Setting the Record Straight: The music and careers of recording artists from the 1950s and early 1960s... in their own words Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Setting the Record Straight: The music and careers of recording artists from the 1950s and early 1960s... in their own words? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Setting the Record Straight: The music and careers of recording artists from the 1950s and early 1960s... in their own words. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Setting the Record Straight: The music and careers of recording artists from the 1950s and early 1960s... in their own words Review"Setting the record straight" is a VERY enjoyable read. Lots of facts from the people involved,this is not a friend or a supposed "expert" telling you something they heard.The book is a fast read ( if you enjoy these little stories ) full of little myths & realities. I enjoyed it so much that i ordered vol 2 (which is every bit as good as vol. 1 was) and have already completed more than 3/4's of it. Great job Mr.Musso. I hope there is a vol. 3 in the works.....Dale F. AbbottSetting the Record Straight: The music and careers of recording artists from the 1950s and early 1960s... in their own words OverviewDespite having become household names during their respective recording careers the biographies of some of the music industry?s biggest names are clouded with inaccuracies, conflicting data, and baseless tales. While a number of the skewed reports might have developed innocently, a product of longtime hearsay, and/or interviews with second-generation group members, other material was simply fabricated by record company agents, with the sole objective of selling an artist to the buying public.The only way to correct the discrepancies was to gather information directly from each artist or founding group member. This book is based on a series of personal conversations with 50 of the music industry?s leading artists, who graciously shared the true stories of their landmark careers. If their music and careers have left an indelible legacy on pop culture, which clearly it has, then the accuracy of their accomplishments deserves to be recorded.Learn why Buddy Holly and the Crickets decided to disband and how Brenda Lee came to be billed as a 32 year old midget during a 1959 tour of France. Hear why Paul left Paula in the midst of a Dick Clark Caravan of Stars concert tour. Discover how a backstage discussion and handshake immediately transformed a young vocal group from Harlem into the legendary Drifters. And hear first-hand accounts about the trials and tribulations, the joys and tragedies of life on the road during the rock and roll era?s infancy.Within these pages, the artists? own words are ?Setting the Record Straight!?

Want to learn more information about Setting the Record Straight: The music and careers of recording artists from the 1950s and early 1960s... in their own words?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

A Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville, 1945-1955 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy A Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville, 1945-1955? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on A Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville, 1945-1955. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

A Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville, 1945-1955 ReviewI have the found the book a very accurate portrayal of the musical indusrty in Nashiville during the 1950's. The pictures, names, and narratives brought back many warm memories of growing up in Nashville and
my family's part of Nashville's musical heritage.
SuzanneTureman ZahnA Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville, 1945-1955 Overview

Want to learn more information about A Shot in the Dark: Making Records in Nashville, 1945-1955?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Rollin' and Tumblin' : The Postwar Blues Guitarists Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Rollin' and Tumblin' : The Postwar Blues Guitarists? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Rollin' and Tumblin' : The Postwar Blues Guitarists. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Rollin' and Tumblin' : The Postwar Blues Guitarists ReviewBy "postwar blues", we mean the upbeat, amplified, often aggressive material that many popologists see simply as the roots of rock'n'roll. But for blues fans, the muscular power and driving passion of the bluesmen is enough by itself, and this collection of articles and interviews profiling many of the genre's greatest players, is manna from heaven for the folks who could care less what happened after Elvis shook his little heinie on the Ed Sullivan show. This is a classicist's view of the blues -- standardbearers such as Otis Rush, Muddy Waters and BB King get multiple entries, wild West Coast and Texas bluesmen like T-Bone Walker and Clarence Gatemouth Brown also get their propers, and while the main emphasis is on the dudes who plugged in, acoustic players such as Fred McDowell also get a nod or two. The book draws on a variety of writers, and reflects a variety of interviewing and narrative styles -- most of the material originally appeared in "Guitar Player" magazine, but while some technical points are investigated, the book is an even better source of information about the players themselves -- their personalities, their stories, their world view. A true blues fan should enjoy this book quite a bit!Rollin' and Tumblin' : The Postwar Blues Guitarists OverviewThis is the most comprehensive and insightful study ever published on the pioneers of electric blues guitar - including the great Chicago, Mississippi Delta, Louisiana, Texas and West Coast bluesmen. RollinÕ and TumblinÕ offers extensive interviews with some of the worldÕs most famous blues guitarists, and poignant profiles of historical blues figures. Following a sweeping portrait of blues guitar history, the book features such players as T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, LightninÕ Hopkins and many more.

Want to learn more information about Rollin' and Tumblin' : The Postwar Blues Guitarists?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Sh-Boom: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953-1968) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Sh-Boom: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953-1968)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Sh-Boom: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953-1968). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Sh-Boom: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953-1968) ReviewThe writing is robust and beautiful. I wanted to keep it in my life a little longer. Clay Cole has skillfully blended memoirs with cultural history. There are tender moments and others that are very funny. Clay has the well-earned reputation of being one of the kindest people in show business. He does not hold back, however, in describing some of the darker moments in Rock 'n' Roll history. Payola and racism get it right in the chops.
Baby boomers will love this book, but non boomers should not hold back. Everyone's life will be enriched by reading about these legendary times when teenagers wrote and performed for teenagers, and the book could easily be used in writing classrooms as a prime example of how to tell a story.Sh-Boom: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953-1968) OverviewThere was a small sliver of time between Be-Bop and Hip-Hop, when a new generation of teenagers created rock 'n' roll. Clay Cole was one of those teenagers he was the host of his own Saturday night, pop music television show.
Clay Cole's SH-BOOM! is the pop culture chronicle of that exciting time, 1953-1968, when teenagers created their own music, from swing bands and pop to rhythm and blues, cover records, a cappella, rockabilly, folk-rock, and girl groups; from the British Invasion to the creation of the American Boy Band. He was first to introduce Chubby Checker performing the "Twist;" the first to present the Rolling Stones, Tony Orlando, Dionne Warwick, Neil Diamond, Bobby Vinton, the Rascals, Ronettes, Four Seasons, Dion, and dozens more; the first to introduce music video clips, discotheque, go-go girls and young unknown standup comedians Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Fannie Flagg to a teenage television audience.

Want to learn more information about Sh-Boom: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953-1968)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Rock and Roll Year By Year Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Rock and Roll Year By Year? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Rock and Roll Year By Year. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Rock and Roll Year By Year ReviewThis is probably the best book of its type to date. But it is not without it's problems. The first is that both of its authors are British. Hence it skews to the right of the Atlantic. Not that I don't feel myself, that British Rock has produced some of the best acts of all time, but for instance there are more entries on and photos of Gary Glitter than Alice Cooper. Gary Glitter? This is just one example. Some one in a review here mentioned the happy inclusion of Yes. If you look through the entries for that band you'll find at least Two mistakes saying that Fragile was their third album, (it was the fourth) and that Owner of a Lonely Heart is from Big Generator (it wasn't). This may seem like nitpicking but these are just the equivalent of what might be found on one page. It makes one wonder how many more of the presented "facts" are not trustworthy? You expect more from music critics on the voting board of the Rock & roll Hall of Fame. In the end though it's a valiant effort they undertook, and I'm glad I bought the book. It could/should have been a five star book though.Rock and Roll Year By Year OverviewTracing the development of cinema from the first experiments of Edison to the global film industry of the 21st century, this bestselling annual is the definitive chronology of the movies. Packed with key events and facts from the history of film, Cinema Year by Year is an informative and fascinating reference for movie lovers.

Want to learn more information about Rock and Roll Year By Year?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century) ReviewThere are two reasons why I had to get this book. Firstly, my 1995 copy crumbled into an oblivion of dry glue, a spine torn in half and a cover too flabby to endure. I did turn to the book often for information, but from the looks of it, you'd think I shot it out of a canon once a week as well. The book is just as cheaply constructed as other reviewers contend, while the Q Rock Stars Encyclopedia is much friendlier to the reader both aesthetically and physically. Secondly, Rolling Stone's web site used to contain all the information found in this book. Recently, though, the disappointing decision was made to scrap those lengthier and more informative biographies for the infuriatingly cursory headnotes they recently replaced them with.
Some of the omissions noted by other reviewers here are remarkable not necessarily because of the bands omitted, but because of the "artists" Rolling Stone replaced them with. I mean, come on, the guys in Great White aren't exactly pioneers, and why anyone thinks the exclusion of Wierd Al Yankovic is at all noteworthy mystifies me. But to leave them out for Britney Spears? Ricky Martin? What a blow! Couldn't we just scrap Milli Vanilli, for the love of God? It isn't as though Tiffany, who is included in this book, will be remembered any more than Britney 30 years from now; nonetheless I don't consider either pop star worthy of inclusion at the expense of decently talented blues bands such as Great White who at least know what a "chord" is. The real crime with regard to the debate over who's in and who's out is the exclusion of various Native American songwriters such as Jim Boyd or Bill Miller. The former in particular continues to make unbelievable folk rock (some of which was featured on the "Smoke Signals" Soundtrack). The work Boyd has done with Sherman Alexie (songs like the incomparable "Million Miles Away") especially warrants recognition here.
Those objections aside, this really is a nearly inexhaustible resource for fans of any of the 1,900+ bands the book takes a look at. I think that the distant tone with which the entries are written will infuriate more passionate fans who think their heroes aren't getting the accolades they deserve. But as an Encyclopedia's duty is to provide the essential information, this book at least succeeds more often than it fails. My own relationship with its past and current editions is going on about 8 years now. Along with the "Rough Guide to Rock" or the "Encyclopedia of Record Producers," it continues to be one of the few resources I run to for answers to questions or quick tutorials on bands whose work I am yet to be familiar with. I think it should also be noted that people ought not to be mislead by the "Rock 'N Roll" title, as the book includes many bluegrass, country, and folk artists who may not immediately be associated with Rock 'N Roll per say, but who influenced the genre to such an extent that their exclusion from this book would have been egregious. I mean people like Dave Van Ronk, Bill Monroe or Townes Van Zandt.The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century) OverviewCompletely updated with new entries and extensive revisions of the previous 1,800, The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia Of Rock & Roll is the authoritative volume on the world's music makers -- from the one-hit wonders to the megastars. In 1983, Rolling Stone Press introduced its first Rock & Roll Encyclopedia. Almost two decades later, it has become the premier guide to the history of rock & roll, and has been selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum as its official source of information. Giving full coverage to all aspects of the rock scene, it tells the story of rock & roll in a clear and easy reference format, including complete discographies, personnel changes for every band, and backstage information like date and place of birth, from Elvis Presley to Eminem. Since the last edition, the music scene has exploded in every area, from boy-bands to hip-hop, electronica to indie rock. Here, the Encyclopedia explores them all -- 'NSync, Notorious B.I.G., Ricky Martin, Radiohead, Britney Spears, Blink-182, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Portishead, Fatboy Slim, Fiona Apple, Lil' Kim, Limp Bizkit, Oasis, Outkast, Yo La Tengo, TLC, and many, many more. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Third Edition includes all the facts, phenomena, and flukes that make up the history of rock. Accompanying the biographical and discographical information on the nearly 2,000 artists included in this edition are incisive essays that reveal the performers' musical influences, first breaks, and critical and commercial hits and misses, as well as evaluations of their place in rock history. Filled with hundreds of historical photos, The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia is more than just a reference book, it is the bible of rock & roll.

Want to learn more information about The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Revised and Updated for the 21st Century)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement ReviewWhen comedian Michael "Kramer" Richards went on his infamous November 2006 `racial tirade'--spewing venomous racist epithets, notably the `n-word,' at two Black hecklers--an explosion of video downloading and heated debate ensued around the world. Within the Black community the `n-word' was once again put under our cultural microscope. Not only did we look to Black comedians and civic leaders like Rev. Jesse Jackson for guidance, we also looked to hip hop and our beloved rappers. Counsel was sought from various members of the hip-hop community, including the deceased where even Tupac's n-bomb-filled lyrics were scrutinized. If hip-hop's elite--the tastemakers and trendsetters known for perpetuating the use of the `n-word' in pop culture--could agree on the fate of the `n-word' the issue would be settled. Perhaps this assumption oversimplifies a complex debate, but it justifiably recognizes hip hop has a voice. Hip hop has power. Hip hop matters.
In his latest critical analysis of hip hop, Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement, author and associate professor S. Craig Watkins further advances this message of hip hop's importance and influence. Far from a dry chronology through the history of hip hop, Hip Hop Matters is a passionate study of hip hop's rise to power and what those within the movement and beyond have done (and in some cases, have not done) with that power. Watkins' well-executed mixture of hip-hop nostalgia and historical facts makes his text poised for recommended reading for both pop culture enthusiasts and hip-hop activists.
In Part One: Pop Culture and the Struggle for Hip Hop, Watkins illustrates how hip hop and its breakout star, rap music, went from underground obscurity in the late 70s to a dominant musical and cultural force by the late 90s. Rap quickly became an economic boon and hip hop was uprooted from the streets to corporate suites. Hip hop gained commercial success, but at what cost?
Part Two: Politics and the Struggle for Hip Hop unearths the more serious social responsibilities of hip hop and the inherent challenges of hip hop as a political movement. The hip hop movement includes people of all ages, races and economic standings--the very things that typically segregate people when it comes to politics. Hip hop does not have one voice, so ultimately, what causes does it speak for and on whose behalf? Hip hop continues to struggle with identity issues, including misogynistic lyrics and soft-core porn imagery that have become so customary of the genre.
Through it all, Watkins remains hopeful of hip hop's future. Hip hop is the music of the youth--influencing how they speak, dress, think and live. Watkins is confident that hip hop matters and will always matter because hip hop culture will continue to inspire youth to change their world.
Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement Overview

Want to learn more information about Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz ReviewAs a librarian, I can't begin to explain the value of this volume for use by students and other patrons wanting concise but informative biographical information on jazz musicians -- a very popular topic for school reports.
The entries may be short, but they are complete, and can serve as a starting point for further research.The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz Overview

Want to learn more information about The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Life and Death of Classical Music: Featuring the 100 Best and 20 Worst Recordings Ever Made Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Life and Death of Classical Music: Featuring the 100 Best and 20 Worst Recordings Ever Made? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Life and Death of Classical Music: Featuring the 100 Best and 20 Worst Recordings Ever Made. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Life and Death of Classical Music: Featuring the 100 Best and 20 Worst Recordings Ever Made ReviewA fascinating and absorbing read, Lebrecht's expose into the demise of classical music is as revealing as it is heartbreaking. Ten years ago, I was fortunate enough to work at one of the top classical radio stations in the US--(KDFC Classical 102.1 FM in San Francisco)there, I acquired a passion for classical music, reading Grammaphone and the Penguin Guide to Classial Compact Disc's with a fervor as children do with comic books. In short, it was an education in many ways--music as an art form, the aquisition of a refined taste, and a practical education into a highly unpredicatable business.
Lebrecht's book sheds light on all the vanities, egos, and personalities in the industry--past and present. Here is Karajan--masestro grandioso--feared but respected, whose net worth at his death was estimated at over $500 million with most of it derived from reissues of his earlier and better performances. Here is Bernstein, who, considered a somewhat of a second-tier conductor, plagued with insecurities and pretentious self-doubt, would often exasperate orchestras without punctuality or form (often forcing entire orchestras to wait an hour or more before he took to the podium) with his disdain for the inviolate nature of some works that are an inherent part of a country's national identity. Although venerated as a national treasure, Lebrecht paints another dimension to Bernstein; he recalls how the conductor completely botched a recording session with BBC Orchestra to produce one of the "worst classical recordings of all time"--Elgar's Enigma Variations in 1982. A very sloppy and unprofessional approach to a job overall and a personal insult to the dead composer's memory and the English.
What is interesting about this book is how Lebrecht puts it all together; the rivalries between the major labels: Decca, DG, Phillips, EMI and their producers scrambling to be the first to sign an exclusive contract with the industry's power players--Bernstein, Solti, Rattle, among others; how "crossover" discs and performances(a Bono and Pavarotti duo easily comes to mind)ultimately spelled doom for serious classical music fan; how the major labels used sexy CD cover art of young and talented artists like Vanessa Mae, Anne Sophie Mutter and Charlotte Church to increase sales of an already declining market, and the unexpected rise of Klaus Heymann and NAXOS. Here is the budget CD tycoon who taught all the "majors" a valuable lesson by hiring lesser known and Eastern European orchestras looking for work and produced several Grammaphone award-winning discs with Vivaldi's Four Seasons taking away honors as one of the best-selling classical recordings ever produced topping sales of 1.16 million besting even the venerated Arthur Fiedler of the Boston Pops!
If you ever wanted to know the in and outs of a business as fascinating as the classical music industry, this is a must read.The Life and Death of Classical Music: Featuring the 100 Best and 20 Worst Recordings Ever Made Overview

Want to learn more information about The Life and Death of Classical Music: Featuring the 100 Best and 20 Worst Recordings Ever Made?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography ReviewThis revised and updated edition is the third entry of Crosby,Stills & Nash:The Biography. The first edition was published in 1984 and chronicled the early years of CSNY.The prose by Mr.Zimmer and the photos by Mr.Diltz made for compelling reading.Anyone even remotely familiar
with these men and their music knows their history.It has always amazed me that CSNY became legend on the strength of two albums.CROSBY,STILLS AND NASH was released in 1969 right before the summer of Woodstock.Neil Young climbed aboard just before that historic event and the rest is history.DEJA VU came out in late spring of 1970 and it became a classic for the ages.The first edition follows the group up to 1984.The revised edition was published in 1999 and picks up where the first edition left off.Crosby's problems with drug addiction and his short prison stint are written about but not dwelled upon .The second edition ends in 1999 with the release of LOOKING FORWARD (CSNY'S third studio album in 29 years) and on the eve of the CSNY2K tour (their 2nd in 26 years).The 2008
edition would be a rehashing of previous events one would think,but that one would be wrong.So much has happened to both them AND us.There is new insight on Stephen Stills and Judy "Suite:Judy Blue Eyes" Collins that has never been revealed before.It IS an eye opener.CSNY went out touring right after 9-11 and there are a lot of photos from that tour.Then came 2006's FREEDOM OF SPEECH TOUR and THAT is what finally divides the artist and the audience. It is a fascinating read because of the insights Zimmer provides,not all of them of the same viewpoint as the celebated quartet.This 2008 edition is the keeper because
it lays out not only the lives of David Crosby,Stephen Stills,Graham Nash and Neil Young but the lives of their fellow generation (read baby boomers)as well. All four are well into their sixties but their fire has never dwindled. I can't think of any musicians that have put their entire career on the line like these cats have because they've always lived up to "being real".If this latest edition is the last one,it could not have ended on a higher note.Zimmer concludes in the final chapter that there is "no end in sight".Who knows? There may be MORE music to write,MORE songs to be sung and MORE audiences to be thrilled.A majestic American tale...and it is all true.
Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography OverviewCrosby, Stills & Nash created some of the most indelible songs and beautiful harmonies of the late 1960s and early 1970s: "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Woodstock," "Teach Your Children." This copiously illustrated account of the trio's personal and musical history tells the story behind the songs. Longtime CSN chronicler Dave Zimmer, with the full cooperation of the band, traces all of the performers from their musical roots to their first song together in L.A.'s storied Laurel Canyon; from their addition of Neil Young to Woodstock; and through their stormy years of creative conflicts, reunions, and reconciliations. This new edition has been fully reconfigured and updated to celebrate the trio's 40th anniversary and to accommodate over 300 photos, as well as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's controversial Living with War tour.

Want to learn more information about Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones ReviewThe autobiography of Quincy Jones is like one of his arrangements: masterful, engaging on several levels, and state-of the-art.
Jones' life story seems MADE for a highly dramatic, award-winning t.v. or big screen movie -- and I dearly hope it'll be made into one. Musician. Producer. Businessman. Composer. Arranger. Determination and incredible talent skyrocketing him over big obstacles. It's fitting that Jones' biggest passion is music because this outstanding autobiography truly SINGS.
From the first pages, you're thrust into the drama -- and challenge -- of Jones' life. Born into a poor family, throughout most of his life (well into his adult years) Jones struggled with how to cope-with and at times how to distance himself from a mother who suffered from severe mental illness. Music became his savior and Jones embraced it like the stable motherly love which he sought and he lacked as a child. He embraced Mother Music, letting it's beauty embrace, comfort and sustain him.
There are several things that sets this book apart from other show biz bios and makes it such sheer JOY for readers of ALL ages (old fogies like me who grew up with his music as well as young folks interested in music, interested in biographies or interested in show business and the arts in general):
1.PANORAMIC STYLE. There is so much in it that we can only list a little here, such as the poignant vignette of a young, arts-smitten Jones, just discovering his musical "chops" and bonding with a blind teenage musician named Ray Charles who basically mentored and inspired him; his later associations with greats such as Sammy Davis Jr, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and many many more.
Jackson, he writes, "wanted to be the best of everything" so he "went to the top model in each (show biz) category to create an act and a persona that would be unequalled." But "somehow later on the line between the reality and the fantasy got blurred." In the end, Jones writes, Jackson became "a total sponge, a chamelon." Jackson practiced hours and hours to perfect every single move, gesture and facial expression.
I am haunted by Jones' portrait of Sinatra. For all the tough-guy accounts elsewhere, Sinatra comes across as a noble and principled human being -- cooking Jones breakfast when he learned that Jones stayed up all night working; insisting that African-American musicians for his Vegas concert be allowed to play and get good rooms at a casino and telling his security to do significant bodily harm to any racists who harrassed them, even the slightest bit.
2)SECOND VOICES. Not all chapters are written by Jones. He also let others write their accounts about parts of his life, and not all of this material is complimentary. This adds a documentary feel and a sense of balance that most show business autobiographies lack.
3)USEFUL OBSERVATIONS. In his chapter on Michael Jackon's rise to the top of the music heap he notes that writes that he learned that "Nobody stays at the top. Nobody." Success, he writes, is "about preparation, then finding the right
opportunity" -- and that he learned that "being chronically underestimated can be a gift."
Jone's autobiography takes you through the 20th century's top musical and show business eras, and gifts you an incredible cast of famous well-etched cameos. The depth, ease, and detail of this panoramic journey is paralleled only by his private trek -- from poverty to aspiration to success, all amid personal family tragedies. In the end, we see a man (and artist) who constantly survived and triumphed due to his humanity -- and his unceasing personal growth.Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones Overview

Want to learn more information about Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die ReviewAlthough this book provided an acceptably organized compilation of movie classics, I was bugged by the fact that reviews/thoughts included spoilers, or revelations of the movies' endings.
I purchased this book in order to discover movies I knew not of previously or had heard of and was interested in seeing. The occasional spoilers are given without warning and made me read with caution to those movies that I did not yet know the outcome of, which was quite tedious.
Overall, the reviews were convincing and thoughtful when not completely blatant, but do proceed with caution.1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Overview

Want to learn more information about 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...