Musicians, singers, bands and groups Books

Book SynopsisPacked with rare photographs and stunning on-the-page facsimile memorabilia, this book provides an insight into the unique journey of one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century - Elvis Presley. Follow the incredible story of the man they call the ?King of Rock and Roll." Elvis Presley?s life and career are shown, from his carefree beginnings at Sun Records in the 1950s to global superstardom. In addition, the book features rare interviews with the legendary Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore, Drummer DJ Fontana, and Elvis?s loyal backing singers the Jordanaires. To bring you even closer to the King the book features a wide variety of superb on-the-page rare memorabilia and documents from the archives, including tour posters, personal letters, publicity material, and fascinating items and tickets from his greatest gigs and best albums.

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Book Synopsis This is the first full-length biography of Keith Relf, frontman for the Yardbirds and one of the great tragic characters in rock history. Keith''s moody vocals and harmonica helped to define the Yardbirds'' sound on a string of innovative hit records in the 1960s that influenced garage rock, psychedelia, blues rock, hard rock and heavy metal. Numerous books have been written about the Yardbirds'' famous guitarists--Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page--yet Keith has remained a mysterious and elusive figure since his death by electrocution at age 33. A deeply private person, prone to depression and poor health, Keith was ill-suited to the life of a rock star. In the years following the Yardbirds'' breakup, as the band''s guitarists became household names playing blues-based rock, Keith insisted on pursuing new musical paths, always searching for something new and trying to extend the Yardbirds'' spirit of curiosity and innovation. By the time of his death in 1976, KeithTable of Contents Table of Contents Acknowledgments—ix Foreword by Alice Cooper—1 Preface—3 Introduction—5  1. Richmond Upon Thames—9  2. Ready, Steady, Go!—20  3. Emotional Experiences in Sound—39  4. Invaders—50  5. Pop Art—62  6. Blow Up—81  7. Dazed and Confused—99  8. A Fresh Start—119  9. The Good Life—134 10. The Human Element—142 11. A Place in the Sun—147 12. The Battle of Light and Dark—155 13. Farewell—167 Epilogue—175 Selected Discography—177 Chapter Notes—185 Bibliography—193 Index—195

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Book SynopsisA book showcasing the legendary Fleetwood Mac blues session at Chicago's Chess Studios in January 1969!

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Book Synopsis"...unparalleled behind-the-scenes glimpse into life on the road with Duran Duran." — Classic Pop “Denis got to see a different side of the machine – he saw the cogs going around, and there were times when that wasn’t popular with everybody … Once we saw the photographs, however, we were able to appreciate the potency of it.” Simon Le Bon With chart hits charts like ‘Girls on Film’, ‘Hungry like a Wolf’, ‘Rio’ and ‘The Reflex’ and pioneering music videos, Duran Duran cemented their place as indisputable icons of the ’80s New Romantic music scene. Having sold over 100 million records, they continue to be one of the UK’s most popular bands. Eternally evolving, always innovating, their fanbase spans the globe. Containing hundreds of exquisitely restored photographs taken mostly during the North American and Japanese legs of the band's record-breaking 1984 Sing Blue Silver tour, Careless Memories provides an unparalleled visual history of Duran Duran's ascent to the top, with commentary from the band members themselves. Denis O’Regan joined the band in France, where they were filming their New Moon On Monday video, and stayed with them until the end of the tour. His unprecedented access to the band gives the Careless Memories book an insight into the lives of Simon, Nick, John, Roger and Andy as they won hearts around the world. It documents the excitement of the shows and the hysteria and mayhem that surrounded them. For Duran Duran fans, Careless Memories is a 224 page backstage pass that captures the band at the peak of their powers and their fame.Trade ReviewPosted on Instagram stories by photographer Denis O'Regan. - Instagram"Duran Duran are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and an art book, featuring pictures from the stage and behind the scenes of their 1984 tour — their zenith!— has been released." - The Daily Mail"In Duran Duran: Careless Memories, published by ACC Art Books, Denis captures the band's rise to fame and American breakthrough through a series of photographs on the Sing Blue Silver Tour - with commentary from the band themselves." - Daily Star"In Careless Memories, O'Regan's photos of the band onstage document the energy and excitement of a Duran Duran show from that tour, which is symbolized by a photo of John Taylor staring at the camera with a broad smile on his face." - NewsweekDenis O'Regan was interviewed on Today Extra about his book Duran Duran: Careless Memories - Today Extra Australia"Duran Duran honour their fans and the bands that inspired them in ‘rock & roll hall of fame’ speech." - Rolling Stone"...unparalleled behind-the-scenes glimpse into life on the road with Duran Duran." - Classic Pop"Containing hundreds of restored Denis O’Regan photographs, taken mostly during the North American and Japanese legs of the band’s 1984 Sing Blue Silver tour, Careless Memories provides a visual history of Duran Duran’s ascent to the top, with commentary from the band members themselves." - Yahoo"His unprecedented access to the band gives the book an insight into the lives of Simon, Nick, John, Roger, and Andy, documenting the excitement of shows and mayhem that surrounded them." - Independent

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of country legend Merle Haggard by the New York Times bestselling biographer of Clint Eastwood, Cary Grant, The Eagles, and more.Merle Haggard was one of the most important country music musicians who ever lived. His astonishing musical career stretched across the second half of the 20th Century and into the first two decades of the next, during which he released an extraordinary 63 albums, 38 that made it on to Billboard's Country Top Ten, 13 that went to #1, and 37 #1 hit singles. With his ample songbook, unique singing voice and brilliant phrasing that illuminated his uncompromising commitment to individual freedom, cut with the monkey of personal despair on his back and a chip the size of Monument Valley on his shoulder, Merle's music and his extraordinary charisma helped change the look, the sound, and the fury of American music.The Hag tells, without compromise, the extraordinary life of Merle Haggard, augmented by deep secondary research, sharp detail and ample anecdotal material that biographer Marc Eliot is known for, and enriched and deepened by over 100 new and far-ranging interviews. It explores the uniquely American life of an angry rebellious boy from the wrong side of the tracks bound for a life of crime and a permanent home in a penitentiary, who found redemption through the music of 'the common man.'Merle Haggard's story is a great American saga of a man who lifted himself out of poverty, oppression, loss and wanderlust, to catapult himself into the pantheon of American artists admired around the world. Eliot has interviewed more than 100 people who knew Haggard, worked with him, were influenced by him, loved him or hated him. The book celebrates the accomplishments and explore the singer's infamous dark side: the self-created turmoil that expressed itself through drugs, women, booze, and betrayal. The Hag offers a richly anecdotal narrative that will elevate the life and work of Merle Haggard to where both properly belong, in the pantheon of American music and letters.The Hag is the definitive account of this unique American original, and will speak to readers of country music and rock biographies alike.

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Book SynopsisBruce Springsteen arrived on the world's stage in 1973 with two incredible albums in one year, a prolificacy that would define his career for the next half-century. In his tenure at the top of the rock and roll charts, Springsteen received worldwide adoration for crafting lyrics and music that symbolised all facets of his, and his home nation's, history; songs that enthralled with passion and purpose, stinging political vitriol and the sweetest of melody. No other American artist captured America's heart, and soul, than Springsteen.Containing Springsteen's most prominent non-lyrical poetry and life philosophies, from his earliest interviews to his most recent statements of truth, fact, and soul-baring, each one spanning the entirety of his musical output with the E-Street Band, his solo soundtracks, iconic live performances and a wealth of TV, magazine, and newspaper conversations.In the early days when Springsteen and the E-Street Band played gigs in small venues, it was Bruce's job (as frontman) to collect the money and pay the rest of the band. This led them to start calling him 'The Boss', a nickname which has stuck. Springsteen – the patron saint of the working man, who greatly dislikes bosses – naturally loathes this nickname!Table of ContentsBorn in the USA - Humble New Jersey beginnings and the origin of his songs • Born to Run - The first sparks of fame and success • The Rising - Global stardom, seminal moments, and iconic performances with his E-Street Band • Human Touch - Springsteen discusses his song writing genius • Glory Days - Favourite moments and a few secrets • Tougher Than The Rest - Springsteen's allegiance to America's past, present and future.

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Book SynopsisOn Ice-T's 1991 classic O.G. Original Gangster, he introduced his all-Black hardcore band Body Count with lead guitarist Ernie C, bringing them on the first-ever Lollapalooza tour that summer. The next year, Body Count's self-titled debut album, rounded out by rhythm guitarist D-Roc the Executioner, bassist Mooseman, and drummer Beatmaster V, made them the most incendiary band in the world, confronting white supremacy and police brutality with pulverizing songs that shattered musical boundaries. Body Count's rage and shock humor sparked nationwide protests and boycotts, including death threats, censure from the federal government, a spot on the FBI National Threat list, and a denunciation by the President of the United States. The album was removed from stores and remains banned to this day, but decades later Body Count are performing to theirbiggest audiences and greatest acclaim, pulling off one of the most remarkable comebacks in punk or metal history.Drawn from years Trade ReviewThe greatest story ever told. * Gerard Cosloy *One of the most thought provoking and thoroughly researched entries in the Bloomsbury 33 1/3 series. * Jesse Rifkin, author of This Must be the Place *A thoroughly researched and engaging exploration of both the origin and social relevance of Ice-T's hardcore band Body Count and their self-titled album. * David Gutowski, Largehearted Boy *A read appealing both to longtime metalheads and those who only know the barest of details. * The Pitch *A concise and informative read. * Under the Radar *Table of Contents1. “Did you make ‘em pay?” 2. “You don’t wanna die there.” 3. “Who let ‘em in the club?” 4. “On with the Body Count.” 5. “There goes the neighborhood.” 6. “We’re here.” 7. “Body Count’s in the house.” 8. “Stop the car right here.” 9. “The tension mounts.” 10. “Just watch what you say.” 11. “You’ll be six feet underground.” 12. “But tonight we get even.” 13. “Body Count, motherfucker.” Body Count Selected Bibliography

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Book SynopsisBobby Womack was born on 4 March 1944, and died on 27 June 2014, aged 70. In a career that spanned two centuries and seven decades, the soul singer, songwriter and guitarist carved a niche for himself that has rarely been equalled, and never surpassed. He is, quite simply, irreplaceable. A phenomenally gifted musician, his incredible talent helped him to escape the ghetto and become a star, with 30 million record sales to his name. Yet behind his beautiful music lay a life scorched by tragedy. Having trod the harsh edge of the music business for decades, he finally told his explosive story in Midnight Mover. From finding success with his family gospel group The Valentinos and being whipped into shape by James Brown and Jimi Hendrix on the chitlin circuit , to recording with Wilson Pickett, Eric Clapton and Elvis Presley, Womack s stellar career wove a colourful path through the history of soul, rock and R&B music. His collaborations with other musicians read like a roll of honour, from Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles to The Rolling Stones and Damon Albarn. Success came at a price, however. Womack lost his friend and mentor Sam Cooke when the soul star was gunned down in a motel. A doomed marriage to Cooke s widow followed, which severely damaged his reputation in the music business. Tragically, he lost two sons, one to suicide, as well as his brother Harry to a brutal murder. His escape was to turn to drugs. Years of riotous abuse took their toll on Womack and those closest to him including Janis Joplin, who spent her last night drinking with the singer. But Womack s talent, searing guitar and soulful voice always survived. Cited as an influence by myriad musicians, even in death he remains the epitome of cool. Honest, insightful and unflinching, this is the authentic voice of the Midnight Mover, a supremely talented legend of music whose every day was lived to the full.

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Book SynopsisOasis’s incendiary 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe managed to summarize almost the entire history of post-fifties guitar music from Chuck Berry to My Bloody Valentine in a way that seemed effortless. But this remarkable album was also a social document that came closer to narrating the collective hopes and dreams of a people than any other record of the last quarter century. In a Britain that had just undergone the most damaging period of social upheaval in a century under the Thatcher government, Noel Gallagher ventriloquized slogans of burning communitarian optimism through the mouth of his brother Liam and the playing of the other Oasis ‘everymen’: Paul McGuigan, Paul Arthurs and Tony McCarroll. On Definitely Maybe, Oasis communicated a timeworn message of idealism and hope against the odds, but one that had special resonance in a society where the widening gap between high and low demanded a newly superhuman kind of leaping. Alex Niven charts the astonishing rise of Oasis in the mid 1990s and celebrates the life-affirming, communal force of songs such as “Live Forever,” “Supersonic,” and “Cigarettes & Alcohol.” In doing so, he seeks to reposition Oasis in relation to their Britpop peers and explore one of the most controversial pop-cultural narratives of the last thirty years.Trade ReviewAs well as an accomplished assessment of an underrated album from an overrated band, the book is a salutary example of how to interpret politics through culture, and culture through politics. -- Rhian E Jones * Los Angeles Review of Books *It is a credible thesis, borne out by the history of the band and its music ... As Niven argues in his introduction, literature on Oasis has thus far tended to treat its subject either fawningly or dismissively, not critically. Niven’s book plugs that gap. -- Joseph Charlton * Times Literary Supplement *The 33 1/3 series is a unique opportunity for writers to take a single album, examine it in greater depth ... It’s set a very high standard which Niven more than meets here, offering a smorgasbord for thought for Oasis scholars and watchers. He leaves no song unturned, subjecting each to the sort of breakdown and appreciative analysis they've rarely enjoyed, his scrutiny yielding fresh insights .. I’d recommend this book to anyone but the person I’d recommend it to above all is Noel Gallagher. -- David Stubbs * Review31 *Niven is right to identify Oasis as the most culturally central, and in that sense the most important, voice of the period. -- Harry Stopes * The Oxonian Review *Niven does a remarkable job summing up what made Oasis so special in that moment — while also hinting at the demise that would follow. It’s a fantastic book, and if you care about Oasis, you should read it. * Stereogum *I still respect the amount of research beyond the band itself that had to go into writing this book. Knowing the climate in which Oasis was created is as necessary as the songs when one wants to talk about the importance of the band. On that, I am with [Niven] ... [This book] gave me a lot to think about, and the discussion and study of Oasis is one of my favorite subjects. -- Sara Habein * Perspehone Magazine *[Niven's] documenting an era that was considerably well-documented — this was the last great gasp of the music newsweeklies, after all — but he’s uncovering necessary truths that were hidden in plain sight and need to be remembered. Reading this 33 1/3, all the nostalgia surrounding the 20th anniversary of Britpop fades and all the exciting turmoil of that fleeting time comes into sharp relief. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine * Stephen Thomas Erlewine's blog *I’ve often said that the goal of a 33-1/3 book is to get the reader to enjoy and appreciate the album more after reading the book. Niven agrees, as from the first paragraph he makes clear that this is what he set out to do. By this measure, Oasis’ Definitely Maybe (the book) is a wild success ... [It] is a great addition to the 33-1/3 canon. * 2bit Monkey blog *Sometimes it can be invigorating and even instructive to disagree with an author. Reading Alex Niven's spirited defense of Oasis' 1994 debut, Definitely Maybe, there were moments when I shook my head and devised mental rebuttals against, for instance, his comparison of the band's pop-history scavenging with hip-hop sampling. And yet, he makes his arguments with such insight that for a while I did come to think of Oasis as a bunch of leftist revolutionaries reconceiving pop music as a vehicle for working-class liberation. -- Stephen M. Deusner * Pitchfork *Table of ContentsForeword Intro: A speck of dust in a football stadium 1. Earth 2. Water 3. Fire 4. Air Postscript: Quintessence Reading and Watching Notes

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Book SynopsisThis intriguing book examines the greatest Beatles mystery, which has caused endless speculation over the years - why was Pete Best sacked just as the Beatles stood on the threshold of stardom?Trade Review'Remarkable. It has been a great pleasure reading your book.' David Charters, Liverpool Echo. 'A wonderful book!' --Harold Kramer, The Beatles Museum, Siegen, Germany. 'An accomplished writer of musical biographies, this is a typically authoritative book.' Choice magazine, Book of the Month

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Book SynopsisBon Scott was once asked if he was AC or DC. 'Neither,' he grinned, 'I'm the lightning flash in the middle.' And that's how he lived his life.No one had the same skill with lyrics as Bon, who called his words 'toilet poetry', his 'dirty ditties'. He could also vividly depict life on the road, best heard in the AC/DC classics 'Long Way to the Top' and 'Highway to Hell'.When Bon appeared on Countdown in March 1975, the impression he left was indelible. The ugliest schoolgirl to ever grace the small screen, Bon was a mess of tattoos and pigtails, wearing an awkwardly short skirt, all the while puffing on a ciggie. His bandmates, not just the audience, were in hysterics. The video quickly became part of Oz rock folklore.Bon was always the joker in the AC/DC pack. He'd happily pose for a photograph with a joint dangling from his lips or be interviewed in cut-off shorts with a banana provocatively stuffed into his waistband. Anything to elicit a laugh. The off-stage stories surrounding Bon are legendary. After spending a lively couple of days with Bon, Ol' 55 singer Jim Manzie said, 'My rock-and-roll education was pretty much complete.'Bad Boy Boogie is the first biography to focus on Bon's remarkable gifts as a lyricist, frontman and rascal. In short, the real Bon Scott.

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Book SynopsisThis is the powerful, detailed and enlightening biography of the iconic composer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist - the inimitable Prince.Prince was an icon. A man who defined an era of music and changed the shape of popular culture forever. There is no doubt that he was one of the most talented and influential artists of all time, and also one of the most mysterious. On 21st April 2016 the world lost its Prince; it was the day the music died.This book will open a door to Prince''s world like never before - from his traumatic childhood and demonic pursuit of music as a means of escape, to his rise to superstardom, professional rivalries and marriages shrouded in tragedy, internationally bestselling music writer Mick Wall explores the historical, cultural and personal backdrop that gave rise to an artist the likes of which the world has never seen - and never will again.Mick, a lifelong Prince fan, was one of the first UK journalists

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Book SynopsisBorn Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, George Michael was raised in a family of Greek Cypriot immigrants in North London, and dreamed of stardom when he was a little boy. At just twelve years old he met Andrew Ridgeley and the two of them went on to achieve stunning success in the early 1980s with Wham!, creating music that remains popular to this day. Yet despite the enormous success of Wham!, George wanted more, and so set about recreating himself as a serious solo artist, reaching heights of even greater success. Ironically, however, even from the early days he was plagued with insecurity about his sexuality, which, combined with the calamity of losing his first lover to AIDS and his mother to cancer, plunged him into a lifelong struggle with drug addiction. He died, at the tragically early age of just fifty-three, on Christmas Day 2016. George Michael's life and career brought him international fame, and his sudden and unexpected death shocked the world. His unrivalled popularity as an artist, however, and the music he made, have turned him into one of the immortal greats of pop music. As Emily Herbert shows in this new biography, his legacy is not just his music, but his many extraordinary, and often anonymous, acts of charity.

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Book SynopsisA miracle of still-plentiful hair, raw sex-appeal, and strutting talent . The frontman of one of the most influential and controversial groups of all time. A musical genius with a career spanning over four decades. He is a testament to British glamour, the ultimate architect and demi-god of rock.Bestselling biographer Philip Norman offers an unparalleled account of the life of a living legend, Mick Jagger. From Home Counties schoolboy, to rebel without a cause to Sixties rock sensation and global idol, Norman unravels with astonishing intimacy the myth of the inimitable frontman of The Rolling Stones. MICK JAGGER charts his extraordinary journey through scandal-ridden conspiracy, infamous prison spell, hordes of female admirers and a knighthood while stripping away the colossal fame, wealth and idolatry to reveal a story of talent and promise unfulfilled.Understated yet ostentatious; the ultimate incarnation of modern man''s favourite fantasy: ''sex, drugs and rock ''n'' roll'', yet blTrade Review‘Commendable thoroughness, engaging wit and boundless energy, much as Jagger has shown over the decades’ Mail on Sunday ‘Hugely readable’ The Guardian ‘One of Norman’s triumphs in Mick Jagger is to chart the decade’s evolution as well as his progress within it’ Sunday Express ‘The most ambitious and comprehensive Jagger biography to date’ Rolling Stone 'Extremely well researched' Rolling Stone ‘Barnstorming…Norman has ploughed this terrain for much of his career, and brings to his subject both a deep fascination with the ecology of rock'n'roll plus a sharp eye for its absurdities’ The Observer ‘Norman’s book reads like a thrill ride. He captures as well as anybody that magical combination of youth, talent and low rent that would eventually become the Rolling Stones’ The New York Times

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Book SynopsisSmile is not merely a great unfinished album, but a living work of art that is all at once expansive, indeterminate, and resolutely pop. In the early 1960s, The Beach Boys rose from the suburbs of Hawthorne, California to become emissaries of a post-war American dream that fused middle-class aspiration and mobility with images of youth. Led by dream master Brian Wilson, their music gave voice to a Southern California mythos and compelled an audience across the nation and beyond to live out their own versions of the fantasy. By 1966, the encroaching counterculture added new dimensions of creative possibility to popular music. Looking to revise and expand, Brian Wilson sought collaboration with a brilliant musician named Van Dyke Parks. Together they began work on Smile, an ambitious album of music that refracted The Beach Boys’ naïveté into a visionary exploration of American consciousness. Smile edged so close to greatness it seemed destined to become one of the most significant musical advances of its time. But the story didn't end quite like this. In this book of evocative essays, Sanchez traces the musical journey that transformed The Beach Boys from West Coast surf heroes into America’s pop luminaries, and ultimately why Smile represents a tumultuous turning point in the history of popular music.Trade ReviewReviewed -- Bob Baker Fish * CyclicDefrost.com *As the latest edition to the (unfortunately) obscure 33 1/3 series, Smile provides the cultural and historical background to one of rock's most mythical records that almost never happened. Author Luis Sanchez begins with the unique nature of The Beach Boys: a teenage vocal group that streamlined their version of Southern California teen living directly into America's consciousness. Sanchez details the popularity of surfing and surf rock as counterculture, how the Beach Boys were anything but counterculture and how they were able to convey such sincerity through their pop music in a way that anyone who listened could capture the carefree, suburban teen's American dream. As their fame grew to an even level with counterculture rock stars like The Beatles and Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys risked exploring new territory in the realm of pop music, which eventually led to the creation of Smile. The main character behind all of this is the unassuming musical savant Brian Wilson. Sanchez explores the inspirations behind Wilson's genius- from maniacally studying the work of Phil Spector to embracing, rather than rebelling against, the suburban lifestyle. Smile is a deep glance into the formation of pop music and one of its greatest minds. -- Justin Gallegos * SLUG Magazine *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Part One: California Dreams Part Two: The Pop Miseducation of Brian Wilson Part Three: To Catch a Wave Part Four: Smile, Brian Loves You

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Book SynopsisAt the height of Tim Maia's soaring fame, he joined a radical, extraterrestrial-obsessed cult and created two plus albums of some of Brazil'sand the globe'sbest funk and soul music. This book explores the career of the man often hailed as the James Brown or Barry White of Brazil, and the time of his radical transformation from a musician notorious for hedonistic living to a devoted follower of Manoel Jacinto Coelho's Rational Culture.After suddenly joining Coelho's cult in 1974 (which started first as an offshoot of the mystical Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda), Maia gave up drugs and alcohol, threw away his material possessions, and released Racional Vols. 1 & 2 in the attempt to convert the entirety of Brazil and the world to the revelation of Rational Culture. Thayer explores this strange, brief, yet incredibly prolific period of Maia's life wherein the reigning soul and funk artist of Brazil produced two albums, an EP, and a recently unearthed tape containing almost another Trade ReviewLeave it to [33 1/3 Brazil], just launched last year, to weave what may be one of the most page-turning titles in their roster. Pull up a chair; with Tim Maia’s Tim Maia Racional Vols. 1 & 2 , Allen Thayer has a helluva story to tell. * Spectrum Culture *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Tim Maia Irrational, 1942-1973 2. The Band, the Shed and Fatherhood, 1974 Interlude: Seu Manoel & Rational Culture 3. 50 Mescaline, Aliens and Seu Manoel, 1974 4. Tim Maia Racional Vol. 1 (Late 1974) 5. Rational Friends & Family (Early 1975) 6. Tim Maia Racional Vol. 2 (Early-Mid 1975) 7. Tim Maia Racional Vol. 3 and The End of Rationality 8. The Disenchantment 9. Irrational and Loving It 10. Rational Legacy 11. The Rescue and Reconstruction of Tim Maia Racional Vol. 3 Interlude: Carmelo, Tell Me What to Do Conclusion: Tim Maia, a Man in Search of Answers List of Interviews Works Cited Notes Index

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Book SynopsisLondon. Wham! Pop, glitz and glamour. And two girls with stars in their eyes.Our friendship began one windy day in 1982, outside Finsbury Park tube. It was an instant like at first sight. We were on our way to a Wham! rehearsal. Pepsi was the new girl in the band and over a car stereo, a cassette tape and that journey to Bushey we bonded. We had no idea that we were on the first of many journeys together and that soon we'd be travelling all over Europe, Australia, America, China and Japan. Or that no matter where we went, together, we'd find a way to make every exotic destination feel like home.We'd both been teenagers during the seventies – a dreary and difficult decade, especially if you were young in London and you didn't have much money.So, in 1982, anything was possible for us – a pair of twentysomethings who hadn't been to university, who didn't have any money, who dreamt of singing and dancing, but ultimately lived for fun. Everything felt new and life was a question mark. We had no idea what was lying ahead, but we wanted to say yes.What we didn't know was that we were saying yes to a lifetime of connection that has endured whatever we've done, wherever we've been. From the side of the stage to its centre – we have many stories to tell.And it's all here, it's all in black and white.Trade Review'A wonderfully nostalgic read, full of heart' * The Sun *

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Book SynopsisBryan Waterman teaches American literature and culture at New York University. His previous books include, with Cyrus R. K. Patell, The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of New York City.Trade ReviewPenned by Bryan Waterman, the book focuses much of its attention on the four years leading up to the recording of the record in 1977...it offers amazing insight into one of rock's most unsung masterpieces. * Montreal Mirror *Waterman [has done] extensive research, culling from NYU's archive of Richard Hell's papers, rock journalist reviews from the era (Christgau, Bangs, Kent, et al.), and extensive interviews, making sure to maintain the composure of an academic thesis, and not a fan boy rag... what happens when you pull back all the layers of flashbacks and reminiscence is an extensive true story that is still interesting, and echoes long down the volleys of rock history. * Crawdaddy! *[Waterman's book] will delight both Television fans and nostalgists of seventies punk-era New York. * The East Village Local *The New York punk scene of the 1970s doesn’t lack for documentation … That Bryan Waterman still finds something new to say is impressive enough, but he expertly expands the context for Television’s debut album and for the Bowery punk movement within New York’s larger arts scene. At more than 200 pages, it’s one of the longest titles in the series, but each page seems to contain some new idea or discovery. -- Stephen M. Deusner * Pitchfork *Table of Contents1. Biography; 2. The "downtown scene" pre-CBGB; 3. The emergence of the CBGB scene; 4. The Album.

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Book SynopsisJohn Lennon was a rock star, a school clown, a writer, a wit, an iconoclast, a sometime peace activist and finally an eccentric millionaire. He was also a Beatle - his plain-speaking and impudent rejection of authority catching, and eloquently articulating, the group''s moment in history.Chronicling a famously troubled life, Being John Lennon analyses the contradictions in the singer-songwriter''s creative and destructive personality. Drawing on many interviews and conversations with Lennon, his first wife Cynthia and second Yoko Ono, as well as his girlfriend May Pang and song-writing partner Paul McCartney, Ray Connolly unsparingly reassesses the chameleon nature of the perpetually dissatisfied star who just couldn''t stop reinventing himself.Trade ReviewConnolly, the author of Being Elvis, takes a sensible route down the path dividing the saint and the monster inthis careful, thoughtful biography. It's a well-told story, but Connolly has a substantial advantage: as a journalist for the Evening Standard and the Sunday Times, he came to know Lennon well enough to be invited repeatedly to his Berkshire house, Tittenhurst Park ... Yet Connolly wears his acquaintance lightly, never forcing himself into the narrative or sinking into the hideous mateyness that can blight rock biographies ... For Connolly, it is Lennon's insecurities that are ultimately most revealing, rooted in an unsettled childhood in Liverpool's postwar suburbs ... Connolly does all this with quiet expertise, an understated writer who collates all the details into a vivid whole ... [N]either hatchet job nor hagiography, Being John Lennon swerves dead-hero worship. What survives is the complicated, enduringly fascinating man -- Victoria Segal * Sunday Times *Connolly draws on his archive conversations with the Beatles to give a superb portrait of a dissatisfied star who couldn't stop reinventing himself * Daily Telegraph *Connolly tells the story with a fitting, powerful sense of drama. * DAILY MAIL *Connolly perfectly captures the shabby conformism and deference of post-war Britain that the Beatles would help to overturn. He handles their much-told tale with welcome concision ... He deals with the difficult subject of Yoko deftly ... there was never a Saint John - the man in Ray Connolly's account is much more human, and much more lovable * Observer *'[John Lennon] would probably enjoy this very fair biography... Connolly's book presents him as neither saint nor sinner but captures with honesty a complex and fascinating character. Lennon's is an oft-told story but Connolly still unearths nuggets about the insecurities that shaped his life, and the collaboration and rivalry with Macca that created magic * The Sun *An intimate biography that finds much to say that is new about the head Beatle * Choice Magazine *Excellent -- Helen Brown * Daily Telegraph Music Books of the Year *Ray Connolly's Being John Lennon is an excellent portrait of the man. * CHOICE MAGAZINE *

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of Radiohead's game-changing album. Rather than simply reinforcing Kid A's canonical status, it situates the album in the temporal, examining it from various philosophical and cultural interpretations of time in order to arrive at its political and social stakes.Trade Review"A growing Alexandria of rock criticism - Los Angeles Times, 2008 Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't enough - Rolling Stone One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet - Bookslut"Table of ContentsKid Aesthetics; Kid Advertising; Kid Apolitical; Kid Association; Kid Ascension.

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Book Synopsis''The ideal interpreter of the Ring ... a fascinating and valuable study ... absorbing and convincing'' Sunday TimesThe Ring of the Nibelung is one of the greatest works of art created in modern times. Roger Scruton''s brilliant and passionate exploration of the drama, music, symbolism and philosophy of Wagner''s masterpiece - with its themes of love, death, sacrifice and freedom - shows how, ultimately, it expresses the truth about the human condition. ''Highly original and penetrating ... tremendous'' Tim Blanning, Literary Review''A rich, historical account ... After reading this book, only the most unadventurous reader would turn down the chance to see Wagner''s masterpiece'' Economist''A brilliant gallop through the master''s religious, musical and philosophical contexts'' Sue Prideaux, Spectator''Scruton is one of the finest philosopher-musicians since Schopenhauer'' Jonathan Gaisman, StandpointTrade Reviewa masterpiece, all told the best book on Wagner I have ever read -- Michael Tanner * Literary Review *After reading this book, only the most unadventurous reader would turn down the chance to see Wagner's masterpiece. * Economist *Roger Scruton is in many ways the ideal interpreter of the Ring -- Adam Lively * The Sunday Times *Highly original and penetrating ... he writes about the music authoritatively but comprehensibly... lucidly, cogently and even entertainingly -- Tim Blanning * Literary Review *Admirably lucid ... a perceptive and detailed account ... constantly enlightening commentary -- Lucy Beckett * Tablet *

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Book SynopsisINCLUDES COMPLETE JOHN LENNON LYRICS FOR THE FIRST TIMELennon's life after the Beatles was eventful and fascinating. He moved from stardom in the world's biggest pop group to global peace campaigner and figurehead for radical causes. He left England for a new life in the USA with Yoko Ono. He later abandoned public life and retired to his New York apartment to raise their son and live the life of a recluse. In 1980 he re-emerged with a new album, but the plan to resume his career was cruelly curtailed on a fateful night outside the Dakota Building when he was murdered.Upon first publication, this book was the first to examine and assess all of John Lennon's solo work. This updated edition includes lyrics and is released on the 40th anniversary of his death and the 80th anniversary of his birth.Table of ContentsIntroduction • Shining On • John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band • Imagine • Some Time in New York City • Mind Games • Walls and Bridges • Double Fantasy • Milk and Honey • Long Lost John • Discography • Index.

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Book SynopsisRay Padgett is the founder of Cover Me, the largest blog devoted to cover songs on the web, and author of Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time (2017). His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, SPIN, The AV Club, Vice, and MOJO, and he's been interviewed as an expert on cover songs by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, SiriusXM, and dozens more. He lives in Burlington, Vermont and also works as a publicist for Shore Fire Media.Trade ReviewRay Padgett’s deeply-researched, passionately written book did what the very best tribute albums do: Recontextualized and deepened the source material. In the same way that John Cale made listeners hear “Hallelujah” anew, this book made me hear tribute albums like I’d never heard them before. * David Marchese, Columnist, New York Times Magazine *If you read Ray Padgett’s book, and you really should, I guarantee that, if you have the album he’s writing about, you’ll be digging it out to listen with fresh ears. If you don’t have it, you’ll be hitting the internet to check out the album and the covers therein. * Americana UK *Using the famed Leonard Cohen covers collection as its jumping-off point, Ray Padgett’s I’m Your Fan digs into the weird, ever-expanding world of the tribute album. We get a detailed account of how I’m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen came together via revealing interviews with its curators and performers. We learn how the album kickstarted Cohen’s then somewhat-flailing career and—for better or worse—helped turn the then obscure 'Hallelujah' into the ubiquitous standard it is today. We discover that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ version of 'Tower of Song' originally clocked in at over a half-hour. It’s all great stuff. But even more interesting are the various side-trips Padgett takes the reader on: like a chat with the late/great tribute album pioneer Hal Willner ('It’s all my fault isn’t it?' he asks wearily); or a lengthy digression with Juliana Hatfield, a tribute album mainstay who doesn’t really like tribute albums. Like most of the 33 1/3 books, I’m Your Fan is a quick read, but you’ll want to savor this one. * Aquarium Drunkard *I’m Your Fan changed Cohen’s career from a mid-tier, well-regarded songwriter to someone rightfully considered among our finest musical poets. Not many, if any, tribute discs can make a similar claim on their impact. Padgett’s deep dive into the how’s and why’s of that claim make for a quick yet engrossing read. * Rock & Roll Globe *A smart and lively look at a project that was oddly significant in Leonard Cohen’s career – but, beyond that, a long-overdue examination that (partly) redeems the much reviled format of the tribute album. * Alan Light, author of The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah” *I’m Your Fan uses a specific tribute album to explore multiple aspects of music fandom and record culture—how artists channel their influences, how a song’s meaning can change over time, the way formats shape our understanding of music history. A marvelous entry in the 33 1/3 series, even for those who’ve never heard the album in question. * Mark Richardson, former Editor-in-Chief, Pitchfork *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. The Origins of the Tribute Album Interlude: Hal Willner 2. The Idea Behind I'm Your Fan Interlude: Ralph Sall 3. Recording I'm Your Fan 4. Cave and Cale Interlude: Juliana Hatfield 5. The Release of I'm Your Fan Interlude: Jarkko Arjatsolo 6. The 1990s Tribute Album Explosion Interlude: Jim Sampas & Joe Spadaro 7. The Tribute Album Today Notes

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Book SynopsisHank Shteamer is a writer and musician living in Brooklyn. He covers music for Time Out New York, The Wire and various other outlets, including his personal blog, Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches. He also plays in the band STATS.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction: "These guys got no future"—Ween beat the odds Before Chocolate and Cheese, part I: "We both loved to hear ourselves on tape": Ween's humble originsBefore Chocolate and Cheese, part II: Subsidized scribbles: Pure Guava and the underdog mystiqueAfter Chocolate and Cheese: "We can pull off our fantasies"—Ween comes into their own Chocolate and Cheese, part I: The making of... Chocolate and Cheese, part II: The songsChocolate and Cheese, part III: The artworkOutro: "The hardest thing to get"—Ween's autonomy

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Book SynopsisThe intimate and long-awaited memoir of guitar legend Carlos Santana.In 1967 at San Francisco''s Fillmore Auditorium, a young guitarist played a blistering solo that announced a prodigious talent. Two years later he played a historic set at Woodstock, and the world came to know Carlos Santana by name.THE UNIVERSAL TONE is a tale of musical self-determination and self-discovery. It traces his journey from his teen days playing in Tijuana, and the establishment of his signature guitar sound; his roles as husband, father and rock star; and his recording of some of the most influential rock albums of all time, up to and beyond the sensational SUPERNATURAL, which garnered nine Grammy awards. The book abounds with a fearlessness that finds humour in the world of high-flying fame, speaks plainly of personal revelations, and celebrates the divine and infinite possibility Santana sees in each person he meets.Trade ReviewSantana's journey from obscurity and abject poverty to affluence and superstardom is expressed eloquently via an informal conversational style that captures the cadences of his speaking voice ... there's plenty of humour - and tales of rock 'n' roll excess - to offset any overriding sense of sobriety -- Charles Waring * MOJO *[A] testament to [Carlos Santana's] geniality. * NEW STATESMAN *Once you start to explore his life, you will not be able to put the book down * THE BEAT MAGAZINE *In this frank and impassioned memoir, iconic, influential musician Santana ... known for fusing rock and Latin rhythms, weaves together the rhythmic, domestic and spiritual dimensions of his career. Generously reflective and well-balanced ... Charismatic and soulful ... An appreciative and unpretentious chronicle, this is required reading for Santana fans and devotees of classic rock legends * KIRKUS REVIEWS *

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Book SynopsisFrom Prince's superstardom to studio seclusion, this second book in the award-winning Prince Studio Sessions series spotlights how Prince, the biggest rock star on the planet at the time, risked everything to create some of the most introspective music of his four-decade career. Duane Tudahl takes us on an emotional and intimate journey of love, loss, rivalry, and renewal revealed through unprecedented access to dozens of musicians, singers, studio engineers, and others who worked with him and knew him best—with never-before-published memories from the Revolution, the Time, the Family, and Apollonia 6. Also included is a heartfelt foreword by musical legend Elton John about his time and friendship with Prince.Trade ReviewIn this second Prince Studio Sessions series, Tudahl continues to explore the annals of Prince’s voracious creative drive, even while touring the Purple Rain album at a pinnacle of his stardom. Working day-by-day and session-by-session, Tudahl meticulously recreates Prince’s daily timeline in 1985 and 1986 while layering in a heap of technical information about the production process, equipment, and mixes that were created (many vaulted, still unheard). Brief snippets of information provide context for Prince’s surroundings, the people he worked with, and concurrent events, but the focus remains on the music and how it poured out of Prince wherever he was, whether on the road or back at the studio. While these years weren't all glory—Prince sustained blows like the failure of his directorial debut Under the Cherry Moon, his decision not to participate in the “We Are the World” recording, and wavering public opinion after strutting around with his bodyguards at awards shows—it seems to have had little effect on his creativity and productivity. Compulsively readable and hugely useful to researchers, this dense chronology will command the rapt attention of casual fans and scholars alike. -- Booklist (starred review)In this second Prince Studio Sessions series, Tudahl continues to explore the annals of Prince’s voracious creative drive, even while touring the Purple Rain album at a pinnacle of his stardom. Working day-by-day and session-by-session, Tudahl meticulously recreates Prince’s daily timeline in 1985 and 1986 while layering in a heap of technical information about the production process, equipment, and mixes that were created (many vaulted, still unheard). Brief snippets of information provide context for Prince’s surroundings, the people he worked with, and concurrent events, but the focus remains on the music and how it poured out of Prince wherever he was, whether on the road or back at the studio. While these years weren't all glory—Prince sustained blows like the failure of his directorial debut Under the Cherry Moon, his decision not to participate in the “We Are the World” recording, and wavering public opinion after strutting around with his bodyguards at awards shows—it seems to have had little effect on his creativity and productivity. Compulsively readable and hugely useful to researchers, this dense chronology will command the rapt attention of casual fans and scholars alike. * Booklist, Starred Review *Tudahl continues his Prince saga in this laudatory book, which is a meticulously researched day-by-day account of Prince’s songwriting, recording, and live performances during 1985 and 1986. It chronicles the making of the film Under the Cherry Moon and the albums Around the World in a Day, Parade, and Sign o’ the Times. Using interviews with Prince’s fellow musicians and studio engineers, Tudahl painstakingly describes the importance of each stage rehearsal, concert, and song mix, and creates an intimate portrait of the singer, songwriter, and actor. Prince emerges as a controlling, sometimes generous, many times denigrating, wildly creative workaholic who became increasingly imperious after his Purple Rain stardom. The second installment in Tudahl’s Prince chronology is a treasure trove for fans. * Library Journal *The 600-plus-page tome captures Prince’s arguably most creative era in fascinating detail. More than anything else in Prince’s life, the recording sessions and tour dates — i.e. the music — provided the framework for everything else in that life, and Tudahl expertly weaves the details into the music that was made at the time. This book is something fans can savor for months on end. * Variety *Duane Tudahl's work has now become must-reads for Prince aficionados. Prince may be the most important musical artist of the latter half of the twentieth century and this book underlines this with zero fanfare. Just read the magic, as it rolls from day to day. Amazing stuff. * The Aquarian Weekly *A new book by Duane Tudahl, Prince and the Parade & Sign O’ The Times Era Studio Sessions: 1985 and 1986, provides a definitive account of two heady years that followed Prince’s Purple Rain breakthrough, climaxing with his completion of a mammoth three-record set that would be pared down into Sign o’ the Times. * Washington Independent Review of Books *[A] thick daily chronicle of Prince's recording sessions in those two years, which means it's essentially a daily chronicle of Prince's life. As Tudahl documents here (and in his equally essential predecessor volume focusing on the Purple Rain era), days when Prince was in no way involved in a recording project were rare for his entire adult life.... Tudahl's book is a sizable tome, but it's readable throughout: you're left thinking that there are few better ways to understand Prince than to see his life through the lens of the recording studio, which was always his temple. * The Current *For a second time, author and Prince historian Duane Tudahl set out to do something that could never be questioned or contradicted when it came to telling Prince‘s real story. Painstakingly digging through hundreds, if not thousands, of studio work orders, interviews with band members who were there (print and audio), and cross-referencing notes and statements. Then he put it all in chronological order and arduously documented the sources to alleviate any questions any naysayers may have.... The details of Prince‘s work ethic and recording habits are mind boggling and staggering. Even people who claim to know even the smallest details of Prince‘s life have to hand the crown to Duane Tudahl. His exhaustive and comprehensive research was poured over in order to verify and check every detail for authenticity and become the undisputed document of record of Prince‘s life both in and out of the studio.... It is by far the most entertaining and thorough history of Prince that has or will ever exist. Duane Tudahl has accomplished the impossible by capturing lightning in a bottle twice. Through hard work and commitment to honor the legacy of Prince, his in-depth knowledge and storytelling mastery shines on every page. These two books are now the standard by which all books about Prince will be judged. Every Prince fan should add this book to their collection now. * Funkatopia *Presented in diary form across the two years in question, we're granted access to concerts, video shoots, studio sessions and soundchecks, which allows us to track Prince's creative progress. We see in detail how songs grow from a germ of on idea recorded on tape during a soundcheck to becoming some of the most recognizable tracks of oil time. Every recording session is documented, songs taking on various forms, held in the vaults until they find a home on a project. Compiled from hundreds of interviews with a dream wishlist of Prince's closest collaborators, including Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Colemon, Brownmark and Bobby Z, arranger Clare Fischer, sound engineer Susan Rogers, Sheila E and Eric Leeds, Tudahl's book is on access-all­-areas pass to the star's creative hub and the closest thing to being in the studio with him. Contributions from Susannah Melvoin (Prince's girlfriend at the time) offer a rare, more personal side to the star and illustrate how he was impacted by his relentless work ethic and rarely switched off. Meticulously researched, superbly presented - the day-by-day format really is akin to having a peek at Prince's diary. With a handful of previously unpublished photographs, this is on indispensable addition to the collection of any fan of the Purple One. A fascinating insight into the elusive world of Prince during one of his most creative periods, this meticulously researched and respectful account includes insights from hundreds of his collaborators and closest confidantes, resulting in an immersive experience that’s as close to being in the studio with the Purple One as it’s possible to have * Classic Pop Magazine *Duane Tudahl's in-depth research combined with the vast number of people interviewed for this stunning series makes this new book, about perhaps Prince's artistically most interesting time of his career, another must-read. -- jooZt Mattheij, editor of PrinceVault.comThe only thing better than reading about Prince’s music is listening to it. Duane Tudahl inspires us to do both. -- Alan Leeds, tour manager, production manager for PrinceDuane is the quintessential Prince historian. This book will definitely give you accurate insight into his creative process. -- Matt "Dr. Fink" Fink, member of The Revolution, Prince’s keyboard playerDuane Tudahl set the bar high with his previous book. I’m glad to say that the sequel, Prince and the Parade and Sign “O” the Times Era Studio Sessions: 1985 and 1986, is even better. The book contains many interesting musical and lyrical observations by Duane, providing undisputed proof that he is the leading scholar of Prince’s work. -- Per Nilsen, author of The Vault and Dance, Music, Sex, RomanceAn excellent and thorough account of the creative process. A must read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities and vicissitudes of Prince’s musical journey. -- Albert Magnoli, writer and director of Purple RainHistorians and scholars will have Duane Tudahl to thank for the meticulous effort he has brought to understanding Prince Rogers Nelson through the lens of how he spent his days. -- Susan Rogers, Prince's recording engineer (1983-1988)I have often wondered if the legacy of Prince would remain in good hands. After reading Duane Tudahl’s works, I am sure it is. -- Levi Seacer Jr., member of the New Power Generation, Prince’s bass player and guitaristThe work coming from Duane Tudahl is top notch. It’s a singular and superlative work. -- Wendy Melvoin, member of The Revolution, Prince’s guitaristPrince and the Parade and Sign “O” the Times Era Studio Sessions is such an invaluable resource that you'll wonder how you ever tried navigating this transformative period of Prince's work without it. -- Andrea Swensson, host, Minnesota Public Radio's The CurrentThank you Duane for keeping Prince and all of our hard work and legacy’s alive. -- Bobby Z, member of The Revolution, Prince's drummerDuane is the one person who has managed to pull all of the different threads together and represent Prince's work in the best possible way. -- Craig Mortimer-Zhika, Prince MuseumTable of ContentsPrefaceJanuary 1985February 1985March 1985April 1985May 1985June 1985July 1985August 1985September 1985October 1985November 1985December 1985January 1986February 1986March 1986April 1986May 1986June 1986July 1986August 1986September 1986October 1986November 1986December 1986Epilogue

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Book SynopsisA San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller2023 Southwest Book of the Year Selection"The arid land that starts in Arizona and stretches into Mexico's west coast is Ronstadt's foothold in the world. It's a story she has told through music, and now wants to tell through food."—The New York Times"The book is many things at once. It’s a portrait of a place, the Sonoran Desert, and it’s a genealogy of sorts, an archival romp through Ronstadt’s family history."—Vogue"An album of loves for the high desert of Sonora and Ronstadt's hometown of Tucson."—NPRRock and Roll Hall of Famer Linda Ronstadt takes readers on a journey to the place her soul calls home, the Sonoran Desert, in this candid new memoir.In Feels Like Home, Grammy award-winning singer Linda Ronstadt effortlessly evokes the magical panorama of the high desert, a landscape etched by sunlight and carved by wind, offering a personal tour built around meals and memories of the place where she came of age. Growing up the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and a descendant of Spanish settlers near northern Sonora, Ronstadt’s intimate new memoir celebrates the marvelous flavors and indomitable people on both sides of what was once a porous border whose denizens were happy to exchange recipes and gather around campfires to sing the ballads that shaped Ronstadt’s musical heritage. Following her bestselling musical memoir, Simple Dreams, this book seamlessly braids together Ronstadt’s recollections of people and their passions in a region little understood in the rest of the United States. This road trip through the desert, written in collaboration with former New York Times writer Lawrence Downes and illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs by Bill Steen, features recipes for traditional Sonoran dishes and a bevy of revelations for Ronstadt’s admirers. If this book were a radio signal, you might first pick it up on an Arizona highway, well south of Phoenix, coming into the glow of Ronstadt’s hometown of Tucson. It would be playing something old and Mexican, from a time when the border was a place not of peril but of possibility.Trade Review"Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands […] is a way to explain why the arid land that starts in Arizona and stretches into Mexico's west coast is [Ronstadt's] foothold in the world. It's a story she has told through music, and now wants to tell—as much as she can—through food."—The New York Times"The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and descendant of Spanish settlers, explores her family history and the complicated relationship between the US and Mexico in her new book, Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonoran Borderlands. […] In the book and in conversation, her continuing love for the music and culture she grew up with shines through."—Esquire"[Feels Like Home] is most easily described as a memoir. […] In reality the book is many things at once. It’s a portrait of a place, the Sonoran Desert, and it’s a genealogy of sorts, an archival romp through Ronstadt’s family history. It’s about music: 'How a singer is both born and made, learning by singing and being sung to,' in the words of her co-author, the journalist Lawrence Downes. But it’s also about food."—Vogue"Feels Like Home expands on the theme of her musical memoir, Simple Dreams, which was published in 2013. Along with the personal stories that Ronstadt has never before told in full about her ancestors and her childhood in the 1950s and '60s, she also draws attention to the border politics that have impacted the lives of so many immigrants and refugees."—San Francisco Chronicle"[A] travelogue, a memoir, a family history, a photo study, and a cookbook that will transport you to the vast dessert that links Arizona and Mexico."—Boston Globe"Linda Ronstadt's Feels Like Home is an album of loves for the high desert of Sonora and her hometown of Tucson, shown through photos by Bill Steen and pages of her own recollections of family and friends and even—or maybe that's especially—recipes that bring family and friends together with echoes of each other."—NPR"A lively, lovely exaltation of the dry, cactus-studded, indelible Sonoran Desert." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Ronstadt celebrates her roots in this engaging, personal and entertaining hybrid family memoir/cookbook and social history." —Library Journal, starred review"Chock-full of the Mexican ranch recipes Ronstadt learned at home, [Feels Like Home] also recalls a time before walls and politics had driven a wedge between a culture she remembers as 'fluid,' when the Southwest was communal rather than rife with cultural conflict."—The Daily Beast"Is any Tucsonan as beloved as Linda Ronstadt? Likely not, and her celebration of the Sonoran Desert will help cinch the deal. […] Her book is richly illustrated with photographs of people and places and studded with saliva-spurring recipes, but it's Linda Ronstadt's winsome prose that makes it a treasure." —Pima County Library, 2023 Southwest Book of the Year"One of the key questions of Feels Like Home [is] how to validate long-term attachments to and senses of place that are nevertheless those of settlers. This is an important question for U.S. readers, whose familial connections to this country’s legacy of Indigenous dispossession are often left unknown or are blurred behind the discourse of a nation of immigrants. Ronstadt holds the two in tension."—Los Angeles Review of Books"Feels Like Home issues an invitation to sit a while and listen as Ronstadt regales us with warm stories of the ones she loves, the places woven into the fabric of her being, and the food and music that sustain us all."—No Depression"[A] celebration of culture, music, geography, food and family ties that know no borders. It is eloquently told by a singer who has devoted much of her career to transcending musical borders […] [Ronstadt's] memoir is a valentine to her family and the Mexican heritage she has long celebrated in words and music."—San Diego Union-Tribune"Illuminates the culture, food and natural wonders of the Sonoran Desert, which stretches from [Ronstadt's] Arizona childhood home through a large swatch of northern Mexico."—Parade"A must for fans, [Feels Like Home is] a heartfelt homage to [Ronstadt's] Mexican heritage and deep emotional connection to the American Southwest, where the Tucson-born artist grew up. The beloved singer […] writes lyrically about her ancestral homelands and crossing 'and recrossing and crisscrossing' the literal and metaphoric borders between them, 'until it fades to insignificance, like a rubbed-out pencil mark.'"—AARP Magazine"In 2013, Ronstadt wrote a more traditional memoir about her career titled Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir […] Her new book, however, goes much farther back, diving into her personal history, tracing her family’s Mexican roots in Sonora, and fondly recalling how her musical childhood in Arizona shaped her as a performer."—Woman's World"This memoir provides deep insight into Ronstadt’s roots."—Alta Journal"Grammy award-winning singer Linda Ronstadt shares a profoundly moving and visceral memoir and travelog, rooted in place, family heritage, history and food. Co-written with New York Times editor Lawrence Downes, Feels Like Home explores Ronstadt's background long before she became a musical icon. [...] This book digs deep into the linkages that produced her rich body of work and, more importantly, shaped her identity." —BookTrib"A true labor of love and a must-read."—Long Island Weekly"Reading Feels Like Home is a tactile experience that employs the senses. It begins with its beautiful design as a smaller-size coffee table book, printed on fine, thick paper and filled with full-color family photographs and scenes from the Sonoran Borderlands. Twenty recipes, arranged by theme and broken up into batches, follow various sections of the book. These recipes allow readers to experience something that Ronstadt thoroughly enjoys; it is a unique form of immersion into her story through the taste and aroma of food."—BookTrib"Feels Like Home is a memoir with food and a travel book about a handful of families. Ronstadt is at the book’s center, providing a deep understanding of what life was like for those hardy people who settled in the Sonoran desert many years ago, as well as the Indigenous people who lived there for centuries longer."—Orange County Register"Informative yet casual, reading the book feels like a day hanging out with Ronstadt while being amazed by her ordinary demeanor [and] lack of pretense despite her wealth and fame."—Cleburne Times-Review“[A] very sweet-hearted book [...] it hits a lot of sweet spots for what is kind of the perfect coffee table book.”—Mark Athitakis, KJZZ Radio, Phoenix"Ronstadt's tone is friendly, unaffected and disarming. Readers will be enchanted by the genial manner in which she shares details of her background, heritage and personal evolution. This beautiful book, rich in heart and soul, is tremendously enhanced by the wonderful photos taken by Ronstadt's friend Bill Steen. After reading the memoir, fans will come away knowing and loving Linda Ronstadt even more." —Pop Culture Classics“Feels Like Home invites us on an exquisite journey of beauty, adventure and history. It’s a magical trip you don’t want to miss. This book will fill your heart, your soul and your spirit. We need that now more than ever.”—Dolores Huerta, labor organizer and civil-rights activist“Feels Like Home is personal and revealing—with vivid portraits of her forebears who immigrated first to Northern Mexico and then Tucson, Arizona, with striking photographs, family letters, and an array of recipes and songs, she weaves together an unforgettable tale of her life and talented musical family. This is quintessentially an American story—touching, and well worth reading.”—Jerry Brown, former governor of CaliforniaTable of ContentsContents Introduction by Lawrence DownesA Note from Linda on the Recipes 1. Where the Water Turns 2. Desert PeopleSidebar: A Letter to FrancisSidebar: Saints and Angels 3. Margarita’s Letters 4. Mi PuebloSidebar: Lupe and Fred: A Love StorySidebar: Aunt Luisa’s LettersSidebar: Let’s Talk Horses 5. La FronteraSidebar: Casa Alitas 6. The Mission Garden 7. Canelo Diary 8. Desert Cattle 9. El Futuro 10. Coda: My Dream Song ListGratitudeAbout the Authors

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Book SynopsisAccording to Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and the late Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy is the greatest blues guitarist of all time. An enormous influence on these musicians as well as Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck, he is the living embodiment of Chicago blues. Guy's epic story stands at the absolute nexus of modern blues. He came to Chicago from rural Louisiana in the fifties—the very moment when urban blues were electrifying our culture. He was a regular session player at Chess Records. Willie Dixon was his mentor. He was a sideman in the bands of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. He and Junior Wells formed a band of their own. In the sixties, he became a recording star in his own right. When I Left Home tells Guy's picaresque story in his own unique voice, that of a storyteller who remembers everything, including blues masters in their prime and the exploding, evolving culture of music that happened all around him. Trade ReviewKirkus, 2/15/12 "Tasty as a Buddy Guy guitar lick." Library Journal, 3/1/12 "Guy is a vibrant and hilarious storyteller. With a natural ease and honesty, he captures the spirit of the age, the culture of violence in the clubs, and the personalities of his colleagues...Highly recommended for any fan of Guy and those interested in the history of blues music." Publishers Weekly, 4/16/12 "As mesmerizing a storyteller as a guitarist, Guy, writing with Ritz, regales readers with tales of growing up picking cotton in rural Alabama, of seeing his first guitar and standing transfixed in front of Lightning Slim for several hours just memorizing the movements of Slim?s hands, of his father?s friend buying his first guitar for him, and of his endless efforts to play the blues as he had heard and seen Slim and others play...Guy?s memoir is a joyous celebration of the blues, one of our greatest musical treasures." Chicago Magazine, May 2012 "[A] must-read autobiography...What makes the breezy and revealing book special is its ability to bring history--Guy?s own, as well as that of Chicago blues--to life." Internet Review of Books, 4/6/12 "Buddy makes his life come alive...Told in his own style and language, the book reads more like a blues song than an actual book, each verse telling a different story. And what stories they are...Buddy's book is as colourful as the blues...If you're looking for a reasonably unvarnished account of the blues life, Buddy has it here...The book is funny, sad, tragic, lusty, honest, loving and insightful. Just like the blues. Just like Buddy Guy. If you love the blues and all that it means, you should love this book." Houston Press, 5/8/12 "In this memoir, the story of [Guy?s] life is also the tale of the music itself of the past 50-plus years...There?s a treasure trove of stories here." BluesPowR blog, 5/10/12 "When I Left Home covers an amazing amount of ground in its close to 300 pages...Relayed in a simple, conversational manner, the book does a terrific job of documenting the life of one of blues music's biggest living stars, making it a must-read for any fan of the blues...When I Left Home isn't, as the title indicates, just Buddy's story; in many respects, this is a story of the blues."

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Book SynopsisThe highly acclaimed dual biography of father and son Tim and Jeff Buckley, two of the most enduring musical icons of the late 20th-century When Jeff Buckley drowned in 1997, the music world was shaken to its foundations, not least because of the echoes of his father Tim’s demise. He too had been a brilliant and innovative musician with an extraordinary five-octave voice; and he too had died young, twenty-eight in fact, after an accidental drugs overdose. But there the similarities end. Jeff hardly knew Tim, spending little more than a few weeks with him as a boy. Their careers were very different, Tim releasing eight albums in his lifetime, including the beautiful HappySad and the extraordinary and still out-there Starsailor, while Jeff released just one – the brilliant Grace, generally acknowledged as one of the great albums of the 1990s. More than just a biography of two musicians, Dream Brother is the story of what happens when The Business hooks up with The Artist, ultimately to neither’s benefit.Trade Review‘Are the Buckleys the Kennedys of rock ‘n’ roll – talented but cursed?…A highly accomplished, dual biography by the well-respected writer David Browne has dug deep into both men's lives and the entire Buckley family history to throw some light on this enigmatic tale. Extensively researched and featuring previously unpublished letters and diaries, Dream Brother does a great service to the legacy of these two talented musicians.’ Irish Times ‘David Browne is a sensitive and committed writer eminently qualified to write the book his subjects so richly deserve…There is a wealth of detail and a series of memorable vignettes which will fascinate those who have embraced “Starsailor” and “Blue Afternoon” or “Grace and Live At Sin-E” as part of their lives.’ Uncut ‘A rich and moving portrait of two damaged, gifted people.’ Esquire

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThe Rolling Stones have long been considered one of the greatest rock-and-roll bands of all time. At the forefront of the British Invasion and heading up the counterculture movement of the 1960s, the Stones' innovative music and iconic performances defined a generation, and fifty years later, they're still performing to sold-out stadiums around the globe. Yet, as the saying goes, behind every great man is a greater woman, and behind these larger-than-life rockstars were four incredible women whose stories have yet to be fully unpacked. . . until now.In Parachute Women, Elizabeth Winder introduces us to the four women who inspired, styled, wrote for, remixed, and ultimately helped create the legend of the Rolling Stones. Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull, Marsha Hunt, and Bianca Jagger put the glimmer in the Glimmer Twins and taught a group of straight-laced boys to be bad. They opened the doors to subterranean art and alternative lifestyles, turned them on to Russian literature, occult practices, and LSD. They connected them to cutting edge directors and writers, won them roles in art house films that renewed their appeal. They often acted as unpaid stylists, providing provocative looks from their personal wardrobes. They remixed tracks for chart-topping albums, and sometimes even wrote the actual songs. More hip to the times than the rockers themselves, they consciously (and unconsciously) kept the band current--and confident--with that mythic lasting power they still have today.Lush in detail and insight, and long overdue, Parachute Women is a group portrait of the four audacious women who transformed the Stones into international stars, but who were themselves marginalized by the male-dominated rock world of the late '60s and early '70s. Written in the tradition of Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us, it's a story of lust and rivalries, friendships and betrayals, hope and degradation, and the birth of rock and roll.

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Book SynopsisPresents an examination of the classic "Pavement" album, including interviews with band members and record label staff. This book pays attention to Malkmus' growth as a musician and songwriter, both of which are evident everywhere on Wowee Zowee.Trade ReviewCharles puts himself in the center of the book—we read about his aimless college years in Michigan and his discovery of Pavement, whose songs initially seem half hearted, even bratty, but actually contain an undertow of emotion that's hard to articulate. Charles' writing is the same way. He succinctly captures the flavor of being in one's late teens and early 20s without going into unnecessary detail. Finishing school, he undergoes that arduous, interminable crisis of figuring out what to do with life, discovering that one of the only things that still makes sense is Pavement. Charles returns to the band time and again, the music weaving a thread through his life. The book includes unvarnished interviews with members of the band, providing an honest, first-person account of the making of the record. But the heart of the book isn't Pavement; it's Charles, and novelist or no, he has turned in one of the best pieces of rock journalism in recent memory—a no-bullshit, heartfelt manifesto of fandom. * The Portland Mercury *At the core of every 33 1/3 book is the question of roping in readers who may be unfamiliar with the band or album, but Charles is able to resituate Pavement as the everyman band they were during the 90s payday. From tales of major label flirtations (which the band is quick to dismiss as nothing more than random dalliances with the powers-that-be) to the band's reputation as slackers (which finds Stephen Malkmus tossing aside by pointing out the band's relentless touring schedule), Charles covers much more than the time period of Wowee Zowee without abandoning the album's specific importance in their catalog. Part history lesson, part fanzine love letter, Bryan Charles has written a book that is as ambitious and yet as untethered as his subject matter. * Tiny Mix Tapes *[Charles has written] an oral history about the genesis and recording of Pavement's Wowee Zowee album that is infused with his own personal fandom of the band. Charles paints a vivid picture of the band as it wrote and recorded the album through interviews with band members and the creatives who surrounded the production of the album, all the while sharing his own experiences with the album and as a Pavement fan.Mixing the album's history with Charles' own works exceedingly well, and captures not only the essence of Pavement when they recorded Wowee Zowee, but also the indie rock culture of the time. * Largehearted Boy *Pavement’s third album isn’t the most obvious choice for a 33 1/3 book … But the series is more concerned with telling new stories than in re-telling old ones, and Bryan Charles relishes the opportunity to argue for a personal favorite. Wowee Zowee may have been a flop (he even admits a ‘lack of excitement’ when he first heard it), but he shows how the album has gradually revealed a new cohesiveness governing its scattershot aesthetic over the last two decades and how it is now revered by the same listeners who initially shrugged their shoulders. -- Stephen M. Deusner * Pitchfork *

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Book SynopsisTransformer, Lou Reed''s most enduringly popular album, is described with varying labels: it''s often called a glam rock album, a proto-punk album, a commercial breakthrough for Lou Reed, and an album about being gay. And yet, it doesn''t neatly fit into any of these descriptors. Buried underneath the radio-friendly exterior lie coded confessions of the subversive, wounded intelligence that gives this album its staying power as a work of art. Here Lou Reed managed to make a fun, accessible rock''n''roll record that is also a troubled meditation on the ambiguitiessexual, musical and otherwisethat defined his public persona and helped make him one of the most fascinating and influential figures in rock history. Through close listening and personal reflections, songwriter Ezra Furman explores Reed''s and Transformer''s unstable identities, and the secrets the songs challenge us to uncover.Trade ReviewWhat Furman has written serves as more than a mere essay on Lou Reed; it’s also a consideration of how the notion of queerness has evolved over time and what Reed meant both to queer culture and to Furman as a person. In its exploration of the nature of art and the artist in its portrayal of marginalized communities, Transformer is a welcome addition to the ever-growing 33 1/3 library. * Spectrum Culture *Rarely does longform music criticism get this personal, but Furman’s willingness to be vulnerable as he excavates Transformer makes his debut book an incisive and necessary read. * Pitchfork *…an intimate analysis… Arriving as it did, around the time of Grant Hart’s death only serves to give the book deeper impact. * Palette *Table of ContentsIntroduction Lou the Queer Lou the Failure Lou and Bowie Side One "Vicious" - Lou & Hate "Andy's Chest" - Lou & Warhol "Perfect Day" - Lou & Bettye "Hangin' Round" - Lou & Coolness "Walk on the Wild Side" - Lou & the Underworld Side Break: Lou in the Closet / Transformer in Code Side Two "Make Up" - Lou & Gender "Satellite of Love" - Lou & Pop "Wagon Wheel" - Lou & Laziness "New York Telephone Conversation" - Lou & New York "I'm So Free" - Lou & Freedom "Goodnight Ladies" - Lou & Lonliness Outro: The Man Himself Enormous Thanks

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Book SynopsisHe is known as the Mark Twain of American songwriting, a man who transformed the everyday happenings of regular people into plainly profound statements on war, industrialization, religion, and the human condition. Marking the 50th anniversary of the album's release, John Prine chronicles the legendary singer-songwriter's Middle American provenance, and his remarkable ascent from singing mailman to celebrated son of Chicago.Illegal Smile, Hello in There, Sam Stone, Paradise, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Far from Me, Donald and Lydia, and Angel from Montgomery are considered standards in the American Songbook, covered by legions of Prine's peers and admirers. Through original interviews, exhaustive research, and incisive commentary, author Erin Osmon paints an in-depth portrait of the people, places, and experiences that inspired Prine's landmark debut.After exploring his roots in rural Western Kentucky and suburban Maywood, Illinois, the book takes readers oTrade ReviewErin Osmon’s new book on John Prine, his eponymous 1971 debut, is a gift for fans of the plainspoken singer and this career-making album. * Chicago Reader *Osmon writes about the history of Prine's musical beginnings right up to when his debut was released and how the importance of that record has grown, establishing Prine as one of America's great songwriters. * BETA - Wisconsin Public Radio *Extensively researched while economically written, you couldn’t ask for a better literary guide to an Americana classic. * Spectrum Culture *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments 1. Ten Miles West 2. Down by the Green River 3. We Come for to Sing 4. A Winning Hunch 5. The Singing Mailman 6. And Then He Has You 7. The Earl 8. The Best Damned Songwriter 9. The Bitter End 10. Thinking and Feeling 11. Midwestern Mindtrips Notes Bibliography

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Book Synopsis(Percussion). Neil Peart''s ten appearances on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine span the years 1980, when he was five albums and several tours into his historic run with the Canadian progressive rock band Rush, and 2020, the year of his passing. No other drummer has come close to appearing so many times on the front of a drum publication, certainly not the world''s most recognized one. This, the first installment in Modern Drummer magazine''s Legends book series, collects all nine of Peart''s cover stories, plus the complete contents of his May 2020 Modern Drummer tribute issue. Highlights include analyses of Neil''s performances on every Rush studio album, a survey of the evolution of his famous live drumkits, transcriptions of deep Rush cuts, dozens of photos, and much more.

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Book Synopsis2019 marks the golden anniversary of the mass musical gatherings that saw the hippie generation at their 1969 zenith. Two events stand out, staged within days of each other that magical August: in the United States, there was Woodstock, and in the UK the Isle of Wight Festival of Music. Woodstock drew 400,000 fans and a quality bill that was a Who's Who of contemporary talent - all bar the main man the organisers hoped to lure on the doorstep of his home, Bob Dylan. Instead, Dylan opted to headline at the Isle of Wight, in front of close to 200,000 adoring fans. Here Bill Bradshaw celebrates the events of that summer 50 years on... and how the Isle of Wight, off England's southern coast, staged what was then the nation's biggest festival - and how it pulled off such a huge coup. Eye-witness accounts from fans, artists and the promoters bring alive that gilded summer and how it influenced both Dylan and the rock festival movement for generations to come.

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Book SynopsisA compelling portrait of composer-performer Julius Eastman's enigmatic and intriguing life and music. Composer-performer Julius Eastman (1940-90) was an enigma, both comfortable and uncomfortable in the many worlds he inhabited: black, white, gay, straight, classical music, disco, academia, and downtown New York. His music, insistent and straightforward, resists labels and seethes with a tension that resonates with musicians, scholars, and audiences today. Eastman's provocative titles, including Gay Guerrilla, Evil Nigger, Crazy Nigger, and others, assault us with his obsessions. Eastman tested limits with his political aggressiveness, as reflected in legendary scandals like his June 1975 performance of John Cage's Song Books, which featured homoerotic interjections, and the uproar over his titles at Northwestern University. These episodes are examples of Eastman's persistence in pushing the limits of the acceptable in the highly charged arenas of sexual and civil rights. In addition to analyses of Eastman's music, the essays in Gay Guerrilla provide background on his remarkable life history and the era's social landscape. The book presents an authentic portrait of a notable American artist thatis compelling reading for the general reader as well as scholars interested in twentieth-century American music, American studies, gay rights, and civil rights. This Life of Sounds: Evenings for New Music inBuffalo received an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for excellence. Mary Jane Leach is a composer and freelance writer, currently writing music and theatre criticism for the Albany Times-Union.Trade ReviewJulius Eastman enjoyed the admiration of peers such as Morton Feldman, Meredith Monk and Pierre Boulez. Here, highly engaging essays by those who knew Eastman well recall him as a person and assess his brilliance. While there are amusing anecdotes about his more madcap moments...the overall message is that he was an artist deserving of significant respect. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *[Eastman's work] effectively rewrote the history of post-war American New Music, restoring to its narrative a gay black voice creating a liberating, high-energy form of organic minimalism. * THE GUARDIAN *It is eminently readable throughout. * JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC STUDIES *[The book will be] a starting point for others who want to engage with Julius Eastman as a performer, scholar, or composer. * ARSC JOURNAL *A picture of [Eastman]--charismatic performer, magnetic personality and emotional escape artist--that puts his work in a context larger and more representative. * BAY AREA REPORTER *A composer of visionary power, a singer with a cavernous bass voice, a collaborator with the diverse likes of Meredith Monk and Pierre Boulez, Eastman had long been a fixture of the New York Music scene....Part of the pleasure of Eastman's rediscovery has been the belated, deserving reinsertion of a black, gay figure into music history. * THE NEW YORK TIMES *Outspoken about his own identity as a black queer man...Eastman was ahead of his time. His music is politics by other means, in search of a form, alighting toward a future that could grant him dignity, when he could be something other than an abstraction. * THE NEW YORKER *A fascinating new collection of essays exploring the life and work of the enigmatic composer Julius Eastman...who worked fluently in jazz, improvisation and acoustical experiments. An indication of his impact is the very fact that so many people have come together [in this book] to remember him and are actively championing his music. * ALBANY TIMES-UNION *The publication of this rigorously researched, lovingly produced, multidimensional study of a singular artist will surely be met with joy by those of us who remember Julius Eastman--the inspired creator, the sly provocateur and martyred saint of the avant-garde. For those who are interested in iconoclasts of whatever stripe, this volume will be a revelation and an invitation to rethink what composition, performance, and life at the precipice of madness can be.-- -- Bill T. Jones, choreographer and dancerThis book has arrived just in time for Black Lives Matter and gets my deepest praise. This important volume of essays brought forth by two brilliant women who have long championed Eastman's music, belongs in every music conservatory library and beyond.-- -- Pauline Oliveros, composerTable of ContentsForeword by George E. Lewis Acknowledgments Introduction: Julius Eastman and His Music - Renee Levine Packer Julius Eastman, A Biography - Renee Levine Packer Unjust Malaise - David Borden The Julius Eastman Parables - R. Nemo Hill Julius Eastman and the Conception of "Organic Music" - Kyle Gann Julius Eastman Singing - John Patrick Thomas An Accidental Musicologist Passes the Torch - Mary Jane Leach A Flexible Musical Identity: Julius Eastman in New York City, 1976-90 - Ryan Dohoney Evil Nigger: A Piece for Multiple Instruments of the Same Type by Julius Eastman (1979), with Performance Instructions by Joseph Kubera - David Borden A Postminimalist Analysis of Julius Eastman's Crazy Nigger - Andrew Hanson-Dvoracek "The Piece Does Not Exist without Julius": Still Staying on Stay On It - Matthew Mendez Connecting the Dots - Mary Jane Leach Gay Guerrilla: A Minimalist Choralphantasie - Luciano Chessa Appendix: Julius Eastman Compositions - Mary Jane Leach Chronology Selected Bibliography List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisFinally, after all that waiting, The Future arrived in 1980. Ohio art-rockers Devo had plainly prepared with their 1979 second LP Duty Now for the Future, and now it was go time. Propelled by the new decade's high-tech, free-market, pre-AIDS promise, 1980's Freedom of Choice would rocket what Devo co-founder Gerald Casale calls his "alternate universe, hermetically sealed, alien band" both into the arms of the Earthlings and back to their home planet in one scenic trip. Before an artistic and commercial decline that resulted in a 20-year gap between Devo's last two studio records, Freedom of Choice made them curious, insurgent superstars, vindicated but ultimately betrayed by the birth of MTV. Their only platinum album represented the best of their unreplicable code: dead-serious tricksters, embracing conformity in order to destroy it with bullet-proof pop sensibility. Through first-hand accounts from the band and musical analysis set against an examination of new wave's emergence, the first-ever authorized book about Devo (with a foreword by Portlandia's Fred Armisen) explores the group's peak of success, when their hermetic seal cracked open to let in mainstream attention, a legion of new Devotees, and plenty of misunderstandings. "Freedom of Choice was the end of Devo innocence–it turned out to be the high point before the s***storm of a total cultural move to the right, the advent of AIDS, and the press starting to figure Devo out and think they had our number," says Casale. "It's where everything changes."Trade ReviewEvie Nagy's 33 1/3 book on Devo's Freedom of Choice is fantastic, nerdy, swift and meticulous, and the book you have been waiting for if you even like Devo a little bit. * Jessica Hopper, Senior Editor, Pitchfork *...a solid look back at the point where everything changed for Devo ... Nagy gets Devo’s mix of nerdishness, humour, and serious political intent … bringing together new quotes from Devo members, others involved with the album, people from Devo’s circle over the years, as well as bits from contemporary articles to tell a story that’s well worth reading for anyone interested alternative music or 1980s pop culture. * TheFifteenth *Interview -- PopMattersExcerpted -- Rolling StoneInterview * Bedford and Bowery *Excerpted * Fast Company *Nagy’s look at Devo offers some great anecdotes for the spuds out there. There are coked-out stories about the band in the studio and on the road, as well as a look at how the oddball aesthetic of Devo left its fingerprints on nerd culture over the last few decades, maybe even initiating the whole geek chic thing. -- Hubert Vigilla * Ruby Hornet *Nagy has conducted interviews with the remaining Devo members, has quoted extensively from interviews and has told in detail the history of the album including the elaborate studio sessions with producer Robert Margouleff ... This is compulsory reading for fans. * HHV-mag (Bloomsbury translation) *Get straight! Go forward! There's no Hazmat jacket required to whip through Freedom of Choice, which motors through Devo's rich history with all the relentless precision and curveball flourishes of their greatest works, and—best of all—vividly renders the very human souls behind the automaton anthems that devolutionized an era." * Sean Howe, author of Marvel Comics: The Untold Story *“Spuds will love the nostalgia and the insiders' information in Devo's Freedom of Choice … Non-spuds who think of Devo as a one-hit wonder will be surprised to read of Devo's impact and musical influence. Spuds and non-spuds alike will want to dust off their old LPs or cassettes, or pull up some songs on YouTube, and relive the early days of Devo, a great band ahead of its time.” * Reading Glutton *Table of ContentsForeword by Fred Armisen Introduction 1. Girl U Want Look at you with your mouth waterin', look at you with your mind spinnin'. Why don't we just admit it's all over? 2. It's Not Right I sit around in a trance all day and think about you all the time. 3. Whip It Go forward, move ahead, try to detect it, it's not too late. 4. Snowball Like a snowball grows, until it gets too big. Until she lost control. And it rolled back down. 5. Ton O' Love Take your turn, now make your move. Crush that doubt with a ton o' love. 6. Freedom of Choice Freedom of choice is what you got, freedom from choice is what you want. 7. Gates of Steel Half a goon and half a God, a man's not made of steel. 8. Cold War I owe you absolutely nothing. 9. Don't You Know I got a rocket in my pocket, but I don't know what to do. 10. That's Pep! Vigor, vim, vitality and punch. 11. Mr. B's Ballroom Yellin', laughin' tryin' hard to act smart, we put 'em under pressure and you watch them fall apart. 12. Planet Earth Planet Earth, it's a place to live your life. Acknowledgments Notes

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Book SynopsisGet a completely new look at guitar legend Eddie Van Halen with this groundbreaking oral history, composed of more than fifty hours of interviews with Eddie himself as well as his family, friends, and colleagues.When rock legend Eddie Van Halen died of cancer on October 6, 2020, the entire world seemed to stop and grieve. Since his band Van Halen burst onto the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1978, Eddie had been hailed as an icon not only to fans of rock music and heavy metal, but to performers across all genres and around the world. Van Halen's debut sounded unlike anything that listeners had heard before and remains a quintessential rock album of the era. Over the course of more than four decades, Eddie gained renown for his innovative guitar playing, and particularly for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique. Unfortunately for Eddie and his legions of fans, he died before he was ever able to put his life down to paper in his own words, and much of his compelling backstory has remained elusiveuntil now. In Eruption, music journalists Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill share with fans, new and old alike, a candid, compulsively readable, and definitive oral history of the most influential rock guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. It is based on more than 50+ hours of unreleased interviews they recorded with Eddie Van Halen over the years, most of them conducted at the legendary 5150 studios at Ed's home in Los Angeles. The heart of Eruption is drawn from these intimate and wide-ranging talks, as well as conversations with family, friends, and colleagues. In addition to discussing his greatest triumphs as a groundbreaking musician, including an unprecedented dive into Van Halen's masterpiece 1984, the book also takes an unflinching look at Edward's early struggles as young Dutch immigrant unable to speak the English language, which resulted in lifelong issues with social anxiety and substance abuse. Eruption: Conversations with Eddie Van Halen also examines his brilliance as an inventor who changed the face of guitar manufacturing.As entertaining as it is revealing, Eruption is the closest readers will ever get to hearing Eddie's side of the story when it comes to his extraordinary life.

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Book SynopsisOne of the true musical geniuses of the late 20th and early 21st century, Richard D. James has continued to be a pioneer in the electronic music landscape throughout his prolific, multi-faceted career. James, under his myriad of aliases, laid the foundation for ambient techno, drill 'n' bass and dark ambient across the span of six phenomenal studio albums and a multitude of EPs and side projects. Alongside this, he crafted a unique visual identity, expressed through his iconic logo and video collaborations with Chris Cunningham. If that wasn't enough, he has become a figurehead for artists as diverse as Thom Yorke and Pharrell Williams. Year by year, the mythos surrounding him continues to grow, ensuring he remains as culturally prevalent as ever. With no new, officially released music since 2020, this book marks the perfect opportunity to track the course of James' sizeable catalogue. From the well-known to the obscure, the rapid bursts of activity in the 1990s to the so-called 'hiatus' in the 2000s, every corner of this formidable discography is examined in vivid detail, providing insight and an impetus to discover to new listeners and hardcore fans in equal measure.

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Book SynopsisA stunning musical biography of Stevie Nicks that paints a portrait of an artist, not a caricature of a superstar. Reflective and expansive,Mirror in the Skysituates Stevie Nicks as one of the finest songwriters of the twentieth century. This biography from distinguished music historian Simon Morrison examines Nicks as a singer and songwriter before and beyond her career with Fleetwood Mac, from the Arizona landscape of her childhood to the strobe-lit Night of 1000 Stevies celebrations. The book uniquely: Analyzes Nicks's craftthe grain of her voice, the poetry of her lyrics, the melodic and harmonic syntax of her songs. Identifies the American folk and country influences on her musical imagination that place her within a distinctly American tradition of women songwriters. Draws from oral histories and surprising archival discoveries to connect Nicks's story to those of California's above- and underground music industries, innovations in recording technology, and gendered restrictions.Trade Review"Written with respect and admiration, Mirror in the Sky analyzes Stevie Nicks’s music with care, noting how it expressed the sentiments of a generation." * Foreword Reviews *"Morrison’s extensively researched biography does not shy away from Nicks’s battles with addiction and emphasizes how as a woman musician, she has had to work harder and be better than the men around her. Nicks fans will appreciate Morrison’s care in the details of her songwriting and the song production." * Library Journal *"Stevie Nicks the artist whirls to life in these pages, a woman fiercely committed to her own blazing imagination and powers of perception. With meticulous research, a light touch and understated wit, Simon Morrison charts the rise in influence of Fleetwood Mac's black-laced, iron-willed sylph, whose irrepressible freedom continues to haunt the past and present of popular music and female artistry." * Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post *[E]nlightening . . . I enjoyed reading Mirror in the Sky . . . Most important, Morrison sent me back to Nicks’s catalogue, including gems I’d overlooked or missed." * Air Mail *"A richly crafted yet never fawning biography of one of rocks most beloved and iconic artists. Awe inspiring in detail but never too technical, Morrison writes a highly accessible book for both the casual fan and the true aficionado. One comes away with a heightened appreciation for Nicks musical talent as well as her very unique journey. One of the best written and most articulate music biographies in recent memory." * Eddie Dalva, Executive Vice President, MTV Networks *"There are lots of music biographies out there, but few are as in-depth, intelligently written, and expertly researched as Mirror in the Sky. Penned by Simon Morrison, the book extends beyond a simple recap of the events, as it analyzes the songwriting craft of Nicks, places her within a greater artistic context of American folk and country, and dives deep into the archives to produce the most accurate account possible." * Consequence Sound *"[Morrison’s] narrative centers on Stevie’s remarkable gifts as a songwriter, musical artist, and visionary, which have been historically downplayed by journalists and even her musical partners. Delving into the 'fandom,' Mirror in the Sky is refreshingly different from past books on Stevie Nicks." * Stevie Nicks info site *"A warmly affectionate and discerning critical biography." * Stuart Mitchner *"The analyses of Nicks’s songs, both monumental and lesser lights, are spellbinding. . . . Another important note about this book is Morrison’s respectful voice and tone in his interpretation of Nicks’s persona and of feminism in general. . . . I strongly recommend this biography for all collections of popular music." * Notes *"Mirror in the Sky would make a great addition to any academic library or public library music collection. Simon Morrison has experience writing for both academic and general audiences, and Mirror in the Sky reflects an academic writing style through his attention to detail within research while providing a story enjoyable for any rock music fan." * Music Reference Services Quarterly *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Crystal Visions 1. StephanieA.J. • Fritz • Van Nuys • Alabama 2. Stevie"Landslide" • "Rhiannon" • Glunk Glunk • BDE • The White Album • Rumours • “Dreams” • Maryland • “I Don’t Want to Know” • Love and Hate • Tusk • "Angel" • "Sara" • “Storms” • Luna • Disappeared Years • The Kingston Trio • "The Goldfish and the Ladybug" 3. Bella Donna"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" • Age of Seventeen • "After the Glitter Fades" • "Bella Donna" • Face to Face • Sharon and Lori • Ghosts • "Designs of Love" • “Gypsy” • The Wild Heart • "Beauty and the Beast" • "Stand Back" • Joe • "Don't Come Around Here No More" • Rock a Little • Live at Red Rocks 4. Sara "Welcome to the Room, Sara" • Tango in the Night • "Joan of Arc" • Rupert • The Nadir • Twister • Trouble in Shangri-La • Say You Will • Someone She Used to Know • In Your Dreams • Fred and Ginger • MusiCares 5. 24 Karat GoldExcept for Mabel • Mabel Conclusion: A Thousand Stevies Acknowledgments Appendix 1: Demos Appendix 2: Fandom Notes Index

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Book SynopsisUlrich thinks he got the ultimate fan trip-to play, record, and tour with his favourite band, Dead Can Dance. His memoir details the early days, from signing with 4AD, recording their first album, then heading off on tour with the Cocteau Twins. There follow insights into the legendary period of the 4AD label of the 1980s; contributing to This Mortal Coil; guesting with Wolfgang Press, Pieter Nooten and Michael Brook, and Modern English; and touring the US for the first time in 1990. Following his departure from DCD, Ulrich remained close with Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard, and his memoir tracks their parallel paths over the following decades. A must for fans of Dead Can Dance and the 4AD label, and at the same time, a fascinating slalom through the ups and downs of trying to pursue a vision through the music industry.Trade Review"...[G]reat book... one of the best memoirs I have read... honest, open and while very in-depth it is a fun and interesting book to read... You do not have to be a fan of Dead Can Dance, but if you are not, you will be once you have finished reading it." —Aaron Badgley, Spill Magazine"This book really does capture so much, so well, what it was like in the early days, both for struggling artists and the fledgling independent label community.” —Ivo Watts-Russell, founder 4AD Records"Getting a glimpse into the crucible of creation/re-creation was exhilarating...Through this memoir you can enjoy the view too, and see the inner world of a seminal and highly influential band as they rise into success." —Benjamin Schreihals, Gothic Beauty Magazine"A thoroughly absorbing memoir, filled with fascinating detail." —Joanne Harris, author"[Ulrich is] a natural writer, deftly weaving in tales of life... and affording cameos to those who burned brightly. A historical document of a vast musical landscape, this will fascinate those who weren't there, and make misty those of us who were." —Jane Cornwell, Songlines Magazine"Well, what a journey...fantastic read." —Paul Erikson, original bassist of Dead Can Dance"...in-depth memoir... very exciting... all those tiny details we wanted... Highly recommended." —Klemen Breznikar, It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine"...the book...It's great! Tower Ballroom, Edgbaston - my first DCD gig. Lisa came on with a teacup and saucer." —Glen Johnson, founder, singer, guitarist of Piano Magic"...highly collectable piece of fan memorabilia for DCD devotees. Furthermore... richly descriptive recollections of the adventures in sound... other 4AD projects, including This Mortal Coil... a solo career and further collaborations... his preoccupation with possibilities of instrumentation reveals a unique passion... Ulrich's devotion to the cause is impeccable."—Bryony Hegarty, Louder Than War"...a real treat to recall my own collaboration with Peter and our insanely eclectic adventures in creating The Painted Caravan trilogy." —Treboy (Big T) Lloyd, founder, writer, producer of The Peter Ulrich Collaboration, head of City Canyons LLC"Lively and entertaining... with sterling levels of recall... A voluminous, lengthy, extensive five stars." —John Lloyd, Fox Books, Leicester, UK"A wonderful and fascinating personal story... so many nuances and parts of the story that I didn’t realise... and... a lot of forgotten memories."—Steve Webbon, Beggars Group"Part autobiography, part band biog, this is nothing if not unorthodox, but fully in keeping with the band that inspired it... the self-taught percussionist was closely involved in some of their defining records and shows, and his insights are often illuminating... Engagingly written"—Johnny Sharp, PROG Magazine"...just finished the book... absolutely loved it!" —Greg Fasolino, "one of the foremost Goth and Post-Punk historians in the world (post-punk.com)""...that story you tell about a dinner in Venice and then you present Lisa's completely different recollection of the same event... I love that! We all have such faulty memories of what occurred. There is no reality!" —Sam Rosenthal, founder of Projekt Records and black tape for a blue girl"A fabulous fly-on-the-wall read." —Coral Rockks 985FM CKWR, Canada"...incredibly well-crafted... and [the] writer's voice carries such positivity and a general love of music, along with the camaraderie of creation and what it feels like to be in a band - struggles and successes and all!" —Bret Helm, founder, singer, bassist of Audra"How one phone call can change everything. Ulrich tells a heady, detailed story of living in and learning fast having joined Dead Can Dance - one of the most unique groups ever, leading to his personal musical flowering. The creative ebbs and flows, worlds of life on the road and music business shenanigans come vividly to life."—Dave Massey - music journalist and historian, music publishing A&R/Creative Director and fellow drummer"Ulrich comes across as very personable, with plenty of rather wry humour, and... a sense of genuine surprise and delight at being part of a diverse music scene."— warped-perspective.com"[Ulrich's] personality and sense of humor absolutely comes through! Really wonderful job." —Timothy O'Donnell, graphic design v23/4AD"Great book, very well written..."—Claudio Bustamante, Fairfax City Music, YouTube Channel"I love how this weaves so much historical and influential contemporary music with the story... beautifully written... utterly compelling." —Lisa Tenzin-Dolma, author, singer-songwriter"I am reading this book and keep telling my friends about it. I feel like I am sitting in a time machine - haha - love it!" —Magno Damase, DCD fan posting on Facebook"Fabulous memories of exciting times, superbly written." —Colin Wallace, 4AD

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Book SynopsisA new year for David Bowie means new clothes, new boots, new hair and a new name: Ziggy Stardust. To the gloomy blacked-out Britain of powercuts and three-day weeks he may as well be from outer space - if that's what it takes to make him famous, far be it from him to tell anyone he isn't. Bowie's success as the bisexual Starman soon rubs off on his new friends Mott The Hoople and his hero Lou Reed as 1972 becomes Annus Glamrockus. Music, fashion and the old codes of gender will never be the same again. But as his runaway fame quickly blurs all lines between fantasy and reality, neither will David. The third volume of the Bowie Odyssey series offers a wild and revelatory snapshot of the year of Ziggy as Simon Goddard continues his vivid real-time journey through the decade Bowie changed pop forever.Trade Review'A stonking good read' Mike Scott, The Waterboys 'Deep dive into the year Bowie achieved glam lift-off. Goddard's narrative is immersive, novelistic as he gets as deep inside as he can of the Bowie experience of 1972' Classic Rock, 9/10 'In which Ziggy touches down and Bowie takes off... The third instalment of Simon Goddard's wonderful Bowie Odyssey series' Record Collector, 4* 'David Bowie was at the Big Bang of my music consciousness. Simon Goddard’s immersive yearly look at the world in which Bowie operated, have become a must read for me. I’m very much looking forward to 1972.' Tim Burgess

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Book SynopsisA love letter to Harry Styles, a pop star who’s a sign of the times. Now with stickers!The world may have had to say goodbye to One Direction, but that hasn’t stopped Harry Styles from stealing our hearts. From the swoop of his boy band bangs to his sheer Gucci look on the runway, the singer, actor and all-around dreamboat is a tour de force of a cultural icon. But our love is deeper than his great choices in fashion. Did you know that Shania Twain is one of his idols? That he knows how to knit? That he’s bffs with Stevie Nicks? And that he’s generous with his money, donating to a long list of charities?This book is packed with 50 tidbits of Harry Styles trivia and some very serious collages. Billie Oliver can only pray that he one day sees it and graces her with a DM. (A girl can hope.) This Special Edition now includes totally heartable stickers!

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Book SynopsisTHE TOP TEN BESTSELLER'Candid, brilliant and bizarre' Guardian'Stories about the frontman and his bandmates are legion ... [like] Peter Kay with menaces' The Sunday TimesAs lead singer of Happy Mondays and Black Grape, Shaun Ryder was the Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of his generation. A true rebel, who formed and led not one but two seminal bands, he's had number-one albums, headlined Glastonbury, toured the world numerous times, taken every drug under the sun, been through rehab - and come out the other side as a national treasure.Now, for the first time, Shaun lifts the lid on the real inside story of how to be a rock star. With insights from three decades touring the world, which took him from Salford to San Francisco, from playing working men's clubs to headlining Glastonbury and playing in front of the biggest festival crowd the world has ever seen, in Brazil, in the middle of thunderstorm. From recording your first demo tape to having a number-one album, Shaun gives a fly-on-the-wall look at the rock 'n' roll lifestyle - warts and all: how to be a rock star - and also how not to be a rock star. From numerous Top of the Pops appearances to being banned from live TV, from being a figurehead of the acid-house scene to hanging out backstage with the Rolling Stones, Shaun has seen it all. In this book he pulls the curtain back on the debauchery of the tour bus, ridiculous riders, run-ins with record companies, drug dealers and the mafia, and how he forged the most remarkable comeback of all time.'There are enough stories about Happy Mondays to keep people talking about them forever. Bands live on through the myth really, myth and legend' (Steve Lamacq)Trade ReviewCandid and brilliant -- Emma Garland * Guardian *Table of Contentsi: Intro 1: Myths 2: Starting a band 3: Band names 4: Rehearsals 5: Clothes and haircuts 6: Songwriting 7: Lyrics 8: Record labels 9: Live gigs 10: Riders 11: Top of the Pops 12: Drugs 13: Rehab 14: Fame 15: Rivalries 16: Interviews 17: Video shoots 18: Hotels 19: Homes 20: The recording studio 21: Producers 22: Singles 23: Artwork 24: Managers 25: Awards 26: Fans 27: Festivals 28: Touring the world 29: The tour bus 30: Musical differences 31: Teeth 32: Reality TV 33: Social media 34: Reunions 35: Encore

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