Utopia
Avenue is the name of a very talented eclectic band assembled in England in the
1960s. The backdrop of this musical era
helps make this a nostalgia trip worth taking.
Griff, the drummer, is the only member of the band who does not sing or
write, but he endures a tragic event that threatens to derail his career. Jasper, the superb lead guitarist, has spent
time in a mental health facility because of noises in his head that disrupt his
life. Dean is the bass player who left
home as a teenager after his father burned his guitar and treasured
memorabilia. The keyboardist is a woman
nicknamed Elf, who is not elfin but had moderate success previously in a folk
duo. I loved all four of these
musicians, as well as their manager, Levon, but the plot drags at times,
despite the sprinkling of cameo appearances by Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, John
Lennon, David Bowie, and a bunch of others.
And let’s face it, this is a very long book that leans heavily on
character development. Dean is the
closest to being a stereotypical rock star, and, although both he and Elf
probably would have a shot at a solo career, the band members are very
supportive of one another. They become a
close-knit family, despite the fact that, except for Jasper and Dean, they were
strangers before they came together as a band.
Some healthy competition among them serves as an impetus for each of
them to perform at their optimum level.
The biggest squabble among them is deciding whose single they will
release first—Jasper’s, Dean’s, or Elf’s.
Ultimately, they roll the dice—literally.
