Two Hearts: The Bruce Springsteen Story by Dave Marsh (Routledge, £12.99)

DAVE Marsh is the perfect choice to write a biography of one of rock's most iconic figures.

With a pedigree that boasts stints on Creem, Rolling Stone and Playboy, he is ideally placed to give us the goss on that man called the Boss.

He doesn't let us down.

For this is a fat book that chronicles the rise and rise of the glad axeman for New Jersey, the prose flowing like a true Springsteen lyric.

Marsh has traced Springsteen's career for nearly three decades.

This one completes the trilogy that already includes Born to Run and Glory Days.

Verdict?

Absolutely indispensable for all fans of an artists who has courageously retained his integrity in a business that is usually devoid of any morality.

John Phillpott