England's Dreaming cover art

England's Dreaming

The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock

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England's Dreaming

By: Jon Savage
Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
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About this listen

England's Dreaming is the ultimate book on punk, its progenitors, the Sex Pistols, and the moment they defined for music fans in England and the United States. Savage brings to life the sensational story of the meteoric rise and rapid implosion of the Pistols through layers of rich detail and exclusive interviews. This fully revised and updated edition of the book covers the legacy of punk 25 years later and provides an account of the Pistols' 1996 reunion as well as a completely new introduction.

©1991 Jon Savage (P)2021 Tantor Europe Great Britain History & Criticism Music England

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All stars
Most relevant
Great read for people interested in the Pistols and British punk in general, in depth and informative, highly recommended.

All the filth and fury

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I loved this book and am bereft now I have finished it! Very informative and in depth.
I tend to listen on 1.25 speed, and found the narration robotic at times, but this could have been the faster speed.
Highly recommend if you are interested in this story.

Excellent book

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Its kinda the one book on the Pistols and punk that everyone who is interested should read. Don't get me wrong I like it very much but it's not without its issues.
First up, I really dislike the actual reading of the book. No disrespect to the narrator but he is just the wrong man for the job. I found his tone and timbre for a book like this completely wrong. seriously off putting.
The book itself can be a little pretentious and "up itself" often imbibing events, people and songs with a gravitas that I don't think is justified.
Be warned, the quoting of lyrics by this narrator is enough to curdle your milk.
For a book so well researched the occasional clunky factual error can jar and cause you to lose faith in the narrative.
All that said its still a great book packed with engrossing detail and never before angles on the often documented events. It could be argued that it lacks a sense of humour about itself but for me the main problem is the very much wrong feel of the voice.

Still worth it for anyone who cares.

A must read for Pistols and punk fans in general.

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Incredibly well constructed, intelligently written, well researched and very well informed.
This is let down however by a bad choice of narrator who sounds pompous and middle aged in contrast to the book’s themes of youth and anarchy. He also unfortunately constantly mispronounces words and names.

Brilliant book but poor narrator choice.

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England’s Dreaming is a rarity in music journalism; it’s a book that focuses on the facts and the music, not on the personal life of the author. You won’t find a more compelling, informed history of the Sex Pistols, or a clearer history of the birth of punk.

If you want to know anything about punk, read this first

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