Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind the Songs


Brian Hiatt - 2019
    And for all the muscle and magic of his life-shaking concerts with the E Street Band, his legendary status comes down to the songs. He is an acknowledged master of music and lyrics, with decades of hits, from “Blinded by the Light” and “Born to Run” to “Hungry Heart,” “Dancing in the Dark,” and “The Rising.”   In Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind the Songs, longtime Rolling Stone writer Brian Hiatt digs into the writing and recording of these songs and all the others on Springsteen’s studio albums, from 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. to 2014’s High Hopes (plus all the released outtakes), and offers a unique look at the legendary rocker’s methods, along with historical context, scores of colorful anecdotes, and more than 180 photographs. Hiatt has interviewed Springsteen five times in the past and has conducted numerous new interviews with his collaborators, from longtime producers to the E Street Band, to create an authoritative and lushly illustrated journey through Springsteen’s entire songbook and career.

Seasons of Fidelity: Season Two


Takerra Allen - 2018
    With bitter endings come new beginnings. The cast of Seasons is back and in the same place we left them – within their individual worlds yet again without the delirium their coexistence brings. That is, until a blow knocks the cosmos out of synch and unites them under punishing circumstances for another round of emotional TAG. Justice, Dice, Aleeya, and Yael will all have to share space again. What will happen when they come face-to-face with such unfinished affairs? Meanwhile Ray and Regina are suffering a devastating loss that will either bring them closer together – despite already being in committed relationships with spouses to lean on – or put more distance between two old friends who haven’t quite learned one another again. Season 2 is a Ferris wheel of emotions, that in the end, will leave some brought back down to solid ground and some left sitting in the clouds. Others just may be let off the ride altogether. Get comfortable and fall back into the world of this complex cast. Seasons of Fidelity has been renewed for a second season!

I Spy, I Saw Her Die: Book Two


Ian C.P. Irvine - 2016
     Alone, desperate, with only three days to live, Ray is a man with not one, but several missions: to save the life of his girlfriend who has been kidnapped by the security services; to prevent a terrorist cyber attack destroying London; to save the Middle East peace process; and to bring one of the most powerful men in the world to justice for the savage killing of an apparently innocent woman, a murder certain powerful people in the British Government are determined to cover up at all costs. Only Ray can stop them all. But as the clock starts to tick, he discovers that nothing is as it seems. Who is the real enemy? And who can he trust? Unless he finds out soon, will Ray’s luck finally run out? Please note: This is BOOK TWO of a Two Part Series.

A Night at the Opera: An Irreverent Guide to The Plots, The Singers, The Composers, The Recordings


Denis Forman - 1995
    A Night at the Opera dissects the eighty-three most popular operas recorded on compact disc, from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur to Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. For each opera, Sir Denis details the plot and cast of characters, awarding stars to parts that are "worth looking out for," "really good," or, occasionally, "stunning." He goes on to tell the history of each opera and its early reception. Finally, each work is graded from alpha to gamma (although the Ring cycle gets an "X"), and Sir Denis has no qualms about voicing his opinion: the first act of Fidelio is "a bit of a mess," while the last scene of  Don Giovanni "towers above the comic finales of Figaro and Così and whether or not [it] is Mozart's greatest opera, it is certainly his most powerful finale."The guide also presents brief biographies of the great composers, conductors, and singers. A glossary of musical terms is included, as well as Operatica, or the essential elements of opera, from the proper place and style of the audience's applause (and boos) to the use of surtitles.A Night at the Opera is for connoisseurs and neophytes alike. It will entertain and inform, delight and (perhaps) infuriate, providing a subject for lively debate and ready reference for years to come.

Real Men Don't Rehearse


Justin Locke - 2005
    It is filled with dozens of humorous tales of musician antics and concert meltdowns. Outsiders are rarely allowed such access, but at last you can have your own personal tour of the mystical and magical realm of professional orchestras and the people who play in them. "Real Men Don't Rehearse" was written by Justin Locke, who spent 18 seasons as a professional freelance double bassist in Boston. He played with the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops, as well as for ballets, operas, and Broadway shows. He is also well known in the symphonic world as the author of "Peter VS. the Wolf" and "The Phantom of the Orchestra," which are internationally acclaimed programs for orchestra family concerts. This is the perfect gift for your favorite music lover! This is a book no musical library should be without!

Path of Graves (Etinhym, #1)


E.A. Hooper - 2020
    The Dark Pantheon rules from below. Together, they defeated the other divine races and became the masters of Etinhym.”Eadric is the son of the Grave Queen, but he was raised in the Crown Realm as part of the alliance between the two pantheons. After reaching the age of eighteen, he’s finally able to choose the Path that will allow him to acquire demigod abilities and explore the many realms of Etinhym. Although his goal is to become a Grave Lord, serving under his mother, he finds himself following the trail of a conspiracy that threatens the Divine Pact that has kept the jotuns, the valkyries, the greater demons, and the dragons from uniting against the gods.Eadric’s story will take him through strange realms—from a spatially disjointed forest that twists and turns on itself to a living ocean of blood and even a skyscape full of floating castles. He’ll also have to face off against strange monsters, corrupted spirits, and even towering abominations. If he fails, then the war that follows will likely be the last war Etinhym ever sees—a war that will surely lead to the extermination of the human race.***This book contains RPG elements, harsh language in a few chapters, and violent descriptions.***

Mozart


Maynard Solomon - 1995
    On the occasion of Mozart's two hundred and fiftieth birthday, read Maynard Solomon's Mozart: A Life, universally hailed as the Mozart biography of our time.

Rock and the Pop Narcotic: Testament for the Electric Church


Joe Carducci - 1990
    This experience gave Carducci a unique perspective on music and "Rock And The Pop Narcotic" is perhaps the only book of popular music criticism that attempts to achieve a genuine aesthetic of rock music. The content runs the gamut of music, touching on everything from the Allman Brothers to Husker Du to Black Flag.

Jeff Lynne: Electric Light Orchestra - Before and After


John Van der Kiste - 2015
    From there he joined the ever-popular Move, then helped form the groundbreaking Electric Light Orchestra. After co-founder Roy Wood left in 1972, Lynne turned what had been a struggling rock and classical fusion into one of Britain s most consistently successful and popular acts. Following a run of hit singles, albums, and sell-out concerts throughout the world, he laid the group to rest in 1986 and combined a solo career as an artist and producer with membership of the ultimate supergroup, the Traveling Wilburys. His production credits include Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Del Shannon, George Harrison, and even the Beatles on their two final singles in the mid- 90s. Jeff Lynne: The Electric Light Orchestra, Before and After is the first-ever biography of one of the most prolific and highly regarded performers of the last fifty years. Rich in backstage anecdotes of overheated orchestras, frontmen rivalries, tour mishaps, cross-group partnerships, unlikely collaborations, and self-imposed exile from the stage in the quest for inspiration, this book will leave fans and general readers delighted and inspired by a career at the epicentre of twentieth-century rock. ** This electronic edition contains 35 photographs **

Zen Guitar


Philip Toshio Sudo - 1997
    Zen Guitar provides the key to unlocking this song—a series of life lessons presented through the metaphor of music. Philip Sudo offers his own experiences with music to enable us to rediscover the harmony in each of our lives and open ourselves to Zen awareness uniquely suited to the Western Mind. Through fifty-eight lessons that provide focus and a guide, the reader is led through to Zen awareness. This harmony is further illuminated through quotes from sources ranging from Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix to Miles Davis. From those who have never strummed a guitar to the more experienced, Zen Guitar shows how the path of music offers fulfillment in all aspects of life—a winning idea and an instant classic.