Genres Books

I have just recently become interested in the whole horror film genre and a friend recommended that I read Mr. Soister's book. I'm glad I did. I learned lots of interesting stuff about the whole Universal horror film business and had an easy time pouring through the chapters. It was fun reading and Mr. Soister's keen insights and humorous style kept me wanting more. I hope he has another book waiting in the wings! Congratulations on delivering a winner.

John Soister has been a contributor to various horror books in the past. His ability to capture the details of the horror films of the 20's & 30's truly entertaining. He expresses his opinions with humor yet based on fact.

Mr. Soister has done a remarkable job here! Not only has he covered some of Universal's greatest horror films, he has given them a new, fresh perspective. All the greats are covered here, FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA, THE MUMMY, etc., but he has also written about much lesser known and borderline horror films that I've NEVER seen written about, like the entire Crime Club series of the late 1930's. His book covers in great detail Universal's horror and mystery output from the 1930's, and wonderfully so! Here's hoping he does another volume for the 1940's films. Can't wait to see what he writes about JUNGLE WOMAN!! A 'must have' for any horror film fan!

Wonderfully written, full of intelligent, objective opinions, Soister's book is a breath of fresh air on a subject that I suspect most fans feel they already know thoroughly. "Of Gods and Monsters" opened my eyes to the many dozens of "forgotten" Universal films made in the 1930s, particularly their oddball mysteries (like the fascinating "Inner Sanctum" series). Sadly, few of these films are available on home video... yet. One hopes that perhaps NBC-Universal's execs will read this book and learn about their past history, and open up the vaults so that fans can enjoy these classics again, instead of having them gather dust.

If you have Soister's book, along with the Brunas/Brunas/Weaver "Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films" (also from McFarland), you've got a fairly well-rounded coverage of Hollywood's great horror classics. I only wish that the publishers would consider allowing the author to do a second volume covering the rest of Universal's classic mystery/SF/horror films from 1940-1959. That would tell the rest of the story, particularly for the 1940s, which was a very rich period for the studio.

Usually I skip long, detailed plot synopses in movie books, but with Soister I look forward to them. Like most critics, Soister is even more entertaining when discussing a bad film -- I laughed out loud through his description of several stinkers in this entertaining book -- but this teacher from Pensylvania is never less than authoritative. Soister covers all the Universal horror, sci-fi, and related films 1929-1939 in this handsome volume, which no fan of the genres should be without. It doesn't matter that "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" have been discussed at length in previous works -- do yourself a favor and "see" them once more through the eyes of John Soister!

The Broadway hit A Chorus Line is returning to Times Square in a major revival this fall - and ON THE LINE: THE CREATION OF 'A CHORUS LINE' provides an oral history from the nineteen original cast members who recall how they become involved with the project, how it evolved from workshops, and how it made many of them lasting successes in their fields. Robert Viagas collaborated with original cast members Baayork Lee and Thommie Walsh to provide this memoir, which is a 'must' for any prior or present fans of the Broadway musical production. Many insider's views here can't be found elsewhere.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book captures the show perfectly from people who were there: The Original Cast. This book never ceases to amaze, and move.

Broadway is always exciting. It's constantly in a state of change with dozens of new shows every year. But it's only once in a while that a supershow comes about, and 'A Chorus Line' was one of those. It was the 'Phantom of the Opera,' the 'Rent,' the 'Wicked' of its day. And it's back. Go see it, but you go to the show, read this book.

This book, originally published in 1990 is about the creation of the show, the actors, the people who put it on, and a bit about why the show was such a tremendous success. The book was expanded and updated for publication in 2006 to reflect what has happened to the people and the show since.

The theme of the show is on a bare stage where casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. The field's been narrowed down to just 17 dancers. For these men and women, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. It's what they've worked for -- with every drop of sweat, every hour of training, every day of their lives. It's the one opportunity to do what they've always dreamed of. Not to be the star, but to get the job ... to have the chance to dance and come through.

The show illustrates getting onto Broadway in a better way than I can say. This is how it is, except the book is better, as one of the actors says, he looked around the theater and finally realized that he had accomplished what he had worked for so many years to accomplish.

The biggest Broadway hit is coming back this Fall, and the book that tells the story of how it was created back in the mid 70s has come back for a revival as well.

The bulk of the book has stayed the same including the black and white photos. It is a collective oral history of the nineteen original cast members of how they got involved with the project, how they labored through the months of workshops that shaped it, and what its success has meant for their lives and careers. The new edition includes an update on the cast and what they have been doing for the past 16 years.

This is a must have for any fan of A Chorus Line.

Viagas, Lee and Walsh, together with the rest of the original cast have made an insightful book which documents the life of this great musical. Filled with remembrances by the cast and with a good collection of photographs by several photographers their book is a treasure chest of facts and memories of Broadway's "Singular Sensation". It is nice to know that author Baayork Lee continues her association with the show after twenty five years, still directing companies of the show and now opening up a website dedicated to the show... I only hope that some day they will provide an updated version concluding with the gala final performance.

From the security of a comfortable life in Oak Grove, Virginia to the razor cold streets of New York City, Jack Stewart is bound and determined to pursue a career as a jazz musician - against all odds. When he returns home from a tour of duty in Nam, all that life asks of him is that he settle down and carry on the successful family business. Why would anyone who could have it so easy cast their fate to the brutal winds of such an uncertain livilihood as a jazz musician in New York City? There is more to this story by Carlos Rubio than Young man from hometown America sets out to become a jazz musician. In the way that Dizzy Gillespie "like a majestic bird in flight" blows his magic horn and he is suddenly the indisputed center of the universe; from the bottom of his heart to the mouthpiece of his tenor sax, Jack has no doubt that music will deliver him. With Hans (a gothic cathedral of a man in the woof and warp world of jazz), the owner of the Jazz club Empty Hand as his mentor, beautiful woman at the snap of his fingers, some of the greatest jazz musicians of the day on a first name basis with Jack as his inspiration, and the jazz epicenter of Greenwich Village as his stage, you would think that Jack Stewart had arrived. Deliverance, however, comes with a price tag. If you have a tall mountain to climb, or a vast valley to cross, or a tenor sax you desire to master, then this book is a must to read. This is a users guide for those of us who prefer center stage to going through life sitting in the cheap seats in the back row. And for those of you whose only request from life is a good book to read, then this is your lucky day.

Alan Hodgkinson
Author of After Incoming

From the security of a comfortable life in Oak Grove, Virginia to the razor cold streets of New York City, Jack Stewart is bound and determined to pursue a career as a jazz musician - against all odds. When he returns home from a tour of duty in Nam, all that life asks of him is that he settle down and carry on the successful family business. Why would anyone who could have it so easy cast their fate to the brutal winds of such an uncertain livilihood as a jazz musician in New York City? There is more to this story by Carlos Rubio than Young man from hometown America sets out to become a jazz musician. In the way that Dizzy Gillespie "like a majestic bird in flight" blows his magic horn and he is suddenly the indisputed center of the universe; from the bottom of his heart to the mouthpiece of his tenor sax, Jack has no doubt that music will deliver him. With Hans (a gothic cathedral of a man in the woof and warp world of jazz), the owner of the Jazz club Empty Hand as his mentor, beautiful woman at the snap of his fingers, some of the greatest jazz musicians of the day on a first name basis with Jack as his inspiration, and the jazz epicenter of Greenwich Village as his stage, you would think that Jack Stewart had arrived. Deliverance, however, comes with a price tag. If you have a tall mountain to climb, or a vast valley to cross, or a tenor sax you desire to master, than this book is a must to read. This is a users guide for those of us who prefer center stage to going through life sitting in the cheap seats in the back row. And for those of you whose only request from life is a good book to read, then this is your lucky day.

Alan Hodgkinson
Author of After Incoming

Meet Jack Stewart, struggling jazz musician who could have coasted comfortably through life by carrying on the family business after returning home from his stint in the Army. His mother who he is so near and dear to him would like nothing more than this. And his desire as a good son is to please her. But he is torn. The problem is, this is not Mr. Two-story-house-with- white-picket-fence-in-the-suburbs. This is a man ultimately in search of himself. Something deep inside told Jack early on that he could only express himself through the mouthpiece of a saxaphone. Now, meet yourself. Knowing thyself is key to everything. This is what Carlos Rubio's novel is really about. The theme here is universal. People who have a profound effect on Jack, like Hans, owner of The Empty Hand coffee house who possesses the old world solidity of a gothic cathedral gives Jack his first clue concerning his unbeknowst quest for a voice when he tells Jack about Orpheus, the musician in Greek mythology who only finds his voice after coming to grips with his own insignificance; or Jack's idol Dizzy Gillespie, a man who blows his bent horn like his life depends on it. Jack meets him one day. During that meeting, Dizzy tells Hans that Jack just needs to "lossen up." Lorraine comes along and teaches Jack just that - how to lossen up. In doing so, she teaches him something important about life, this in a way a man could never learn from his parents. So, all these characters who become part of Jack's daily life in Greenwich Village converge to facilitate Jack's necessary transformation. But of course the real transformation has to come from within. The sudden death of his mother and uniting with his father for the first time as a result of her death is the nudge that completes his transformation. At last, Jack plays his sax like he has never played it before. You see, he is not playing his saxaphone, but he's living fully for the first in his life - he's living through the medium of a musical instrument, a medium that he loves. Jack finds his voice as we all must, least we perish, ironically in the realm of our own significance.

Carlos Rubio captures the struggle of a young artist and the feel of New York City's jazz world. His vivid descriptions brings the sights and sounds of a village night club to the reader to the point of hearing the soulful music and smelling the smokey Empty Hand Cafe. Jack Stewart, the main character, struggles with fullfilling his dreams against all odds. Along the way the importance of mentors, friends, sacrifices, and believing in oneself are interwoven in the theme. This story will be enjoyed by all.

Step into the little known world of struggling artists, musicians and writers. This novel of a man's self discovery takes us through close relationships and a troubled past. The author vividly immerses us in the culture and lifestyle found in the Empty Hand, a nightclub whose after hours camaraderie fostered by Hans, their benefactor and philosopher, who holds them, and the novel, together. This is a very well written and descriptive novel that lets you feel the comfort and joy, the frustration and hope of a section of our society few know about. For anyone who has the artist within them, this is one you don't want to miss.

This wonderful book is beautifully written and beautifully produced. The authors Tony Bacon and Gareth Morgan have done a superb job of presenting McCartney's music and showing just why it works so well. All Beatles fans, all fans of the bass guitar, and indeed all pop fans everywhere should buy this book.

Tony Bacon & Gareth Morgan, England, October 2007.
Firstly, thanks a lot for the review, Rodrigo. We had great fun putting the book together - the story of Macca's bass playing and the transcriptions - and did a lot a lot of hard work on it. In answer to your regret concerning the wonderful 'Something', in fact we did prepare a transcription that was originally in the book, but permission to reproduce it was declined by the licensor, Harrisongs. We agree with Rodrigo and say so in the book: it is McCartney's finest hour with the Fab Four. The dynamics, phrasing, melodic content and feel (or groove) of what he plays is simply sensational. We hope the book also underlines some of PM's other great work with The Beatles.

The transcriptions are fine, but most of all: this book is brilliantly well written, a delicious reading, and it's clear and deep analysis of Paul's bass lines (along with a lot of background information about recordings, instruments etc) will open your ears for one of the most important features in the never-ending beauty of The Beatles' music. Great job!

I've been a fan of the Beatles since I was fourteen especially Paul Mccartney. Like him,I am also a bass player and it was his style that inspired me to be one. There are a lot of flamboyant bassist in the world but it's Macca's simple but original style that makes him unique. I was happy to have bought the Bass Master book because all the featured songs there have nice bass lines, but am a bit disappointed that the song SOMETHING was not included. To me this was Macca's greatest bass riff.

a criminally underrated musician , who handles bass lines as an integral part of the song, and at the same time makes them memorable.
no matter what instrument you play, you can benefit a lot from any of the in depth song studies in this book. this is what bass playing is all about, power, melody and fun!.

I am in awe of Mr Paul Simon and his great work in his music.

This book is awesome with great explanations and great tabs, esp for an amateur like me. Dabbing in music without a guitar instructor, poses to be ardous, but with such a good book I could decipher the tabs quite easily.

Thank you for having such a great book!

This is a great book, it includes the music in both notation and tab. The transcriptions are perfect, they are exactly what is on the recording. The best part about the book is that for each song, there is a page or two describing how to finger each chord (some of the songs are really hard to play if you use "normal" fingering, if you use the alternate fingering he suggests, you can do the chord switches MUCH easier!)

Using this book, I had Bookends and Scarborough Fair down in two days!

The only thing preventing me from giving this book a 5 : It had some songs I didn't know, and was missing two songs I really wanted : The Boxer, and Sounds of Silence.

If you want authentic transcriptions, this is the book for you. I have every Paul Simon guitar book of note, and this is the only one with real recorded-version tabs; lamentably, it lacks some of Simon's wonderful flourishes, but it is by far the best Paul Simon guitar book available. Each song includes a page of Mark Hanson's performance instructions/notes that are genuinely helpful and informative. The music ranges from early intermediate ("Bookends") to intermediate advanced--the more difficult arrangements (like "Hearts and Bones") are much too demanding for a real beginner. But if you have decent fingerpicking abilities and want a book to grow with, this would be a great choice. A true 5-star selection. If it had included "The Boxer" and "April Come She Will," I would be a happy man.

There are so many guitar books for Simon and Garfunkel, and until I saw this book, I was convinced that they were all useless.

This book has really accurate transcriptions, obviously done by someone who has a personal interest in Paul Simon's guitar playing; it shows in the song selection.

If you don't know how to play Kathy's Song, Overs, Peace Like a River, 59th St Bridge Song, Scarborough Fair, American Tune (and some others), this is a great, great book. You will learn so much from this book. The two part vocal harmonies are transcribed too, for the relevant songs.

I just wish the book could've been longer (keep an eye out for Brad Priddy's web page), but there was enough material in this book to keep me going for at least 9 months.

The author Mark Hanson gets much well-deserved praise for his books, cds, dvds, and teaching style from folks on the guitar web forums I visit. This word of mouth led me to try his Beyond Basics Fingerstyle Guitar book/cd combination. Which led me to buy his The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking book/cd combo and his Fingerstyle Solo Guitar dvd. I found all of these to be excellent learning tools. In his Paul Simon Transcribed, it's much of the same again: great instruction! This isn't a beginner's book. You have to know something going in. He prefaces each song with a page telling you about the tune itself and the technique for how it should be played. Both the standard music notation and the tablature for each song are presented clearly and in detail. And fortunately for me, as I am unable to read music, the tablature shows the timing/beat/rhythm of the song: without that I'd be lost. One final gushing comment: this is an excellent book which could only have been better if it had included an audio cd to hear how the songs should be properly played. Enough said!

I was shocked when this book arrived, it's so thick packed with 400 pages, thank goodness for the plastic coil binding. This book includes a huge selection of songs, many of the well-known pieces that I already had in several other books, but also a wide variety of new songs that I haven't heard/played before. The level is intermediate to advanced-intermediate. I'm picking up piano again after a very LONG hiatus and I'm absolutely thrilled to have found this gem. If I had to give up all of my books and keep just one, THIS WOULD BE IT! And I would still have enough to play for a very long time. I highly recommend this book.

This is a fantastic collection. It ranges in difficulty from intermediate (the full, unabridged version of Fur Elise), to quite advanced material. It is sure to keep me playing and improving for a long time to come. Wonderful material, great variety, great range of difficulty, and great price. This is 100% recommended.

This 400 page book edited by Amy Appleby includes the best of every book I've ever studied from. It contains over 125 great masterpieces. There are 24 Renaissance and Baroque (e.g. Purcell, Scarlatti, Bach and Handel), 21 classical (e.g. Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart) , 28 Romantic (e.g. Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky), 16 Impressionist and Modern Composers (e.g. Debussy, Dvorak, and Rimsky-Korsakov), 10 Light Classics (e.g.Gounod, Strauss and Waldteufel), 10 opera themes (e.g. Bizet's 'Carmen,' Mozart's 'Marriage of Figaro' and Sullivan's 'H.M.S. Pinafore'), 10 scenes from the ballet (e.g. Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet and the Nutcracker) and 7 duets by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Diabelli, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Tchaikovsky. The book is beautiful bound with a rugged plastic binding that stays open on the piano.The pages are bright with legible notes. I would recommend this book for the serious student who is playing four years or more. This would make an excellent holiday or special occasion gift for piano enthusiasts. It is an excellent value. You may want to throw away all of your old piano books and just keep this one with all of your favorites.

Good Collection to have in your library. The piano pieces are the originals with fingerings, not simplified arrangements. The orchestral transcriptions are okay, although I have seen better from Schirmer, e.g. "Dance of the Reed Flutes". Still, they are not over-simplified arrangements, as I found to be the case in "The Definitive Classical Collection", which I returned. Over all a good addition to your musical library, especially when put together with Amy Appleby's "Piano Classics". Difficulty level is advanced-intermediate to advanced.

When I bought my abbreviated keyboard in April, 2005, I did not realize I would need ALL the keys. However, this collection of classical pieces has caused me to start saving so that I may indeed purchase a full-sized keyboard. Currently I feel rather comfortable with Beethovan's beautiful "Fur Elise" and would like to master Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" from "The Messiah" by Christmas (as a gift for my husband). For those who want to maintain their skill level, for those who want a challenge, and for those who want to experience some beautiful music "up close and personal," I highly recommend this collection.

I played many Clementi sonatinas in my younger years and decided to give this a try. I've only been able to try out a few since I just received this book but I have a feeling it is going to be one of my favorites. I can't wait to be able to sit down and really play these. The book is beautiful and the music is difficult so I would not recommend this for a beginner.

I brought this after reading about how Beethoven liked Clementi sonatas and how much better his sonatas are comparing with his sonatinas (which i find boring). The very first sonata - op.7 no.3 attracted me immediately so that I decided to learn it. There're some very rich sound/polyphonic elements in it like Bach's, and also dramatic elements like Beethoven's, which just make this sonata sounding quite unique and fun to play. It's my first time learning a Clementi sonata, and find it a fascinating experience. I'd recommend any intermediate or advanced pianists give Clementi sonatas a try!

I bought this book solely to play the G minor "Didone Abandonata" Sonata because it is so tragic, but he has so many other quality sonatas. I had never heard any of Clementi's sonatas until I had to do a presentation on Clementi's music for a Piano Literature class in college and I heard several of his sonatas. His music really is underestimated and I find it challenging to play, even more difficult than Mozart. These sonatas are a pleasant surprise considering how long they have been around. I love Dover's editions for the price and the quality of the music. Buy this book and you won't regret it.

This reproduction by Dover of the Peters edition of these sonatas is pretty good and very affordable.

I learned a few superficial Clementi sonatinas when I was studying the piano as a child and was surprised and delighted to find (through this collection) that his sonatas are significantly more substantial. If you like Haydn piano sonatas, try these; eight measures into the first one, you'll be thinking "hey, this is nice."

A fine book, evoking a lot more than just thoughts of fiddles. It brings back a lot of memories. There's endless stories winding on late into the night and square dances at the fire station with bright lights and cake walks. It's playing rhythm guitar while sitting on the porch hypnotized by the "play of the fiddle", playing those simple little tunes over and over and over, breathing life into them till they break loose and come alive. Reading Jerry's book was like stumbling into an attic full of memories.

There's something hypnotic about the sound of a fiddle, and Jerry weaves his own spell. All those countless, nameless, fiddle players were drawn to it and just couldn't ever get away. Way back "up the holler". It seems like the devil got hold of them & wouldn't let go. It's like sitting around a campfire, deep in the woods, listening to the baying of the hounds and just wondering what's really out there. Lot's of mystery up in the mountains and those old fiddle players felt it and made it sing out. Jerry really loves his fiddle music, but I think he really loves the spell of the mountains even more. Seems to come out best in the sound of a fiddle, played on the front porch, all alone, nothing but that fiddle sound, a full moon, and the deep silence of the endless woods. That fiddle music just floats in the silence. The hills don't care, they just sit there, and the fiddler plays on, just hearing that sound, going on and on and on...

Yep, it's a pretty good tale.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Milnes provides good descriptions of the history and the cultural contexts for fiddling in West Virginia. He provides especially good descriptions of dances. My favorite part of the book dealt with some of the traditional beliefs and practices associated with fiddling. There are fascinating traditions that fiddlers continue to use, and there is a wealth of folklore associated with the instrument. Milnes also provides a fine history of dulcimer music in Appalachia, and his work provides a corrective perspective about this instrument as he challenges the degree of purism and perhaps "snootiness" that is associated with fiddling.

Gerry Milnes knows more about the tradtional music of West Virginia than probably any other writer on the subject.

This book presents a delightful look at the history of West Virginia fiddling, profiles of the players, and the culture in which this music thrived. It is well researched and presented in a very engaging style. Of particular interest to me were his profiles of some of the musical families of the state. In addition to his look at fiddlers, other folk music traditions are covered as well, including a look at the fretted dulcimer players and builders of the region. There are many helpful and interesting photographs as well.

Also recommended: "Fiddles, Snakes, & Dog Days," Milnes documentary film on the same subject which features the playing of many traditonal West Virginia musicians.

As a storyteller and passive folklorist I found this book to be extremely useful and well written. The work the author has done to trace the origins of lore is an incredible journey into the past and speaks clearly to the persistent little voices in my head that are always calling out- "Now how on earth did someone think that up." The book does much more than instruct the reader: It creates a whole new world around folk traditions that is as colorful and as engaging as any novel and as useful for understanding Appalachia as any history book.

Along with providing a good understanding of old-time fiddling in West Virginia, this book also provides a wider discussion of other forms of folk music within the state. Milnes's discussion of the various folk traditions associated with fiddling is really interesting to read. He has fine descriptions of house parties, square dance callers' patter, and a good variety of the folk beliefs associated with fiddle tunes. The chapter on the ballad of Naomi Wise is especially good, and I also appreciated the chance to learn more about the dulcimer tradition in the state. Prior to reading this book, I thought that the dulcimer was primarily a recently introduced instrument that became popular only with the 1950s and 60s folk music revival. Milnes broadens that view and demonstrates that there has been an interesting and rich tradition of dulcimer playing in the Appalachians.

...this book is definitely for the obsessive. These are pioneers who, for the most part, predate the concepts of stardom. Early recording companies, like early movie studios, were not interested in sharing any revenue with any "stars" that required promotion -- yes, Sarah Bernhardt made a movie or two, and Caruso sold a lot of records, but they were exceptions -- people who had reputations built outside the new mediums. For this reason, you'll find a lack of big-name stars. What you will find is a wealth of information on the practically unknown legions of men and women who were among the first to actually record the sounds and songs from the last two centuries. I found it fascinating, and of value in the obsessive cataloging that often goes hand-in-hand with the hobby of record collecting. It also helped to make a great many names a lot more human to me, and I'm thankful to the author for that. Not for the average reader, but if you have an interest in the acoustic recordings of popular music from the earliest days... well, you'll be as happy as Jones & Hare.

This is a well written biographical dictionary of the key popular (vs. classical) performers featured on early recordings. For example, you can look up "Edison Quartette" and find out that it was also known as the Hayden Quartet and exchanged performers with the American Quartet. Then you can look up the individual singers. I just consulted it this morning to find out about an early recording of John Philip Sousa's band.

While it is not a discography, it has information about selected early records, along with a song index. If you want to get a peek at the style, check out Tim Gracyk's site online.

I don't see how any collector of early popular records could live without this book.

POPULAR AMERICAN RECORDING PIONEERS: 1895-1925, by Tim Gracyk, has detailed biographies of singers/musicians on old records! 444 pages. This is the ONLY book ever published to give biographies of early recording pioneers. Learn facts about the singers who made records of "popular" music before 1925! The book's opening essay gives a summary of the history of the early recording industry, the "acoustic" era. Rare sources were used--trade journals like TALKING MACHINE WORLD, memos from the Edison, Victor, Zon-O-Phone, U-S Everlasting, and Columbia record companies, etc. Following the long intro are detailed encyclopedic articles (organized alphabetically): 100 artists with separate entries in the book include the American Quartet, Billy Murray, Ada Jones, Cal Stewart (Uncle Josh), Nat Wills, Steve Porter, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (other "jass" bands of 1917 covered, too), Paul Whiteman, George J. Gaskin, Carl Fenton, Sam Ash, Aileen Stanley, Henry Burr, the Peerless Quartet, Arthur Collins, Byron G. Harlan, the duo Collins and Harlan (separate entry--new info!), S. H. Dudley, Al Bernard, Edward M. Favor, Rudy Wiedoeft, Sousa, Walter B. Rogers, Vess L. Ossman, Sam Lanin, Bert Williams, Frisco Jazz Band, Olive Kline, J. W. Myers, Ben Selvin, the Green Brothers, Haydn Quartet (the quartet that sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for Victor), Marion Harris, Arthur Fields, Irving Kaufman, Will F. Denny, Frank C. Stanley, Nat Shilkret, Frank Ferera (did his wife and fellow recording artist Helen Louise die of foul play? she vanished during a ship voyage in 1919!), James Reese Europe (Jim Europe), Victor Military Band, Victor Light Opera Company, Werrenrath, Shannon Four (Revelers), Richard Jose...many more! Rare info here from descendants of the artists, from old letters sent to historian Jim Walsh (some never published by Walsh), from rare primary sources like birth & death certificates, from archives! This is the ONLY book that covers artists who, from the 1890s to the mid-1920s, made records of music that was "popular" in nature, as opposed to records of operatic arias, symphonic works, or concert pieces. A pre-electric method for recording was used, with musicians performing into a horn, not a microphone. This encyclopedia covers American artists who recorded Tin Pan Alley numbers, Broadway show tunes, ragtime, "coon" songs, novelty numbers, quartet arrangements, parlor ballads, early jazz (sometimes called "jass"), blues, dance music, hymns, and early country. This book makes a distinction between stage personalities who happened to make some recordings--when they found time in their busy schedules--and artists who made their living largely by recording regularly, perhaps finding a little time on the side for theatrical performances, vaudeville, or concert recitals. Few stars of the stage made records regularly, exceptions being Bert Williams, Nora Bayes, and Al Jolson--even their output is minuscule compared with that of Henry Burr, Harry Macdonough, Lewis James, Vernon Dalhart, Irving Kaufman, and others who, for a long time, earned a living by recording. Over 100 of these kinds of artists covered in detail, with info available nowhere else! This book has a GREAT INDEX if you want to look up specific records/songs.

Anyone who collects old 78s knows how frustratingly difficult it can sometimes be to learn about the musicians responsible for making the recordings. This book spotlights dozens of acoustic-era (1890s-1920s) recording stars, in most cases providing the most complete and detailed biographies I've found anywhere. The introduction is particularly helpful, providing an overview of the recording industry in its early years, examining how recording limitations dictated what and who was recorded, offering glimpses into the studios where these records were made, and a valuable note about estimations of record sales. This introduction nicely balances the individual accounts that come after and helps us see how these musicians fit in the "overall picture." If you've got moldy stacks of old 78s by Arthur Fields, Irving Kaufman, Ada Jones, The Sannon Quartet, Joseph C. Smith, or others like that, you might just find yourself cleaning them off and playing them again after reading this book. I find these old acoustics are much easier to enjoy once I know something about the people who made them.

This isn't a sit-down-and-read-like-a-novel book, it's more like an encyclopedia, with 1-10 page articles about individual musicians and groups. At times, the articles feel a bit "choppy," but on the whole they are quite readable and there's plenty of information. Unfortunately, the binding of this paperback version is rather poor (the sheets are just glued directly to the flimsy spine, not sewn together), maybe the hardcover version is better bound? So far, my paperback is still intact, but for how much longer, I can only guess. This is a book I pull off the shelf often to answer many of the questions that come up when I listen to my 78s. Gracyk and Hoffman will give you a whole new appreciation for these old records! Highly recommended!

POPULAR AMERICAN RECORDING PIONEERS: 1895-1925, by Tim Gracyk, has detailed biographies of singers/musicians on old records! 444 pages. This is the ONLY book ever published to give biographies of early recording pioneers. Learn facts about the singers who made records of "popular" music before 1925! The book's opening essay gives a summary of the history of the early recording industry, the "acoustic" era. Rare sources were used--trade journals like TALKING MACHINE WORLD, memos from the Edison, Victor, Zon-O-Phone, U-S Everlasting, and Columbia record companies, etc. Following the long intro are detailed encyclopedic articles (organized alphabetically): 100 artists with separate entries in the book include the American Quartet, Billy Murray, Ada Jones, Cal Stewart (Uncle Josh), Nat Wills, Steve Porter, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (other "jass" bands of 1917 covered, too), Paul Whiteman, George J. Gaskin, Carl Fenton, Sam Ash, Aileen Stanley, Henry Burr, the Peerless Quartet, Arthur Collins, Byron G. Harlan, the duo Collins and Harlan (separate entry--new info!), S. H. Dudley, Al Bernard, Edward M. Favor, Rudy Wiedoeft, Sousa, Walter B. Rogers, Vess L. Ossman, Sam Lanin, Bert Williams, Frisco Jazz Band, Olive Kline, J. W. Myers, Ben Selvin, the Green Brothers, Haydn Quartet (the quartet that sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for Victor), Marion Harris, Arthur Fields, Irving Kaufman, Will F. Denny, Frank C. Stanley, Nat Shilkret, Frank Ferera (did his wife and fellow recording artist Helen Louise die of foul play? she vanished during a ship voyage in 1919!), James Reese Europe (Jim Europe), Victor Military Band, Victor Light Opera Company, Werrenrath, Shannon Four (Revelers), Richard Jose...many more! Rare info here from descendants of the artists, from old letters sent to historian Jim Walsh (some never published by Walsh), from rare primary sources like birth & death certificates, from archives! This is the ONLY book that covers artists who, from the 1890s to the mid-1920s, made records of music that was "popular" in nature, as opposed to records of operatic arias, symphonic works, or concert pieces. A pre-electric method for recording was used, with musicians performing into a horn, not a microphone. This encyclopedia covers American artists who recorded Tin Pan Alley numbers, Broadway show tunes, ragtime, "coon" songs, novelty numbers, quartet arrangements, parlor ballads, early jazz (sometimes called "jass"), blues, dance music, hymns, and early country. This book makes a distinction between stage personalities who happened to make some recordings--when they found time in their busy schedules--and artists who made their living largely by recording regularly, perhaps finding a little time on the side for theatrical performances, vaudeville, or concert recitals. Few stars of the stage made records regularly, exceptions being Bert Williams, Nora Bayes, and Al Jolson--even their output is minuscule compared with that of Henry Burr, Harry Macdonough, Lewis James, Vernon Dalhart, Irving Kaufman, and others who, for a long time, earned a living by recording. Over 100 of these kinds of artists covered in detail, with info available nowhere else! This book has a GREAT INDEX if you want to look up specific records/songs.

Ian Svenonius has a unique, post-modern style. The idea of printing essays in a little pink plastic-covered book that you can carry around in your pocket is brilliant. The essays are entertaining, with some skewered observations that are ironic and paranoid at the same time. Think of this less as a book and more as a cultural artifact.

This book is incredible for many reasons.

First of all it's written by one of the brightest writers of this present generation.

The humor, insight, and politics are spot on.

It's all terrain cover and size make it perfect for trips or walks, or coffee shop.

I love reading it on the plane when I'm not looking out the window (in the dark), and laughing out loud waking up everyone around me.

I have bought at least ten copies for friends too.

Almost 300 pages and it's dirt cheap.

Only a fool would read this review or examine this page and not buy at least three copies.
Really, I'm not kidding.

An absolute must.

Vampirism, vodka and dialectical materialism are stimulating topics, but this set of essays reads like a half-baked dissertation written by a precocious over-medicated narcissist. Often verbose and incomprehensible--I highly recommend it. Notwithstanding, Mr. Svenonius' greatest work is executed on stage or in the format of an astrology column.

The Psychic Soviet is the first book about art--and rock 'n' roll in particular--that challenges the typical, tiresome narrative of triumphalism and self-congratulation that surround the usual, often idiotic, discussions of the culture's officially elected art-expressions.
It consists of nineteen essays. The title essay ("The Psychic Soviet") sets the stage for the ones that follow and is the most provocative perhaps. Addressing the fall of the USSR as a major world power, the author sets up the Cold War face-off as a latent expression of gender conflict and misogyny in a kind of planetary divorce feud. It claims that the CIA's victory in that "war" has resulted in the dangerous, imbalanced state of things now and the "cosmic depression" of a world gone mad. After that rhe chapters careen from subject to subject, explaining this and that phenomena. Of special interest are the chapters exploring vampirism's rarely discussed racial dimensions and the (possibly) exploitative cultural significance of consuming coffee, vodka and other beverages.
Another chapter suggests that rock 'n' roll was exploded into paradigmatic status by the ruling class as a proxy religion, replacing Christianity in order to enforce consumerism. The case made for this new "religion"--rock n roll -- aping its predecessor/competitor is unsettling. Some of these essays have been published previously; the chapter about DJs as stock brokers--called 'Mix-Master Race'--I'd read before in another publication. Still, it fits in this collection perfectly.
The binding struck me as very nice; no simple glue job. It also has a durable plastic cover that seems weatherproof and is embossed.
In case the user is confused, the book comes with instructions on how to use it, and who to share/not to share it with.
The last essay is what seems to be a tone-poem of some sort and ends with a blank space for a personal inscription. That is nice in case one wants to present it as a gift.
The book is by Ian Svenonius of the Drag City group 'Weird War.'

Yes, it can be read as a tract. But it's also high postmodernist satire with witty, well-informed writing about two subjects often taken far too seriously: politics and rock music. For instance, the essay on punk rock's origins in gay culture is dead on and very funny, refuting common myths about appropriation but also confronting the toxic effects of "popularity" on outsider music and outsider art -- without being boring.

Some of this reads like Chomsky if he had a sense of humor, and some of it so heavily ironic that it crosses over into profound truth, much as a karate black belt eventually fades into white. Of course, sometimes it's a short jump from Trotskyite to neoconservative (e.g. Christopher Hitchens), but Ian is his own construct, operating in a unique mental arena. There's a real purity of thought here that stays true to itself.

This is fun reading. Buy this book.