Musicians, singers, bands and groups Books

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Beethoven, A Life continues the journey towards a more complex and nuanced picture of the great composer. . . . Caeyers seeks to unravel the networks that influenced Beethoven’s career, to paint portraits of those who supported him, and to outline the many interests that were at play in forming Beethoven both as a man and an artist. . . . The result is a very readable book that, as a byproduct, offers a generous supply of scene-setting detail. This ranges from life in Vienna in the early 19th century to the grinding economic impact of the French revolution and its aftermath, and even the bathing customs in Bohemian spa towns." FT Books of the Year 2020 * Financial Times *"Among the books about the legend . . . in this anniversary year, the most substantial is Jan Caeyers’s Beethoven: A Life, a magisterial account, rich in archival findings, translated with revisions from the German edition of 2009." Books of the Year 2020 * Times Literary Supplement *Notable Music Books of 2020 -- Alex Ross, * The Rest is Noise *"Detailed and engaging, this fitting tribute to the iconic composer will enrich anyone’s enjoyment and appreciation of his great music." * Library Journal *Table of ContentsForeword by Daniel Hope Prologue Part One: The Artist as a Young Man (1770–1792) 1 • Louis van Beethoven: A Grandfather Figure 2 • Jean van Beethoven: The Absent Father? 3 • The Early Years 4 • Christian Gottlob Neefe: The Mentor 5 • The Young Professional 6 • Bonn Turns to Vienna 7 • Beethoven’s First Crisis 8 • A Second Home, and New Horizons 9 • Renewed Vigor and the First Major Works 10 • Farewell to Bonn Part Two: A Time of Proving (1792–1802) 11 • Vienna in 1792 12 • Beethoven’s First Patron: Karl von Lichnowsky 13 • Haydn and Albrechtsberger 14 • Career Plans 15 • Family, Friends, and Loves in Vienna 16 • In Anticipation of Greater Things 17 • Lobkowitz’s “Center of Excellence” 18 • The Immortal Beloved: Episode One 19 • The Road to a Broader Public 20 • A Word from the Critics 21 • The Disciples: Carl Czerny and Ferdinand Ries 22 • The Heiligenstadt Testament Part Three: The Master (1802–1809) 23 • A “New Way” Forward 24 • The Laboratorium Artificiosum 25 • Publishing Pains and the “Warehouse of the Arts” 26 • Composer in Residence 27 • Salieri’s Opera Lessons 28 • The Mystery of the Eroica 29 • The Immortal Beloved: Episode Two 30 • In Search of the Perfect Piano 31 • Leonore: A Work in Progress 32 • The Golden Years Part Four: Crowds and Power (1809–1816) 33 • A New Social Status 34 • New Prospects 35 • An Imperial Pupil 36 • Beethoven and Goethe 37 • The Immortal Beloved: Episode Three 38 • Se non è vero . . . 39 • The End of the Classical Symphony 40 • Music for the Masses 41 • A Lucrative Sideline 42 • From Leonore to Fidelio 43 • From Coffee and Cake to Congress and Kitsch 44 • The Fight for a Child 45 • From the “Immortal Beloved” to a “Distant Beloved” Part Five: The Lonely Way (1816–1827) 46 • Longing for Greater Things 47 • Post-Congress Vienna 48 • London Plans 49 • A Faustian Sonata and a Diabolical Contraption 50 • The Missa solemnis: A Mass for Peace 51 • The Circle Is Complete: The Late Piano Works 52 • Estrangement 53 • Encounters with the Younger Generation 54 • An Ode to Joy 55 • Decline 56 • Karl’s Emancipation 57 • Money Matters 58 • The Discovery of Heaven: The Late String Quartets 59 • Comoedia finita est Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Illustration Credits Index of Works Index of People

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Book SynopsisMax Baca was born to play music. By his eighth birthday, he was already playing in his father's band. Polkas, redovas, corridos, boleros, chotises, huapangos, and waltzes were in his blood. Baca's music grew out of the harsh life of the borderland, and the duality of borderland music remains a recurring theme in everything he does.

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Book Synopsis In 1996, Patterson Hood recruited friends and fellow musicians in Athens, Georgia, to form his dream band: a group with no set lineup that specialized in rowdy rock and roll. The Drive-By Truckers, as they named themselves, grew into one of the best and most consequential rock bands of the twenty-first century, a great live act whose songs deliver the truth and nuance rarely bestowed on Southerners, so often reduced to stereotypes. Where the Devil Don't Stay tells the band's unlikely story not chronologically but geographically. Seeing the Truckers' albums as roadmaps through a landscape that is half-real, half-imagined, their fellow Southerner Stephen Deusner travels to the places the band's members have lived in and written about. Tracking the band from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Richmond, Virginia, to the author's hometown in McNairy County, Tennessee, Deusner explores the Truckers' complex relationship to the South and the issues of class, race, history, and reTrade ReviewThe most brilliant decision veteran music journalist Stephen Deusner made for this book...was to structure his portrait of the band geographically, from Muscle Shoals to Memphis to Athens to Deusner’s home region, McNairy County, Tennessee...[Where the Devil Don't Stay] offers as much cultural criticism and post-civil-rights Southern history as straightforward autobiography...Where the Devil Don’t Stay approaches its subject with the same context and care as the band it portrays. * Rolling Stone, "Best Music Books of 2021" *[Where the Devil Don't Stay] takes the complex work of a revered band in historical and social perspective…If you've enjoyed the band's music and want to dive deeper into their changing world, you'll enjoy this nuanced appreciation. * The Current *Deusner’s must-read book follows the quintessential roots rockers as they travel through the South and the ethos that has helped define the band’s musical identity and evolution within it. Deusner...tells a story with verve and wit, and drawing on new interviews with band members past and present, he brings to vivid life the powerful ways music can shape a landscape. * No Depression *[Where the Devil Don't Stay] is a book Deusner was born to write...Deusner distills the Truckers’ 25 year-plus history and then some into 296 pages. * AL.com *[A] clever and engaging book…Deusner tours the South with the band as fully-engaged interviewees, visiting key Truckers destinations and tackling everything from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Confederate statues as he goes. * MOJO Magazine *[An] inventive biography…Rather than a straight-ahead chronological bio, Deusner takes the reader right to the places in the South that played key roles in the band and it's development...[Fans] will appreciate Deusner's history of the band, especially the early years, and the background on many of their songs. * Houston Press *[An] excellent new book. * Inside Hook *Where the Devil Don't Stay is a masterwork in the musical biography genre...For the diehards, this book will feel like the first time you heard Decoration Day or Southern Rock Opera. For anyone who loves a good yarn and good music, Where the Devil Don’t Stay is an essential read. * The Marinade with Jason Earle *This is a book that you should read if you have any interest either in the Drive-By Truckers or in the current state of America. * Americana UK *[Where the Devil Don't Stay] is filled with wonder and wander...It’s a book worthy of the band’s catalogue, as essential in its way as such classic DBT albums as Southern Rock Opera, Decoration Day, and American Band. * Chapter 16 *Deusner explains how [Patterson] Hood and his main Trucker foil Mike Cooley have battled to redefine rock beyond the Mason-Dixon line over the course of three decades together…Deusner's lively narrative tracks the Drive-By Truckers' evolution, picking through wrecked marriages, redneck audiences and the band's role in the making of Jason Isbell to show how the Truckers overcame a hasty choice of band name to fly the flag for a more nuanced take on good Southern manners. * Uncut *Deusner’s book is essential reading not only for fans of the Truckers but for anyone wanting to discover more about these quintessential roots rockers. * No Depression, "Best Music Books of 2021" *It’s about time somebody wrote a book about the Drive-By Truckers, and what a book it is...[Where the Devil Don't Stay is] a literary, thought-provoking analysis of the dynamics behind the band’s artistry and its complicated relationship with the South. * Atlanta Journal-Constitution *[Where the Devil Don't Stay] shows the depth of research [Deusner] took as he includes a discography, bibliography and an index of the places and names that extravagantly lace the story…Deusner gives the band a sense of place. * Athens Banner-Herald *This may be the most interesting book about the South that I've read this year. * Reckon South *Stephen Deusner’s place-rooted history of this restless Americana band helps bring the South into focus. * The Current, "Best Music Books of 2021" *The best Southern rock band of its generation also gets the treatment it was long overdue in Stephen Deusner’s terrific book about the Drive-By Truckers. Deusner’s book is both a biography of the band – and talented songwriters Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and one-time Trucker, Jason Isbell – but it is also something of a musical atlas, richly mining the history of Southern spaces like Muscle Shoals, Memphis, Athens and Richmond to reveal more about the 'Southern Thing.' * Reckon South, "25 of the best books to come out of the South in 2021" *[Where the Devil Don't Stay] is the book-length study Drive-By Truckers fans have been waiting for...This book is as complex, moving, thrilling, and funny as one of DBT's marathon sets. * New Books in Performing Arts *As brilliant and unflinching as its subject, you'll never look at the South, and southern rock the same way again. Highly recommended. * The Big Takeover *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Shoals Memphis, Tennessee Athens, Georgia Birmingham, Alabama Outside Gillsburg, Mississippi Back to the Shoals Richmond, Virginia McNairy County, Tennessee Out West Acknowledgments Selected Discography Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFrom the young Black teenager who built a bass guitar in woodshop to the musician building a solo career with Motown Records—Prince’s bassist BrownMark on growing up in Minneapolis, joining Prince and The Revolution, and his life in the purple kingdom In the summer of 1981, Mark Brown was a teenager working at a 7-11 store when he wasn’t rehearsing with his high school band, Phantasy. Come fall, Brown, now called BrownMark, was onstage with Prince at the Los Angeles Coliseum, opening for the Rolling Stones in front of 90,000 people. My Life in the Purple Kingdom is BrownMark’s memoir of coming of age in the musical orbit of one of the most visionary artists of his generation. Raw, wry, real, this book takes us from his musical awakening as a boy in Minneapolis to the cold call from Prince at nineteen, from touring the world with The Revolution and performing in Purple Rain to inking his own contract with Motown.BrownMark’s story is that of a hometown kid, living for sunny days when his transistor would pick up KUXL, a solar-powered, shut-down-at-sundown station that was the only one that played R&B music in Minneapolis in 1968. But once he took up the bass guitar—and never looked back—he entered a whole new realm, and, literally at the right hand of Twin Cities musical royalty, he joined the funk revolution that integrated the Minneapolis music scene and catapulted him onto the international stage. BrownMark describes how his funky stylings earned him a reputation (leading to Prince’s call) and how he and Prince first played together at that night’s sudden audition—and never really stopped. He takes us behind the scenes as few can, into the confusing emotional and professional life among the denizens of Paisley Park, and offers a rare, intimate look into music at the heady heights that his childhood self could never have imagined.An inspiring memoir of making it against stacked odds, experiencing extreme highs and lows of success and pain, and breaking racial barriers, My Life in the Purple Kingdom is also the story of a young man learning his craft and honing his skill like any musician, but in a world like no other and in a way that only BrownMark could tell it.Trade Review"A story of low notes and high stakes, of Revolution and of evolution, of bands and fans and best-laid plans, of pills and thrills and daffodils. Hang tough, children, and read it."—Questlove, from the Foreword"This is not a tell-all book. It is simply a candid, honest, heartfelt story about a young kid who goes on to achieve his dream of making it in the music industry, and the price that he pays along the way. It’s an uplifting tale about working with Prince, and it is an enjoyable read that serves as another piece of the puzzle that is Prince."—The Great Song Traveler"This page-turning memoir... will appeal to BrownMark’s fans and general music enthusiasts."—Library Journal"Those looking for a memoir awash in sex, drugs, and the seamier sides of Prince’s private life will instead discover hard work and rigid discipline under a stern taskmaster, an artist who became what he was through minute attention to detail as well as genius. A memoir of vivid detail and understandable ambivalence."—Kirkus Reviews"If you want to get to know Mark Brown, the human, I would say this book is a good way to go."—Insight News"The profound life lessons BrownMark learned while playing in the Revolution, as well as his experiences touring the world with Prince, forever changed his life. And BrownMark proudly carries those memories with him as he continues to blaze new trails while keeping Prince’s legacy alive."—City Pages"Simultaneously poignant and inspiring."—The Arts Fuse"By turns a reflective examination of his own place in the Paisley world over those years and a straight-shooting account of the less beautiful side of Prince’s modus operandi at his commercial zenith."—SoulTracks"An arresting piece of social history, often interesting and original."—Moving the River"Enlightening."—Chicago Review of Books"This memoir could be a real inspiration to someone with dreams."—The Bookworm Sez"My Life in the Purple Kingdom makes it clear anyone who thinks BrownMark was handed phenomenal success at a young age on a platter can think again."—Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder "Seemingly overnight, BrownMark was thrown into an entirely different reality, sharing the stage with The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and more. With Prince & The Revolution, he’d tour the world in one of the most iconic bands in history, perform some the greatest hits in popular music and experience an overwhelming level of fame."—Forbes Magazine Table of ContentsContentsForewordQuestlovePrologueRadio DaysDiscovery YearsChain ReactionsThe Skin I’m InNew Look, New SoundOff to See the WizardPrimping for PrnControversy, SexualityThreshold of a NightmareControversy TourMojo1999The ShadowLet’s Go CrazyThe Carrot and the Hat TrickThe Bitter TasteMoving OnEpilogue

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Book SynopsisThe Biographic series presents an entirely new way of looking at the lives of the world's greatest thinkers and creatives. It takes the 50 defining facts, dates, thoughts, habits and achievements of each subject, and uses infographics to convey all of them in vivid snapshots. Each Biographic title is designed to be as entertaining as it is informative. Timelines not only pinpoint significant dates, but set them in the context and culture of their times. Dynamic maps locate biographical events alongside other points of interest. Character traits are illuminated by visual comparisons. Many people know that David Bowie (1947–2016) was an iconic singer, songwriter and actor, whose lyrics, performances and ever-changing persona were at the heart of pop culture for over five decades. What, perhaps, they don't know is that he smoked 80 cigarettes a day, acted in 27 films, sold over 140 million albums and once shared a Berlin apartment with Iggy Pop. Biographic: Bowie presents an instant impression of his life, work and fame, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the artist behind the music.

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Book SynopsisMost people know that Prince (1958--2016) was an iconic singer-songwriter whose creative brilliance transformed music for more than four decades. What, perhaps, they don't know is that his real name actually was Prince; that he once simultaneously held the number one spots in the US for film, single, and album; that he has a back catalogue of more than 600 songs, many of which he wrote for other people, including Madonna and Alicia Keys; and that he performed at the wedding of Star Wars director George Lucas. Biographic Prince presents an instant impression of his life, work and legacy, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the musician behind the music.

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Book SynopsisMost people know that ABBA (1972-1982) were a Swedish band who became one of the world's most successful pop groups after winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo." What, perhaps, they don't know is that they have sold more than 380 million albums and singles; that their name was chosen through a newspaper competition, where alternatives included Alibaba, FABB, and Baba; that their royalties from the Soviet Union were so big they had to be paid in oil rights; and that 3.5 million people applied for tickets to see ABBA at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1977. Biographic ABBA presents an instant impression of their life, work, and legacy, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the musicians behind the music.

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Book Synopsis"Nineties Spirit is comprehensive, compelling and at times emotional. It's a must-have for any fan of music." — Amateur Photographer "As a time capsule of the music industry in the 1990s… Nineties Spirit is comprehensive, compelling and at times emotional. It's a must-have for any fan of music." — Amateur Photography “If photographs could sing, Paul Bergen’s would be chart toppers.” — SquareMile David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana and Oasis, Pete Doherty and Phil Collins, Prince and Motörhead — the internationally acclaimed and renowned music photographer Paul Bergen has seen all the stars of the 1990s through his lens, both on stage and backstage. His photo archives are among the world’s largest in the music industry. In Nineties Spirit, he is now sharing these treasures with a large audience for the very first time. The artists themselves also get a chance to have their say. In short passages, interviews, and commentaries, the authors bring the iconic decade alive again. They make Nineties Spirit a one-of-a-kind chronicle of the times that captures an entire generation's attitude toward life.Trade Review"As a time capsule of the music industry in the 1990s… Nineties Spirit is comprehensive, compelling and at times emotional. It's a must-have for any fan of music." - Amateur Photography"Nineties Spirit is comprehensive, compelling and at times emotional. It's a must-have for any fan of music." - Amateur Photographer"We speak to Dutch photographer Paul Bergen, whose new book Nineties Spirit perfectly captures the decade in which both optimism and pessimism peaked." - WhyNow"What better way to pay homage to the ’90s than with a book full of its most prominent acts? From Kurt Cobain to Nick Cave and Henry Rollins to Salt-n-Pepa, this coffee table book covers every base and genre that made the decade so integral." - HiConsumption“If photographs could sing, Paul Bergen’s would be chart toppers.” - SquareMile

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Book Synopsis**THE PERFECT GIFT FOR BILLIE EILISH FANS**A celebration of Billie Eilish''s refreshing outlook, creativity and independence. We all want a bit more Billie in our lives!Billie Eilish isn''t up for conforming to others'' expectations of what a young woman should look and sound like. This multi-award-winning artist lays down her own beat and refuses to be labelled, restricted or dismissed. She uses her platform to advocate openness around mental health and to work towards positive change in the world around her.With chapters on learning to be yourself, standing up for what you believe and dealing with haters, Be Bad, Be Bold, Be Billieexplores Billie''s incredible journey to stardom, providing hints and tips on how to adopt her poise and no-nonsense attitude to get to where you want to be.

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Book SynopsisSpeaking for the first time about the profound impact that his brother's death had on him, the author offers a tribute to Duane that only a younger brother could write, showing how, to this day, he still confronts the grief of losing his big brother, even as Duane continues to guide and inspire him.Trade Review...This book is everything you could hope for: in a grizzled, laconic drawl, Allman provides a rambling backstage account of his five decades with the Allman Brothers Band, and he doesn't seem to hold anything back. -- New York Times Book Review A soul-searching rumination on a hard-lived life... For generations of fans, Allman's book provides insights into the many turns in that long road... MY CROSS TO BEAR carries a welcome seal of honesty. -- USA Today In his memoir, the rambling and rambunctious Gregg Allman lays bare his soul... In the end, Allman, writing with music journalist Light, has produced a fiercely honest memoir. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) This is a story about musical brotherhood. Rich and moving... Nothing less than profound. Life, love and music from one of the most influential American recording artists of the last 40 years. -- Kirkus Reviews "Packed with juicy anecdotes, gripping details and raw energy...Fans of the Allman Brothers Band are certain to relish the revelations... MY CROSS TO BEAR provides a window into Allman's tortured soul - he presents himself as a man cracked and flawed, yet somehow intact." -- Birmingham News

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Book SynopsisFrom his early work as lyricist for West Side Story to acclaimed creations such as A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sweeney Todd, Stephen Sondheim is widely regarded as the most important figure in musical theater since the second half of the 20th century. Who better to discuss this prolific artist’s work than the master himself? Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions is a collection of interviews conducted by Mark Eden Horowitz, senior music specialist in the music division of the Library of Congress. In these guided conversations, Sondheim expounds in great depth and detail on his craft. As a natural teacher, thoughtful and opinionated, Sondheim discusses the art of musical composition, lyric writing, the collaborative process of musical theater, and how he thinks about his own work. The entire scope of Sondheim’s career is covered here, in which Sondheim’s greatest works are discussed—from Passion, Assassins, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and Pacific Overtures to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Merrily We Roll Along, Company, Follies, Anyone Can Whistle, and A Little Night Music. Sondheim even provides thoughts about the film adaptations of his works, such as Sweeney Todd. The book also features an entire chapter on Bounce, the previous incarnation of his latest musical, Road Show. Preserving the essential elements of the previous volumes, this edition includes all of the interviews—verbatim—and features a revised introduction and a postlude with an additional conversation. Finally in paperback, Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions, The Less Is More Edition is a must-have for fans of these creative genius.Trade ReviewI've learned so much from the work of Stephen Sondheim, and in this book, others interested in the craft of musical theatre composition, whether as professionals or fans, will find a myriad of lessons and inspirations. -- Stephen Schwartz, composer/lyricist, Wicked; GodspellIndispensable for any student, writer, or ardent fan of drama and musical theater. It puts the reader in the room with one of our greatest American masters. -- Jeanine Tesori, composer of Caroline, or Change and Fun HomeHorowitz has managed to relax Sondheim into loquacity, technical generosity, and humour far more than most, perhaps all, of his predecessors (and there have been many); they exude an unusual sense of well-being, for which Horowitz must be credited with extraordinary skill and amenability. -- Stephen Banfield * The Musical Times *Any with a curiosity about the musical theatre of the past half century or a passing interest in the creative process behind it will find gems here. The real meat of the book is in free-ranging discussions of Sondheim’s choices, tastes, and reflections on music and theater throughout and beyond his own career. -- Rob Kendt, Backstage WestMark Horowitz reveals the compositional process of Stephen Sondheim through a fascinating series of conversations with the composer. It is thrilling to discover the intimate details of how these classic songs, scores, and shows were created. Utterly captivating and illuminating. -- Stephen Flaherty, Tony Award-winning composer of Ragtime, Once On This Island, and SeussicalOne of the finest books focusing on [Sondheim's] work. * Playbill *In these remarkable dialogues Mark Horowitz has elicited cogent, illuminating insights into the creative process from Stephen Sondheim, the ever-astonishing titan of the musical stage. -- Robert Kimball, Musical theatre historian and artistic advisor to the estates of Cole Porter and Ira GershwinSondheim devotees will be forever grateful to Library of Congress music specialist Mark Horowitz for the interviews he conducted with Sondheim. -- Chip Brown * Smithsonian Magazine *An excellent companion work to the esteemed composer's book. Horowitz skillfully balances his technical content, serving both the needs of the music student and the theatre enthusiast. * Bay Stages *A provocative, illuminating portrait of a creative powerhouse. * Baltimore Sun *Recommended for libraries with a prominent emphasis on music. * Library Journal *For musicians, Horowitz's book is a treasure trove of self-revelation from the most significant living composer for the American musical theatre. * International Record Review *What sets this milestone work apart from other texts on Sondheim or other interviews with the composer is the fine balance between broad and specific questions. The broader questions can be understood and enjoyed by any audience, since they deal very generally with Sondheim's thoughts and opinions about theatre. On the other hand, the specific questions provide an outstanding, first person source for scholars of music and theatre in particular, with pointed discussions on the musical scores, and a rare view of Sondheim's own compositional sketches. * Studies In Musical Theatre *Mr. Sondheim was interviewed on stage by Mark Eden Horowitz, whose essential book, Sondheim on Music, offers in-depth discussions with the composer. * The New York Times *

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Book Synopsis* The sensational autobiography of Sharon Osbourne - the First Lady of Rock - an icon for our times with an amazing story to tell - from an often shocking childhood, through a rollercoaster marriage, and still hitting the headlines today.Trade ReviewI have been kept awake for the past two nights, utterly gripped by Sharon's story . . . She makes Keith Richards, Kurt Cobain et all look like kiddies at a tea party, overdosing on fizzy drinks . . . she is radiant, confident, assertive and glamorous. And enormously successful, having turned Ozzy's career into a multimillion-dollar global industry, having recovered from colon cancer herself, and having finally seen her husband do a year without a drink. She is totally phenomenal * SUNDAY INDEPENDENT (IRELAND) *An emotional roller-coaster read. If you thought you'd already had a warts-and-all look at the Osbournes, think again. Sharon's frank memoirs lift the lid on what really goes on in their crazy house. Her wickedly infectious sense of humour sparkles on ev * B MAGAZINE *Sharon has beaten cancer, starred in the X Factor, and been the steely heart of The Osbournes, that jaw-dropping real-life soap opera of a genuinely loving family . . . vividly captured here in this pungent and distinctive autobiography * SUNDAY TIMES *She is currently scaling the heights of a career that has now surpassed her famous husband, and this is Sharon's story. Explicit in detail with her characteristically fruitful turn of phrase, this book will have you laughing out loud * WOMAN’S WAY *

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Book SynopsisIf ever there were Satanic Majesties of rock their name was Led Zeppelin. The band that out-sold the Rolling Stones and made Robert Johnson's deals with the devil look like a playground game of conkers were as high, inflated and glorified as their namesake. In Stephen Davis's scorching account of their phenomenally successful career, no aspect - however disquieting - is ignored. The narcotic, alcoholic and psychotic wreckage they wreaked, the disturbing influence of the notorious mage Aleister Crowley on lead guitarist Jimmy Page and the death of John Bonham are all recorded. Above all, the exultant, blazing charge of their music and its effects on Led Zeppelin and their fans is scrutinized. Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis is a fierce and fearless story about a band that remain a legend of musical, sexual and mystical power. It is the last word in rock 'n' roll savagery.Trade ReviewThe biggest surprise success of the year . . . the Led Zep tale, drenched in sex, drugs and psychic abuse, demonstrated the validity of all the old adages about talent, power and corruption. Stephen Davis's grimy homage to imperial excess and demonic influence had fans slavering for more. * Rolling Stone *

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Book SynopsisOutside his native France, the view of Serge Gainsbourg was once of a one-hit wonder lothario. This has been slowly replaced by an awareness of how talented and innovative a songwriter he was. Gainsbourg was an eclectic, protean figure; a Dadaist, poète maudit, Pop-Artist, libertine and anti-hero. An icon and iconoclast. His masterpiece is arguably Histoire de Melody Nelson, an album suite combining many of his signature themes; sex, taboo, provocation, humour, exoticism and ultimately tragedy. Composed and arranged with the great Jean-Claude Vannier, its score of lush cinematic strings and proto-hip hop beats, combined with Serge's spoken-word poetry, has become remarkably influential across a vast musical spectrum; inspiring soundtracks, indie groups and electronic artists. In recent years, the album's reputation has grown from cult status to that of a modern classic with the likes of Beck, Portishead, Mike Patton, Air and Pulp paying tribute. How did the son of Jewish Russian immigrants, hounded during the Nazi Occupation, rise to such notoriety and acclaim, being celebrated by President François Mitterand as "our Baudelaire, our Apollinaire"? How did the early chanson singer evolve into a musical visionary incorporating samples, breakbeats and dub into his music, decades ahead of the curve? And what are the roots and legacy of a concept album about a Rolls Royce, a red-haired Lolita muse, otherworldly mansions, plane crashes and Cargo Cults?Trade ReviewThis book is intended to be a biography of an album, but due to Darran Anderson’s thorough research and skilled prose storytelling, Serge Gainsbourg’s Histoire de Melody Nelson morphs into a brilliant (if often dark) illustration of Serge Gainsbourg himself, even more than that of the title character, Melody Nelson. That said, when one knows this much more about the album, the artist and his muse, much like the narrator himself, one will find it almost impossible to avoid falling in love with Melody. -- J.C. Macek III * PopMatters *Table of ContentsIntroduction Early Days The Chanson Years Turning Point Histoire de Melody Nelson The Aftermath Influence

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Book SynopsisEveryone wanted Madonna's 1992 album Erotica to be a scandal. In the midst of a culture war, conservatives wanted it to be proof of the decline of family values. The target of conservative loathing, gay men reeling from the AIDS epidemic wanted it to be a celebration of a sexual culture that had rapidly slipped away. And Madonna herself wanted to sell scandal, which is why she released Erotica in the same season as her erotic thriller Body of Evidence and her pornographic coffee-table book simply titled Sex. But Erotica is more sentimental than pornographic. This ambivalence over sex is what makes the album crucial both for understanding its time and for navigating culture a generation later. As queer politics were transitioning from sexual liberation to civil rights like same-sex marriage, Madonna tried to do both. Her songs proved formative for works of queer theory, which emerged in the academy at the same time as the album. And Erotica wasaTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Sex/Erotica 2. Subculture/Pop Culture 3. Madonna/Whore

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Book SynopsisIn 1991, a loose-knit collective released a record called Blue Lines under the name Massive Attack, splicing together American hip-hop and soul with the sounds of the British underground. With its marauding bass lines, angular guitars, and psychedelic effects, Blue Lines built on the Caribbean soundsystems and nascent rave scene of the 1980s while also looking ahead to the group's signature blend of epic cinematics and lush downtempo. In the process, Blue Lines invented an entirely new genre called trip hop and launched the career of a rapper named Tricky.Ultimately, Blue Lines created the sonic playbook for an emerging future: hybrid, digital, cosmopolitan, and rooted in the black and immigrant communities who animated the urban wreckage of the postindustrial city. Massive Attack envisioned an alternate future in sharp counterpoint to the glossy triumphalism of Brit Pop. And while the group would go on to bigger things, this record was both a warning shTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Cider Punks 2 Five Man Army 3 The Coach House 4 The Tricky Kid Interlude: Living in My Headphones 5 The Cherry Bear Organization 6 Flammable Materials 7 Daydreaming 8 Big Wheel Keeps on Turning Notes

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER''THE ROCK ''N'' ROLL AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR'' MAIL ON SUNDAY''Essential for fans and great reading for anyone else'' Classic RockBreak-ups, make-ups, groupies, band politics, court battles, the tragic death of Rick Parfitt . . . This is Francis Rossi as you have never seen him before.Status Quo have sold over 100 million records worldwide, including 65 hit singles and 32 hit albums. The legendary band''s career has mirrored the evolution of rock music. From the struggles of the flower-power ''60s, the highs of the denim-clad ''70s, the coke- and tequila-induced blur of the ''80s, to fighting for musical integrity in the ''90s and ''00s and a fresh lease of life from new band members in recent years, Rossi has been there for the entirety of Quo''s turbulent history.In I Talk Too Much, Rossi will reveal the truth behind one of the biggest rock bands of all time, as wTrade ReviewThe rock 'n' roll autobiography of the year * Mail on Sunday *Written with Rossi's unique flair for bracing candour . . . this honesty serves the book brilliantly, as the stories of Quo, of fame, of disaster and of Rossi and Parfitt are laid out in frank, stark detail . . . An honest book, essential for fans and great reading for anyone else * Classic Rock *Status Quo have been rockin' all over the world for 50 years and Rossi's autobiography packs in the tales of excess * Daily Mirror *Entertaining * Daily Express *Highly readable * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisWilliam L. Weir lives in Connecticut and writes regularly about music and the history of music technology. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, The Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, and other publications.Trade ReviewThis book is a concise history of the Radiophonic Workshop and to some extent a history of electronic music -- David Harris * Practical Wireless *Table of ContentsIntroduction: An Improbable Stew 1. Before the Workshop: Beeps, Bloops, and a Battle for the Nation’s Identity 2. “Vive Le Workshop!” 3. “Time Beat” and the Soul of a Machine 4. Way Out and Catchy! Doctor Who, and a New Era for the Workshop 5. Fragile Ribbons of Iron: A Chapter about Tape 6. Around the Office 7. The Art of Making Something from Nothing 8. Goons, Singing Dogs, and Chirping Percolators 9. The World as Their Instrument 10. The Impact of the Radiophonic Workshop 11. Team Tape versus Team Synth 12. The End, and a New Appreciation Acknowledgments Notes

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Book SynopsisEarly on in their relationship Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel realised two things. Firstly, the world liked them working together. Secondly, they didn't. With exclusive interviews with fellow musicians, promoters and those who knew him, and with much unique material, this will be the definitive account of Simon and Garfunkel and their careers.

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Book SynopsisThe essays in "The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson" consummately demonstrate that writing on popular culture can be both thoughtful and heartfelt. The contributors, who include accomplished music critics as well as renowned theorists, are some of the most astute and eloquent writers on pop today. The collection is made up of new essays written in the wake of Jackson's death, and includes Barney Hoskyns' classic "NME" piece written at the time of "Thriller", and contributions from Ian Penman, David Stubbs, Paul Lester, and Chris Roberts.

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Book SynopsisIn 1991, Metallica released their fifth studio album that would become known and beloved around the world as “The Black Album.” Since its release, it has sold 30 million copies, and become a towering monument in the pantheon of rock’s greatest records. Readers will get unprecedented insight into the story behind an iconic album from one of the world’s most iconic bands through interviews with James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted, and “Black Album” producer Bob Rock. Masciotra takes readers into the recording studio, giving them Metallica’s account of how their most successful and famous record was born and learned to walk into every radio station and stadium stage around the world. Masciotra not only talks to the band about the making of the album, but also the stories that inspired the songs. Readers will not only learn about “The Black Album,” but they will also gain greater knowledge and familiarity with the men who created it. With direct access to the band, Masciotra offers a fascinating and inspiring account of the creation of one of music’s best and best-selling albums.Trade ReviewMetallica engendered so much musical change that it deserves a certain level of intellectual analysis … always interesting summary of an album whose impact is, improbably, still being felt. -- Joel McIver * Record Collector Mag *Did Metallica really abandon their thrash roots or were these rock intentions in them all along? The latest entry of the 33 1/3 series written by David Masciotra answers these questions with finesse, thoughtfulness, and hard facts taken straight from the band's mouth. With new interviews, revelations, and a look at the LP's importance to the band and music in general, the book is tailored made for those who thought they knew everything about the metal giants. * The Examiner *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: Through The Never Chapter Two: Enter Night Chapter Three: Escape From an Elite Cage Chapter Four: Call of The Wild Chapter Five: Wicked Game Chapter Six: Wherever I May Roam Chapter Seven: The Fangs of Rage

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Book SynopsisA lifetime of letters, collected for the first time, from the legendary The Beatles musician and songwriter John LennonJohn Lennon is one of the world's greatest-ever song writers, creator of 'Help!', 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds', 'Imagine' and dozens more. Now, his letters have been collected and published, illuminating as never before the intimate side of a private genius.Hunter Davies, author of the only authorised biography of The Beatles, has tracked down almost three hundred of Lennon's letters and postcards - to relations, friends, fans, strangers, lovers and even to the laundry. Some of the letters are tender, informative, funny, angry and abusive, and some are simply heart-breaking - from his earliest surviving thank-you note, written when he was ten, to his last scribbled autograph given on 8 December 1980, the day he was shot, aged forty.

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Book SynopsisPaolo Hewitt grew up in care in Woking in the 1960s and 70s, an experience he chronicled in his acclaimed memoir, The Looked After Kid. He moved to London in 1980 to become a music journalist and worked for Melody Maker and NME. In the early 1990s Paolo gave up full-time journalism to write his first novel, Heaven's Promise. He has since written biographies of The Jam, The Small Faces, Oasis and Steve Marriott. He lives in London.Trade ReviewPowerful and even emotional ... probably one of the best books about what it's like to be a Famous Person's Friend. And it's almost certainly the definitive Weller biography. * The Word *Fascinating... Hewitt pries into the dark corners of a personality that has long been kept under lock and key. * Guardian *A one-off... an intimate picture of a seemingly arrogant man * Metro *

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Book SynopsisIn 1978, San Francisco, a city that has seen more than its share of trauma, plunged from a summer of political tension into an autumn cascade of malevolence that so eluded human comprehension it seemed almost demonic. The battles over property taxes and a ballot initiative calling for a ban on homosexuals teaching in public schools gave way to the madness of the Jonestown massacre and the murders of Mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk at the hands of their former colleague, Dan White. In the year that followed this season of insanity, it made sense that a band called Dead Kennedys played Mabuhay Gardens in North Beach, referring to Governor Jerry Brown as a "zen fascist," calling for landlords to be lynched and yuppie gentrifiers to be sent to Cambodia to work for "a bowl of rice a day," critiquing government welfare and defense policies, and, at a time when each week seemed to bring news of a new serial killer or child abduction, commenting on dead and dying children. But it made sense only (or primarily) to those who were there, to those who experienced the heyday of "the Mab." Most histories of the 1970s and 1980s ignore youth politics and subcultures. Drawing on Bay Area zines as well as new interviews with the band and many key figures from the early San Francisco punk scene, Michael Stewart Foley corrects that failing by treating Dead Kennedys' first record, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, as a critical historical document, one that not only qualified as political expression but, whether experienced on vinyl or from the stage of "the Mab," stimulated emotions and ideals that were, if you can believe it, utopian.Trade ReviewAuthor Michael Stewart Foley explores the band’s genesis from two equally critical points of view in his eponymous book in the 33 1/3 series, the political and social factors alive in California at the time as well as the stew of underground creativity that fed punk’s fetid blossom … Foley’s book does the album a good turn, his eye for the social inspirations behind Biafra and others, as well as the creative are essential to its understanding. * Bearded Magazine *Michael Stewart Foley's Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is a must read not only for punks young and old, but for anyone who has ever felt even the slightest revolutionary pang in their soul … Through interviews with Jello Biafra, East Bay Ray, and Klaus Fluoride (as well as many other important figures close to, or in the scene at the time) and a mountain of research, Foley puts together a book that is academic, personal, informative, and most importantly, convincing. For those already familiar with Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, this book further solidifies its greatness among records in any genre. For those new to the album, this book provides an extensive and comprehensive look into a body of work whose release exploded on the scene because of the pressures caused by the era, events, and people that all came together to create it. -- Matt Caltabiano * Under the Rader *Wish all books dealing with ‘Punk Rock’ were as well researched as this one! -- V. Vale, Editor * Search and Destroy *In his book on Dead Kennedys' 1980 debut, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, historian Michael Stewart Foley traces the origins of the radicalized California punk band's political views by chronicling all the turmoil in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, as the hippie ideal curdled into the Me Generation … what truly separated the Kennedys from their peers—and what transformed their angst into something powerful and useful—was the humor with which they tackled current events, as singer Jello Biafra in particular understood that a wicked sense of irony was the only weapon against a world that had grown so insane. -- Stephen M. Deusner * Pitchfork *Michael Stewart Foley's new book on Dead Kennedys' debut album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, rests a jarring assertion: ‘By ... the summer of 1978, San Francisco had established itself as home to the most political punk scene in the country.’ His evidence — a litany of benefit efforts, topical songs, and punks' steady solidarity with other marginalized groups — is solid, so why does the statement leap off of the page? Perhaps because of how infrequently it's made … the sort of retrospective historical works that would involve a claim such as Foley's are few and far between, all of which underscores the need for this book. * East Bay Express *With Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, historian Michael Stewart Foley offers up a portrait of San Francisco in the late 1970s, detailing the hectic and violent events that influenced the band to create such a classic record ... Anyone interested in the band, counter culture, or American history would be advised to pick this book up. It's not just a simple play by play of the album's production (which, honestly, would have been fine), but a detailed account of a specific time in history. With this informative (if short) book, Michael Stewart Foley details a band who didn't want to 'make it' in the usual sense. They just wanted to make a loud enough noise that people turned around and paid attention to what was going on around them. * Punk News *Well worth your time. Get the book, put the album on loud, and rejoice. * Thumped *A very readable little nugget that DK fans, especially those who understood there was far more to the band than simple 'shock and roll', will thoroughly enjoy ... [An] enjoyable thought provoking read. * Total Music Magazine Online *There have been a handful of punk albums covered in the series … and they tend to be stand-outs. That remains true with this release, which may now be my favorite in the entire series … [Foley’s] tone is pitch-perfect, reflecting both his academic training and his punk rock roots, producing the equivalent of a scholarly spit-ball that complements the pissy intelligence of the DKs’ masterpiece. His writing is effortless, even when he is flexing his intellectual muscles … As I read Foley’s book, I found myself constantly re-listening to the album with fresh ears, my appreciation and admiration of it growing every time. -- Kevin Dunn * RazorCake *An accomplished historian with an appreciation for the punk ethic, Foley sketches the social and political conditions of the late 1970s and the band's take-no-prisoners response to them. He's also alert to San Francisco's distinctive punk scene and its unapologetically political stance. His essay is a welcome complement to the extensive literature on the city's utopian mood and music of the 1960s. … Very worthwhile. -- Peter Richardson, San Francisco State University * Peter Richardson *Give it some time and Michael Stewart Foley’s book on Dead Kennedys’ Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables will probably rank among the best of the 33 1/3 series. It’s a fine portrait of politics that gave birth to the Bay Area punk scene, all the while tracing a counterculture throughline from the Yippies of the 60s to the punks of at the beginning of the ’80s. Dead Kennedys sneered in the face of both Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown, and also at the birth of New Wave, which presented new sonic possibilities but also a crass mellowing out into palatable pop chart fodder once it was co-opted by the mainstream. -- Hubert Vigilla * Ruby Hornet *Foley comes at this well known [sic] album from something other than the standard 'review' perspective positing the theory that it was in fact the late 70's American dream gone sour and subsequent counter culture politics that created bands like the Dead Kennedy's in the first place … is in fact a very readable little nugget that DK fans, especially those who understood there was far more to the band than simple 'shock and roll', will thoroughly enjoy. Beyond that it should also appeal to pretty much anyone who has a passing interest in the US post punk/hardcore scene. * Total Music Magaz *Michael Stewart Foley’s Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables casts Dead Kennedys as a product of the darkness and seemingly hopelessness of the late 1970s. Foley shows their forming and the release of their debut album to represent a catalyst for the frustration of a generation that was given the promise of prosperity in the 1960s and then proceeded to watch that promise be dismantled by the Vietnam War, Watergate and the rise of gentrification in San Francisco during the post-Summer of Love era … In doing so, Foley also casts a favorable light on the political stance of punk and suggests that their dire situation as a marginalized community organizing against an oppressive system was not only necessary but almost natural … This book is essential to your understanding of punk as a threat and why this iconic album represents that. -- Nick Kuzmack * SLUG *…an incisive blend of urban history, socio-political witnessing, and pop culture insight. Peeling back the band’s mythos, [Foley] deftly sorts through family backgrounds, the countercultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s, and the nuanced and fecund microcosm of San Francisco during punk’s genesis, all at a breathless pace. The book is compact, yet exploratory, dense as well as poetic … Foley balances the eyes-wide-open vibe of a fan’s journal with his strenuous academic precision, so readers feel immersed in, but not overwhelmed by, the incendiary band’s tale. -- David Ensminger * Houston Press *Full of compelling portraits of key players, trenchant musicological and visual cultural analysis, and rich journalistic-cum-historical depictions of the state of California and San Francisco politics at the end of the 1970s, Foley’s book is a success that will appeal both to scholars and to fans. In unveiling a portrait of the Dead Kennedys and punk as creators of ‘a soundtrack of collective resistance’ (p. 9), Foley not only rescues San Francisco punk from the condescension of posterity, but provides a model of how to write historically about youth subcultures and popular music. -- Timothy Scott Brown, Northeastern University, USA * The Sixties: A Journal of History, Politics and Culture *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1 – I Don’t Need This Fucking World Chapter 2 – Mellow Out or You Will Pay Chapter 3 – The Sun Beams Down on a Brand New Day Chapter 4 – It’s Time to Taste What You Most Fear Chapter 5 – There’s No Way Like the American Way Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFinally, a brilliant exploration of the German rock band Can's 1971 album Tago Mago. This hugely unique and influential album deserves close analysis from a fan, rather than a musicologist. Novelist Alan Warner details the concrete music we hear on the album, how it was composed, executed and recorded--including the history of the album in terms of its release, promotion and art work. This tale of Tago Mago is also the tale of a young man obsessed with record collecting in the dark and mysterious period of pop music before Google. Warner includes a backtracking of the history of the band up to that point and also some description of Can's unique recording approach taking into account their home studio set up. Interviews with the two surviving members: drummer Jaki Liebezeit, keyboardist Irmin Schmidt and bassist Holger Czukay make this a hilariously personal and illuminating picture of Can.Trade ReviewWarner asserts that the musical criticism and musicology "ignore the material and autobiographical details that have been built into a web of deeply personal associations". This is true of a certain classical model of music writing, and [this] book is a deeply enjoyable and lyrical rebuttal to that -- Frances Morgan * The Wire *In high school, I came upon the book Twilight of the Gods by Wilfred Mellers, a 1973 study attempting to explain the importance of the Fab Four’s music through a musicological analysis of their works. This seemed extremely absurd. I recently realized, after reading several books in the 33 1/3 series, that it’s not really about the individual albums profiled—it’s about what it’s like to be a fan. It’s about what it’s like to view a particular work as the pinnacle of aesthetic accomplishment—to experience the unique sensation of “This speaks to me!” There is also a fetishization of the vinyl album as an art object. Each band and record in the series is mythologized as much as the authors’ experience of discovering them is; in the case of Can’s 1971 album Tago Mago, Warner describes their “stoner athleticism.” The Scottish novelist realizes the absurdity of this linguistic attempt to describe music, as much as Mellers, but Warner’s volume about the German psychedelic band is rich because he shows how “Tago Mago gave me permission to dream.” Tago Mago, along with a number of other Can masterpieces, will be reissued on vinyl alongside the release of the 33 1/3 book. * SLUG Magazine *Scottish novelist Alan Warner (Morvern Callar, The Deadman’s Pedal) has given us a unique and absorbing look at the great Krautrock classic Tago Mago by Can […] Music fans will find themselves nodding in solidarity with his admitted obsession with the record […]Can’s Tago Mago is a masterpiece that still enthralls and informs listeners 40+years past it’s debut, and in a different way, Alan Warner’s look at his relation to the record, and music in general, is much the same. Our most deeply felt connections with art are the pieces that cause us to grow over time with the work, and Warner has given us a near-perfect description of such. -- James Mann * Big Takeover *I really can't recommend Warner's Tago Mago highly enough. I've never read anything by Warner that isn't artful and considered, a mix between the analytical and passionate, but that has never been better demonstrated than in this short book. You may not want to go out and get a copy of Can's album (personally, I prefer Ege Bamyasi), but that's not what he is setting out to do. This is [his] story, one which is both personal and universal, or at least common to the sort of people whose relationships with music, and other art forms, can be as important as their relationships to people - basically, the sort of person who buys the 33? books. * Scots Way Hae! *Table of ContentsPART ONE HALLELUWAH AN ANATOMY OF LISTENING CAN WITHOUT THE MUSIC ‘LIKE CAN’S DRUMMER…’ THE TERRIFYING SEX PISTOLS MR IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS SWEARING A ‘RECORD COLLECTION’ VAN HALEN & BAGPIPES PART TWO A SPANNER IN THE SKY MADE IN A CASTLE WITH BETTER EQUIPMENT TAGO MAGO CAN WORLD NOT A DREAM THE EDITS A SINGLE SONG WHICH NEVER ENDS NOSTALGIA DANGER THE MYSTERY OF LA ISLA DE TAGOMAGO

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Book SynopsisKoji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. (1985) score redefined video game music. With under three minutes of music, Kondo put to rest an era of bleeps and bloops—the sterile products of a lab environment—replacing it with one in which game sounds constituted a legitimate form of artistic expression. Andrew Schartmann takes us through the various external factors (e.g., the video game crash of 1983, Nintendo’s marketing tactics) that coalesced into a ripe environment in which Kondo’s musical experiments could thrive. He then delves into the music itself, searching for reasons why our hearts still dance to the “primitive” 8-bit tunes of a bygone era. What musical features are responsible for Kondo’s distinct “Mario sound”? How do the different themes underscore the vastness of Princess Peach’s Mushroom Kingdom? And in what ways do the game’s sound effects resonate with our physical experience of the world? These and other questions are explored within, through the lens of Kondo’s compositional philosophy—one that would influence an entire generation of video game composers. As Kondo himself stated, “we [at Nintendo] were trying to do something that had never been done before.” In this book, Schartmann shows his readers how Kondo and his team not just succeeded, but heralded in a new era of video games.Trade ReviewSchartmann is convincing on Kondo's genius ... It's hard not to appreciate his high aim. If anyone still doubts a video game can be art, perhaps their definition of art is at fault. * The Wire *The most compelling aspects of Schartmann’s book involve the widening circumference of Kondo’s imagination, the possibilities he saw in this new world of electronic composition. The move to home consoles had freed video gaming from the initial, “hailing” approach to sound…It’s Schartmann’s sense of conviction, the hyperbole that occasionally frames his dive into composition and structure, that gives the book its charm. -- Hua Shu * The New Yorker *Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack gave me a greater appreciation of something that appears to be so simple on the surface. * Pure Geekery *Koji Kondo's Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack comes in at 120 pages, not counting the notes and preface, which appears well on par with other books in the 33 1/3 series. It's a book that takes itself seriously, as it should, and soundly proves the case that video game composition is worthy of discussion among keepers of music as a craft. If you have an appreciation for game music, this is worth buying. Even if you don't get a few parts, they're only likely to make you admire the work and design that go into composing all the more. -- Tim Latshaw * NintendoLife *Andrew Schartmann does both the spirit of the series and video game history proud with his investigation into the iconic music from Koji Kondo. Matching a fanboy’s sensibilities with serious scholarship, Schartmann provides the reader with an engaging discussion of Kondo’s themes and ideas, both in terms of stylistic flair and compositional acumen … Of equal importance are his excellent research skills, as he collects worthwhile source material and pairs them [with] compelling quotes from Kondo and other luminaries at Nintendo to make his case for this soundtrack’s inclusion in the 33-1/3 series. The result is a superb blend of professional musicology and video game nerdery. * Dryvetyme.tumblr.com *Andrew Schartmann’s extensive, thoughtful treatise on Japanese composer Koji Kondo and his work on the soundtrack to the original Super Mario Bros game is probably the most unusual entry in the 33 1/3 music chapbook series … As Schartmann demonstrates, Kondo’s work on this seminal game – and the legacy of industry influence that followed – is much more than the primitive bleeps and bloops we all remember … -- Justin Cummings * Critics at Large *There’s something ballsy about including a videogame soundtrack in the 33 1/3 series since it’s not a traditional album per se, though Andrew Schartmann makes a compelling case for Koji Kondo’s score for Super Mario Bros. -- Hubert Vigilla * Ruby Hornet *Excerpted * VICE *Featured in "The Genius of the Super Mario Bros. 'Game Over' Theme" * Slate *Schartmann argues Super Mario Bros. composer Kondo transcended the medium of composition to break free from its restrictions, creating something new to be examined and improved upon … Super Mario Bros. has an enduring sonic legacy. Music is, after all, one of the great social connectors, and the infectiousness of Super Mario Bros.’ iconic main theme is ignorant of geography’s constraints. -- Josh O’Kane * The Globe and Mail *Table of ContentsForward Preface Acknowledgements INTRODUCTION CONTEXTS 1-1 An Unlikely Hero is Born 1-2 Mario Grows Up 1-3 Kondo’s Compositional Philosophy 1-4 Kondo’s Instruments MUSIC 2-1 Overworlds and Underworlds 2-2 The “Underwater” Waltz 2-3 Bowser’s “Castle” Theme & Other Endings 2-4 Sound Effects CONCLUSION Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBruce Springsteen: A musician. A family man. A religious man. An activist. A boss. THE BOSS. From podcasts with former President Barak Obama to record smashing sales deals, Bruce Springsteen is just as much as The Boss now as he was decades ago. This photo-biography recounts the fascinating life of a boy from Freehold, New Jersey who goes on to become a rock ‘n’ roll ledgend – turning out over ten number 1 hits and over 120 million CDs sold, the highest in rock history. Follow him through five chronological chapters that highlight his greatest milestones and shares lesser-known struggles – as he introduces the world heartland rock songs about working class America, losses success in the 1990s, and returns with a vengeance to ring in the new millennia while lending his support to a dividing political landscape in new age America.Table of ContentsFOREWORD page 6 INTRODUCTION page 8 1949–1973 GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK page 16 1974–1984 BORN TO RUN page 46 1984–1991 BORN IN THE U.S.A. AND GLOBAL SUCCESS page 90 1992–2012 FROM CRISIS TO REBIRTH page 124 2012–2023 BIG DREAMS, BIG HOPES page 164

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Book SynopsisRiff explores the turbulent life of the Caribbean musician and poet Shake Keane (1927-97). A wanderer, he absorbed many of the themes of the 20th century - colonialism, migration and masculinity. Each of them found expression in his work. Born in St Vincent, he migrated to London in the early 1950s where he became an important figure in the free form jazz scene. A return to his birthplace was blighted by politics, and his last decades were spent in New York City and Norway where he experienced a degree of emotional peace despite financial difficulties. This biography reveals the many features of the life of this trend-setting but troubled Caribbean icon.

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Book SynopsisAn enthralling appreciation of the monumentally gifted popular artist and cultural icon who challenged Hollywood's standards of beauty and glamour Barbra Streisand has been called the most successful...talented performer of her generation by Vanity Fair, and her voice, said pianist Glenn Gould, is one of the natural wonders of the age. Streisand scaled the heights of entertainmentfrom a popular vocalist to a first-rank Broadway star in Funny Girl to an Oscar-winning actress to a producer and director. But she has also become a cultural icon who has transcended show business. To achieve her success, Brooklyn-born Streisand had to overcome tremendous odds, not the least of which was her Jewishness. Dismissed, insulted, even reviled when she embarked on a show business career for acting too Jewish and looking too Jewish, she brilliantly converted her Jewishness into a metaphor for outsiderness that would eventually make her the avenger for anyone who felt marginalized and powerless. Neal Gabler examines Streisand's life and career through this prism of othernessa Jew in a gentile world, a self-proclaimed homely girl in a world of glamour, a kooky girl in a world of conventionand shows how central it was to Streisand's triumph as one of the voices of her age.Trade Review"[A] spirited and entertaining cultural appreciation."—Jennifer Senior, New York Times"In this fascinating and insightful exploration of what it means to be Barbra Streisand, and what it took to become her, Mr. Gabler writes with the heart of a fan and the mind of a Freudian. He delves into Ms. Streisand’s tragic childhood and her anguish at the hand of neighborhood bullies, who taunted her for her big nose and relative poverty, and shows how they engendered in her an implacable—and stupefyingly correct—belief in the singular power of her talent as a performer."—Rachel Shukert, Wall Street Journal"Gabler, the estimable journalist, pop-cultural historian and author . . . returns to his interest in the intersection of Jews, gentiles and Hollywood in BARBRA STREISAND: Redefining Beauty, Femininity, and Power. . . . The author does a neat job of weaving every thread he can pull into the cloth. . . . This brief biography looks at a well-documented star in a new way."—Lisa Schwarzbaum, New York Times Book Review"Gabler . . . argues that Streisand could never have triumphed as she did if she were a natural winner . . . a convincing account of how, once, Streisand really did bend the world to her will."—Victoria Segal, Sunday Times"Gabler’s immensely readable book demonstrates through Streisand’s remarkable story that . . . it is talent that matters most, and for her embracing who she was and accepting with confidence what she looked like was instrumental in displaying that talent to the world."—Richard Edmonds, Birmingham Post"Gabler’s enthusiasm is so infectious and Barbra Streisand’s star quality so magnificent that I found myself singing the songs."—Jessica Weinstein, Jewish Chronicle"[A] smart new book, a biography-cum-critical essay on the Brooklyn-born diva. It may be the best book about Streisand you will ever read, an acute and sympathetic rendering of a career forged from yearning and steel."—Tom Shone, New Statesman"A clear-eyed, frank, and energetic look at Streisand, filled with revealing details, that fuses her life and career into vivid focus."—Bob Spitz, author of The Beatles: The Biography

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Book SynopsisHe came from Outer Space...It was the greatest invention in the history of pop music – the rock god who came from the stars – which struck a young David Bowie like a lightning bolt from the heavens.Trade ReviewDazzlingly pulls together all the vibrant strands that made up the star-spun cloth of Ziggy. Goddard is the aficionado. -- Gary KempDoes for David Bowie what Greil Marcus's Lipstick Traces did for the Sex Pistols... Big, bold and refreshingly original... It's Ziggy as experienced from the alien inside * MOJO Magazine **** *A tremendous account * Q Magazine **** *If you’ve been enjoying David Bowie’s comeback, you’ll relish Simon Goddard’s offbeat paean of man-love to his earlier incarnation. Goddard offers a thrillingly unusual slant on how Ziggy Stardust…came into being * The Observer *A great deal of research has gone into Ziggyology… Ziggy becomes a forcefield of fabulation, an imaginative cartography through and to whom all manner of ley lines pass…ingeniously and entertainingly (rendered) * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIn his first book, front man of Slipknot and Stone Sour, Corey Taylor took on the Seven Deadly Sins, pulling them apart to reveal all that is irrelevant and wrong about the vices in the modern world through his own uniquely hilarious yet ferocious style. But in Corey''s eyes that''s not all that is wrong with the world today...From bad music, fame and infomercials to raising kids, sex and airport security, You''re Making Me Hate You is the result of a one-man mission to demonstrate the alarming rise in worldwide idiocy, buffoonery and out-and-out disregard for intelligent thought.Rant-filled but eloquent, shocking but intelligent, this is bestselling author Corey Taylor at his most Corey Taylor and he doesn''t leave himself out either... turns out he''s just as f***ing stupid as the rest of us, too.

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Book SynopsisJimmy McDonough is a journalist who has contributed to such publications as Variety, Film Comment, Mojo, Spin and Juggs. But he is perhaps best know for his intense, definitive Village Voice profiles of such artists as Jimmy Scott, Neil Young and Hubert Selby, Jr. He is also the author of The Ghastly One: The Sex-Gore Netherworld of Filmmaker Andy Milligan. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.Trade ReviewThe raw materials of the story are sensational: burning ambition, clashing egos, onstage epileptic seizures, deranged groupies, great albums, the birth and death of Sixties idealism, and, most of all, extremes of substance abuse * Scotland on Sunday *Succeeds in stripping a star of his iconography - McDonough's book excels at anecdotes of music excess from a bygone era * Observer *It's hard to imagine anyone trying to better this book - It has an abundance of what Young values above all else - passion * Evening Standard *I've been reading this biography of Neil Young called Shakey and it's changed my life, man -- Liam Gallagher * NME *

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Book SynopsisWriter, musicologist, archivist, singer, DJ, filmmaker, record, radio and TV producer, Alan Lomax was a man of many parts. Without him the history of popular music would have been very different. Armed with a tape-recorder and his own near-flawless good taste, Lomax spent years travelling the US, particularly the south, recording its heritage of music and song for posterity, bringing to light the talents of performers ranging from Jelly Roll Morton to Leadbelly and Muddy Waters, and crucially influencing generations of musicians from Pete Seeger to the Stones, from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan. His influence continues: recordings made by Lomax are the core of the sound-tracks of Oh Brother, Where art Thou? and Gangs of New York, and even featured, remixed, on Moby''s Play. John Szwed''s biography is the first ever of this remarkable and contradictory man (whom he both knew and worked with for ten years); through it Szwed will tell the storTrade ReviewA great book...hooray! * Peter Seeger *Superb * Mojo *Remarkable...excellent * Telegraph *Impressive - Szwed succeeds magnificently * FT *

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Book SynopsisThe genius behind such classic songs as Suzanne, So Long, Marianne, and Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most influential songwriters of our time, a man of spirituality, emotion, and intelligence whose work has explored issues of human life - sex, religion, power, meaning, love. This book explores various facets of Cohen's life.Trade ReviewCohen gets the music biography he truly deserves * Mojo *Simmons’ clear affection for her subject helps to illuminate Cohen’s motivations and working methods and gives an intriguing insight into his singular mind * Sunday Times *The year’s most meticulous, elegant and satisfying rock book * Independent *Simmons loves language, hates cliché and takes her time... [she] recreates long-gone incidents with such vigour that you’d swear Simmons was there at the time, sitting in the corner and taking notes * Guardian *A well-rounded portrait of the poet-singer…his dry wit finds an echo in Simmons’s phrase-making * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisLUCIANO PAVAROTTI was born in Modena, Italy, in 1935. His operatic debut in 1961 made an immediate impression on the international operatic scene, and he went on to become possibly the most celebrated singer in the world. In September 2007 he died aged 71.WILLIAM WRIGHT is the author of several books which include biographies of Christina Onassis and Lillian Hellman, and he collaborated with Pavarotti on an earlier books, Pavarotti, My Life published in 1979.Trade ReviewA candid look at fifteen years of astounding talent and public adulation * Sunday Express *Will amuse and entertain the legions of Pavarotti's fervent admirers * Irish Independent *Wonderful, moving and revealing * Publishing News *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsisfor SATB chorus and orchestra This arrangement for choir and orchestra of a traditional American spiritual conjures a deep fervency, belying its simple appearance. The opening instruction is ''With hushed awe'', and that encapsulates perfectly the gentle radiance of the tender lyrics and the music''s highly singable lines.

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Book SynopsisA major figure in American blues and folk music, Big Bill Broonzy (1903-58) left his Arkansas Delta home after World War I, headed north, and became the leading Chicago bluesman of the 1930s. This book traces Big Bill's career from his rise as a nationally prominent blues star to his influential role in the post-World War II folk revival.Trade Review"Bob Riesman's account of Broonzy's career in Chicago, Paris, London, and later on the US folk circuit with Peter Seeger and others, is as dense and detailed as it is clear and straightforward.... I Feel So Good is a well-written, beautifully produced account of a life lived in performance." (Times Literary Supplement)"

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction Philip Ross Bullock Permissions and Credits Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration and Dating MOSCOW AND MODERNITY Reading the Popular Pessimist: Thought, Feeling, and Dance in Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Narrative Peter Franklin Sergei Rachmaninoff and Moscow Musical Life Rebecca Mitchell Love Triumphant: Rachmaninoff’s Eros, the Silver Age, and the Middlebrow Marina Frolova-Walker Rachmaninoff and the “Vocalise”: Word and Music in the Russian Silver Age Philip Ross Bullock THREE OPERAS Tchaikovsky’s Echoes, Chaliapin’s Sobs: Aleko, Rachmaninoff, and the Contemporary Emily Frey Rachmaninoff’s Miserly Knight (On Money, Honor, and the Means to Create) Caryl Emerson Burning for You: Rachmaninoff’s Francesca da Rimini Simon Morrison NEW WORLDS Rachmaninoff and the Celebrity Interview: A Selection of Documents from the American Press Selected and Edited by Philip Ross Bullock The Eighteenth Variation Steve Swayne “One of the Outstanding Musical Events of All Time”: The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 1939 Rachmaninoff Cycle Christopher H. Gibbs “The Case of Rachmaninoff”: The Music of a White Emigré in the USSR Marina Raku, translated by Jonathan Walker Aesthetic Ambition and Popular Taste: The Divergent Paths of Paderewski, Busoni, and Rachmaninoff Leon Botstein Index Notes on the Contributors

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Book SynopsisThe Charlatans'' Tim Burgess invites you to the greatest listening party of all time. In 2020 when the world was forced to hit pause on live in-person gigs, Tim Burgess found an ingenious way to bring people together by inviting artists and bands, from Paul McCartney and New Order to Michael Kiwanuka and Kylie, to host real-time album playbacks via Twitter.Relive 100 of the most memorable listening parties here with stories from bands and fans, rarely seen backstage images, and unique insider info from those who created these iconic albums.Hey Twitter, let''s all say a big thanks to Tim for these brilliant events this year! We really needed them. So much great music being talked about.'' - Sir Paul McCartney Twitter being used for something really positive. - Mary BeardTrade Review...The Listening Party is a refreshingly different rock book, as it gained interviews that would never normally have been approved... In years to come when artefacts are gathered to represent the 2020-21 Pandemic, The Listening Party will be pride of place. * Record Collector *

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Book SynopsisNow available in paperback, William C. Banfield’s acclaimed collection of interviews delves into the lives and work of forty-one Black composers. Each of the profiled artists offers a candid self-portrait that explores areas from training and compositional techniques to working in a exclusive canon that has existed for a very long time. At the same time, Banfield draws on sociology, Western concepts of art and taste, and vernacular musical forms like blues and jazz to provide a frame for the artists’ achievements and help to illuminate the ongoing progress and struggles against industry barriers. Expanded illustrations and a new preface by the author provide invaluable added context, making this new edition an essential companion for anyone interested in Black composers or contemporary classical music. Composers featured: Michael Abels, H. Leslie Adams, Lettie Beckon Alston, Thomas J. Anderson, Dwight Andrews, Regina Harris Baiocchi, David Baker, William C. Ban?eld, YsayTrade Review"If you are intrigued by the mystery of artistic creativity, this is your book. If you want to know where these musicians believe they stand among their white peers, read on. If you are curious about how non-commercial composers and performers thrive or survive in our warped economy, there is much here to consider." --On the Seawall"Traversing a richly diverse gamut of Black culture and heritage across classical and jazz-- which many here agree is in effect ‘the classical music of America’—the crucial contribution of Black composers in and far beyond the US becomes clear. Wise, moving, and thought-provoking, it's a timely reiteration of the continued need for their wider acknowledgment." --BBC Music Magazine“A valuable guide to the repertoire.”--Times Union"While some composers are familiar (including Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin), the overwhelming impression is how many unsung Black composers have contributed so much pleasure to music lovers. It’s abundantly clear their work has enriched and expanded the world’s musical palette. . . . A book that should be in every music lover’s library." --Library Journal, Starred ReviewTable of ContentsDedication Foreword Preface: Black Beethovens: Essential Conversations with American Composers In Loving Memory Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Laying the Foundations Part 2: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 1 (1922–1936) H. Leslie Adams Thomas J. Anderson David Baker Noel DaCosta George Russell Hale Smith Frederick C. Tillis George Walker Part 3: The Arrived and the Acknowledged, Part 2 (1937–1945) Adolphus Hailstork Wendell Logan Dorothy Rudd Moore Olly Wilson Part 4: Perspectives on Spirituality, Jazz, and Contemporary Popular Languages Dwight Andrews Ysaye Maria Barnwell Billy Childs George Duke Jester Hairston Herbie Hancock Stephen Newby Michael Powell Billy Taylor Tony Williams Michael Woods Part 5: The Composer as Conductor and Composer Leslie Dunner Bobby McFerrin Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Patrice Rushen Kevin Scott Julius Williams Part 6: Generation X and Beyond (1950–1965) Michael Abels Lettie Beckon Alston William C. Banfield Regina Harris Baiocchi Anthony Davis Donal Fox Jonathan Holland Anthony Kelley Jeffrey Mumford Gary Powell Nash Evelyn Simpson-Curenton James Kimo Williams Postlude: Extensions of the Tradition—Linkages and Canon Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisThe artist’s impact on country music and how his death changed the genre A beloved member of the country music community, David “Stringbean” Akeman found nationwide fame as a cast member of Hee Haw. The 1973 murder of Stringbean and his wife forever changed Nashville’s sense of itself. Millions of others mourned not only the slain couple but the passing of the way of life that country music had long represented. Taylor Hagood merges the story of Stringbean’s life with an account of murder and courtroom drama. Mentored by Uncle Dave Macon and Bill Monroe, Stringbean was a bridge to country’s early days. His instrumental savvy and old-time singing style drew upon a deep love for traditional country music that, along with his humor and humanity, won him the reverence of younger artists and made his violent death all the more shocking. Hagood delves into the unexpected questions and uneasy resolutions raised by the atmosphere of Trade Review"The story about the life of the man and the details of his life's tragic end is expertly covered in this new book. . . . After reading this book, I feel as though I got to know David "Stringbean" Akeman and his story very well. Highly recommended!" --Dan Miller, Bluegrass Unlimited“Stringbean was one of the very first friends Doolittle, my husband, and I made when we first came to Nashville in 1960. He and his wife Estelle were some of the nicest folks you could find anywhere. . . . It was heartbreaking when we lost him and his wife.”--Loretta Lynn“Stringbean and Estelle would be like your favorite aunt and uncle, or your favorite cousin. Any time we had a celebration, they were always there, and most of the time cooked for everybody. Those were precious times.”--Lulu Roman, Hee Haw star"This tale will appeal to readers curious about the formative years of the United States' country-music scene." --Library Journal"Get your orders in! You will like this book. Thanks, Taylor Hagood, for filling in so many blanks, even those you filled in from your remote closeness to the gentle and genuine spirit of Stringbean. Stringbean is still a vital part of our music. Stringbean shows us that." --Bluegrass Standard"Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Legend by Talyor Hagood, not only serves to remind and establish Stringbean’s often overlooked musical legacy, but also serves as a true crime thriller with a highly detailed account of the murder and ensuing trial. Hagood expertly details Stringbean’s long career and gives new meaning to both him and his music." --Americana UK"Hagood, who writes with an appealingly loose and earnest style, has genuine affection for Stringbean. Perhaps the most moving passages are those in which Hagood reflects on the symbiotic relationship between the man and his trusty Vega No. 9 Tubaphone banjo. " --NewCity "Almost as soon as I picked up Taylor Hagood's biography of David Akeman, I knew I could put aside my instinct to find fault in order to luxuriate in a well-documented, carefully constructed combination of biography and true crime story. . . . I highly recommend this well-researched and highly readable book." --Ted Lehmann “It was always a rare treat to get to see the hat flipping, banjo picking man from ole Kentucky on the television or old video tape. Stringbean was one of my first musical heroes as a kid while learning to play the banjo. I'm very excited to get this book! I can never get enough of Ole String! Thank you, Taylor!”--Leroy Troy, Grand Ole Opry star and 1996 National Old-Time Banjo Champion "Taylor Hagood is a gifted writer, and I'm truly pleased with the book he wrote about my uncle, David Akemon."--Phillip AkemonTable of ContentsA Note on Names Prologue. Short Life and Trouble: November 11, 1973 Chapter 1. Way Back in the Hills of Old Kentucky: 1915-1935 Chapter 2. Stringbean and His Banjo: 1935-1942 Chapter 3. Goin’ to the Grand Ole Opry to Make Myself a Name: 1942-1945 Chapter 4. Big Ball in Nashville: 1945-1952 Chapter 5. Herdin’ Cattle in a Cadillac Coupe de Ville: 1953-1959 Chapter 6. Pretty Polly: 1960-1965 Chapter 7. Me and My Old Crow (Got a Good Thing Going): 1966-1973 Interlude. Goodbye Sweet Thing: Stringbean’s Final Day of Life, November 10, 1973 Chapter 8. Sinner Man, Where You Gonna Hide: November 1973, January 1974 Chapter 9. You Can’t Do Wrong and Get By: January, November 1974 Epilogue. Forgetting to Forget You: 1975-2014 Acknowledgments Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA biography of Ignaz Friedman that offers the reader the behind and the between of the life and career of this extraordinary pianist. It examines Friedman's life as a cultured Jewish musician in Poland; his studies in Leipzig and Vienna; his relationship with Manya Friedman; and, his performing career, teaching, and retirement in Australia.Trade ReviewAllan Evans's biography of Ignaz Friedman . . . is a beautifully written and marvelously researched book about one of the greatest piano virtuosos of the twentieth century. . . . This is a book to savor, to read and reread. April 1, 2011 * Clavier Companion *This book is a must read, above all, for those interested in Ignaz Friedman, and for those interested in the musical world of his time. September 8, 2009 * www.classicalmusicguide.com *Evans packs so much into these pages that it is not just an interesting biography but more an immersion into the entire piano world of the first half of the 20th century. The book includes a number of interesting photos; the appendixes are a rich source, meticulously documented, of Friedman's concert repertoire, recordings, compositions, and editorial work on the compositions of Frederic Chopin. This volume is a true labor of love. . . . Highly recommended.January 2010 * Choice *This distinguished study brings back to the forefront a great artist who was in danger of being forgotten. November 2009 * Gramophone *Ignaz Friedman is thoroughly researched and offers readers new insight into the life and activities of this pianistic giant.Vol. 25, 2010 * Music Research Forum *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1. Musical Traditions That Hide in Shellac2. From Poland3. "Music begins where technique leaves off"4. 2,800 Concerts5. From Old Russia6. Encroaching Modernism7. From Beethoven to Hitler8. In Safety, Down Under9. Exile10. Chopin on the Nile11. The Piano According to Tiegerman12. The Piano According to FriedmanAppendix A: Friedman's RepertoireAppendix B: DiscographyAppendix C: Friedman's and Tiegerman's CompositionsAppendix D: Friedman's Edition of Chopin's Piano WorksNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of Creedence Clearwater Revival, exploring the band's legendary rise to fame and how their music embodied the cultural landscape of the late '60s and early '70sFrom 1969 to 1971, as the United States convulsed with political upheaval and transformative social movements, no band was bigger than Creedence Clearwater Revival. They managed a two-year barrage of top-10 singles and LPs that doubled as an ubiquitous soundtrack to one of the most volatile periods in modern American history, and they remain a staple of classic rock radio and films about the era. Yet despite their enduring popularity, no book has ever sought to understand Creedence in conversation with their time. A Song for Everyone finally tells that story: the thirteen-year saga of an unassuming suburban quartet's journey through the wilds of 1960s pop, and their slow accrual of a sound and ethos that were almost mystically aligned with the concerns of decade's end. Starting in middle school, these Californian friends and brothers cut a working-class path through the most expansive decade in American music, playing R&B, country, and rock 'n' roll under a variety of names as each of those genres expanded and evolved. When they finally synthesized those styles under a new name in 1968, Creedence Clearwater Revival became instantly epochal, then fell apart under the weight of personal grievances that dated back to adolescence. As musicians and as men, they embodied the contradictions and difficulties of their time, and those dimensions of their career have never been explored until now.Drawing on wide-ranging research into the social and musical developments of 1959-1972, extensive original interviews with surviving Creedence members and associates, and unpublished memoirs from people who knew the group closely, A Song for Everyone is the definitive account of a legendary and still-beloved American band. At the same time, it is also a cultural history of those same years—from Elvis to Altamont, Eisenhower to Watergate—seen through the eyes of four men who encapsulated them in song for all time, told by one of the rising figures in contemporary music writing.

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