Best of
Music

2011

Pearl Jam Twenty


Pearl Jam - 2011
    Pearl Jam Twenty is an intimate and lavishly illustrated portrait of one of the world’s most influential and successful bands—by the band itself.

Taylor Swift: Speak Now


Taylor Swift - 2011
    With a winning mix of pop sounds, country twang, and confessional lyrics, Speak Now is the highly anticipated follow-up to Taylor Swift's hugely successful sophomore release Fearless . This folio features piano/vocal/guitar arrangements of all 14 tracks from the celebrated songstress: Back to December * Better Than Revenge * Dear John * Enchanted * Haunted * Innocent * Last Kiss * Long Live * Mean * Mine * Never Grow Up * Sparks Fly * Speak Now * The Story of Us.

Living in the Material World: George Harrison


Olivia Harrison - 2011
    Here too is the record of Harrison’s lifelong commitment to Indian music, and his adventures as a movie producer, Traveling Wilbury, and Formula One racing fan. The book is filled with stories and reminiscences from Harrison’s friends, including Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and many, many others. Among its previously unpublished riches are photographs taken by Harrison himself beginning in the mid-1960s. It is a rich tribute to a man who died far too young, but who touched the lives of millions.Praise for George Harrison: Living in the Material World:“The ‘quiet’ Beatle’s widow draws on photos, letters, and memorabilia to evoke a living, breathing portrait of the man who sought a more spiritual life after experiencing the riches that came with fame. The book is tied to the HBO documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.” — USA Today“George was the quiet Beatle, so it’s a real magical mystery tour to peer behind the scenes with this nearly four-hundred-page book.” — New York Post“Seems well worth putting on your coffee table.” — Huffington Post“Fans of George Harrison, the quiet Beatle who died in 2001, will lap up George Harrison: Living in the Material World, by his second wife, Olivia.” — Bloomberg.com “The four-hundred-page book is filled with reproductions of notes, letters, scribbled lyrics, and some never-before-seen photographs. How many Beatles fans are out there? And how many ‘liked George’? Quite a few, it may turn out: the book debuts at number 24 on our extended nonfiction bestseller list this week, in its first week on sale.”— Publishers Weekly

Leonard Cohen: Poems and Songs


Leonard Cohen - 2011
    Encompassing the erotic and the melancholy, the mystical and the sardonic, this volume showcases a writer of dazzling intelligence and live-wire emotional immediacy.

It's So Easy: And Other Lies


Duff McKagan - 2011
    In 1984, at the age of twenty, Duff McKagan left his native Seattle—partly to pursue music but mainly to get away from a host of heroin overdoses then decimating his closest group of friends in the local punk scene. In L.A. only a few weeks and still living in his car, he answered a want ad for a bass player placed by someone who identified himself only as “Slash.” Soon after, the most dangerous band in the world was born. Guns N’ Roses went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide. In It's So Easy, Duff recounts GN’R’s unlikely trajectory to a string of multiplatinum albums, sold-out stadium concerts, and global acclaim. But that kind of glory can take its toll, and it did—ultimately—on Duff, as well as on the band itself. As GN’R began to splinter, Duff felt that he himself was done, too. But his near death as a direct result of alcoholism proved to be his watershed, the turning point that led to his unique path to sobriety and the unexpected choices he has made for himself since. In a voice that is as honest as it is indelibly his own, Duff—one of rock’s smartest and most articulate personalities—takes readers on his harrowing journey through the dark heart of one of the most notorious bands in rock-and-roll history and out the other side.

Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson


Joseph Vogel - 2011
    Vogel analyzes every song and album, placing the music in its social, historical, cultural, and even personal context. The result is an in-depth assessment of one of the most compelling, influential artists in popular music history.

Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge


Mark Yarm - 2011
    Though it sold miserably, the record made music history by documenting a burgeoning regional sound, the raw fusion of heavy metal and punk rock that we now know as grunge. But it wasn’t until five years later, with the seemingly overnight success of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” that grunge became a household word and Seattle ground zero for the nineties alternative-rock explosion.Everybody Loves Our Town captures the grunge era in the words of the musicians, producers, managers, record executives, video directors, photographers, journalists, publicists, club owners, roadies, scenesters and hangers-on who lived through it. The book tells the whole story: from the founding of the Deep Six bands to the worldwide success of grunge’s big four (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains); from the rise of Seattle’s cash-poor, hype-rich indie label Sub Pop to the major-label feeding frenzy that overtook the Pacific Northwest; from the simple joys of making noise at basement parties and tiny rock clubs to the tragic, lonely deaths of superstars Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley.Drawn from more than 250 new interviews—with members of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees, Hole, Melvins, Mudhoney, Green River, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season, L7, Babes in Toyland, 7 Year Bitch, TAD, the U-Men, Candlebox and many more — and featuring previously untold stories and never-before-published photographs, Everybody Loves Our Town is at once a moving, funny, lurid, and hugely insightful portrait of an extraordinary musical era.

Defending a King: His Life & Legacy


Karen Moriarty - 2011
    • A Kindle Bestseller • One of the Best-Selling MJ Books• Has Earned the Most ReviewsWhy did 7,745 people download this book from “Kindle Free eBooks” within 24 hours? Read it to find out why.... " If you want an eye-opening portrayal of the real Michael Jackson - delivered in a rare blend of disclosure, respect, insight, and passion - this is it! " -- THOMAS A. MESEREAU [MJ's Defense Attorney]MORE THAN a Michael Jackson Biography -- AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY...Today, in spite of volumes of printed material and a world of cyberspace about Michael Jackson, there is little truthful published information about the real, flesh-and-blood man from first-hand witnesses. Until now.Revealed in this biography are Michael's last four mysterious years: where he and his children went, what he did, and how he spent his time.An in-depth portrayal of Michael Jackson -- the global "King of Pop" -- Defending A King ~ His Life & Legacy discloses new information and unique insights into this "king of a man." This book explains his torturous life with an emphasis on his triumphs over his adversities and challenges.More controversial in life and in death than anyone else, Michael Jackson's goodness has been mostly ignored. This volume needs to be affixed to the legacy of his genius and greatness."Bizarre circumstances demand bizarre behavior." Dr. Moriarty leads her reader through the maze of stunningly bizarre circumstances in which Michael lived and struggled, through private joys and suffering as a real person ... at the absolute pinnacle of human existence. .......................................What you will discover & learn ... in 19 chapters ...• "The Back Door"• Protecting Mr. Jackson• Michael Jackson the Man• "Daddy" • Michael Jackson & His Family• Michael Jackson's TSUNAMI: The Trial• The Back Story: Surprises• The Morass of Michael Jackson's Finances• Flypaper: Sticky Lawsuits & Such• Nothing But the Facts• Healer & Humanitarian• Artist & Entertainer• "Bizarre Behavior"• The Paragon of Paradox• Michael Jackson & His Fans• The Unwanted Chapter• The Legacy of Michael Jackson• Ruminations

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio


Mike Senior - 2011
    Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio is a down-to-earth primer for small-studio enthusiasts who want chart-ready sonics in a hurry. Drawing on the back-room strategies of more than 100 famous names, this entertaining guide leads you step-by-step through the entire mixing process. On the way, you'll unravel the mysteries of every type of mix processing, from simple EQ and compression through to advanced spectral dynamics and 'fairy dust' effects. User-friendly explanations introduce technical concepts on a strictly need-to-know basis, while chapter summaries and assignments are perfect for school and college use. * Learn the subtle editing, arrangement, and monitoring tactics which give industry insiders their competitive edge, and master the psychological tricks which protect you from all the biggest rookie mistakes. * Find out where you don't need to spend money, as well as how to make a limited budget really count. * Pick up tricks and tips from leading-edge engineers working on today's multi-platinum hits, including Michael Brauer, Serban Ghenea, the Lord-Alge brothers, Tony Maserati, Manny Marroquin, Dave 'Hard Drive' Pensado, Jack Joseph Puig, Mark 'Spike' Stent, Phil Tan, Andy Wallace, and many, many more... Mike Senior is a professional engineer who has worked with Wet Wet Wet, The Charlatans, Reef, Therapy, and Nigel Kennedy. He specialises in adapting the techniques of top producers for those working on a budget. Since 2007 he has transformed dozens of amateur productions for Sound On Sound magazine's popular 'Mix Rescue' column, proving time and again that you can achieve commercial-grade results with affordable gear -- once you know how * Learn the subtle editing, arrangement, and monitoring tactics which give industry insiders their competitive edge, and master the psychological tricks which protect you from all the biggest rookie mistakes. * Find out where you don't need to spend money, as well as how to make a limited budget really count. * Pick up tricks and tips from leading-edge engineers working on today's multi-platinum hits, including Michael Brauer, Serban Ghenea, the Lord-Alge brothers, Tony Maserati, Manny Marroquin, Dave 'Hard Drive' Pensado, Jack Joseph Puig, Mark 'Spike' Stent, Phil Tan, Andy Wallace, and many, many more...

You are Not Alone: Michael: Through a Brother's Eyes


Jermaine Jackson - 2011
    It is a sophisticated, no-holds-barred examination of the man, aimed at fostering a true and final understanding of who he was, why he was, and what shaped him. Jermaine knows the real Michael as only a brother can. In this raw, honest, and poignant account, he reveals Michael the private person, not Michael “the King of Pop.” Jermaine doesn’t flinch from tackling the tough issues: the torrid press, the scandals, the allegations, the court cases, the internal politics, the ill-fated This Is It tour, and disturbing developments in the days leading up to Michael’s death. But where previous works have presented only thin versions of a media construct, he provides a rare glimpse into the complex heart, mind, and soul of a brilliant but sometimes troubled entertainer. As a witness to history on the inside, Jermaine is the only person qualified to deliver the real Michael and reveal what made him tick, his private opinions, and unseen emotions through the most headline-making episodes of his life. Filled with keen insight, rich in anecdotes and behind-the-scenes detail, You Are Not Alone is the book for any true Michael Jackson fan and for anyone trying to make sense of the artist whose death was so premature.

This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography, And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx


Nikki Sixx - 2011
    This Is Gonna Hurt is part photo, part journal - but all Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling snapshots and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness,and determination that shape his work. Told with the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times bestseller The Heroine Diaries , This Is Gonna Hurt chronicles Sixx's experience, from his early years filled with toxic waste to his success with Motley Crue, his death from an OD and rebirth to his addictions to music, photography, and love. Love story, bad-ass rock tell-all, social commentary, family memoir, This Is Gonna Hurt offers the compelling insights of an artist and a man struggling to survive, connect, and find a happy ending-a search that fuels Sixx's being. 'I want to take you on the journey I am on, in real time', Sixx writes. If you don't deal with your demons, they will deal with you, and it's gonna hurt.

I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen


Sylvie Simmons - 2011
    Cohen is also a man of complexities and seeming contradictions: a devout Jew, who is also a sophisticate and a ladies' man, as well as an ordained Buddhist monk whose name, Jikan—"ordinary silence"—is quite the appellation for a writer and singer whose life has been anything but ordinary.I'm Your Man is the definitive account of that extraordinary life. Starting in Montreal, Cohen's birthplace, acclaimed music journalist Sylvie Simmons follows his trail, via London and the Greek island of Hydra, to New York in the sixties, where Cohen launched his career in music. From there she traces the arc of his prodigious achievements to his remarkable retreat in the mid-nineties and his reemergence for a sold-out world tour almost fifteen years later. Whether navigating Cohen's journeys through the backstreets of Mumbai or his countless hotel rooms along the way, Simmons explores with equal focus every complex, contradictory strand of Cohen's life and presents a deeply insightful portrait of the vision, spirit, depth, and talent of an artist and a man who continues to move people like no one else.

40 Years of Queen


Harry Doherty - 2011
    It tells the story of a talented and popular group of musicians who have retained an enormous fanbase throughout their entire history. The book showcases the band, its members, recordings and concerts through images and the written word.

Taylor Swift - Guitar Chord Songbook (Guitar Chord Songbooks)


Taylor Swift - 2011
    Book annotation not available for this title.Title: Taylor SwiftAuthor: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation (COR)Publisher: Hal Leonard CorpPublication Date: 2011/05/01Number of Pages: 138Binding Type: PAPERBACKLibrary of Congress:

Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries


Jon Kristiansen - 2011
    The pages of the magazine became a written gospel for the fledgling extreme metal underground, combining eye-ripping graphics, brutally honest writing, and a relentless and sick sense of humor. As black metal rose to prominence in Norway in the 1990s, Slayer Magazine remained the final word on the moods and motivations of those dark times. This book is densely illustrated with early candid photos of classic heavy metal bands including Kreator, Mayhem, Emperor, Darkthrone, Napalm Death, and Morbid Angel. In addition to rare archival material unseen in decades, the book includes unreleased and exclusive interviews and artwork, including historical photographs, and never-before-seen portrait photography by editor Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen.

The 30 Greatest Orchestral Works


Robert Greenberg - 2011
    Each lecture presents learners with a historical and biographical context for each work via a guided tour of the work itself. These musical tours include both piano demonstrations of the piece's compositional structure and selected excerpts drawn from recordings. The course is designed to serve learners as a series of expanded program notes that explores a broad range of orchestral music composed over the last 300 years: from the baroque era, the classical era, the romantic era, and the 20th century. The works featured in the course include some of the most well-known, best-loved, and most frequently performed pieces in the standard repertoire in the forms of symphonies, concertos, tone poems, symphonic poems, and suites

Far and Away: A Prize Every Time


Neil Peart - 2011
    Spanning almost four years, these twenty-two stories are open letters that recount adventures both personal and universal?from the challenges and accomplishments in the professional life of an artist to the birth of a child. These popular stories, originally posted on Neil?s website, are now collected and contextualized with a new introduction and conclusion in this beautifully designed collector?s volume.Fans will discover a more intimate side to Neil?s very private personal life, and will enjoy his observations of natural phenomena. At one point, he anxiously describes the birth of two hummingbirds in his backyard; at the same time, his wife is preparing for the birth of their daughter ? a striking synchronicity tenderly related to readers.A love of drumming, nature, art, and the open road threads through the narrative, as Neil explores new horizons, both physical and spiritual. This is the personal, introspective travelogue of rock?s foremost drummer, enthusiastic biker, and sensitive husband and father. Far and Away is a book to be enjoyed again and again, like letters from a distant friend.

Harry Potter -- Sheet Music from the Complete Film Series: Piano Solos


John Williams - 2011
    Entertainment are proud to present musical selections from the eight epic films together in one piano sheet music collectible volume. For the first time ever, 36 sheet music selections by John Williams, Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper, and Alexandre Desplat are collected along with eight pages of color stills from The Sorcerer's Stone to The Deathly Hallows, Part 2. By popular request, Leaving Hogwarts from The Sorcerer's Stone appears in print in this collection for the first time. It's a perfect gift for intermediate to advanced pianists of all ages who love the music of Harry Potter. Titles: * Diagon Alley * Family Portrait * Harry's Wondrous World * Hedwig's Theme * Leaving Hogwarts * Nimbus 2000 * Voldemort * The Chamber of Secrets * Fawkes the Phoenix * Buckbeak's Flight * Double Trouble * Hagrid the Professor * Harry in Winter * Hogwarts March * Potter Waltz * This Is the Night * Dumbledore's Army * Fireworks * Loved Ones and Leaving * Professor Umbridge * Dumbledore's Farewell * Harry and Hermione * In Noctem * When Ginny Kissed Harry * Farewell to Dobby * Godric's Hollow Graveyard * Harry and Ginny * Obliviate * Ron Leaves * Snape to Malfoy Manor * Courtyard Apocalypse * Harry's Sacrifice * Lily's Lullaby * Lily's Theme * Severus and Lily * Statues.

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco and Destiny


Nile Rodgers - 2011
    It will make you happy. Legendary producer and co-founder of Chic, Nile Rodgers wrote 'We are Family' for Sister Sledge and 'I'm Coming Out' for Diana Ross, produced 'Let's Dance' for David Bowie and 'Like a Virgin' for Madonna. He has worked with just about every major star, from Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan to Prince and Duran Duran. But before he reinvented pop music, Nile Rodgers invented himself. Born into a mixed-race family of dopefiend bohemians, he learned "at a very early age" everything he needed to know about love, loss, fashion, art, music, and the subversive power of underground culture. The stars of the scene were his glamorous teenage mom and heroin-addicted Jewish stepfather, but there were also monkeys, voodoo orishas, jazz cats, and contract killers in the mix. By the age of 16, Nile was busking his way through the 60s, half-hippie and half-Black Panther. He jammed with Jimi Hendrix, took acid with Timothy Leary, toured with Big Bird on Sesame Street's road show, and played guitar behind history's greatest soul singers. And then, one night, he discovered disco. This was pop's most glamorous and decadent age. Nile Rodgers wrote the songs, produced the hits and lived behind the velvet rope holding court in the bathroom stalls at Studio 54, club-hopping with Madonna, scarfing down burgers with Diana Ross. Le Freak is the personal, moving story of a creative genius, told in his own unique voice "warm, intimate and relentlessly charming. It is also a stunning recreation of an age" told by the man who wrote its soundtrack.

Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage, a Chicana Punk Story


Alice Bag - 2011
    barrio to Hollywood is as close as a short drive on the 101 freeway, but the cultural divide is enormous. Born to Mexican-born and American-naturalized parents, Alicia Armendariz migrated a few miles west to participate in the free-range birth of the 1970s punk movement. Alicia adopted the punk name Alice Bag, and became lead singer for The Bags, early punk visionaries who starred in Penelope Spheeris' documentary The Decline of Western Civilization.Here is a life of many crossed boundaries, from East L.A.'s musica ranchera to Hollywood's punk rock; from a violent male-dominated family to female-dominated transgressive rock bands. Alice's feminist sympathies can be understood by the name of her satiric all-girl early Goth band Castration Squad.Violence Girl takes us from a violent upbringing to an aggressive punk sensibility; this time a difficult coming-of-age memoir culminates with a satisfying conclusion, complete with a happy marriage and children. Nearly a hundred excellent photographs energize the text in remarkable ways.Alice Bag's work and influence can be seen this year in the traveling Smithsonian exhibition "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music."

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny


Nile Rodgers - 2011
    It will make you happy.   Today’s pop music—genre-crossing, gender-bending, racially mixed, visually stylish, and dominated by dance music with global appeal—is the world that Nile Rodgers created. In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote and produced the songs that defined that era and everything that came after: “Le Freak,” “Good Times,” “We Are Family,” “Like a Virgin,” “Modern Love,” “I’m Coming Out,” “The Reflex,” “Rapper’s Delight.” Aside from his own band, Chic, he worked with everyone from Diana Ross and Madonna to David Bowie and Duran Duran (not to mention Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Prince, Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Depeche Mode, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Grace Jones, Bryan Ferry, INXS, and the B-52’s), transforming their music, selling millions of records, and redefining what a pop song could be.    But before he reinvented pop music, Nile Rodgers invented himself. He was born into a mixed-race, bicoastal family of dope-fiend bohemians who taught him everything he needed to know about love, loss, fashion, art, music, and the subversive power of underground culture. The stars of the scene were his glamorous teenage mom and heroin-addicted Jewish stepfather, but there were also monkeys, voodoo orishas, jazz cats, and serial killers in the mix. By the time he was sixteen, Nile was on his own, busking through the sixties, half-hippie and half–Black Panther. He jammed with Jimi Hendrix, rocked out at Max’s Kansas City, toured with Big Bird on Sesame Street’s road show, and played in the legendary Apollo Theater house band behind history’s greatest soul singers. And then one night, he discovered disco. During pop’s most glamorous and decadent age, Nile Rodgers wrote the biggest records and lived behind the velvet rope—whether he was holding court in the bathroom stalls at Studio 54, club hopping with Madonna, or scarfing down White Castle burgers with Diana Ross. Le Freak is the fascinating inside story of pop and its tangled roots, narrated by the man who absorbed everything in his topsy-turvy life—the pain and euphoria and fear and love—and turned it into some of the most sparklingly ebullient pop music ever recorded. Nile Rodgers is a brilliant storyteller who gives readers the surprising behind-the-scenes tales of the songs we all know, and lovingly re-creates the lost outsider subcultures—from the backstreets of 1950s Greenwich Village to the hills of 1960s Southern California to the demimonde of New York’s 1970s and 1980s discos and clubs—that live on in his music and in the throbbing, thriving world of pop he helped to set in motion.From the Hardcover edition.

Behind Bars: The Definitive Guide to Music Notation


Elaine Gould - 2011
    In the most thorough and painstakingly researched book to be published since the 1980s, specialist music editor Elaine Gould provides a comprehensive grounding in notational principles.Behind Bars covers everything from basic rules, conventions and themes to complex instrumental techniques, empowering the reader to prepare music with total clarity and precision. With the advent of computer technology, it has never been more important for musicians to have ready access to principles of best practice in this dynamic field, and this book will support the endeavors of software users and devotees of hand-copying alike. The author's understanding of, and passion for, her subject has resulted in a book that is not only practical but also compellingly readable.This seminal and all-encompassing guide encourages new standards of excellence and accuracy and, at a weighty 704 pages, it is supported by 1,500 music examples of published scores from Bach to Xenakis.

Justinguitar.com Beginner's Songbook


Justin Sandercoe - 2011
    Now you can learn to play 100 classic songs as your playing develops through the course. The book includes: · Complete lyrics and chords to 100 songs by artists such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Simon & Garfunkel, Jeff Buckley, Crowded House, Mumford & Sons, Kings of Leon, Nirvana and many more. · 10 songs for each stage of the Beginner’s Course, building up from easy three-chord songs through to more advanced tunes. · Tuition notes for each song by Justin advising you on strumming patterns and chord changes, with diagrams to illustrate all the chord shapes you need. Completely revised and updated, this really is the ultimate beginner’s songbook!

Paradoxical Undressing


Kristin Hersh - 2011
    Paradoxical Undressing A powerfully original memoir of pregnancy and mental illness by the legendary founder of the seminal rock band Throwing Muses, 'a magnificently charged union of Sylvia Plath and Patti Smith' Guardian Full description

My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy


Albert Johnson - 2011
    . .In this often violent but always introspective memoir, Mobb Deep’s Prodigy tells his much anticipated story of struggle, survival, and hope down the mean streets of New York City. For the first time, he gives an intimate look at his family background, his battles with drugs, his life of crime, his relentless suffering with sickle-cell anemia, and much more. Recently released after serving three and a half years in state prison due to what many consider an unlawful arrest by a rumored secret NYPD hip hop task force, Prodigy is ready to talk about his life as one of rap’s greatest legends.My Infamous Life is an unblinking account of Prodigy’s wild times with Mobb Deep who, alongside rappers like Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, and Wu-Tang Clan, changed the musical landscape with their vivid portrayals of early ’90s street life. It is a firsthand chronicle of legendary rap feuds like the East Coast–West Coast rivalry; Prodigy’s beefs with Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Ja Rule, and Capone-N-Noreaga; and run-ins with prodigal hit makers and managers like Puff Daddy, Russell Simmons, Chris Lighty, Irv Gotti, and Lyor Cohen.Taking the reader behind the smoke-and-mirrors glamour of the hip hop world, so often seen as the only way out for those with few options, Prodigy lays down the truth about the intoxicating power of money, the meaning of true friendship and loyalty, and the ultimately redemptive power of self. This is the heartbreaking journey of a child born in privilege, his youth spent among music royalty like Diana Ross and Dizzy Gillespie, educated in private schools, until a family tragedy changed everything. Raised in the mayhem of the Queensbridge projects, Prodigy rose to the dizzying heights of fame and eventually fell into the darkness of a prison cell.A truly candid memoir, part fearless confessional and part ode to the concrete jungles of New York City, My Infamous Life is written by a man who was on the front line of the last great moment in hip hop history and who is still fighting to achieve his very own American Dream.

Murder in the Front Row: Shots From the Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter


Brian Lew - 2011
    Featuring hundreds of unseen live and candid color and black-and-white photographs, "Murder in the Front Row" captures the wild-eyed zeal and drive that made Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth into legends, with over 100 million combined records sold.

Drinking with Strangers: Music Lessons from a Teenage Bullet Belt


Butch Walker - 2011
    But the road to success wasn't easy. "Drinking with Strangers" takes readers beyond the studio for a rare glimpse into a life that has been defined by raw talent, adversity and a drive for perfection. As a teenager, Walker and his band left Cartersville, Georgia for the mean streets of Los Angeles to try to make it in the rock world. When the fairy tale label dream never quite materialized after many false starts - including a really bad video from the guy who did all the Aerosmith videos - Walker and his band quickly converted to the DIY (do it yourself) approach, touring the country and doing over 250 gigs a year, selling his merch, records, and even tapes out of any van that he happened to be driving that day. There are a lot of life lessons to be learned while out on the road trying to make it as a musician, and Walker is no exception - and here he shares his anecdotes and tales with insight and candor and what it's really like to spend a life of drinking with strangers. Almost a primer for anyone who wants to make it in the music business, "Drinking with Strangers" will be interspersed with lots of Butchisms, including "the world's most depressing pie chart about music publishing"; how in 1984 his production "studio" consisted of a boom box, while today it's a Studer and Pro Tools; how to make a really bad music video and spend 3x what the album cost to make; and of course what all musicians need to know - how and why their A&R guy (or gal) could get fired and leave you and your band in the dust.

My Song: A Memoir


Harry Belafonte - 2011
    Now, this extraordinary icon tells us the story of that life, giving us its full breadth, letting us share in the struggles, the tragedies, and, most of all, the inspiring triumphs.   Belafonte grew up, poverty-ridden, in Harlem and Jamaica. His mother was a complex woman—caring but withdrawn, eternally angry and rarely satisfied. His father was distant and physically abusive. It was not an easy life, but it instilled in young Harry the hard-nosed toughness of the city and the resilient spirit of the Caribbean lifestyle. It also gave him the drive to make good and channel his anger into actions that were positive and life-affirming. His journey led to the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he encountered an onslaught of racism but also fell in love with the woman he eventually married. After the war he moved back to Harlem, where he drifted between odd jobs until he saw his first stage play—and found the life he wanted to lead. Theater opened up a whole new world, one that was artistic and political and made him realize that not only did he have a need to express himself, he had a lot to express.   He began as an actor—and has always thought of himself as such—but was quickly spotted in a musical, began a tentative nightclub career, and soon was on a meteoric rise to become one of the world’s most popular singers. Belafonte was never content to simply be an entertainer, however. Even at enormous personal cost, he could not shy away from activism. At first it was a question of personal dignity: breaking down racial barriers that had never been broken before, achieving an enduring popularity with both white and black audiences. Then his activism broadened to a lifelong, passionate involvement at the heart of the civil rights movement and countless other political and social causes. The sections on the rise of the civil rights movement are perhaps the most moving in the book: his close friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr.; his role as a conduit between Dr. King and the Kennedys; his up-close involvement with the demonstrations and awareness of the hatred and potential violence around him; his devastation at Dr. King’s death and his continuing fight for what he believes is right.   But My Song is far more than the history of a movement. It is a very personal look at the people in that movement and the world in which Belafonte has long moved. He has befriended many beloved and important figures in both entertainment and politics—Paul Robeson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sidney Poitier, John F. Kennedy, Marlon Brando, Robert Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Tony Bennett, Bill Clinton—and writes about them with the same exceptional candor with which he reveals himself on every page. This is a book that pulls no punches, and turns both a loving and critical eye on our country’s cultural past.   As both an artist and an activist, Belafonte has touched countless lives. With My Song, he has found yet another way to entertain and inspire us. It is an electrifying memoir from a remarkable man.

Lady Gaga: Born This Way


Lady Gaga - 2011
    Incorporating many musical genres, Born This Way is the second studio CD by the phenomenal Lady Gaga. The title track is the fastest-selling song in iTunes history, with more than a million downloads worldwide within the first five days of its release. The PVG folio from Hal Leonard includes "Born This Way" and 13 more: Americano * Bad Kids * Bloody Mary * The Edge of Glory * Electric Chapel * Government Hooker * Hair * Heavy Metal Lover * Highway Unicorn (Road to Love) * Judas * Marry the Night * Scheisse * You and I.

Patti Smith 1969-1976


Judy Linn - 2011
    I felt protected in the atmosphere we created together. We had an inner narrative, producing our own unspoken film, with or without a camera." -Patti Smith, from her afterword Like a scene in Godard's Vivre sa vie or Dreyer's La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, Patti Smith posed for the lens of a young photographer, Judy Linn. It was 1969, some years before Patti Smith entered the arena of rock and roll. Smith was a struggling poet, harboring a romantic ideal of the collaborative possibilities between an artist and model- a dream happily fulfilled within this intimate and high-spirited body of work. Linn's images of Smith range from the vulnerable to the iconic. Focusing on shifting influences and spotlighting her profound relationships with artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Sam Shepard, Linn has captured Smith like no one else, in the grainy atmosphere of a bygone New York. Judy Linn's photographs document the blooming of an enduring friendship and the evolution of two unique artists: gritty and visionary, fragile and tough.Praise for Patti Smith 1969-1976:"a striking new book, Patti Smith: 1969-1976 (out March 1) . . . collects photographs of the coolly photogenic star taken by her talented friend Judy Linn during the same time Kids describes. They're wonderfully composed shots of Smith looking like the star of a Godard film of her own making. The pictures show her fully ready for a closeup that would cement her boho image just a few years later, on the iconic cover of her first album, Horses, shot, of course, by Mapplethorpe himself." -New York Daily News "Here is Smith's acclaimed 2010 memoir, Just Kids, come to life-the shrines to Bob Dylan, the dress up-and the photos strike the same wistful note; as Smith writes in her afterword: 'once upon a time, we were young and beautiful and anyone we imagined we could be.'" -Publishers Weekly"Anticipating a new generation's excitement for Smith and Mapplethorpe, their friend Judy Linn has published a new book of her photographs, Patti Smith 1969-1976, that centers on the era covered in Just Kids, the time before Patti and Robert were famous. The book's a nice visual testament to their friendship, but it's also a bible of good clothing, an early record of one of the most stylish couples of all time." -The Fader.com"Linn's collection of photographs is the perfect complement to Smith's National Book Award-winning memoir, Just Kids . . . like Smith's memoir, the photos-uninterrupted by titles, captions, or any other text-serve two purposes: they tell the story of young artists finding their voice and style and serve as a love letter to '70s New York, four decades later." -Flavorwire.com

The Best of Punk Magazine


John Holmstrom - 2011
    "Punk "was the Bible of the urban counterculture movement. It not only gave punk music its name, but influenced the East Village art scene and steered the punk aesthetic and attitude. "The Best of Punk Magazine" includes high-quality reprints of hard-to-find original issues, as well as rare and unseen photos, essays, interviews, and even handwritten contributions from the likes of Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Lester Bangs, Legs McNeil, Lenny Kaye, and many more. For collectors, lifelong punks, and those just discovering what punk is all about, this is the chance see the history of the movement come back to life.

Justin Bieber


Kristen Rajczak - 2011
    In this book, readers will discover how he got his start in the entertainment industry through fascinating facts and a timeline of his career so far. Exciting concert photographs and cute close-ups enhance the accessible text. Reluctant readers will have Bieber fever after reading this high-interest book.

Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus


Joseph Vogel - 2011
    In both subject and sound, it was like nothing else on the radio. It defied the cynicism and apathy of Generation X; it challenged the aesthetic expectations for a "pop song" (or even a "protest song"), fusing blues, opera, rock and gospel; and it demanded accountability in an era of corporate greed, globalization and environmental indifference. A massive hit globally (reaching #1 in over fifteen countries), it wasn't even offered as a single in the United States. Yet nearly two decades later, it stands as one of Jackson's greatest artistic achievements. In this groundbreaking monograph, author Joseph Vogel details the song's context and evolution from its inception in Vienna in 1988, to its release and reception in 1995, to Jackson's final live performance in Munich in 1999. Based on original research, including interviews with the song's key participants, Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus offers a fascinating reassessment of this prophetic musical statement.

Mother, Brother, Lover: Selected Lyrics


Jarvis Cocker - 2011
    Here, for the first time, is a selection of sixty-six lyrics, presented with commentary and an introduction by the man himself.In this volume, readers (and Pulp fans) will find such classic Jarvis lyrics as 'Common People', 'Disco 2000', 'Babies', 'This is Hardcore' and 'Do You Remember the First Time?' The selection, assembled by the author, reveals a sensibility that is unmistakeably Jarvis: a sometimes visceral, sometimes everyday take on love, relationships and the things we do to each other when the lights get low.Mother, Brother, Lover takes the reader on a thirty-year tour into the life, art and preoccupations of one of the great British artists of the late twentieth century. Shocking, sharp, clever and funny, it is a beautiful collection of lyrics and commentary.

Justinguitar.Com Beginner's Guitar Course


Justin Sandercoe - 2011
    on paper!! Over the last couple of years I have hundreds of emails from people wanting a book version of my online course and now after 3 years of refinement, I think the course can't get a whole lot better so I'm happy to put it in print.It comes with 2 CDs as well with audio examples or the chords and exercises and also has a bonus chapter with some other popular lessons (Solo Blues, Silent Night and a lead guitar thing). It also includes super photos of the chords and techniques, some with multiple angles. The CD's come with PDF files for the JUSTIN method stuff and Practice Routines.It's bigger than the songbook, the classic 12" x 9" (305 x 229mm) which I'm told is the most commons size for method books, and has 176 Pages.The most comprehensive beginner's guitar method ever made?

House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny Cash


John Carter Cash - 2011
    Gathering together previously unpublished photographs, lyrics, art, notes, and recollections from the Cash family archives, John Carter paints a portrait of his father’s inner life, and the values he imparted to his son and family. A record of a deep and ongoing conversations between father and son about what matters in life, House of Cash explores Johnny Cash’s quest to live deliberately as he worked to determine his values, share them with those close to him, and reaffirm them on a daily basis. Topics covered include the nature of creativity, the responsibilities that come with fatherhood and friendship, the need for humility and morality, the value of reading, and the obligation we all have to sympathize with the downtrodden. An intimate exploration of the personality and legacy of Johnny Cash, this is a unique portrait of a deeply spiritual, creative, and passionate soul whose music sprang from the way he lived.

Songwriting Without Boundaries: Lyric Writing Exercises for Finding Your Voice


Pat Pattison - 2011
    Songwriting Without Boundaries will help you commit to routine practice through fun writing exercises. This unique collection of more than150 sense-bound prompts helps you develop the skills you need to:- tap into your senses and inject your writing with vivid details - effectively use metaphor and comparative language - add rhythm to your writing and manage phrasingSongwriters, as well as writers of other genres, will benefit from this collection of sensory writing challenges. Divided into four sections, Songwriting Without Boundaries features four different fourteen-day challenges with timed writing exercises, along with examples from other songwriters, poets, and prose writers.

Gustav Mahler


Jens Malte Fischer - 2011
    He draws on important primary resources—some unavailable to previous biographers—and sets in narrative context the extensive correspondence between Mahler and his wife, Alma; Alma Mahler's diaries; and the memoirs of Natalie Bauer-Lechner, a viola player and close friend of Mahler, whose private journals provide insight into the composer's personal and professional lives and his creative process.Fischer explores Mahler's early life, his relationship to literature, his achievements as a conductor in Vienna and New York, his unhappy marriage, and his work with the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic in his later years. He also illustrates why Mahler is a prime example of artistic idealism worn down by Austrian anti-Semitism and American commercialism. Gustav Mahler is the best-sourced and most balanced biography available about the composer, a nuanced and intriguing portrait of his dramatic life set against the backdrop of early 20th century America and fin de siècle Europe.

Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History


Ross Halfin - 2011
    This fully authorized visual history of the band follows them from the new wave of British heavy metal to their massive Pyromania and Hysteria albums to the sustained power of their records and tours today. Legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin has been shooting Def Leppard since 1978, and his candid and definitive pictures have helped capture and shape the image of the band. Def Leppard includes more than 450 classic and unseen photographs, along with text from Halfin and stories and commentary by the band members and others. The book's publication coincides with the release of an all-new Def Leppard album in the spring and a worldwide tour in the summer.

Guitar Lessons: A Life's Journey Turning Passion Into Business


Bob Taylor - 2011
    From the "a-ha" moment in junior high school that inspired his very first guitar, Taylor has been living the American dream, crafting quality products with his own hands and building a successful, sustainable business. In Guitar Lessons, he shares the values that he lives by and that have provided the foundation for the company's success. Be inspired by a story of guts and gumption, an unwavering commitment to quality, and the hard lessons that made Taylor Guitars the company it is today.

Peter Paul and Mary: Fifty Years in Music and Life


Peter Yarrow - 2011
    . . here is the first and only book that visually tells us the intimate story of Peter, Paul, and Mary and their music, through their own words and with iconic images that follow their passionate, fifty-year journey to the center of America’s heart. The very best of thousands of photographs, many rare and never before published, taken over five decades by some of the world’s top photographers, follow them from their earliest performances in the 1960s, when Mary was the most desired, beautiful, and charismatic performer and a new role model for women. Follow the trio as they lead America to discover the passionate soul of folk music. Join the struggle for racial equality, social justice, and freedom in this memorable journey, from the historic 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr., to the trio’s appearance before a half million people in 1969 to end the Vietnam War, to their singing at the Hollywood Bowl for Survival Sunday in 1978, helping to launch the anti-nuke movement, the world’s first international environmental movement.Through these images, you can feel and almost hear the trio’s songs calling for a more caring, better world as you see them performing with a courage and conviction that became for so many the embodiment and sound track of their generation’s awakening to conscience, to activism, and to a new dream for all of humankind. Peter, Paul, and Mary’s songs of defiant hope and a certain unmasked innocence are still a powerful part of our American consciousness, and this book reenacts the history of how the trio marked our lives with their indelible stamp of honesty of the sort we yearn to recapture and recreate in our own time—for ourselves, our children, and the generations to come.

Testimony: The Inspirational and Spiritual Journey of a Prog Rock Musician


Neal Morse - 2011
    Starting from his first musical endeavors as a child, Neal bears his soul as he recalls the pitfalls, heartaches and temptations along his journey.This hard-hitting, inspirational expose' takes the reader from Neal's club days to the formation of Spock's Beard and from the rigors of musical and personal burnout to the wondrous joy of spiritual fulfillment and purpose. The book spans approximately 230 pages in paperback form, and includes photos from all stages of Neal's life.

Articles on Novels By George R. R. Martin


Hephaestus Books - 2011
    This book contains articles available free on Wikipedia and other free sources.

Lisa Loeb's Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs


Lisa Loeb - 2011
      Songs include:Fried Ham  .  I'm a Little Coconut  .  The Banjo Song  .  Chewing Gum  .  Sippin' Cider  .Found a Peanut  .  A Co Di By Doze (A Cold in My Nose)*  .  Everybody Dreams*  .  Opposite Day*  .  The Disappointing Pancake**original songs Winner of a Parents' Choice Gold Award

Blowin' in the Wind


Bob Dylan - 2011
    The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.  With words by one of the most admired songwriters of all time and illustrations by a Caldecott Honor medalist, this powerful and timely picture book will be treasured by adults and children alike.Following the success of Man Gave Names to All the Animals comes a stunning version of Bob Dylan's beloved song: the anthemic “Blowin' in the Wind.” Jon J Muth is the perfect artist to interpret Dylan's poetic lyrics for a new generation of readers..This beautiful edition includes a CD of Dylan's original 1963 recording, plus a special note by renowned music columnist Greil Marcus, putting the song in historical context.

I Choose This (How to Nearly Make it in the Music Industry)


David Ford - 2011
    

Tom Waits on Tom Waits: Interviews and Encounters


Paul Maher Jr. - 2011
    But along with Bob Dylan, he stands as one of the last elder statesmen still capable of putting out music that matters.            Journalists intent upon cracking the code are more likely to come out of a Waits interview with anecdotes about the weather, insects, or medieval medicine. He is, in essence, the teacher we wished we had, dispensing insights such as: “Vocabulary is my main instrument;” “We all like music, but what we really want is for music to like us;” “Anything you absorb you will ultimately secrete;” “Growth is scary, because you’re a seed and you’re in the dark and you don’t know which way is up, and down might take you down further into a darker place . . .;” and “There is no such thing as nonfiction. . . . People who really know what happened aren’t talking. And the people who don’t have a clue, you can’t shut them up.”           Tom Waits on Tom Waits is a selection of over fifty interviews from the more than five hundred available. Here Waits delivers prose as crafted, poetic, potent, and haunting as the lyrics of his best songs.

How to Listen to Great Music: A Guide to Its History, Culture, and Heart


Robert Greenberg - 2011
    The right knowledge can deepen the ability of this music to edify, enlighten, and stir the soul. In How to Listen to Great Music, Professor Robert Greenberg, a composer and music historian, presents a comprehensive, accessible guide to how music has mirrored Western history, that will transform the experience of listening for novice and long-time listeners alike. You will learn how to listen for key elements in different genres of music - from madrigals to minuets and from sonatas to symphonies-along with the enthralling history of great music from ancient Greece to the 20th century. You'll get answers to such questions as Why was Beethoven so important? How did the Enlightenment change music? And what's so great about opera anyway? How to Listen to Great Music will let you finally hear what you've been missing.

Clark: The Autobiography of Clark Terry


Clark Terry - 2011
    With unsparing honesty and a superb eye for detail, Clark Terry, born in 1920, takes us from his impoverished childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, where jazz could be heard everywhere, to the smoke-filled small clubs and carnivals across the Jim Crow South where he got his start, and on to worldwide acclaim. Terry takes us behind the scenes of jazz history as he introduces scores of legendary greats—Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington, Doc Severinsen, Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Coleman Hawkins, Zoot Sims, and Dianne Reeves, among many others. Terry also reveals much about his own personal life, his experiences with racism, how he helped break the color barrier in 1960 when he joined the Tonight Show band on NBC, and why—at ninety years old—his students from around the world still call and visit him for lessons.

The Pinkerton Diaries


Rivers Cuomo - 2011
    This thoughtfully assembled book covers the years 1994 to 1997, beginning on May 10th, 1994, the day the Blue Album was released. The Pinkerton Diaries is an intimate ride along on the journey as Rivers goes from playing an empty club with Weezer to selling millions of records and touring all over the world - then willingly trades the life of a rock star for the life of a Harvard undergrad. Rivers’ personal journals included in this book detail everything from the confusion and excitement of trying to figure out girls, to the physically and emotionally harrowing medical struggles he underwent for over a year to correct a congenital leg length discrepancy. Also included are Rivers’ lyric notebooks, music compositions, and studio notes from the Pinkerton sessions, giving the reader unprecedented insight into these beloved songs.

Sing


Joe Raposo - 2011
    Sing out loud, sing out strong."So begins a song first made popular on Sesame Street, then interpreted by singers of every style, from Gloria Estefan to the Dixie Chicks to R.E.M., as well as famous personalities such as Conan O'Brien, Katie Couric, Nathan Lane, and Liam Neeson.Now, bestselling children's book illustrator Tom Lichtenheld has put a visual story to this timeless and universal song that celebrates perseverence, self-expression, and the power of music to help each of us find our voice.A CD with three songs is included: “Sing!” “Somebody Come and Play,” and “One of These Things.” Music by Joe Raposo. Songs performed by Becca Kauffman with The Midnight Sun Ensemble.See the backstory behind the book at http://bit.ly/119S4u6

Battlestar Galactica: Piano Solo


Bear McCreary - 2011
    Variety called composer Bear McCreary's score for the hit Syfy series Battlestar Galactica "the most innovative music on TV today," and NPR said it "fits the action so perfectly, it's almost devastating: (it's) a sci-fi score like no other." For this special collection, McCreary himself has translated the acclaimed orchestral score into fantastic solo piano arrangements at the intermediate to advanced level. Includes 19 selections in all, and as a bonus, simplified versions of "Roslin and Adama" and "Wander My Friends." Contains a note from McCreary, as well as a biography. A must for all BSG fans! "At last, fans can now be a part of the musical process themselves and experience the score as I first did: with fingertips touching the ivories." Composer Bear McCreary

Byrds: Requiem For The Timeless - Volume 1


Johnny Rogan - 2011
    

Crazy Train: The High Life and Tragic Death of Randy Rhoads


Joel McIver - 2011
    He first came to international prominence in 1979, when he was recruited from the cult metal band Quiet Riot to play with Ozzy Osbourne, who had been fired from Black Sabbath for his drink and drug addictions and was in urgent need of a co-writer to kickstart a solo career. How and why Ozzy and Randy went on to find enormous success is one of the key themes of Crazy Train, named after the first and most famous Osbourne/Rhoads co-composition. It was Randy's pioneering combination of neo-classical soloing, catchy riffage and unforgettable songwriting which propelled Ozzy. The two albums that Randy recorded with Quiet Riot and the two with Ozzy showcase the young guitarist's immense ability, although the full extent of his talent may never have been revealed. In 1982 he died in an air crash. The parallels between Crazy Train and the author's best-selling To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton (Jawbone 2009) are intentional and obvious. Both books deal with a musical prodigy who died tragically in his mid-20s; both men have a vast following and a profile which has risen in the years since their deaths; and both men have a large coterie of friends, family and associates prepared to tell their stories for the very first time.

What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years


Ricky Riccardi - 2011
    Now, Ricky Riccardi—jazz scholar and musician—takes an in-depth look at the years in which Armstrong was often dismissed as a buffoonish, if popular, entertainer, and shows us instead the inventiveness and depth of expression that his music evinced during this time. These are the years (from after World War II until his death in 1971) when Armstrong entertained crowds around the world and recorded his highest-charting hits, including “Mack the Knife” and “Hello, Dolly!”; years when he collaborated with, among others, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Dave Brubeck; when he recorded with strings and big bands, and, of course, with the All Stars, his primary recording ensemble for more than two decades. Riccardi makes clear that these were years in which Armstrong both burnished and enhanced his legacy as one of jazz’s most influential figures. Eminently readable, informative, and insightful, here, finally, is a book that enlarges and completes our understanding of a peerless musical genius of commanding influence as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist.From the Hardcover edition.

Murder Rap


Greg Kading - 2011
    Now, for the first time, the truth behind these sensational cases is laid bare in Murder Rap, a raw and riveting account of how a dedicated and driven police detective spearheaded the task force that finally exposed the shocking facts behind the deaths of these two rap music icons. Told by Greg Kading, a much-decorated LAPD detective assigned to solve the homicides, Murder Rap unravels a twisted tale of music, money, and murder, finally answering the question of who killed Biggie and Tupac and why. With access to never-before-seen material, including the confessions of those directly involved in the killings, Kading's spellbinding saga takes readers directly inside the four-year cold case investigation, introduces a cast of unforgettable characters and provides compelling new evidence for its explosive conclusions. A torn-from-the-headlines true crime blockbuster, the scathing revelations of Murder Rap are sure to make headlines all their own.

...i listen to the wind that obliterates my traces: Music in Vernacular Photographs, 1880-1955


Steve Roden - 2011
    Dust-to-Digital's marvelously titled I Listen to the Wind That Obliterates My Traces compiles music, photographs and literary excerpts that reflect on or present music itself as subject matter, from the earliest days of the phonograph. Culled from artist Steve Roden's collection of thousands of vernacular photographs related to music, sound and listening, the many gems to be found in this book (and its accompanying two CDs) include accounts of the Barnum-esque Professor McRea ("Ontario's Musical Wonder" ) and anonymous African-American guitar players, and an amazing trove of photographs of early phonographs. Other images range from professional portraits to accidental double exposures, via photographic formats such as tintypes, ambrotypes, cdvs, cabinet cards, real photo postcards and albumen prints. The two CDs bring together a variety of recordings, including one-off amateur recordings, regular commercial releases and early sound effects records. An array of contemporaneous quotations on music and early music technology from writers such as Knut Hamsun, Vladimir Nabokov and Pär Lagerkvist, as well as an essay by Steve Roden, bind the volume's conception into a unique meditation on recorded music's earliest consciousness of itself.

Working Class Mystic: A Spiritual Biography of George Harrison


Gary Tillery - 2011
    George Harrison was a working class mystic. Born in Liverpool as the son of a bus conductor and a shop assistant, for the first six years of his life he lived in a house with no indoor bathroom. This book gives an honest, in-depth view of his personal journey from his blue-collar childhood to his role as a world-famous spiritual icon.Author Gary Tillery’s approach is warmly human, free of the fawning but insolent tone of most rock biographers. He frankly discusses the role of drugs in leading Harrison to mystical insight but emphasizes that he soon renounced psychedelics as a means to the spiritual path. It was with conscious commitment that Harrison journeyed to India, studied sitar with Ravi Shankar, practiced yoga, learned meditation from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and became a devotee of Hinduism. George worked hard to subdue his own ego and to understand the truth beyond appearances. He preferred to keep a low profile, but his empathy for suffering people led him to spearhead the first rock-and-roll super event for charity. And despite his wealth and fame, he was always delighted to slip on overalls and join in manual labor on his grounds. At ease with holy men discussing the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, he was ever the bloke from Liverpool whose father drove a bus, whose brothers were tradesmen, and who had worked himself as an apprentice electrician until the day destiny called.Tillery’s engaging narrative depicts Harrison as a sincere seeker who acted out of genuine care for humanity and used his celebrity to be of service in the world. Fans of all generations will treasure this book for the inspiring portrayal it gives of their beloved “quiet” Beatle.

Naked


Kevin Brooks - 2011
    . . and the boy they called Billy the Kid. It was the summer of so many things. Heat and violence, love and hate, heaven and hell. It was the time I met William Bonney - the boy from Belfast known as Billy the Kid. I've kept William's secrets for a long time, but now things have changed and I have to tell the truth. But I can't begin until I've told you about Curtis Ray. Hip, cool, rebellious Curtis Ray. Without Curtis, there wouldn't be a story to tell. It's the story of our band, of life and death . . . and everything in between.

Rock Seen


Bob Gruen - 2011
    From taking early photos on tour with Ike and Tina Turner, to capturing the early CBGB/Max’s Kansas City scene to covering current stadium rockers such as Green Day, Gruen has always been at the right place at the right time—and he’s always gotten the shot. In this lavish monograph, Gruen has curated his favorite photographs from his career, with intimate captions and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Featuring such illustrious acts as the Clash, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, Ramones, and more, and including an introduction by the legendary Debbie Harry of Blondie, this collection is a must-have for all fans of rock and roll.Praise for Rock Seen:“Rock Seen offers a disarmingly natural look at icons like Blondie and Cher before the era of the posed rock-star portrait kicked in.” —Entertainment Weekly “Rock Seen . . . hits the high points on and off the stage in rock’s past four decades.” —USA Today “Go backstage with 40 years’ worth of rock-and-roll images from the legendary lens of Bob Gruen, who was once John Lennon’s personal photographer. From over-the-top action shots of Elton John’s acrobatics to private pics of Lennon and Yoko in bed with baby Sean to boozy plane rides with the Sex Pistols, the glossy pages act as your VIP pass to the rock-star lifestyle you’ve dreamed of.” —Marie Claire “The official monograph of rock and roll’s most famous photographer, Rock Seen is a must-have for all rock fans.” —RollingStone.com  “Gruen had a front-row seat to the rise of many rock legends [from] Elton John to Green Day.” —New York Post “If you want to give the gift of great music photos, you honestly cannot do better than these thrilling images from Bob Gruen’s forty-year-long career as one of rock’s iconic photographers” —Creative Loafing “It all came flooding back when I opened Bob Gruen’s beautiful new book, Rock Seen, a sparkling collage of live concert shots and portraits from the last forty years.” —Irish Echo

The Ray Connolly Beatles Archive


Ray Connolly - 2011
    Ray Connolly was lucky. He was a journalist and he knew all of them, John Lennon confiding in him that he’d left the Beatles four months before it became public knowledge; and later Paul McCartney asking him for an interview so that he could explain his side of the break-up. Before that, Connolly went to Beatles’ recording sessions at the Abbey Road studios, knew the Beatles' wives, visited the homes of three of them, and was a frequent visitor to the Beatles' Apple London base. In the front row at George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh in Madison Square Gardens, he also followed the Magical Mystery Tour around England’s West Country, and when John Lennon decided to send his MBE back to the Queen it was Ray Connolly he phoned to break the news. Later, when John Lennon lived in New York, there would be letters from him, while Ringo had the second lead in the movie That’ll Be The Day which Ray Connolly wrote. This isn’t a biography of the Beatles. Nor is it a dissertation on their music or an analysis of their lyrics. It is Ray Connolly's story of the Beatles, a selection of some of his many interviews with them and others connected with them, as well as articles, reviews, news stories and reflections that he's published over the past forty five years in various British national newspapers – as well as several pieces being published here for the first time. Home, culture and Lady Madonna - Paul; Ringo back from meditating - ‘It was just like Butlins’; The Magical Mystery Tour - ‘Maybe we goofed,’ says Paul; ‘Sometimes I go to John’s house and play with his toys and sometimes he comes and plays with mine’- Ringo; The Apple boutique…from take-away to give-away; The enigmatic Yoko; Paul talking about the White Album; Great and turbulent times at Apple; ‘If George leaves, he leaves…’ said John, during the unhappy filming of Let It Be; On the roof - the last gig; Paul marries Linda and John marries Yoko; The Ballad of John and Yoko; There are various ways of doing business…and there’s Allen Klein’s way. Elvis, Dylan, John Lennon and me; Paul talks about the Abbey Road album; ‘Paul is dead’ and John’s MBE goes back to the Queen; ‘I’ve left the Beatles…’ said John; A weekend in Canada with the Lennons; ‘You’re the journalist, not me…’ said John; Paul on ‘Why the Beatles broke up’; John and 'the Ignoble Alf'; John talking about his songs; John…‘performing flea’ or ‘crutch for the world’s social lepers’?; George and the Concert for Bangladesh; 'Imagine that’s the B-side', said John; John and Yoko’s early days in New York; Michael X and John; 'No more four gods on stage’, says John; Ringo in the movie That’ll Be The Day; Paul on how he turned down John’s invitation for them to play together again; John's Lost Weekend; Paul and his favourite songs; Paul – the Japanese Jailbird; Unimaginable - December, 1980; Mark Chapman and what turns a fan into a killer; The story of Working Class Hero’- the Beatles movie that never was; Twenty years after Sergeant Pepper - hit and myth? Paul talks about the Beatles Anthology; Linda McCartney 1941-1998; The story of Paul and Linda; ‘That’s the youngest tramp I’ve e

The Complete Record Cover Collection


Robert Crumb - 2011
    It was an invitation the budding artist couldn't resist, especially since he had been fascinated with record covers-particularly for the legendary jazz, country, and old-time blues music of the 1920s and 1930s-since he was a teen. This early collaboration proved so successful that Crumb went on to draw hundreds of record covers for both new artists and largely forgotten masters. So remarkable were Crumb's artistic interpretations of these old 78 rpm singles that the art itself proved influential in their rediscovery in the 1960s and 1970s. Including such classics as Truckin' My Blues Away, Harmonica Blues, and Please Warm My Weiner, Crumb's opus also features more recent covers done for CDs. R. Crumb: The Complete Record Cover Collection is a must-have for any lover of graphics and old-time music.

Beck


Autumn de Wilde - 2011
    This beautifully designed volume featuring a circular fold-out poster jacket collects the best of these photographs, including intimate portraits, moments from performances, images documenting the recording of his Mutations album, as well as gorgeous photo sessions informed by surrealism, dada, op art, and other artistic influences. The 170 color and black and white photographs are supplemented by a foreword by filmmaker and collaborator Michel Gondry, and conversations with Beck that the cover the span of his career to date and shed light sometimes at strange angles on his music.

The Book of Mormon -- Sheet Music from the Broadway Musical: Piano/Vocal


Trey Parker - 2011
    The show is lauded by critics and audiences alike as the best musical of the century. This collectible songbook allows singers and pianists to apply their talent to the show's award-winning score with piano/vocal arrangements of all 16 songs from the Original Broadway Cast Recording. Adding to the appeal of this souvenir edition are eight pages of full-color photos from the original Broadway production. Contents: * Hello! * Two by Two * You and Me (But Mostly Me) * Hasa Diga Eebowai * Turn It Off * I Am Here for You * All-American Prophet * Sal Tlay Ka Siti * Man Up * Making Things Up Again * Spooky Mormon Hell Dream * I Believe * Baptize Me * I Am Africa * Joseph Smith American Moses * Tomorrow Is a Latter Day.

Music for Silenced Voices: Shostakovich and His Fifteen Quartets


Wendy Lesser - 2011
    Music for Silenced Voices looks at Shostakovich through the back door, as it were, of his fifteen quartets, the works which his widow characterized as a "diary, the story of his soul." The silences and the voices were of many kinds, including the political silencing of adventurous writers, artists, and musicians during the Stalin era; the lost voices of Shostakovich's operas (a form he abandoned just before turning to string quartets); and the death-silenced voices of his close friends, to whom he dedicated many of these chamber works.Wendy Lesser has constructed a fascinating narrative in which the fifteen quartets, considered one at a time in chronological order, lead the reader through the personal, political, and professional events that shaped Shostakovich's singular, emblematic twentieth-century life. Weaving together interviews with the composer's friends, family, and colleagues, as well as conversations with present-day musicians who have played the quartets, Lesser sheds new light on the man and the musician. One of the very few books about Shostakovich that is aimed at a general rather than an academic audience, Music for Silenced Voices is a pleasure to read; at the same time, it is rigorously faithful to the known facts in this notoriously complicated life. It will fill readers with the desire to hear the quartets, which are among the most compelling and emotionally powerful monuments of the past century's music.

Beatles For Sale on Parlophone Records


Bruce Spizer - 2011
    from 1962 through 1970. Each record is given a separate chapter, which tells the stories behind how the songs appearing on the disc were written and recorded. The chapters also detail how the records were marketed and contain sales and chart information. The book has chapters on the history of EMI and Parlophone Records, how records are mastered and manufactured, how EMI contracted with other record companies to press Beatles singles and albums to help meet demand, British radio and record charts in the sixties and other record-related topics. The book has over 700 illustrations, all in either color or original black and white.

Do It For Your Mum: One band, one dad, one world war - a story of British Sea Power, rock dreams and family farce


Roy Wilkinson - 2011
    But the band are also an unwieldy family firm. They are fronted by two brothers and managed by a third, the author of this book. They are also the all-consuming passion of the BSP brethren's father, Ronald Wilkinson - World War Two veteran and self-instructed expert on alternative rock from The Smiths to the Butthole Surfers.British Sea Power spring from Natland, a small village on the edge of the English Lake District. Neil Hamilton Wilkinson, singer and bassist, likes to walk home after gigs - 60 miles across country. Yan Scott Wilkinson, singer and guitarist, is self-possessed, remote and, like Stalin, given to composing odes to icebergs. Ringing in their ears come the interjections of their elders. Narrator Roy Wilkinson excitedly invokes both Field Marshal Montgomery and Freddie Mercury. Their dad is reborn as octogenarian teenage acolyte, ready to stop strangers in the street and ask them if they've bought the album they need - the album by British Sea Power.This is a story that sets an idyllic rural youth and the eternal imponderables of family life beside the brute mechanics of the music industry. There is bathos, there is pathos, there is Kate Moss. Behold as Laurie Lee's 'Cider with Rosie' is introduced to AC/DC's 'Whole Lotta Rosie'. Against the odds the two parties get along OK.

Death of a Polaroid - A Manics Family Album


Nicky Wire - 2011
    For more than twenty years and from Blackwood, Wales to Tokyo, Japan, Nicky Wire has kept a personal visual history of the band in their various stages from Generation Terrorists through Holy Bible and right up to last year's remarkable album, Postcards from a Young Man. Edited down from over 1,000 of Wire's personal polaroids and with accompanying text by the man himself, Death of The Polaroid promises to be a rich, visual biography of one of the most loved and iconoclastic British bands of the past two decades.

Waits/Corbijn: 77- 11


Anton Corbijn - 2011
    The coffee table art book not only features over 200 pages of Waits' portraits taken by Corbijn over four decades, but also includes over 50 pages of the first published collection of musings and photographs taken by Waits himself. The linen bound book has introductions written by film director Jim Jarmusch, and the longtime music critic Robert Christgau. WAITS/CORBIJN '77-'11 is the chronicle of an artistic collaboration that reaches back more than 35 years, to those first black-and-white photographs of Tom Waits taken by a young Anton Corbijn in Holland in 1977. Corbijn would go on to acclaim for his iconic enigmatic portraits of musicians and other artists--from U2 and Miles Davis to Robert De Niro and Clint Eastwood to Damien Hirst and Gerhard Richter--also becoming a designer, a pioneer in music video and more recently, an award-winning director of feature films. By 1977, Tom Waits was already known world-wide for a series of stunning, timeless albums, filled with songs of a noir-tinged Los Angeles that owed as much to writers like John Fante and Jack Kerouac as it did to jazz, blues and tin-pan alley that had soaked into Waits' pores from childhood. Ahead of Waits lay his partnership with Kathleen Brennan--leading to such touchstone recordings as Rain Dogs and Mule Variations--his film work with the likes of Francis Ford Coppola and Jim Jarmusch, and his stage projects with legendary director Robert Wilson. In those first photographs, then, are the seeds of these two intertwined careers, feeding off each other. Waits' vibrant persona helped Corbijn define his narrative, cinematic style of still photography: images that felt as if you were coming in on the middle of some unfolding drama. Corbijn complimented Waits' theatrical side in a way that synced beautifully with the experimental music he was making with Brennan. "Anton picks up a small black box, points it at you and all the leaves fall from the trees. The shadows now are long and scary, the house looks completely abandoned and I look like a handsome undertaker. I love working with Anton, he's someone with a real point of view. Believe me, I won't go jumping off rocks wearing only a Dracula cape for just anyone," Waits says. Waits' own photography, collected here for the first time under the title "Curiosities," gives a visual handle to the artistic intelligence millions of fans know only through his music. Photographs of Tom Waits by Anton Corbijn, photographs by Tom Waits of the vivid quotidian, stretching down through the years and presented for the first time in a beautiful clothbound book; side by side, these 226 images record one of the longest and most fruitful collaborations in the careers of both artists. "It's rare," Corbijn says, "to take photographs of someone over a 30+ year period. Our work together developed totally organically and that's a beauty in itself. We are very serious about our work but when it comes to working together, we're like children resisting maturity. It's liberating and a much needed legal drug."

Seeds on Hard Ground


Tom Waits - 2011
    Tom Waits is releasing a limited edition chap book of the unabridged poem “Seeds on Hard Ground”. The objective of this release is to raise funds for homeless services in his region and to bring attention to a growing problem in today’s hard times. Both Waits and Anti Records along with Kings Road Merchandise are donating all proceeds of the poem, limited to 1,000 copies each in North America and Europe, to Redwood Food Bank, Sonoma County’s Homeless Referral Services and Family Support Center operated by Catholic Charities. The handmade book measures 8.5"x5." The poem is printed with soy inks on french aged newsprint. The cover is Environment 80#c and saddle stitched.

Primacy Of The Ear


Ran Blake - 2011
    Co-written by Jason Rogers.

Devil Sent the Rain: Music and Writing in Desperate America


Tom Piazza - 2011
    Time and time again, Piazza identifies the unlikely, precious connections between recent events, art, letters, and music; through his words, these byways of popular culture provide an unexpected measure of the times.” —Elvis Costello

Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal


Eddie Trunk - 2011
    Eddie discusses his most essential bands, his unique personal experiences with them, his favorite “Stump the Trunk” anecdotes and trivia, as well as his favorite playlists. Whether you’re a classic Metallic and Megadeath metalhead or prefer the hair metal of old-school bands like Bon Jovi or Poison, this book salutes those who rock.

Justin Bieber Unleashed!


Elise Munier - 2011
    Kids will take a behind-the-scenes tour of his personal life and career. They'll discover what Justin is up to, on stage and off. Packed with gorgeous photos, personal facts about Justin's favorite things, cool quotations, and test-yourself quizzes, Justin Bieber Unleashed! is the book for everybody who has Bieber Fever! Kids will find out about what it was like for Justin growing up . . . get the scoop on his romantic life . . . and learn all about the story behind his music. Here's how Justin uploaded videos of himself singing on YouTube . . . was discovered by So So Def Recordings . . . and signed a record deal with Island Records. The rest is history!

No Off Switch


Andy Kershaw - 2011
    This account does not go out of its way to endear us to him. With digs at everything from Rastafarianism and the smoking ban to musicians he doesn't care for. From his pioneering work as entertainments officer at Leeds University in the 1980s, to his introduction of many foreign artists to British ears, to his latter-day work as a foreign reporter, Kershaw has had a fascinating life.

Ludovico Einaudi - Islands: Essential Einaudi


Ludovico Einaudi - 2011
    Islands also includes the new tracks "The Earth Prelude" and "High Heels" as well as two new remixes of "Lady Labyrinth" and "Eros," plus tracks from critically acclaimed albums including Le Onde and I Giorni.

Preachin' the Blues: The Life & Times of Son House


Daniel Beaumont - 2011
    So begins Preachin' the Blues, the biography of American blues signer and guitarist Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. (1902 - 1988). House pioneered an innovative style, incorporating strong repetitive rhythms with elements of southern gospel and spiritual vocals. A seminal figure in the history of the Delta blues, he was an important, direct influence on such figures as Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. The landscape of Son House's life and the vicissitudes he endured make for an absorbing narrative, threaded through with a tension between House's religious beliefs and his spells of commitment to a lifestyle that implicitly rejected it. Drinking, womanizing, and singing the blues caused this tension that is palpable in his music, and becomes explicit in one of his finest performances, "Preachin' the Blues." Large parts of House's life are obscure, not least because his own accounts of them were inconsistent. Author Daniel Beaumont offers a chronology/topography of House's youth, taking into account evidence that conflicts sharply with the well-worn fable, and he illuminates the obscurity of House's two decades in Rochester, NY between his departure from Mississippi in the 1940s and his "rediscovery" by members of the Folk Revival Movement in 1964. Beaumont gives a detailed and perceptive account of House's primary musical legacy: his recordings for Paramount in 1930 and for the Library of Congress in 1941-42. In the course of his research Beaumont has unearthed not only connections among the many scattered facts and fictions but new information about a rumoured murder in Mississippi, and a charge of manslaughter on Long Island - incidents which bring tragic light upon House's lifelong struggles and self-imposed disappearance, and give trenchant meaning to the moving music of this early blues legend.

The SuperCollider Book


Scott Wilson - 2011
    The SuperCollider Book is the essential reference to this powerful and flexible language, offering students and professionals a collection of tutorials, essays, and projects. With contributions from top academics, artists, and technologists that cover topics at levels from the introductory to the specialized, it will be a valuable sourcebook both for beginners and for advanced users. SuperCollider, first developed by James McCartney, is an accessible blend of Smalltalk, C, and further ideas from a number of programming languages. Free, open-source, cross-platform, and with a diverse and supportive developer community, it is often the first programming language sound artists and computer musicians learn. The SuperCollider Book is the long-awaited guide to the design, syntax, and use of the SuperCollider language. The first chapters offer an introduction to the basics, including a friendly tutorial for absolute beginners, providing the reader with skills that can serve as a foundation for further learning. Later chapters cover more advanced topics and particular topics in computer music, including programming, sonification, spatialization, microsound, GUIs, machine listening, alternative tunings, and non-real-time synthesis; practical applications and philosophical insights from the composer's and artist's perspectives; and "under the hood," developer's-eye views of SuperCollider's inner workings. A Web site accompanying the book offers code, links to the application itself and its source code, and a variety of third-party extras, extensions, libraries, and examples.

Turn it Up! My years with Lynyrd Skynyrd: Love, Life, and Death, Southern Style


Ron Eckerman - 2011
    in 1973. He toured with and managed popular music acts of the 1970s, including Fleetwood Mac, Humble Pie, Loggins and Messina, Peter Frampton, War, and many others. He was Lynyrd Skynyrd's tour manager during their meteoric rise to fame in 1976 - 1977. Airplane crash survivor, Ron takes you on a ride in this detailed blast from the past and reveals the rigors of life on the road with one of the world's most popular, talented, yet rowdy rock and roll bands. He describes the ironic turn of events preceding the tragic plane crash in 1977. This book was originally released in 2011 by Eckerman, in memory of the friends he lost in the plane crash: Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, and Dean Kilpatrick.This is an August 2014 re-release with photos included, in memory of Ron Eckerman. Ron lost a one year battle with acute myeloid leukemia in May of 2014.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Day by Day, Night After Night: His Final Years, 1983-1990


Craig L. Hopkins - 2011
    Stevie Ray Vaughan tightly grips a place in music history as an unmatched blues man and guitar legend. His unique style is unmistakable and has never been repeated. His otherworldly talent and relentless drive took him from humble beginnings in Texas bars to world tours and superstar status. His bustling career and steady stream of inspiring music came to an abrupt end all too soon at the age of 35, immediately following his triumph over the demons of addiction that followed him for years. Finally free and ready for bigger, better things, Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash in 1990, leaving his many fans to mourn the musician they had grown to love and wonder what could have been. In a day-by-day format, Craig Hopkins presents an unprecedented celebration of this artist. This book is the second installment of a two-volume account of Vaughan's life. With this work, Hopkins delivers one of the most detailed biographies of any musician. His Final Years covers Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's recording career, from their debut release through their rise to stardom, an exciting journey with its fair share of glory and controversy. Filled with testimonials from those who knew him best and from fans everywhere, along with facts about tour dates and recordings, and a lavish gallery of rare photographs, this illustrated book (along with its companion, His Early Years, 1954-1982 ) is the ultimate collector's item for any Stevie Ray Vaughan fan.

The Psychological Covert War on Hip Hop: The Illuminati's takeover of Hip Hop


Professor Griff - 2011
    

Karma's Footsteps


Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie - 2011
    In this, her debut full collection, Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie offers up a body of work that bears its scars proudly, firm in the knowledge that each is evidence of a wound survived. These are songs of life in all its violent difficulty and beauty; songs of fury, songs of love. 'Karma's Footsteps' brims with things that must be said and turns the volume up, loud, giving silence its last rites. "Ekere Tallie's new work 'Karma's Footsteps' is as fierce with fight songs as it is with love songs. Searing with truths from the modern day world she is unafraid of the twelve foot waves that such honesties always manifest. A poet who "refuses to tiptoe" she enters and exits the page sometimes with short concise imagery, sometimes in the arms of delicate memoir. Her words pull the forgotten among us back into the lightning of our eyes." -Nikky Finney

The Producers' Manual


Paul White - 2011
    Featuring 350+ full-color pages packed with pro techniques, practical photos, detailed illustrations and hands-on walk-throughs, The Producer's Manual brings together everything you need to take a mix from initial recording to final master. From vocals and drums to guitars, bands, and acoustic instruments, this is all you need to get great recordings. Choose the right mic, review classic recording techniques, learn how to tame spill and get the most from performers. The book features 101-style in-depth guides to dynamics and compression, reverb, pitch correction, studio acoustics, monitoring, and more. You'll also learn how to master your own material when the budget doesn't stretch to professional mastering. The Producer's Manual is supplemented by tricks and insights gleaned from over 20 years in the industry and interviews with some of the biggest producers, including Tony Visconti, Alan Parsons, and many more.

Taylor Swift Speak Now: Easy Guitar with Notes & Tab


Hal Leonard Corporation - 2011
    With a mix of pop sounds, country twang, and confessional lyrics, Speak Now is the highly anticipated follow-up to Taylor Swift's hugely successful sophomore release Fearless . This folio features easy guitar arrangements with notes and tab of all 14 tracks from the young songstress. Includes: Back to December * Better Than Revenge * Dear John * Enchanted * Haunted * Innocent * Last Kiss * Long Live * Mean * Mine * Never Grow Up * Sparks Fly * Speak Now * The Story of Us.

Space Cadet (Book + CD)


Kid Koala - 2011
    Painstakingly drawn entirely on etchboards for a stunning effect in black and white, the book is accompanied by a ''still picture score'' on CD --- 15 original tracks, each underscoring a key scene in the book, composed and performed by Kid Koala on piano and turntable. This charming story of an adventurous space cadet and her guardian robot unfolds through a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards to reveal a unique bond between the characters. As it explores the relationship between technology and isolation, space cadet celebrates the idea of connectivity through family and the cycles that build generations. The music is also available on limited edition 10'' vinyl.

The Comforter


Helen Lehndorf - 2011
    These poems don't shy away from the dirt, don't give trite answers and show love not as sentimental, but as fierce.Helen Lehndorf is a writer and writing teacher. Her work has been published in the journals Landfall, Takahe, Sport, JAAM and others, and in anthologies including Kaupapa: Global Issues, New Zealand Poets and Swings and Roundabouts: Poems about Parenthood among others. She has also had feature articles published in the Dominion Post and fiction produced on Radio New Zealand National.

All Things Bright and Beautiful


Owl City - 2011
    Owl City leader Adam Young stays true to his synthpop roots, but he also dabbles in indie rock, folk, trance and rap on this CD showcasing several guest artists. Here are all 12 songs: Alligator Sky * Angels * Deer in the Headlights * Dreams Don't Turn to Dust * Galaxies * Honey and the Bee * Hospital Flowers * January 28, 1986 * Kamikaze * Plant Life * The Real World * The Yacht Club.

Bass Aerobics: A 52-Week, One-Exercise-Per-Week Workout Program for Developing, Improving, and Maintaining Bass Guitar Technique [With CD (Audio)]


Jon Liebman - 2011
    Bassists using Bass Aerobics will benefit from increased speed, improved dexterity, better accuracy and heightened coordination not to mention an awesome new groove vocabulary The accompanying CD contains all 52 workout grooves for both demonstration and play-along.

The Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet 1965-68


Keith Waters - 2011
    Each of the musicians who performed with Davis--saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer TonyWilliams--went on to a successful career as a top player. The studio recordings released by this group made profound contributions to improvisational strategies, jazz composition, and mediation between mainstream and avant-garde jazz, yet most critical attention has focused instead on liveperformances or the socio-cultural context of the work. Keith Waters' The Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68 concentrates instead on the music itself, as written, performed, and recorded.Treating six different studio recordings in depth--ESP, Miles Smiles, Sorcerer, Nefertiti, Miles in the Sky, and Filles de Kilimanjaro--Waters has tracked down a host of references to and explications of Davis' work. His analysis takes into account contemporary reviews of the recordings, interviewswith the five musicians, and relevant larger-scale cultural studies of the era, as well as two previously unexplored sources: the studio outtakes and Wayne Shorter's Library of Congress composition deposits. Only recently made available, the outtakes throw the master takes into relief, revealinghow the musicians and producer organized and edited the material to craft a unified artistic statement for each of these albums. The author's research into the Shorter archives proves to be of even broader significance and interest, as Waters is able now to demonstrate the composer's originalconception of a given piece. Waters also points out errors in the notated versions of the canonical songs as they often appear in the main sources available to musicians and scholars. An indispensible resource, The Miles Davis Quintet Studio Recordings: 1965-1968 is suited for the jazz scholar aswell as for jazz musicians and aficionados of all levels.

Handmade Music Factory: The Ultimate Guide to Making Foot-Stompin'-Good Instruments


Mike Orr - 2011
    Just follow-along with handyman Mike Orr as he guides you through the making of 8 of the most creative instruments you’ll find anywhere. From a one-string guitar made from a soup can, to a hubcap banjo and even a stand-up guitar made from a vintage ironing board—you’ll make instruments that look great, sound great, and deliver some foot stompin’ fun. With Handmade Music Factory,  you can make:*Cigar Box Guitar*Hubcap Banjo*Cookie Tin Guitar*Stand-Up Lap Steel Guitar (made from a vintage ironing board!)*Washtub Bass*Stomp Box*Amplified Washboard*And more!You’ll also learn how to make your own amp using inexpensive parts from the local electronics store. And, don’t miss the plentiful sidebars and tips from the author on everything from where to find salvage parts to surviving music festival camp-outs!

Giles Corey


Dan Barrett - 2011
    Six months before that, I used a Voor’s Head Device for the first time." This line opens the 150-page book that accompanies Giles Corey, an intensely personal, intimate portrait of depression that took me almost 4 years to make. We've called this "acoustic music from the industrial revolution," and that's as good as anything. Dominated by the acoustic guitar, the music is a gloomy mixture of Americana influences, snippets of EVP recordings, ghostly choirs and deep, heavy organ. It ranges from very dark to triumphant, hushed quiet to crashingly loud. The album follows a story arc of emotions that are detailed in the accompanying book, as much a part of this record as the music. The text switches between personal tales of struggles with depression, suicide, and a feeling of being lost, and the story of cult-leader and afterlife theorist Robert Voor. Voor's writings on death and the afterlife feature prominently across HAVE A NICE LIFE's "Deathconsciousness," Nahvalr's self-titled debut, and Giles Corey, making him the unifying factor behind most of the music I've written in the last 10 years. This record is as personal and raw as anything I've ever done. Thank you for your interest.

When Bob Met Woody: The Story of the Young Bob Dylan


Gary Golio - 2011
    "Hey hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song..." When Bob finished, Woody's face lit up like the sun. Bob Dylan is a musical icon, an American legend, and, quite simply, a poet. But before he became Bob Dylan, he was Bob Zimmerman, a kid from rural Minnesota. This lyrical and gorgeously illustrated picture book biography follows Bob as he renames himself after his favorite poet, Dylan Thomas, and leaves his mining town to pursue his love of music in New York City. There, he meets his folk music hero and future mentor, Woody Guthrie, changing his life forever.

Put the Needle on the Record: The 1980s at 45 Revolutions Per Minute


Matthew Chojnacki - 2011
    The 1980s were also the most visually provocative era of the last millennium. Every new vinyl single hit the stands wrapped in eye-catching sleeves that reflected the latest trends. Put The Needle On The Record is pop culture historian Matthew Chojnackis definitive guide to 7- and 12-inch vinyl single artwork from the 80s. He presents and compares more than 250 vinyl single covers representing nearly every prominent musician of the decade. Read the previously untold stories behind the most iconic images from the designers and visual talent behind Madonna, Prince, Pink Floyd, Queen, Adam Ant, Iron Maiden, The Clash, Pet Shop Boys, Van Halen, and more. Coupled with exclusive commentary from more than 100 of the 80s biggest musicians, including Annie Lennox, Duran Duran, Run-DMC, Devo, The B-52s, Erasure, The Human League, Scorpions, The Knack, and Yoko Ono, this is an authoritative journey back to the songs and images that continue to influence our culture.

Green Day Revealed


Ian Shirley - 2011
    This visually stimulating coffee-table book is organized chronologically and covers all the major events in Green Day's still vibrant career, accompanied by revealing and evocative images of the band - from the early days to American Idiot's appearance on Broadway.

Extreme Metal Bass: Essential Techniques, Concepts, and Applications for Metal Bassists


Alex Webster - 2011
    This exclusive book/CD pack provides detailed, hands-on training, featuring vital bass guitar techniques and concepts. Extreme Metal Bass further demonstrates how these techniques can be applied in real-life situations within the context of a song. No matter what brand of metal you subscribe to from classic metal to modern metal and beyond Extreme Metal Bass will supply the bass skills you crave. Extreme Metal Bass also includes an enhanced audio CD with demonstration and play-along tracks of all the examples in the book, plus play-along MIDI drum files for optimum practicing.

The Mahler Album: New, Expanded Edition


Gilbert Kaplan - 2011
    Mahler broke new ground in both composition and conducting, and today his music is more popular than ever. Selected by Gilbert Kaplan, a renowned expert, the beautifully reproduced images are enhanced by photographs of Mahler's family, his homes, the opera houses in which he worked—including the Metropolitan Opera in New York—and by a rich selection of drawings, paintings, and sculpture. This expanded edition, published to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mahler's birth (and the 100th anniversary of his death), presents newly discovered photographs and works of art, and a selection of colorful postage stamps featuring Mahler. Informative captions and revealing commentary provide historical background.

Who's My Bottom?


Christopher Gillett - 2011
    A real insight into a working opera singer's life." - Nicholas Hytner. "The descriptions of rehearsals are very funny." - Ian Hislop. "It's no exaggeration to say that Who's My Bottom? made me laugh out loud, abruptly and in public places, many times--and brought tears to my eyes at others." - Steven Blier. "LOVED it. It was a terrific, can't put it down read. It arrived two days ago and is already dog eared! I loved his style of writing and his frankness and honesty were both refreshing and beguiling. Great." - Graham Clark "I loved it..I Iaughed till I cried...and I think you are a bloody genius!" - Susan Bullock. "Terrific. By turns hilarious and touching." - Clive Bayley

Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind


Jacob McMurray - 2011
    The book serves as a companion and contextualbackdrop to the Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses exhibition, which opensat Seattle’s Experience Music Project in 2011. This decade-and-a-half musicaljourney will be represented entirely through the lens of EMP’s oral history andpermanent object collection, an invaluable and rich cultural archive of over800 interviews and 140,000 objects — instruments, costumes, posters, recordsand other ephemera dedicated to the pursuit of rock ’n’ roll.Taking Punk to the Masses focuses on 100 key objects from EMP’s permanent collection that illustrate the evolutionof punk rock from underground subculture to the mainstream embrace (and subsequent underground rejection)of Grunge. These objects are put into context by the stories of those who lived it, culling from EMP’s vast archive oforal histories with such Northwest icons as Mudhoney’s Mark Arm, cartoonist Peter Bagge, design legend Art Chantry,Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson, Sub Pop founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman, the Screaming Trees’ MarkLanegan, Nirvana’s krist Novoselic, photographer Charles Petersen, Soundgarden’s kim Thayil, and dozens of others.From the Northwest’s earliest punk bands like The Wipers, to proto-grunge bands of the 1980s like Green River,Melvins and Malfunkshun, through the heady 1990s when bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice inChains and Mudhoney rose to the national stage and popularized alternative music, Taking Punk to the Masses is the firstdefinitive history of one of America’s most vibrant music scenes, as told by the participants who helped make it so, andthrough the artifacts that survive.Over the past 15 years, Experience Music Project has amassed over 800 filmed oral history interviews with musicians,producers, club owners, fans, and others associated with every genre of music. These interviews, along with themuseum’s massive artifact collection, form the basis for every exhibition. The exhibition Nirvana: Taking Punk to theMasses includes footage from over 100 interviews. A selection of those interviews are included in a DVD, exclusive tothe Taking Punk to the Masses book.

Improvise for Real: The Complete Method for All Instruments


David Reed - 2011
    It's about truly understanding music and being able to enjoy creating it yourself. Maybe you dream of improvising your own solos in concerts and jam sessions. Or maybe you imagine yourself playing songs with friends at parties and expressing yourself with total confidence. Maybe you have ideas for songs and you would love to compose your own music. You can be doing all of these things much sooner than you think! All you need is a simple understanding of how music really works and how to connect with your own musical creativity.These abilities don't come from memorizing other people's "licks" or studying music theory on paper. What you need is a deeper understanding of music that enables you to connect your ear with your instrument. In other words, what you really need is a creative daily practice that lets you understand music from the inside out, and truly create your own music.Improvise for Real will take you into this beautiful world of sounds and show you how music and harmony really work. You'll learn to understand the sounds in the music all around you. And you'll learn to express your own musical ideas exactly as you hear them in your mind.How is Improvise for Real different from other approaches?A better harmony model. The biggest problem that beginning improvisers have with expressing themselves creatively is that they are trying to apply licks and scales to isolated chords, but this isn't how music works at all. When you listen to your favorite songs, what you hear is a lovely and effortless interplay of melody and harmony on a single musical landscape where everything is connected. With Improvise for Real you will learn to see this musical landscape and weave your own melodies effortlessly through the chords.Creativity right from the start. In every other art form (painting, poetry, etc.) students get to experience the creative process as a natural part of their learning. It's only in music that this creative process remains shrouded in mystery, the exclusive domain of ancient "composers" and the occasional child prodigy. Improvise for Real is changing all of that. We believe that your own creative exploration of the sounds is essential. With Improvise for Real you will be improvising and expressing your own musical ideas right from the very first day.Connection to the ear. We don't teach isolated fragments of music theory or random ear training exercises. Improvise for Real is an integrated music practice that combines creativity, ear training and harmony knowledge every step of the way. For each new harmonic situation that you learn, you'll spend lots of time exploring the sounds yourself improvising over our backing tracks, and you'll even sing the sounds with your voice as part of truly mastering them. The result is a deep personal relationship with harmony that allows you to understand music by ear and to play the sounds you imagine.Music as a journey. We don't teach licks and formulas to help you try to sound like a pro overnight. We believe that musical improvisation is the most beautiful art form in the world, and we want to help you enjoy this art form for the rest of your life. What we teach is a journey that leads you through the world of modern harmony. But it's also a journey of your own personal growth as a creative musical artist. And so every step of the way, you'll be expressing yourself creatively and growing in your own ability to tell powerful musical stories on your instrument.

Unfinished Flight: Selected Songs


Vladimir Vysotsky - 2011
    His songs explored a vast variety of topics, ranging from comedy to social and political commentary. With the impressive poetical quality of his lyrics, he quickly outgrew the label of "a bard." In the time when many poets and performers were under heavy scrutiny and censorship by the government, Vysotsky dared to speak his mind and due to his immense popularity with the Soviet people, he was left largely ignored by the authorities. Vysotsky died of a heart attack on July 25, 1980, though many speculate that alcohol and drug use may have also contributed to his early death. In the short span of twenty years, Vysotsky had produced nearly 2000 songs and poems. To this day, he remains an icon for the Russian people and has had a deep influence on the Russian musicians of today. This dual-language collection of his work strives to give a glimpse into the creative mind of Russia's greatest singer.