The Decibel Diaries: A Journey through Rock in 50 Concerts

Full disclosure, I used to know Carter Alan. It's not like we hung out on the weekends or anything, but I worked the shift prior to his from 1982-1986 at WBCN. Not on the air, but behind the scenes. One of my roles was to put away unused records from the previous shift, clean up the studio and set up his carts (basically commercials on 8 track loops) for his show. We'd exchange pleasantries at least 3 times a week in those days. I'd see him at dozens of shows over the years and we always said hello. When I bought this book a couple of years back I had high hopes of some serious overlap in our concert going paths. We are basically the same age (I think I have a year on him if memory serves) and had lived the same city for nearly 3 decades (I have since moved out of Boston). He picked out his 50 shows to write about and I swear only around 3-5 of them was I also in attendance. That is both good and bad I suppose. Good because I could live vicariously through his adventures on the 45 I didn't attend. Bad because I wanted him to reinforce what I had remembered about the shows we both attended and he only chose 5 of those. This is a great book for heavy concert goers like me. I feel like I read it in 3 or 4 sittings and learned a lot about his idea of a great show and what I had missed. By the way, he's also written two great books about the band U2 and one about the history of WBCN-FM in Boston so be on the lookout for those as well, but grab this one if you'd like to get some insight as to what goes through the mind of folks who attend some of these ground breaking and or memorable shows. Carter is a master story teller.

Carter Alan like a lot of folks enjoys his rock ‘n roll. But rather than get to the heart of the rock concerts, this guy was more interested in hanging out backstage eating and drinking with celebrities. Some editor allotted him six pages per act, and he just poured a bunch of nonsense into each slot and sold the book as is. A first draft. For my favorite band, The Who, who were going through serious personal problems and changes at the time, and their concerts were very interesting, all Carter Alan could find was John Entwhistle doing a soundcheck in Boston. This book is a piece of garbage. The author is not a writer. And he knows even less about rock ‘n’ roll.

First let me call this a "bathroom read". I know I know, but hear me out. I read the collection on my kindle and like most of these devices they will give you a rough time it should take to read the chapter. Almost every single on ranged between 6-8 minutes. They are all great stand alone moments that capture the moment. Some a little better than others. As a guy that grew up (and still lives) in the Boston area there is a lot of familiar stomping grounds. This might be off putting for someone say in Chicago, but the stories Cater tells puts you right in the seat next to him, or on the side of the road hitch hiking to the venue. Cater Alan has long been in Boston radio but he covers shows such as Live Aid, Bruce in New Jersey along with many more. On some stories I longed a little more for what happened vs. the issues with traffic getting to the show, and I understand that tells the story all the better, but when you talk about Steven Tyler passing out in front of a full venue deep in the bands set you have questions. Perhaps Carter didn't know the answers, which for this book is just as well. A really fun and easy read.

With a focus on venues in New England, "Decibel Diaries" is an incredible compendium of some of the greatest events and concerts in rock history. Legendary Boston radio personality Carter Alan - who also happens to be a damn good writer - takes you on a personally guided tour through clubs, concert halls, and stadiums to witness some of the most thrilling moments in rock music. From Traffic and Free in 1973 (the ticket was six bucks!) to Joe Walsh at the Orpheum in 2015 (he was sober!), Carter covers the concert scene like nobody else can. All the greats are here, from U2 to Prince to Jack White, described with incisive insight and wit. When we were active, Carter was a great friend to my old band, the Atlantics, and it's no surprise that his keen passion and affection for rock music - and the people who make it - shines brightly in this indispensable book.

Great stories , fantastic histories of bands in their early years.

Very good! I am familiar with Carter Alan from his days as a DJ at WBCN in Boston.He takes me back to some great concerts of the 70's,some of which I attended.From the Ramones to U2,he covers it all! There is something in here for all musical tastes.

Love this book. Great stories Carter is able to tell

great thanks