Utopia Avenue [sound recording] : a novel / David Mitchell.
"Soho, London, 1967. Folk-rock-psychedelic quartet Utopia Avenue is formed. Guitarist Jasper de Zoet, a shy, half-Dutch public-school musical prodigy, was hearing voices long before he dropped acid. Keyboardist Elf Holloway must defy the prejudices of her bank manager father, her housewife mother, and her age to forge her own career. Bassist Dean Moss cannot, will not, spend his life on the factory floor like everyone else in Gravesend. Band manager Levon Frankland--gay, Jewish, and Canadian--is not unduly burdened by conscience. The drummer is a drummer. Over two years and two albums, Utopia Avenue navigates the dark end of the Sixties: its parties, drugs and egos, political change and personal tragedy; and the trials of life as a working band in London, the provinces, European capitals and, finally, the promised land of America. What is art? What is fame? What is music? How can the whole be more than the sum of its parts? Can idealism change the world? How does your youth shape your life? This is the story of Utopia Avenue. Not everyone lives to the end"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781101923207
- Physical Description: 20 audio discs (25.5 hours) : digital ; 4 3/4 inches
- Edition: Unabridged.
- Publisher: New York : Random House Audio, [2020]
- Copyright: ℗2020
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Compact disc. |
| Participant or Performer Note: | Read by Ralph Lister. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Nineteen sixties > Fiction. Rock groups > England > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Audiobooks. Historical fiction. |
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | CD FIC Mitch | 31681010214393 | CDFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
The members of a music band in 1967 London navigate the era's parties, drugs and politics as well as their own egos and tragedies while exploring transformative perspectives about youth, art and fame. - Random House, Inc.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ⢠The long-awaited new novel from the bestselling, prize-winning author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks.
New York Times Book Review Editorsâ Choice ⢠âMitchellâs rich imaginative stews bubble with history and drama, and this time the flavor is a blend of Carnaby Street and Chateau Marmont.ââThe Washington Post
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âA sheer pleasure to read . . . Mitchellâs prose is suppler and richer than ever . . . Making your way through this novel feels like riding a high-end convertible down Hollywood Boulevard.ââSlate
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NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post ⢠NPR ⢠USA Today â¢Â The Guardian ⢠The Independent ⢠Kirkus Reviews ⢠Menâs Health â¢Â PopMatters
Utopia Avenue is the strangest British band youâve never heard of. Emerging from Londonâs psychedelic scene in 1967, and fronted by folk singer Elf Holloway, blues bassist Dean Moss and guitar virtuoso Jasper de Zoet, Utopia Avenue embarked on a meteoric journey from the seedy clubs of Soho, a TV debut on Top of the Pops, the cusp of chart success, glory in Amsterdam, prison in Rome, and a fateful American sojourn in the Chelsea Hotel, Laurel Canyon, and San Francisco during the autumn of â68.
David Mitchellâs kaleidoscopic novel tells the unexpurgated story of Utopia Avenueâs turbulent life and times; of fameâs Faustian pact and stardomâs wobbly ladder; of the families we choose and the ones we donât; of voices in the head, and the truths and lies they whisper; of music, madness, and idealism. Can we really change the world, or does the world change us?