General Books - Page 3

Born Country: How Faith, Family, and Music Brought Me Home

Randy Owen, Allen Rucker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Terrific Book....Even better than I expected !!! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I want to say first off I have been a big fan of Alabama ever since 1979 when I first heard 'My Home's In Alabama' so I had extremely high hopes for this book and I wasn't disappointed at all...as a matter a fact it's even better than I could have imagined.

The book starts out with Randy going for his morning drive around Lookout Mountain to start his day.....His and his daughter's dogs all go on this drive through the country with Randy describing the area and how beauiful it is and how much he loves it....From that first chapter you feel like you are going along for a ride with Randy and he is talking to you telling you his story...The book is written in such an easy fun style to read...It makes it very enjoyable...I read it in less than 2 days (for me that is pretty remarkable---never read a book of almost 300 pages that fast before )...I just couldn't put it down !

You will read so many things you never knew..... Like when you hear them sing about a place in one of their songs...you find it's a REAL place that they went to and wrote it into their songs....There is a line in one of their songs called 'Vacation'...Where he talks about going swimming in the Blue Hole...Come to find out in this book....there really is such a place...but you probably wouldn't know that if you didn't live up there....Another cool one is the song 'Ole Baugh Road' on the Southern Star album.....He really did grow up on Baugh Rd !

Liking Alabama as long as I have I feel like I was right there with them all these years and knew the guys (Randy, Teddy, Jeff and Mark) pretty well....but there are so many things that you don't know since they are all private people and don't want to be all over the news (that's a good thing !)....Anyway...some of the things you will remember right along with Randy and some will be brand new ! (For example---In the video 'Tar Top'....That is his son Heath riding the bicycle)...Growing up reading everything I could back then about Alabama...I didn't know that.

He also mentions Dale Earnhardt in here a couple of times (Dale is a big hero of mine) and I didn't know they had known each other since 1981...I knew they were good friends..but had no idea it was for such a long time.


Randy talks alot about his wife (Kelly) and his 3 kids (Alison, Heath and Randa)....His parents also play a huge role in the book.....St Jude's Childrens Hospital is also metioned obviously since it's such an important part of his life....I just can't see how the book could be any better...He intertwined his personal life with his life with the group Alabama so perfectly.....you really get to learn about the whole person...not just the singer.

Honestly I would recommend this book for anyone to read it's just a terrific book, period....but for fans of Alabama this is a must read !....All my friends are wanting copies after seeing mine and hearing me talk about it....Oh yeah I almost forgot...there are some wonderful pictures in it I had never seen before too !

Editorial Review:

Randy Owen, the front man and lead vocalist for one of the biggest music groups of all time, was raised in rural Alabama, grew up working on a small sharecropper farm, and today lives on this same land that his family worked for generations. Born Country weaves together never-before-shared stories about life on the road with the legendary band Alabama, Randy's family, his experiences with temptation in the face of superstardom, and how he held on to his traditional Christian values through it all. Born Country is an inspiring story about how a poor country boy came to touch the lives of millions of fans.

Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music

Ted Gioia

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The definitive account of how the rough sounds of the Mississippi Delta changed the course of American popular music.

The blues grew out of the plantations and prisons, the swampy marshes and fertile cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta. With original research and keen insights, Ted Gioia—the author of a landmark study of West Coast jazz and the critically acclaimed The History of Jazz—brings to life the stirring music of the Delta, evoking the legendary figures who shaped its sound and ethos: Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, B. B. King, and others. Tracing the history of the Delta blues from the field hollers and plantation music of the nineteenth century to the exploits of modern-day musicians in the Delta tradition, Delta Blues tells the full story of this timeless and unforgettable music. No cultural force boasts such humble origins or such world-conquering reverberations. In this evocative rags-to-riches tale, Gioia shows how the sounds of the Delta altered the course of popular music in America and in the world beyond. 38 illustrations.

21 Nights

Prince

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

21 Nights--a first book by Prince and celebrated photographer Randee St. Nicholas is a stunning multimedia volume offering a rare glimpse into the life, lyrics and mystique of one of the most notable and prolific musicians of our time. This beautifully designed photographic essay flows from Prince's sensational, unprecedented, record-breaking, sold-out 21 concerts in 21 Nights at London's 02 Arena in 2007. Giving insight into his dueling worlds of performance and solitude, 21 Nights incorporates Prince's evocative poetry and lyrics to new songs and other selections, and 124 full-color, sumptuous never-before-published images by Randee St. Nicholas. As part of the multi-dimensional experience, it will also include "Indigo Night," a CD--available only with the book--capturing Prince's after-hours, live after-show sessions--rare and profound moments of musical genius.

21 Nights takes the reader from the passenger seat of a limousine zipping through the streets of London to his sleeping quarters in a luxury hotel. In between we see him and his phenomenal band of musicians, singers and dancers backstage in the make up room to onstage, bathed in purple lights and a fog of gray smoke. Like a movie-in-a-book, readers are taken on his journey from London to Prague, in a style that takes glam rock to a new level.

Then there is poetry and lyrics that reveal the heart and soul of Prince--in addition to his incomparable talent. Going beyond the catchy hook, he expresses himself on everything from the destructive forces of war, greed and superficiality the life giving energy of love, beauty, and--of course--music.

Don't Mind If I Do

George Hamilton, William Stadiem

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Spend a few hours with George Hamilton?

Don't Mind If I Do

Don't let that tanned, handsome, charming surface fool you. Beneath the bronzed façade is a mischievous mind with a wicked wit. George Hamilton doesn't miss a thing. With a front row seat for classic Hollywood's biggest secrets and scandals, George has the intelligence, heart, and unflappable spirit to tell his story, and the story of Tinseltown's heyday, with great good humor and delicious candor -- as only he can. From Where the Boys Are to Dancing with the Stars; from Mary Pickford to Elizabeth Taylor; from smalltown Arkansas to the capitals of Europe -- it's all here, and George has lived to tell and to laugh about it.

As the child of a Dartmouth-educated bandleader father and a glamorous Southern debutante mother whose marriage crumbled early on, George had a childhood filled with misadventures and challenges that his mother always seemed able to turn from tragedy to comedy. Her idea of changing the family's fortunes involved a trip cross-country with three sons and a poodle in a Lincoln Continental, making stops along the way to search for husband/father number three. And she was quick to recognize that George's potential success lay in Hollywood.

George starved nobly for his art in the late 1950s, but was soon starring in major motion pictures directed by the likes of Vincente Minnelli and Louis Malle. He has forgotten more about Hollywood than most movie experts will ever know and shares intimate and hugely entertaining stories of his friendships with Cary Grant; Brigitte Bardot; Robert Mitchum; Merle Oberon; Mae West; Sammy Davis, Jr.; and Judy Garland -- not to mention Lyndon B. Johnson and Elvis's Colonel Tom Parker as well as the King himself -- among others. The world is Hamilton's oyster, and this ultimate insider is ready to share it with us. So fasten your seat belt. We'll tell you when it's safe to move about the cabin again.

Music Theory for Guitarists: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask (Guitar Method)

Tom Kolb

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

gonna be very helpful 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I'm one of those who has to know every step on the way to big picture. For those who need to KNOW how to play rather than just bang it out.

Well-Structured Book, Wealth of Material 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I think the irony with many standard guitar methods, at least the better ones, is that they usually expect you to have a basic knowledge of music theory to allow the exercises to really sink in from the very beginning. Conversely, I think the irony with starting a music theory course or method is that it normally expects you to have already begun contextualizing the material on the instrument of your choice before you can even begin to make practical sense of the material and apply it. It seems very much like a Catch-22.

What Tom Kolb manages to do in the opening chapters of this book is quickly and thoroughly provide the vital concepts you need to really get going with both: a diagram of the fretboard with all of the notes on it (without the high register), a nice explanation of the different types of notation, the terms you need to begin to develop your musical language abilities, scales and key signatures, intervals, and triads (the most basic chord forms). He uses a bottom-up approach; however detailed or complex the material gets, he usually manages to apply it to the larger context. And I use the word "usually" because it's very apparent that music theory becomes an infinitely large topic the more you cover. The latter chapters contain some very heady concepts that require playing experience to contextualize.

This book is loaded with material, and can be challenging depending on how much you invest yourself in it. If you use a healthy balance of memorization and application all the way through, there is no doubt that you will benefit.

Editorial Review:

Guitarists of all levels will find a wealth of practical music knowledge in this special book and CD package. Veteran guitarist and author Tom Kolb dispels the mysteries of music theory using plain and simple terms and diagrams. The accompanying CD provides 94 tracks of music examples, scales, modes, chords, ear training, and much more!

Clapton: The Autobiography

Eric Clapton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 317 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

“I found a pattern in my behavior that had been repeating itself for years, decades even. Bad choices were my specialty, and if something honest and decent came along, I would shun it or run the other way.”

With striking intimacy and candor, Eric Clapton tells the story of his eventful and inspiring life in this poignant and honest autobiography. More than a rock star, he is an icon, a living embodiment of the history of rock music. Well known for his reserve in a profession marked by self-promotion, flamboyance, and spin, he now chronicles, for the first time, his remarkable personal and professional journeys.

Born illegitimate in 1945 and raised by his grandparents, Eric never knew his father and, until the age of nine, believed his actual mother to be his sister. In his early teens his solace was the guitar, and his incredible talent would make him a cult hero in the clubs of Britain and inspire devoted fans to scrawl “Clapton is God” on the walls of London’s Underground. With the formation of Cream, the world's first supergroup, he became a worldwide superstar, but conflicting personalities tore the band apart within two years. His stints in Blind Faith, in Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, and in Derek and the Dominos were also short-lived but yielded some of the most enduring songs in history, including the classic “Layla.”

During the late sixties he played as a guest with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, as well as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and longtime friend George Harrison. It was while working with the latter that he fell for George’s wife, Pattie Boyd, a seemingly unrequited love that led him to the depths of despair, self-imposed seclusion, and drug addiction. By the early seventies he had overcome his addiction and released the bestselling album 461 Ocean Boulevard, with its massive hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” He followed that with the platinum album Slowhand, which included “Wonderful Tonight,” the touching love song to Pattie, whom he finally married at the end of 1977. A short time later, however, Eric had replaced heroin with alcohol as his preferred vice, following a pattern of behavior that not only was detrimental to his music but contributed to the eventual breakup of his marriage.
In the eighties he would battle and beat alcoholism and become a father. But just as his life was coming together, he was struck by a terrible blow: His beloved four-year-old son, Conor, died in a freak accident. At an earlier time Eric might have coped with this tragedy by fleeing into a world of addiction. But now a much stronger man, he took refuge in music, responding with the achingly beautiful “Tears in Heaven.”

Clapton is the powerfully written story of a survivor, a man who has achieved the pinnacle of success despite extraordinary demons. It is one of the most compelling memoirs of our time.

Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marri

Kevin Leman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

WOW! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Initially I thought I was reading a really erotic book. Christians may find this book offensive because of all the things the author speaks about and ways of improving your marriage via sex. I am here that this book isn't so much about sex (although I can tell you that this book has a lot of sex and how it can be used to not only improve your sex life, but improve you marriage, especially if your marriage has entered a stage of boredom, stagnation, or on the verge of divorce), but on how the 'other' spouse thinks. Men: do yourself a favor-- GET THIS BOOK! You will understand your wife so much and she will love you for it. Women: GET THIS BOOK! Now you will understand why men do what they do and why they seem aloof to you. This is one phenomenal book that I have begun to re-read it a second time, only this time, I have my notebook handy and taking notes. The BEST part is that he uses Biblical passages on why God is the author of sex and why if done His way, you can't possibly go wrong. There is one spot I am a little iffy on, and that has to do with oral sex but this is a subject left to each and every Christian couple to decide if this is for them or not. I strongly suggest this book, if not only to learn how to understand your spouse but to break that taboo way of thinking that sex is a dirty word. It isn't. God intended Christians to have fun during sex. Dr. Leman will show you will Biblically and in a way you never thought. EXCELLENT!

Editorial Review:

For married couples and those engaged to be married, Sheet Music is a practical guide to sex according to God's plan. In his characteristic style, Kevin Leman addresses a wide spectrum of people, from those with no sexual experiences to those with past sexual problems or even abuse. Using frank descriptions and black-and-white line drawings, this book has a warm and friendly tone that will help couples overcome awkwardness in discussing an issue important to all married couples.

The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band

Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Motley Crue, Mick Mars, Nikki Sixx, Neil Strauss (contributor)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 371 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

After six multi-platinum albums, seven consecutive Billboard Top 20 albums, and four Billboard Top Ten singles, Motley Crue are the undisputed heavyweight champs of rock music. Since the '80s they've been the voice of a barely pubescent Generation X, the anoited High Priests of pentagram rock, pioneers of Hollywood Glam and the creators of MTV's first "power ballad". Their ravenous sexual appetites consumed celebrities from Heather Locklear to Pamela Anderson to Lita Ford, while their legendary scuffles involved everyone from Axl Rose to 2 Live Crew. Now, for the first time, the most influential, enduring and iconic rock band of the 1980s reveals everything in a tell-all of epic proportions. They've collected automatic weapons, pushed the envelope of total drug abuse and dreamt up backstage antics that would make Ozzy Osbourne blanch with modesty. They are the trailblazers of modern excess. Provocatively written and brilliantly designed, this book includes never-before-seen photos and behind-the-scenes paraphernalia. Whether you're a fan of Motley Crue, a fan of rock'n'roll or just a fan of outrageously bad behaviour, you owe it to yourself to read this book - and experience the madness first hand.

The Clash

The Clash

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The unique story of the Clash, by the Clash. The Clash were a band like no other. Pioneers of British punk rock, their incendiary gigs, intelligent songwriting, definitive style and passionate idealism caught the spirit of the times and made them a worldwide phenomenon. Rolling Stone magazine declared London Calling one of the greatest albums of all time, their autobiographical documentary Westway to the World won a Grammy, and their music lives on, influencing emerging bands and exciting new audiences today.


This is the first official book to be created by the band. With unprecedented access to the Clash archive, this landmark publication brings together previously unseen material--including tour posters, artwork, and photos of the band at home, on stage, in the studio and on the road--with each member telling it like it was, in their own words.


Trendsetters, icons, revolutionaries: their story is steeped in mythology. Many people have an opinion about what made them who they were - this book gives the chance to read the full story, from all four band members themselves.

Wicked: The Grimmerie, a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hit Broadway Musical

David Cote

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Total reviews: 124 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Wicked is not just a musical, it is a phenomenon. Every week 15,000 people pack New York+s Gershwin Theatre to see the show. The most successful musical on Broadway in 2004, Wicked is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire. It tells the story of Elphaba, the headstrong Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the good witch, growing up in the Land of Oz. The show has cast a spell on fans, many of whom return for second and third viewings. In 2005, the show begins an extensive tour across the United States and Canada, hitting major cities such as Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and many more.This beautifully packaged, whimsical keepsake is designed to resemble the Grimmerie, an ancient book of spells that Elphaba uses in the show. Wicked: The Grimmerie offers fans a behind-the-curtains peek at the musical, profiles of the cast and creative team, and inside stories, with full-color photographs throughout. Some of the irresistible special features include an -Ozian+ glossary, spells, an illustrated family tree, and a step-by-step look at how Elphaba gets green before each show-everything fans need to relive the Broadway experience day after day.