View From A Hill by Mark Burgess is a mind-blowing rollercoaster ride of a rock memoir. Moving and hilarious by turns, you’re not going to be able to put this thing down.
View From A Hill tells the story of Mark Burgess, a child of 1970s Manchester whose life was changed forever following an encounter with The Sex Pistols on Christmas Day 1977. Buying a £20 bass guitar and founding a punk band of his own, he soon found himself in The Chameleons, a band catapulted to the forefront of the post-punk scene when legendary broadcaster John Peel awarded them a session.
As well as charting The Chameleons’ development – and the band’s cruel treatment at the hands of a corrupt, self-serving music industry – Mark places his musical exploits into the wider context of his life. Amidst intrigue in the Middle East, drugs, spirituality, and unexplained phenomena there are a host of music industry anecdotes that will make your jaw drop.
“Absolutely compelling” – Record Collector
“The Chameleons’ dark, thrilling music is treated like a religion in their hometown, where they command the same devotion as their fellow travellers Joy Division. They were on the verge of breaking internationally when it all unravelled, and at last the whole story is told, with a compelling writing style and unique pop culture perspective that reveals who, how, and why they are such a key band… The last great untold story from the Manchester post punk era.” – John Robb, Louder Than War
“View From A Hill is a deeply personal and insightful account of the life of the main force behind one of post punk’s most overlooked, but influential, bands.” – Hayley Scott, The Quietus