Composers & Musicians Books - Page 6

A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties

Suze Rotolo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A Freewheelin’ Time is Suze Rotolo’s firsthand, eyewitness, participant-observer account of the immensely creative and fertile years of the 1960s, just before the circus was in full swing and Bob Dylan became the anointed ringmaster. It chronicles the back-story of Greenwich Village in the early days of the folk music explosion, when Dylan was honing his skills and she was in the ring with him.

A shy girl from Queens, Suze Rotolo was the daughter of Italian working-class Communists. Growing up at the start of the Cold War and during McCarthyism, she inevitably became an outsider in her neighborhood and at school. Her childhood was turbulent, but Suze found solace in poetry, art, and music. In Washington Square Park, in Greenwich Village, she encountered like-minded friends who were also politically active. Then one hot day in July 1961, Suze met Bob Dylan, a rising young musician, at a folk concert at Riverside Church. She was seventeen, he was twenty; they were young, curious, and inseparable. During the years they were together, Dylan was transformed from an obscure folk singer into an uneasy spokesperson for a generation.

Suze Rotolo’s story is rich in character and setting, filled with vivid memories of those tumultuous years of dramatic change and poignantly rising expectations when art, culture, and politics all seemed to be conspiring to bring our country a better, freer, richer, and more equitable life. She writes of her involvement with the civil rights movement and describes the sometimes frustrating experience of being a woman in a male-dominated culture, before women’s liberation changed the rules for the better. And she tells the wonderfully romantic story of her sweet but sometimes wrenching love affair and its eventual collapse under the pressures of growing fame.

A Freewheelin’ Time is a vibrant, moving memoir of a hopeful time and place and of a vital subculture at its most creative. It communicates the excitement of youth, the heartbreak of young love, and the struggles for a brighter future.

The Beatles Anthology

Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 218 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From their years growing up in Liverpool through their ride to fame to their ultimate breakup, here’s the inside story. Interwoven with The Beatles’ own memories are the recollections of such associates as road manager Neil Aspinall, producer George Martin, and spokesman Derek Taylor. The Beatles Anthology is a once-in-a-lifetime volume: warm, frank, funny, poignant, and bold-just like the music that’s been a part of so many of our lives. The Beatles Anthology is, for the first time, the story of The Beatles by The Beatles. Created with the full cooperation of Paul, George, Ringo, and Yoko Ono Lennon, it also includes the words of John, painstakingly compiled from sources worldwide. The Beatles Anthology is, in effect, The Beatles’ autobiography. The Beatles Anthology features over 1300 images, most previously unpublished. Paul, George, Ringo, and Yoko Ono Lennon all opened their own archives just for this project, as did Apple, EMI, and others long associated with The Beatles, allowing the unprecedented release of photographs, documents, and other memorabilia from their homes and offices. The result is an extraordinary wealth of visual material brimming on each and every page.

Keep the Faith: A Memoir

Faith Evans

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 61 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

It's been over ten years since Big was killed. I grieved for him for a very long time. And then, as time passed, the icy wall of grief surrounding my heart began to thaw and I began to heal. I remarried, had more children, and continued to record and release more music. I continued to live my life. And while I can never discount the time I spent with Big, I've never felt the need to live in the past.


But sometimes, I still find myself thinking about Big being rushed the hospital, and I break down in tears.


It's not just because we hung up on each other during what would be our last telephone conversation. And it's not because I am raising our son, a young man who has never known his father.


It's partly all of those things. But mainly it's because he wasn't ready to go. His debut album was called Ready to Die. But in the end, he wasn't. Big never got a chance to tell his story. It's been left to others to tell it for him. In making the decision to tell my own story, it means that I've become one of those who can give insight to who Big really was. But I can only speak on what he meant to me.


Yet I also want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't actually begin or end with Big's death. My journey has been complicated on many levels. And since I am always linked to Big, there are a lot of misconceptions about who I really am.


I hope that in reading my words, there is inspiration to be found. Perhaps you can duplicate my success or achieve where I have failed. Maybe you can skip over the mistakes I've made. Use my life as an example-of what to do and in some cases, what not to do.


It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself.

Let's Talk About Pep

Sandy Denton

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Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

She's the spiciest ingredient in the legendary rap group Salt-N-Pepa, and the outspoken star of VH1's smash-hit reality show. She's Sandy "Pepa" Denton -- and she's never at a loss for words. Now, in her first tell-all book, Pepa talks about sex, music, life, love, fame, and so much more....

"Most of you know me as Pep, or Pepa, the fun-loving half of Salt-N-Pepa. I am the party girl, the one who is down for whatever. But behind the laughs and the smiles is a whole lot of pain."

Funny, fearless, and full of life, Sandy "Pepa" Denton is a pop culture icon whose remarkable story is every bit as captivating and provocative as her Grammy Award-winning music. This is the real Pepa -- upfront, uncensored, unstoppable -- and these are the memoirs of a true pioneer, fighter, survivor, and inspiration to women everywhere.

For the first time, Pepa talks about:

• Her troubled childhood
• Surviving abuse
• Her first encounters with Cheryl "Salt" James
• Salt-N-Pepa's instant success
• Her failed marriages and her escape from domestic abuse
• Her "breakup" with Salt and their eventual "reunion"
• Her triumphant comeback on the VH1 reality shows The Surreal Life, Fame Games, and The Salt-N-Pepa Show

Filled with surprising insights, outrageous anecdotes, and celebrity cameos -- including Queen Latifah, Martin Lawrence, Janice Dickinson, Omarosa, Missy Elliott, L.L. Cool J, supermodel Caprice, Ron Jeremy, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez, "Spinderella," and many others -- Let's Talk About Pep offers a fascinating glimpse behind the fame, family, failures, and successes of celebrity...and into the faithful heart of a woman who will always value the good friends she found along the way. In the words of Sandy "Pepa" Denton, "there's no walking away from that."

Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats

Pannonica de Koenigswarter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

An unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at jazz legends

 

In the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, Pannonica de Koenigswarter, known as Nica, was a constant and benevolent presence on the thriving New York jazz scene. Known as the Jazz Baroness (she was born into the wealthy Rothschild family and later married a French aristocrat) she befriended such giants as Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Barry Harris, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Bud Powell, and many more. She inspired over twenty jazz compositions, bailed musicians out of jail, and even acted as a booking agent.

 

She also collected wishes. Over the course of a decade, Koenigswarter asked three hundred musicians what their three wishes in life were, jotting them all down in a notebook. At the same time she took hundreds of candid photographs, saving them all. In Three Wishes, Koenigswarter’s forays into the psyches and lives of these legendary jazz artists are made available in America for the first time.

 

With a foreword by celebrated jazz critic Gary Giddins, and a introduction from Nica’s granddaughter, Nadine de Koenigswarter, providing rare insights into the mysterious baroness’s life, this funny, eclectic, and moving compilation is a uniquely intimate look into the immortals of the classic era of jazz, and a must-have for any fan or afficianado.

Journals

Kurt Cobain

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 194 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A Moral Quandary 2 out of 5 stars.
5 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I can definitely see both sides of the issue of the moral quandary concerning this book. However, I think it's really pathetic that people on both sides are trying to assume what Kurt would or wouldn't want. I don't think that by reading these journals you somehow aren't a true fan of Nirvana just as not reading them somehow makes you a true fan. That's absurd. I will say, though, that in my personal opinion this book is a blatant and disgusting invasion of privacy. I think that it's rather obvious that Courtney Love is lacking scruples with her obviously cavalier attitude about releasing things that probably should have stayed private. I'm sure she will suffer some sort of karmic retribution (if she hasn't already) for doing so.

Regardless, I personally have never read these journals, nor will I ever do so. I'm not trying to be elitist by pretending to have any kind of moral high ground. It's a personal choice. I'm genuinely not interested to see what is in them. I think that the music kind of speaks for itself. That is, after all, why I personally am a fan of Nirvana and of Kurt. I don't think that reading some personal journal entries is going to suddenly give me or anyone insight into his genius or what led to his death. The story surrounding his death is tragic enough without crap like this being commercialized and his overall image being exploited and sold, which is really why he despised being famous to begin with. I think stuff like this is further evidence that far too much attention is being paid to the personal lives of celebrities as opposed to their work. This is precisely why people like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears are famous.

I don't think that by reading these journals anyone is going to be less of a fan or suffer any karmic retribution. I think that will be reserved for the person who allowed it to be released to the public in the first place. Regardless, I can also definitely understand the curiosity that people have and I don't think they should be judged for having a thirst for more information about a very important and brilliant musician.

Editorial Review:

Now in paperback, Journals includes never-before-seen material that will keep everyone talking.

Kurt Cobain filled dozens of notebooks with lyrics, drawings, and writings about his plans for Nirvana and his thoughts about fame, the state of music, and the people who bought and sold him and his music. His journals reveal an artist who loved music, who knew the history of rock, and who was determined to define his place in that history. Here is a mesmerizing, incomparable portrait of the most influential musician of his time.

A Pirate Looks at Fifty

Jimmy Buffett

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Total reviews: 245 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For the millions of fans of Jimmy Buffett's music as well as his bestselling books, Tales From Margaritaville and Where Is Joe Merchant?, here is the ultimate Jimmy Buffett philosophy on life and how to live it.  As hard as it is to believe, the irrepressible Jimmy Buffett has hit the half-century mark and, in A PIRATE LOOKS AT 50, he brings us along on the remarkable journey which he took through the Southern hemisphere to celebrate this landmark birthday.
        
Jimmy takes us from the legendary pirate coves of the Florida Keys to the ruins of ancient Cartegena.  Along the way, we hear a tale or two of how he got his start in New Orleans, how he discovered his passion for flying planes, and how he almost died in a watery crash in Nantucket harbor.  We follow Jimmy to jungle outposts in Costa Rica and on a meandering trip down the Amazon, through hair-raising negotiations with gun-toting customs  officials and a 3-year-old aspiring co-pilot.  And he is the inimitable Jimmy Buffett through it all.
        
For Parrotheads, for armchair adventurers, and for anyone who appreciates a good yarn and a hearty laugh, here is the ultimate backstage pass -- you'll read the kind of stories Jimmy usually reserves for his closest friends and you'll see a wonderful, wacky life through eyes of the man who's lived it.   A PIRATE LOOKS AT 50 is a breath of fresh air and a ingenious manual for getting to 50 . . . and beyond.


From the Hardcover edition.

The Beatles: The Biography

Bob Spitz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 206 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Must-Read for Beatles Fans 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent and engrossing all-around history of the Beatles. It starts with the life of John Lennon as an infant and moves along as Lennon meets up with various people who become his band mates. The band becomes the Beatles as Paul and George are added and Pete Best and other are shunted aside and as Ringo is added. The details of the lives and activities of the Beatles - the imperfect musicianship, the arguments, the drugs, the venereal disease picked up in Hamburg, the formative experiences that serve as inspiration for many of their best-known - is well-detailed.

If you are a music scholar or have scrutinized the Beatles' backgrounds, then this book is probably not for you. But if you're a big fan and would like to know something of the backgrounds of the Big Four, their personalities, what Beatlemania was all about, who they slept with, how they got inspiration, and so on, you'll really enjoy this. It's a fun read.

It is completely accurate in all respects? Judging by the other reviews, probably not. But I doubt it is possible to assemble a comprehensive and accurate biography. So much happened and most of that is 40-plus years ago. But the book provides an compelling and absorbing picture of the dynamic of the group, the forces that drove them to make great music, the forces that drove them to compete against one another and that ultimately drove them to break up. Even at approximately 900 pages (hardback verson) it was impossible to put down.

Editorial Review:

" Irresistible....A captivating picture that hasn't been seen before....THE BEATLES amplifies and corrects some of what is known about the band's formative years.... It powerfully evokes both the excitement and the price of such a sudden rise." --NEW YORK TIMES At last in paperback: the biography the Beatles deserve. It's all here, raw and right--the highs and the lows, the love and the rivalry, the awe and the jealousy, the drugs, the tears, the thrill, the magic never to be repeated--in a vast, exuberantly acclaimed book that's as brilliant and joyous and revelatory as a Beatles record itself.

A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano

Katie Hafner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A grand tale of obsession about the brilliant Glenn Gould and the unique, temperamental instrument he came to love beyond all others, by a top New York Times writer.
Glenn Gould was one of the most complex, brilliant artists of the twentieth century, a musician famous for bizarre habits: he wore a hat and gloves even on the warmest summer day; refused to shake hands for fear of germs or damaged fingers; hummed and conducted himself while he played; and traveled the world with a battered old chair, refusing to perform while sitting on anything else.
But perhaps Gould’s greatest obsession of all was with a Steinway concert grand known as CD318. To explain that relationship, which Gould himself described as “a romance on three legs,” Katie Hafner introduces us to the important figures in Gould’s life, including Verne Edquist, his longtime, long-suffering, blind tuner. She offers a fascinating history of the art of tuning, and takes us inside Steinway during the war years, when CD318 was built. And she dissects Gould’s life with the piano, from his first encounter with it to the endless coddling and tweaking that Edquist performed over the years. Hafner includes Gould’s stormy, sometimes outrageous, correspondence with Steinway, and describes his despair when CD318 was fatally dropped from a loading dock.
The book will appeal to fans of books like The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, as well as to those looking fora rich story of obsession like The Orchid Thief.

A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck

Trace Adkins

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Country music superstar Trace Adkins isn’t exactly known for holding back what’s on his mind. And if the millions of albums he’s sold are any indication, when Trace talks, people listen. Now, in A Personal Stand, Trace Adkins delivers his maverick manifesto on politics, personal responsibility, fame, parenting, being true to yourself, hard work, and the way things oughta be.

In his inimitable pull-no-punches style, Trace gives us the state of the union as he sees it, from the lessons of his boyhood in small-town Louisiana to what he’s learned headlining concerts around the world. Trace has worked oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, been shot in the heart, been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and braved perhaps the greatest challenge of all: being the father of five daughters. And shaped by these experiences, he’s sounding off.

• I’m incredibly frustrated with the state of American politics. If there were a viable third party, I’d seriously consider joining it.
• If anybody wonders who the good guys are and who the bad guys are in this world, just look at the way we teach our children as opposed to the way the fundamentalist Muslims teach their children.
• Organized labor now exists for the sake of organized labor, and not for the workers it once protected.
• I believe the easiest way to solve the illegal immigration enforcement problem is to go after the employers who hire illegal aliens.
• As a society, we’re unwilling to sacrifice our luxuries and our conveniences in order to conserve. We won’t change until we’re forced to.
• The war on terror is like herpes. People can live with it, but it’ll flare up from time to time.

Brash, ballsy, persuasive, and controversial, A Personal Stand isn’t just the story of Trace Adkins’s life; it’s the story of what life can teach all of us.