Facing the Other Way: The Story of 4AD Hardcover – September 26, 2013

I grew up a Cocteau Twins fan, so when I came across such a humungous book telling the entire story of Ivo and 4AD, not only did I have to have it immediately, but I was flabbergasted that such a book was ever written in the first place. Are there really that many people out there who love this stuff as much as me?Guess so. And I assume if you're reading this, you might be one of these fellow freaks.This is primarily a biography of Ivo, about whom I knew precious little. Now, I know much about this man, his vision, his faults and his baby 4AD. For me, it's a fascinating study in the overlap of eccentricity, mental disorder and artistic productivity. This story isn't always a happy one.The story of my fave Cocteau Twins also takes up a fairly large chunk of this book. The details of their story were a joy to read. However, I found myself growing frustrated with their behavior with each passing chapter. What immature children they were! I had known that Robin and Liz struggled emotionally, but I romanticized this as what helped them to make such fantastic music. (And it probably did.) But why did they have to be such noncommunicative babies with Ivo? Their passive aggressive behavior led to such stupid tensions--it made me so frustrated. For think of what incredible music they could have made had the band survived into the late 1990s--or longer? I wish they could have been mature and made their 4AD relationship last.But then--I reminded myself as I was reading--they were just kids. Twenty-somethings with an international record label deal, romping on world tours, dealing with marriages, divorces and drug addiction. I can only imagine how I would have behaved had my life been placed on such a trajectory at such a young age.Kudos to Martin Aston for weaving together a hundred little stories into one. This took some literary dexterity on his part and he did a fantastic job to make this big book fun to read. Aston introduced me to the lions share of other 4AD bands that I had never heard of, and some that I hadn't listened to in forever, like Throwing Muses and Lush for example. I gave so much of this stuff a fresh listen for the first time in a long time and fell in love all over again.Thanks, Martin Aston!It seems like this type of record label and what Ivo accomplished was so very radical in the 1980s. And, given the current state of technology and music, it would be near impossible to ever do again. This is the wonderful story of a great artistic adventure: Ivo, the self-made patron. 'Facing The Other Way' made me nostalgic. It made me go back and listen to this stuff over and over and over again and really appreciate what it took to make these albums exist. Awesome.

A very thorough treatment of 4AD's "Ivo years". I liked the book — but at the same time it was a struggle to get through in the sense of being (for this dedicated but simple alternative music fan!) overly academic, overloaded with facts and lightweight in terms of human insight. When I read pop music books I generally look for a spark, a bit of fun, some gossip, scandal, a bit of pop psychology, sociology, social history, an insight into character. For example, the book told me very little about Red House Painter, Mark Kozelek's background or that of Tanya Donnelly — and I'm a junkie for that kind of stuff! In general Facing The Other Way had too little of the personal and too much of the abstract.Of course it's very thorough on how/when/where bands were signed, who the personnel were, who produced this, mixed that, engineered the other thing, how a single was distributed, what Ivo thought of various releases, what number they got to in the charts, but the style is always slightly lumpen and humourless. Plodding even. I think this book is really for the army of 4AD nerds that inhabit cyberspace (rather than plain old Cocteau Twins, Belly or Mojave 3 fans like myself) and I get the feeling it was written with the intention of not leaving any tiny detail out or getting any little factoid wrong in order to avoid the author being inundated with indignant mails from bedroom-bound, long-raincoat-wearing Dif Jus and Xmal Deutschland obsessives.Were I the book's editor, I would have recommended the cutting of maybe 10% of the content and tried to make it more snappy. Nonetheless, there is a great story in there: the music business eats artists and aesthetes like Ivo and Vaughan Oliver for breakfast and that 99.99% of the people who start a band, all bright-eyed and idealistic, end up broke, bitter and washed up. Ivo (4AD's founder and, until the mid '90s, its heart and soul) is the star of the book. His pursuit of beauty in music and his unearthing of shining talents like the Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance and Red House Painters is, along with the growth of 4AD and Vaughan Oliver's groundbreaking artwork, the book's narrative thread. When, as 4AD grows, running a record business rather than a record label becomes the reality, Ivo's slow breakdown is documented, with him eventually moving to the States, distancing himself from the label's day-to-day running and, finally, selling his shares. The bitching, fallings-out, band break-ups and sackings are fascinating. For me, though, there was serious detail lacking on what exactly went on between the Cocteau Twins and 4AD (and inside the Cocteaus!). There's a whole book to be written just on that, maybe. Similarly the Pixies story is too rushed through for my liking.Final verdict: well worth the read, but brace yourself for an avalanche of facts and figures. It feels like the author tried to fit too much in, and, therefore it's a slow and sometimes laborious read.

In the 80's, my musical tastes ranged from top-40 to the poppier side of new wave, and as the 90's started, I veered in the direction of folk-rock. But then in 1992 a friend told me I should listen to Cocteau Twins. So I went to a good local record shop and found the Cocteau section, but I had no idea which release to choose as my entry point. A shop employee suggested "Blue Bell Knoll". I took it home, and from the first listen I was captivated, and from there I went on to explore the rest of the label's offerings. The artists on 4AD changed the way I thought about music, and many of the 90'S 4AD releases are still among my all-time favorites.With that background, I have very much been looking forward to the release of this book. I just got the book yesterday, and I'm a little over 200 pages into it at this point. So far it has been a thoroughly enjoyable in-depth look at the label, highlighting each band and giving the story of each release in more-or-less chronological order.The one thing that surprises me -- particularly given the label's reputation for attention to detail -- is the somewhat slipshod editing of the book. I really wasn't expecting glaring typos... for example, in the first photo section, Pixies are listed as "Piixies", while an early reference to The Normal's song "Warm Leatherette" is misspelled as "Warn Leatherette". And there are others. It gives the impression that no one at the publisher took the time to give the book a full read once it was finished.That said, the author has done an amazing job of tracking down every possible source for information and quotes, and the book has encouraged me to seek out some of the obscure and early 4AD releases that aren't already in my collection.

Having arrived at just over a third of the way through the Hardback addition, I already feel like I've received back more than the price of admission!In term's of all the music biz histories I've read, including those on Factory, Creation, Rough Trade et.al this is up there with all the greats, it manages to be comprehensive without ever being boring. I previously thought of myself as Cocteau Twin's completest, however this has helped even an indie saddo like me dig out some 'hitherto' unknown tracks and collaborations. It has also put into context and given some much needed perspective some of the lesser known acts such In Camera and Rema Rema. Even if you just happen to like just one band from this label (however unlikely that might be?) there's something here for all the family, from Pixies for Dad to Grimes for the kids. Unless of course your a goth, you might get depressed hearing one revered icon after another trying to distance themselves from a scene considered over by 1980 i.e. Bauhaus, Birthdayparty, Dead Can Dance, Cocteaus', Xmal etc etc...

I loved 4AD, and this book is perfect for devotees of the label. It's a long book, and covers the years up until Ivo sells the label in great detail, with interviews etc with all the artists, from the major ones like Cocteau Twins and Pixies to less known artist such as Swallow and Spirea X. Suitably the detail stops when Ivo sells the label, and the last couple of chapters cover the post Ivo years briefly, but it's no longer really 4AD by that point. Ivo was a genius, and it's sad how things ended up, but listening to the music along side this book was just perfect.

Suffers a bit from working through the story of the label strictly chronologically. That might make it easier follow in some ways, or indeed to write, but can be tiresome to read...and then this happened...and then this other thing happened...and so it goes on. Very good on the bits most people will want to read about - in the absence of a Cocteaus biog then this is probably as close as we'll get so kudos for that. But overall the book is nobbled by its need to be even handed across the history of the label; you'll find yourself skipping lengthy chunks, according to your taste and interest.

Martin Aston book is an in depth look at one of the greatest record labels of all time.All key players are interviewed and no stone left unturned.The book works on a number of levels.As it intention the study of 4AD and it's influence on music and culture.Also a fascinating look at the business side of the music world and the impact of running an independent label.Finally,the personal side of being in a band and how the business can change people.I found myself running to pull out albums by bands I'd half forgotten and ordering some that had passed me by.An excellent read.

This is the most boring book ever about an exciting time e in the music industry. So dry, it's almost a day by day dairy with all the excitement taken out. How can a book that includes some of the great musical artists be so dull? Incredibly disappointed. I literally thought this book would never end. It needs an editor to cut it in half.