Genres Books

As a student of the Bible myself, I was immediately intrigued by this wonderful book. It is a very easy read with a unique writing style and a HUGE message. I can hardly wait for the rest of the series!

Mr. McConnell has expanded an already vivid character and introduced the reader to intimate details of culture and history. His story brings Zacchaeus to life!

This book transposes the reader to another time. Easy reading yet rich and moving. Taste the honey, sense the harlot and hear the message of hope. A stangely delightful combination. You will think about it long after you turn the last page. I will give it as a gift to the men in my family, but the ladies will want to read it too!

I thoroughly enjoyed your book... definitely food for thought in many ways, As you know I am very involved with abused children, I am also trying to "mentor" if that is the word a 23 year old young man in prison, Your book sheds another light on life.

This is a must read! If you love Swindoll and the word pictures that he uses in his writing you will LOVE this book. It is pratical, applicable and a very easy read. Great for devotional gifts to friends.

i bought this because i'm a big fan of one of these guys...but i read the whole thing...the style employed is relaxed...talking to the artists and those who knew them best. found out lots about the music business and the price of fame. the author has a knack for keeping himself out of the way. it left me feeling like i met these guys...i did meet two of them...ok rory gallegher stopped me on a nyc street and asked me if i knew where there was a guitar store...i did. not your typical rock and roll bio...this is well worth the money.

Without going into any deep analysis of this book I just want to add that while I was reading I went back and listened to the music that these guy made throughout their careers.
Each musician featured is an outstanding guitarist and I have been greatly influenced by most if not all of their work.
Humble Pie was one of the finest British Rock band of all time, and with so little available information about them, I was completely absorbed by their chapter.
This book is a simple treasure.

The chapter on Steve Marriott is worth getting the book alone. I've played in bands back in the 70's & 80's that played songs by all four guys and it was great reading. To hear Frampton, Ridley and Shirley talk about "Gilded Splinters", the "Whiskey A Go Go" gigs (which I have a CD of), the Filmore plus the induction of Clempson into the band is something every Pie fan should have! It's just sad that all the books,CDs and videos came out long after Steve has moved on, but at least we HAVE them now!
tm

The book is worth getting for any fan of these four talented guitarists. Its strength is the author's decision to allow the artists themselves, band members, producers, managers, lovers, family members, and friends to talk freely and at length about the musicians' lives and their work. This hands-off approach results in candid portraits of the artists, as well as a realistic glimpse into the murky world of the music business. The interviewees are very forthcoming, which is particularly refreshing and at times quite funny. In the section on Robin Trower, Derek Sutton, his manager and former head of U.S. operations with Chrysalis Records, responds as follows to the author's question about whether at times management deliberately set out to fool musicians: "I think you're giving too much credit for intelligence to the managers. You have to remember, I've said this before and I'll say it again, there aren't a lot of very bright people in this business." Sutton's acerbic snapshots of the members of Procol Harum, the band Trower was in before he went solo, are on par with the best scenes from Spinal Tap.

The chronological accounts of the guitarists' careers keep the narrative clear. At times, however, some of the responses could have been edited a bit more, since a few of the interviewees drift off topic. Also, occasionally transitions from one interview to the next are too abrupt. This could have been averted by more editorial comments connecting each piece with the whole. Finally, while the conclusion to the chapter on Rory Gallagher is moving, the conclusion to the section on Robin Trower is too brusque, especially since this is the conclusion of the book. A postscript to the volume, similar to the author's brief but effective preface, would have been a good idea.

Having listened to all of these musicians at one time or another throughout my life, I found this book fun, entertaining, and interesting. Using interviews with actual players on the scene, Muise gives some good insight into each of the musicians. The only real problems I had with the book were a lack of pictures, as well as missing dialogue from Marriott and Gallaher, both of whom were dead at the time of writing. While Muise did include some dialogue from Gallagher and just a tiny bit from Marriot, I felt as though he could have dug up some other interiews and included some other material to beef it up and round out the portraits.

Steve Marriot was one of the greatest of all singer/guitarists to emerge out of the sixties, and he was sorely overlooked by the media during his tenure. Had he been given more deserved attention I can only wonder what he might have become. While Peter Frampton was truly a key ingredient of Humble Pie, it was Marriot who made that band sizzle. I would say, however, that the band was never as good after Frampton left. I would have really liked to have read what Marriot would have had to say about that, and that is what was really missing from the book. We never really get to find out what how Frampton's departure impacted Steve Marriot; we only learned that through the eyes of others, whose perception may or may not have been accurate.

Of all of the musicians featured, I was very disappointed in the attitude of Rick Derringer. He seems to think that he was denied super star status. I listened to all of the major players of the day, and most of the minor ones, and Derringer was easily a minor leaguer, and he ought to be grateful for the fame he achieved. He really came off as a whiner. I really liked much of what he did in the 60s and 70s, but I don't think he was ever a big leaguer; and it should be remembered that there is a reason why there was a top tier of guitarists and singers. For example, he never, ever reached the singing ability of Steve Marriot or the guitarmanship of Rory Gallagher or Robin Trower.

Robin Trower's career, as depicted in Muise's book, was really disappointing. He seems to have mishandled it at every step. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects was the rationalization of one of his manager, Derek Sutton. Talk about a self absorbed, self serving idiot. It's no wonder musicians get screwed by managers. Reading about Sutton truly made me want to read a good book about rock managers. What a dolt. And the treatment of Jimmy Dewar was just incredible. This was all very interesting. Trower seems to be surrounded by some kind of emotional protective shield, because if I had his behavior, I'd be ashamed.

I really liked this book, and I'd recommend it to anyone with any familiarity of these musicians. I will warn you, however, that reading it will send you to the used record store trying to dig up some of the gems about which they discuss.

What a great job Bruce Jenkins has done in revealing the "behind the scenes" goings on of his Dad's life, and the stories that lead us to
understand the man (Gordon Jenkins) and his genius! I have an inkling of that era...being born in 1937, but; this book opens the door to new appreciation of Jenkins' magic, and sentiment in his work. I indeed have met (musically); and have a new hero in Gordon Jenkins! Way to go, Bruce; you've made your Dad proud!

I enjoyed this bio from cover to cover. As a musician,i always wanted to know more about Gordon Jenkins life as a person and a musician. His son, Bruce did a wonderful job of enlightening me.

I first became aware of Gordon Jenkin's music as a boy through his marvellously exciting arrangement for Peggy Lee's "Lover". Later his style changed totally through superb albums for Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole and even "Nillson". Some thought that style old-fashioned even then but those artists thought differently.
Now thanks to this superb book by his son and professional writer Bruce, we learn that away from the podium and arranging desk Gordon Jenkins had a wonderful mordant wit and great courage in the way he coped with life's cruelties and particularly his last illness. I lent my copy to a friend who immediately had me get him his own copy. No higher recommendation than that!

I have been an admirer of the musical talent of Gordon Jenkins for decades, and I enjoyed his son's biography of the life of
a most talented arranger, composer and performer, along with
insights about Jenkins' relationships with the many artists who
benefited from their associations with him.

When you take a first rate writer like Bruce Jenkins (nationally known sports writer based at the San Francisco Chronicle) and have him write about the loving family from which he came and sprinkle a bit of musical genuis, you have one of the best musical biographies ever written!

What a delight Bruce gives us with this intimate 'gloves off' look into one of the most creative musical minds in popular music, Gordon Jenkins. Those of us who thrilled to "Manhattan Tower" ever time we played it will enjoy reading how it came about over 50 years ago and how it's still considered a great work of art. And what about the whole story of Benny Goodman's sign-off song, "Goodbye" that Jenkins wrote? Now we know why it was written.

It's told through the recollections of friends in the music business from fellow arrangers/song writers/conductor to family friends. Fascinating, entertaining and just one of the best reads you'll have in a long time. Don't miss it if you've ever been spun into musical ecstesy with the signature arrangements of Gordon Jenkins....after all some feel he's responsible for a baby boom!

We got this for my Uncle for Christmas, him being a deadhead. He said he will enjoy it over and over for years. He said it was like being there all over again. Based on his enjoyment of it, if it made someone half as happy, it would still be a big hit.

Not being a deadhead myself, I can say the person who received this as a gift absolutely loved it. I looked at many other books about the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia, but settled on this one, and was glad I did. Great pictures and historical information about the dead ( from a non-dead head ).

What do we all think of when the Grateful Dead comes into our minds? Perhaps the obvious, Jerry, is the first thing that pops in. We may think o

This is a Large, Thick and Heavy Book.
Based on a Timeline that begins in 1940 and ends in 2003, this is Quite a Feast for the eyes. If you are New to the Music of The Grateful Dead and have never seen one of the other Hundreds of Books about The Band, this will fill you in on THOUSANDS of Details. If this Book was used as a Guide to bring you into the World that is The Grateful Dead, well... just be prepared to be Busy for a While.

For the Seasoned Head, lot's of this Information has been Covered elsewhere in the Past. But at the Same Time, here is just about everything there is all in One Place. The Visuals herein are Quite a Trip for your Head, and they are as much the Stars of this Massive Volume as the Twenty Tons of Dead Story contained within 480 Pages.

To sum it up...When they begin teaching: "Grateful Dead 101" at UC Berkeley, this will be the Textbook!
FIVE STARS !!!

Being an old timer when it comes to these guys, I have to give this book 6 out of 5 stars. It starts way back and takes nearly every day since (and in some cases before) the birth of each of their members, and just keeps moving on in pictures (some never seen before) and words (some never printed before!) Although I am not a Deadhead in the classical sense, I still love to skim through this book from cover to cover every now and then, and enjoy the details it provides and the memories are still there! Look up a date of a show you went to - or never went to - and see it there! A must for anyone who had the fortune to see the Dead play live - anytime and anywhere, and a must for those who never have!

The Dead live on through this book - the latest addition to the tomes that are out there on these fellows - go and get it!

Keep on Truckin'!

I have played for a few years now but I consider myself a noob and never thought in a million years I would be able to play Pantera. Thanks to this book I am able to play Revolution is my name, walk, and a few others. Not the solos of course. Pantera is my favorite band and I shed a tear the day Dime was taken from us. This book helped me play the music I love and I am very grateful to those who made this possible. Anyone who is a fan should buy this book.

Though it may not provide much in the way of theory, scales, or fundamentals, this book is a great insight into the style of one of rock music's greatest guitarists. Not only did it offer written and recorded examples of great riffs, intriguing solos, and useful exercises, it offered great practical tips for any serious guitarist. I poured through the book in under a week and it made me totally re-think several aspects of my playing. Riffer Madness reminds us of the importance of forgetting the rules and just playing great music.

This is a must buy for a Dimebag Darrell fan. This guy knew what he was talking about when it came to guitars.

Everything is transcribed perfectly.

My only beef with this book is that Darrell doesn't play on the CD.

I found the content to be pretty good. I am a big Dime fan so to just have his entire column in one book was great. I did notice that there is some bad tab but it's enough to get you going in the right places. Additionally I expected Dime to be playing on the CD instead of the author.

I first met "Diamond" Darrell in 1984 when he was only 17, and giving guitar lessons at Mansfield Music. I'd finally decided I really wanted to PLAY guitar, and not just bang on it. They tried several teachers, classical, and a country teacher. It just didn't work out, so the owner told me he had one more teacher, a kid with his own band. In walked a skinny kid with the biggest electric frizz hairdo I'd ever seen, Darrell. Each week, he'd take my list of 10 songs I wanted to learn, and if he knew them, would show me how to play them. If he didn't know them, he'd take the list home, and next week, he'd have all of them down pat. I learned more in that 18 months than in the previous 35 yrs! Ten yrs later, I went to a guitar show in Dallas, and was waiting outside the Dean showcase when I heard a voice call, "Hey, Everett! How're you doin'!". It was Darrell, there to put on a demo for Dean. Needless to say, there were some wide eyes around me after that! Darrell dropped everything to talk to me for about 10 minutes. That's the kind of guy he was. We lost a goodern, that's for sure. R.I.P. Darrell...

Heavenly Places is a wonderful "5 Star" read. Mrs. Tate does a wonderful job developing the characters. You will feel like they are all your friends! Not only is it an engaging story, but I feel like I grew spriritually by reading the book. The Bible Study within the book is life-changing. Very seldom can one read wonderful fiction and be spiritually fed at the same time. I am ready for the sequel!

Heavenly Places

This story is wonderfully written and a blessing to women who love God and women who want to know more about Him.

This was an excellent book, and truly a blessing for me! I liked how God is at the center of the mother/daughter, husband/wife, girlfriend, and neighbor relationship dynamics that are interwoven throughout the storyline. The study questions in the back of the book are very helpful. It allows the reader to delve a little bit further into the issues that were covered, as well as prompts the reader to take an inward look at herself/himself. What a fantastic idea!

The reader will truly be blessed after reading this novel.

I've always been an avid reader, so once I began to explore my spirituality I turned to Christian fiction. I love stories that have a purpose and a connection to God. Lately, however, I've been yearning for something deeper than the standard Christian fare. That's why I'm so excited about Heavenly Places. This book went way beyond my expectations. From the first few lines in the "Foreword," I knew this book would be special. Once I began the story itself, it kept me glued to the pages as I first judged, then sympathized, then empathized with the main character, Treva. It made me laugh as I celebrated with the women's bible study group and cry as each layer of a character's past (and present) pain was unraveled. It also made me yearn to get into my bible more and have the intimate experience that was so superbly detailed in the book. It also connected me to some of the issues from my past relating to skin color and self-esteem while also allowing me to understand and accept how each person's Christian journey is different and designed just for them. It's amazing that one book could do so much - - but this book did. I encourage everyone to read it, think about it deeply, and share it with a friend. I guaranteed that you will be uplifted, enlightened, and blessed! Thank you Kim Cash Tate for sharing this story with the world. I can't wait to read your next novel!

I started this book and I couldn't put it down. I was anxious to find out what happened with Treva and family/friends. At times I laughed and at other times I cried. In this novel, Kimberly Tate gets to the heart of how women interact. I was definitely blessed.

Now I know that in a blues song when they sing about the back door, they are not speaking in sexual terms, they are referring to a cheating man making a quick exit out of the back door when the husband comes home! The book is very entertaining and informative!

If you enjoy the blues then this is the book for you. This book gives you the meaning of every blues phrase ever used in a song. This will give you an understanding of blues music like never before. Absolutely fabulous.

Just like the Blues, "The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu" by Debra DeSalvo, is the nitty gritty real deal with stories and definitions from Blues masters, not from non-musician researchers who think they're the authorities. This book is informative and fun rather than dry and scholarly. You will not be disappointed if you buy it.

It's this type of work that will make sure the Blues and Blues history lives on!

Every reader will pick up something new about lyrics, terms and phrases, noted cities and neighborhoods, instruments, performers, lore, and other aspects of this always popular and colorful style of music. With occasional material from interviews with top names in blues and closely-related types of popular music in entries as long as essays of three or so pages to as short as a couple of lines, DeSalvo relates origins of words and phrases, gives examples when relevant, describes nuances in different styles, locates the origins and outlines the course of different traditions, explains details of instruments and techniques of playing them, and draws profiles of significant singers and instrumentalists. And she includes considerable colorful lore and terminology unknown to only the most knowledgeable aficionados which can only add to enjoyment of the blues with more casual fans. A lively, informative, eminently readable companion to blues music in all its history and manifestations.

This is self-described as an anecdotal dictionary of the blues, but it suffers some serious flaws and while there is some useful information, it is far from authoritative or comprehensive and while it has some usefulness, it can be improved in so many ways. There are some 150 words and phrases which Ms. DeSalvo, former Blues Revue editor, focuses on, in a volume that emphasizes the African roots of the blues, but at times does not focus on other meanings the terms have. One review in Blues & Rhythm notes the focus on sex and hoodoo, but oddly enough very little on traveling which is a significant theme of the blues.

Much is made of the fact she interviewed a number of blues performers and included the material with various entries. However much if not most of the interview material is irrelevant to understanding the language of the blues, or the entry. For example she briefly discusses crossroads focusing on the African conception which leads to a discussion of the Robert Johnson meeting the devil at the crossroad myth and notes that some believe it. Then she included a discussion of Robert Lockwood, Johnson's stepson which bears very little relationship to the discussion of the term. This would have been better included in a sidebar about Johnson and Lockwood. It would have also been instructive to include lyrics of several songs for specific terms to show contrasting meanings. As an example, Elmore James' 'Standing at the Crossroads,' clearly does not have the connotation that some impute to Johnson.

Also some of her sources are not exactly scholarly. In an entry on the Delta, she discussed Charlie Patton working for Will Dockery. She provides as her reference correspondence with Stephen Lavere. There are lengthy published biographies on Patton by John Fahey, and Stephen Calt and Gayle Dean Wardlow that should have been cited. There is no excuse to not citing these sources while citing private correspondence. Then there is this statement "In '34 Blues', Patton nails the desperation and anxiety of unemployment, but something good came out of leaving the plantation this time-Patton went to New York and recorded twenty-nine songs for the American Record Company. When these recordings were reissued in the mid-1960s, they sparked great interest in this Delta cropper who came to be known as the father of the blues." On the same page there is Patton's picture which noted he recorded for Paramount and became that label's biggest selling artist. It was the reissue of Patton's recordings by Yazoo, which presented mostly the Paramount recordings that led to this recognition of Patton's music.

Discussing Canned Heat which some strained to drink the alcohol from, DeSalvo notes that Canned Heat adopted their name from the Tommy Johnson recording and that the members of Canned Heat used their fame to help their blues heroes citing their collaboration in John Lee Hooker's "The Healer." Hmm, I would think that it was the classic double album, "Hooker and Heat," recorded when Alan Wilson, the Blind Owl, was still alive that not only was the recording that led to Hooker's crossover but it stands up with the best recordings Hooker ever made. It was an album the ghost band that is Canned Heat is today would be incapable of producing. Sorry for perhaps going off topic, but so many entries here go off topic. (Again sidebars would have been useful). However the fact she is so imprecise with this, makes me suspect the accuracy of some other entries.

She does include some suggested recordings, but more lyric quotes for the entries
would have been very helpful. Also there should have been more cross entries, such as in her discussion of policy numbers, cross references back to that entry should have been provided for some of the policy combinations. And there are numerous terms that are not discussed here. This is a really rough first effort and this work needs some serious reworking if it is going to be a useful tool, which probably also means she should find herself a collaborator and take into account the serious criticisms if she wants to put together a work that will stand up as scholarly and a reference.

If you are learning to play drums (or play drums already) and are a big metallica fan, then you should play like Lars himself. And this is a great way for you to learn his drumming. And as many Metallica fans know this is one there best CDs so learn to play your favorite songs and have fun. I really recommend this book to any Metallica fan who wants to play the drums like Lars.

If you love Metallica this is one of the best books you can get. Unless you're simply amazing you're going to need this to learn all the solos.

Again, like the Master of Puppets and Kill'em All folios, the notations are fairly accurate and there aren't any noticeably major errors in this book. Note position choice is sometimes a little odd, but the notes are correct. This is an excellent book to learn a lot of the early Metallica guitar techniques, as long as you down-pick most of the rhythm parts (Creeping Death won't sound the same without it).

I got this because I really wanted to learn the songs on Ride the Lightning that I couldn't figure out myself and the solos as well; I was surprised by how accurate the tab was for the main body of each song and on Kirk's main parts. However, there are a few problems with this book. First, for a lot of the solos you are expected to play up on the 20th fret even if you're not on one of the top two strings; this is a problem for me because I only have an acoustic guitar, I can play it fine on my friend's electric. Also, the fingerings are harder than they ought to be in places of "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Fade to Black", and a few other songs. Last, this book is not for the average guitar player. It takes a lot of skill and speed-picking to nail those solos, all of which I haven't gotten quite yet. However, overall I definetely recommend this tab book because Metallica kicks ass!

The Ride tab book is definitely a must-buy for not only the avid Metallica muso-fan, but for those wishing to upskill themselves in various guitar techniques.

The solos are an absolute note-by-note transcription and each riff is intricately tabbed to include even the most subtle of variations.

Includes a very well-written introduction, outlining some very important and helpful tips to assist you in your mastery of one of Metllica's finest albums.

In a one-line verdict: A definite must-have, even as a collector's item!

First let me say that this book is very well written and easy to understand. It gives the reader wonderful info on MP3's and other music file formats as well as the comparsion from the standard CD format vs. MP3 format. Before reading this book, I had well above average knowledge of the various types of music files, playlist, jukeboxes, and MP3 and WMA and other music file formats. However, it did fill in some gaps that I had overlooked and I learned even more after reading the book. This is a very good reference book for the beginner. However, since it was written several years ago, it only touches on WMA's. Not that this book was written with more info on MP3 formats. Today we have in many Internet online stores the WMA/DRM (protected music). These types of music files need a newer MP3/WMA/DRM player that will handle the WMA/DRM music file format downloads, which many online music stores have. This is a great book, however, a bit historic. The MP3 players as described in this book (available at that time) came with only 64 meg flash drives and 64 meg flash cards. Now the norm is at least a 1 GIG flash player, and many MP3 players today have huge hard drives. However, this book still has good overall BASIC information. I highly recommend this book to a beginner just learning about MP3 music.

MP3's have become one of the hottest new things on the 'Net, to the delight of music lovers everywhere and most likely to the chagrin of the music industry. This book covers a wide variety of topics regarding MP3's, starting off with a brief description of how mp3's came to be, where to find and download mp3's, Internet radio stations, etc. The chapter on digital music and copyright law also contains useful information on just what it and is not legal with regards to having and/or downloading mp3's.

It also tells you what software and hardware is the best for playing mp3's and "ripping" your own mp3's. The descriptions of the software and hardware you can use are quite good. Next are three chapters describing in detail digital audio, along with MPEG audio. Then comes the section any mp3 "ripper" will be most interested in, ie converting music into mp3 form, by first converting it into a .wav format, then into mp3 and finally recording your own CD's.

The book's final chapters are a 'tutorial" on various mp3 software ripper programs like Audio Catalyst and Cool Edit. There's also some info about using WinAmp, which is one of the more popular mp3 players (and the one I use). There's also further information about related web sites, other books, even a glossary.

The future still looks bright for mp3. Not only is it a way for music lovers to download their favorite songs, it also is a way for new artists to "break through" by offering their music on various web sites in the form of mp3s.

This book offers quite a bit of good information about the MP3 phenemenon.

This is an outstanding book on Internet and personal computer audio with emphasis on the MP3 audio-encoding format. It covers the whole range of online audio from the Internet or CDs as well as streaming audio.

Starting with an overview of digital music and the Internet, the book explains why there's so much excitement over MP3 and online audio, discusses how to find music on the web, and reviews Internet Radio. The authors include the best discussion of digital music and copyright law I've seen anywhere.

The chapters on how to prepare your computer for digital audio discuss everything from what software is needed to what to watch for in selecting the best computer hardware, from CD drives, speakers, sound cards, and the cables that connect these things together or with your home entertainment system.

The portion of the book on understanding digital audio contains one of the best overall discussions of how sound and digital audio technology works anywhere. Especially valuable is the discussion of the tradeoffs involved in different selections of parameters in digital audio, such as bit-rates and sampling rates.

The book wraps-up with several excellent tutorials for basic computer tasks used for digital audio. In addition, there are tutorials for common tasks using several popular computer audio software programs.

Bruce Fries is a technology consultant & writer and an Associate member of the Audio Engineering Society. He also is the founder of TeamCom, a new media publishing company. Marty Fries is an audio engineer, technology consultant, and blues pianist. His audio engineering work includes designing and building studio sound equipment systems.

This is the best-written and edited book I've read on Internet audio and streaming audio to date. It's easy to read and explains complicated terms and concepts in terms anyone who can use a computer can understand.

Throughout the book are excellent links to additional resources, as well as an extensive index of websites on the topic of Internet audio. While the focus is on MP3 and audio files (vice streaming audio), much of the information applies to Internet radio as well.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in working with MP3 audio files, whether beginner or experienced "ripper." I also highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in how to improve the recording, playing, or streaming of audio files from their computer. Finally, I recommend this book for anyone concerned about what is and what isn't legal in working with digital audio files.

Review by Mike Powers, Internet Radio Guide, October 1999

I'm the author of the MP3 and Internet Audio Handbook and I've just finished a new book, Digital Audio Essentials, that has approximately twice as much information plus detailed chapters on editing audio, digitizing vintage records, and setting up an Internet radio station. It covers both Macs and PCs and has instructions for using iTunes, Musicmatch Jukebox, Media Jukebox, Sound Forge, and Peak.

... This book by Bruce and Marty Fries covers THE FOREST and THE TREES - concerning all things about MP3 music technology - equally well! In other words, you will no longer be lost in THE FOREST about all things MP3 because of THE TREES! The authors cover the OVERVIEW (The Forest) of all things MP3 just as well as they cover all the minor DETAILS (The Trees). ... The authors make EXCELLENT teachers: they KNOW their subject well, and they know how to PRESENT it to you so that you NEVER get lost or feel left behind! The book is VERY well ORGANIZED. It is layed-out logically and flows from one chapter to the next in a natural and easy-to-follow way. Reading this book is NOT HARD, and because it is so easy to understand, you will learn faster!

... I can't say that I knew NOTHING about MP3 music and technology BEFORE I read this book, but after having read it I feel like I REALLY understand everything I need to know to make the right choices about how to record, play, and listen to music in the MP3 format. Most importantly, the authors do not only tell you ABOUT MP3 technology, they tell you HOW to use it, DO things with it, and WHERE to go on the world wide web to get more INFO on whatever you might be interested in concerning all things MP3. The book is packed to the gills on almost every page - cover-to-cover - with web site URL addresses where the reader can further their search for information about MP3 technology!

... The book is VERY thorough and detailed, with an easy-to-follow lay-out, easy-to-read text and design, and very helpful photographs and illustrations that make it almost impossible to NOT "get it"! After reading this book, if you don't know just about EVERYTHING concerning MP3, you just were not paying attention - because the authors have left NO STONE UNTURNED! ... The only regret I had was that they wrote the book (as they themselves confessed up-front!) for the IBM-compatible, PC crowd - and I am driving an APPLE iMac computer!!! ... I recently wrote to the authors about this, and they said that they are working right now on a revised edition that will have more information in the HOW TO SECTIONS for people using APPLE computers. This will be a welcome relief!

... Even so, there is a lot of helpful mention of places and products that concern the MAC CROWD (of which I'm one! : ), and they DO agree that the SOUNDJAM MP software by Cassidy & Greene "is one of the best for the Mac." (page 69). So, even if you're a Mac-man like me, you really can't go wrong reading this book because it covers all the bases. It's MORE than just an introduction. It's a great REFERENCE book to keep by your computer at all times - whether you're a consumer interested in LISTENING to MP3s or a musician who is interested in CREATING MP3s in order to upload onto musical web sites, over the Internet, on the world wide web so that ANYONE in the world can listen to and/or purchase one's music! ... My hat is off to the authors for a job well done! ALSO: this book is FUN to read! ..

Even for the true classic music afficiando, this is a helpful compendium of names and selections to use when purchasing albums or for general hands on reference.

I hope that no potential readers were offput by the very silly and petty Publishers Weekly review. This is a very helpful and at times facinating guide to classical music and recorded music performance. Libbey's expertise and passion make for great reading. Very insightful and very helpful when searching for a good recording of a favorite piece.

"The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music" is a delightful combination reference book and video game for all classical music buffs. Besides its nearly 1,000 pages of listings, from Claudio Abbado to Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, the book gives you access to a page on the Naxos Music website which allows you to listen to more than 500 musical selections online. I just signed on to the page for the first time, and listened to the very first listed selection--John Adams' "Shaker Loops." I look forward to hours of fun with this wonderful new toy! I appreciate the breadth and depth of knowledge author Ted Libbey brings to the project, as well as his inclusion of favorites of mine who aren't necessarily well-known to today's listening public, such as the Danish tenor Aksel Schiotz. In his introduction, Libbey notes he tried to avoid the gaps and errors in such standard reference works as Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, and adds, "Doubtless there will be errors still, and for these I accept full responsibility." Alas, I have already caught him in two. The first is the listing of Beethoven's birthday as December 17, 1770, when even "Peanuts'" Schroeder and Lucy know that Beethoven was born on December 16. Of course, that could have been a printer's or proofreader's error, but the second mistake is more serious--when Libbey states that Vladimir Horowitz withdrew from the concert stage in 1953 in a severe depression over the suicide of his only daughter. Actually, Horowitz's daughter, Sonia, did not commit suicide until the 1970s (which caused Horowitz a second bout of severe depression); I'm not sure exactly what caused Horowitz's 1953 breakdown, but I had always understood that an addiction to prescription drugs was at least partly to blame. Nevertheless, these are minor caveats to an otherwise enjoyable and informative volume. Any classical music lover with computer access would be happy to own it.

Couldn't choose between the NPR ecyclopedia and the Vantage Guide so bought both. The NPR book is younger, more detailed, more information on a wider variety of artists and composers and in my opinion ; much better.

Don't get this if you are looking for an overview of music history, this is a reference book--exactly as advertised.

It comes with a login to naxos.com that allows you to listen to literally hundreds of hours of music from the naxos library for free! This is a tremendous value.

I was most impressed by the sheer amount of information--not just the historic information, even my favorite 20th and 21st century composers were given a fair amount of coverage.