with Bowie’s music… Reading [their memories and comments] you can almost believe you’re in the studio with Bowie as he tries out new ideas, fades out one sound to boost another or comes up with another of those astonishing chord changes…There are now almost as many Bowie books as there are Bob Dylan books but Rainbowman outclasses them all. Beautifully translated, [it] brings you closer to the great man than any conventional biography… Quite simply the best book there is on David Bowie.’-MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘This is a book unlike any other, the definitive analysis of David’s music, told in a quiet natural way, but with absolute authenticity, by the people around him.’ – HERMIONE FARTHINGALE
‘Jérôme Soligny is one of the best authorities in the world on David Bowie’s career and life in general… His new biography Rainbowman is a thorough and honest account of the great man.’ – TONY VISCONTI
‘Jérôme is a guy who is still aware that popular music is an art form and not a money suppository. He writes from the heart and is one of the last exemplars of a dying breed. The critic, armed with intelligence and brute compulsive honesty, as dangerous as a river.’ – IGGY POP
‘Not long ago, Jérôme told me something that I find very true: “David played saxophone, guitar, a bit of keyboards, but above all, he played musicians!” I think he really hit the nail on the head.’ – MIKE GARSON
‘If you love David Bowie – and most right thinking people do – you will really love Rainbowman. It’s an absolutely biblical text. Part oral history, part essay… Jérôme seems to have spoken to just about everybody.’ – STUART MACONIE, BBC Radio 6 Music
‘Jérôme Soligny gets new insights through the voices of those who were there, , including Bowie’s 1960s girlfriend Hermione Farthingale, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Tony Visconti and many more’ – Sunday Times
In David Bowie Rainbowman, Jérôme Soligny tells the story of David Bowie the musician with the help of those intimately involved with the creation of his music.
This uniquely exhaustive work on Bowie’s 1967-1980 albums draws on over 150 interviews with the musicians, producers and friends who knew Bowie best, including Robert Fripp, Hermione Farthingale, Lou Reed, George Underwood, Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Trevor Bolder, Mike Garson, Woody Woodmansey and many, many others. With an essay by Soligny on each album followed by oral histories from the most trusted and influential figures in Bowie’s musical life, David Bowie Rainbowman is the definitive guide to a singular and mercurial genius – the Rainbowman himself.
· With a foreword by Tony Visconti, an introduction by Mike Garson and cover photo by Mick Rock
· A beautiful and stylish gift for Bowie fans, over 700 pages long with striking cover design by Barnbrook
‘[Soligny] has talked to just about anyone who had anything to do with Bowie’s music… Reading [their memories and comments] you can almost believe you’re in the studio with Bowie as he tries out new ideas, fades out one sound to boost another or comes up with another of those astonishing chord changes…There are now almost as many Bowie books as there are Bob Dylan books but Rainbowman outclasses them all. Beautifully translated, [it] brings you closer to the great man than any conventional biography… Quite simply the best book there is on David Bowie.’-MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘This is a book unlike any other, the definitive analysis of David’s music, told in a quiet natural way, but with absolute authenticity, by the people around him.’ – HERMIONE FARTHINGALE
‘Jérôme Soligny is one of the best authorities in the world on David Bowie’s career and life in general… His new biography Rainbowman is a thorough and honest account of the great man.’ – TONY VISCONTI
‘Jérôme is a guy who is still aware that popular music is an art form and not a money suppository. He writes from the heart and is one of the last exemplars of a dying breed. The critic, armed with intelligence and brute compulsive honesty, as dangerous as a river.’ – IGGY POP
‘Not long ago, Jérôme told me something that I find very true: “David played saxophone, guitar, a bit of keyboards, but above all, he played musicians!” I think he really hit the nail on the head.’ – MIKE GARSON
‘If you love David Bowie – and most right thinking people do – you will really love Rainbowman. It’s an absolutely biblical text. Part oral history, part essay… Jérôme seems to have spoken to just about everybody.’ – STUART MACONIE, BBC Radio 6 Music
‘Jérôme Soligny gets new insights through the voices of those who were there, , including Bowie’s 1960s girlfriend Hermione Farthingale, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Tony Visconti and many more’ – Sunday Times
In David Bowie Rainbowman, Jérôme Soligny tells the story of David Bowie the musician with the help of those intimately involved with the creation of his music.
This uniquely exhaustive work on Bowie’s 1967-1980 albums draws on over 150 interviews with the musicians, producers and friends who knew Bowie best, including Robert Fripp, Hermione Farthingale, Lou Reed, George Underwood, Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Trevor Bolder, Mike Garson, Woody Woodmansey and many, many others. With an essay by Soligny on each album followed by oral histories from the most trusted and influential figures in Bowie’s musical life, David Bowie Rainbowman is the definitive guide to a singular and mercurial genius – the Rainbowman himself.
· With a foreword by Tony Visconti, an introduction by Mike Garson and cover photo by Mick Rock
· A beautiful and stylish gift for Bowie fans, over 700 pages long with striking cover design by Barnbrook
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
Jerome is an insightful and dedicated music writer. His sense of history, detail and humanity sets him apart from the pack and his passion for the music is infectious. if you are a fan of music, David Bowie or both, Rainbowman is a must read.
For almost 30 years, Jérôme has been one of the great French authorities on contemporary music.
Jérôme has always been one of the coolest writers. He looks like a star himself and attacks his work with the same kind of verve and elan that he negotiates his life. His looks and style might fool you but beneath the haircut is an intelligence, depth and above all a cast iron belief in the life-affirming power of music. This book is a testament to that belief, a document of his passion for his art and for the art of others.
Jérôme is one of a rare (and disappearing) breed of rock journalists whose own formidable musicality and brain blistering knowledge of the rock and pop triumph of the past fifty years stands solidly behind every word he writes. A true believer!
So many people have written about David, yet so few have the right to do so, unlike Jerome Soligny. Jerome and David developed a rapport based on their musicianship and common outlook, that allowed conversation to flow freely and without the fear of being misunderstood. His interviews were the most revealing and also the most comfortable for David, who knew he was in good hands with Jerome. Jerome has encyclopaedic knowledge of David's music and a forensic eye for detail that underpins his next stroke of genius in this book, which is to get David's fellow musicians or friends to talk about each collaboration. In this way, the narrative and developments in David's career are built up through many authentic voices. We have a real glimpse of the flavour of each year, the hype and hyperbole stripped away, and simply the people involved speaking about their time and work with David.
'[Soligny] has talked to just about anyone who had anything to do with Bowie's music... Reading [their memories and comments] you can almost believe you're in the studio with Bowie as he tries out new ideas, fades out one sound to boost another or comes up with another of those astonishing chord changes...There are now almost as many Bowie books as there are Bob Dylan books but Rainbowman outclasses them all. Beautifully translated, [it] brings you closer to the great man than any conventional biography... Quite simply the best book there is on David Bowie.'
This is a book unlike any other, the definitive analysis of David's music, told in a quiet natural way, but with absolute authenticity, by the people around him.
Jérôme Soligny is one of the best authorities in the world on David Bowie's career and life in general... His new biography Rainbowman is a thorough and honest account of the great man.
Jérôme is a guy who is still aware that popular music is an art form and not a money suppository. He writes from the heart and is one of the last exemplars of a dying breed. The critic, armed with intelligence and brute compulsive honesty, as dangerous as a river.
Not long ago, Jérôme told me something that I find very true: "David played saxophone, guitar, a bit of keyboards, but above all, he played musicians!" I think he really hit the nail on the head.
If you love David Bowie - and most right thinking people do - you will really love Rainbowman. It's an absolutely biblical text. Part oral history, part essay... Jérôme seems to have spoken to just about everybody.
A completist's dream