Music reviews and criticism Books
Lawrence Hill Books The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to the 21st Century
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£26.96
Centerstream Publications The Art of Vintage Ukuleles An InDepth Look at
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£63.75
Hal Leonard Corporation Tanglewood: A Group Memoir
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£37.07
Cherry Lane Music Co ,U.S. Classical Connections to Us History BookCD Pack
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£35.99
Medieval Institute Publications Ars musice
Book SynopsisArs musice, composed in Paris during the late thirteenth century, reflects Johannes de Grocheio's awareness of the complexity of the task of describing music. As the editors note in their introduction, "Grocheio is aware of the enormous range of types of music performed in different ways in different places. How can he impose order on this enormous subject matter? He decided to resolve this question by structuring his discussion around the practice of music that he observed in the city of Paris, organized into three main 'branches': music of the people (musica vulgalis), composite or regular, 'which they call measured music' (musica mensurata), and ecclesiastical music (musica ecclesiastica), which he claims derives from the other two (AM 6.2). The originality of Grocheio's treatise has attracted considerable scholarly interest. It has long been recognized as a unique source of information about musical life in medieval Paris. Through his treatise, Grocheio enables a modern reader to become aware of the complex auditory environment of that city in the late thirteenth century as well as of its intellectual vitality at a particularly vibrant moment in its history."Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionOutline of the Ars musiceArs musice: Text and TranslationLexiconWorks CitedIndex of Names, Works, and Places
£21.93
The Library of America Stephen Foster & Co.: Lyrics of the First Great
Book SynopsisStephen Foster is the trunk of the tree of American song. His blackface minstrel songs, including “Oh! Susanna,” “Old Folks at Home” (“Way down upon the Swanee River…”), and “My Old Kentucky Home,” and his parlor ballads, such as “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” and “Beautiful Dreamer,” have inspired composers, songwriters, and performers from Charles Ives and George Gershwin to Ray Charles and James Taylor. Foster devoted as much care and craft to his lyrics as he did to his timeless melodies.In this comprehensive new selection, acclaimed music historian Ken Emerson introduces and annotates the lyrics to more than thirty of Foster’s best and best-known songs. These masterpieces by America’s first full-time professional songwriter, forebear of Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, Carole King, and Bob Dylan, have been so deeply absorbed into our culture that they are often assumed to be folk music. Alongside are fifty other 19th-century American popular songs that influenced Foster or that he in turn influenced, from “Home! Sweet Home!” in the 1820s to “Western Home” (the original “Home on the Range”) in the 1870s.About the American Poets ProjectElegantly designed in compact editions, printed on acid-free paper, and textually authoritative, the American Poets Project makes available the full range of the American poetic accomplishment, selected and introduced by today’s most discerning poets and critics.Trade Review“Pop-song scholar Emerson presents 81 such songs in their earliest incarnations in this neat collection, sorting them in categories that, used in their heyday, still make sense: Plantation Melodies, Parlor Songs, Drinking and Temperance Songs, Songs of Protest and Poverty, War Songs, and Comic Songs. . . . Essential Americana.”—Booklist
£17.00
The Library of America Shake It Up: Great American Writing on Rock and
Book SynopsisThe essential playlist of great writing about the music that rocked America, with fifty landmark pieces on Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Lez Zepplin, and other rock n’ roll legends Jonathan Lethem and Kevin Dettmar's Shake It Up invites the reader into the tumult and excitement of the rock revolution through fifty landmark pieces by a supergroup of writers on rock in all its variety, from heavy metal to disco, punk to hip-hop. Stanley Booth describes a recording session with Otis Redding; Ellen Willis traces the meteoric career of Janis Joplin; Ellen Sander recalls the chaotic world of Led Zeppelin on tour; Nick Tosches etches a portrait of the young Jerry Lee Lewis; Eve Babitz remembers Jim Morrison. Alongside are Lenny Kaye on acapella and Greg Tate on hip-hop, Vince Aletti on disco and Gerald Early on Motown; Robert Christgau on Prince, Nelson George on Marvin Gaye, Luc Sante on Bob Dylan, Hilton Als on Michael Jackson, Anthony DeCurtis on the Rolling Stones, Kelefa Sanneh on Jay Z. The story this anthology tells is a ongoing one: “it’s too early,” editors Jonathan Lethem and Kevin Dettmar note, “for canon formation in a field so marvelously volatile—a volatility that mirrors, still, that of pop music itself, which remains smokestack lightning. The writing here attempts to catch some in a bottle.” Also features: NAT HENTOFF on BOB DYLAN AMIRI BARAKA on R&B LESTER BANGS on ELVIS PRESLEY ROBERT CHRISTGAU on PRINCE DEBRA RAE COHEN on DAVID BOWIE EVE BABITZ on JIM MORRISON ROBERT PALMER on SAM COOKE CHUCK KLOSTERMAN on HEAVY METAL JESSICA HOPPER on EMO JOHN JEREMIAH SULLIVAN on AXL ROSE ELIJAH WALD on THE BEATLES GREIL MARCUS on CHRISTIAN MARCLAYTrade Review"Excellent. . . . A feast of rock writing, freewheelin', funny, and deep.” —Bruce Handy, New York Times Book Review"A vivid cross-section of a half century’s worth of American music writing. . . . Lethem and Dettmar have made their selections both rightly and righteously." —Jack Hamilton, NewYorker.com"There are so many hits that this smart anthology mostly feels like a dream jukebox." —Dwight Garner, New York Times "Will remind you of just about everything you love about music.” —PopMatters.com“Pop writing, at its best, doesn’t know the difference between desire and theory, which is precisely the reason for its power and its persistence. Lethem and Dettmar’s expansive anthology renders this wild, polychrome tradition, and the state of play today, with gusto.” Ben Ratliff, author of Every Song Ever
£38.00
History Press The Denver Folk Music Tradition An Unplugged
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£18.69
History Press (SC) Carolina Beach Music from the 60s to the 80s
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£18.69
Chicago Review Press Sinatra The Song Is You
Book SynopsisFrank Sinatra was the greatest entertainer of his age, invigorating American popular song with innovative phrasing and a mastery of drama and emotion. Drawing upon interviews with hundreds of his collaborators as well as with 'The Voice' himself, this book chronicles, critiques, and celebrates his five-decade career. Will Friedwald examines and evaluates all the classic and less familiar songs with the same astute, witty perceptions that earned him acclaim for his other books about jazz and pop singing. Now completely revised and updated, and including an authoritative discography and rare photos of recording sessions and performances, Sinatra! The Song Is You is an invaluable resource for enthusiasts and an unparalleled guide through Sinatra's vast musical legacy.
£22.75
Chicago Review Press Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre: A Biography of the
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£17.09
Algonquin Books Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and
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£15.75
Hal Leonard Corporation Foo Fighters: The Band That Dave Made
Book SynopsisFrom the ashes of Nirvana, Dave Grohl rose as a one-man band with a self-titled album: Foo Fighters. Now, twenty-five years on and with a rock-solid outfit—including Nate Mendel (bass), Taylor Hawkins (drums), Chris Shiflett (guitar), Pat Smear (rhythm guitar), and latest addition Rami Jaffee (keyboards)—the Foo Fighters are reveling in the success of their ninth studio album, Concrete and Gold. Paying homage to the band’s enduring longevity, The Foo Fighters: The Band That Dave Made is a comprehensive look at a career that boasts worldwide sales of more than thirty million albums, ten Grammies, and hit stadium-rock anthems such as "Learn to Fly," "Best of You," and "Everlong." Illustrated throughout and including an album-by-album discography, this handsome biography from acclaimed rock writer Stevie Chick is a fitting tribute to a band born out of "the nicest guy in rock's" single-minded vision and now one of the planet's biggest rock groups.
£28.50
Microcosm Publishing Punk in NYC's Lower East Side 1981-1991: Scene History Series, Vol 1
£7.06
Arcadia Publishing The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band
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£20.39
WW Norton & Co Listening for America: Inside the Great American
Book SynopsisFew people in recent memory have dedicated themselves as devotedly to the story of twentieth- century American music as Rob Kapilow, the composer, conductor, and host of the hit NPR music radio program, What Makes It Great? Now, in Listening for America, he turns his keen ear to the Great American Songbook, bringing many of our favorite classics to life through the songs and stories of eight of the twentieth century’s most treasured American composers—Kern, Porter, Gershwin, Arlen, Berlin, Rodgers, Bernstein, and Sondheim. Hardly confi ning himself to celebrating what makes these catchy melodies so unforgettable, Kapilow delves deeply into how issues of race, immigration, sexuality, and appropriation intertwine in masterpieces like Show Boat and West Side Story. A book not just about musical theater but about America itself, Listening for America is equally for the devotee, the singer, the music student, or for anyone intrigued by how popular music has shaped the larger culture, and promises to be the ideal gift book for years to come.Trade Review"[An] enlightening study.... Rob Kapilow may be contemporary America’s most passionate evangelist for the quaint discipline known as 'music appreciation'... a winning combination of Leonard Bernstein and Bill Nye the Science Guy, an infectiously enthusiastic explainer of the inner mechanical workings of music.... A nifty companion website for the book includes helpful, easy-to-grasp audible demonstrations and vocals, as does the e-book version. For me at least, this digital crib-sheet was a vital tool for appreciating Kapilow’s arguments.... It is a testament to the depth and catholicity of Kapilow’s knowledge that he can effortlessly compare the sweet-sour takes on love in Rodgers and Hart’s “I Wish I Were in Love Again” with Stephen Sondheim’s “Being Alive.” He writes engagingly of Irving Berlin’s astonishing journey from a Russian village and Manhattan’s Lower East Side to the heights of fame, [and] astutely surveys the radical changes in popular taste in the 1960s and ’70s that dislodged the Broadway musical.... But it is the analysis of the songs that is the meat of the book — and something like its soul as well.... [Kapilow] rewards those patient enough to hold his hand as he walks them through just what makes these songs great." -- Todd S. Purdum, New York Times Book Review"Infectiously readable.... A carefully thought-out act of selection that gives you a starting point for your journey through the Great American Songbook. Who could ask for anything more?" -- Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal"[Kapilow] recounts the 20th-century history of American popular music in lyrical prose.... [his] melodious writing hums with the vibrant music of American history and American popular culture." -- Publishers Weekly [starred review]"[A] lively and highly informative look at what makes musical show tunes great.... A seamless blend of music, history, and biography." -- Kirkus Reviews"The Great American songbook is a national treasure, and in this engaging and instructive guide, composer, conductor, and music commentator Kapilow unlocks its riches. Sixteen gems by eight American masters of song.... are analyzed and set into historical and cultural context, resulting in a greater appreciation of these American musical masterpieces.... The songs selected for examination make for a musical theater fan’s ultimate playlist.... A treat for music fans and a great addition to any performing arts or popular culture collection." -- Carolyn Mulac, Booklist"Kapilow doesn’t just explore what makes these songs catchy and unforgettable—the author dives into how societal issues like race, immigration, sexuality, and cultural appropriation can intertwine themselves into the greatest theatrical masterpieces." -- Dan Meyer, Playbill.com"Impossible to resist.... [Kapilow’s] insight combined with the ability to share it easily will deepen your knowledge of the best that Broadway has to offer." -- Michael Giltz, broadwaydirect.com"Through the lens of musical theater, Rob Kapilow allows us to experience the unique sound and spirit of a changing America. I came away inspired and ready to write." -- Lynn Ahrens, Tony Award–winning lyricist of Ragtime"Listening for America is an impressive achievement and one of the finest contributions to the annals of musical theater." -- Robert Kimball, editor of The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter" Praise for Rob Kapilow: Rob Kapilow leaps into the void dividing music analysis from appreciation and fills it with exhilarating details and sensations." -- New York Times"A wonderful guy who brings music alive!" -- Katie Couric"It’s a cheering thought that this kind of missionary enterprise did not pass from this earth with Leonard Bernstein. Robert Kapilow is awfully good at what he does. We need him." -- Boston Globe
£28.79
Sasquatch Books The Sound of Seattle
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£18.04
Akashic Books, Ltd. Too Much Too Young the 2 Tone Records Story
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£26.36
Imagine & Wonder The Beatles Get Back to Abbey Road
Book SynopsisIn July of 1969 the Beatles returned to Abbey Road studios; where they had first begun their incredible partnership with producer George Martin; seven years earlier. The band recaptured the magic and camaraderie from the earliest sessions and Abbey Road would go on to top the charts in both the UK and the US. Although the group's January 1969 recordings would eventually be issued on Let It Be in May 1970; Abbey Road would be the last album recorded by the Beatles.
£17.05
Imagine & Wonder The Beatles White Album and the Launch of Apple
Book SynopsisFor many Beatles fans, the group's two-disc set from November 1968 is their favorite Beatles album. It was titled "The Beatles," but became known as "The White Album" for its pure white cover. At over 90 minutes long, it is filled with 30 incredible songs that range from rock 'n' roll to folk to heavy metal to calypso to country & western to raunchy rockers to lush ballads. There are parodies of the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan, along with a long sound collage unlike anything most listeners had ever heard before. The Beatles White Album and the Launch of Apple covers not only the group's remarkable double album, but also the birth of their Apple business venture and Apple Records' stunning debut with "Hey Jude," "Revolution" and Mary Hopkin's nostalgic classic "Those Were The Days.
£17.05
Imagine & Wonder When We Was Fab: The Birth of the Beatles
Book SynopsisFour lads from a small town called Liverpool changed the face of Rock and Roll—forever. But their story is far more than one of music. It's about having dreams and making them come true. It's about the power of genuine friendship; it's about believing in yourself—and others—and living a life filled with heart, tenacity, and passion. John, Paul, George, and Ringo gave the musical world its Happily Ever After, and for this, a billion fans are eternally grateful. But, maybe even more than that, The Beatles' story is a heartfelt reminder to every one of us that it's not where you start that counts—it's how you finish.
£14.20
Pegasus Books Let's Do It: The Birth of Pop Music: A History
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£20.90
Counterpoint Voices: How a Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Book SynopsisVoices isn't just illuminating and thought-provoking and clever; it is exciting. —Roddy Doyle, author of The CommitmentsA personal exploration of what singing means and how it works, Voices is a book about our deepest, most telling relationships with music. Nick Coleman examines the act of singing not as a performance, but as a close, difficult moment of hopeful connection. What does it do to us, emotionally and psychologically, to listen hard and habitually to somebody else’s singing? Why is human song so essential to our lives? The book asks many other questions, too: Why did Jagger and Lennon sing like that (and not like this)? Billie, Janis, Amy: must the voices of anguish always dissolve into spectacle? What makes us turn again and again to a singing human voice?The history of postwar popular music is often told sociologically or in terms of musicological influence and innovation in style. Voices offers a different, intimate perspective. In ten discrete but cohering essays, Coleman tackles the arc of that history as an emotional experience with real psychological consequences. He writes about the voices that have affected the ways he feels about and understands the world—from Aretha Franklin to Amy Winehouse, Marvin Gaye to David Bowie. Ultimately, Voices is the story of what it is to listen and be moved—what it is to feel emotion.
£18.04
Chicago Review Press Everybody Had an Ocean: Music and Mayhem in 1960s
Book Synopsis"Excellent social history...an indispensable account of a time of beauty and terror." —Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewA modern epic of the battles between innocence and cynicism, joy and terror Los Angeles in the 1960s gave the world some of the greatest music in rock ’n’ roll history: “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas and the Papas, “Mr. Tambourine Man” by the Byrds, and “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, a song that magnificently summarized the joy and beauty of the era in three and a half minutes. But there was a dark flip side to the fun fun fun of the music, a nexus between naive young musicians and the hangers-on who exploited the decade’s peace, love, and flowers ethos, all fueled by sex, drugs, and overnight success. One surf music superstar unwittingly subsidized the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr. The transplanted Texas singer Bobby Fuller might have been murdered by the Mob in what is still an unsolved case. And after hearing Charlie Manson sing, Neil Young recommended him to the president of Warner Bros. Records. Manson’s ultimate rejection by the music industry likely led to the infamous murders that shocked a nation.Everybody Had an Ocean chronicles the migration of the rock ’n’ roll business to Southern California and how the artists flourished there. The cast of characters is astonishing—Brian and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, eccentric producer Phil Spector, Cass Elliot, Sam Cooke, Ike and Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, and scores of others—and their stories form a modern epic of the battles between innocence and cynicism, joy and terror.You’ll never hear that beautiful music in quite the same way.Trade Review"William McKeen's Everybody Had an Ocean brilliantly illuminates the day-glo rise of Los Angeles as a counterculture Mecca. The back pages of high-octane rock 'n' roll history are ably explored by McKeen. And once again, the Beach Boys reign supreme." Douglas Brinkley, author of Cronkite"People say the sixties died at Altamont, but William McKeen makes a compelling case that it was really Charlie Manson who brought down the flowered curtain. Everybody Had an Ocean sets a generation's soundtrack to the improbable true tale of a scrawny career thief who befriended a Beach Boy, almost got himself a record deal, and then unleashed a spacey band of murderers on Los Angeles. Few novelists could dream up such a plot." Carl Hiaasen, author of Razor Girl and Tourist Season" Everybody Had an Ocean is a fascinating, hypnotic look at the underside of the California dream. With smooth prose and keen reporting, William McKeen peels back the facade of peace and love and thoroughly examines the dark heart behind a generation of music. This is binge reading at its best." Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Wrong Side of Goodbye and The Crossing"A widescreen, meticulously researched account of how Los Angelesthe seedbed of surf pop and folk rockbecame the epicenter of American music in the 1960s. McKeen follows the thread from the Beach Boys' sunny innocence to Manson's noir horrorsvia Phil Spector, Jim Morrison, and a supporting cast of hundredsand brings the music of the City of Angels brilliantly to life." Barney Hoskyns, author of Waiting for the Sun and Hotel California"Excellent social history...an indispensable account of a time of beauty and terror." Kirkus Reviews , starred review"William McKeen's Everybody Had an Ocean offers a detailed snapshot of the creative fertility, debauchery, and importance of a signal moment in pop music history. Highly recommended!" Charles L. Granata, author of Wouldn't It Be NiceTable of ContentsAuthor’s NotePreface: Brothers1: Dreamers of the Golden Dream2: Magic Transistor Radio3: They Put the Bomp4: The Second Jesus5: Everybody Had an Ocean6: Sacred and Profane7: The Beautiful Future8: The Ransom of Junior Sinatra9: From All Over the World10: The Door Flies Open11: The Loners12: The Teenage Symphony to God13: Captive on a Carousel14: Peace, Love and Flowers15: The DreadThe Tag: Summer’s GoneBibliographyDiscographyNotes
£16.95
Chicago Review Press Top Eight: How Myspace Changed Music
Book SynopsisLong before there was Twitter or Facebook, MySpace created an entirely new way to be a lonely, confused teenager—and music was the site’s beating heart. With MySpace, you could finally find your people, your scene, and your home. With new and extensive interviews with scene pioneers and mainstays like Geoff Rickly (Thursday), Gape Saporta (Midtown/Cobra Starship), Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional) and Max Bemis (Say Anything), Tedder has crafted a once-in-a-generation exploration of The Scene that is as forthright as it is tenderly nostalgic. Even beyond emo, Tedder's interviews with artists from Colbie Caillat to Lil Jon stand out in this epic journey through the 2000s and what they meant.MySpace offered excitement and freedom, but it wasn't long before shortsighted business decisions led the site to lose the social media battle to Facebook, and Tedder talked to the executives and employees who saw it happen. Table of ContentsPrologue #1: Into The FoxholePrologue #2: Why We Miss MySpaceChapter One: Back In The DayChapter Two: The My Generation Chapter Three: The Lonely Hearts Club Chapter Four: Top EightChapter Five: Enough Space For EveryoneChapter Six: Top Of The WorldChapter Seven: Blogging OnChapter Eight: The Bottom Falls OutChapter Nine: Kerplunk Chapter Ten: FalloutEpilogue: Space Was The PlaceThe Who’s Who of MySpace Bibliography Index
£24.26
Guernica Editions,Canada Dervish at the Crossroads: A Soundquest Through
Book SynopsisDervish at the Crossroads isn't a music guide so much as an autobiographical exploration of the experience of music from 2000 to 2020, with commentary on what makes the experience of music during these two decades radically different from all that came before. As the title of the book implies, due to the unique conditions of our time we can no longer think of ourselves as points on a series of evolutions; we're now much more present to all of music, from the beginning of written and recorded music, all of which turns around us like spokes on a wheel. This grants us a unique vantage point from which to appreciate music in itself. The book alternates text with a comics and infographics detailing the history of the author's discoveries as a music journalist during this time, along with personal experiences and ruminations and interviews.
£15.15
Four Courts Press Ltd Harp Studies II: World Harp Traditions
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£61.53
The University of Akron Press Rave Reviews: The History of Akron's Tuesday
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£23.74
Akashic Books,U.S. Black Music
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£17.06
Smithsonian Books Material Culture and Electronic Sound
Book SynopsisThis eighth volume of the Artefacts series explores how material culture has affected music and sound. Presented are a collection of essays exploring technological innovations and their effects on musical culture. Contributors include composers, performers, musicologists, and scientists, providing diverse insights into the nature of music. With a foreword by renowned British producer Brian Eno, Material Culture and Electronic Sound examines what has happened as a result of technology and music crossing paths.
£40.49
Wooden Books The Elements of Music: Melody, Rhythm & Harmony
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£7.95
Random House USA Inc The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of
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£18.00
Les Belles Lettres Bach n'a Pas Ecrit d'Opera
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£18.06
Klincksieck Etudes Sur l'e Muet: Timbre, Duree, Intensite,
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£33.00
Brepols Publishers Colinet de Lannoys. Mass and Songs
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£20.00
Classiques Garnier Albineana: Musiques Et Societe Dans Les Provinces
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£73.49
Classiques Garnier Les Cardinaux Et lInnovation Musicale a lEpoque Moderne
£54.71
Classiques Garnier Oeuvres Completes
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£44.00
Classiques Garnier Le Savant Juif Et La Musique
£46.57
Brepols N.V. Music & Patronage Sforza Court
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£86.71
Brepols N.V. Italian Opera & Eur Theat 1680-1720
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£95.30
Brepols N.V. Jean Servin, Psalms
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£166.25
Brepols N.V. Uno Gentile Et Subtile Ingenio: Studies in
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£137.75
Brepols N.V. Latin Letters and Poems in Motet Collections by
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£66.50
Brepols N.V. Johannes Regis
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£95.00
Brepols N.V. Musical Text as Ritual Object
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£103.97
Brepols N.V. The Legacy of Richard Wagner: Convergences and
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£154.85
Brepols N.V. From Stage to Screen: Musical Films in Europe and
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£142.50
