Step back in time to early 1970s British pop and then fast forward through punk, rockabilly, New Wave and even some country music. You are living the wacky life of a British music reporter and it’s Too Late to Stop Now!
It is no surprise now to discover that Elton John is a polite nerd or that Sting is an insufferable egomaniac. Most of the musicians that will be familiar to Americans contain few surprises within their chapters. The biggest surprise is found in the chapter dedicated to the Rolling Stones, in which none of the Stones appear. What?
However, I really enjoyed reading the stories of bands that were popular in the UK that never made it to America at all. As I was reading, I asked Alexa to play the songs mentioned. Many of them were great or at least equivalent to American music at the time.
Too Late to Stop Now is a good way to find “new” music to listen to. However, most of the stories are predictable and run together into one blurry memory like the morning’s memories after a blackout drunk session the night before. Also, some of the very British slang and other references may be incomprehensible to Americans. It was too much for my kindle’s dictionary as well.
The book reads less like a tell all and more like a memoir of a nostalgic reporter’s drunken escapades alongside stars of the time. I, for one, feel like I have a hangover headache just from reading it. 3 stars.
Thanks to Bloombury Caravel and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.