Reader reviews for Music in a Word Volume 2:

Ira Robbins is an articulate writer whose love of music becomes abundantly clear within an opening paragraph. If he was a song writer, he would have a killer hook in the opening notes. He has written that way since his first issue of Trouser Press. Plus, he is a super Who fan with a critical eye on what was (is) important about that particular band. Music In A Word Volume 2 opens with 100 pages of his reviews, thoughts, musings, and reflections on all things Who. That makes this book a joyful read for any Who fan and a must addition for any serious Who library.

Ira fits into a small group of rock critics who recognize all the aspects of what makes a band sound edgy and authentic. In other words, he is an artist in his own right. As a result, the rest of his book is equally fascinating and promotes a desire to go explore an artist or an album that may have been missed.

In this excellent, decades-spanning beefy (450+ pages) sequel to Volume 1, Ira Robbins shares with the reader his characteristically thoughtful and educational takes on nine important figures in rock history. Highlights include assessments of some whose work he covered from day 1 such as the Clash and Elvis Costello; as deep a dive on Cheap Trick as you’ll ever read; one of the finest rock star interviews ever committed to print with Keith Richards; and Ira dishing out some heartfelt tough love to his beloved Who at a stage in their career when they had so obviously run out of new contributions to the world. But the Richards interview is perhaps the real page-turner in the book. The entertainment comes from both the subject’s seen-it-all story telling but also from Robbins’ skill at finding him the perfect chords to riff on. I can’t recommend this book enough.