Sonic Cool: The Life and Death of Rock'N'Roll (Book) Review

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(More customer reviews)The basic premise of this book (that rock n roll has died several times and that the next great wave of music arises from the ashes from a totally unexpected direction) is solid and well explained.The problems with the book are two-fold.1.This guy needed an editor and fact-checker in the worst way.DO NOT use any "facts" from this book as facts until you check them against another source.2. He gets too bogged down in being comprehensive, and spends too little time on his interesting and well put forward premise.A must read for the music fanatic, but not a good place for a beginner to start.One of the vital points of the book is that most critics take it for granted that certain bands were important and great, when they haven't actually LISTENED to them.They take the word of the critics that they've read.Mr. Harrington, does not repeat the mistake, and his "discoveries" of obscure and forgotten musicians and bands are one of the joys of this book.

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Book of Musical Anecdotes Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently purchased a used copy of Musical Anecdotes from a seller in PA.
The book was in fine condition.I was anticipating its arrival and sent an email to the seller about when I might expect it after the expected arrival date had passed.She was quick to respond with an explanation and the next day the book was delivered.

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Product Description:

Here is one of the most enjoyable and illuminating books ever published for the music lover, a feast of delightful anecdotes that reveal the all-too-human side of the great composers and performers.
There are stories of appetites (Handel eating dinner for three), embarrassments (Brahms falling asleep as Liszt plays), oddities (Bruckner's dog being trained to howl at Wagner), and devotions (a lovely admirer disrobing in tribute to Puccini). There are memorable accounts of Stravinsky telling Proust how much he hates Beethoven, of Tchaikovsky's first bewildering telephone call, of Dvorak's strange love of pigeons, and of Verdi's intricate maneuvering to keep the now-famous melody of "La donna è mobile" top secret.
There is also wonderful trivia (Beethoven loved to cat "bread soup" made with ten raw eggs), along with eccentric strategies (Verdi, disturbed by the sound of street organs playing arias from his operas, hired them all for a season and kept them locked in a room). There are examples of musicians munificent generosity (Haydn called Mozart "the greatest composer known to me, either in person or by name"), and scathing dismissal ("Have you heard any Stockhausen?" the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham was asked. "No," he replied, "but I believe I have trodden in some").
Collected from thousands of books, articles, and unpublished manuscripts (with historical sources provided in extensive notes), these anecdotes appear in their original form, throwing fresh light on familiar figures in the musical hall of fame. For browsing, reading, research and amusement, this book is a grand entertainment for concert-goers, record-buyers, operamanes, gossips and music lovers everywhere.

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Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book yesterday and haven't been able to put it down since. My jury is not all the way in on this (I have to give it four stars to makeroom for Greil Marcus' MYSTERY TRAIN and, perhaps, Lester Bangs' PSYCHOTICREACTIONS AND CARBURETOR DUNG), but I'm clearly hooked on it for the shorthaul.I'm not sure I've read a book like this before.There is plenty ofsex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll here (especially the latter two), interestingtales of quirky, sometimes insane, behavior, as well as some strongarguments for why these people deserve more attention.It's easy to praisethe merits of, say, the Beatles or the Clash, but Unterberger successfullyengages me in (what is for most of us) musical terra incognito. I've onlyheard of about 1/3 of the artists Unterberger covers (I wouldn't say thatNick Drake, Syd Barrett, and Sandy Denny are exactly "unknowns"),but he makes me want to try and track down the records of some of thesepeople (e.g., Skip Spence, Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects, etc.).Thisbook reminds me--a little--of Nash's BLOOD LETTERS AND BAD MEN (for somereason--I guess I'm thinking of the Joe Meek piece) as well as KennethAnger's HOLLYWOOD BABYLON (b/c so many of the artists discussed come to badends via alcohol, drugs, insanity, etc.).The CD (45 minutes long) isinteresting, but my jury is nowhere near decided on IT.At around $20,this book is a very good deal.It's not for everyone, but if you think youMIGHT be interested in it, you probably will.Here in a few days I mightkick myself for not giving it five stars.

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Blues Masters - The Essential History of the Blues Review

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(More customer reviews)This documentary does what so many others on Black Music failed to do, itdiscusses the music in the context of black struggle in America.The reason this DVD was such a breath of fresh air to me is because I purchased it after returning a documentary (American Roots Music) that did the exact opposite.Where American Roots Music teases the viewer with one or two seconds of it's "rare footage", Blues Masters shows rare sessions with Son House, Leadbelly, Bessie Smith and many more virtually uncut.Where American Roots Music attempts to handle the music as if it exists in a vacuum; Blues Masters doesn't separate the music from the people who created it. The latter even makes mention and shows footage of self-determined Black leaders such as Marcus Garveyand Father Divine, who both were very influential among common Black folks of the time. It discusses the "Racist Regime of America" and it's deep mistreatment of Blacks and alludes to the fact that this deep seated oppression and pain had to be an element of what actually drove Black folks to create the blues in the first place. This DVD is a must have. Buy two copies, just in case one of your friends decide to borrow it and never give it back.

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Product Description:
Born on the plantations of the Mississippi Delta, the blues is America's roots music. Few performances of the early masters were ever captured on film, but those that were are profoundly insightful and entertaining. On this DVD, enjoy blues masters Son Ho

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