<p>“Fred Rothwell's 2001 opus 'Long Distance Information – Chuck Berry's Recorded Legacy', is one of my most visited reference works. This guy know how to put together discographical information in a style that elevates it from being cold, dry and stuffy into something immensely enjoyable and unputdownable. But regular readers of this mag will already know that, as he's been a contributor here for many years. Indeed, his itemised lowdown on some of Ike Turner's most rockinest cuts in last November's<em> NDT</em> is a perfect example of what's on offer here across this book's 673 pages.</p><p>Ike's excesses and misdemeanors in his private life are well known and have been documented elsewhere. This book separates art from the artist and concerns itself with the music he recorded between the years 1952 and 2006, though obviously it does touch upon aspects of how he lived his life in the narrative.</p><p>Its scope means it covers 54 years in a business that witnessed trends come and go at a steady lick, so it goes without saying that not everything here fits into the 'rock n roll' bag as we know it. Far from it. It goes through r&b, rock n roll, pop, soul, blues, funk and so forth. But Ike Turner's influence and involvement in the early days of the Big Beat cannot be denied and I very much doubt there'll ever be another look his creative work in as much depth as 'Dynamite!'. Therefore, even if you just have the slightest interest in his music but want to know more, then this is what you need.</p><p>The format is pretty much the same as Fred's Chuckster book, listing each and ever recording Ike played on/produced, together with recording date, location, release info and personnel details. Linking text puts everything into context and the whole thing is illustrated by photos, label shots and trade ads. Copious index sections allow the reader to find song titles, names, albums, locations, chart history etc. with ease.</p><p>All told, the book chronicles 389 recording sessions – in both studio and live settings – offering a description of each title recorded, details of the origins of songs, background stuff on musicians/vocalists and so forth.</p><p>Ike plied his trade at locations all over the place – primarily in the deep south in the early days: Memphis, Greenville, Canton, Little Rock, Clarksdale etc. - but the schoolboy in me always chuckles whenever I see that his own studio in Los Angeles was called Bolic Sound.</p><p>In Fred's own words: "Musically, Ike Turner was a phenomenon. Starting out playing a pounding piano style, he then switched to guitar on which he proved to be equally adept, developing a wild whammy bar technique. He was also a band leader, performer, composer, record producer, talent scout, recording studio owner, proprietor of numerous record labels and all round hustler. Ike was also a workaholic, especially at Bolic, where in a drug-induced state he would record for nights and days on end."</p><p>I only ever got to see Ike Turner once – at the 'It Came From Memphis' show at London's Barbican on April 18th 2005. He was headlining a wonderful line-up also featuring Sonny Burgess & The Pacers, Billy Lee Riley and Jack Clement. There'd been protesting from some circles, demanding he be removed from the bill re his much-publicised reputation for domestic violence (Mrs. Trellis of North Wales penned a particularly stern missive), but he performed nonetheless – complete with the obligatory Tina lookalike (wife No. 13?). Unfortunately, he didn't do 'Rocket ' but he did play some wonderful rocking r&b on both piano and guitar. I'm not condoning anything he may or may not have done in personal life, but he was a highly original musician and getting to see him was something else I could tick off my Bucket List.</p><p>Just like there'll never be another Ike Turner, there'll never be another Ike Turner book like 'Dynamite!'.”</p><p><strong>Trevor Cajiao,<em> Now Dig This</em> (January 2023)</strong></p>
