Book Description

Written by Chris Welch, former Melody Maker journalist and Cream confidante, this newly-researched book is the first full account of rockÕs premiere three-man supergroup: guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker. From CreamÕs formation in 1966 to their breakup in 1968, the book analyzes the groupÕs working methods and offers detailed descriptions of all their recordings. A special section explores the musical interactions of Clapton, Bruce and Baker, plus key songwriters Bruce and Pete Brown. With rare full-color photos throughout, it also includes a complete discography, studio sessionography, and diary of live shows. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Cream - The message of the Cream..
This rock group made several important contributions to the developement of rock music.The Cream brought to bear the credo of invention, and took the developement of musical traditions seriously. They succeeded because they did not take advantage of the public's opinion. One thing they did well was extend 'the classical trademark of jamming.' Musicians who love to play music.Extending the limited sequence of written songs into a jazz type world where the artist could try to invent his creative outlook and therefore his creative ability as well. The more you practice the better you get.They were more than an act geared into 60's consciousness,they were serious musicians who tried to help others understand the rapidity of the changing times..in trying to understand,evaluate and amend importance to rock music, this book about The Cream appeared to be useful. mfd

More Cream than Harvey's Bristol!
Rock journalist Chris Welch, who helped spread the gospel according to Cream in the pages of that wonderful British rock journal Melody Maker, gives us a wonderful overview of one of the most influential bands of the sixties. Each member is profiled in a personal interview section (including Pete Brown, the poet and semi-official "fourth member" of Cream who cowrote many of the bands hits with bassist Jack Bruce.) These reminiscences are candid and straightforward (Ginger Baker's especially so) and show both dizzying highs (the Fillmore West and Winterland concerts) and profound lows (Eric Clapton's angst over the famous Rolling Stone article which proclaimed him "master of the blues cliches.")The book also shows how even a great record company like Atlantic can fail to capitalize on the band's unique genius. (According to Jack Bruce, they were more interested in the Bee Gees.)It's a great read, with one or two minor quibbles. Even though there is some detail about the band member's post-Cream activities, more would be welcome, especially concerning Ginger Baker's alleged financial difficulties. Also, in the otherwise excellent diary section (a great idea, by the way), concert dates and recording sessions are chronicled thoroughly, yet there is no mention of the supporting act at the famous August 2, 1966 gig at Klook's Kleek. This was truly an historic occasion, as that supporting act was none other than Savoy Brown, and the concert not only helped break both bands, but also got Savoy Brown their first recording contract and began a musical legacy that is still going strong today. Other than these minor flaws, the book is very well written and deserves a place on your shelf, next to your Eric Claption biographies.

Overall good biograpy of an awsome band.
This is a good way for someone who was not even alive in the 60's to learn about Cream. You get interviews from all three band members.There is also a time chart of rehearsals and recording sessions. There are sections about each members approach to their instruments and some early history. The book has a lot cool pictures and art work. My only complaint is that the printing on part of the inner sleave is blurred.This is defintely a MUST have for any Clapton, Jack Bruce, or Cream fan.

Best book on Cream
This is THE book on Cream. Any Cream, Clapton, Bruce or Baker fan gotta have this. New interviews with Bruce and Baker shed lights on the Cream era. Detailed tour dates and wonderful pictures of covers and labels (I love them!!)

Any Clapton fan should have a copy as reference.

It's better to burn out than it is to rust
Finally, the book this great band deserves. I once saw an instant book on Cream, around the time of their early 90s reunion. This book is much superior to that one, and seems to be the only extant history of the band.

There are well-written and -illustrated "before they were Cream" chapters on each musician. The chapter on Clapton tells the familiar tale of his career from the Yardbirds to John Mayall to Cream. A most welcome part of this book are the portions devoted to songwriter Pete Brown, who teamed with Jack Bruce for some of Cream's best-known classics. Over the years in various interviews Eric Clapton has fostered the idea that he was the whole show, so this material is an appreciated corrective. Much of the material on Bruce's and Ginger Baker's days with the Graham Bond Organisation come from Brown.

The Cream material itself is a fan's dream come true. Jack Bruce and Pete Brown provide most of the reminisces. (Don't overlook the sidebar quotes in the concert log section at the end.) The illustrations are plentiful, including album covers, concert photos, publicity stills, magazine covers, etc. The only mild disappointment is that there are no pictures of Felix Pappalardi included. I'd love to see a picture of him in the studio, playing the piano on "Badge." More oddly, there are no pictures of their 1993 reunion. That's just as well, though. I am continuously grateful to Baker, Bruce, and Clapton for not cheapening Cream's achievement with endless reunions and farewells, as some well-known bands from their era have done. It'd be embarrassing to see Cream spending their golden years on the county fair concert circuit. Their career was cruelly short, but no one can say that they didn't leave a beautiful corpse. And now they finally have a worthy history of their achievements. Those were the days, indeed. ... Read more

Book Description

George Harrison was one of the most adored and accomplished musicians of the rock & roll era. His brilliant, understated guitar playing helped define the sound of the Beatles, and his songs -- including "Something," "Here Comes the Sun" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" -- are among the group's finest. Harrison's lifelong quest for new sounds had a profound influence on the Beatles; he introduced the sitar and other Eastern instruments into the group -- and to rock & roll. In the late sixties he also led the Beatles to explore Eastern religion and embarked on a personal spiritual journey that continued for the rest of his life. In 1970, following the Beatles' breakup, Harrison released a solo masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, and the next year he pioneered rock's first large-scale charity event with the Concert for Bangladesh. Harrison launched a solo tour in 1974 and made a series of wonderful solo albums and side projects with friends like Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar and fellow Beatle Ringo Starr. In the late eighties he formed the Traveling Wilburys with his friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, but Harrison spent most of that decade and the nineties at home in England and Hawaii, tending to his garden, playing the ukulele and enjoying a quiet life with his wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani.

ROLLING STONE featured George Harrison on its cover three times for his post-Beatles work and eight times as a Beatle. He was also featured on the cover of a special commemorative issue, as well as on the magazine's regular edition, following his death from cancer at age fifty-eight, on November 29, 2001. Now, in a definitive tribute that features a new foreword by Olivia Harrison, the editors have drawn on their archives and hundreds of photographs, both the iconographic and the rarely seen, to celebrate the life and career of one of the most important musicians in rock & roll history.

Compiled by the editors of ROLLING STONE, Harrison chronicles the guitarist's life before, during and after the Beatles. Contributing editor Mikal Gilmore offers an expansive, thoughtful new essay, "The Mystery Inside George." ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award winner and ROLLING STONE senior editor David Fricke tells the stories behind Harrison's best-known songs, and offers a guide to twenty-five essential Harrison recordings. Harrison also features news stories and interviews with the guitarist from throughout ROLLING STONE's history -- from his first Q&A with the magazine, in 1968, to his last, a 1987 interview with ROLLING STONE contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis.

Harrison also collects more than one hundred photographs -- from intimate, never-before-seen family photos to iconic images of Harrison as a member of the world's most photographed band. The work of nine renowned photographers is featured in a stunning sixty-page gallery. Included among them are German photographers Max Scheler's and Jürgen Vollmer's early photos of the band's wild days in Hamburg. There is also the deeply personal work of Astrid Kirchherr, who shot the Beatles' earliest formal portraits in a Hamburg fairground and became a close friend of George's. P.J. Griffiths photographed the band for a newspaper article in 1963 on the Liverpool scene. David Hurn shot the filming of A Hard Day's Night and Help! Curt Gunther was one of the few photographers allowed to travel with the group during their 1964 North American tour. And Mark Seliger shot what became the definitive late-period portrait of Harrison for ROLLING STONE's twenty-fifth anniversary issue in 1992. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Beautiful photographs
The somewhat neglected Beatle gets his just rewards in this beautifully produced book which is memorable chiefly because of the photographs. Many are by noted early Beatle photographer Dezo Hoffman and they are stunning and previously unpublished. I have hundreds of Beatles books and this one comes into its own solely because of the weight and merit of the photos. The text is another matter. There are several glaring errors (George and Patty were not married in 1965, but a year later) and the analysis of George and Eastern mysticism is a not quite accurate. The description of Harrison's personal friendship with Ravi left something to be desired.

In addition, this is revisionist history and it's understandable, since the book was hustled into circulation on the heels of George's untimely death. But it's a stretch, to put it mildly, to place Harrison in the same league as Lennon & McCartney as a songwriter. Ouch! I love George as much as anyone, but still expect truthful history to be written.

Another nice aspect is that much space is devoted to George's post-Beatles career, a period which spanned more than 30 years and left us with some magical songs. It was wonderful to see much text devoted to George's relationships with Dylan, Petty, Orbison and Jeff Lynne. If you are a George fan, this is an essential contribution to your library.

Marvelous Book
If you want a serious, mature tribute to George Harrison, buy this book. Lavishly and lovingly illustrated, it's a compilation of wonderful articles, from "A Rare Visit to Friar Park" to "Twenty-Five Essential Musical Moments," and from "The Historic 1971 Concert for Bangladesh" to "The Strings of His Heart." Each article is excellent and makes one want to keep reading.

My favorite parts of this book are "Remembering George," a section of super tributes written by such people as Paul Simon, Yoko Ono, and Tom Petty; and "A Few Words About George," an incredibly moving, beautiful, inspirational foreword by Olivia Harrison. The latter alone is reason enough to buy this book; no true George Harrison fan would want to miss it.

I'm grateful to the Editors of Rolling Stone for publishing this book; it's a treasure I will cherish for years to come. I'm grateful, too, to Amazon.com for carrying "Harrison." I promise you, you'll not find a better tribute to this marvelous man and his music.

THE CONFLICTED ONE
Harrison is a coffee table book put out by the editors of Rolling Stone as a tribute to the late Beatles guitarist. What you have here is mostly pictures but there is text in the form of a short biography that scans over George's whole career. It features photographs from the 60s when Beatlemania was at its height and even offers commentary by the people who took those pictures. It also has pictures of his post Beatle career. It also has musical documentation of all of Harrison's output on his and other artist recordings. All of his interviews in Rolling Stone magazine are compiled in this book.

The picture of George that emerges after reading this book is of a man who ideally lives his life according to certain religious precepts but nevertheless has to live in the material world. Left to himself, George would have painted himself as a purely spiritual being. The pettiness of the Beatles in their breakup and how shamefully they all acted, including George himself, shows that no divine being can exist in human flesh. It seems he was always conflicted between being an entertainer and being somewhat of a divine monk. I don't think he ever reconciled the two.

An especially poignant moment is when an interviewer asks him about his relationship with John Lennon right before he was shot to death. George says that he felt John was trying to reconnect with him. He went to see him in New York and he could tell John wanted so badly to restart a relationship with him but because of his circumstances, probably Yoko's possessiveness of him, he could not communicate what he wanted to say.

It was also apparent that time heals most wounds and that George was at peace with his Beatles past, a past which at one time he hated. He seemed resentful that all his life was judged by a span of 7 short years. Remember, he was only 27 years old at the time the Beatles broke up. Paradoxically, he missed his old band, just like John, Paul, and Ringo did. Beneath all their spats in later years, they knew they had a good situation. They were the best band on the planet.

Great tribute to George
A loving tribute and great coffee table book. A must have!

George Harrison is sorely missed.
I have and always will be a Beatles fan. The best of all of them was George Harrison. It was the sadest day in Nov. 2001, when he passed away. I have heard that this book was comming out in the spring of 02. And It tells the most fasinating and interesting things about him. Things I probably didn't know myself. That is why I am getting this book. As it is rated the best ever written story about him. I am very excited about reading this and learning more about the "Quiet Beatle". I would recommend this book to anyone who is a George Harrison fan. And I am sure that I will cherish this book forever. Miss you George~~ ... Read more

Reviews (5)

CHRISTOPHER WALLACE A.K.A. THE REALEST
This book is Big as biggie smallz, i always respected Biggie smallz and i always wanted to know who really was Christopher wallace and when you read it you just fell pain for his mother, cause christopher was the son every mother want to have, this nigga could have done everything to see the people around him happy, when you read this you see how Biggie would never done nothing whrong to 2pac ,every hip hop fan have to buy this cause we all know many things about 2pac life but finally we don't know nothing about Biggie smalls , before reading this i was taking Big as the best flow hip hop will never had, after reading this book i thing that this fella was the realest hip hop will never have , i want to tell all the 2pac fan who take Biggie as the so called greatest to never forgot that 2pac has 6 lps before his death and Biggie got 2 only, this nigga was at the begining of his career and he was on his way to be the mike anyone jordan , jackson of hip hop!at the reading of this book you see that the 2 dearly legend of hip hop was two friend with nothing in common but with everything complementary, so enjoy cause this may not be the best biography i've read it's arleady one of the best ... it's 25 years full of love, pain, drugs,sex, guns , talent,women and many more!

A Fascintating Read
A must read for anyone interested in the history of hip hop. Before I read it, I had only heard of the Notorious B.I.G. Now I feel as though I know him - personally.

During the 90's, when gansta rap and the East coast vs. West coast fight broke out, I was too busy working on my Bachelor's and Master's degrees to pay much attention to anything else.
I had also heard of Suge Knight and Sean Combs, but only from newspaper reports. Reading this book really filled in a lot of the details for me. Suge Knight is portrayed in a postive light as really caring for his artists and seeing to it that they were treated right. He became violent only when he thought that those artists were being taken advantage of, and that they (as well as he) were losing part of the money they were entitled to. I had always wondered what had prompted this violent streak of his. I remember the newspapers would only report the latest incidents, never try to explain them. The book also explains what it is, in fact, that Sean Combs does. I had always wondered: Is he a rapper? A producer? An executive? And, how did he amass so much money? Combs had always been a mystery to me. To some extent, he still is, but the book goes a long way toward solving this riddle too.

This book explores many interesting puzzles like these and shows how intricate relationships within the hip hop community had become, even by the 90's. Biggie Smalls is portrayed as a flawed yet sympathetic character. At first, he's a child attending Catholic school in uniform, who feels different from all the others hanging out on the corner. His mother is a teacher, he's fatherless, and while not rich, he's by no means poor. His mother gets all the latest gear for him so he doesn't go out and get in trouble. As he grows older, however, the lure of quick profits grows stronger, so that by the time he's 16, he's dropped out of school and become a full-time crack dealer. The book wants us to believe this is so he can buy even more of the latest gear, and that he's never statisfied with what he's got. I'm not sure that that's the whole story, but surely his life was never as bleak as what he depicted later in some of his songs. One gets the feeling that somewhere along the line, something just isn't right - either with the world, or with Biggie. Then, once Biggie becomes a rap star, he says in the book that he never expected to, that rapping was just a hobby and that the profession he had actually chosen was that of the crack dealer. So, we're expected to believe that this rap star thing just happened as a fluke, and came just as much as a surprise to him as to the rest of the world. Maybe all this is so, but if it isn't, the book makes no alternative explanations, nor even attempts to. All we're left with, instead, is an incomplete portrayal of the man who would later become known as the Notorious BIG. All in all, despite the inadequacies in the portrayal, one is still able to admire and respect the genius and charisma of this man. This is both a tribute to the man and to the author. It makes us aware that even legends have character pitfalls, yet we're still able to remember and love them for who they were.

And Unbelievable Is What He Is!!!
I am so glad that I read this book. This book glorified Biggie as a everyday fella not a superstar. How good of a person he was and what he did for others including the ones that hated on him, which were many.

This book gave a first account on how he went for "ashy to classy" and how hard he tried to keep it once he found out that he really had talent for music rather than talent for selling crack.

What I didn't know, but really didn't surprise me was how much of a playa Biggie was. He had his wife Faith, Lil' Kim and Charlie Baltimore and I am going to say that it was more than that. It bugged me out him and Faith never even spoke to each other when the saw each other on the night he died. I guess it is true that you never know that last time you may see someone for good.

I love the loyalty of his true friends from St. James, mainly Lil' Cease. This book also showed you how grimey Lil' Kim really is. What devastated me that most was how his relationship between him and Tupac just crumbled over bullsh--, straight bullsh--. If you ask me my opinion and this is just my opinion, I think Tupac what just in the wrong place at the wrong place, just like the rest of his situations. Now, don't get me wrong that's my boy too, he just makes bad judgements, just like Biggie staying out in Cali, like everything was cool.

Overall, this book was the best biography I ever read. It was straight up real, it made you feel as if Biggie was telling you the story of his life himself.

Later!!!

BIGGIE SMALLS IS THE ILLEST !
The greatest rapper of all time is one "Frank White".
Cheo Hadari Coker broke down The Life, Death and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G as we (the fans) wanted it. The book illustrates Biggie's life in greater detail than what other writers (who didn't even personally know him or even listened to rap) have written.
When Christopher Wallace stepped into the rap game,he saved the East Coast. He put balling to another level and he made dirty thugs wanna look classy and yet he maintained his street cred and represented Brooklyn to the fullest.
This is the book that will hopefully convert the Biggie haters - you know, the staunch Tupac supporters who think fake ass Tupac was the better rapper. Hopefully it will answer the questions that need to be answered about Who Biggie is, what made him and what kind of a person he was to his friends, family and his neighborhood.
Plenty respect goes to the author for this magnificent story - The Story of The Greatest Rapper.

very compelling Book
Biggie was something else as a Artist&as a Brother trying to make His Mark in the World.he got caught up in alot of unwanted tension&whatnot.this Book does a Great job at breaking Down his Music&Creativity,His Inner circle&everything else that made Him click.vry Compelling Book that covers Him really well from start to finish. ... Read more

Book Description

Today's hottest rapper 'the enigmatic Eminem' delivers a provocative collection of his uncensored lyrics, complete with personal commentary on each controversial song.

• Angry Blonde is the only official Eminem book on the market, done with the complete authorization and support of the rap superstar.
• Eminem is a multi-platinum recording artist whose albums The Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP have sold nearly nine million copies combined.
• Eminem's most recent release, The Marshall Mathers LP, made music history as the fastest-selling album from a solo act in Billboard history'it sold 1.76 million copies in its first week and has netted 6 million copies to date.
• Entertainment Weekly called The Marshall Mathers LP "The first great pop record of the 21st Century."
• Eminem is everywhere. His face has graced the covers of Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Spin, among other magazines; he has a Pay-Per-View special slated for Christmas 2000; and he will be performing at the MTV Video Music Awards this September.
• Eminem's personal life is also garnering him a lot of media attention: he's currently being sued for defamation of character by his mother and faces two separate assault charges.
• Along with his controversial lyrics and Eminem's own commentary on them, Angry Blonde will feature never-before-published photos.

Reviews (66)

This book was the best!
This book was really amazing! I got it for a Christmas present and I had been wanting it since it first came out. I think it's wonderful. It was so awesome to read through all the different pages and then look at the wonderful, full-color pictures. I loved reading every story behind every song... especially my favorite songs. It was really awesome for me to know how Eminem came up with the words to my favorite songs and what he was thinking of when he did it. The introduction alone was wonderful! I loved it. It gave you a rare glimpse at Marshall Mathers. Not Slim Shady, not Eminem, but the REAL Marshall. After that intro Eminem doesn't need to do anymore explaining about himself or his music. For anyone who doesn't understand him, the intoduction shows you what he is all about. It shows you that from the beginning all Eminem cared about was self-expression and the music. No matter what he raps about it's obvious that all Eminem tried to do was capture his feelings on paper. I recommend this book to all true Eminem fans! I think this is a book made directly and only for the fans who understand and love him (like me!) I loved listening to the song on my discman as I read the lyrics in the book. It helped me understand and feel the song better. Not to mention, the pictures were wonderful! This book is by the man himself... Eminem. So what else could you want? And why would you read anything else about him? You know none of this information is false because it's from Eminem to his fans. It is the best book and I recommend all Eminem fans go out there and pick it up! It's definitely worth every penny.

This was such a great look at Eminem's lyrics...
This was such a great book for any Eminem lover and anyone who hated Eminem and really needs to get the real facts on why he wrote some of the lyrics. Basically i think the book fits anyone. It has all the songs and lyrics off of the Slim Shady LP, Marshall Mathers LP, and some extra freestyles. With those lyRIcs is also why he wrote every song, and you really get to understand Eminem as himself. It also has many cool pictures. It was 148 pages long, and i read the whole thing the day i got it cause it was so interesting. I really recommend this book if you want to hear from the real sim shady. Best of all, Eminem is the author so you know you are getting the truth, and not fake ... It also has a really funny intro by Eminem. I would just like to say Angry Blonde is a good book for ANYONE! YOU RULE MARSHALL MATHERS!!

What an awesome writer.
Not only does Eminem impress you with his intellect, he catches you off guard with his dialect. When I think angry men, I think of Hitler, Tyler Durden, C. Shane Stanley, Frank Black, and last but not least, Marshall Mathers. Funny thing is, one of those men are simply fiction, the others can also be called genius. I would recommend anything eminem does. So far, I havent been disapointed with his work, nor will I ever be. Anything with the E on it, buy it, you wont be disapointed.

Eminem is a good guy.
I read Angry Blonde, written by, the one and only Marshall Mathers (a.k.a. Eminem or Slim Shady) It's not really A "story"
but it explains a lot of what he is all about and I think everyone should read it. People judge him by his songs and what he says, then they think he is such a bad person, when half of his songs is something he just came up with, a lot of his stuff was written during rough times. I think if the people that didn't like him or thought bad of him would read Angry Blonde they would understand more about him,and might think different of him. Even if the still don't like him they might not dislike him as much.....MUST READ FOR EMINEM FANS JUST LIKE ME!!

Angry Blonde: Eminem
The book "Andgry Blonde" by Eminem was very good. Slim Shady gave a lot of the lyrics from some of his records. He has lyrics from on the Slim Shady LP and Marshall Mathers LP. Along with the lyrics, it also has some killer pictures. Slim Shady tells the reader about how he came up with the ideas for his songs. I recommend this book to people who love Eminem or people who are just interested in him. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent Handbook
This book is an excellent resource for researching the life and works of Beethoven. The sections regarding compositions are broken down by ensemble and type, and provide important information such as performance dates, key signatures, time signatures, and movement headings. Almost all topics, including such things as Beethoven's handwriting, favorite literature, philosophies, thoughts on other composers, are covered. Very handy for reference, as well as a guide to starting Beethoven research. Well worth it at twice the price!

Unparalleled Structure
Undoubtedly thousands of books have been written about Beethoven, but what sets this one apart from the others is its well-organized and exhaustive structure. Perhaps the best way to highlight this for the prospective buyer is to list the actual sections contained in this book. 1. Calendar of Beethoven's life, works and related events 2. Beethoven's family tree 3. Who's who of Beethoven's contemporaries 4. Historical background 5. Musical background 6. Beethoven as an individual 7. Beethoven's beliefs and opinions. Following section 7 are several more sections dedicated solely to his music. As you can see, this book offers several aspects that many others neglect to include. This structure also affords one the opportunity to go directly to an area of interest without having to wade through myriad pages. Also included are eight pages of paintings, sculptures and sketches of the maestro. This book is equally at home in the bathroom, on the coffee table, or in the study. It is an invaluable source of information for anyone desiring to learn more about this amazing genius.

Fascinating and Wonderfully Complete!
This book offers chapter after chapter of information on every aspect of Beethoven. I find that every time I pick this book up, I can find something interesting to read about. Obviously the music as catalogued and described. Beyond that, details of the great composer's personality, writing style, health difficulties, as well as his known views on a variety of topics provide endless hours of fascinating reading. I am impressed by the thoroughness of this book. Listings of people who Beethoven knew or interacted with, his influences and those he influenced, pictures and descriptions of his handwriting and manuscripts, the historical perspective on the times he lived in, all clearly described. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about this great master, and to anyone who is interested in the life and times of one of the most influential artists to ever live. In summary I have found it accurate and complete and always interesting. It is an indispensable reference.

Everything to do with Beethoven!
This book has the biography, the politics of the times, the pictures of, the letters of, the thoughts of others about him, deciphering of each piece of music, a list of his contemporaries, patrons, loves, friends, family tree... everything you could ever want to know about Beethoven's life and times!I love this book ... Read more

Book Description

“The most stimulating study of Wagner to have been published for years. An enthralling read.”—Barry Millington

In this new biography of Richard Wagner, Joachim Köhler draws on social and political analysis, documentary interpretation, and psychological insights to paint a rounded picture of Wagner as both a controversial historical phenomenon and a complex human being.

Köhler’s reading of the letters, diaries, and other documents of the main protagonists, some of them unfamiliar even to seasoned Wagnerians, results in some breathtaking but convincing reappraisals. He examines Wagner’s love affairs with Jessie Laussot, Mathilde Wesendonck, and Judith Gautier and assesses their lasting emotional effect. He re-evaluates Wagner’s relationships with his mother, step-father, sister, and—most revealingly—his wife, Cosima, a relationship seen as based on fear rather than love. Köhler explores the philosophical roots of Wagner’s work, which the composer himself deliberately obfuscated. And he analyzes Wagner’s relationship with King Ludwig, whom Wagner is revealed to have blackmailed, and with Nietzsche, whom he tried to destroy.

The traumas of his youth haunted Wagner throughout his life, as his emotional development underlay his notorious anti-semitism. Köhler’s interpretation of Wagner’s dreams, as recorded in Cosima’s diaries, offers astonishing insights into the paranoia and insecurity of a man who was one of the leading composers of his age.

Joachim Köhler is the author of Nietzsche and Wagner: A Lesson in Subjugation, and Zarathustra’s Secret: The Interior Life of Friedrich Nietzsche, both published by Yale University Press. He is also the author of Wagner’s Hitler. Stewart Spencer is editor of The Selected Letters of Richard Wagner, Wagner’s Ring, and Wagner Remembered.
... Read more

Book Description

In this moving and poignant autobiography, Yanni shares with his readers the story of his immense success, but also of the failures along the way.He tells the story of staging three career-defining concerts at The Acropolis in Athens, and the toll it took on him; his relationship with his father; his intense nine-year love affair with Linda Evans, and the exhaustion and depression that made him leave Linda and quit music altogether-before his eventual renewal and return. Yanni, In Words is more than just an autobiography. Woven through this text is a variety of lessons he's learned, including working through pain, keeping an open mind, and his discoveries about the creative process-and how anyone can access it. Yanni, In Words is the story no one knows and millions have been waiting for. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Pleasantly Surprised
I''ve been a big fan of Yanni's over the years, but not so much where I knew his life story. After seeing his most recent concert for his new CD Ethnicity, I was inspired to read his book. I was pleasantly surprised that the book kept me glued from page to page. There were things I learned about Yanni I never knew. It's easy to conjure up an image of a famous entertainer based on interviews, media coverage, etc. His "story" was actually very enlightening -- like, I always thought Yanni was a health nut. I find out he's a big smoker and coffee drinker. (I think he's since quit smoking.) I thought he had help along the way in building his amazing career. He did not. He had to do it all on his own. The book reveals the amazing battle he had convincing the music industry of the appeal of his music. Yanni had to make everything in his career happen himself - including gambling millions of his own money to make the Acroplis, Taj Mahal, and Forbidden City concerts happen. It paid off for him in spades.

I also got insight into his relationship with Linda Evans. Linda participated in this book.
In the end, I now look at Yanni a little differently. When I listen to his music, I "hear" more -- I know his story from whence these songs come.
Yanni fans will not be disappointed with this book. It's a very candid and honest account of Yanni's life.
I can't imagine anyone other than a Yanni fan or one who appreciates the kind of music and artistry he's created caring to read this book though.

Yanni has found a new medium along with music!
I wonder why MARY from Long Island have it 2 stars...

I've read many biographies, but this one is by far the best. This isn't one of those "I wish this was shorter" or "*Yawn*" type books. In this book, Yanni is very articulate about his emotions, but even more, it's exciting. It covers everything from his childhood in a picturesque seaside village to his historic concerts at the Taj Mahal to his insights on creativity. Words aren't quite my medium either, i'm an introvert, but I feel that people need to know about this book. Even if you're not a Yanni fan, this book teaches many valuable lessons, which has begun to make my life better believe it or not. And more than often, I've laughed my head off at some wonderfully hilarious moments.

This truly is the man behind the music, or even more the spirit behind mankind.

INSPIRING JUST AS HIS MUSIC!!!
YANNI IN WORDS, the awaited biography, of a great instrumental artist.

The book is magnificent, full of events, stories & lessons... Yanni is very open and honest, discussing most of his life details. The book is very surprising infact in several aspects.
It's inspiring, emotional, interesting, uplifting, optimistic & detailed.

I recommend this book to all, whether fans or non-Yanni fans, since the book mainly focuses on life aspects, and how Yanni dealt with such situations. It's like talking about his journey with life, rather than focusing on his music only & himself.

Personally, I learnt many things about the man, life, and success, which shall benefit anyone who reads it. Yanni talks about his experiences, music, creativity, childhood, relations, concerts, achievements, his parents, Greece, etc

I see YANNI IN WORDS as a book about Life, rather than just a simple biography of an artist. Simply, you live it... :)

Way to go Yanni, another great master piece of work! ;)

This book has no soul
A thoroughly bland book, written in a matter-of-fact, flat narrative -- sorely lacking depth and dimension. There is no sign of introspection or personal reflection, only Yanni's inflated ego. The book is a simple-minded retelling of his life. Yanni's self importance and arrogance lurk throughout. While he purports to "tell it like it is," it is apparent he is most concerned with portraying himself in a certain light. Even when he talks about things like his rock 'n roll days, he makes sure he doesn't come off looking too bad, i.e. "every one was doing it then" and "I was always upfront with the girls before getting intimate with them." (Hmmmm). It seems his ego is such that he can't really reflect upon his own weaknesses and mistakes - he can only make excuses. His memory and accounts of some of the facts in the book are equally biased and inaccurate. One can only hope that he isn't as monochromatic and one-dimensional in his own mind as he comes off in this book.

Another Masterpiece
I picked up the book because I love the man's music but my expectations were not high. But I was thrilled at yet another masterpiece (in words - this time) from the maestro.In this completely honest introspective autobiography you are informed,entertained, at times saddened but above all inspired. A look into what makes music,creativity and an inspiring life. In Yanni's words "Dive in, and let the magic begin." ... Read more

Book Description

The national best-selling autobiography of Bill Graham, the colorful, larger-than-life architect of the modern concert industry.

As a child, Bill Graham fled Europe to escape Hitler's armies. He grew up on the streets of New York and in the dining rooms of the hotels in the Catskills. After failing as an actor, he headed for San Francisco right before the Summer of Love where he founded the Fillmore and launched the rock icons of a generation--Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jefferson Airplane, Cream, the Grateful Dead, and more. He was a complex, caring, compassionate whirlwind of energy who rock stars either loved--or hated.

In his own voice and those of the people who knew him--Jerry Garcia, Keith Richards, Grace Slick, Ken Kesey, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, and Carlos Santana--we hear Bill's story as well as the scoop on the major events in rock for more than three decades, ending with his tragic death in a 1991 helicopter crash. Gritty, moving, funny, and always fascinating, Bill Graham Presents is the inside story of the explosive and unforgettable man who created the business of rock. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Want to know what it's like...
As a former roadie, this book gives a very accurate depiction of what it was like in the last 20-30 years in the concert tour industry. My experience comes firsthand, as well through the lore that is passed down from seasoned veterans. Bill Graham was an inspiring, hard-headed, revolutionary and daring character that made the concert experience what it is today, both for punters and roadies.

A must read for rock or any music fans.

A Great, True-Life Account
'My Life Inside Rock and Out' is a very interesting account of the great rock'n'roll impresario Bill Graham, documenting his rough beginnings from the East Coast to San Francisco, where he really settled in to sink his teeth into putting on some amazing shows such as Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors, etc. Bill Graham was perfect for the budding psychedelic rock and blues industry because he had a strong business sense but also a tolerance for the absurd- and you will read more than a few absurd accounts in this book. What Mr. Graham did with BGP, the Fillmore, and the Shoreline, to name but a few, was so enriching to the Bay Area musical community, not to mention he also put on shows in the far reaches of the world. He was an agent/producer before things became so commercialized and calculated, and his tragic death struck a very deep and elegaic chord which still now resonates off the walls of corporate-sanitized America. But I Ratmouse will NEVER forget him.

Portrait Of An Era
This is a book that tells the life story of Bill Graham and rock'n'roll as it existed in New York and San Francisco in the 1960's to his death in 1991. It is told in an "interview" format: whereby it has "Bill" and his narrative on a subject, followed by, say, "Graham Nash" and his contributions, and so on, in roughly a chronological order.

It is an effective method that, in a few cases, would have benefitted from some editor's notes. Also, I would have liked more factual information (i.e., a listing of bands that played at his venues, addresses, dates of operations, etc.) that would have been valuable to read.

With that, it tells the story of rock'n'roll in the U.S. - and especially from 1965 to 1971. For that, it is invaluable.

horatio alger in the flesh
I am impressed with the stories in this book. First and foremost, there is Mr Bill Graham. Surviving the Holocaust, arriving in the US with less than nothing he was to become not only a successful entrepreneur, but also an icon. He is the promotor who developed the stadium concert format in the late sixties and early seventies. In addition to his own story, there are the stories of the bands who have become household names. If a rock band toured the US, Mr Graham was probably involved, especially if they played in either New York or San Francisco. This book is chock full of stories which make many a rock idol much more human. Unfortunately, it also reveals some of them as "scum buckets". If you are interested in a real-life, rags to riches story, or in popular music, this book will be interesting to you.

One of the greatest 'Rock' books of all time
I truly can't say enough about this book. It's an incredibly informative piece of work, insightful in so many ways other than simply the rock industry--although it has a lot to say about that too. But the the story of Bill Graham's life is far more entertaining than any self-indulgent 'memoir' you can possibly think of.

You don't have to be a music fanatic to love this book; just a human being is enough. But for a behind-the-scenes look at Woodstock, Altamont, Live Aid, Amnesty Internation, the Stones various tours, CSNY, Santana, the Dead... you can't get anything that compares to it.

RIP Bill. You definitely deserve it. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Photos Alone Make This an Excellent Book to Own!
Mary Anne Cassata has compiled a true fan's book about one of America's most interesting and endearing popular culture icon: Cher. It contains more than 200 pages of Cher images over the years and that in itself is a trip down memory lane. From the early days to the release of "Living Proof" the book is a plethora of information and fun tidbits. My only gripe is the factual errors, or opinions stated as fact that appear in the book. However, let's not quibble. All is well-intentioned, and overall it is a Cher fan MUST HAVE!

Kudos to a job well done and now everyone should rush to order it.

- Thomas

A must have for all Cher fans !
I admit that I was a bit skeptical when I bought this book but to my surprise this was a fantastic book. It is filled with tons of pictures and information about Cher's life and career. I have been a fan since the Sonny and Cher show, collecting all kinds of memorbelia and this had information in it that I never knew before. It is a true must have for any Cher fan !

A great Testamony
A Great Testamony to Chers Awesome Career! A must have.

Great Photos, Great Stories, and CHER GREAT OVERALL
This book was great. Going over the life of one of world's favorite people...CHER. The collection of photos and stories of the icon was awesome. I love the book and I can't put it down, cause it's so good.

"Cant Put It Down" !!!
Finally die hard Cher fans can now own a book with all the answers to the questions that have always been on your mind.Each page is filled with interesting info on the Diva herself.The pictures(and there are many of them) are beautiful,and some can even be removed and framed for display! The book is easy reading...but interesting reading.It touches on everything from Chers personal life to her life as a celebrity.The stories themselves are very detailed,and not vague as would be in rag magazines.The info is from Cher herself.I recomend this book to all.It promises to be informative and extremely enjoyable! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is the second-best way to expose yourself to the particular genius of Frank Zappa (music is the best, after all)--through his own words. In addition to being an idiosyncratic American composer of some degree of controversy, Zappa was an orator of no small ability or scope. He was known for his ability to expound at great length (and to hilarious effect) on any number of topics. The Real Frank Zappa Book faithfully captures this side of its author, composed of essays on everything from his background and upbringing, to politics, capitalism, and raising children. Zappa takes the opportunity to dispel some of the most pervasive rumors that surrounded him right up to (and even persist after) his death in 1993 (no he didn't do drugs, or sleep with all those groupies). If you're familiar with the man, you will be able to hear his distinctive enunciations (aided by the bold-facing of certain words and Zappaisms) as you read the assorted road stories, his views on making music for a living, and scenes from two--count them, two--organized hearings on obscenity in music. Of course, the chapter titles speak for themselves and include such Zappa winners as "All About Schmucks," "Marriage (As a Dada Concept)," and "America Drinks and Goes Marching." ... Read more

Reviews (53)

An energetic experience
The only biography on Zappa, authorized by himself, is a truly great book to read. It is crammed with knife-sharp and humorous personal thoughts and comments on various areas. For instance there are quite funny comparisons on the music "industry" of the era belonging to composers of traditional classical music as well as the music industry people living now encounter. Also, Frank Zappa describes his beliefs in different questions, such as religion and governmental policies. He wanted to make it clear that he acccepted that other people may have different opinions than him, but also that he did not accept that people impose their beliefs on others.
Read it, if you want to!!

Not an autobiography, but quite fun
We get some of everything with this one.

It gives us a feel for his personality and speaking style. Italics, underlining, and boldface are used liberally; I could hear his voice as I read.

It gives us a nice collection of anecdotes from various stages of Zappa's career, from his high school years up through the orchestral work with the LSO - even a couple of tales from the 1988 'Best Band You Never Heard'. If you like these, you will wish there were more, though.

It gives us what has to be the best general description of a composer's work ever ('wiggling air molecules, changing over time'). That chapter alone is worth the cost of the book, if you are at all interested in music or art.

We also get the political Zappa, some lyrics, the Zappa home life, and even a bit of What Frank Eats (whatever the kids don't, apparently).

The only thing we don't get (and this is why I wish he'd lived another 30 years) is some detailed analysis of his compositions. We get a couple of places where he is discussing musical theory and practice from a technical perspective (chord progressions that cannot occur in doowop, or why jazz drummers are not normally appropriate in a Zappa band), there is no music printed in the book to help the interested reader follow along. Certainly I can't fault the book for this, but, man, it would have been nice if he'd written one like that.

If you are a student of music, a budding composer, artist, or just think Frank freaks folks out, this is for you.

A Worthy Addition to Your Literary Family
The Real Frank Zappa book is a modern day masterpiece. The Zappa experience, or the point by point aspects of "who might this man be who makes music and sings of how the clouds are really cheap, the way he's seen em' through the ports, of which there is a half a dozen on the base of his resorts. You wouldn't think he'd have too many, since he never cared for sports. But he's never really lonely in his Excentrifugal Forz," is carefully and specifically discussed here by the adept and forward-thinking composer himself, with just a bit of assistance from vigilant co-author Peter Occhiogrosso.

I strongly suggest that you purchase this book for your personal collection. Consider: the habit of reading is probably the greatest mechanism for thought, change, education and even human evolution in the history of mankind; and we specifically take pleasure from reading books that belong to us. Much more than if the books are someone else's. Books unavoidably become a part of your extended family. In any event, this I do swear: Buy this book, and it will provide you with years of literary enjoyment. Its combination of fantastic road stories, political commentary and philosophically sharp wit will make it a favorite son within your personal literary family. Just as with Frank Zappa's musical catalog, this book should be treated as genuine kith and kin, and afforded an affectionate intimacy that eradicates any unbending propriety. As a borrowed book is like some sort of red-headed step-child who must be beaten and/or treated with stiff correctness, (or at least with a certain unsympathetic formality), this book should belong to you as true family, and given a loving home with the care and respect it deserves.

In fact, the so-called "Book-family" has some distinct advantages over living friends and family. You can enjoy the company of the most admirable and truly intelligent individuals in the history of the world whenever you care to. Just as the distinguished dead are beyond our bodily reach, likewise the distinguished living are usually just as unreachable. Perchance they are asleep, uninterested, watching TV, or, in the case of my cousin Bernie, just stupid. (Just try reaching your husband while he is watching Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, or your wife during the Lifetime Movie of the Week, and you have that picture.)

The Real Frank Zappa Book is for use, not for show. Besides, you should own no book that you are afraid to place on the dining room table, wide open and face down, or to mark up with your favorite crayon. (You should always mark your favorite passages in books, so that in later years it will be like visiting a deep forest where you once blazed your own trail. You then have the gratification of going over your old stomping grounds, and recalling both the overall cerebral landscape and your own preceding self. Additionally, your future generations will get a general idea of your likes, dislikes, and overall interests in this mysterious forest of your contemplations.) If that's not a damn good analogy I don't know what is.

Remember, (and this is a most precious gift), in your personal library you can at any moment have a discourse with, or pick the brains of, individuals the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Thomas Harris, William Shakespeare, Robert E. Howard, Michael Crichton, Plato, Pluto, Mark Twain (who was also know as MC Six Feet), Allan W. Eckert, Charles Dickens, or, more importantly to our current purpose, Mr. Frank Zappa. And there is no doubt that in books you experience Frank, and indeed all these learned men, at their very finest. They have "laid themselves out" for you, as it were, and they have done their categorical best to entertain you, guide you, inform you, uplift you and make a favorable impression upon your life. You are as indispensable to them as peanut butter is to jelly; as Bruce Willis is to his youthful ward Dick Grayson, as ants are to an anteater, or as ear lobes are to earrings, (or vice-versa)... only instead of seeing these great men protectively masked as we see our present acquaintances, you look into their inner-most thoughts and their most intimate soul. Read more Zappa.

You Must Pick This One up!
We start with Zappa's rather sarcastic yet opinionated introduction in which he claims that he never reads. That claim may be misinterpreted by a few, yet I took it as a stab of sarcasm at those who never bother to, preferring to keep their mind on what's on TV at the time. From that point, it's a short read to the first chapter, which opens with a quote from a Baltimore Sun interview in which Zappa observes: "I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird". The first chapter is a brief recollection of his childhood years, in which he describes in detail why his birth certificate lists his first name as Frank rather than Francis and his early interests in science. In the second chapter, he talks about developing a love for music (Rock, Jazz and Classical especially Stravinsky) and his first attempts at bands.

It continues that way through the first half of the book. We get chapters on his various bands through the years up until 1988 (when this book was written), his association with Lenny Bruce, his formation of The Mothers Of Invention, Various tour stories, a treatise on why he doesn't like Great Britain and a chapter devoted to his own dad.

The second half of the book shifts gears totally and moves away from the memoir side to the polemical side. We get chapters in which Zappa comments on marriage, the failed drug war, the PMRC, Reagan, Republicans, the religious right, Big government, high taxes and so on.

What's interesting about the polemical second half of the book is that while a lot of the events that much of it was written in response to are now history, so many of the rants about them are still on target. From the opening of his Church and State chapter: "A lot of the mongos in the TV religion industry claim to be conservative. But are in fact the US equivalent of the Mongos blowing the shlt out of the Middle East".

In the chapter titled "Practical Conservatism", Zappa makes a strong case for the Libertarian point of view and offers up a good skewering of so-called anti big government Republicans. I also highly recommend reading the chapter entitled "Porn Wars" in which Zappa details his battle with the PMRC. Highly essential reading, especially in the recent puritanical crackdown by the FCC on people such as Howard Stern.

The final two chapters in the book feature Zappa showing off some of his more outrageous ideas that never really came to fruition (IE: A Football Opera) and the last one allows him to get in a few more digs at certain political targets as well as offering some advice to the readers (IE: Vote!).

The Real Frank Zappa book is an interesting read overall. I liked both halves of it equally. But some of the not so politically minded readers will prefer the first half. Puritanical types are advised not to read the second half, as it will doubtlessly infuriate you. Pick up a copy! Another unconventional Amazon quick-pick I heartily recommend is THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez -- just wonderful!

One of the greatest composers the US has ever produced
As a guitarist and very amateur composer, someone like Frank Zappa was someone I had always admired on multiple levels. As a guitarist, he was never what you would call "overly gifted". His solos were madcap forays into his own influences, and he could hit it really big sometimes, and sometimes he could be rather choppy and noisy. But that's OK, Frank never touted himself as a virtuoso or even a premier kind of soloist. He had fun with it, he did it with gusto and panache and I was always entertained by what he did. As a composer, he ranks up there with Copeland in my opinion.

This book is not a big hoorah about how culturally important he was and still is, or anything pretentious and high falutin. He was a very normal man with a grasp of the absurd, a very vivid imagination and a firm hold on reality that few other people have. This book is about the MAN and his views on the world. I think he wanted people to really understand that he's not this weirdo genius that other people tried to make him into, but a normal man who writes (brilliant) music and has very intelligent views of the world around him.

His political views virtually mirror my own (very Libertarian) and his stories of the old rock and roll days are amusing. But I loved the fact that, despite all of the weirdness around him, he retained a very grounded view of himself and the world. His caustic wit and acute observations of things he came into contact with are, in my view, utterly brilliant and shows the man for what he was. A true genius and a very nice man who didn't like a lot of what he saw in this world, especially the political powers-that-be in the US.

I still miss him greatly, and this is a great book because you get to see him as he wanted to be seen and, in my opinion, how he really was. I'd recommend it to anyone, anywhere at any time. It was such a loss for everyone in the world when we lost Frank Zappa. Besides the music he left behind, this book is an incredibly humble view of a great man. ... Read more

Book Description

The reissue of a cult classic--with an extraordinarily engaging and intelligent ramble with one of the most lively and original minds of our time.

Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) is an American icon. The guitarist and de facto leader of the Grateful Dead was a gregarious talker, keenly engaged with the new world exploding around him. In 1972, Garcia was visited by Charles Reich, a Yale law professor, and Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone. Garcia was just thirty-one years old but already viewed--to his lasting dismay--as a social avatar for the new sensibility sweeping the land, an anarchist streak with a populist undercurrent that had roots in Ken Kesey's pranksters, the writers of the Beat Generation, and the libertine tradition of the American transcendentalists. In this interview, Garcia reveals how he is a combination of these and other influences, a high-school dropout and autodidact blessed with a gift for eloquent turns of phrase and a refreshing directness. He speaks of the saga of the Grateful Dead and his hoodlum youth growing up in San Francisco's Mission district. He delves into fascinating discourses on the music that shaped his own playing and writing, and freely discusses his use of drugs and explains why he felt it was important to stay high. Like the Grateful Dead's best music, Garcia: A Signpost to New Space is familiar, friendly, and inviting. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wow
This book really gives you insight into Jerry and the band. What they were really up to and how they looked at it. If you are a real fan of the band, then you will find confirmation of your deepest insights. Buy it and let Jerry blow your mind again.

a review
Entertaining and enlightning book.
The first part is mainly straitforward question and answer. The "stoned Sunday rap" is the heart and soul of the book. You feel as if your hanging out with Jerry, Mt. Girl and Charles Reich. Not really an interview but rather a group of people having a "stoned conversation". Some really interesting stuffCharles seems to have dropped all his inhibitions since the first interview and really opens up to Jerry it sometimes seems as though Jerry's interviewing Reich.

The first interview has been Published in the book "Garcia by the editors of Rolling Stone", but the "stoned Sunday rap" makes this a must buy for any fan.

Signpost to New Space
Wow! Someone finally reissued this excellent book. First published by Straight Arrow Publishers, I bought my copy new back in '72 and read it often. It is a great interview with Garcia at a time when the Dead were just taking off. Garcia reveals he "has just made the commitment" to see where the music takes him, and as we all know, the band really went places. Hopefully, the current publishers have reissued it in its original form.

The second part of the book, "A Stoned Sunday Rap," is a great piece that really gets to the heart and soul of the Dead experience, beyond the music. I've always admired the philosophy behind the music for its zen-like approach to life and living; Garcia and Reich tease out the details.

A must-read for anyone who enjoys the Dead. Much better than any of the tell-alls that have been published recently. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Thousand Shades of Gray
The author claims this is a work of fiction, but that's just because I didn't grant permission for him to use my life in his story. Actually, we've never met, but reading this book, I felt like it was 1985 all over again.

My favorite quote was:

"We figured any teenage kid living through those Reagan years who said The Smiths were too miserable for them was either a liar, an imbecile, or so thoroughly [messed] up, they had no idea just how miserable they were."

Yeah. That's just how it was.

It's a short book, as are the others in the series. If you were a fan of The Smiths in the 80's, grab a copy of this gem.

Anyone who has ever found a connection with another person though music will appreciate this one: "Meat is Murder was the giant shaded area of intersection in our Venn diagram." Poor Joe. Poor Morrisey.

Same old suit since 1962
In the mid-1980's music collecting was a hard job. There was no internet, of course, and the radio couldn't be depended on and music television was lame. If you weren't into Billy Ocean or Billy Joel then you had no environment to lean on. Smiths fans in the U.S. all had this in common, we all had to search high and low for an obscure release here and there, and then quickly network with like-minded friends and swap. Joe Pernice captures and chronicles the plight and obsession we all made part of our lives back then. This book is highly entertaining for it's rich and accurate nostalgia for those days, which, in hindsight, were just better. I grew up on the west coast at the same time Joe Pernice was on the east coast and it's uncanny how similar his and my experiences with this band were. It leads me to believe that there was a universal, or at least national, desperation. Smiths-fans from Europe may not understand completely how rare The Smiths and bands like them were to us back then, and how hard (and in the end, sweet) it was to acquire one album or the next. I still count my 45RPM of Sandie Shaw with The Smiths as one of my most prized possessions. And I like how Mr. Pernice picked Meat Is Murder to focus on, perhaps because he was at the right age to attribute so many memories to it (though, he calls this little book a work of fiction - I don't believe him!). I recommend this book to Smiths fans who want to relive how exciting it was to be their fan back then, and I guarantee you will have Meat Is Murder on the turntable for as long as it takes you to read it, as well as it swimming through your head endlessly.

I only read an excerpt, but...
...Joe, did you get the channel wrong that you finally caught "How Soon is Now?" In the excerpt I saw, you wrote V68. Wasn't it V66? That's what I used to watch. Good old David O'Leary's launching pad (I think).

Hard to describe, but a great little book
First off, let's state the obvious: This is not a work of music criticism. If you want to know about what The Smiths were doing when they recorded MIM, who was in the studio when, what Andy Rourke was drinking etc, then you need to look elsewhere. If on the other hand, you want to know (or be reminded of) what it was like to be a teenager when this extraordinary band were at the height of their powers, then this is a darn good place to start.

Pernice (and his publishers) claim that this book is a work of fiction. But, like the best fiction, there's a whole lot of truth in here. It's the story of a few months in the life of a Boston based teenager - we never know his name - in 1985, the year MIM came out. And the story is full of humor, sadness, death, bitterness, poignancy, all of that intense adolescent stuff. For such a short book (its only just more than a hundred pages long), there are some incredibly vivid characters, and scenes that I can't get out of my head.

Naturally, I read this book while blasting MIM on my headphones. It takes about 2 hours to read. Please, please, if you buy this book, read it like that. The whole experience is like a portal to another time, an era that is probably best forgotten. Thank God The Smiths were there to help me get through it. And thanks to Mr Pernice for bringing it all back. ... Read more

Book Description

Behind our most beloved song is a fascinating story spanning continents, cultures, and centuries. Inspired by the way "Amazing Grace" continues to change and grow in popularity, acclaimed music writer Steve Turner embarks on a journey to trace the life of the hymn, from Olney, England, where it was written by former slave trader John Newton, to tiny Plantain Island off the coast of Africa, where Newton was held captive for almost a year, to the Kentucky-Tennessee border and other parts of the South, where the hymn first began to spread.

As a young man, John Newton was pressed into the Royal Navy, but was such a rebellious sailor that he was moved to a slave ship in Madeira and eventually became a "servant of slaves in Africa." He was rescued from Africa by a merchant ship, but on the voyage back to England his ship endured an eleven-hour storm on the Atlantic -- after which, reflecting on his miraculous survival and on his wretched state in Africa, he converted to Christianity. Back in England, he eventually became a minister and, still later, a vocal abolitionist. During his time as a Church of England parish priest, he and a friend, the poet William Cowper, began experimenting with what was then a relatively new form of religious song, the Protestant hymn, when he wrote "Amazing Grace" for use among his congregation.

The hymn made its way across the Atlantic to South Carolina, where the lyrics were published for the first time with a tune. Through the nineteenth century it appeared in more and more hymnals, and in the twentieth century it rose to become a gospel and folk standard, then exploded into pop music with Judy Collins's masterful 1970 a capella recording, which took over the charts. The majority of the more than 450 recordings held by the Library of Congress were made after 1970 and include versions by artists as varied as Elvis Presley, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Tiny Tim, A] Green, Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Chet Baker, and Destiny's Child. Amazing Grace closely examines this modern history as Turner traces the hymn through the American gospel tradition in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and interviews contemporary artists to reveal why they were compelled to record the hymn.

From John Newton's incredible life story to the hymn's role in American spirituality and culture, Amazing Grace is an illuminating, thorough, and unprecedented musical history.

Reviews (6)

This book surprised me...
I'm not sure why,but this book has a lot more to it than first meets the eye.Often books of this nature are of the 'edited 'type with very little effort put into them and while the concept is good ;usually filled with a bunch of fluff.But not this one.A great effort has gone into it and as a result we have an excellent work.
While he never gets away from his topic,Turner gives us an awful lot about the history of Newton and everyone associated with him,a thorough understanding of the slave trade,a good understanding of the various Protestant churches of the18th and 19th centuries .If that isn't enough, he has covered in minute detail the evolution of the hymn,it's meaning word by word,it's associated music and how it spread ,and by whom ,throughout it's 225 year history.
He has beautifully shown the deep religious and theological meaning the hymn has for those who understand it and have a faith in God.He has just as well explained how and why so many people love and get inspiration from the hymn even though they may have little in the way of faith or religious involvement.He does this without being judgemental in any way.
As to how Newton could be involved in the slave trade.."Slavery was as acceptable as abortion is today-it was legal,it had immediate and tangible benefits,and people predicted widespread calamity should it ever be banned.There was no social pressure for him to feel shame.Cities had been built on the fruits of slavery and the great merchants of slaves were celebrated,giving their names to buildings and streets.It was those who were opposed to slavery who were regarded as irritants-ememies of social stability,troublemakers,idealists with no concern for progress."
There is one thing I would like to add and that is..If there ever was a book that would have benefited from an included CD,this would have been it.

Grace Both Sacred And Secular
I sing and Amazing Grace is one of my favorite hymns. I'm also a nontheist. I'm pretty comfortable with those two seemingly incongruous facts, but I thought I'd read Steve Turner's book Amazing Grace to see if other folks like me had made it into the text. I'm also an Arlo Guthrie fan and I figured I'd do some fact checking on the version of John Newton's story Arlo tells when singing Amazing Grace in concert. Folks like me show up towards the end of the second part of the book and Turner indicates that Arlo is aware that his version is condensed and inaccurate.

The first part of Amazing Grace is the story of John Newton and how he came to write the words to what is now America's favorite hymn. I learned a lot of history, especially of the slave trade in the 1700's, while getting the non-Arlo, complicated version of Mr. Newton's life. The second part of the book follows the history of the hymn post-Newton. Turner has done his homework and I especially enjoyed learning about the history of the hymn in the 1800's, including how Amazing Grace picked up the tune we now sing it to.

I highly recommend Amazing Grace to fans of history, music, and, of course, the hymn Amazing Grace.

lovely, comprehensive resource
I just led a church service about "Amazing Grace," and Steve Turner's book served as my main resource. I read it cover to cover during the process, and found it highly intelligent and interesting, with far too many "tidbits" that I wanted to include in the service and couldn't! I encourage the reading of this book AS a "pleasure read," not just as research material.

I particularly appreciated the section on contemporary versions of "Amazing Grace" and its impact on the secular community. As a Unitarian Universalist, I was greatly cheered to find one of our ministers quoted on the impact of the hymn on those who don't necessarily believe in a divine presence.

The discography of AG recordings included as an appendix was also hugely valuable, as I compiled a CD of recorded versions as a "party favor" for my (small) congregation. Turner's correct when he says it's a "select" discography, but he got most of the really good ones!

a work of history that reads like a good mystery
I love Steve Turner books, and I love the song Amazing Grace. What a combination!...a work of history that reads like a good mystery novel! I couldn't put it down until I'd read it from cover to cover. This book has everything...a great redemption story, both for the man, Newton--and his song, which didn't really take off until someone put the perfect tune with it a hundred years later. Turner manages to present the context of Newton's theology in a scholarly way that will be informative, but not off-putting to those who are not into reformed theology. The secular life of the song is fascinating...to see how this song was popularized, and now touches millions. To me this song has what we wan't all music to have...something that touches our insides in a way we can't describe, but we know that it makes our lives more complete. And the biggest surprise of the book?...Newton became a slave-trader AFTER his conversion, and only opposed slavery much later in life. Considering how slowly America has repented of it's historic racism, there may be a lesson for us all as we see the sanctification that occurred over time in Newton's life.

Fantastic Book
If John Newton's life were made into a movie, most people wouldn't believe it. My vote for book of the year. Read it--you won't be disappointed. ... Read more