Music reviews and criticism Books

Book SynopsisEveryone remembers their first NOW album. Since NOW That''s What I Call Music Volume 1 was released in 1983 on double vinyl and double cassette, NOW has become synonymous with pop music and has featured some of the most iconic artists of the last three decades. To celebrate the release of the 100th NOW album, The Story of NOW That''s What I Call Music in 100 Artists looks back at some of the most memorable - and occasionally regrettable - hits of the last 35 years! Jam packed with amazing facts and ''Well I never!'' moments about the 4,000+ artists to have graced the NOW track listings - from Phil Collins to Pharrell, Bananarama to Lady Gaga and Peter Andre to Pet Shop Boys - The Story of NOW is a celebration of pop music through the decades. So plug in your earphones and pump up the volume, because this party is just getting started!Trade Review'It was such a thrill seeing our first single 'I Know Where It's At' make it onto a NOW compilation - a real 'pinch me' moment. They've really become part of the history of pop music in this country and we're very lucky to have several of our songs featured over the years.'All Saints'NOW! has been an integral part of the pop music landscape in the UK since the 80s. The fact that NOW! is still going strong just shows that music fans still love to discover music in this way, and compilations of hit singles often define specific years for many people.' Kim Wilde 'I grew up with the NOW albums and it was a real moment when our first single was on there. NOW only had the biggest songs of the time on it - the best of the best - so it was such a big deal to me. To then see nearly all of our singles go on different compilations is such an honour. I still can't believe Girls Aloud have been featured on more NOW albums than any other group.' Kimberley Walsh

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Book SynopsisJIMI HENDRIX: THE ULTIMATE LYRIC BOOK

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Book SynopsisMusic and Social Dynamics in Nigeria explores the diverse ways in which music reflects, and is shaped by, historical and social dynamics of life in Nigeria. Contributors to this volume include some of the leading scholars of Nigerian music, such as Joshua Uzoigwe, Laz Ekwueme, Tunji Vidal, Richard C. Okafor, A. K. Achinivu, Ademola Adegbite, Femi Faseun, and Christian Onyeji. Focusing on ancient and new musical traditions, including modern African art music, and drawing on the methods of ethnography and music analysis, the various chapters of the book discuss the role of music in community life, enculturation and education, political institutions, historical processes, belief systems, and social hierarchies. Conceived primarily for students and scholars of African music, this book will also be of immense value to the general reader.Table of ContentsBode Omojola: Introduction: Perspectives on Music and Social Dynamics in Nigeria – Laz. E. N. Ekwueme: Music in Nigeria’s Social Development: A Step Forward – Richard C. Okafor: The Emergence of Neo-Traditional Forms in Contemporary Church Music in Eastern Nigeria – Tunji Vidal: From Traditional Antiquity to Contemporary Modernism: A Multilateral Development of Music in Nigeria – Ademola Adegbite: Change and Continuity in Yoruba Socio-religious Music – Christian Onyeji: Playing Technique and Contemporary Compositions for the Oja (Wooden Flute) – J. O. Ofosu: Modernity and Ovwuvwe: A Sociocultural Process of the Abraka in Urhoboland – Taiye Adeola: Aesthetics in Yoruba Music: Case Study of the People of Igboho – Emeka T. Nwabuoku: Toward a Human Interest in Ethnomusicology: The Practice and Transformation of the Uyi Edo – Ngozi Mokwunyei: Igbo Social Music: Focus on a Nigerian Delta-Igbo Entertainment Dance Group – Oluyemi Olaniyan: Resource Avenues for the Creative Performance of Dundun Music – Sam Olu Amusan: Ègè of the È̩gbá: Its Musical Essence – A. K. Achinivu – The Performer Is a Creative Artist and a Researcher: The Case of the Performer in Institutions of Higher Learning in Nigeria – Lucy V. Ekwueme: Music in the Secondary School Curriculum in Nigeria – Femi Faseun: Professional Requirements of Secondary School Music Teachers for the Implementation of the Music Curriculum in Nigeria – Ranti Adeogun: The Nature of and Approaches in Research in Music Education – Joshua Uzoigwe: The Process of Composing Talking Drums – Bode Omojola: Compositional Style and the Search for Identity in Nigerian Art Music – Oluwalomoloye Bateye: Fela Sowande and Posterity: Whither Nigerian Music? – C. E. Ugolo: Music in Nigerian Traditional Dance Performance – Segun Oyeleke Oyewo: Working Dynamics in Directing an Opera for Stage: Bode Omojola’s Ode for a New Morning – Adolf Ahanotu: The Performing Arts: Music, Dance and Drama—Contributions to National Development – Ayo Akinwale: Music and the Nigerian Theatre: The New Social Dynamics – References – Contributors – Index.

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Book SynopsisOver the last three decades Slavoj Žižek has become an iconic figure of intellectuel engagé and his works have engendered ongoing reflection within as different academic disciplines as philosophy, literature or cultural, gender, postcolonial and film studies. But when it comes to music, things look different.With an emphasis on the German modernist tradition from Wagner to Schönberg, a whole range of references to music are scattered throughout Žižek's copious body of works. However, these efforts seem to go almost unnoticed within academia at least on first glance. Looking more closely, one notices a subtle but nevertheless consistent adoption of Žižek's theories within musicology, spreading across a broad range of topics and approaches. So, Žižek has become part of musicology, even if his presence is still uncharted territory.The present volume, which appeals to musicologists and philosophers alike, intends to map different ways in which Žižek's philosophy haTable of ContentsMauro Fosco Bertola: Foreword: If Žižek Be the Food of Musicology – Mauro Fosco Bertola: Introduction: Slavoj Žižek’s Aesthetics of Music. From Romanticism to Modernism – Carlo Lanfossi: Musicology’s Second Death(s) – Amy Bauer: The Sublime Object of Music Analysis – Slavoj Žižek: C Major or E- Flat Minor? No, Thanks! Busoni’s Faust- Allegory – Mauro Fosco Bertola: Post- Kantian Dreams. Kaija Saariaho’s Operatic Ontology and Its Dreamscapes in L’amour de loin – Jelena Novak: Singing in the Age of Capitalist Realism. The Pervert’s Guide to (Post)Opera – Samuel J. Wilson: Cage, Reich, and Morris: Process and Sonic Fetishism – Slavoj Žižek: Subjective Destitution in Art and Politics – Contributors.

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Book SynopsisOmniprésente dans la vie de Boris Vian, la musique lui a conféré une sensibilité qui est certainement pour une part à la source de son originalité en tant qu'écrivain. Notre recherche vise à interroger l'importance de la musique dans son univers littéraire, ainsi que les efforts qu'il a consacrés au rapprochement des deux arts. Utilisant son acception ouverte des formes de la musique, nous avons découvert un monde où l'écrivain inscrit l'art d'Euterpe de maintes manières. Dans l'oeuvre de fiction, la musique exerce ainsi son infl uence depuis le detail stylistique jusqu'à la structure macroscopique. Le premier volet de notre étude concerne les présentations explicites de la musique dans ses fictions tandis que la partie suivante poursuit l'exploration vers une dimension plus implicite.Notre interprétation de la musique dans les fictions de Vian se développera selon trois dynamiques : la convergence, la transformation et la synchronisation. Nous avons découvert que la m

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Book SynopsisExplores how white supremacist groups use popular music and culture to teach hate and promote violence. Popular music plays a major role in mobilizing citizens, especially youth, to fight for political causes. Yet the presence of music in politics receives relatively little attention from scholars, politicians, and citizens. White power music is no exception, despite its role in recent high-profile hate crimes.Trendy Fascism is the first book to explore how contemporary white supremacists use popular music to teach hate and promote violence. Nancy S. Love focuses on how white power music supports "trendy fascism," a neo-fascist aesthetic politics. Unlike classical fascism, trendy fascism involves a hyper-modern cultural politics that exploits social media to create a global white supremacist community. Three case studies examine different facets of the white power music scene: racist skinhead, neo-Nazi folk, and goth/metal. Together these cases illustrate how music has replaced traditional forms of public discourse to become the primary medium for conveying white supremacist ideology today. Written from the interdisciplinary perspective on culture, economics, and politics best described as critical theory, this book is crucial reading for everyone concerned about the future of democracy.

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Book SynopsisExamines how African American jazz music was received in Germany both as a racial and cultural threat and as a partner in promoting the rise of Nazi totalitarian cultural politics.Anti-Music examines the critical, literary, and political responses to African American jazz music in interwar Germany. During this time, jazz was the subject of overt political debate between left-wing and right-wing interests: for the left, jazz marked the death knell of authoritarian Prussian society; for the right, jazz was complicit as an American import threatening the chaos of modernization and mass politics. This conflict was resolved in the early 1930s as the left abandoned jazz in the face of Nazi victory, having come to see the music in collusion with the totalitarian culture industry. Mark Christian Thompson recounts the story of this intellectual trajectory and describes how jazz came to be associated with repressive, virulently racist fascism in Germany. By examining writings by Hermann Hesse, Bertolt Brecht, T.W. Adorno, and Klaus Mann, and archival photographs and images, Thompson brings together debates in German, African American, and jazz studies, and charts a new path for addressing antiblack racism in cultural criticism and theory.

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Book SynopsisExplores how modernist films use classical music in ways that restore the music''s original subversive energy.Classical music masterworks have long played a key supporting role in the movies-silent films were often accompanied by a pianist or even a full orchestra playing classical or theatrical repertory music-yet the complexity of this role has thus far been underappreciated. Sounds Like Helicopters corrects this oversight through close interpretations of classical music works in key modernist films by Francis Ford Coppola, Werner Herzog, Luis Buñuel, Stanley Kubrick, Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Haneke, and Terrence Malick. Beginning with the famous example of Wagner''s "Ride of the Valkyries" in Apocalypse Now, Matthew Lau demonstrates that there is a significant continuity between classical music and modernist cinema that belies their seemingly ironic juxtaposition. Though often regarded as a stuffy, conservative art form, classical music has a venerable avant-garde tradition, and key films by important directors show that modernist cinema restores the original subversive energy of these classical masterworks. These films, Lau argues, remind us of what this music sounded like when it was still new and difficult; they remind us that great music remains new music. The pattern of reliance on classical music by modernist directors suggests it is not enough to watch modernist cinema: one must listen to its music to sense its prehistory, its history, and its obscure, prophetic future.

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Book SynopsisShows students how to listen to and enjoy the rich repertory of rock records made between the 1950s and 1980s.An introductory textbook for Rock Music Appreciation and History courses, Rock on Record traces the story of rock from the late 1940s through the pre-rock styles of the 1950s to rock in its heyday in the 1960s and, then follows its continued growth in the 1970s and early 1980s. Rock on Record puts listening first, teaching students how to listen to key recordings in the rock repertoire. The book opens with general guidance on how to listen to a recording as well as an overview of the song structures commonly used by rock songwriters. Then, in twenty-two chronological sections, Albin J. Zak provides historical context for each new genre or style, discussing its key recordings and performers and its impact on the artists who followed. Zak analyzes seventy-three recordings using easy-to-follow listening guides, giving students the tools they will need to enhance their enjoyment and understanding while also highlighting a wide range of examples that illustrate the richness of the rock repertory. Rock on Record examines how rock changed American culture and encourages students to explore further on their own.

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Book SynopsisShows how punk rock shaped modern culture around the world.Punk Rock examines the history of punk rock in its totality. Punk became a way of thinking about the role of culture and community in modern life. Punks forged real alternatives to producing popular music and built community around their music. This punk counterpublic, forged in the late Cold War period, spanned the globe and has provided a viable cultural alternative to alienated young people over the years. This book starts with the rise of modernity and places the emergence of punk as a musical subculture into that longer historical narrative. It also reveals how punk itself became a contested terrain, as participants sought to imbue the production of music with greater meaning. It highlights all styles of punk and its wide variety of creators around the world, including from the LGBTQ+, feminist, and alternative communities. Punk was and remains a transnational phenomenon that influences music production and shapes our understanding of culture''s role in community building.

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Book SynopsisShows how punk rock shaped modern culture around the world.Punk Rock examines the history of punk rock in its totality. Punk became a way of thinking about the role of culture and community in modern life. Punks forged real alternatives to producing popular music and built community around their music. This punk counterpublic, forged in the late Cold War period, spanned the globe and has provided a viable cultural alternative to alienated young people over the years. This book starts with the rise of modernity and places the emergence of punk as a musical subculture into that longer historical narrative. It also reveals how punk itself became a contested terrain, as participants sought to imbue the production of music with greater meaning. It highlights all styles of punk and its wide variety of creators around the world, including from the LGBTQ+, feminist, and alternative communities. Punk was and remains a transnational phenomenon that influences music production and shapes our understanding of culture''s role in community building.

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Book SynopsisTommy, Trauma, and Postwar Youth Culture traces the development of one of rock music''s central masterpieces and its relation to the social-cultural history of the era. Composer and guitarist Pete Townshend was the creative force behind the Who, one of Britain''s greatest rock bands. Townshend grew up in an England decimated by the loss of life and hope that was the initial legacy of World War II. The product of a troubled childhood, Townshend faced ongoing struggles with sexual and personal trauma that colored his later work as a performer. An ambitious composer who wanted to create both pop hits and lasting personal works, Townshend achieved his greatest success with the Who through their 1969 rock opera, Tommy. Townshend gave many accounts of the work''s evolution and its significance to him and he participated in and encouraged its continued legacy. Dewar MacLeod recounts his own interactions with Townshend and Tommy to draw out the work''s impact, its critical reception, its place both in postwar history and the rock era, and its continuing relevance. This book will appeal to all interested in the history of rock, the creative process, and the long shadow of the 1960s.

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Book SynopsisStudents of pop music and pop culture as well as fans who have loved the music since it came into being will gain valuable insight into this genre of the 1970s and 1980s. Listen to New Wave Rock!: Exploring a Musical Genre contains background on new wave music in general, with an overview and history of new wave rock in particular. While the bulk of the book is devoted to analysis of 50 must-hear musical examples, which include artists, songs, and albums, the book also explores how this genre of the late 1970s and 1980s came into being, musical influences on the genre, and how the genre influenced later generations of artists. Additional chapters analyze the impact of new wave rock on American popular culture and the legacy of new wave music, including how the music is still used today in film and television soundtracks and in television commercials.The combination of detailed examination of specific artists, songs, and albums and discussion of background, legacy, and impact diTrade Review. . .written with authority, but succeeds at its goal of being accessible. It will be a useful addition to public and school library collections or other settings where a general introduction to new wave is desired. * ARBA *Table of ContentsSeries Foreword Preface 1 Background 2 Must-Hear Music The B-52's: "Rock Lobster" The Bangles: "Manic Monday" Blondie: "Heart of Glass" Blondie: "One Way or Another" The Buggles: "Video Killed the Radio Star" The Cars: "Just What I Needed" The Cars: "My Best Friend's Girl" The Cars: "Shake It Up" The Clash: "London Calling" Elvis Costello: "Pump It Up" Elvis Costello: "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" Culture Club: "Karma Chameleon" Depeche Mode: "Just Can't Get Enough" Devo: "Whip It!" Dire Straits: "Sultans of Swing" Thomas Dolby: "She Blinded Me with Science" Duran Duran: "Hungry Like the Wolf" Eurythmics: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" A Flock of Seagulls: "I Ran (So Far Away)" The Go-Go's: Beauty and the Beat Haircut One Hundred: "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" The Human League: "Don't You Want Me" Joe Jackson: "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" The Jam: "In the City" Katrina and the Waves: "Walking on Sunshine" The Knack: "My Sharona" Cyndi Lauper: She's So Unusual Nick Lowe: "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)" Men at Work: "Down Under" Men at Work: "Who Can It Be Now?" Naked Eyes: "Always Something There to Remind Me" New Order: "Blue Monday" Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: "Messages" The Police: "Don't Stand So Close to Me" The Police: "Every Breath You Take" The Pretenders: "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)" Prince: "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" Psychedelic Furs: "Love My Way" The Ramones Spandau Ballet: "True" The Specials: "A Message to You, Rudy" Split Enz: "I Got You" Squeeze: "Cool for Cats" The Stranglers: "No More Heroes" The Stray Cats: "Rock This Town" Talking Heads: "Burning Down the House" Talking Heads: "Life during Wartime" Talking Heads: "Once in a Lifetime" Tears for Fears: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" Television: Marquee Moon 3 Impact on Popular Culture 4 Legacy Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn Ethnomusicologizing: Essays on Music in the New Paradigms, composer and musicologist brings together a series of essays on music making in contemporary culture. More specifically, it focuses on the myriad ways we engage with musicas makers, as listeners, as consumers, as producers. Banfield labels this fully engaged process as ethnomusicologizing, as he explores the ways we create, share, teach, and discuss music. Throughout he argues that music is more than the experience of structured sound. It is rather a way of being more critically present as musicians and as citizens of sharing in the world itself. Ethnomusicologizing contains writings on contemporary music and culture studies, offering glimpses on more than just music history through reflective essays, interviews with contemporary artists, and exercises in the analysis and criticism of popular culture. In this work, Banfield instructs readers in the ways by which we may better appreciate and understand creative artistry and pTrade ReviewToday, many young musicians are driven by a short-sighted desire for money, fame, and power. But the purpose of art—true art—remains the search for meaning, purpose, inspiration, and spiritual fulfillment. Banfield is hopeful in this regard: 'Young people feel they are a more integral part of their success story if they are allowed to bring to a product a piece of who they are, what their story is. I think, despite our capitalistic surges, people always return back to the basic humanistic codes'. Such nuanced appraisals make Ethnomusicologizing a provocative and profitable read. * Thinking On Music *Table of ContentsPrelude Keeping the Core Creative Soul-Spirit Part 1: Theory: Music Thinking Theories, Teaching, and Approaches Chapter 1: Ethnomusicologizing: The Way Forward, Cultural Relevancy Chapter 2: Ethnomusicology Studies in Music Culture Chapter 3: Popular Music Culture: How to Teach and Reach within Popular Music Chapter 4: Black Music Matters Chapter 5: Notes From Cuba Chapter 6: The “I Theory” Part 2: History: Backbones, Songs Chapter 7: A Progressive View of American Popular Music History, 1948-2014 Chapter 8: American Mavericks Interviews Chapter 9: Harlem Renaissance 1920-1935: Artistry, Aesthetics, Politics and Popular Culture Chapter 10: CBMR Letter Chapter 11: Mom, Dad, and the Making of Symphony 10 with Sweet Honey In The Rock Part 3: Culture: New Standards, Cultural Critique Chapter 12: Wake up! What Time is It Really? Who Turns it Up, Down, and Back?: Values on The Cultural Dial Chapter 13: Does Our Music Still Bring The Good News Of The Day? Chapter 14: On The Crisis of Popular Arts and Society: Steps Ahead Chapter 15: The Problem With Jazz Chapter 16: Review of George Lewis, Les Exercices Spirituels Chapter 17: Don’t Use the “J word”: Jazz in its Connections to Culture and Meaning Chapter 18: From Hip-Hop To Zombie Nation Chapter 19: Critical Culture Concerns Today Chapter 20: The Songs We Need To Be Hearing Again: Music Culture and A Musician’s Credo To Citizenry Postlude: Afterthought on Ethnomusicologizing

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Book SynopsisListening to Art Song: An Introduction offers an easy-to-read, fresh perspective on the remarkably diverse musical genre of art song. As the ultimate expression of the human singing voice, song has provided succor and entertainment to humanity in many forms since the dawn of civilization. Margaret Olson examines art song's development, outlines the elements that comprise it, offers ideas on how to effectively listen to it, provides brief biographical sketches of key art song composers, and lists important recordings in the Italian, French, German, British, and American art song traditions. By instructing readers in how to evaluate art songs, Olson informs and enhances the art song experience for listeners. Listening to Art Song is the ideal text for any student studying voice or anyone interested in the genre of song.Trade ReviewFor me, nothing is as important as a song—a crystallized moment of history, a window into the human heart. For a beginner who wants an overview of songs written for the concert stage, Margaret Olson has compiled it all into one compact guide. This elegantly written book directs the ear and the mind of the reader straight to the beauties of this art form. -- Steven Blier, artistic director and cofounder, New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), and faculty member, Juilliard SchoolThe art song recital made easy to understand and down to earth. This book is a helpful way to experience the aspects of an intimate live performance through the pairing of voice and piano. The recordings, song choices, and singers will stretch your imagination and inspire you to be a creative performer, programmer, and listener. -- Julie Simson, professor of voice, Rice UniversityMargaret Olson’s Listening to Art Song is an indispensable volume for all who seek a more personal connection with this most universal of musical expressions. . . . A must-have, go-to resource!Table of ContentsForeword Acknowledgments Chapter 1: An Introduction to Song Chapter 2: The Development of Art Song Chapter 3: The Elements of Song Chapter 4: How to Listen to Song Chapter 5: Italian Song Chapter 6: German Lieder Chapter 7: French Mélodies Chapter 8: Songs of the British Isles Chapter 9: American Songs: Part One Chapter 10: American Songs: Part Two Appendix A: Recommended Song Recordings Appendix B: List of Composers by Country of Birth Glossary Bibliography About the Author

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Book SynopsisFor 40 years, Bruce Springsteen has held center stage as the quintessential American rock and roll artist, expressing the hopes and dreams of the American everyman and every woman through his vast array of insightful and inspirational songs. In Counting Down Bruce Springsteen: His 100 Finest Songs, rock writer Jim Beviglia dares to rank his finest songs in descending order from the 100th to his no. 1 greatest song. In this unique book, Beviglia reflects not only on why each song has earned its place on list but lays out the story behind each of the 100, supplying fresh insights on the musical and lyrical content of Springsteen''s remarkable body of work. Counting Down Bruce Springsteen brings together critical historical and biographical information to explain the making and importance of each song to its listeners, painting a fascinating portrait of Springsteen as a major American songwriter and consummate recording artist. Counting Down Bruce Springsteen is the perfect playlist buildTrade ReviewBeviglia delves deep into the Springsteen oeuvre to retrieve the superstar’s 100 greatest songs, relying primarily on lyrical content to decide the ranking. He reflects on Springsteen’s politics, from the indictment of Wall Street’s 'conscience-free ruthlessness' in 'Easy Money,' to the measured take on the shooting of Amadou Diallo by NYPD in 'American Skin.' The E Street Band is celebrated for their integral part in Springsteen’s success, particularly Clarence Clemons, whose performance on 'Jungleland' is declared 'the most iconic saxophone solo in rock history.' Beviglia notes the cohesion of many Springsteen albums, the grim circumstances couched in catchy melodies of Born in the USA the call to arms message of Wrecking Ball, and the mournful post-9/11 The Rising. Then, there are the Springsteen characters, 'big-hearted gang members, teenage femme fatales, and other spectacularly romantic rogues' like the fight-throwing boxer of 'The Hitter,' the broken-down veteran in 'Shut Out the Light,' and 'Zero and Blind Terry.' Beviglia’s top 10 is peppered with early gems like 'Lost in the Flood,' 'Rosalita,' and 'Incident on 57th Street.' While some might find the ranking system puzzling, Beviglia’s knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject will be appreciated. * Publishers Weekly *Best-of lists most often say more about the author than the topic, but that’s why they’re so entertaining and infuriating. Beviglia admits straightaway that he is a big Springsteen fan. He admires both the singer’s legendary live performances and his recorded output. Beviglia’s self-imposed task—'impossible' but 'fun'—is to choose Springsteen’s best 100 songs, which are described in short essays in order of merit, which are followed by an additional list of 100 more. Many of Springsteen’s most popular songs are here, and rightly so, but so are just as many of his obscure ones. It is heartening to see, for example, such less well-known compositions as 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find (Pittsburgh),' 'Straight Time,' and the great eulogy, 'Terry Song’s.' Like all song-list books, the experience allows readers and listeners to revisit, reconsider, and rediscover an artist’s canon. Of course, Springsteen fans will shake their collective heads in disagreement at times, but that’s part of the fun. * Booklist *Over the course of his 40-year career, singer and songwriter Bruce Springsteen has established himself as an institution in the annals of rock music. He is revered by fans for his energetic live performances and acclaimed by critics for his thoughtful and empathetic vignettes of working-class Americans. In Counting Down Bruce Springsteen, Jim Beviglia ranks and analyzes 100 original songs culled from the 22 albums Springsteen recorded and released between 1973 and 2012. Music aficionados may recognize Beviglia’s name from his blog at Countdownkid.wordpress.com and his contributions to American Songwriter magazine. The book itself is one of a newly launched series of titles intended to highlight the best songs of influential contemporary musicians. . . . Counting Down Bruce Springsteen offers readers an easily digestible survey of Springsteen’s vast catalog of songs. The rankings may infuriate some hardcore fans, but Beviglia deserves credit for undertaking the challenge in a capable and comprehensive fashion. * American Reference Books Annual *Bruce Springsteen His 100 Finest Songs is a book written by a fan and for all the fans of Bruce Springsteen. But author Jim Beviglia has created so much more than a list in this collection. It is a well-researched, labor of love. If you have ever seen Springsteen perform live in concert, those musical memories will all come rushing back as your turn the pages of Counting Down, published by Rowman & Littlefield. Likewise, longtime Springsteen fans will immediately recall the first time the needle hit the vinyl playing his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, reading through this detailed list. Each song in the list tells a story. * Osceola News Gazette *Throw down any random 100 songs by Bruce Springsteen, and you'd have a respectable list. But to decide exactly which 100 songs are his 'finest' is a challenge. Jim Beviglia, who previously wrote a 'Counting Down' book on Bob Dylan's songs, felt up to the task. . . .[This book] makes for great debate among friends at your next tailgate. * Asbury Park Sunday Press *Counting Down Bruce Springsteen brings together critical historical and biographical information to explain the making and importance of each song, painting a fascinating portrait of Springsteen as a major American songwriter and consummate recording artist. ... For newcomers to his work, it's the perfect introduction to his vast catalog. For diehard fans, it's a fresh take on well-known songs. * BroadwayWorld.com *Jim Beviglia creates another wonderful music book that will start many conversations among music aficionados for years to come. . . .Springsteen fans will love the book for the wealth of knowledge that can be gleaned from reading it. Even the most die-hard fan is bound to pick up a new morsel of info. Lots of history of the band and little nuggets of information for your brain to chew on are spread throughout this nearly 200 page, hardcover reference book. As a bonus Beviglia includes, at the end of the book, a list (without essays) of his next 100 favorite songs. . . .Being a hardcover book it is perfect library addition for fans of music and certainly any fan of Springsteen. * Scared Stiff Reviews *It’s easy to pick the great songs from Born to Run through Tunnel of Love, a period that was arguably Springsteen's most commercial. Mr. Beviglia digs deeper. He examines the pre-'Thunder Road' period as well as the post-Tunnel of Love years. In doing so he proves there is more to the Boss than the songs you hear on the radio. He gives the songs perspective in relation to their position on the record, the time, the world and Springsteen's life. That's a lot of work, but it goes a long way to making this book a good read. * GonzoGeek *After scanning the table of contents and girding up your loins to debate with Beviglia's choices, be prepared to read some very tight and balanced reasoning for the list. Beviglia excels at placing all the songs in the context of the Springsteen canon, especially noting their significance to the albums on which the tracks first appeared. He economically but vividly points out how the songs were inspired and composed, the roles the E Street Band players contributed, but mainly describes how each song compares to others of a similar vein in the Springsteen catalogue. He shows a deep understanding of Springsteen's lyrical gifts as a storyteller as well as The Boss's mastering of shaping creative musical settings in the studio. * Bookpleasures.com *Counting Down Bruce Springsteen is an entertaining and informative read but its greatest value probably lies in the fact that by book's end readers will have a newfound craving for the music whether they try to pick favorites or not. * antiMusic *The book is about the songs. But, you learn a lot about Bruce through the lyrics and their use or analysis of course. And, Counting Down Springsteen is fun to read for people who love music; it is equivalent to well-read gallery essays on say Van Gogh. But, it is simply a must have for Springsteen fans. You may debate, adore or dislike Beviglia's views, but still relish in the study of each work. * Blunt Review *Counting Down Bruce Springsteen belongs in every bar on the shore—not just from Atlantic Highlands to Barnegat Bay, from Maine to Florida, too. Guaranteed to start all sorts of arguments, and settle a few too. -- Dave Marsh, author of Two Hearts: The Definitive Bruce Springsteen BiographyJim Beviglia has graduated from the school of rock journalism with an A+. Jim's understanding of the catalog of Bruce Springsteen's work is extensive, and his summations of 'The Boss's work are succinct. If you want to read a fine rating of Bruce's recorded works, this book is the #1 place to turn. -- Bob Wilson, writer at Live For Live MusicTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction The Countdown Notes Bibliography Appendix: …And 100 More

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Book SynopsisSteel Drums and Steelbands: A History is a vivid account of the events that led to the accidental invention of the steel drum: the only acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20th century. Angela Smith walks readers through the evolution of the steel drum from an object of scorn and tool of violence to one of the most studied, performed, and appreciated musical instruments today. Smith explores the development of the modern steelband, from its roots in African slavery in early Trinidad to the vast array of experiments in technological innovation and to the current explosion of steelbands in American schools. The book offers insights directly from major contributors of the steelband movement with sections devoted exclusively to pioneers and innovators. Drawing on seven years of research, repeated trips to the birthplace of the steel drum, Trinidad, and interviews with steelband pioneers, Smith takes readers far beyond the sunny associations of the steel drum with island vacationsTrade ReviewAlthough most people are familiar with the music and sound of the steel drum, few know the history behind it or the evolution of its sound. Angela Smith has researched the beginnings of the instrument in Trinidad by the descendants of African slaves to its modern-day sound and popularity. The first half of the volume focuses on the early roots of the steel drum in Trinidad, while the second half covers its expansion to the United States, its popularity in schools, and the future of this musical sound. The author provides six appendixes that add greatly to the reference appeal of this work. This include lists of the instrument's pioneers and innovators, a timeline, questions and topics for group discussions, a selected discography and Internet links, and other instruments in the steelband family. The author researched this topic for seven year and took multiple trips to Trinidad to interview with pioneers of the music—this work is clearly a labor of love for her. This will be a valuable addition to the music collections of larger university libraries. * American Reference Books Annual *A freelance writer and pan musician, Smith has written a conventional but useful chronological history of Trinidad's steel drums, or pan. The author devotes the first five chapters to reviewing Trinidad's history. The remaining 15 chapters--except chapter 10, which returns, oddly, to a discussion of history--are devoted to pan's development, including its migration into the US and especially into the academy. Appendixes provide short biographies of noted musicians, a list of websites, and a summary of the chronology. A section of black-and-white photos is mainly devoted to major figures. Smith sees this book as an "introduction" to pan and its history, and in that context the book succeeds....Readers new to pan or currently participating will likely find the book to be a useful and objective place to start. Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *A great book, well written, very informative, a must read for anyone who wants to know about steelpan history. -- Barry Mannette, Northern Illinois UniversityAbsolutely a great resource! -- Brandon L. Haskett, Coordinator of Steel Band Directors Facebook page, Saginaw State UniversitySmith's work is a valiant introduction to the subject. Steel Drum and Steelbands: A History fills a void in the literature and provides a vivid overview of the history and development of steel bands. Prior to this publication, most works that addressed steel band focused on the Trinidadian tradition and were mostly oral histories by those involved with steelpan in the Caribbean. Smith's work deftly addresses many current issues related to the ongoing growth and spread of steelpan in the United States, including changes in steelpan construction, disputes over the cultural ownership of the steelpan, electronic instruments, changes in the distribution and creation of steelpan music, and the rise of steel band festivals in the United States such as Meet Me in Morgantown. Each of these topics ultimately deserves its own thorough scholarly examination; however, Smith does well to include these and provide a framework for ongoing conversations in the steelpan field. * Journal of Historical Research in Music Education *[Steel Drums and Steelbands] is a clear, compact, nicely organized yet comprehensive history of pan (steelband). It is aimed at high school students, especially people who may know little about the topic. The book is an easy and enjoyable read. It begins with the history of Trinidad, the arrival of African slaves, and the development of Carnival. It then covers the evolution of pan from drums, the tamboo bamboo, and biscuit tin bands to the tuned steel orchestras. * New West Indian Guide *This book presents an easy-reading introduction to the history of pan and the steelband, the people and their culture, and many of the individuals who contributed to the evolution of this art form. * Percussive Notes *

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Book SynopsisFew bands have proven as long-standing and experimental as the Canadian rock act Rush, which has successfully survived and adapted like few others by continuing to work in an album-oriented progressive hard rock style. Rush bridged its original blues-rock style with progressive rock and heavy metal in the 1970s, explored new wave and synth rock in the 1980s, and then created a new kind of alternative hard rock in the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout its career Rush has stubbornly remained musically and lyrically individualistic. The band created dozens of albums over its four decadeswith 45 million soldand embarked on major concert tours for millions of fans across the globe.The band's music appeals not just to mainstream rock fans but to those musicians who admire the structural complexity of its music. In Experiencing Rush: A Listener's Companion, music scholar Durrell Bowman guides readers through Rush's long career, explaining through the artful combination of biography, history, and muTrade ReviewFrom Rush’s self-titles debut album in 1974 to 2012’s Clockwork Angels, this work covers the recording career, music, and, less extensively, the personal lives of the progressive rock band. After a time line outlining key points in the band’s existence, Bowman’s introduction notes that Rush deserves such extensive focus because of the musicianship, professionalism, and willingness to experiment that have garnered the band a cultlike fan base from its native Canada and the U.S. to many other countries. While there is some biography in this band history, for the most part Bowman focuses on the band’s music as he analyzes each album, including lyrics, time signatures, key and chord choices, themes, and cover art. . . .[T]rue Rush fans will revel in the author’s complex descriptions; for instance, he notes from 1980’s Permanent Waves to Roll the Bones in 1991, the band’s lyrics evolved 'from vaguely Randian atheistic individualism to vaguely left-wing agnostic liberalism.' It’s fitting that Bowman finishes with how Rush, after years of being ignored, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thanks to its fans. * Publishers Weekly *[T]his is an excellent stylistic primer for the band. * ARSC Journal *Table of ContentsTimeline Series Editor Foreword Introduction: Why Rush? Chapter 1: “Finding My Way”: From Blues-Rock to Arty Hard Rock, 1968-1975 Chapter 2: “Their Own Music” Chapter 3: “The Universe Divided”: From Progressive Hard Rock to Post-Prog, 1978-1980 Chapter 4: “Modern-Day Warrior”: User-Friendly Progressive Rock and Moving Pictures, 1981 Chapter 5: “Be Cool or Be Cast Out”: Fusions with Synth Rock and New Wave, 1982-1984 Chapter 6: “Against the Run of the Mill”: Rock / Technology Balance, 1985-1988 Chapter 7: “It’s Hard to Play It Safe”: New Approaches to Being a Power Trio, 1989-1995 Chapter 8: “To the Margin of Error”: Eclectic Rock, Tragedies and Sabbatical, and Return, 1996-2003 Chapter 9: “Some Will Be Rewarded”: Getting to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 2004-2013 Conclusion: “In the Fullness of Time” Selected Reading Selected Listening

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Book SynopsisThis unique collaboration between a musicologist and two pianists all experts in Russian music takes a fresh look at the supercharged music and polarizing reception of the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin. From his Chopin-inspired miniatures to his genre-bending symphonies and avant-garde late works, Scriabin left a unique mark on music history. Scriabin's death centennial in 2015 brought wider exposure and renewed attention to this pioneering composer. Music lovers who are curious about Scriabin have been torn between specialized academic studies and popular sources that glamorize his interests and activities, often at the expense of historical accuracy. This book bridges the divide between these two branches of literature, and brings a modern perspective to his music and legacy. Drawing on archival materials, primary sources in Russian, and recently published books and articles, Part One details the reception and performance history of Scriabin's solo piano and orchestral music.Trade ReviewComposer Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915) has been unjustly neglected by the musicological literature, despite a flood of publications some 50 years ago that should have set the groundwork for an ongoing interest. Though this lengthy volume will not single-handedly resolve that problem, it will certainly interest scholars and performers, students, and lovers of music with a thirst for Scriabin research and commentary. The 14 chapters are presented in three parts: ‘Encountering Scriabin,’ which introduces the composer and his work; ‘Topics in Reception History,’ which looks at the curious reception accorded Scriabin in his lifetime and after; and ‘Performance,’ which offers a lengthy set of notes—at heart performance instructions—on the general features of Scriabin's music…. It will be most useful to the intelligent performer, one who likes to understand music in broad strokes illuminated by significant details. And scholars will appreciate the in-depth musicological discussion…. Summing Up: Recommended.... Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. * CHOICE *Composer Alexander Scriabin was a self-styled musical messiah, the greatest sensualist in the Russian tradition and Western canon. In his imagination, the black and white keys of the piano turned into crimsons, mauves, and yellows; he endeavored to write music of spiritual transport by postponing harmonic resolutions for painful-pleasure’s sake and imagined, orgasmically, the end of the world. In every aspect of his art, Scriabin privileged the ineffable over the formal, the innate over the logical, inviting audiences and interpreters to follow him into another realm of creativity. Here at last is a sensitive, comprehensive exploration of Scriabin’s life and works that places his mystic-erotic fantasies in context. Lincoln Ballard, Matthew Bengtson, and John Bell Young discount the composer’s naysayers and serve as our sympathetic guide to the interpretation and appreciation of Scriabin's music in all its wonder. -- Simon A. Morrison, Professor of Music, Princeton UniversityFor over a hundred years, the compositional techniques of Alexander Scriabin have challenged and at times defied music theorists. The mystical conceptions that he claimed as the foundation of his work have also been hotly debated. Not only an excellent overview of Scriabin's life and compositions, The Alexander Scriabin Companion is also a major contribution to the understanding of Scriabin's methods, as well as the influences on his work, philosophy and psychology. There are enlightening discussions of melody and harmony, sound, light, and color, compositional and pianistic techniques, and the reception of his work by musicians and audiences. The authors not only contextualize these essential features cogently within the rich and complex intellectual history of pre-World War I Russia, but also effectively describe how they were received and evaluated through the twentieth century to the present. -- Jay Reise, Composer and Professor of Music, University of PennsylvaniaTable of ContentsForeword by Stephen Hough CHAPTER ONE – En Garde or Avant-Garde? Exploding the Scriabin Myth – John Bell Young PART I ENCOUNTERING SCRIABIN – Lincoln Ballard CHAPTER TWO – Life, Legacy, and Music CHAPTER THREE – The Solo Piano Music CHAPTER FOUR – Symphonies and Orchestral Works PART II TOPICS IN RECEPTION HISTORY – Lincoln Ballard CHAPTER FIVE – Madness and Other Myths CHAPTER SIX – On Synaesthesia or “Color-Hearing” CHAPTER SEVEN – Scriabin’s Russian Roots and the Symbolist Aesthetic CHAPTER EIGHT – The Revival in 1960s America PART III IN PERFORMANCE – Matthew Bengtson CHAPTER NINE – From Musical Text to the Imagination CHAPTER TEN – Technique CHAPTER ELEVEN – Line and Melody CHAPTER TWELVE – Harmony CHAPTER THIRTEEN – The Scriabin Sound CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Rhythm Glossary and Pronunciation Guide

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Book SynopsisThe music of Tchaikovsky remains as much loved in the twenty-first century as it was a hundred years ago. But it has so much more to offer than luscious orchestration and tuneful melodies. In Experiencing Tchaikovsky: A Listener's Companion, historian and scholar David Schroeder looks beyond traditional views of Tchaikovsky to explore the dramatic impact of his music by walking readers through the remarkable range of works by this great Russian composer.Drawing on a select, but highly representative, group of compositions from Tchaikovsky's vast output, from his groundbreaking ballet Swan Lake to his great opera Eugene Onegin, Experiencing Tchaikovsky: A Listener's Companion offers in-depth explorations without technical jargon. In addition to looking at his ballets and some of his operas, Schroeder probes the many other genres in which Tchaikovsky worked, from his chamber music pieces and symphonies to his other orchestral works and concertos. Throughout, Schroeder draws connections aTrade ReviewWhile this book makes no claims to be a scholarly study or a biography, it strikes me that Schroeder has read widely in the essential biographical material and has thought hard about what to listen for in the pieces he has chosen to deal with in some depth. . . .His approach to doing this is that 'it’s more useful to look at a few works in detail than to consider a large number superficially.' I think this is a good strategy, especially as he tries to show certain essential characteristics of Tchaikovsky’s compositional approach, which can then be useful in considering his other music. . . .[T]his book is well written, even occasionally trendy (Star Wars makes an appearance). * Fanfare Magazine *Table of ContentsSeries Editor’s Foreword Introduction List of Abbreviations Timeline Chapter 1: Symphonic Poems, Shakespeare, and Music with Meaning Chapter 2: A Little Help from my Friends: Concertos Chapter 3: For the Love of Mozart: Chamber Music, Suites, and Serenades Chapter 4: Ballet’s New Way: Swan Lake Chapter 5: Pushkin’s Gentle Mockery, Tchaikovsky’s Immoderate Ardor: Eugene Onegin Chapter 6: Symphony as Opera Chapter 7: Sorcery, Caprice, Blindness, Saints, and Stacked Decks: More Operas Chapter 8: Two Fairytale Ballets Chapter 9: Above and Beyond: From His Death to the Present Glossary Selected Reading Selected Listening Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisIn Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor, historian Nicholas Tarling surveys the landscape of choral works, some standard masterpieces that are commonly performed by choruses around the world, others deserving a second, closer look. As noted in the foreword by Uwe Grodd , music director of the Auckland Choral Society, this work is a collection of essays about a number of outstanding works, including Beethoven's Miss Solemnis and Britten's War Requiem, but he also invites attention to lesser masterpieces. If the choral movement, which includes both singers and listeners, is to survive, new works must be created and repertory expanded. The book is an easy and captivating read even if you are not a chorister.Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor features short essays on over 28 works, from major masterpieces such as Handel's Messiah and Bach's St. Matthew's Passion to off-the-beaten path choral works such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha and Frederick Delius' A Mass of Life. ThroughoutTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Romanticism and the musical background Chapter 2: Youth and the Prodigy Chapter 3: Béranger and the Revolutions Chapter 4: Paganini and his crucial influence Chapter 5: Liszt and the Polish pianist Chapter 6: Chopin and the Polish bowman Chapter 7: Chopin and Polish Romanticism Chapter 8: Liszt and the great virtuosity Chapter 9: Chopin and his letters Chapter 10: The Princess and settlement at Weimar Chapter 11: Liszt and his three lives Chapter 12: Wieniawski and the hard-earned years Chapter 13: Liszt and the Polish Oratorio Chapter 14: The Survivor and his friends Chapter 15: The Decline and End Epilogue Appendix: Listings of Franz Liszt’s music connected to Poland Index

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Book SynopsisFounded in 1935, The American Record Guide is America's oldest classical music review magazine. In 1987, when Donald Vroon assumed its editorship, he took on the Herculean task of writing editorials on a vast array of subjects, amassing a wealth of commentary and criticism on not only the foibles and failings, but glimmers of light in American culture. A staunch defender of the highbrow pleasures of good music composed, played, and heard with intelligence, Vroon takes no prisoners in assessing the challenges and failures and possible successes that confront America's future as a nation of music listeners. In Classical Music in a Changing Culture: Essays from The American Record Guide, Vroon delves into a variety of topics: orchestra finances, contemporary music, classical music marketing, attracting young crowds, musical aesthetics, the future of classical music, the sale and distribution of music in the modern era; the decline of American culture and its causes; the role of misguided Trade ReviewThere’s no denying that [the author] cares passionately about classical music, to the bottom of his heart. His ideal is for performances to be deeply felt, truly personal, and movingly expressive. For that, I’ll keep reading ARG, admiring the tenacity with which its editor defends the art we music lovers can’t live without. * Fanfare Magazine *Don Vroon writes trenchantly and often provocatively on a wide range of subjects, from classical music and recordings to problems with the post office, computers, the airlines, and life in general. You may not always agree with him, may even be offended at times, but he will never bore you. -- John Canarina, conductor and author of Philharmonic: A History of New York’s OrchestraDonald Vroon’s uncompromising commitment to excellence is the touchstone for all of his editorial essays. His honesty, humor and courage will require every reader to reassess formerly held opinions and to examine each topic in a provocative new light. -- JoAnn Falletta, conductorDon Vroon is a fascinating critic, whose analyses are always fresh and come from a very strong personal point of view. Reading him is always enlightening and challenging. -- John Nelson, former director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, author of Matrix of the Gods, and I, RobotI have read Donald Vroon's "Critical Convictions" with unflagging interest for the past twenty- five years. These bi-monthly essays are, by turns, brilliant, infuriating, informed, irreverent, and opinionated, but, above all. they are passionate and independent-minded. Vroon has the audacity to believe that culture matters. It matters enough for him to challenge conventional opinion and reject the lazy group-think that oppresses the contemporary arts. It is good to have the best of these bold and original pieces finally gathered together. -- Dana Gioia, former Chairman for National Endowment for the ArtsTable of ContentsIntroduction Essay 1: Elitism Essay 2: Education & Culture Essay 3: Don’t Educate Us; Entertain Us Essay 4: Fun Essay 5: Fads and Trends Essay 6: The Romantic Art Essay 7: Orchestra Finances Essay 8: The New and News Essay 9: Contemporary Music Essay 10: Airheads Essay 11: Marketing and Image Essay 12: Marketing Idiocy Essay 13: Marketing and Its Discontents Essay 14: Seeking Out the Best Things in Life Essay 15: Multiculturalism Essay 16: Later: Black Musicians and Marketing Essay 17: Attracting a Young Crowd Essay 18: The Land of the Obvious Essay 19: On Spiritual Matters Essay 20:Attentiveness and Judgment Essay 21: Attentiveness II Essay 22: Absorption Essay 23: Feeling Essay 24: Does Quality Have a Future Essay 25: Performance Practice Essay 26: Aesthetics and Criticism Essay 27: PPP and True Authenticity Essay 28: PPP II Essay 29: Cultural Suicide Essay 30: Cultural Suicide 2 Essay 31: The Golden Age Essay 32: The Nostalgia Trap Essay 33: Surtitles Essay 34: The Death of Service Essay 35: Distribution Essay 36: Browsing Essay 37: Is the Internet the End of Records?

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Book SynopsisWarren Zevon was one of the most original songwriters to emerge from the prolific 1970s Los Angeles music scene. Beyond his most familiar songthe rollicking 1978 hit Werewolves of LondonZevon's smart, often satirical songbook is rich with cinematic, literary, and comic qualities; dark narratives; complex characters; popular culture references; and tender, romantic ballads of parting and longing.Warren Zevon: Desperado of Los Angeles is the first book-length, critical exploration of one of popular music's most talented and tormented antiheroes. George Plasketes provides a comprehensive chronicle of Zevon's 40-year, 20-record career and his enduring cultural significance. Beginning with Zevon's classical training and encounters as a youth with composers Robert Craft and Igor Stravinsky, Plasketes surveys Zevon's initiation into the 1960s through the Everly Brothers, the Turtles, and the film Midnight Cowboy. Plasketes then follows Zevon from his debut album with Asylum Records in 1976, pTrade ReviewWarren Zevon (1947–2003) was one of the most innovative songwriters in recent popular music history, and Plasketes captures the full range of Zevon’s skills in the first full-length biography of the artist. Plasketes provides a comprehensive analysis of Zevon’s entire body of work—from his self-titled debut in 1976 to The Wind, recorded and released during his last year alive—that serves as an almost definitive look at his 'legacy of tortured brilliance,' which still attracts new admirers today. Especially fascinating is Plasketes’s look at how Zevon’s debut 'endures as one of the most delightfully dark visions of Southern California culture, demystifying the Hollywood scene, its desperation and decadence.' Also good are his in-depth looks at some works that critics overlooked at the time of their release, such as 'Transverse City' ('Zevon’s most ambitious record') and 'Life’ll Kill Ya' ('a gem, a modest masterpiece'). Plasketes admits his reliance on 'I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon'—the exhaustive posthumous oral history compiled in 2007 by Zevon’s ex-wife, Crystal—but he adds plenty of original work to fully illuminate the art behind the wild stories from Zevon’s alcohol and drug binges. * Publishers Weekly *By taking Zevon’s music chronologically, pulling each record apart down to its smallest constitutive parts, Plasketes crafts a highly readable account of Zevon’s life that is also chock full of information. Even the tangential factoids, such as a lengthy aside about how the rise of MTV led to the reinforcement of the music industry, feel relevant and closely tied to Zevon’s under-the-radar career.... What Plasketes has achieved with Desperado of Los Angeles is a book that on the whole resides somewhere between the fandom/objectivity continuum, the tenuousness of that construction notwithstanding. Zevon has been long overdue for a scholar’s examination, and Plasketes proves himself more than up to the task. This volume is both a helpful bedrock for future studies of Zevon’s music and an interesting case study in what it means to do academic music writing. Fans of Zevon’s music will quickly gobble up Plasketes’ carefully assembled critical history, and curious newcomers to Zevon’s oeuvre would do well in using this book as a guide. But Plasketes’ research has value beyond the reaches of Zevon’s musical output; anyone interested in the business of writing about music critically would learn a great deal from the strengths and weaknesses of analysis in this book. Undoubtedly, Zevon would be proud that his work has inspired conversations like these. * Popmatters *[Warren Zevon: Desperado of Los Angeles is] one of the most interesting and in-depth books I've ever read about a musician.... Plasketes does an admirable job in exposing this truth in astounding detail while making it a very enjoyable read, giving us a much larger understanding and empathy for one of the most underrated but important musical artists of our time. * The Corner News *Warren Zevon: Desperado of Los Angeles is a full-on academic analysis of Zevon’s discography by a straight-up uber fan of his who happens to be an uber intelligent writer too. Plasketes’ unique perspective makes for a wonderful book, a serious study happily colored by the writer’s genuine love for Zevon and his work. One wonders why there are not more books like this when it comes to Zevon’s canon, which offers much to take apart and delve into. * Red Paint Hill Publishing & Poetry Journal *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Join Me in L.A. Chapter2: The Asylum IconocLAst Chapter 3: Knee Deep in Gore with Glee Chapter 4: Rock Bottom: The Crack Up and Resurrection Chapter 5: Swear to God I’ll Change Chapter 6: Looking for the Next Best Thing Chapter 7: Intruder in the Dirt Chapter 8: That Amazing Grace Sort of Passed You By Chapter 9: Die Another Day: A Desperado Deteriorata Posthumous Script: “Eat My Dust”

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Book SynopsisIn Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor, historian Nicholas Tarling surveys the landscape of choral works, some standard masterpieces that are commonly performed by choruses around the world, others deserving a second, closer look. As noted in the foreword by Uwe Grodd , music director of the Auckland Choral Society, this work is a collection of essays about a number of outstanding works, including Beethoven's Miss Solemnis and Britten's War Requiem, but he also invites attention to lesser masterpieces. If the choral movement, which includes both singers and listeners, is to survive, new works must be created and repertory expanded. The book is an easy and captivating read even if you are not a chorister.Choral Masterpieces: Major and Minor features short essays on over 28 works, from major masterpieces such as Handel's Messiah and Bach's St. Matthew's Passion to off-the-beaten path choral works such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Hiawatha and Frederick Delius' A Mass of Life. ThroughoutTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Romanticism and the musical background Chapter 2: Youth and the Prodigy Chapter 3: Béranger and the Revolutions Chapter 4: Paganini and his crucial influence Chapter 5: Liszt and the Polish pianist Chapter 6: Chopin and the Polish bowman Chapter 7: Chopin and Polish Romanticism Chapter 8: Liszt and the great virtuosity Chapter 9: Chopin and his letters Chapter 10: The Princess and settlement at Weimar Chapter 11: Liszt and his three lives Chapter 12: Wieniawski and the hard-earned years Chapter 13: Liszt and the Polish Oratorio Chapter 14: The Survivor and his friends Chapter 15: The Decline and End Epilogue Appendix: Listings of Franz Liszt’s music connected to Poland Index

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Book SynopsisWhere did the major scale come from? Why does most traditional non-Western music not share Western principles of harmony? What does the inner structure of a canon have to do with religious belief? Why, in historical terms, is J.S. Bach's music regarded as a perfect combination of melody and harmony? Why do clocks in church towers strike dominant-tonic-dominant-tonic? What do cathedrals have to do with monochords? How can the harmonic series be demonstrated with a rope tied to a doorknob, and how can it be heard by standing next to an electric fan? Why are the free ocean waves in Debussy's La Mer, the turbulent river waves in Smetana's Moldau, and the fountain ripples in Ravel's Jeux d'Eau pushed at times into four-bar phrases? Why is the metric system inherently unsuitable for organizing music and poetry? In what way does Plato's Timaeus resemble the prelude to Wagner's Das Rheingold? Just how does Beethoven's work perfectly illustrate fully functional tonality, and why were long-rangeTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Melody is Pure but Not So Simple Chapter 2: Harmony, Unlike Melody, is Pure Only in Theory Chapter 3: Our Usual Musical Menu is Melody with Subsidiary Accompaniment Chapter 4: Counterpoint is a Harmonious Marriage of Independent Melodies Chapter 5: Texture Chapter 6: Special Mixtures of Texture Chapter 7: East is East is Melody; West is West is Harmony Chapter 8: The Universal Patterns of Melody: Melody Types Chapter 9: Of the Earth, Earthy: Folk Music and its Role in Composition Chapter 10: Improvisation Forever Chapter 11: The Big Difference: Music Notation Chapter 12: Canon, Free Imitation, Fugue: A Path to Musical Meaning Chapter 13: Free Imitation: Canon with a Grain of Salt Chapter 14: Fugue: The Whole Contrapuntal Bag of Tricks Chapter 15: Harmony, the Governing Principle Chapter 16: Music in Architecture Chapter 17: Music in Astronomy Chapter 18: Vibration, the New Paradigm Chapter 19: The Harmonic Series Chapter 20: Mapping the New Tonal Territory Chapter 21: Tonality is Still Here Notes Suggest Further Reading About the Author

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Book SynopsisEmerging from the same British music boom that birthed the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Dave and Ray Davies's band, the Kinks, became one of England's most influential groups. Remembered best for such singles as You Really Got Me, Lola, and Sunny Afternoon, the Kinks produced 24 studio albums between 1964 and 1996. The Kinks' prolific and varied catalog have made them both a mirror of and a counterfoil to nearly five decades of British and American culture. The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon examines the music and performance of this quintessentially English band and shows how aspects of everyday life such as work, play, buying a house, driving a car, drinking tea, getting drunk, and getting laid, affected and shaped their creative output. Through an investigation of their music, lyrics, and image, Carey Fleiner shows how the Kinks reflected both the ordinary and the absurd, sometimes confronting topics with anger and sometimes with self-deprecating humor. The Kinks followTrade ReviewFleiner, who teaches classical history at the University of Winchester, nicely places the reader into the atmosphere that produced the Kinks, one of the most important bands of the British Invasion. The book veers from their image as teenage rebels into their status as champions of average folk; Fleiner sets the tone early, saying this is 'not a biography of the band,' and focuses on the culture and world that surrounded the Kinks and influenced their music. Arranged chronologically, the book offers an excellent history of postwar Great Britain told through the eyes of the Davies brothers, Ray and Dave, and their bandmates. The author’s background as a historian shines through in the book’s meticulous research and analytical perspective on the cultural context in which the Kinks wrote their music. Coming out of Britain’s working class in the mid-1960s, the Davies experienced a bit of social mobility during the postwar economic boom. The book deftly discusses the influence of their economic perspective on both the sound of their music and the stories they chose to tell. * Publishers Weekly *The Kinks were among the most idiosyncratic bands that emerged during the British Invasion of the 1960s. They were defiantly English. In fact, as Fleiner notes, they were often celebrated as an icon of 'Englishness.' And, true to form, their Englishness was in full display in such works as The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968) and Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (1969). Their songs evoked social satire, personal memories, political satire, and, especially, nostalgia for a lost England. Still, their best-known song is probably the enduring and gender-bending 'Lola,' about a transvestite. Fleiner examines the Kinks’ musical influences, which ranged from the music-hall tradition to the Davies family’s own Saturday night house parties, when the front room was filled with family and friends singing and dancing around the piano. Other strong influences were the exciting sounds coming over from America. Fleiner also explores the band’s very distinctive, and often self-deprecating, humor; the sexuality and gender issues in their music; the Kinks as a socially conscious band; and, especially, their reputation as champions of the 'ordinary guy' as well as their ongoing legacy. Fans of the beloved, and often underappreciated, band will enjoy this thoughtful examination of their music. To paraphrase a line from their own lyrics, and as this book proves, the Kinks arenot like everybody else. * Booklist *[The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon] adds to the understanding of the Kinks’s universe as Fleiner concentrates on their continual motif of music-hall style/themes blended in with topics of everyday life. This entertaining (and very successful) coinage had been impossible without the lyrics of Ray Davies that contained a very special dose of absurdity, irony, social criticism, satire, humor and sometimes a bleak outlook on England’s future. * Popcultureshelf.com *Table of ContentsPreface: Ordinary Lives Chapter 1: Introduction: Around the Dial Chapter 2: Something Better Beginning: Rock and Roll in the late ‘50s and Early ‘60s in Great Britain Chapter 3: ‘Top of the Pops:’ Packaging, Marketing, and Image in the British Invasion 1964-1965 Chapter 4: Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy: Humour and the Kinks Chapter 5: I Know What I Am, and I’m Glad I’m a Man: Sexuality and Gender in the Music of the Kinks Chapter 6: Here Comes Mr Flash: Anti-Utopia, Politics, and Social Consciousness Chapter 7: I Miss the Village Green: The Past as Refuge Chapter 8: Rock and Roll Celluloid Heroes: The Legacy of the Kinks

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Book SynopsisIn Mavericks of Sound: Conversations with the Artists Who Shaped Indie and Roots Music, music scholar David Ensminger offers a collection of vivid and compelling interviews with legendary roots rock and indie artists who bucked mainstream trends and have remained resilient in the face of enormous shifts in the music world. As the success of the concerts at Austin City Limits have revealed, the fan bases and crowds for indie and roots music often blur and overlap. In Mavericks of Sound, Ensminger brings to light the highways and byways trod by these music icons over the course of their careers and the ways in which their music-making has been affected by, and influenced, the burgeoning indie and roots music movements. Ranging from seminal modern singer-songwriters to rockabilly renegades and indie rockers, Mavericks of Sound features a set of broad, penetrating, and insightful conversations imbued with a sense of musical history and heritage. Ensminger captures firsthand accounts from sTrade ReviewMusic scholar Ensminger collects vivid and compelling interviews with legendary roots rock and indie artists who bucked mainstream trends and have remained resilient in the face of enormous shifts in the music world. * Publishers Weekly *Instructor of English, Humanities, and Folklore at Lee College (and music scholar) David Ensminger has had an almost life-long devotion to the punk world. He brings his passion to music in Mavericks of Sound, a collection of compiled interviews of 'wits and raw talent.' The title is packed with compelling conversations with musicians who share how their music-making has been influenced and how creativity and passion still compel them. From Indie rock’s Janet Bean to folk rocker Peter Case to legendary Merle Haggard, musical history, culture, and heritage are showcased. Each chapter opens with some background, and then the interviews follow. A simple index is included. Scholars, fans, and anyone interested in music history will find this title useful. * American Reference Books Annual *Ensminger has complied his work for Thirsty Ear, Left of the Dial, and others into this new collection, and it’s a wealth of interviews with the less celebrated among the indie world. From the roots and alt-country of Dave Alvin, Alejandro Escovedo, and Neko Case, to country legends such as Ralph Stanley and Merle Haggard, he manages to get folks talking, and the result is a captivating glimpse into the artists’ minds. His writings on punk legends such as Wayne Kramer, Michael Gira, and The Mekons is no less sharp, showing Ensminger's range. A good read, indeed. * Big Takeover Magazine *How are the interviews [in Mavericks of Sound]? Well, they're just as interesting as the people the author is speaking to. In his preface, Ensminger writes, 'These are interviews without fillers, adornment or anything that might keep you at arm's length from the words of the wise-blooded -- the Rogue's Gallery found herein....' That's an accurate description of the contents here. No fillers, no adornment and, sometimes, no direction; just a Q&A that meanders through an artist's career; occasionally brilliant, occasionally mundane. I recommend a reading because there's a lot of meat on these various bones and most of it is tasty, but best to go at it like a series of lunches, spaced out a few bites per day. * Rambles.NET *This is another of those smart, cerebral and thoughtful music books. And what makes it work for me is with the exception of a few of the musicians interviewed, I wasn’t a fan or that knowledgeable about the others. I know a great deal more now and it’s sparked my interest. That, in and of itself, tells me that Ensminger has done his job well. * Popdose *Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Song is the Territory: Singer Songwriters Tom Russell Peter Case Dave Alvin Billy Joe and Eddy Shaver Jason Ringenberg Robert Earl Keen Chapter 2: Rockabilly and Honky Tonker Renegades Junior Brown Deke Dickerson Reverend Horton Heat Chapter 3: Indelible Indie Rock Icons Janet Bean, member of 11th Dream Day Dave Thomas, member of Pere Ubu Robert Schneider, member of Apples in Stereo Michael Gira, members of The Swans and Angels of Light Jarboe, members of The Swans Richard Buckner and Alejandro Escovedo Chapter 4: The Other Side of the Pond: Voices from Britain and New Zealand James Stevenson, member of Chelsea, Gen X, Gene Loves Jezebel) Mike Scott, member of Waterboys Richard Thompson David Gedge, member of Wedding Present and Cinerama David Kilgour, member of The Clean Chapter 5: Short Cuts: Concise Interview with Icons Merle Haggard Ramblin’ Jack Elliott Wayne Kramer, member of MC5 The Mekons Ralph Stanley Yo La Tengo Neko Case Rob Younger, member of Radio Birdman and New Christs Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisRenowned music historian Philipp Spitta has written that of all the German musicians of the 19th century, none has exercised a greater influence over his own generation and that succeeding it than Weber. Spitta's statement reflects Weber's popularity at the end of the nineteenth 19th centuryboth for his place as a foundational figure of German Romantic opera and for his role in the early German Nationalist movement in music. Indeed, Weber's Der Freischütz is still considered the first German Romantic opera, enjoying a place of privilege in the modern operatic repertoire with performances held the world over and at least two cinematic productions. Despite its enormous popularity throughout the 19th nineteenth century, however, Weber's swan song, Oberon, has remained separate from the mainstream thrust of our modern understanding of German Romantic opera. In Carl Maria von Weber: Oberon and the Cosmopolitanism in the Early German Romantic, music historian and theorist Joseph E. Morgan reTable of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction-The Problem with Oberon Chapter 1: Early German Nationalism Chapter 2: The Development of Weber’s Adult Style Chapter 3: Romantic Transformations Chapter 4: Why London? Why Wieland? Why Oberon? Chapter 5: Planché and the Libretto Chapter 6: Sir Huon’s Adventure Chapter 7: Sir Huon and Reiza’s Bond of Love Chapter 8: Fulfillment of the Oath Chapter 9: The Reception of Oberon Epilogue: The Decline of Cosmopolitan Nationalism Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisHow do you tell the key of a piecewithout looking at a score? How do you know when a musical work ended before an audience applauds or a radio announcer returns on air? Was there, in fact, a breakdown of tonality' in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? These questions and others are the focus of David Wulstan's Listen Again: A New History of Music. He also shows where the nuove musiche of the early Baroque era came from and what the two critical but unlinked chords in the middle of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. III signify.Previous literature in music does not properly address these questions and innumerable others. In Listen Again, Wulstan illustrates how music from Bach to Bartók was far less revolutionary than customarily imagined and that the inversionist doctrine of Rameau and kindred acoustical misconceptions, courtesy of Heinrich Schenker and other analysts, solve fewer problems than their purveyor claim. In Listen Again, Wulstan takes to task early theorists, who were mosTrade ReviewIn his previous books, Wulstan focused on early music, but more recently, he has contributed to his oeuvre by demonstrating his knowledge of musical theory from the Middle Ages to the present. As he admits, Listen Again is not a ‘bedtime book’; it is a volume for those interested in pondering well-crafted analysis of music and its historical value. The author writes that he has sought to ‘cover most of the ground in regard to European music from the earliest times of which we have any real knowledge and to determine the mechanisms of tonality from a historical point of view.’ The book provides a number of opportunities to consider senescent ideas, such as modal versus tonal music, in a new light. Immediately following the introduction is a useful glossary of technical terminology the author uses—e.g., superdominant as opposed to submediant. . . .Listen Again is likely to inspire some interesting discussions among students with a foundation in music history and theory. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * CHOICE *Wustan presents a tantalizing and absolutely compelling argument.... Recommended. * The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians *Table of ContentsForeword Acknowledgments Introduction Permissions Chapter 1: Some Matters of Terminology and Other Preliminaries Chapter 2: The Recognition of Key Chapter 3: Tonal Balance and Minor Tonality: The Use of Sequences; dissonance Chapter 4: The Rule of the Octave: Harmony and Rhythm Chapter 5: The Enhanced Tonic: Fugal Technique and Tonality Chapter 6: Complex Key Chapter 7: The Classical Style, Part I Chapter 8: The Classical Style, Part II Chapter 9: Classical to Romantic: Beethoven and Schubert Chapter 10: The Romantic Era, Part I: Chopin, Brahms and Mendelssohn Chapter 11: The Romantic Era, Part II: The Age of Wagner Chapter 12: The Perception of Music Chapter 13: The Twentieth Century, Part I: The Palette of Debussy Chapter 14: The Twentieth Century, Part II: Themes and Theories in the Music of Stravinsky and Some Other Composers Chapter 15:The Twentieth Century, Part III: Techniques and Treatises – Bartók, Hindemith, and Others Chapter 16: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Chapter 17: Two Cultures Chapter 18: Mediæval to Renaissance Chapter 19: Renaissance to Baroque Chapter 20: Back to the Future

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