Product Description
Jac Holzman witnessed a cultural transformation during the time he ran Elektra Records from 1950 to 1973. Follow the Music captures pivotal scenes of pop culture as Holzman saw them, from what happened backstage when Bob Dylan went electric to Jim Morrison's legendary shenanigans.Amazon.com Review
The Doors, Love, Judy Collins, Tim Buckley, and Phil Ochs wereall products of the nurturing environment at the Elektra Records ofthe '60s and early '70s. With help from coauthor Gavan Daws, thelabel's then head, Jac Holzman, collects his reminiscences and thoseof many of his cohorts in the enlightening, often hilarious Followthe Music: The Life and High Times of Elektra Records in the GreatYears of American Pop Culture. This oral history follows Holzman'sexploits from his days as a producer of small pressings of obscurefolk music to his signing of rockers like Jim Morrison and Arthur Leeand his eventual sale of the company and subsequent departure. Beforehe left, though, Holzman and friends had irrevocably altered, as hesays, the "recording technique, packaging, marketing and thebehavioral sciences of rock and roll." --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

The good old days
Its only by reading through this excellent account of the Elektra years that one comes to realise just how consistently innovative the label was. Its early years may be rather lost to our ears but the book comes with a handy CD which reviews the folk years. This is the label that first recorded songs written by Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Jackson Browne and James Taylor. It oversaw a shift from folksong to artsong and then learned how to record electric music, rather arduously with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and then to great effect with Love and the Doors.

The narrative is made up of verbatim comments by key players in the story which gives it a freshness. This is rather like journalism as the first draft of history. It's a book you can pick up and put down easily or work from the index seeking out the phases that one feels most warmly about. It's quite simply very good fun.

Jac Holzman, Disintrested but very close
Jac Holzman was an business innovator throughout his life. He is known as the founder of Elektra Records. Proximate to the milieu of the rock stars who he brought to his label, he was nonetheless himself cut from different cloth. Follow the Music faithfully outlines both the closeness and the difference. Holzman was not a posturing musical artist like those whose personalities he converted into material for consumption by fascinated record buyers. Not being taken in by the romance of rockstardom, he occupied an excellent position to offer commentary and narrative of the activity of those who passed through his perview.
Holzman's book is a salutary antidote (full of anecdotes..)for those readers fascinated by the lives and movements of Rock Stars but who can do without the fawning tone of that milieu's groupies. I strongly recommend it.

Want to Start a Record Company? Read This Book
Jac Holzman was the founder of Elektra Records, and one of the biggest groups he signed were The Doors. I admit I bought this book because I'm a Doors fan and I thought I'd get the juiciest stories about my favorite group, but I was wrong. I got much more than I bargained for, the story of Elektra is fascinating from beginning to end.

Jac Holzman started Elektra from his college dorm room (a precursor of Napster perhaps?) He haunted coffee houses in Greenwich Village in the late 50's perfectly positioning him to catch the folk scene as it came on and to record it. Holzman did everything from finding the artists to recording them to getting the records made to getting them into record stores, and even though all this took place 50 years ago it would be good for any entrepreneurs out there to read this book. The stories related by Holzman are interesting, he knows how to turn a tale.

The oral biography format is a perfect fit for this story, or even this type of story. It is the story of a career and the many aspects of running a record company from it's inception to through it's heyday, to the day its sold to a major company. The story of a career like this is dependent on many voices and in an oral biography you hear those voices, they may sometimes not agree on events or perspective, but you get the fuller impact of the story behind it. You'll hear from not only Holman, but Theodore Bikell, Paul Rothchild (producer of The Doors & Janis Joplin), John Sebastian, Judy Collins, Jim Morrison, Jackson Browne, Ray Manzarek, Warren Zevon, Carly Simon, Robby Krieger, Paul Williams, the MC5 (with one of the best Rock `n' Roll stories), even Harrison Ford makes a guest appearance as a carpenter who works on Holzman's house before he finds fame as an actor. I could list all the legendary, famous and near famous as the review and that would be enough to entice music fans to read this book. The list of people who were instrumental to Elektra is in the front of Follow The Music, it's seven pages long. Each witness offers his or her opinion, perspective, or anecdote to the building of Elektra as one of the premier record companies of the 60's. You may go into Follow The Music because of your favorite band but you'll come out with an appreciation of for all the artists involved and the stories of how their music reached you.

A great read about the little record company that could
I bought this book for the CD.Most of the Elektra catalog is out of print and was never re-released on CD.The CD is great, though I would have liked more international folk music.There's only one foreign language song on the disc. The book itself turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.While I am only about one fifth of the way through it, I'm finding the story of Elektra Records fascinating.I didn't realize (or, more likely had forgotten - you know what they say about the 60s) how many big names in rock got their start there. A great read about the little record company that could.

great book
Great book for those that enjoy the inner workings of a record label,its history and the people that made it happen.If you dig musicology this book is a must read. ... Read more

Product Description
In the 1960s, rock and pop music recording questioned the convention that recordings should recreate the illusion of a concert hall setting. The Wall of Sound that Phil Spector built behind various artists and the intricate eclecticism of George Martin's recordings of the Beatles did not resemble live performances—in the Albert Hall or elsewhere—but instead created a new sonic world. The role of the record producer, writes Virgil Moorefield in The Producer as Composer, was evolving from that of organizer to auteur; band members became actors in what Frank Zappa called a "movie for your ears." In rock and pop, in the absence of a notated score, the recorded version of a song—created by the producer in collaboration with the musicians—became the definitive version.

Moorefield, a musician and producer himself, traces this evolution with detailed discussions of works by producers and producer-musicians including Spector and Martin, Brian Eno, Bill Laswell, Trent Reznor, Quincy Jones, and the Chemical Brothers. Underlying the transformation, Moorefield writes, is technological development: new techniques—tape editing, overdubbing, compression—and, in the last ten years, inexpensive digital recording equipment that allows artists to become their own producers. What began when rock and pop producers reinvented themselves in the 1960s has continued; Moorefield describes the importance of disco, hip-hop, remixing, and other forms of electronic music production in shaping the sound of contemporary pop. He discusses the making of Pet Sounds and the production of tracks by Public Enemy with equal discernment, drawing on his own years of studio experience. Much has been written about rock and pop in the last 35 years, but hardly any of it deals with what is actually heard in a given pop song. The Producer as Composer tries to unravel the mystery of good pop: why does it sound the way it does? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Title Says it All
A great book for people wanting to understand the basics of record production and how it ties in with music composition.
There has been a strong trend lately for the composer to be a musician, engineer, arranger, producer... of their music.
This is a good book for music students or anyone who would like to understand modern music production.

Good Insights!
Mr, (Dr.??) Moorefield has collected a lot of research and experience into the process of production.Aside from some editorial errors, it's a good, quick read that warrants re-reading.

Using this for my class
This book is a nice study on production. I especially appreciate the classic tracks-style breakdowns of historic song productions. I will look into using it for one of my future production classes.

excellent
I've been trying to find a book like this for quite a while.It's an excellent academic, yet accessible, study of modern producers - their techniques, technology, and personalities.I only wish it covered more people....though the producers that were chosen were excellent choices.

A Unique View of an Essential Creator in the world of Popular Music
I love this book! It finally brings to light for the average popular music consumer as well as the scholarly directed the vital function that has made the producer the king of the studio.We members of the business side of popular music have recognized the financial rewards that come to producers from the likes of Phil Spector and Leiber and Stoler on to the producers of more current rap, hip hop and other genres including disco. But this book finally brings a search light of musicology to show the skills that warrant the status of producers as a vital contributor to the music scene.It is a worthy tribute to each of the many producers whose contributions are analyzed with skill by an author who combines his role as professor and working musician.
Bill Krasilovsky ( co author of This Business of Music) ... Read more

Product Description
The Year the Music Died is packed with information, stories, trivia, and photos relating to the "golden era" of pop music between 1964 and 1972. Author Dwight Rounds covers the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Byrds, Doors and CSNY, followed by sections on other influential groups of the era. Music trivia buffs and casual fans alike will not want to miss this unbeatable collection! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This truly is the best era of pop music 1964-1972
Dwight Rounds has written a wonderful book on the music of this era. I was facinated with the section on The Beatles and his opinions and ratings of all of their songs. This book was truly a book written from Dwight's heart and he must have put much time and effort into compiling it. I know that some people might be put off with his elite and prolitarian views. I did not agree with him with everything pertaining to this subject but really understood where he was coming from with most of his comments and opinions. I have read a very long 3 star comment on Amazon about this book and the guy who wrote it really needed to lighten up . It is Dwight's book and he is certainly entitled to his opinions! By the way "Turn, Turn,Turn" is one of my favorites too! Thank you for a great read and I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loved the music of this era...that includes musicians and the general music lovers too. Debbie A.

Not expansive enough, too much attitude to be truly objective.
While expressing that the best music of his life was produced between 1964-72, citing "Disco Duck" and "Rock The Boat" as the END, he also includes what I as a serious musician would consider "bubblegum" as serious "songwriting".Such as "Dizzy" or 1910 Fruitgum Company. The energy and creative environment that produced the era's great music continued to some extent into around 1976-77.Even the author admits that "Hotel California" was a great album.Not everything was Disco Duck in the mid-seventies.The Who was still making good music, Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, Cat Stevens, Al Stewart, YES, Chicago, Heart, Led Zeppelin, Dave Mason, David Bowie, Elton John, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Todd Rundgren, etc.... I'm sure you could all add your own favorites..Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Grateful Dead, Genesis and so on. Much of the early part of the book was interesting, but in the final chapters the author takes great pains to try his darndest to make sure that none of us get the idea that the music influenced how people felt, thought, and acted.While I agree that suicides can not be blamed on lyrics it doesn't work the other way around.I know people for sure who ran from the draft because the music communicated to them what the adults and TV would not tell them.That music for young people of that time was a type of "internet" that you could be "plugged into (informed)" if you really tried and wanted to know.Rolling Stone wasn't a large force yet as a media outlet but there were thousands of underground newspapers that were available at the hippest record stores in those days that kept you informed about what musicians and social commentators thought and believed.The author points out that Woodstock was a failure why???Because a small percentage of irresponsible pigs left a big mess and didn't clean up after themselves.I was a hippy too.And I never left my trash for someone else to pick up and neither did most of my friends. I could go on forever giving examples of how the attitudes and beliefs of musicians effected--thru their songs or even the way that they played their instruments-- how individuals, tens of millions of them, were effected and changed by what they heard and what they're friends and boyfriends and girlfriends were listening to and responding to.And this also forced some amount of change on older folks as they usually continued to love their own children and had to deal with new ideas, new ways of expression, new possibilities, and an expanded acceptance of what was previously not even thought about or accepted just a few years before.While some of the ways of the hippies were to turn out not very well, at least being able to consider something different was tolerated in a way that was not tolerated before.People still by and large hate protestors but to protest WW2 was unheard of and not tolerated.Of course there are "phoney" hippies too.Frank Zappa made fun of them and their dishonesty.But the author tries to make it look like Frank Zappa thought hippies were stupid.He did not.He disliked "pretend" hippies, people who were just along for the party; people who used hippy ideas to just be irresponsible or to steal from others or get into someone's pants without regard for their feelings.It should also be pointed out that Frank Zappa also made fun of the establishment, governments, military, police, college, authority in general, religion.He was against anything dishonest and phoney including some hippies.He was anti-drug, never used them, but he was also anti-alcohol and prescription drugs and put down the older generations who accepted these "drugs" as normal and "ok". I guess what I'm saying is that you can skip this book.Read Zappa's book.The music very definitly affected the times, and people's behavior.Equal treatment of women, disdain for war and violence, treating your fellow man with respect, all of these ideas were promoted by the music and by TV shows like the Smothers Brothers--whom he also takes a swipe at because they complained about censorship.The author points out that the "owners" who own the network and have corporate sponsors have a right to decide what they broadcast.But the air-waves are supposed to be free to all.Not without cost free but free as in content and ideas.Sponsors still get to sell their products regardless of the content of a show or concert.The author makes the stupid attempt to separate the life force of the musician from their music.That what they beleive and advocate as human beings should have nothing to do with their music and performances that are sponsored by owned entities of the establishment.This means that they own us too if we can't freely express ourselves thru these mediums. He fails to get it that without the artists' art, there is NO SHOW !!There is only official propaganda left---whether corporate or government.Entertainment venues only have the obligation to give equal time to opposing views, they are not supposed to censure based on political offensiveness. People of those times, collectively had grown tired of the lies of the establishment, and the music was a reflection and a confirmation, and validation of those shared feelings.It doesn't mean that they provided all the answers to our problems.But how many things would be judged as failures on that criteria? Because Eric Clapton and Jerry Garcia couldn't solve everything they were not to be listened to or taken seriously?Because they couldn't reverse years of authoritarian control and because sometimes they were wrong we should discount them and say that they had nothing to offer socially or politically??Bull! What; were they supposed to become senators and run for president so they could fix everything for us?Nonsense! They were musicians, artists, writers. They were giving us--reminding us--of the tools to use to fix it ourselves and at least be informed and involved and care. I don't understand why someone who considers this music to be the best doesn't get it that the energy and thought and belief systems behind the music is what facilitated its creation.You cannot ban Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Youngs'philisophical beliefs without erasing the great music that those energies made possible. So if you go to one of their concerts or to see Linda Ronstadt and she supports gay marraige or ending torture or warrantless spying on American citizens, and you are angry and dissappointed because you paid to hear them sing not talk about their beliefs, you're pretty stupid to spend money on an artist (product, if you will allow) that you obviously know nothing about.

Informative and A Lot of Fun!
I was excited when asked to review this book because I experienced first-hand the music so well documented in it.
The years 1964-1972 brought with it music creators like, the Beatles, the Doors, Rolling Stones and the Byrds, just to name a few. Author Dwight Rounds takes us back to the 'golden era' of music in this work with information on different groups, trivia, quizzes and lists of their songs; along with charts and great pictures from old magazines of many different groups. I giggled at some of the lists he put in this work rating the artists. Good touch.
I take my hat off to this author as it would be impossible not to realize the work and research that was done. and the time it took to put this work together, great job. Let me just say this; if you enjoyed your youth during this time and want to splash in the past for a while you will love this book.Or, if you are a music enthusiast that yearns to know more, you won't be able to put this one down. To coin a phrase, this one is "A Blast From the Past."A really fun and interesting work.Well done Mr. Rounds, thanks for the memories.
... Read more

Product Description
Easy to use and fun to explore, this 1,400-page tome is the most complete guide ever published on the artists and recordings that really rock. Compiled by dozens of music critics, it reviews and rates more than 14,000 great albums by over 2,200 artists and groups in more than 400 styles - both mainstream and alternative - including bootlegs, import-only releases, important out-of-print recordings, and lesser-known cult artists. A brief profile details each performerÕs career, while insightful reviews of top recordings help define the musicianÕs artistic development and impact on rock. Expanded biographies spotlight major figures, along with complete album discographies. Also features educational essays and "music maps" that chart the evolution of rockÕs diverse subgenres at a glance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

"Easy to use and fun to explore"
That is what a review said. Ok...the book is good. I have two series of their books: this one and the one on blues. All I can say is get out your magnifying glass - this is some tiny print you'll be "exploring". Grade "A" on content, "c" on readability.

Enjoy

Almost All Music Guide for Rock, Pop and Soul
For those who don't have time to read whole review: BUY IT, YOU WON'T REGRET!
Now, for those who are patient enough.
Before purchasing this one, I already had AMG to Blues and as I have found it very useful and comprehensive I've found no reason not to buy AMG to Rock.
And I am quite satisfied.
I say "quite", because there are some "ingredients" that are missing, but as I understand how hard it is to gather all the info into one issue, I won't blame anyone.
But I was really surprised not to find Rare Earth.
I am not a huge fan of RE but I believe they deserve to be included and let's hope that tiny mistakes like this one will be changed in next issue.
Friend of mine on first glance gave a remark that there are no pictures.
Of course, if there were even pictures it would be hard to imagine how many pages will contain.
But even without pictures, without some "deserved-to-be-included" bands and details, this Guide along with AMG to Blues is all you need to know about history of music in last 100 years.
If that's not enough to convince you, well, what would you say if I tell you that I will buy even AMG to Jazz?
By all means.....

A very good music reference book.
A nice book to have. I read it everyday. It has thousands of artists and their different albums. Plus each is rated. It is a good book. However, I would like to question the author's definition of rock. How can you include teeny bob (Jessica Simpson) and gangsta rap (Notorious BIG) and exclude several actual rock bands (no Widespread???) Plus, they're rating system is kind of a joke. (They give Pink Floyd's Division Bell two stars and Britney Spear's Oops!...I Did It Again four stars!!!) I also wish they would give lineups of the bands. I am being picky though. I love this book and have bought several more for gifts.

Marvellous
This is the 3rd edition of the AMG guide and its a brilliant read. Subtitled "The Definitive Guide To Rock, Pop and Soul" it is five years old now, but as its nearly 1400 pages in length you won't get bored with it.

Artists are listed alphabetically and an enhanced 5 star rating system is used. Apart from the number of stars some albums additionally get either a filled circle a filled star or the outline of a star. Generally the very best recordings by an artist will get a filled star and any acknowledged masterpieces will get an outline star. So most of The Beatles albums are 5 star albums with an extra outline star. Sounds complicated on paper but its not - its just difficult to describe!

At the back of the book are a series of essays on different genres, such as electric blues, Rap etc. These feature family trees of the most important artists and are interesting reading their own right.

AMG also do separate books on Jazz, Soul and Blues all of which I recommend. You can waste hours with this book reading about what you are listening to, which makes the whole experience that much more pleasurable.

Why Does All Music Guide Get Their Facts SoMixed Up?
When I read things written, as in biographical form, in All Music Guide, I have to wonder if theydo, 'fact checking'. How about comparing the lp/cd's and official bios and websites to get the honest picture of what really happened. Read the track listing on Smashes Crashes Near Misses,Will Birch puts in the 'lost' two tracks Huw recorded before leaving the band. The guitar player listing for Crashes is incorrect.Barry Martin plays guitar on 10 tracks, Jude on a couple but mostly sings.I don't know what the expectation for Jude's role was, probably vocals but as I said, "I don't Know...".So find out or drop what you are saying if you are uncertain. Otherwise, the journalism ultimately loses credibility. AMG leaves you with the feeling that Gower who is so accesible dropped off the face of the earth. I get complaints from other clients as well. I find it frustrating when you can't reach a publication. - especially Chris Woodstra. THANK YOU for pointing me in the direction of AMG!You can reach Huw at [...]..I had no preferences for 'guides' I just think the job has to be very professional.

Annie Pfeiffer Gower
Former "National Tour Publicist" for the launch of Virgin Records USA 1979/ meshing of Virgin/Atlantic and launch of both labels including Frontline and Caroline, Virgin Publishing (including The Sex Pistols) and many bands on the road - the most important was all the press done before The Records even hit the States.The Records bio is never correct and I continue to get complaints from otherartists who I have represented AG ... Read more

Product Description
"The A to X of Alternative Music" is a survey of the most influential bands of the last 30 years. It covers those bands and artists who have rejected the mainstream in favour of innovation, originality and the pursuit of their own unique musical identity. These are the acts who have inspired other musicians, helped define the culture of their times and won devoted followings. From "A Certain Ratio" to "Frank Zappa", via "The Fall", "Mogwai", "New York Dolls" and "Sonic Youth", over 200 written entries build up to offer a unique perspective on contemporary music. Each entry concludes with album recommendations, while a closing 'ones to watch' section covers some of the most exciting new acts to have arrived on the alternative scene in the last five years. "The A to X of Alternative Music" is guaranteed to tell you things you never knew about your favourite bands, introduce you to new artists and provoke passionate debate between music lovers. Unafraid to court controversy in its judgements, inclusions and omissions, and engagingly written and illustrated throughout, this is the essential reference companion for anyone who loves music made - and listened to - outside the mainstream. ... Read more

Product Description
In a career that begun in the late Sixties Iggy Pop always set out to shock. But his attention-grabbing tactics including self-mutilation always disguised a musician and artist more complex than the image suggested.In this solid biography Joe Ambrose does full justice to the original spirit of Iggy Pop through a rich and revealing selection of interviews, offering many shrewd insights into the personality of a man whose own comments often seem more confused than anarchic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Iggy Pop's ride.
If you didn'tknow enough about Iggy after reading this you will know more.
This book will take you throught the twists and turns of the rollercoaster life of Iggy Pop.
I think you will enjoy the ride. This man has been down and out and completely on top of the world. Iggy's music is getting it 's due after all these years. Enjoy the book.

There are better books on Iggy than this one.
This book isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't the "definitive biography" that it claims to be. It's a mediocre hack job pieced together from previous books and articles. Here's my favorite stupidly bizarre blunder: On page 63 the author states "The company (Elektra) let the band down badly by not releasing '1969' or 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' as a single; possibly turning one of those tracks into, at the very least, an airplay hit".What? The first Stooges single was 'I Wanna Be You Dog' backed with '1969'!!! Any Iggy fan knows that! It's right there in the discography in the back of this book! Ambose must have been totally unfamiliar with his subject to make a stupid mistake like that. Thinking that 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' could have been a big hit is laughable in itself. Great song, but certain not commercial in any way. If you wanna read about Iggy get "Open Up And Bleed" by Paul Trynka. It's much better and the one I would maybe consider the "definitive biography".

Not a fun read
This book was very hard for me to wade through despite being a huge fan. (I named my first cat Iggy!) Lots of disparaging remarks about Iggy, as well as portraying him as a huge misogynist made it hard to want to finish. But what really makes it a difficult read is the disjointed nature. It goes from a quote from someone in MC5 talking about a gig in Romeo Michigan, to a quote from Iggy about something else that happened elsewhere years later.

I grew up in Michigan and saw Iggy at least a dozen times so I read through it for the descriptions of the many shows he did in Michigan.

I picked up a book the other day in my local library-an autobiography by Arthur Kane (from the NY Dolls). This book looks like a fun read -the first couple of pages were hugely entertaining where he describes his first encounter with Johnny Thunders, and how he - Arthur switched playing Guitar with Johnny. That book is way more colorful and intriguing, it really painted a picture of what it was like to first glimpse Johnny in Central Park.

But Gimme Danger is just quotes and bits of interviews that were in other books and magazines strung together.

Disappointing.

A bit disappointed
This book was published in 2002, which was before the reuion of the Stooges (Iggy, The Astons, & Watt). So a lot of the writers opinions are irrelevant. It's almost like the author didn't l;ike Iggy, and Ig apparantly had no input on this book. Learned a few things, like some albums I didn't know about, but otherwise dissapointing.

classic rock'n'roll writing for intelligent fans
this book is wild, right up there with victor bockris's books on lou reed and patti smith. joe ambrose has taken the bull by the horns and made a serious effort to understand iggy pop, career druf fiend, enthusiastic pro-Regagan Republican, and the maker of some of the finest ever punk rock records. as a lifelong fan of the Igster i was taken aback by some of the less acceptable facts in this elegantly written book but i was still glad to know those facts. i know joe ambrose and regard him as being a generally good and reliable writer with three great novels out. this stuf the drainpipe guy is saying is just sour grapes because joe has some negative things to say about iggy. disfunctional middle aged men like to idolise people like iggy or keith richards but gimmer danger is aimed at the more intelligent readers, interested in culture as much as they're interested in apocryphal tales of on the road excess and "important" ten minute guitar solos. ... Read more

Product Description
Korean popular music has in the last decade become a significant model for youth culture throughout Asia. Yet, although the Korean music industry is both vibrant and massive, this is the first book-length work devoted to the subject to appear in English. The book offers a comprehensive account, written by thirteen scholars of Korean Studies, enthnomusicology and popular culture, charting Korean pop from the 1930s to the present day, from genres imitative of early twentieth-century European and Japanese styles ( trot' and yuhaengga') to contemporary punk clubs, rap bands and music television shows. Consideration is given to South Korean singers who catered for US troops in the aftermath of the Korean War, to acoustic guitar songs and their use in the 1970s' student protest movements against military dictatorship, to state propaganda pop, and to the explosion of global styles that marked the 1990s. Lyrics and dance, media packaging and stage costumes, song rooms and singing doctors, highway songs and new folksongs, as well as the impact of the Internet are all explored.The book also includes extensive discussion of North Korean popular music and chapters on the Korean wave' that swept Taiwan and the Chinese mainland at the start of the new millennium. ... Read more

Product Description
Georgia on My Mind, Rockin' Chair, Skylark, Lazybones, and of course the incomparable Star Dust--who else could have composed these classic American songs but Hoagy Carmichael? He remains, for millions, the voice of heartland America, eternal counterpoint to the urban sensibility of Cole Porter and George Gershwin. Now, trumpeter and historian Richard M. Sudhalter has penned the first book-length biography of the man Alec Wilder hailed as "the most talented, inventive, sophisticated and jazz-oriented of all the great songwriters--the greatest of the great craftsmen." Stardust Melody follows Carmichael from his roaring-twenties Indiana youth to bandstands and recording studios across the nation, playing piano and singing alongside jazz greats Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and close friends Bix Beiderbecke and Louis Armstrong. It illuminates his peak Hollywood years, starring in such films as To Have and Have Not and The Best Years of Our Lives, and on radio, records and TV.With compassionate insight Sudhalter depicts Hoagy's triumphs and tragedies, and his mounting despair as rock-and-roll drowns out and lays waste to the last days of a brilliant career. With an insider's clarity Sudhalter explores the songs themselves, still fresh and appealing while reminding us of our innocent American yesterdays. Drawing on Carmichael's private papers and on interviews with family, friends and colleagues, he reveals that "The Old Music Master" was almost as gifted a wordsmith as a shaper of melodies. In all, Stardust Melody offers a richly textured portrait of one of our greatest musical figures, an inspiring American icon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Stardust Melody: The Life and Music of Hoagy Carmichael
book looked good on the outside, but inside almost every page had writting oll over the pages

A World Without Goodbyes
STARDUST MELODY: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF HOAGY CARMICHAEL by Richard M. Sudhalter
published by Oxford University Press in 2002.

Stardust Melody: the life of Hoagy Carmichael is a fine biography by Richard M. Sudhalter about the composer of Stardust and many other fine, sometimes wistful popular songs which seemed to gain their peak of popularity from the mid 1930s into the early 1950s.

Composer Hoagy Carmichael was sometimes pictured as a somewhat passive vessel of fine pop tunes which apparently came to him by divine inspiration with just a minimal amount of keyboard labor.But the truth is, as Mr. Sudhalter points out,
that hard work begets inspiration as much if not more than anything else.
And Hoagy Carmichael,despite his "nothin' to it" demeanor labored mightily for many of his tunes including some of thosethat were not commercially successful but were nontheless beautiful compositions.

Mr. Sudhalter recreates the world of Hoagy Carmichael, who once he got on board the Hollywood Movie Music express became a fairly wealthy man who did not have to worry about his next meal, much less his family's welfare.Hoagy Carmichael
prospered in that world and did not want to leave it, building one success upon another but never forgetting his jazz background and always seemed to maintain a sense of authenticity around him because of that background.

Hoagy Carmichael became a successful actor because of that sense of authenticity around him, and his laid back comfortable persona was used in more than a few films and even for one season, a late 1950s TV western series.
Mr. Carmichael did become bitter with the accesenscion of rock and roll and the loss of his musical popularity but he still wrote songs, most of which were not published or, after a while,even submitted to publishers.

This biography chronicles all of the above and much more, it's a fascinating look into the life of one of our most original composers of the classic standard era and
a glimpse of a world that will always somehow seem golden to many of us.

It is a biography that is deserved by the composer of Skylark, Stardust, Georgia On my Mindand so many more lyrical pop standards.

The Good and the Bad
Hoagy Carmichael was one of the most influential jazz composers of the 20th century and wrote some of the great standards from the accepted "American Songbook."When we fall in love with the songs of any great songwriter, we often forget the negative factors that shaped their lives.This biography offers a fair portrayal of a great artist, but also a man with very human failings.Learning of his early feelings of inadequacy and insecurity only made me hear his music with a greater sensitivity to its beauty.

Sudhalter does it again
We owe Richard Sudhalter for preserving the often-forgotten history of America's early jazz pioneers and composers. His subjects are white musicians, but he doesn't write about them with a nasty political agenda. He just doesn't want their contributions to be forgotten. Along the way, he pays warm tribute to the black musicians who led the musical revolution. Unfortunately, politically-charged reviewers refuse to see this.
I especially love this Sudhalter work. Sadly, Hoagy is becoming a forgotten genius of American song. Duke Ellington once called him America's greatest songwriter, and Sudhalter goes a long way in providing the evidence to such a claim. I especially enjoyed the focus on Hoagy's home state of Indiana, which was an amazing hotbed for jazz in the 1920s. One should take this book and drive around Bloomington, Indiana, and find all of the haunts described in rich detail by Sudhalter. Then go to Indianapolis, and Richmond, Indiana. Sudhalter really did us all a huge favor in providing such a wonderful document.

Who really wrote Star Dust?
Hoagy Carmichael's college roommate, Hank Wells, claimed all his life that Hoagy, consciously or subcon- scioujsly, stole Star Dust from him.People in his home- town of Lake Bluff, Ill., said that this "broke his heart."Wells visited back and forth with the parents of a friend of mine, and she personally heard him tell this story.He played piano at her wedding..
I have read Hoagy's own words about Star Dust quoted in a book and they are cryptic.He does indeed implythat the song came out of nowhere into his mind.
Two facts: (a) What if a man wrote one great song that was unusual and never wrote another?Why is that?
(b) Why could one man write such a great song and then
never equal or exceed it in his long writing career.Why?
Only one set of facts fits that scenario.Hank Wells, heartbroken, never wrote again.Hoagy couldn't write anything so good on his own.

CCarf ... Read more

Product Description
The brilliant album-matching folio to this quirky band's breakthrough multi-platinum release. Titles: One Week
* It's All Been Done
* Light Up My Room
* I'll Be That Girl
* Leave
* Alcohol
* Call and Answer
* In the Car
* Never Is Enough
* Who Needs Sleep?
* Told You So
* Some Fantastic
* When You Dream. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

ORDER NOW Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts & Private Stories
Hi, Paul Myers here.Barenaked Ladies fans may have seen me on VH1's Behind The Music.I have been working for over two years on the forthcoming book, Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts And Private Stories, published by Madrigal Press.Wehave been working, the band and I, at making this the definitive souvenir for any Barenaked Ladies fan and a useful resource for the recently converted or mildly curious.Its packed with pictures and juicy never before told stories of pain, heartbreak, cancer and depression. But that's not to say we can't see the humour of the situation. Think of it as The Barenaked Anthology.

Sheet Music - Piano/Vocal/Guitar
A book of sheet music for all songs on their Stunt album. As far sheet music goes, it could be better. It's your run of the mill take-a-song-and-condense-it-down-to-3-parts (Piano/Vocal/Guitar). The onlyguitar part is a single chord line - no tablature or lead parts.Thesame holds true for their 'The Best of the Barenaked Ladies' sheet musicbook (ISBN: 0769215793).

Sheet Music - Piano/Vocal/Guitar
A book of sheet music for all songs on their Stunt album. As far sheet music goes, it could be better. It's your run of the mill take-a-song-and-condense-it-down-to-3-parts (Piano/Vocal/Guitar). The onlyguitar part is a single chord line - no tablature or lead parts.Thesame holds true for their 'The Best of the Barenaked Ladies' sheet musicbook (ISBN: 0769215793). ... Read more

Product Description
A great collection of nearly 90 of the best and/or most influential pop songs of all time - as chosen by the folks at MTV and documented in their popular video special. Songs: Beat It * Bohemian Rhapsody * Born to Run * Brown Eyed Girl * Careless Whisper * Dancing Queen * Every Breath You Take * Go Your Own Way * Good Vibrations * Hotel California * I Wanna Be Sedated * I Want to Hold Your Hand * Imagine * Jeremy * Just the Way You Are * Little Red Corvette * Losing My Religion * Love Shack * Maybe I'm Amazed * My Generation * Nasty * Our Lips Are Sealed * Proud Mary * Respect * Satisfaction * Smells like Teen Spirit * Superstition * Sweet Child O' Mine * Time After Time * Under the Bridge * Waterfalls * Where Did Our Love Go * You Oughta Know * You Shook Me All Night Long * and more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Lots of fun!
This collection of music is lots of fun and for those who love pop music and want to play along. However I was hoping the music would be a bit more detailed, it is quite 'easy' - for those who are worried it could be too hard, it's NOT. It is really big and clear as well as being extremely simple melodies. For people like me who want a bit more detail, it's still good as you can add your own embellishments, play with chords and the left hand. It would sound great if you had a mate who plays guitar as it has the tabs above all the music as well as the chords. Add a singer to create the melody and you can go crazy on improvising the piano without losing any of the melody. Only thing is it is a REALLY THICK book and is extremely hard at first to keep the book open to the page you want as it keeps on closing. I'd suggest pegs or a music stand with clips, but then you can't turn the pages either. This kind of book would be better with binding with easy flicking and not always closing on itself. I'd recommend standing on the book with it open (I know it sound crazy!) or putting some telephone books on it to squash it flat, otherwise your pages are always going to flick back shut! :o)

Not quite what I was looking for...
I am learning to play guitar and wanted some music other than Ode to Joy and Greensleeves, so I picked this book up at the guitar store.It has a wide variety of songs but the music, although written in tabs for guitar is the melody of the singer, not the guitar part. So while it is ok for practicing, it's not what I really had in mind when I bought it.Also, it is a little advanced for my beginner level. I love "Baby One More Time" though!

Great piano book!
This book, in brand new condition, cost less from this seller than it did in the store. It has good easy piano arrangements that provide hours of entertainment.

Song listing here incorrect, notice the use of "Selections From"
This book hides the "Selection From" which is in small type hidden above the "100 greatest pop songs" on the cover.It is a little less likely to be missed online but in the store you will miss it.

Do not rely on the listing on the back cover unless you look very carefuly at the fine print.Also, the list in the Amazon listing here is incorrect also.Someone entered the list from the back of the book and ignored the asterisks which say "Omitted from this publication.....licensing...".

There are no songs by the Stones, Prince, Pearl Jam or Springsteen in this book though they are listed on the back and in this listing for this item.

Book is otherwise useful but those are some big names they've used to sucker you in.

Beautiful Songs
This is a thick collection of sheet music, exactly what I'm looking for. I love the songs too. From Marvin Gaye, Hanson, Paul McCartney, to Queen, LL Cool J and Michael Jackson (and more!) ... Read more

Product Description
Following in the footsteps of the popular Hal Leonard Pocket Music Dictionary, this handy pocket-sized book is the most contemporary music theory book on the market! A step-by-step guide to harmony and theory for every musician, it includes thorough, yet to easy-to-understand analysis of: intervals, rhythms, scales, chords, key signatures, transposition, chord inversion, key centers, harmonizing the major and minor scales, extended chords, modulation and much more.Packed with info from the Harmony and Theory course at Musicians Institute! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Adequate overview - somewhat superficial given size
It has been nearly 25 years since I even touched music theory.This book - be forewarned - is not for the pure novice or the extremely rusty.In about 170 packed pages, you get everything from notation through harmonics, tonics, melodics, scales, deep seeded theory and application in jazz, blues, the Beatles and everything else.I will admit it was well over my head for the most part, and I really needed to get back to an Idiot or Dummy guide to rebuild the very old foundations of a quarter century ago.However, if you are up to snuff and are looking for a decent pocket guide, this will do just fine.I can see how other reviewers who have some of these basics down and are looking for a reference or augmentation resource would rate the book higher - and why a few have rated it low due to the "superficial" nature of some of the explanations.For the money - tough to beat.For the size - tough to beat.

Just what I wanted
I wanted a concise book to look up things that I don't remember.This is it.
It has been handy within days of receiving it.
If you already have some background in music theory and just need something to jog or expand your memory, this is the thing.

Music Theory
This book is perfect for the musician. It clarifies concepts in music theory, and is the gift that keeps on giving.I gave it to my boyfriend for Christmas, and he literally carries it around with him.
Thanks.

Best thing since sliced bread
I had piano lessons for 8 years as a youngster but not much theory stuck to me. Now that I'm retired I'm back into playing - and a much better student may I say. I want to play pieces of my repertoire from memory and was having difficulty memorizing them. I discovered that I didn't have the basic tools to analyze pieces and understand how they are constructed - and that I need to do this for effective memorization. So I began studying theory, especially intervals and chords (I had the scales and key signatures down OK.)

This little gem lays the basics of music theory out in logical sequence in a wonderfully clear and concise way. It is filled with handy little references - such as a table with suggested metronome speed ranges for various tempos, chord and interval look-up tables, etc.

It suggests an exercise to do after explaining each point, including ear training exercises (which I never understood the importance of before.)

Work your way through this little book, take advantage of some of the terrific ear training and theory drill websites and you won't need much else unless you plan to become a professional.

As to the reviewer who gave it only star because it is too simplistic, one has to ask what on earth did he expect from something pocket sized that covers all the elements of music theory in only 130 pages - including exercises and answers?

GREAT book
Amazingly complete for a small volume. A must for anyone involved in music as a performer or composer/arranger, ... Read more

Product Description
Sexing the Groove discusses these issues and many more, bringing together leading music and cultural theorists to explore the relationships between popular music, gender and sexuality.The contributors, who include Mavis Beayton, Stella Bruzzi, Sara Cohen, Sean Cubitt, Keith Negus and Will Straw, debate how popular music performers, subcultures, fans and texts construct and deconstruct `masculine' and `feminine' identities.Using a wide range of case studies, from Mick Jagger to Riot Grrrls, they demonstrate that there is nothing `natural', permanent or immovable about the regime of sexual difference which governs society and culture.
Sexing the Groove also includes a comprehensive annotated bibliography for further reading and research into gender and popular music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

One of my fav books on the subject
I really enjoyed this book. The essays range from close readings of music videos to an examination of record collector psychology. The level of discourse is very high, but I alsodidn't feel like any of it was too opaque for someone who was less familiar with the subject. This book really offered me something different in the genre of gender/music theory by having such varied subject matter. ... Read more

Product Description
Twenty years ago, SPIN magazine began with the promise to feature uncompromising writing about the music that was turning on/freaking out the Reagan generation. Through the introduction of MTV and the alternative rock revolution, it's been many things. Rude. Brilliant. Soulful. Snotty. Angry. Delirious.

In the past two decades, genres have spawned like mad, from goth, indie rock, and gangsta rap to emo and the garage rock revival. This twentieth-anniversary tribute celebrates the passion and fury of the music, with original essays, quotes, and photographs by contributors who are as hopelessly obsessed with it as you are.

SPIN: 20 Years of Alternative Music features: Alan Light on Beastie Boys, Ann Powers on U2, Charles Aaron on R.E.M., Dave Eggers on The Smiths + Morrissey, Marc Spitz on Goth, Simon Reynolds on Depeche Mode + Synth-pop, Dave Itzkoff on ’80s Teen Movies, Chuck Klosterman on Weezer, Will Hermes on Radiohead, Neil Strauss on Nine Inch Nails + Industrial, Sacha Jenkins on Public Enemy, Andy Greenwald on Emo, RJ Smith on Gangsta Rap, Jon Dolan on The White Stripes, Chris Norris on Nirvana, Doug Brod on Oasis + Britpop, Jim DeRogatis on Smashing Pumpkins, Laura Sinagra on Courtney Love, Ta-Nehisi Coates on Tupac ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Madonna? Alternative? This book is NOT about alternative rock!
Since when does an unoriginal who has simply trend hopped and who has spawned more talentless airheads in her own image than one can role call and who has countless top ten hits, qualify as "alternative?" Someone at SPIN was obviously trying to kiss madonna's masculine behind because there is absolutely no reason for her to be mentioned in this rambling, misguided attempt at covering the alternative music scene of the late 80's to 90's. Ani diFranco, Courney Love, L7, Bikini Kill and PJ Harvey yes. madonna, a resounding no. This just proves that SPIN was a "madonna magazine" largely. No thanks!

Finally, a non-pop music book for the twenty-somethings of today
I have been reading SPIN magazine off and on since I picked up my first issue at age 15.It has been one of the more compelling periodicals available about music that tends to adhere to a non-biased approach that all journalists claim but none practice.
When I heard of a book from SPIN commemorating 20 years in the alternative music scene I was very excited.When I bought and read this book I was even more thoroughly pleased.
Mixing big name staying-power acts lie Prince and Modonna with live-in-the-moment scenes/groups like Nirvana and NWA, this book finally gives a great perspective on music and it's effect on American culture, just like SPIN magazine has been striving to do for decades (but not always succeeding).
I felt it covered all pertinent points of alternative music throughout the past several years and was well informative on music movements that I had missed out on.
I especially enjoyed reading about hip-hop legends like Run DMC, Public Enemy, NWA, and Tupac as I can be easily classified as a southern white boy sheltered from the extremities of rap music.
I also enjoyed the essays written about outside-music influences like ecstasy, heroin, and MTV (all equally mind-numbing)
Things I did not like was the fixation on Nine Inch Nails as the sole pioneers of industrial music (have we never heard of Ministry, KMFDM, or My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult).Also thought the piece on Radiohead was a bit much, I think they can easily be classified into Britpop along with Blur and Oasis.
This is definitely a great read, something new at each turn of the page to fuel both excitement and nostalgia.

excellent overview of the mag's first 20 years
i just got this the other day and have already spent a fair amount of time browsing thru it.sure it would have been great to have collected the best articles from the last 20 years; howeverthe problem with that (and something the book acknowledges) is sometimes what is viewed at the time as important and groundbreaking turns out to have been not such a big deal.the great thing about this book is the advantage of perspective, being able to go back and identify what really turned out to have been influential and then weeding out the chaff.in the appendix section the editors show some magazine covers that in retrospect demonstrate that sometimes the "next big thing" often ends up in the "where are they now file" ie Lisa Stansfield, Creed, etc.

i found the book to be immensely readable, one you can pick up and start anywhere, jump to whatever interests you, and even learn about music or artists that at the time you didn't care about.

a great book about a great magazine, and should be of interest to any music fan, especially one like myself who when i was younger read SPIN religiously.

Interesting in parts, but often almost impenetrable prose
Spin: 20 Years of Alternative Music is certainly interesting in parts (I enjoyed the bits about Courtney Love, Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, Foo Fighters, etc.), but my God the prose is almost impenetrable! These writers seem to know little about creating a flowing sentence. Run-on sentences abound. And many sentences are filled with so many asides that I was left glassy-eyed after one paragraph. Information dense and pretentious prose!

I was also very surprised by the inclusion of Madonna in this book. I love Madonna, but since when is the biggest selling female artist of all time an "alternative" act?

Could've Been Better
When I read that this was coming out, I was pretty excited, because there have been some amazing articles in Spin over the past 20 years.I thought that it would be a compilation of some of the best articles that they had published.

Instead, it's new writing on various topics and artists, with snippets of what I consider the classic articles thrown in.It's frustrating to read the R.E.M. chapter, for instance, and see two--and only two--paragraphs from an article from 1987 that you remember being really good.

Even so, it's still a somewhat interesting book.I just feel that if it had included all of content of some of the classic articles, it could've been so much better. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating historical document
This book is fascinating from a historical perspective. It covers no less than 108 artists and groups with a page devoted to each, containing photographs and quotes from the artists about their lives, their music and the pop world. Looking back after 20 years, it's interesting to note who made it big, who's still alive and who faded into obscurity. Of those still making music, U2, Laurie Anderson, Sting, The Cure, Madonna, Peter Gabriel and Eurythmics became most successful, while defunct bands like Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Culture Club, OMD and others also made their mark on the charts. Many of these acts became cult artists with a devoted following, like David Byrne, Tom Verlaine, Nina Hagen, Alan Vega, Howard Devoto, Richard Hell and Julian Cope, while others had already reached cult status when the book was published, like John Cale, Robert Fripp, Nico, Rick James, Bill Nelson and Jayne County. Other seminal acts include The Cramps, Klaus Nomi, Joan Jett, Dead Kennedys, Public Image Limited, The Stranglers and Iggy Pop. The startling and impressive color and black&white photographs by Noble capture the essence of the artists and the style of a long-forgotten era in the history of popular culture so well. The book concludes with a discography of albums and singles plus a short history of the artists' careers up to that point in time. Future Pop gives us a rare early look at the musicians who left their stamp and style on the music and other art forms of the past 20 years. It is also a fount of information on those really obscure artists that stopped recording somewhere along the way. Noble made a great selection all those years ago. ... Read more

Product Description
The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates, Second Edition, traces the evolution of diverse streams of American popular music from the 1920s to the present. In this richly textured anthology, well-known scholar David Brackett brings together more than 100 readings from a wide range of sources and by writers who have played an integral part in the development of popular music criticism. Brackett includes articles from mainstream and specialized magazines, newspapers, and scholarly journals, as well as interviews and autobiographies of musicians and other music industry insiders. Organized into broad time periods, the chapters are divided into sections by genre, and these sections are organized chronologically. The chapter divisions parallel those found most frequently in textbooks on popular music.
Representing a wide variety of time periods, styles, and genres--and including groundbreaking criticism on disco, hip-hop, rap, and techno--the selections introduce students to important social and cultural issues raised by the study of popular music. Topics covered include the role of race, class conflict, gender roles, regional differences in the reception of popular music, and the relative value of artistry versus commerce. Extensive editorial introductions and headnotes supply context for the selections, provide links between different eras and genres, clarify the issues raised by the documents, and explain their historical significance. The second edition of this captivating anthology features eleven new source readings and introductions, further reading and discography selections for each chapter, and a companion website containing student and instructor resources. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Shape
Book in great shape, but never received a "shipped" confirmation and could not follow the delivery time.

Hard to Beat
This book does a shockingly good job of covering the whole 20th century in music.If there's one gap that could be filled, I wish the author had added more of himself. Choosing to view his task as being more of an editor than an author, he provides a minimum of connective material, just enough to tie things together.Tell us more, David!

Pop, Rock and Soul Reader
This book arrived on time and was in good condition. It was cheap to get which is a blessing for a college student.

A nice round-up of articles on rock history
I'm using this book for a Social History of Rock and Roll class, and it's an incredibly easy read without being dumb. The subject matter is complex, but it's done in a way that's presented with a good setup to give you the proper background and context for each article and why it's important. We're skipping around for the class, but I'll be putting this book on my nightstand/in my house for quick 10-min reads. Superb collection. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Do you remember the first time you heard "Pet Sounds"? It still takes my breath away, forty years later, but I'll never forget that jaw-dropping moment when Brian Wilson's masterpiece first entered my consciousness. It seemed just so far removed from anything that seemed possible in a rock album, so deep and sensitive and finely crafted that it surely came from a world beyond this one...I've written this book because I had to know more about the remarkable creative spirit behind "Pet Sounds" and the Beach Boys. I wanted to know every detail about Brian Wilson's music before and after his magnum opus. Of course, I knew something about the life he has lived, especially the publicity-grabbing circumstances of his difficult childhood, up-and-down relationships with his brothers and the group that made him famous, battles with substance abuse and depression and legal squabbles. But I was sure that his music alone told a story that was interesting on its own and that was naturally interwoven with his biography. That's the story I've set out to tell in this book...Tracing a line from Brian Wilson's very first musical loves (George Gershwin and the Four Freshmen) through to the Smile and Pet Sounds tours of recent years, Philip Lambert's astonishingly comprehensive book details over 50 years in the musical life of one of America's foremost pop composers.Lambert acknowledges the familiar biographical contexts behind many of Wilson's songs, but sheds new light on the birth and evolution of his musical ideas. A huge number of songs are discussed, including the famous ("Help Me Rhonda," "Good Vibrations," "God Only Knows") and the less well known ("Farmer's Daughter," "Boys Will Be Boys" and more). The end result is a remarkable story of musical growth and ambition, sure to appeal to devoted Beach Boys fans. The book also includes a unique Brian Wilson song chronology, listing every musical endeavour to which Brian is known to have made a musical contribution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fills an Important Niche
In the early 70s, English music historian Wilfred Mellers wrote an important book on the Beatles' music, Twilight of the Gods, which explained in music theory terms what set their music apart.While the Beatles were unaware of the lofty nomenclature, their instincts led them to create sophisticated music that would even impress music theorists.
For decades, I wished he had written a similar book on Brian Wilson's music, but no one ever suggested it, or he never thought of doing that before his passing a couple of years ago.And perhaps he wasn't interested in their American rival.
This book is as close to filling that gap as we're likely to see.An informed, insightful analysis of Wilson's work, it goes far beyond the reverent fan writings and shows how innovative a writer he was, in the context of his contemporaries, while still grounded in the styles of his time.
For the author to have included every aspect of Brian Wilson's arrangements, production, and other alleged missing ingredients, would have resulted in a book a thousand pages long.Certainly, the spiritual aspect of his music would be either difficult or impossible to describe in such mechanical terms, and that is perhaps something best left to the listener to discover.
It is indeed not light, easy reading; had I personally chosen to become a composer, I would study this book with the accompanying recordings, piece by piece, to fully grasp what is being described, and perhaps a multimedia version of this book would be ground-breaking and revolutionary.It's not for everyone, but the increased understanding of a Brian Wilson song is what learning should be, fun and inspirational.
Despite whatever alleged shortcomings, this is an important work, and I for one am thankful for its existence.

For serious BW Fans
Lambert's book is a treasure trove of inside-musician details for those who like me have stood in awe at Brian Wilson's massive talent and asked, "How'd he do that?"

There are nuggets here for the casual Beach Boy fan or even the rabid BW enthusiast but the real value of "Inside the Music of BW" is Lambert's symphonic treatment of BW's art and achievments.

Those readers concerned with the egghead musician interests in chord progressions, keys, modulations, stylistic borrowings, links to previous and contemporary works, BW's influences, etc... will find much here to engage.

What Lambert doesn't develop as fully as Charles Granata's "Wouldn't it Be Nice" is the trademark BW harmony arranging, the true holy grail of BW discipleship.Brian's marvelous mastery of open harmony and jazz/choral arranging influences are not treated in the kind of full detail one would expect from such an ambitious analysis of BW's works.Perhaps its because those achievments in vocal arranging are heaven-sent and undecodable to mere technical experts.

I encourage anyone interested in the richness and complexity of Beach Boys and BW music to buy this book.Its a great read and and an even better reference book for arrangers and writers.I recommend Granata's book more, but that treats mainly the making of Pet Sounds while Lambert's book is much more comprehensive in its scope.

For advanced music students
I am not completely ignorant when it comes to music theory, but I found this book to be too technical for me, overall. It is very thorough...if you are a musician with knowledge of music theory, I can't imagine that a more complete treatment Brian's music will be written. But for the average person with only a little knowledge of music theory I think this book would be too much.

Also, this book relies on giving examples from other songs of the late 50's and early sixties, and if you don't know those songs inside and out you won't know what Mr. Lambert is talking about when he writes, for instance, (comparing "Don't Worry Baby" to "Be My Baby"), "Both are verse-chorus forms in E major with an instrumental break after the second chorus, and both feature four exchanges of half-dialogue between lead and backing vocals in their choruses. Even some of the chorus melodic figures are the same: the scalewise movement on 'be my little baby' sung by the Ronettes, for example, uses exactly the same scale tones and in the same order (but in a different rhythm) as Brian's notes on the initial statement of the phrase 'don't worry, baby'." (pg 135)

OK, now, if that rocks your world, if that is what you are looking for, then buy this book. Also, he extensively uses as examples many other, lesser -known Beach Boy's songs and if you don't know them by heart or have the recording you will be lost. As in: "Recalling tonal relations in 'Finder's Keepers' and 'Drag City' with less direct echoes of 'The Rocking Surfer' and 'Boogie Woodie' plus the just-recorded 'Pom-Pom Play Girl', the verse and chorus of "Don't Worry Baby" move back and forth between E and F-sharp throughout the song"

It's like that. So this book would be perfect for music majors, who also have a complete, thorough knowledge of the structure of Four Freshman songs, Doo-Wop songs,late-50's early 60's Rock-n-Rolland just about the entire catalog of Beach Boys songs.

If that's you, then you'd enjoy this book greatly, and would probably rate it as a 4 or 5 star.

I had a harder time with it technically, so for me, it gave me 3 stars-worth of enjoyment.

Part of the Story
The idea of getting inside Brian Wilson's music was intriguing to me, so I bought this book and ultimately realized I'd already gotten there. I've long known the inner experience of Brian's magic, depth and spirit, but never did find it in Lambert's text. If you appreciate the brilliance of the Beach Boys, you already know it from your own experience of the songs. The musical analysis here is just too cerebral. And it isn't a question of not knowing the language or understanding the concepts. I do have a background in theory, so it wasn't a matter of being able to follow him, but rather the desire to. Throughout the book, structure is always the focal point when Lambert tries to "explain" Brian's songs. Color - i.e., the amazing world of Brian's brilliant and groundbreaking arrangements - is seldom if ever addressed, other than references to the structure of vocal arrangements. The author does a lot of comparing, song to song, pointing out, for example, how many tunes of a particular period have similarly descending bass-lines, and how melodic and chordal patterns show themselves consistently over Brian's career. All true, but somehow ultimately unimportant - to me, anyway. I got much more out of the passages that looked at the tie-in between Brian's emotional life and his music - his discussion of 'Til I Die, for example. Furthermore, I believe that Brian's patterns - chords, melodies and bass lines - share a commonality not because of the composer's desire to create thematic consistency, but simply because he liked those sounds and kept getting drawn back to them. You can hear that all through other composers' work -Mozart, for instance - in little melodic and chordal figures that express themselves repeatedly. After all, writers write to please themselves; they keep what sounds good to them and discard what doesn't. But ultimately, I never got much information that addresses why I love Brian Wilson's music. Most of the biographical material is insightful, well-written and very interesting, although a lot of it isn't appearing here for the first time, which the author acknowledges. But at the end of the day, I enjoyed Lambert much more as a biographer than as a musical analyst.

Rock music collections will find it an invaluable exploration.
INSIDE THE MUSIC OF BRIAN WILSON: THE SONGS, SOUNDS, AND INFLUENCES OF THE BEACH BOYS' FOUNDING GENIUS is a pick any Beach Boys fan needs: while Brian Wilson's life has received extensive documentation in other biographies, here the focus is solely on his music, not his life - and what a welcome change that is, for fans of his sound. New stories cover the birth and evolution of Wilson's musical ideas using the history of his songwriting and production to explore his evolution. Rock music collections will find it an invaluable exploration. ... Read more

Product Description
Saul Austerlitz's fascinating book tells the history of the music video, delving into its origins, function, stars, motifs, genres, conventions and masterpieces.Picture yourself in a darkened movie theater, or soothed by the pleasing glow of a television screen. You are watching as a history of the moving image unfolds onscreen, but this history will not take note of D. W. Griffith or Jean Renoir, nor will King Kong or Jaws make an appearance. As the images flicker past - of four ebullient Britishmen turning cartwheels in an open field, a man tap-dancing on an urban sidewalk, a wedding party in a rainstorm, a tragedy in a school classroom - they wax more familiar, the theme growing more coherent, more stable. They keep coming, though, quickly, relentlessly, constantly changing form, changing style, shapeshifting. The parade of images appears to possess a logic of its own, a guiding hand to steer its ship.Finally, as the last picture fills the screen - it happens to be of a shooting on a Brooklyn street - a light bulb goes off: these are all images from music videos, the short films that once ruled the airwaves, and still possess a significant hold on the generations raised by MTV."I wonder what those were all about," you say...The music video is a medium that appears to have run its course, or at least hit a substantial rut in its evolution. MTV and VH1 have morphed into lifestyle channels, the musical component of their programming reduced to a mere blip on their schedule. BET, CMT, and other music channels still maintain their dedication to showing music videos regularly, but their narrower audiences render them distinctly niche channels. And yet the video's shining moment as part disposable crap, part momentary, fleeting genius (the exact cinematic/televisual equivalent of the pop song, of course) renders it a subject worthy of some serious attention. Saul Austerlitz's fascinating book tells the history of the music video.Austerlitz sees the music video as a fascinating oddity, capable of packing great wit, emotion, and insight into its brief span. A compelling marker of cultural history, the video emerged onto television screens nationwide and shone gloriously for a brief moment before disappearing into the remembrance of television past.Informed, opinionated, and always entertaining, "Money for Nothing" goes a long way toward retrieving the memory of this fleeting, evanescent art-form. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A 'must' for any collection strong in media history
MONEY FOR NOTHING: A HISTORY OF THE MUSIC VIDEO FROM THE BEATLES TO THE WHITE STRIPES is a 'must' for any collection strong in media history. Such collections will find the narrowed focus on music videos to be involving: it covers the earliest days of the music video when fusions of animated films, Hollywood musicals and more preceded MTV clips. The blend of pop music and short films fostered by the Beatles would sweep the music world - but had its roots in early Hollywood history. From the development of music-backed promotional films to 1970s alternative experiments with the medium, MONEY FOR NOTHING is packed with insights perfect for college-level media history holdings.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Never thought I would use the words "thought-provoking" and MTV in the same sentence
Austerlitz is an insightful and funny guide through the world of music video, and it's a tour worth taking. I spent a good portion of my adolescence looking on in horror at the flopping fish in Faith No More's "Epic," taking style cues from MC Hammer, and watching the worms crawl around Peter Gabriel's head, but my middle school eyes didn't see much past the flash. For those of you like me who loved it (but maybe didn't get it) the first time around, this book is an eye-opener - as when Austerlitz takes points to the beginnings of music video in WWII "Soundies" - while still holding on to the fun and nostalgia of an afternoon (or maybe a good, solid year) watching VH1. There's plenty in here for cinephile, music geek, or the merely curious. In short: buy it, read it, and enjoy.

Your cortex will thank you
The history of music videos is unwritten, even though the appeal of this strange, incandescent art form should be just as oversized for people of all ages as it is for those of us who grew up in the eighties and nineties. Austerlitz is a witty, thoughtful guide who writes with a gentle mix of scholarship and loving irreverence. Read this book no matter who you are--and then go to YouTube and burn his top 100 videos into the back of your brain.

Groundbreaking Work for Music Video Fans
As a child of the 80's who grew up in front of MTV, I have been waiting for a book like this to arrive.Music videos have been one of the most innovative and influential forms of media for the last twenty years, but there has been surprisingly little scholarship on the genre.
In that sense, Austerlitz is breaking new ground with this book.He is a savy tour guide for the visual landscape we all share.From the music video's early days, to the hair metal 80's into the ganster 90's, he manages to articulate in witty and insightful prose the nuances and salient features of the genre as a whole, and specific high points in particular.
With the explosion of youtube, and other self produced video formats, its about time we have some serious thinking published on the subject.Austerlitz does just that.At the same time, this is a book for the music video fan.Those of us who remember the glory days of Motley Crue's reign on DIAL-MTV, or that graffiti set of Parents Just Don't Understand, upto the great Guns and Roses triology will be thrilled to hear a wise and equally passionate voice take us back through these videos.
I only hope the sequal will shed some light on Trapped In the Closet. ... Read more

Product Description
A lavishly illustrated tribute to the greatest entertainer of a generation.'The world has lost one of the greats but his music will live on forever' - MadonnaMichael Jackson was the undisputed King of Pop and his untimely death has provoked tributes from around the world. With a colourful life spanning from 1968 when Michael was a member of the Jackson 5 to his recent announcement of a final comeback tour at the O2 in London, nobody can dispute the achievements of the man who was arguably the greatest artist of the millenium. This fully illustrated book offers an insightful tribute to the man behind Thriller, the world's best selling album of all time. Including sections on Michael's early life and the Jackson 5, the making of Off the Wall and Thriller, and the troubled years leading right up to his announcement of a comeback tour, this will be a comprehensive and fitting tribute to a legendary pop star, the likes of which the world will never see again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Michael Jackson-Legend, Hero, Icon: A tribute to the King of Pop
I was totally blown away by this book. This is the book that all Michael Jackson fans should have. And the price. I still cannot believe that it is being sold so cheap! If you are a Michael Jackson fan, this is the tribute book for you. This book is full of beautiful glossy pictures many close-ups and all clear. The author doesn't spend much time on the negative things in Michael's life, so that is one burden you don't have to deal with with this book. What he does give you is a beautiful hardback book that will remind you over and over again why Michael was the best entertainer of all time. The book also comes with a beautiful poster suitable for framing. If you're looking for a tribute book that makes you smile when you think of Michael, this is the one for you!

It's Okay - Beware of Poster

I received this book (twice due to ordering it two times), and I have just glanced through the book, as I am currently reading two other books on Michael Jackson at the same time.

The book looks to me, however, to be just more repetition from what is written in other books, but the pictures are nice and up close and of good quality.

My one BEWARE is that the poster accompanying the book does NOT have Michael Jackson's autograph on it - it's a FAKE.He signs his name differently.Too bad.

This Book is a Wonderful Tribute to Michael
I ordered this book from amazon, after reading the two reviews from the people who highly recommended it. I can't believe I never heard of it before March of 2010, because I searched many many sites since June 25,2009, the day life as I knew it ended forever, looking for tribute books about Michael. It is extremely important to me to own only the finest books, that contain no slander or lies or unflattering photos of Michael, who is a Human Masterpiece to me. This book is a wonderful tribute to Michael and it's obvious the author loves Michael, as Michael followers do. I highly recommend this book. This would be a great book to donate to your local library, for children and adults, as tribute to Michael, where many people would enjoy it as well for many years to come.

AWESOME MUST-HAVE MJ TRlBUTE!!!
l STlLL CANNOT BELlEVE that l found thls AWESOME TREASURE at my local Ross store for just $3.99 (the only copy left)!!! But let me tell you, after readlng lt l cannot recommend lt hlghly enough and l deflnltely WlLL BE purchaslng several more coples from Amazon. lt ls thls author's flrst book and he does a LOVlNG and RESPECTFUL job of sharlng hls thoughts and memorles of MJ wlth us, hls fellow fans. Thls ls a Gorgeous medlum-slze hardcover coffee-table type book burstlng wlth 250 BEAUTlFUL mostly color plctures plus a LARGE slgned poster that any fan would be proud to own. lt ls posltlve and well-wrltten from a long-tlme, London-based fan's polnt of vlew and readlng lt brought back so many preclous memorles of the maglcal man l loved as lf he were my younger brother. l even had fun wlth the step-by-step chart as l trled to re-learn how to MOONWALK, lol! l could rave on and on about how great thls book ls, but don't take my word for lt, JUST BUY lT! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH James for thls amazlng trlbute to the Legend, the Hero, the lcon who ELlZABETH TAYLOR flrst called the KlNG OF POP, the GREATEST ENTERTAlNER EVER, MlCHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON. RlP My Dear Brother, l love and mlss you so much.

Excellent!
This is a very good tribute book.I bought it at amazon.uk.Great pictures and pretty accurate information on his incomparable achievements.I really love this book and recommend it to any MJ fans! ... Read more

Product Description
Making Music Make Money will educate songwriters and aspiring music business entrepreneurs in the basics of becoming an effective independent music publisher. Eric Beall, creative director for Zomba Music Publishing, covers everything you need to know to get published, including: the role of a music publisher; copyright - how to get one, use one, and make money from one; building a business plan; identifying which songs to sell and to whom; and much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Excellent Resource on a Vital Aspect of Music
These days doors are opening for smaller, DIY, or independent artists to build substantial careers for themselves making and writing music. This book is a GREAT resource for those curious to learn about the (often treacherous) subject of Publishing and Licensing.

Think of this book as a how-to turn music into money. Not only does the author simplify the concept of the Publishing company, but also breaks down the (surprisingly) simple steps to get your own publishing company up and running.

I feel a lot of artists and musicians tend to forget that music IS a business, and that they are involved in it as soon as they are paid in any degree for their services. If youre curious as to how to maximize your potential, build a future as a songwriter, or even tend to just prefer a more mellow DIY approach to your career, this book is a great way to immerse yourself in the knowledge to do so.

Definitely recommend this to artists, managers, and anyone else who could benefit from an educational and practical take on the world of licensing and publishing.

Eric Beall's "Making Music Make Money" -- A Must Read
Publishing is a facet of the music industry that is often hard to understand.Eric Beall's book, "Making Music Make Money" is a great guide to help one understand music publishing, how to become your own publisher, and more importantly, how to make money.

If you are serious about entering the music business buy this book
This book has it all. It is easy to follow but full of detail. I bought the book after reading the author's blog. Funny coincidence that it ended up being compulsory reading for Music Publishing 101 at Berklee Music. If you are a songwriter or composer starting out in the business or already in it, but needing to step up, I strongly recommend buying this book.

Covers the basics very well
This book covered all the basics and clearly explained the business of publishing your own work.Although he gave estimates of the percentages expected for the various sources of income I would have liked to have seen more specific examples such as sample contracts highlighting the critical terms and conditions.
All in all I learned a lot about the business and feel prepared to ask the right questions when the time comes to publish my own songs.

Excellent guide to successfully publishing your own music!
If you're a songwriter or composer with a growing collection of marketable songs, you'll want to read this book and learn the best way to get AND stay in the music business. You'll learn that the best way to get "signed" with a great publisher is simply to become one. This important point is covered in the first chapter so you won't miss anything.

Read it carefully, take good notes and apply the basic principles. You'll be glad you did and you'll be on the way to becoming your own "best" music publisher! If you have quality material you'll be in a strong position to negotiate licensing deals for your songs while keeping full control of your own publishing. This is especially important if you're producing "hit" material whose value will increase over time.

As a self-published music composer and producer I can tell you that this book, "Making Music Make Money", has really helped me apply and understand the things I've been doing with my own music publishing and licensing ventures. Don't sell yourself short, learn how to copyright, publish and license your own music. This book will show you how and save you years of trouble and wasted time. Publish your own music and join the new Music Biz 2.0! ... Read more