Ginger Baker: Hellraiser: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Drummer

A great book about one of the greatest musicians the world has ever seen.A complicated man whose music and emotions can go full range.I have seen interviews by Jack Bruce who respects and loves the "Red Man".They had many confrontations but tell me two genius's who always agree.Ginger is a tough determined man whose loyalty does not waver.I became aware of Ginger when he was with Cream and Blind Faith.To hear the story of his life is very interesting especially the letter his father wrote him before he was killed in action in North Africa.To hear about his love of polo was a surprise. A very interesting tale about a full form musician.Buy it.

Ginger Baker is certainly a "Hellraiser". His many escapades leaves you wondering how many times he's had an angel watching over his back. Labelling the guy a conman is not an understatement. The mindset of a criminal, and lest not forget an enormously talented drummer. However, the book concentrate on as much on his merit as a Hellraiser, as a musician. Fun read for the ferocious rock bio addict. But I will guess a dissapointment for the anorak Cream freak. I'm not a spefically what one would regard as a Cream freak, but this is a rollercoaster ride of his adventurous life. And what an adventurer. He can definetely be classified as a man whose led ten mens lives. I liked the book a lot for this warts an all insight on his views on life and philosiphies, but lacks too much detail on the musical front. But that was not the reasons I bought it. Highly recommedable for readers interested in freak behaviour and filantrophique excellenceHowever when this is said. Amazon really burned me on this one. I bought the one click Kindle edition, I believed, but in the ordering it was mixed up with their one click option of buying books. I immediately tried to cancel the paperback order. But that was not optional, and I am talking minutes here. The only option for me, as I had the Kindle edition, was to return the paperback, on my own expense. As I live in Europe this cost me 150% of the books value. I have now two copies, thanks to the ruthless customer service of Amazon. I expected more from a company of their stature. The one click option, for buying other products than Kindle products, is risky, to put it mildly. Especially using Apple products. If your browsing for Kindle products, be 1000% sure that is the right option, or you'll end up like me with muliple products, without the option to cancel, as the product has status as packing within seconds.The book 4 outta 5. Amazon's service 1/5.

Well written biography with no fla fla. Of course he talk about drugs because he consummed quite a lot, remember this is the biography of a jazz/blues/rock star. After reading this I think he is a nice human person and of course he still the best drummer I ever heard and one of the best musician I ever heard. I think this biography is better then the last one from Eric & Jack. The only bad comments I can make is this biography doesn't include discography and detail of all the recording he made.

Widely hailed as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, Englishman Ginger Baker pounded the skins for the bands Cream, Blind Faith, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, the Graham Bond Organization, and Nigerian jazzman Fela Kuti, among others. In addition to his prodigious talent, he is also known for his surly demeanor and volatile behavior. His autobiography Hellraiser, written with the help of his daughter Ginette, was published in 2009.Rock and roll fans approaching this book hoping for insight into Baker’s years with Cream and Blind Faith are likely to be disappointed. He actually spends less time talking about those bands then he does his early jazz years, Graham Bond, or the Air Force. In a nutshell: He loves Eric Clapton, hates Jack Bruce. Thankfully, however, Baker led a fascinating life even after his rockstar fame diminished. His adventures in Africa, where he founded a recording studio in Lagos, Nigeria, are certainly unique among his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame peers. Less interesting is his obsession with polo. Baker spent most of the latter half of his life trying to establish his own polo club, but every time he almost got his operation up and running, he would end up fleeing legal troubles and relocating to another country. Drugs are a recurring theme throughout the book, for which he expresses no shame or regret. It is amazing that he can remember the exact dose of heroin he took on specific days a half century ago, which gives you an idea of his priorities. Another surprising fact about Baker is that, although much of his behavior makes him seem like the most irresponsible man imaginable, he was an experienced volunteer firefighter.Baker may have been an excellent drummer, but if this book is any indication he wasn’t a very good writer, and relying on his daughter for a ghost writer and/or editor probably didn’t help matters. On the plus side, the book has a real conversational tone that feels similar to sitting down and having a drink with Baker while he regales you with tales of his exploits. As far as the storytelling goes, however, there is no continuity, momentum, or suspense. It is just a rapid-fire string of one-paragraph anecdotes, one after the other, many of which go into details of importance only to Baker himself. The prose includes quite a bit of picturesque slang, which at times requires some thoughtful deciphering but lends an air of authenticity to the authorial voice. When Baker goes into extensive rambles on polo, however, he has no mercy on the uninitiated listener, so you better know your Argies and chukkas.Despite his cantankerous reputation, Baker tries to make himself out to be a lovable bloke. If you want the dark side of his character, one has to read between the lines, or better yet, see the 2012 documentary Beware of Mr. Baker. Baker married at a young age, but by his account he and his wife Liz seemed to have an open relationship, so he boastfully chronicles all of his sexual escapades. When Liz disappears from the book for several chapters, however, one can’t help but think he abandoned her and the kids while he went off to Africa to do his own thing. Baker admits to breaking the law on numerous occasions—not just drugs but also theft, tax evasion, immigration laws, assault, absconding on debts, passing bad checks—yet he always expresses amazement when he is beset with charges or lawsuits, as if he’s being unjustly persecuted. Baker does not come out sounding as likable as he or his daughter wished. The best thing that can be said about Hellraiser is that it does give the reader a glimpse into Baker’s personality, which is that of an overgrown man-child. From a literary standpoint, this book is a train wreck, but much like the life Baker led, it’s a train wreck worth watching.

I had been emailing Ginger Baker and others about the possibility of writing his autobiography. I was thrilled to find it had finally been done. I have been a fan of Ginger's since the 60's and still quite a fan of his. I love the book and was glad he had a lot of pictures as well as a life time of stories. He's been my favorite drummer and still is. This book brought out more of the true stories rather than the stories we would hear from the press. The book is written in his own words with help from his daughter. He's still a hellraiser today. I recently saw him in Seattle Washington on October 22, 2013 at Jazz Alley. Great show! I still have the book and received in excellent conditions, As it was one of the first books released.

In my mind ginger baker is the greatest drummer the world has ever seen or heard. But his life was a long way from being easy. Also he tells the story like a man he doesn’t ask for forgiveness anywhere all he does is tell what happened. The other thing that is very cool is that this was written with the help of his oldest daughter. This book is an exceptionally good read. Weather you like ginger baker or not the story of his life you can’t make this stuff up..peace

Muy buen libro

Ginger had quite a history, well told in this biography. A talented jazz drummer at the very birth of Rock and roll. Known for a fiery temper, the book is a great read and would be a great audiobook, if this is available.

Un libro imprescindible para los amantes de Cream y la vida de Ginger Baker. Aparte de su carrera como batería inmejorable, este libro revela muchos otros aspectos de su vida desconocida para mucha gente, y revela una persona con una energía inquebrantable y las altibajos de una vida a toda pasta. Muy recomendable.

La storia di uno dei più grandi batteristi di sempre nonché compaesano per qualche anno, grazie Ginger di tutto. ❤