Popular music Books
Chicago Review Press Nerd Girl Rocks Paradise City: A True Story of
Book SynopsisAfter college, Anne Thomas Soffee journeyed to Los Angeles to start a career as a rock journalist and small-time heavy metal flack. This hilarious peek into the early years of the hair-band era reveals the hierarchy of fishnets, bustiers, and chicks with the Holy Grail—a backstage pass. A taste for other people's prescriptions and too much beer edges her freelance journalism work right off her schedule. She struggles with not being thin enough, pretty enough, or cool enough when, in the midst of the L.A. riots, Soffee is offered a coveted slot in Virginia Commonwealth University's MFA writing program. Determined to pull herself out of current habits, Soffee starts turning her life around, making a stop at rehab before she heads off to graduate school. Her quarter-life crisis is packed with offbeat characters that prove that fact is often funnier than fiction.Trade Review"Funny, trashy and smart." -- The New York Times"A truly well-written rock 'n' roll memoir." -- Punk Planet"A laugh-out-loud charmer." -- Bust"Totally enjoyable." -- Maximum Rock n Roll"Funny as hell!" -- Score! Music Magazine"A compelling read." -- Metal Maniacs"Incredibly sharp . . . Easy to read and clever, making it hard to put down." --Venuszine.com"Wickedly funny." -- Seattle WeeklyTable of Contents"That Girls Has a Ring in Her Nose"; I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone"; Confessions of a Reluctant Danzig Bimbo; Strippers, Clown Rooms, and Danzig Among the Mangoes; Payola Means Never Having to Say "You Suck"; Idle Worship; Industry Weasel; There Goes the Neighbourhood; Last Call; Tattoo Me.
£17.95
Chicago Review Press Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of
Book SynopsisRightly called the saddest story in rock 'n' roll history, this Creedence biography—newly updated with stories from band members, producers, business associates, close friends, and families—recounts the tragic and triumphant tale of one of America’s most beloved bands. Hailed as the great American rock band from 1968 to 1971, Creedence Clearwater Revival captured the imaginations of a generation with classic hits like “Proud Mary,” “Down on the Corner,” “Green River,” “Born on the Bayou,” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain.” Mounting tensions among bandmates over vibrant guitarist and lead vocalist John Fogerty’s creative control led to the band's demise. Tracing the lives of four musicians who redefined an American roots-rock sound with unequaled passion and power, this music biography exposes the bitter end and abandoned talent of a band left crippled by debt and dissension.Trade Review"Bordowitz brings CCR's complex story to life . . . [He] never takes sides or passes judgment yet brilliantly illuminates the tragedy of CCR's lost potential." -- Library Journal"Bordowitz's recounting of all the acrimony is well detailed and not too hyperbolic. This is a must reading for CCR-philes." -- Booklist"If Hank Bordowitz's Bad Moon Rising isn't 'the saddest story in rock 'n' roll,' . . . it certainly comes within kissing distance." -- USA Today"A new, pretty good examination of the group." -- Houston ChronicleTable of ContentsPart One - Blue Velvet Golliwogs: 1958-1967; Part Two - We're Creedence Clearwater Revival: 1967-1972; Part Three - Put Us in Coach: 1972-1987; Part Four - "The Only Way We Walk to John is Through Our Lawyers: 1988-2007; Index.
£19.90
Chicago Review Press Duke Ellington: His Life in Jazz with 21
Book SynopsisDuke Ellington, one of the most influential figures in American music, comes alive in this comprehensive biography with engaging activities. Ellington was an accomplished and influential jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and cultural diplomat. Activities include creating a ragtime rhythm, making a washtub bass, writing song lyrics, thinking like an arranger, and learning to dance the Lindy Hop. It explores Ellington’s life and career along with many topics related to African American history, including the Harlem Renaissance. Kids will learn about the musical evolution of jazz that coincided with Ellington’s long life from ragtime through the big band era on up to the 1970s. Kids learn how music technology has changed over the years from piano rolls to record albums through CDs, television, and portable music devices. The extensive resources include a time line, glossary, list of Ellington’s greatest recordings, related books, Web sites, and DVDs for further study.Trade Review"The many black-and-white excellent photos show up well on the glossy pages . . . an informative account in an attractive paperback format." --Booklist"Stein Crease delivers a closely written biography bespeaking her Ellington scholarship." --Kirkus Reviews"[A] thorough look at Ellington's musical life and legacy." -- School Library Journal"Crease's wonderful book has earned the phrase Ellington reserved for his highest praise: It is beyond category." --David Hadju, former president of the Duke Ellington Society and author, Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn"Fabulous read." -- Rutherford Parent , Nashville Parent and Williamson Parent"Accessible to today's youngsters." -- New Orleans Magazine"A great musical adventure" -- Education.com"A good book, and quite interesting . . . the activities are kid-friendly . . . this book will quickly become a favourite." --syvjournal.com, Sunday Journal , and The Chicago Crusader
£14.20
Chicago Review Press I'd Rather Be the Devil: Skip James and the Blues
Book SynopsisSkip James (1902–1969) was perhaps the most creative and idiosyncratic of all blues musicians. Drawing on hundreds of hours of conversations with James himself, Stephen Calt here paints a dark and unforgettable portrait of a man untroubled by his own murderous inclinations, a man who achieved one moment of transcendent greatness in a life haunted by failure. And in doing so, Calt offers new insights into the nature of the blues, the world in which it thrived, and its fate when that world vanished.Trade Review"Less a biography of one blues legend than a biography of Mississippi blues . . . Calt's interviews with James just before his death in 1969 imbue this book with a true survivor's voice." -- Publishers Weekly"[Calt] writes with a knowledge and intelligence that make even his most extreme statements interesting . . . His greatest virtue is his insistence on painting James as a real, albeit infuriating, person ." -- Boston Globe"The appearance of a book on Skip James and his worlds as thorough, clearheaded, and insightful as Calt's should be considered a gift of fate. To say I'd Rather Be the Devil is the best book on the subject of 'country blues' for the layperson would be an understatement on the order of 'Air is good for your body.'" --Village Voice"This is the real thing. I drink up every word. This and Calt's life of Charlie Patton are the best books ever written on the subject of old-time blues." --R. Crumb, author, R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz and Country"Intimate, learned, trenchant, chilling, and true . . . This work surpasses its task with comprehensive research and insight suggestive of far, uncharted travels." --Alan Greenberg, author, Love in Vain"An extraordinary work devoted to blues, and more specifically, to one of the true enigmas of country blues." --Lawrence Cohn, editor, Nothing But the Blues"Penetrating and idiosyncratic . . . A remarkable book." --Minneapolis City Pages"Entertaining and on the mark . . . Calt's narrative is always interesting and often spellbinding . . . Fascinating reading." --Acoustic Guitar"A fascinating and disturbing book, containing a lot of truth, a lot of interesting historical research, and a lot of food for thought." --Living Blues
£19.90
Chicago Review Press Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy
Book SynopsisEarthy, sexy, and vivacious, the life of beloved country singer, Patsy Cline, who soared from obscurity to international fame to tragic death in just thirty short years, is explored in colorful and poignant detail. An innovator—and even a hell-raiser—Cline broke all the boys’ club barriers of Nashville’s music business in the 1950s and brought a new Nashville sound to the nation with her pop hits and torch ballads like “Walking After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces“ and "Crazy.” She is the subject of a major Hollywood movie and countless articles, and her albums are still selling 45 years after her death. Ellis Nassour was the very first to write about Cline and did so with the cooperation of the stars who knew and loved her—including Jimmy Dean, Jan Howard, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Dottie West, and Faron Young. He was the only writer to interview Cline's mother and husbands. This updated edition features not only a complete discography and a host of never-before-published photographs, but includes an afterword that details controversial claims about her birth, the battle between Cline's siblings for her possessions, the amazing influence Cline had on a new generation of singers and, in Cline’s own words from letters to a devoted friend, her excitement as her career soared to new heights and her marriage descended to new depths.Trade Review"Captures the raw elements that went into making Cline the entertainer she was -- and to his credit, Nassour doesn't try to paint her over in shades of gold. . . . The book excels in its accurate recreation of the [1963 plane] crash itself and its impact on those who knew Cline best." -- Billboard""Done with great respect and humor and just enough down-and-dirty detail." --New York Daily News"Patsy Cline's immortal voice sings in Honky Tonk Angel . . . it brings tears streaming down your face. . . . Larger than life, yet still intimate. Honest and respectful." -- The Virginian-Pilot"Gazes unflinchingly at its subject. . . . Filled with poignant memories and amazing detail." --Nashville Tennessean"With a clear, concise style, Nassour reconstructs Cline's life. . . . [The] painstaking interviews provide an insightful and comprehensive look at one of country music's pioneers. It's a good read." --Rocky Mountain News"Cline was a woman of great passion, prone to her own style of sexual braggadocio, and Nassour gives us all the earthiness of this most sublime singer." --Phoenix Gazette"Revealing and absorbing . . . a winner." --Liz Smith"Ellis Nassour's biography doesn't just paint an image of the Patsy Cline I knew and loved. What really emerges is a poignant tribute to one of our greatest singing legends." --Brenda Lee, American pop singer and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and Rockabilly Hall of Fame"Honky Tonk Angel brought back wonderful memories. It brings home the fact that Patsy was an original in her cowboy outfit with red boots and western hat singing her butt off, singing her soul at you. There's been no one quite like her." --Roger Miller
£19.76
Chicago Review Press Touch Me, I'm Sick: The 52 Creepiest Love Songs
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£11.66
Chicago Review Press The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of
Book SynopsisBased in part on the recent interviews with more than 125 people—among them Tommy Ramone, Chris Stein (Blondie), Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Hilly Kristal (CBGBs owner), and John Zorn—this book focuses on punk’s beginnings in New York City to show that punk was the most Jewish of rock movements, in both makeup and attitude. As it originated in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the early 1970s, punk rock was the apotheosis of a Jewish cultural tradition that found its ultimate expression in the generation born after the Holocaust. Beginning with Lenny Bruce, “the patron saint of punk,” and following pre-punk progenitors such as Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman, Suicide, and the Dictators, this fascinating mixture of biography, cultural studies, and musical analysis delves into the lives of these and other Jewish punks—including Richard Hell and Joey Ramone—to create a fascinating historical overview of the scene. Reflecting the irony, romanticism, and, above all, the humor of the Jewish experience, this tale of changing Jewish identity in America reveals the conscious and unconscious forces that drove New York Jewish rockers to reinvent themselves—and popular music.Trade Review"Agile, well-researched. . . . The best account of punk's nascent years since Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain's seminal Please Kill Me. With equal parts spirit and scholarship, Beeber succeeds in placing this still-influential music within a broader historical and cultural context, and assures that punk's 'secret history' is a secret no more." -- The Boston Globe""A unique new perspective on the history of punk rock." --Tommy Ramone, The Ramones"Shocking confessions of an eternally wicked tribe of dysfunctional kids in search of an identity." --Malcolm McLaren, manager for the Sex Pistols"A beautiful, well-written book that's not only the kind you can't put down but also a true revelation." --Alan Vega, Suicide"A remarkably rich and rewarding read." -- The Dallas Morning News"Beeber is an original thinker with an impressive gift for sociology, psychology and gossip." --Ketzel Levine, NPR"The best account of punk's nascent years." -- The Boston Globe"Mines a vein in punk's needle-marked history that no one else has explored and is highly recommended." -- Vanity Fair"Entertaining, engrossing, and provocative." -- The Villager
£14.20
A Cappella Books How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC
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£14.20
Lawrence Hill Books The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to the 21st Century
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£26.96
Chicago Review Press Here Comes Everybody: The Story of the Pogues
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£18.00
Chicago Review Press The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence
Book SynopsisIn the months before she died, Florence Ballard, the spunky teenager who founded the most successful female vocal group in history—the Supremes—told her own side of the story. Recorded on tape, Flo shed light on all areas of her life, including the surprising identity of the man by whom she was raped prior to her entering the music business, the details of her love-hate relationship with Motown Records czar Berry Gordy, her drinking problem and pleas for help, a never-ending desire to be the Supremes’ lead singer, and her attempts to get her life back on track after being brutally expelled from the group. This is a tumultuous and heartbreaking story of a world-famous performer whose life ended at the age of 32 as a lonely mother of three who had only recently recovered from years of poverty and despair.Trade Review"Flo Ballard's remarkable story is a personal Greek tragedy. In his wonderful The Lost Supreme , Peter Benjaminson tells it masterfully, with all the drama and empathy her life deserves. In Benjaminson's talented hands, Flo Ballard earns the lasting stardom she was deprived of in life." --Gerald Posner, author, Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power"Get to know the real Flo, from the beginning to the end. A must read." --Otis Williams, the Temptations"Peter Benjaminson has done a stellar job in capturing [Florence Ballard] and telling her story. Florence deserved a biographer with the skill and talent of Benjaminson. If this book were a record, it would top the charts." --Al Abrams, publicity director, Motown Records, 1964-1966"Provides details Ballard wouldn't or couldn't discuss." -- Onion
£14.20
Newmarket Press,U.S. Dreamgirls: The Movie Musical
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£19.95
University of Arkansas Press Long Blues in A Minor
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA superb novel . . . one of the most fascinating French versions of America since deTocqueville." —Marie-Claire "This is a well-told, well-translated story of a young French fan's adventures with an old bluesman in France, Chicago, and the South." —Jazztimes>
£19.90
University of Arkansas Press Encyclopedia of the Blues
Book Synopsishe popular Encyclopedia of the Blues, first published by the University of Arkansas Press in 1992 and reprinted six times, has become an indispensable reference source for all involved with or intrigued by the music. The work alphabetizes hundreds of biographical entries, presenting detailed examinations of the performers and of the instruments, trends, recordings, and producers who have created and popularized this truly American art form.
£33.20
University of Arkansas Press Notes To Make Sound
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£23.70
University of Arkansas Press Our Own Sweet Sounds: A Celebration of Popular
Book SynopsisA rich portrait of the community that is Arkansas manifested in song, Our Own Sweet Sounds celebrates the diversity of musical forms and music makers that have graced the state since territorial times. Beginning with the earliest references to Quapaw and Caddo music as first reported by seventeenth-century European explorers and continuing forward to the “bizarrely named grunge bands” who will be stars tomorrow, Robert Cochran traces the music and voices that have enriched the life of the Natural State. Arkansas, many are starting to realize, was caught in a cultural crossfire of music. There were the nearby western swing influence of Tulsa, the blues of Memphis, the Louisiana Hayride of Shreveport, and the influence of Ozark music from Missouri. All of this resulted in the Arkansas cross-culture of blues, country, folk, and rock music, creating a broad spectrum of musical styles and musicians that has left an indelible impression on the Arkansas cultural scene. This new edition includes approximately seventy new artists, some of whom became famous after 1996, when the first edition was published, such as Joe Nichols, and some of whom were left out of the original edition, such as Little Willie John. The valuable “Featured Performers” section―lengthy discussions of individual artists with their photographs―is now one-third larger. This new edition, heavily illustrated, is a loving tribute to the common music that has filled local airwaves, lifted community gatherings to the level of joyous festivities, and enlivened the spirit of music lovers everywhere.Trade ReviewIt all started there in the South, a lot of great talent and great music. It's wonderful that Bob Cochran is documenting all that history of music in Arkansas. Unbelievable how far back it all started. Brings back a lot of memories, reading about those great cats who were so important in the development of today's music. Keep Rockin' Bob!" —Ronnie "The Hawk" Hawkins
£19.90
University of Arkansas Press Looking Back to See: A Country Music Memoir
Book SynopsisA vocal group without peer, The Browns were central artists in the changing sound of country and American popular music at mid-century. They were part of major changes in the entertainment business and American culture, participated in the folk music movement in the '60's, and saw the steady birth of rock 'n' roll up close as they worked with Presley and others. Illustrated with many never-before-published photographs, Looking Back to See is a remarkable story told here for the first time.
£19.76
Hal Leonard Corporation Sweat, Tears and Jazz Hands: The Official History
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£29.94
Hal Leonard Corporation Horror Films FAQ: All That's Left to Know About
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£17.99
Hal Leonard Corporation Saturday Night Live FAQ: Everything Left to Know
Book SynopsisTelevision history was made on Saturday October 11 1975 at 11:30pm (ET) when Chevy Chase welcomed America to the first episode of a new late-night comedy series. With its cutting edge satire and cast of young talented performers ÊSaturday Night LiveÊ set a new standard for television comedy while launching the careers of such comedy greats as John Belushi Chevy Chase Dan Aykroyd Eddie Murphy Mike Myers Dana Carvey Will Ferrell Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.ÞÊSaturday Night Live FAQÊ is the first book to offer the show's generations of fans everything they ever wanted to know (and may have forgotten) about ÊSNLÊ. Beginning with the show's creation in the mid-1970s by Lorne Michaels and the Not Ready for Prime Time Players ÊSNL FAQÊ takes you through the show's history with an in-depth look at all thirty-eight seasons.ÞIt's all here ä the comedic highlights and low points memorable hosts and musical guests controversial moments and of course the recurring characters and sketches catch phrases and film shorts that have made ÊSNLÊ the epicenter of American comedy for nearly four decades. ÊSNL FAQÊ also examines the show's influence on American culture and includes profiles of over 100 ÊSNLÊ cast members along with a comprehensive guide detailing every episode.
£17.09
University of Massachusetts Press Mashed Up: Music, Technology, and the Rise of
Book SynopsisFrom ancient times to the present day, writers and thinkers have remarked on the unique power of music to evoke emotions, signal identity, and bond or divide entire societies, all without the benefit of literal representation. Even if we can't say precisely what our favorite melody means, we know very well what kind of effect it has on us, and on our friends and neighbors. According to Aram Sinnreich, this power helps to explain why music has so often been regulated in societies around the globe and throughout history. Institutional authorities ranging from dynastic China's "Office to Harmonize Sounds" to today's copyright collecting societies like BMI and ASCAP leverage the rule of law and the power of the market to make sure that some musical forms and practices are allowed and others are prohibited. Yet, despite the efforts of these powerful regulators, musical cultures consistently devise new and innovative ways to work around institutional regulations. These workarounds often generate new styles and traditions in turn, with effects far beyond the cultural sphere. Mashed Up chronicles the rise of "configurability," an emerging musical and cultural moment rooted in today's global, networked communications infrastructure. Based on interviews with dozens of prominent DJs, attorneys, and music industry executives, the book argues that today's battles over sampling, file sharing, and the marketability of new styles such as "mash-ups" and "techno" presage social change on a far broader scale. Specifically, the book suggests the emergence of a new ethic of configurable collectivism; an economic reunion of labor; a renegotiation of the line between public and private; a shift from linear to recursive logic; and a new "DJ consciousness," in which the margins are becoming the new mainstream. Whether these changes are sudden or gradual, violent or peaceful, will depend on whether we heed the lessons of configurability, or continue to police and punish the growing ranks of the mashed up.
£22.75
University of Massachusetts Press Bounce: Rap Music and Local Identity in New
Book SynopsisOver the course of the twentieth century, African Americans in New Orleans helped define the genres of jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, and funk. In recent decades, younger generations of New Orleanians have created a rich and dynamic local rap scene, which has revolved around a dance-oriented style called “bounce.” Hip-hop has been the latest conduit for a “New Orleans sound” that lies at the heart of many of the city’s best-known contributions to earlier popular music genres. Bounce, while globally connected and constantly evolving, reflects an enduring cultural continuity that reaches back and builds on the city’s rich musical and cultural traditions. In this book, the popular music scholar and filmmaker Matt Miller explores the ways in which participants in New Orleans’s hip-hop scene have collectively established, contested, and revised a distinctive style of rap that exists at the intersection of deeply rooted vernacular music traditions and the modern, globalised economy of commercial popular music. Like other forms of grassroots expressive culture in the city, New Orleans rap is a site of intense aesthetic and economic competition that reflects the creativity and resilience of the city’s poor and working-class African Americans.
£31.56
Theatre Communications Group Inc.,U.S. Follies
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£13.49
Theatre Communications Group Inc.,U.S. Lazarus: The Complete Book and Lyrics
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£10.44
Theatre Communications Group Inc.,U.S. Girl from the North Country
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£10.99
Theatre Communications Group Inc.,U.S. The Band's Visit
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£16.14
Mel Bay Publications,U.S. Jazz Saxophone Licks, Phrases and Patterns
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£18.04
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Around the Horn (French Horn)
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£19.99
Jamey Aebersold Jazz The Augmented Scale In Jazz
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£13.49
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Practicing Jazz: A Creative Approach: New and
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£13.50
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Jazz Expressions And Explorations (Bass Clef): A
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£14.26
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Bebop Scales (Bass Clef Instruments): Jazz Scales
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£11.83
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Bebop Scales (Treble Clef Instruments): Jazz
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£9.89
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Barry Galbraith # 1 - The Fingerboard Workbook
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£11.83
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Galbraith # 5: Guitar Improvisation (with Free
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£15.19
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Bass Notes (All Bassists, Acoustic and Electric
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£14.99
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Jazz Bowing Techniques For The Improvising
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£15.99
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Jazz Piano Voicings - Volume 41 Body & Soul
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£15.26
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Blues Bass Lines (For Bass Guitar and Free Audio
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£10.99
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Chromaticism/Non-Diatonic Scales (For All
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£13.16
Jamey Aebersold Jazz The Creative Nudge That Fuels Jazz Improvisation
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£8.60
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Coltrane: Un Guide Pour Les Instrumentistes à Son
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£11.54
Jamey Aebersold Jazz In Conversation with Lieb (CD): Interviews with
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£9.89
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Jazz Piano Voicings: Volume 60 Freddie Hubbard
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£12.12
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Bass Lines to 17 Jazz Standards (Double Bass with
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£11.99
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Intermediate Jazz Improvisation (For All
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£29.99
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Jamey Aebersold's Jazz Ear Training (Guide Book
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£11.99
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Jimmy Raney Jazz Guitar Solos (Guitar notation
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£10.99
