Where’s My Guitar?

For lovers of rock and roll this book brings you into the world of seventies eighties rock and roll music .The icons the times the music come alive.Avwild rock& roll of a read .#netgalley#fourthestate.

Previously self-published by Bernie as a limited release via a Pledge campaign in early 2017 under the title ‘Where’s My Guitar?: On the Tour Bus with the Snakeman’, the book now gets a full publication and update.

It is not a sensationalist expose, so those after lurid rock ‘n’ roll debauchery look elsewhere, but what you do get is an honest and fascinating insight into his days in Whitesnake, the blues rock years and the classic Coverdale, Moody, Marsden, Murray, Lord, Paice line-up. Bernie still holds a lot of respect from David Coverdale (and indeed Coverdale provides an introduction to the book), and he has joined Whitesnake onstage a few times in recent years.

The Whitesnake story is an interesting one as they found plenty of success in the UK and Europe but never really broke into the US. That would only happen when the hair version of Whitesnake hit pay dirt with the ‘Whitesnake (1987)’ album, although it was an older song, ‘Here I Go Again’, co-written by Marsden and Coverdale, that gained the band a US number 1 hit single. The book provides insight to how the band wrote and recorded so quickly back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, juggling this with a heavy touring schedule.

Bernie seems a very affable chap and one you could happily spend an evening with chatting away about music. He doesn’t really have a bad word to say about any bands or artists, bar a few that acted up when he appeared on the same bill. You’ll have to read the book to find out who…

The post-Whitesnake years are covered amply and I was glad to see Alaska mentioned. A band that deserved more success than they got and their two albums would be ideal for a re-issue. In fact Bernie alludes to various unreleased and limited release material/albums that he wonders if he should release and the answer is yes please! It would be great to have anything from the MGM (Marsden with Mel Galley and Neil Murray) see the light of day and the live and studio albums he did with Company Of Snakes and M3 given a wider release.

The end of the book includes a chapter about the passion involved in collecting guitars and he does some excellent accounts of early gigs and festivals he attended. The ones featuring Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac featuring Peter Green, would go onto have a big impact on his guitar playing.

Above all the book highlights first and foremost that Bernie is a music fan, be it being awestruck at meeting various Beatles or his love of the blues players, many of whom he has been lucky enough to meet and in many cases play with.

One of the most enjoyable rock ‘n’ roll memoirs I have read in a long time.

This is a gentle friendly memoir of the great blues and rock guitarist Bernie Marsden, It centres on how the boy from Buckingham came into the world of blues and rock and ended with working with many iconic figures of the 1960's and onwards. There are stories of rock band development and fallout as well as chance encounters and the inevitable musicians being ripped off by management and the corporate elements of the music business. Marsden tells the story in a chatty way as if you are sharing a beer and hearing him recount the tales. Alcohol and substances appear but this is not a tale of "rock band and bad boy excess and misbehaviour" - if you want that try Vince Neil's Motley Crue memoir. Marsden worked through an amazing period in music and encounters with his heroes are charmingly recounted. He is honest about those he either didn't like or fell out with but there are few bitter comments, more a shrug and "it happens" approach. If you know the era and bands the inner workings of Whitesnake's earlier incarnation are fascinating as is the insight to the falling out and eventual reconciliation with David Coverdale. I suspect an appreciation of the era and musicians would help in the enjoyment of this memoir - a fascinating read by one of the great blues and rock guitarists.

This is a must read for rock fun as it's an entertaining and engrossing memoir about the 70s/80s rock scene.
It's well written and full of facts are curiosities.
I love it and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is really delightful book that both myself and my husband enjoyed very much. Its the story of Bernie's career in what was probably the most exciting period of English Rock and Blues history. You do, I think need to know a bit about the subject as Bernie gets straight to the stories and anecdotes that make this book so special. You really do feel like you have a "backstage pass" to Whitesnake gigs and recording sessions with some of the most fantastic musicians we've ever produced in this country - including of course Mr Marsden himself. Written with no edge or bitterness this would make a splendid Christmas present for the rock fan in your life

Great insight into the world of rock music and one that any fan of this genre of music would enjoy regardless of whether a fan of the individual concerned

I was very surprised to find myself enjoying this book. I originally requested a review copy because the publication date was just in time for Christmas shopping, and this seemed like something my dad would love, so I wanted to test the waters before committing to purchasing.

Reader, I preordered before I had even finished the book. This book is perfect for music fans, or anyone looking for insight into the industry (or how it used to be!) Plus, it went over a treat on Christmas morning!

I have been a fan of Bernie Marsden since I first heard him playing with Whitesnake in the early 80s (when Whitesnake were a good blues-rock band!) so I was pleased to find this book. I would describe this more as a memoir than an autobiography.

Bernie tells lots of stories of rock stars and people he has met along the way but does so in a friendly and personable way without any real mean-ness or rancour. He comes across as a very likeable person but - as with most rock stars - there is a certain level of egotism. I have read plenty of autobiographies from a variety of rock stars (from Slash to Biff Byford to Adam Bomb) and this sits comfortably alongside them. There does seem to be a difference between English and American rock autobiographies, though, and this is very much on the whimsical British side of the fence.

Very enjoyable book which I am very glad to have read. It will be interesting to compare with Micky Moody's "Snakes and Ladders".

Having seen Bernie so many times live it was great to actually read his book. A fascinating insight into one of the countries most underrated guitarists

Barnie Marsden of Whitesnake comes across in his memoir as an interesting and genuine guy. - I love the way he thanks the people that have helped him over the years from his French teacher to a GI with a guitar.

I remember the Whitesnakes music from the late 80s as I was a teen leaving school at that time. The one song that has always stuck is that video with the girl on the bonnet of the car.. This was definitely an interesting read for me to learn more about the man behind the guitar.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

Bernie Marsden is a guitarist’s guitarist, talented and unassuming, a bluesy player with a distinctive yet adaptable style yet none of the questionable attitude of more recognised ‘rock stars’. WHERE’S MY GUITAR is Bernie’s autobiography, updated to 2019, and details his remarkable career playing alongside ex-Deep Purple stars, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and David Coverdale in Paice Ashton Lord and Whitesnake, Cozy Powell, Jack Bruce, Gary Moore and many others. What the vast majority of these relationships share is the respect in which Bernie is held. Even his falling out with Coverdale, with whom he co-wrote the songs which have largely allowed him to pick and choose his projects, was due to other’s mismanagement and has been mended, DC writing the foreword to this edition. Bernie even managed to win over the notoriously difficult Ginger Baker although it is an experience he didn’t relish repeating.

There are surprising diversions such as his work in the theatre, his role as musical director for the band formed by professional tennis greats such as Pat Cash, John McEnroe and Vitus Gerulaitus, and the related ‘almost’ gig with Cliff Richard, a particularly amusing section. Marsden comes across as a thoroughly likeable man and the book reads like listening to a old friend. But, like one of his Whitesnake numbers says, he ‘loves the blues’ and it is Bernie’s interactions with blues singers, famous and not so famous, which really ‘tell his story’....

A most interesting view of a Musicians Life.!!**********************++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Having been a huge fan of Whitesnake and many of the other rock bands of the 70s and 80s I knew this was a no-brainer and what an utterly magnificent memoir in turned out to be. It explores, in particular, those decades in British rock 'n' roll but also how these bands were received and revered in other parts of the world too. The rock and blues guitarist who hailed from Buckingham details how he made it big, the icons he was able to be around and contains many interesting anecdotes. The stories had me fully absorbed and I found it entertaining from beginning to end; it would make the perfect present for the old school rock/blues lover in your life. Written in a casual, conversational style, I raced through it despite my tendency to spend at least a few days on a non-fiction book.

There are stories about the forming of Whitesnake, its changing face and evolution and both the highs and lows of being in the music business; in particular, in terms of the negatives he discusses the issue of royalties and the indecent amount the musicians they themselves receive for their hard work in producing the music after other peoples cuts have been taken. All of the tales are told in an eloquent and intelligent manner and Marsden manages to stay away from sniping at others too much as it isn't that type of read. Neither is it a memoir of drug and alcohol-fuelled debauchery. Bernie also shares the bands and artists that had the biggest impact on him during his formative years including many of the unforgettable concerts, gigs and music festivals he attended. If you enjoy the blues-rock music of this era then I can wholeheartedly recommend this. Many thanks to Fourth Estate for an ARC.

A straightforward autobiography of Bernie Marsden, most famously guitarist for Whitesnake. We are treated to his life from his formative years through to his life up to date. Interesting without too much detail of when things went wrong so I guess a lot if it must still rankle. Comes across as an honest, likeable and knowledgeable guy and I know from personal experience a champion of young talent.