Product Description
This isn't just another "how to fire a gun" book. This one talks about shooting....The keys to consistent, high-speed shooting are within you right now. This book will show you ways to bring them out. Through Brian's advice, you'll learn how to recognize and break down the barriers that are limiting your performance-you may begin to look at shooting in an entirely different way. You'll learn to pressure-proof your match performance, how different types of shooting require different focal points, and you'll see how to develop an attitude that will let you reach beyond what you thought was your potential.You'll find a comprehensive set of exercises that will develop and sharpen your skills. You'll see how it's possible to drive the gun to wherever your eye can look. You'll discover that everything you need to know about your technique is told by the gun, if you know how to listen to it. And all the challenges and advanced techniques of practical shooting are covered too: prone, barricade, single-hand shooting, multiple targets, reloading, shooting on the move, and much more. You'll also get inside tips on IPSC strategies, steel shooting, shootoff tactics, Bianchi, and more.This book will give you all the fundamentals of practical pistol shooting, but then it will show you ways you can take yourself far, far beyond them...Ya follow? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

From beginner to pro, this book can help any shooter excel, or just get over that pesky hump.
Well written, current, and insightfull.This book not only helps you understand the fundamentals of shooting,you will learn a lot about yourself in the process.A classic.No matter your disipline, this book is a must have.

IPSC Training
The title of the book is accurate. It is for the advanced shooter who needs to understand the mental side of shooting to improve.I am far to inexpert shooter to comment on this book. What he takes for granted is beyond my ability.

book review
I ordered the book, it came in the mail. It's what I ordered and it got here on time. What else can I say?

I love this book
I had got a copy years ago and misplaced it, I decided to get another one recently. I have learned and developed my shooting to a higher level and this book was the basis for it. I dont think there is one book I could recommend more to someone at any level of shooting. All the reviews should tell anyone to not pass it up. Thank you Mr Enos.

Only If You Want To Shoot Your Absolute Best !
After going to Brian Enos' website and checking out the Amazon reviews, I have to agree; This is undoubtedly the best shooting book available! Chapters two and three alone are worth the price of any shooting materials thet you're apt to find.
Mind you, I have no desire to enter competition shooting at this time but if I did, this would be the book that I would want to learn from. I thought that I was doing pretty good at the range but Practical Shooting Beyond Fundamentals is taking me even further.
Because I have been granted a concealed handgun permit in my state, I thought that I had better learn to handle my weapon to near perfection. I began with Tactical Pistol Shooting by Erik Lawrence for situational drills, moved on to the Practical Shooting Handgun Techniques DVDs Vol 1-3 (which has an interview with Brian Enos btw) and then bought this book as a third stage to compliment the two other purchases. None were disappointing but Practical Shooting Beyond Fundamentals is the cream of the crop. I can feel myself getting better with each practice session.
If you want to continually increase your shooting skills then this is the book for you. If you own a handgun for home or personal protection I still highly recommend this book.
Brian will also autograph the book if you request it! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (10)

A Rock Musician Discussed Intelligently By A Musical Academic? It's True!
Most of the writing on music that is non-Classical or non-Jazz is done by hacks who just happened to buy enough albums as kids and have enough of a vocabulary to get jobs with music magazines. They possess no real knowledge of music outside of their own highly subjective and fickle opinions. No matter how much they seem to know they are still just fashion designers for the industry. In this case we have a serious "rock" musician taken seriously and analyzed seriously by a serious musicologist. The author demostrates a knowledge of music outside of the pop/rock world and places Eno in this context. Short on biography, long on theory, this is a truly intelligent foray into the music of Brian Eno and is a shining example of what rock journalism could be. Alas, very few examples of "rock" musicians approach Eno in their worthiness of analysis.

Excellent
This book is full of information.

Eno's views on music and art are interesting and brilliant. Quotations from Eno himself are in this book in great numbers.
If you love Eno's music, read this book. Highly recommended.

For musican who are also Eno fans
The information provided in this book is very thorough.The author outlines each album song by song.The writing, however is somewhat dry.It is delightful to read Eno's own words through out the book.Eno has a wonderful view on music as art which is rarely covered in most music publications.Overall, it is a must for any Brian Eno fan who is also a musician or artist.

If you're interested in Eno, you might want to know...
Sorry, I haven't read it yet. But I thought potential buyers might want to know that this book and the same author's book on Robert Fripp are both available for free download from the author's web site. An act of generosity that certainly deserves five stars.

insightful treatment of the mystique-shrouded Eno
Eno has long since attained quasi-mythical status in hip circles.Considered a, if not The, "Father of Ambient," he is a paragon for the all-black-wearing conceptual art school crowd.What most interests me as a sociologist is how Eno's reputation came about, when, he admits himself, he is responsible for "no breakthroughs" (pp. 172-173), and is more important as an influence than someone whose records many people actually listen to.(For instance, I doubt if too many people in chill rooms at raves listen to Eno -- more likely it's the Orb, or FSOL, or the many others influenced by Terry Riley, Eno and others.)

The thing is, I have been around long enough to remember Eno as the androgynous keyboard player for Roxy Music, and so I've seen him move from '70s prog-rock to Father of Ambient.Nice move!It seems to me that his position is based on 2 very different things:1) fame by association, based on his collaborations and production of Bowie, the Talking Heads and U2, and 2) his late '70s move toward "ambient" on recordings such as MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS and ON LAND.Two crucial influences on Eno are Satie, who started an anti-romantic movement in music, and Cage, who saw himself as an "inventor" in the field of music, with no particular musical aptitude.Eno, likewise, strikes a minimalist posture in opposition to the excess of '70s prog-rock (ie, ELP, Yes), and a cool posture in opposition to the hot, angry punk movement.Anti-heroic and detached.

So it seems to me that Eno has managed to succeed in an unusual way by working in the interstices between genres, and by refusing to be pigeonholed by any tendency.He has been in the right place at the right time, for instance, attaching himself to the Talking Heads and thus transitioning from the '70s to the '80s in style, and has known the right people.He keeps moving, keeps experimenting, and maintains tension between multiple positions.For instance, he minimizes emotion compared to much conventional pop, but tries to maintain a "seductive" prettiness (p. 174) compared to the dry formalism of the avant-garde.He's avant-garde, but alsoa populist!A fascinating element that Tamm reveals is Eno's technical proficiency, and deliberate use of mechanical "glitches" to produce unique sounds.

Tamm apparently wrote this originally as a Ph.D thesis -- I wonder how many dissertations there are by now on Eno?At least as edited for DaCapo, it is an excellent work of musical scholarship.In particular, Tamm does a superb job of using direct quotes from Eno to make his main points.If you're at all interested in Eno, Tamm's book is well worth reading. ... Read more

Product Description
This year in the life of provocateur and cerebral rock star Brian Eno covers four recording projects caught in different times in their evolution. Some artists involved are U2, David Bowie, and James.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Inspiring for Any Creator, of Anything
Caveat: I read this book back in 1997. I am just looking at buying it again, and re-reading it!

So, that means I don't remember the specifics that well! What it ALSO means, though, is that it was SUCH A GOOD BOOK for me, that I still remember it, and want to read it again!!

Regardless of what you think of Eno's work, this book is JUST so inspiring becuase he is a relentless creator, curious at all times, and always trying new things! Just constantly experimenting, and continually belives in himself, what he wants, and what he's working on. And this makes him a charasmatic figure, and his work interesting simply on those merits.

This book is really inspiring for all creators of anything.

Interesting when it isn't Dull and Slightly Pathetic
Eno is a great musician and thinker. He is also a middle-aged, middle class British man. One is far more interesting than the other. Too bad they both showed up for this "diary" that in its later sections loses steam and credibility as spontaneous ruminations of a day.

Insight into a great mind...
Fun, fast read. Eno is a pioneer and true rennaisance man.Recommended for anyone acutely interested in the music and art worlds, particularly those places where they intersect.

Delightfully Intimate
This is a great read - Eno is very honest and open... Plus it is amazing how busy but also how laid back is at times. It's full of great insights.

Like Good Food
This is a wonderful book. It reminds me of some of my favorite foods. . . I wouldn't mind snacking on them for a moment or two, having a normal meal of them-- or maybe even a large, feast-like meal-- what's my point? Eno's diary is easy to read, and fun, and is perfect for browsing for a moment or two, or for more involved reading sessions. If you are interested, there are "story-lines" that develop-- relationships, projects, points of view-- so there is a sense of coherence in spite of the brevity of some entries. An added dimension is the kind of people mentioned and described-- from David Bowie to the members of James. It is very interesting to hear people like these described and discussed in intimate detail.

After reading a few pages of this diary, you will feel famous, too! ... Read more

Product Description
The serene, delicate songs on Another Green World sound practically meditative, but the album itself was an experiment fueled by adrenaline, panic, and pure faith. It was the first Brian Eno album to be composed almost completely in the confines of a recording studio, over a scant few months in the summer of 1975. The album was a proof of concept for Eno's budding ideas of 'the studio as musical instrument,' and a signpost for a bold new way of thinking about music.

In this book, Geeta Dayal unravels Another Green World's abundant mysteries, venturing into its dense thickets of sound. How was an album this cohesive and refined formed in such a seemingly ad hoc way?

How were electronics and layers of synthetic treatments used to create an album so redolent of the natural world? How did a deck of cards figure into all of this? Here, through interviews and archival research, she unearths the strange story of how Another Green World formed the link to Eno's future -- foreshadowing his metamorphosis from unlikely glam rocker to sonic painter and producer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not bad but...
This volume serves as a decent introduction to '70s Eno and it stretches well beyond the scope of this album to discuss his first ambient records (Airports, Discreet Music), Oblique Strategies, and his collaborations with Robert Fripp as well. However if you've read Eric Tamm's book or even many of the interviews on Enoweb, you won't find much that's new here. The author misses the opportunity to dig deeper into the album in question, while doing things like wasting an entire chapter merely running off an extended list of what sort of records were being released in 1975, and an extended preface that isn't really necessary. So not much for fanatics, but a good primer for newbies.

Inspirational
Geeta Dayal's "Another Green World" contribution to the 33 1/3 collection is invaluable. It's a knock out, really. The book is like a tiny manifesto for struggling creative individuals who find themselves perplexed and frustrated in any number of fields as diverse as music, business management, visual arts and on and on. Business management may seem a stretch, but when you consider "cybernetics" which has had a major impact on Brian Eno's organizational skills, the connection doesn't seem so tenuous.
Dayal's book reads like a philosophical treatise in the way "Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" informs its readers of philosophy without coming off as the least bit didactic. You know, the college professor lectures, and you pretend to dutifully listen and take notes as you doodle.The reader is kind of thrown into Dayal's elaborations, expansions, and amplifications on "Another Green World," and you learn a few things about Dayal in the process.
For example, Dayal is every bit the experimentalist as Eno. The author suggests playing selections of "Another Green World" and "Discrete Music" at half and quarter speeds on either turn tables or on tape machines. Dayal also suggests playing Eno's music in combos: tracks from Discrete Music played at the same time as "Music For Airports." I thoroughly enjoyed this inventiveness bordering on the playful that Eno and by extension, Dayal, engage in. I suppose, if you can't have fun in your work, then you're missing out on something. Eno and Dayal have made me more familiar with this idea of loving what you do, and doing what you love, although, it's not the first time I've encountered what, at surface seems like a New Age cliche' for folks struggling with a loss of meaning in their work. Interesting that Brian Eno mentions suffering a midlife crisis starting at age 19, and continuing unabated, for the last forty years of his life! He often asks himself, "Is any of this art that I'm doing really worth the time and effort?" If anything, Eno is honest with himself. He possesses that deep philosophical strain found in most civilizations.
There isn't an exact chronological order to this book. It kind of ping pongs from interviews with Eno in the 1980's and 1990's to extended interviews with session players and colleagues of Eno who give the book a flavor of current happenings. By this I mean, there is an immediacy to some of the interviews, that makes one feel as though the recording sessions were taking place earlier in the day. There's a real vibrancy on offer in Dayal's critique.
As mentioned in several reviews for the 33 1/3 series, these books are intended for people who are passionate about their albums/cds. The general sense I get is that as people mature and sharpen their intellectual skills in their 30's/40's/50's, they desire a more sophisticated approach or at least a defense as to why these albums matter to them. They need a structural approach to the material that inspired so much passion,and infused their existence with meaning. Gayeet Dayal lends the vocabulary necessary to articulate what it is that this music does for the listener. It's a very commendable book on that score.

A disappointment
Credit to the author for avoiding the straightforward 'making of' template of your duller 33 1/3 entries but unfortunately she never does arrive at an interesting alternative. The better 33 1/3 entries either work as almost a jumping off into something larger (Carl Wilson's Let's Talk About Love - probably the best 33 1/3 - examines the nature of good and bad taste, Douglas Wolk's Live at the Apollo feels like a lost chapter from Delillo's Underworld) or as a trip down the rabbit hole, really loving and living within the work (thinking here esp. of Franklin Bruno's Armed Forces and Eric Davis' Led Zeppelin IV, both of which abound in flourishes appropriate to their subjects). The better entries also feel like books, short books yes but nevertheless something necessitating the length, that what the author accomplishes could not have been done within the confines of a magazine. This on the other hand feels very much like a magazine article that has been expanded but not really developed. Lots of filler and many fruitless digressions. Pared down to a magazine feature the gist of an idea developed here, concerning 'collaboration' and 'process', might not seem so threadbare but here, over one hundred some odd pages, it is a bit exposed. Don't get me wrong - if you love the album you will enjoy this book but I must admit that when I finished it it felt like an opportunity had been missed.

quite a poor effort
I very much looked forward to this book and when it arrived I noticed it was quite a thin volume.Quality over quantity?Alas, it was neither quality nor quantity.

To begin, the entire introduction has the author lamenting the difficulty of writing the book and that difficulty shows in the wandering, ADD approach she brings to the subject.It lacks focus and while some details of Another Green World are described, she brings nothing new to the table.

Every analogy is without merit, especially the cinematic analogies.The David Lynch/Angelo Badalamenti analogy is telling in that it tells the reader that Geeta Dayal lacks the necessary skill as a writer to describe the working relationship between Brian Eno and Robert Fripp.

At one point the author writes that Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti wasn't their greatest record. This book is filled with useless bits such as that one. While such bits try to place AGW in context, they succeed only in padding this lifeless volume out to just barely over 100 pages.

In the end, the bibliography was more interesting than the book.A failed effort for a subject which deserves so much more.

Very specific and well written Eno book.
I am fairly big Brian Eno fan.I've followed his career and read some of the books.I love his music and the music that he has produced for others.I enjoyed this book because it doesn't focus on his career or his life, it zeroes in on a specific time in his career (Another Green World) and examines it.I think one has to understand that this album was made 35 years ago, so, unfortunately, to get the contributing artists to talk about it now, may be somewhat less informative or clear as memories fade.Knowing that, it is an excellent little study of the working process that Eno used for this album.I recommend it highly and hope that they do a few more Eno albums. ... Read more

Product Description
For some a pretentious art-school type who produces 'instrumental doodles' or 'jazz that nobody asked for'; for others a lightning rod or touchstone for directions in popular music and culture over the last four decades. Whichever, what's certain is that Brian Eno's address book is a who's who of rock and pop of the last thirty years. From an idiosyncratic Suffolk childhood to the sharp end of the international pop charts, Eno's life has been in equal measure colourful and fascinating. A founder member of Roxy Music, he's worked with everyone from Talking Heads and U2 to Pavarotti and David Bowie and is often billed as the founding father of ambient music. He continues to release his own records, frequently appears as a cultural commentator and still produces. ON SOME FARAWAY BEACH is the compelling biography of a fascinating character. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Stimulating...
An interesting book about an interesting man. This deepened my appreciation of Eno, even though the research behind this biography only touches the surface. I think it will take time and a much tougher/critical biographer to really uncover the forces that make Eno tick. The biographer does have an amazing style. This is a stimulating read.

Great... up to a certain point.
I'm a long-time Eno fan and this book helped me to understand him much better. It explains how he became one of the most respected avantgarde musicians and producers, starting from an initial interest in plastic arts. It describes his creative process (sometimes song by song) and really makes you curious to listen to his music again. My only complaint is that the rhythm suddenly changes from 1983/84 onwards. Mysteriously, the author mentions this work and collaborations in a very superficial way, even though he was in charge of producing U2's greatest albums (Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and Zooropa), besides other important releases. I guess the author was more interested in the 70's and early 80's Eno, but there was so much more to tell about the years after... In a few words, it starts fantastically, and in the last pages you realized that something's missing. I agree that Eno was more productive in the 70's, but it doesn't justify why some albums (Talking Heads) deserve detailed explanations and some others (U2, James) so few text.

Exhaustive examination of Eno's career; though much stronger on his earlier work
Author David Sheppard was surely paid by the word for this work. The only way to give a sense for it is to pick a typical quote. On p. 89, referring to the first Roxy Music album: "In its deftly shaken cocktail of pastiche retro chic, avant rock swagger and, courtesy of Eno, mysterioso futurism, the _Roxy Music_ album pulled back the velvet curtain on an impossibly modish, devastatingly stylish demi-monde. Mature, urbane, yet delivered with unquenchable hauteur of beautiful, breathless youth, Ferry's disquisitions on playboy ennui were viscerally thrilling and divinely decadent...As a narrator Ferry could be suave, tender, predatory, and often all three in the same song. He evinced a picaresque character, part-libertine lotus eater, stiletto-sharp urban hipster and brooding metaphysical lover - the improbable progeny of Charles Trenet, Lou Reed and John Donne, exquisitely lit with downtown neon and dusted with space age glitter." (p. 89)

Holy Thesuarus, Batman!

But let you think the book is a tiresome exercise in adjectival overload, he redeems himself with trenchant little asides like this one (p. 91, referring to the cover photography of the album): "...Eno, in leopard-skin chemise and trowelled-on foundation looked sleek, seedy and android-like - although his clenched pose suggested a man passing a troublesome stool."

Actually, once you get used to the rhythm and the "any adjective is better than no adjective, and a long one is better than a short one" style of Sheppard, I find the book becomes quite readable. Weaned on a diet of Shakespeare, Chaucer and J. P. Donleavy I've only needed to resort to the dictionary a few times ("selaphobia?") and there is plenty of bigraphical, musical, and historical meat in Sheppard's servings.

I agree with some of the other reviewers that Eno's more recent experiments and projects get strangely short shrift towards the end of the book. Halfway through it, he's only arrived at 1975.

Personally I'm very much enjoying it, although if someone told me Sheppard's prose caused in them an irresistible urge to hurl the tome into the abyss, I could understand and sympathize. I would have rated it 4 stars, but it is so thorough, and so meticulously researched, and since I didn't buy it but borrow it from the local public library, I generously bumped it up to 5.

Only a couple of nitpicking minor errors found: "we" for "the" on one page, and in a footnote a reference to a CD released in 1976. Undoubtedly "LP" or "album" was meant as there were no CDs at that time.

Two Views of the Rock: Rick Rubin and Brian Eno
In the course of observing the rock based recordings of the late 20th Century, two names keep surfacing when it comes to exemplary album production. Brian Eno and Rick Rubin. Between the two of them, they have been responsible for some of the biggest and best selling albums of the rock era. Eno with his work on bands like U2, Coldplay and the Talking Heads, and Rubin with everyone from the Beastie Boys to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; Tom Petty to Metallica.
Yet, as much as they are icons of rock production, the similarities seem to end there.

In his book, `On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno', author David Sheppard chronicles both the life and the oeuvre of the enigmatic Mr. Eno; from his early upbringing in Suffolk, England to his days in an English provincial art school, to his joining a barely formed Roxy Music (where he is first credited with performing `treatments'), a decade-long solo career, on through his many cerebral and aesthetic projects (`Oblique Strategies` being one of the most famous), several highly regarded avant-garde musical collaborations (first with Robert Fripp, then with David Byrne), a long series of ambient-based albums ultimately leading to his high-profile production work with David Bowie, Devo, U2, Coldplay and others.

Brown's chronology, `Rick Rubin: In the Studio,' while similar in development (sans the musician part) began in the dorms of NYU where his DefJam Records first took off, to his early years exploring hardcore rock and street based hip-hop, collecting a list of associates ranging from the aforementioned Beastie Boys, to RUN DMC, Slayer and more. Eventually, Rubin formed his own label (parting ways with co-Def Jam owner, Russell Simmons), moved to California and formed Def American (later just `American') Recordings. Rubin's stature continued to rise, and whilst not being much of a musician nor an engineer, he ended up helming records from the likes of the Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, the Dixie Chicks, Neil Diamond, Linkin Park and others.

The two books have much in common with and are as diverse as their respective subjects. While Sheppard's book is both detailed and an intelligent rendering of the events in and surrounding it's subject, Brown's book is more tactical and directly relating to each of the recordings involved. Sheppard's work is much more fluid and articulate in describing the ever-weaving career path (including numerous non-music endeavors - like his ambient wallscape `77 Million Paintings`) while Brown largely sticks to the nitty-gritty of the details of the making of each record outlined. (Brown's is rightly subtitled as part of his `In the Studio' series.) Sheppard seems to have spent much more time with the principals in Eno's life's work, while much of Brown's book is, unfortunately, based largely on an assemblage of reworked press quotes.

In all, both books shed a light on the sometimes hidden-from-view process of the recording studio. Sheppard's Eno tome comes across as a much more painstaking and revealing work, while a similar type of in-depth, wide-ranging examination of Rubin's career is still yet to be written. - Tim Devine

Demystifying Eno
So many music biographies so often miss the point via brevity, misplaced gushing praise, or lack of authoritative support. Not so here. This is an excellent book, clocking in at 439 pages, and written with serious intent and obviously fully researched. Perhaps most importantly, the author had access to both the subject of his book and many of those involved, adding to the quality of the finished product.

Brian Eno's early life and influences are fully developed, as is his time with Roxy Music and his early works. Every important release, be it solo material or collaborations are fully expounded upon, giving the reader genuine insight into the working process behind these works. Perhaps as importantly, each is directly tied into what went before and what is to come; a chronology of influences.

As the pages turn, Eno's output is explained in a way that for me anyway, demystified much of his works, while at the same did not lesson the "magic" contained within them. Indeed, it would be difficult to read this book without listening to the recordings being written about and hearing them again with new ears.

Unfortunately, and preventing what otherwise could have been a 5-star book, as the years roll by, the later works are given less and less pages... rushing to the end without the detailed narrative it began with. In fact, almost every recording of the past 20 years is given little more than a sentence. This was a major disappointment.

Another minor quibble is the lack of a discography, which would have served as a valuable reference point.

All that said, there is no finer book on the life and works of Brian Eno currently available and those interested in understanding the who, what, when and where of this most important of recording (and visual) artists, should regard this volume as a desert island selection. ... Read more

Product Description
Documentation, in text, drawings and photographs, of a collaborative exhibition created by the musican and the artist (London, 1998). Includes CD of the score composed by Eno for this event. 64 color and black and white images. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (24)

Put Pendergarst in charge of Radio 1 and 2 !!!
When this book came out, it was the first one I was aware of that didn't entrench itself in either a "classical only" or "pop only" vision of modern music. Musicologists used to ignore all popular music save for a chapter on Jazz. As for the modern media, "music" always meant - and still means - popular music only, and only from the 50's onwards. So it was quite refreshing to see a book which tried to make sense of all 20th century music, and find common thread, joining the dots of the most stylistically diverse era of all. If the 19th century could be called the Romantic Century, then could the 20th be called anything at all?

Mark Prendergast took the challenge: He calls it the Ambient century, and the point can be convincingly argued, although the sheer diversity of the era means that important figures - notably in Jazz, such as Duke Ellington, Frank Zappa or John Coltrane, must be left out of the main entries. Even so, Pendergast's effort is valuable and it is an impressive undertaking.

The book is divided into 4 section, each section :
1) Classical & avant-garde composition from Mahler to Sariaho. this includes Messiaen, Ligeti and... Miles Davis!
2) New non-gloomy composition: Steve Reich and all,and a visit to ECM Jazz- well done!
3) Rock.
4) Electronica.

Each section has several artist entries, and references to other artists always present: Debussy, DJ Shadow, Stockhausen, the Beatles, Cage, The Orb... Like so many electrons from atom to atom they constantly pass from musician to musician. They reveal a stylistically connected world where there seemed to be only disparity. The entries are informative, with information on how the music is generated, and the work of every artist is approached sensitively, with generosity and discernment. Every fan will see their favourite artists in a broader context(Pink Floyd fans will be pleased: perceptive writing on the band's output and influence is rare in the UK press). Prendergast's enthusiasm is infectious: The first thing you want to do is to check the music discussed in this book.

The nature of modern music is so that even educated and musically minded people are only aware of a fraction of it: this book opens all the doors as it looks across all the musical genres. Rockheads will hear of Cage, Ligeti and Stockhausen; and classicalheads like myself will be able to navigate on the nearly infinite ocean of electronica. You don't have to share the author's taste or enthusiasm for the artists in question to see the validity of his work: I for one wouldn't take Orbital, Jean-Michel Jarre, or Erik Satie for that matter, on my desert island. Yet it is all brilliantly exciting, and you can pick one entry at random and simply read through - and checking out the music has become easier than ever with so many Youtube uploads.

The notes at the back of the book speak of the "drift in 20th Century music from composers to non-musicians" , a subject of social, political and philosophical significance, with aesthetic implications, which could have been elaborated in the book but isn't discussed in any depth.The claim that ambient is "the classical music of the future" is a very arguable one indeed, and one which demands debate. Nevertheless, in spite of that occasional "hype" vocabulary, it is altogether a very stimulating work.

Extremely Informative
This book gave more information than I could have asked for from an unbiased view. Details include analysis for the motives of each artist and his contributions. This book even goes beyond the rocker spectrum to provide details for the inventions, their cultural diffusion, and how they influenced most genres we know today - All starting from what most would consider before the beginning as not to leave out any details. The author's descriptions are factual, yet insightful at the same time. The large index allows for you to put the information in your own order. Though not much detail is presented about the electronic inventions from a scientific angle, suggested listening and stories for each artist encourage extension of learning about the music of the twentieth century. If you want to learn about electronic music's hearth and spread across our world, I would recommend you The Ambient Century.

A very detailed account of one man's taste
Looking for an objective guide to ambient music?

Well, don't buy this book. It's a hell of a history lesson, an entertaining read (for music dorks like myself) and features some pretty comprehensive recommendation lists if you don't know where to start on an artist (particularly useful for starting with classical recordings) but it certainly isn't the guide it makes itself out to be. I enjoyed it, I read every word.

I can recommend it to anyone looking to see how music developed from the 19th century to today, but I can't recommend it as a serious guide to...well, anything. This isn't serious. This is subjectivity, taste and history. Scholars look elsewhere.

Who killed ambient music?
First, must note that i have an earlier edition of the book (2000)-And i did find the book quite useful (till the end). There's a HUGE problem, as others have mentioned. He doesn't define 'ambient', and as others have said, seems to use it to mean stuff he likes or that serves his thesis. I just do not see how Satie and Debussy leads to techo (or whatever variant, it's all "Voomta, voomta, voomta" to me). [The idea i guess is: Satie to Eno, ((i'm fine with that)); Eno to voomta- ((sorta)). But the logical flaw is using Eno as the link. He makes ambient music sometimes, but that does not make everything he touches 'ambient'. He's hired to add 'texture' to U2 and Paul Simon, that doesn't make their music ambient. QED.] There are some definitions (of 'ambient music') on Wiki that are useful. The term has no meaning when used so casually, as happened quickly to the term 'virtual'. If i tell people i make ambient music, and they imagine voomtavoomtavoomta it's completely wrong. The list of "100 essential ambient recordings" is just SILLY! There is a book titled "Who killed classical music" and that's where my review title comes from.

Probably the worst book I've ever bought
I can't begin to describe how bad this book is, but I will try.Luckily, I bought it on sale.I would have immediately chucked it, but I held on to it for two reasons.First, I love a lot of the music discussed.Second, there are some decent photos.These are also the reasons why I bought it in the first place.Ieventually got rid of it, but not before it gave me a few laughs.How did this author get a contract for this book?It's basically an incoherent collection of musings on his own record collection.His writing on the early 20th century masters (Mahler, Satie, Debussy, etc.) is spectacularly awful.If you are new to classical music, PLEASE do not read what this author has to say about it.How do Mahler's symphonies qualify as "Ambient"?The author attempts to label any music he finds "cool" as "ambient."His writing style represents the absolute worst in pop music criticism - not only is it vapid, but it's remarkably awkward, a fact he attempts to conceal by including many flowery adjectives and catch phrases.AVOID, PLEASE! ... Read more

Product Description
At lat: a truly original take on the overhyped Millennium Fourteen artists, including Brian Catling, Bobby Baker and Graeme Miller, marked the personal and political resonances of this transition in a series of extraordinary performances, here transformed in to works for the page. These idiosyncratic actions deal with unspoken and invisible aspects of contemporary experiences like anonymity, disability, rumors and forgotten times. Featured essays explore questions relating to performance, time and the experience of the Millennium. Dimension: 71/2 x 10 inches, 100 b&w and color reproductions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

More Dear than Near
I bought this book when it was first published in 1986, and it changed my life. Too bad it's out of print! The text is very well-written, explaining how the influences on Eno & Mills--Duchamp, Cage, and the Dadaists in particular--were synthesized by these two contemporary artists. Eno's lyrics are still some of the best rock music has produced--strange juxtapositions, fragmented narratives, electronic haikus that are still very funny and disturbing. Eno explains the genesis of many of them in this volume, which is rare--he's a very private person. We also get facsimiles of pages of his 1970s notebooks, revealing how he searched for novel methods of evoking the creative impulse in himself and others in his work as one of the most distinctive record producers.

Images created in response to the music of eno .
This book contains roger mills's images created in response to brian eno songs.Many are beautiful, more are ugly, all are interesting.Also included are several pages of facinating notes on brian's creativeprocesses.A must-have for die-hard eno fans. ... Read more

Product Description
Billions of products virtually die before their time has come. This book maps out ways in which they can be designed and planned in such a way that their value can be sustained to keep them in use for a longer time. 'Time in Design' is about one of those ideal future products. It tells the story of Vivian, a name representing any product. The life of Vivian is retraced back from the preconception through the times of development, purchase and era of use, right until oblivion. With text contributions by Brian Eno and John Thackara, and designed by Thonik. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

good
i think it was a good service, it arrived on time, but the cover page had been damaged somehow. but it's not too serious. so thank you.

not by Eno, some interesting stuff, distracting design concept
This book is not authored by Brian Eno. The book is two books, one on the left side of pages, and one on the right. (!) No matter how good the content, if I had known it was of such an absurd nature I would not have purchased it. Impossible to read really, and I like novel ideas. The content of the book is definitely interesting, concerning exactly what the title suggests. It explores how the passing of time plays a roll in how design is perceived. It is incredibly long winded, and though I love to read, this one just went on and on. Again, Not Eno. Read "A Year - with swollen appendices", that's pure Eno. ... Read more

Product Description
Prominent musicians, playwrights, scientists and writers look at howpublic opinion is wilfully ignored, and "democracy" used as a figleaffor US imperial ambitions in the Middle East.

Not One More Death examines the record of US and UK troops in Iraq, questions Bush and Blair's position under international law, and considers the responsibilities of artists, writers and the wider public in a time of war and occupation.

Published in collaboration with the Stop the War Coalition (www.stopwar.org.uk).

Customer Reviews (2)

What the world thinks of America, and the Bush/Blair Project
(Translating from Scottish dialect) the poet, Robert Burns wrote, 'Would some power had the gift to give us, to see ourselves as others see us.'
This small book unsparingly tells Americans what the rest of the world thinks of us, particularly after our invasion of Iraq.I have just returned from Europe.The disgust for us is palpable.Further, after 9/11 the world felt our pain, and there was international consensus to help us track down the ones who were responsible for that attack, to join us in the war against terror.Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize acceptance speech . . . I try to picture the faces of that distinguished audience as they heard it delivered.

excessive hyperbole
This minor and slender volume proved to be a great disappointment. It is a collection of editorial screeds that lay all of the world's problems at the feet of America, excusing everyone else. Much of the content revolves around the various authors' hatred of George Bush. Their hatred is well founded but poorly expressed. Too many of the writers appear to be self-absorbed with their own assessed abundance of moral rectitude. Whatever flaws they may ascribe to the USA and George Bush collectively is weakened by their own bloated wordiness and frequent incoherence. Le Carre comes off as the best in an otherwise dulling book. What this book did provide me was a sense of the intellectual shallowness of most of the authors. Do not take this as an endorsement of Bush- one of our greatest national disgraces. Alas, reading this volume only enhances his stature. Professional caterwalling does not make for a glorious career.

Ronald m Michail ... Read more

Product Description
Encapsulating 143 exhibitions with illustrations of work by 77 of the over 800 artists who participated, Perspectives@25: A Quarter Century of New Art in Houston celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston's Perspectives series (one of the first in the U.S. to focus on contemporary art developments). In this beautifully designed and lavishly illustrated book, art lovers learn about an important aspect of the history of the Houston contemporary art scene, while scholars gain insight into the history of the contemporary exhibition through a series of texts: essays, facts, reminiscences, and anecdotes. Also included is a complete list of all artists who have exhibited their work at Perspectives, and an illustrated chronology documenting the series and its exhibitions.Essays by Valerie Cassel Oliver, Chuck Close, Nayland Blake, Cheryl Brutvan, Peter Doroshenko, Lynn Herbert, Marti Mayo, Paola Morsiani,Theresa Papanikolas, Emily Todd, Stephanie Smith and Marilyn A. Zeitlin.Paperback, 6.5 x 9.5 in./208 pgs / 82 color and 72 b&w. ... Read more

Product Description
Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Brian Eno, Drone, Global Communication, Sleepthief, Idem, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Cluster, Musique Planante, Ott., Harold Budd, Fluxion, Future Sound of London, Etereo Expandeum Club, Muzak, the Orb, Mille Plateaux, Amethystium, Dub Trees, Désaccord Majeur, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, (No Pussyfooting), Canaan, Dieter Moebius, Ambient 1: Music for Airports, I:cube, Illbient, Chill-Out, Transistor Rhythm, Ambient Jungle, Octal, Tosca, Michael Sickinger, Substrata, Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, the Pavilion of Dreams. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno est un musicien, concepteur musical, et arrangeur britannique né le 15 mai 1948 à Woodbridge dans le Suffolk en Angleterre. Titulaire d'un diplôme de l'école des Beaux-Arts de Winchester, il s'intéresse à l'art conceptuel, à la sculpture sonore et aux travaux musicaux de John Cage, John Tilbury, et de Steve Reich, dont il s'inspire pour ses premières expérimentations faites au magnétophone. Il rejoint différents groupes (Merchant Taylor's Simultaneous Cabinet, Maxwell Demon, Cardew's Scratch Orchestra, Portsmouth Sinfonia) avant d'intégrer, en 1971, Roxy Music en tant qu'ingénieur du son et où il joue du synthétiseur EMS VCS3 avec lequel il re-traite tout ce que le groupe joue. Une incompatibilité d'humeur et d'intérêt avec Bryan Ferry, le chanteur/crooner du groupe, le pousse à quitter le groupe en 1973. Commence alors une carrière toujours poussée vers la recherche, l'expérimentation, l'ouverture à toutes les formes de musique et d'art. Il travaille avec Robert Fripp (guitariste et fondateur du groupe King Crimson) sur « No Pussyfooting », puis enregistre son premier album solo, Here Comes The ...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

Product Description
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by rock band U2, released on 19 November 1991. Stung by criticism of their previous album, Rattle and Hum, the band made a deliberate change in musical and thematic direction with the album. Achtung Baby incorporates alternative rock, electronic dance, and industrial influences into U2's music. Thematically, the band replaced their previous earnest image with a more ironic one. Seeking renewal and inspiration on the eve of German reunification, the band began work on Achtung Baby in Berlin's Hansa Studios in October 1990 with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. Conflict arose within the band over the quality of the material and their musical direction. Weeks of slow progress, arguments, and tension subsided when the band quickly improvised the song "One", which was a breakthrough for the album sessions. The band was more productive in the studio after recording sessions moved to Dublin in 1991. Sonically, the band referred to the album as the sound of "four men chopping down the Joshua Tree". Thematically, it was a more inward-looking and personal record; it was darker, yet more playful than the band's previous work. ... Read more