Music-History & Criticism

England's Dreaming is the ultimate book on punk, its progenitors, the Sex Pistols, and the moment they defined for music fans in England and the United States. Savage brings to life the sensational story of the meteoric rise and rapid implosion of the Pistols...

No other instrument has witnessed such a dramatic rise to popularity--and precipitous decline--as the accordion. Squeeze This! is the first history of the piano accordion and the first book-length study of the accordion as a uniquely American musical and cultural phenomenon. Ethnomusicologist and accordion...

The definitive oral history of heavy metal, Louder Than Hell by renowned music journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman includes hundreds of interviews with the giants of the movement, conducted over the past 25 years.Unlike many forms of popular music, metalheads tend to embrace...

In an extraordinary story unfolding across two hundred years, Kristina Gaddy uncovers the banjo's key role in Black spirituality, ritual, and rebellion. Through meticulous research in diaries, letters, archives, and art, she traces the banjo's beginnings from the seventeenth century, when enslaved people of...

DC Represent!There's a party over here, there's a party over there! In go-go the party never stops, and neither does the beat. The bands, the stars, the clubs, the spots, the sweat, the late nights and the passion are the sound of the city--all...

This guide introduces concertgoers, serious listeners, and music students to Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony, one of the composer's most popular and most powerful works. It examines the symphony from several perspectives: Mahler's struggle to create what he called the New Symphony; his innovative approaches...

From cradle to great, the comprehensive real story of Bill Monroe The Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe was a major star of the Grand Ole Opry for over fifty years; a member of the Country Music, Songwriters, and Rock and Roll Halls of...

The Seattle music scene burst onto the world stage as the 20th century ended. But most accounts of this phenomenon, from Time magazine to MTV to uncountable "Cobain-sploitation" books, sucked. Despite what clueless media said, there never was one single "Seattle Sound." But there...

The seminal British band Motorhead have been rocking since 1975 and, led by the legendary Lemmy, show no signs of letting up. From early classics "Ace Of Spades," "Overkill" and "No Sleep Til Hammersmith" the band have racked up an incredible 25 albums, with...

This collection of over fifty years of writing about the South and its music by Stanley Booth, one of the undisputedly great chroniclers of the subject, is a classic, essential read. Booth's close contacts with many of the musicians he writes about provide a...

These photographs document George Mitchell's trip to Mississippi, where he searched for thenunrecorded blues musicians including R. L. Burnside, Jessie Mae Hemphill, and Othar Turner. Thisjourney yielded recordings of music now on cherished and touted albums and CDs. From Mitchell'sfieldwork many others discovered the...

In Why the Grateful Dead Matter, veteran writer and lifelong Deadhead Michael Benson argues that the Grateful Dead are not simply a successful rock-and-roll band but a phenomenon central to American culture. He defends the proposition that the Grateful Dead are, in fact, a...

(Reference). The Hofner Violin Bass Guitar is one of the most instantly recognizable musical instruments ever made. Its fame was assured when a certain young English guitarist walked into a shop in Hamburg in 1961, saw exactly what he was looking for, and ordered...

Gregorian Chant offers a detailed tutorial in the history and liturgy of Gregorian chant for musicians and musicologists, clergy and liturgists, passionate participants, and others who are interested in the revival of chant in the church, today.Author: Daniel SaulnierISBN-10: 1557255547ISBN-13: 9781557255549Publisher: Paraclete Press (MA)Language:...

FAME Publishing first opened in 1959 and produced hits for great musicians like Etta James, Clarence Carter and Aretha Franklin. Not long after, the city of Muscle Shoals became known as the "Hit Recording Capital of the World." FAME was the foundation that produced...

The long-awaited New York Times bestselling memoir of seven-time Grammy-nominated artist Charlie Wilson, the iconic R&B and Funk singer-songwriter-producer and former lead singer of The Gap Band--interwoven with his recollections of collaborating with fellow artists such as Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, and Snoop Dogg....

Winner of the Oregon Book Award for General Nonfiction and Los Angeles Times bestseller "It makes good music sound better."-Janet Maslin in The New York Times "A fascinating look into the West Coast recording studio scene of the '60s and the inside story of...

In this epic exploration of the Pacific Northwest's esteemed garage rock traditions, Peter Blecha, Seattle's "rock 'n' roll archaeologist " skillfully weaves together the untold tales behind the rise of the region's early dance halls, recording studios, record labels, radio stations, and 1950s rockabilly,...

In contrast with many of their punk peers, Wire were enigmatic and cerebral, always keeping a distance from the crowd. Although Pink Flag appeared before the end of 1977, it was already a meta-commentary on the punk scene and was far more revolutionary musically...

The Velvet Underground is arguably one of the most influential American rock bands ever. Based on interviews with former members Lou Reed, John Cale, and Sterling Morrison, as well as others from Andy Warhol's circle of artistic collaborators, Up-Tight is the definitive oral and...

(Guitar Recorded Versions). Complete tab transcriptions for "The Blue Album: " Buddy Holly * Holiday * In the Garage * My Name Is Jonas * No One Else * Only in Dreams * Say It Ain't So * Surf Wax America * Undone -...

Whether on the go or composing at home, The Musician's Notebook is a necessary and unique tool for every musician. Within this beautiful, updated package, are the standard staffs, guitar chord boxes, and tablature. Along with these are quotes by some of the biggest...

The Cure FAQ is a complete analysis of the band's forty-plus year career, delving into each one of their albums with fresh commentary and insight.Author: Christian GerardISBN-10: 1617137073ISBN-13: 9781617137075Publisher: Backbeat BooksLanguage: EnglishPublished: 10/15/2021Pages: 400Format: PaperbackWeight: 1.40lbsSize: 8.90h x 5.98w x 1.18d

What is the origin of music? In the last few decades this centuries-old puzzle has been reinvigorated by new archaeological evidence and developments in the fields of cognitive science, linguistics, and evolutionary theory. In this path-breaking book, renowned musicologist Gary Tomlinson draws from these...

Two entwined narratives run through the creation of Swordfishtrombones and form the backbone of this book. As the 1970s ended, Waits felt increasingly constrained and trapped by his persona and career. Bitter and desperately unhappy, he moved to New York in 1979 to change...

Through a series of interviews with a wide range of people connected to Pink Floyd in their earliest days (including Nick Mason, Peter Jenner, Jenny Fabian, Storm Thorgerson, Duggie Fields and Peter Whitehead), John Cavanagh paints a vivid picture of how this remarkable debut...

Altogether, a sensitive and tasteful document. -- Library JournalA series of themed essays rather than a traditional biography, this profile of the Polish composer and virtuoso pianist is the work of a legendary conductor and performer. Alfred Cortot taught at the Paris Conservatory of...

The first definitive biography of the ultimate American rock bandHow did a pair of little Dutch boys trained in classical music grow up to become the nucleus of the most popular heavy metal band of all time? What's the secret behind Eddie Van Halen's...

The definitive survey, combining current scholarship with a vibrant narrative. Carefully informed by feedback from dozens of scholars, it remains the book that students and teachers trust to explain what's important, where it fits, and why it matters. Peter Burkholder weaves a compelling story...

An extraordinary collection of lyrics from rap's first thirty years, a showcase of poetic depth and diversity "This landmark work chronicles an earth-shattering movement with deep roots."--New York Times Book Review From the school yards of the South Bronx to the tops of the...

WINNER OF THE PENDERYN MUSIC PRIZE A GUARDIAN MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2015 FEATURING A NEW FOREWORD BY DAVID MITCHELL In America, in London, in Amsterdam, in Paris, revolutionary ideas fomenting since the late 1950s reached boiling point, culminating in a year in...

CAPRICORN RISING: CONVERSATIONS IN SOUTHERN ROCK is a collection of interviews with many of the stars, producers, and associates of the 1970s Southern record label, Capricorn, which was founded in the heart of Macon, Georgia in 1969. Author Michael Buffalo Smith has been interviewing...

In 1968, the Flying Burrito Brothers released The Gilded Palace of Sin on A&M Records, selling a disappointing 400,000 copies. Almost forty years later, front man Gram Parsons, is still spoken of with almost messianic reverence. Patron saint of alt-country, emblazoned with a shining...

One of the finest hip-hop albums ever made, A Tribe Called Quest's debut record (featuring stone-cold classics like "Can I Kick It?" and "Bonita Applebum") took the idea of the boasting hip-hop male and turned it on its head. For many listeners, when this...

At once the most lucrative, popular, and culturally oppositional musical force in the United States, hip hop demands the kind of interpretation Imani Perry provides here: criticism engaged with this vibrant musical form on its own terms. A scholar and a fan, Perry considers...

First book on hip-hop sampling as a musical process, now with a new foreword and afterwordWinner of IASPM's 2005 International Book AwardBased on ten years of research among hip-hop producers, Making Beats was the first work of scholarship to explore the goals, methods, and...

In this breathtaking cultural history filled with exclusive, never-before-revealed details, celebrated rock journalist Joel Selvin tells the definitive story of the Rolling Stones' infamous Altamont concert, the disastrous historic event that marked the end of the idealistic 1960s.In the annals of rock history, the...

A modern take on a classical icon: this original, entertaining, well-researched book uses the story of when, where, and how Chopin composed his most famous work, uncovering many surprises along the way and showing how his innovative music still animates popular culture centuries later....

The music, the marriages, the polo, the drugs, the trans-Saharan trucking scheme--the drummer best-known for his work in Cream and his contributions to World Music tells his whole fascinating story Peter "Ginger" Baker is a legend. A pioneering drummer who has transcended genres, he...

ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE: THE BAND AND AMERICAAuthor: Barney HoskynsISBN-10: 142341442XISBN-13: 9781423414421Publisher: Hal Leonard Publishing CorporationLanguage: EnglishPublished: 11/01/2006Pages: 496Format: PaperbackWeight: 1.49lbsSize: 9.00h x 6.06w x 0.97d

Originally published in 1991, Rodger Lyle Brown's Party Out of Bounds is a cult classic that offers an insider's look at the underground rock music culture that sprang from a lazy Georgia college town. Brown uses half-remembered stories, local anecdotes, and legendary lore to...

We all know the Boxer. The fighter who remembers every glove but still remains. That grisly, bruised American allegory who somehow gets up more times than he's knocked down. This is the fight that nearly broke The National. The one that allowed them to...

It all started in London. More than fifty years ago, a generation of teens created something that would change the face of music forever. London, Reign Over Me immerses us in the backroom clubs, basement record shops, and late-night faint radio signals of 1960s...

Jefferson Airplane are among the few rock groups genuinely to qualify as unique, although they were not the only exemplar of the 1960s San Francisco sound: the Grateful Dead could equally claim to be the Summer of Love's house band. Comprising mainly vocal harmonies,...

The liturgical chant sung in the churches of Southern Italy between the ninth and thirteenth centuries reflects the multiculturalism of a territory in which Romans, Franks, Lombards, Byzantines, Normans, Jews, and Muslims were all present with various titles and political roles. Chants, Hypertext, and...

Feasting and Fasting in Opera shows that the consumption of food and drink is an essential component of opera, both on and off stage. In this book, opera scholar Pierpaolo Polzonetti explores how convivial culture shaped the birth of opera and opera-going rituals until...

Vinyl Ventures: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records is less a standard history and more an idiosyncratic memoir written by one of the three Rounder founders.Rounder Records was born in 1970, a "hobby that got out of control," a fledgling record company more or...

Charles Ives is widely regarded as the first great American composer of classical music. But listening to his music is an adventure--hearing how a piece begins may not prepare you for what comes next, or how it ends. Knowing one Ives piece may not...

Formed in Guildford, Surrey in England in 1971, Camel, though not directly part of the genre, were strongly influenced by the bands emerging from Canterbury in Kent at the same time. In particular, the band mixed humour and profundity, in a similar way to...

Explores the visionary, mystical, and ecstatic traditions that influenced the music of the 1960s - Examines the visionary, spiritual, and mystical influences on the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, the Incredible String Band, the Left Banke, Lou Reed...