I really enjoyed reading this book. Tana left home at a young age and some how found herself working as roadie in Australia. She was lucky to start just as big rock shows were beginning to tour in Australia and she had some wonderful mentors. Throughout most of her career she was the only the only woman working backstage. She worked her up from unpacking trucks to learning lighting and sound design. While there are some stories from the road and backstage most of the book is Tana's story. If you are just looking for gossip on bad backstage behavior you will be disappointed. I really enjoyed reading about how she was able to work her up through the ranks and the different turns her career has taken. I would have liked to have read more about the work she is doing now on helping more women enter the music business. Accompanying the text are a lot of fun photographs. The book was well written and easy to read. Enjoy the fun ride through music history.

Welcome to the jungle! And the jungle is LOUD!

The first female roadie, for bands like The Who and AC/DC, writes her memoir. Of course, it’s chock full of sex, drugs and rock and roll. But, also, it shows her courageous battle for equity at a time when women were anything but equal in most men’s eyes.

From her start as an unpaid roadie with a French tightrope walker’s troop, Tana, who was only fifteen, would a year later be a roadie with the newly formed band AC/DC. And the wonders she would see!

Loud is an interesting and entertaining look behind the curtain at many influential 1970s through the 1990s rock acts with some stops at a riot or two. The book would be an excellent choice for music fans, or anyone interested in being a roadie themselves. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Harper 360, ABC Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

3.5 Stars

Tana Douglas was just 16 in 1973 when she became the first female roadie touring with Australian hard rockers AC/DC. She herself hailed from Australia and was the product of a dysfunctional family. I surmised that such circumstances propelled her towards a life on her own at a much younger age than would be the norm. I admired her inner strength, street smart sense and work ethic. She had a way of drawing people to her and taking life on- which provided for a very interesting "live by the seat of your pants" kind of lifestyle. She met and worked for a ton of famous musicians. Tana went from backline musical equipment assembly for bands to handling lighting, sound, and sometimes apprentice electrician duties. The times she described such manipulation of hardware and cables it went over my head and I was want to skim, but she also had some very interesting road stories to tell. My senses perked up when I encountered a story involving George Harrison, who had wandered over from his Friar Park estate to another across the way to attend a party. Some people may not know this, but George was a bit of a philanderer during his marriages- but I was surprised to hear about this one. He was married to second wife Olivia at the time and they had their son Dhani by then.

Some of the bands she worked with were AC/DC, Elton John, Status Quo, The Police, Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, The Who, Santana...and many more. She was in the business for 30 years, and really trailblazed the way for women working in this field. She found herself in some really sticky situations, but had a remarkable talent for getting out of them. She also often helped other musicians network to resolve issues like when a band hoped for a reunion.

This book must be a re-issue because I nearly bought it last year. I did enjoy the book, but admit that if I didn't know much about a band she was discussing, I wasn't that interested in those sections. I also wasn't keen on too much technical jargon. Other than that, this was a good read.

Thank you to the publisher Harper 360, ABC Books AU who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.