Genres Books

This is an immensely enjoyable book from a very talented regional historian!

Mark Opsasnick's fervent attention to detail is merged with a deep understanding of artistic and social forces that shaped rock music during the third quarter of the 20th Century. The result is a captivating account that is simply a delight to read and reread.

On the surface, Capitol Rock is a nostalgic, hybrid portrayal of the DC area's musical history: the people, the bars and clubs, the records and labels, songs, and most of all, the artists. On a deeper level, Opsasnick careful scholarship asks, "Why did these dissimilar artists make this new music? What were its roots? Why did people react so intensely?"

Unlike so many other books with an obvious thesis to grind, Opsasnick's presentation is literally in the rich details associated with the music and musicians. He avoids the intellectual posturing that dominates too many books about popular culture. Opsasnick simply gives you plenty of facts and lets you generate your own interpretation.

We need more from Mr. Opsasnick and more writers need to imitate his subtlety and comprehensiveness. In the mean time, also try Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman's American Popular Music from Minstrelsy to MTV, another very good book, though without the regional connections.

Essential and detailed history of the Washington DC music scene from the 50s into the 70s. A must-have for locals, but any music aficionado will enjoy this book; includes numerous details on many of the world's most renowned guitarists: Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Roy Clark, to name a few...This is my fourth Capitol Rock book - I keep giving them away to my friends and colleagues!

'Capitol Rock'is a treasure of memories for me, as Opsasnick, author, has painstakingly researched and documented the Washington DC music scene over a 25 yr. period.

Opsasnick provides facts about songs, musicians and clubs that are very personal to me. In the early 80's I did a little radio spot weekly and got to know Jerry Dallman who also had a spot. Until now, I was totally unaware of his major contribution to the 50's local music scene. More amazingly, I will never forget the original broadcast of the dance called "The Bug" that I watched on The Milt Grant TV show, and JUST learned from this book that Jerry wrote 'The Bug.'
Read about ALL the famous acts/artists Opsasnick lists who played at the Bladensburg Firehouse (WOW !!). Having grown up in PG County, it was thrilling to read about the history Opsasnick provided about the emergence (and demise) of each club.
There is even a chapter on my HERO, who many agree is the most talented AND influential drummer from DC's music scene.
What an awesome delight to read about the local musicians, many with whom I played, to follow chronologically, the migration of bands with whom each played, and to see who have become household names.
Opsasnick provides addresses, current and old, of many of the DC and MD clubs. This allows the reader to visit 'Stricks' (as I did) to see where artists like Patsy Cline, Jimmy Dean, Roy Clark, etc held house gigs.
I'm fortunate to have gotten to know the author, and it is clear, learning how he does his research, that what he writes IS accurate.
Thank you Mark Opsasnick for providing this beautiful snap shot of a very exciting time when hillbilly music spawned rock'n'roll and in turn, rock.
Thank you for the 'whole' story. From the teenagers who learned to sing, play guitar and drums for the teen club dances, grow up and settle down, to the ones who developed their craft and made a name for themselves, this book immortalizes them.

Opsasnick spent countless hours in libraries poring over old newspaper nightclub ads and interviewing musicians involved in Washington D.C.'s very vibrant rock and roll scene. The book covers 1953-1976 and includes several interviews with such notables as Nils Lofgren(now in Springsteen's band)and Jack Casady (bassist w/Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna). Also covered are some genuine guitar heros such as Roy Buchanon,Danny Gatton,John Fahey,Roy Clark,and the incomparable Link Wray , as well as scores of other bands.
Evidently the DC area was a real hotbed of clubs and talent, especially in the Prince Georges County area,although the M.L.King assassination riots began to put the nail in the coffin for a lot of venues. The book concludes with the advent of the punk and new wave scene (Slickee Boys, Bad Brains, etc)and has some succinct decriptions of these bands , too. My only complaint is that this book could really really have used an index at the end!!
Hey, kids, did you know that Led Zeppelin played at the Wheaton Youth Center in January 1969?...that the'Milt Grant Show' predated "American Bandstand' as the first television rock show in 1956? Find out this stuff and more with 'Capitol Rock'!

To say that Paganini was ahead of his time is an impossible understatement: we still haven't caught up with him 200 years later. He broke all the rules: parallel octaves, chromaticism, major/minor modulations seemingly at random, etc. etc. This book does a great job of transcribing these amazingly difficult passages. They're HARD, and there's no substitute for practice. Get to work!

Caprices and Etudes for Solo Violin by Nicolo Paganini, Henryk Wieniawski

If, you are looking for a better performance in your bowing, and all the color in your violin, adquire this Book. The level is high and you need to be patient and practice to raise the correct level. I like the book, because has a good presentation, some notes about how perform some passages and the best of all, are three books on one book, The 24 Caprices, The E'cole Moderne(Wieniawski), and 8 Wieniawski Etudes.

Technically challenging and excellent for practice. Caprices are essentially very difficult excercises. Paganini dedicated the caprices to the "artists" and the sonatas to the "amateurs".

An informative and enjoyable guide to Britains popular comedy series that is full of everything you wanted to know about the carry on films and probably more. Intelligent and witty, this offers a critical guide to all 31 carry on films which comes complete with facts behind the scenes of the film, the best scenes in that particular film, best actor/actress and shared memories from the cast. Lovley photographs throughout from stills of the film as well as cast and publicity shots. As well as an informative guide to the films it also offers a faultless guide of the t.v series that began in the late sixties and every stage production of the carry on phenemonan. A must have for any serious Carry On fan. Very enjoyable. Recommended!

An informative and enjoyable guide to Britains popular comedy series that is full of everything you wanted to know about the carry on films and probably more. Intelligent and witty, this offers a critical guide to all 31 carry on films which comes complete with facts behind the scenes of the film, the best scenes in that particular film, best actor/actress and shared memories from the cast. Lovley photographs throughout from stills of the film as well as cast and publicity shots. As well as an informative guide to the films it also offers a faultless guide of the t.v series that began in the late sixties and every stage production of the carry on phenemonan. A must have for any serious Carry On fan. Very enjoyable. Recommended!

This great carry on companion is a great addition to any fans collection. It features all 31 of the carry on films and also biographys of the cast and crew. It's such a great price too, one that any fan can afford. Also there is a behind the scenes section where you find out information on the stars lives outside of the carry on circle. This is a must for any carry on fan and i recommend you buy it today.

An informative and enjoyable guide to Britains popular comedy series that is full of everything you wanted to know about the carry on films and probably more. Intelligent and witty, this offers a critical guide to all 31 carry on films which comes complete with facts behind the scenes of the film, the best scenes in that particular film, best actor/actress and shared memories from the cast. Lovley photographs throughout from stills of the film as well as cast and publicity shots. As well as an informative guide to the films it also offers a faultless guide of the t.v series that began in the late sixties and every stage production of the carry on phenemonan. A must have for any serious Carry On fan. Very enjoyable. Recommended!

Im actually in a production of this play right now, and theres only one thing better than listening to the cd, and its seeing it! I highly recommend this and my other favorite Schwartz show Godspell. My favorite song is "The Wasteland" not because thats my solo, but because its a brilliantly written piece of music.

I saw the actual play 2 times and loved it both times granted i saw it at my high school with our own cast performing it. But the songs were still awesome and that intern inspired me to purchase the CD, Some of my favorite songs are :"In Pursuit of Excellence", "The Wasteland", "Spark of Creation", "The Naming", "Generations", "Ain't it good", "The Perfect Day", "Piece of Eight" well lets just say that i loved them all. Stephen Schwartz is an absolute GENIOUS! TINA GONZALES,JEFF GWALTNEY,CHRIS CAUSEY,COLT CLARK,CHELSEY STONE,BRICK STONE, KRISTEN NASH and ESPECIALLY ERIN SMOOT ARE AWESOME! NOT TO MENTION MRS. REEDER, MRS. ATKINSON, MRS. HANCOCK, AND MR.McCUTCHEON (THE DIRECTORS)

Like most of Schwartz's published music, the selections included in this collection are scored well for voice and keyboard alone. The vocal line in never interpolated into the accompaniment figure, allowing the pianist to have much more fun than is often the case with coma-inducing boom-chick reductions. Because of this, the aspiring pianist may have a more difficult time reading the music than his/her trained counterpart, but none of the music should prove overly demanding for anyone who has seriously studied the instrument. The music feels great under the fingers, and-as is the case with most of Schwartz's scores-proves to be a good study in rock/pop pianism.

The ever-popular "Lost in the Wilderness" is scored a whole step lower than the original show key (here it is in G Major). The vocal ornamentation at the end of the "Lost" bridge isn't written out and there are several places in "Stranger to the Rain" where the music director of the cast album allowed vocal liberties that are not represented in the printed music (whether or not you like them we can assume that they weren't Mr. Schwartz's ideas). All in all a good a good source of material.

The Children of Eden vocal selections are wonderful. If you haven't heard the music, make sure you do - it's some of the greatest ever. My only complaint is that the selections left out some of the best songs, namely "Generations."

First, I would like to set the author info straight, Harry Stephens was NOT the Editor of this work, but the AUTHOR.

I received this as a gift and it took me a long time to listen to it. After months, while on a camping trip, I finally popped it into the tape player in our car (what more perfect time for a ghost story!) It was shorter than most audiobooks and the family enjoyed the format, more like a radio show than a book reading.

Since listening to it, I have passed it on to friends to enjoy. I would definitely recommend this audiobook for family and friends. A perfect gift for the holidays, no matter when you decide to celebrate!

This story is so heart-warming. You will enjoy it as well as your family. Sit around the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and listen to it. It will touch your heart and bring a tear to your eye! This is truly one of those "FEEL GOOD" stories anyone would enjoy at any time of the year.

I am a bzzzagent listening to AUDIOBOOKS and recently received CHILDREN OF THE CANDLELIGHT. This would be a lovely book to listen to with your children, ages 8 on up, around the holidays. I can imagine families listening together in the car on long trips, on the way to and from school or while decorating and baking for the holidays. It is a tear jerker so beware if listening in the car if the driver is sentimental.

A sweet and hear warming story bound to bring families close together.

This is a wonderful Christmastime ghost story and completely different from anything I have heard before. Instead of being used as objects to incite fear or horror, these ghosts are portrayed with gentleness and compassion, and used to beautifully illustrate the need for love and companionship in every human family, and the longing for closure after a tragedy. At only 90 minutes, it is easy to listen to in one sitting, and it has just the right balance of mystery and action to keep you interested without being frustrated. So get comfortable, turn off the phone, and enjoy this wonderful book.

This is a GREAT book for students studying Chopin! As a recent student myself, I wish I would have had this book for general information on Chopin, his life, and his works. The book is laid out in a simple format, making easy for anyone to use. It goes into the styles of his songs and what made them unique. It also includes a CD which the book tells you what and how to listen for things that are specifically Chopin. This book is a must-have for any student studying or performing the works of this master of the piano.

Pair a full-length classical cd from the classical music publisher Naxos with a book surveying Chopin's biography and influences and you have the perfect introduction to Chopin - and a pick recommended not just for public library holdings, but for schools seeking to introduce students to Chopin. Descriptions of his works, styles, and diversity come from a New York-based critical music writer whose addition to the 'Unlocking the Masters' series provides newcomers with a most accessible way of understanding Chopin's music.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

These small books from Amadeus concentrate on one composer, one of the masters. In these books a brief biography (25 or so pages) set the tone for a discussion of the man's music. In the case of Chopin, this can be summed up as a case of being considered a musical genius at a very early age, followed by increasing fame as a composer even as he was spending years dying from tuberculosis.

In the sections on the music, an expert author describes what the best consensus of our time is saying about the works. In the case of Chopin these are broken down into the types of works: Etudes and Preludes, Music for Piano and orchestra, The Waltzes, The Nocturnes, The Sonatas, Patriotism and Tragedy: The Polonaises, Individual works, The Impromptus and Scherzos, The Mazurkas, and The Ballades.

A CD included with the book contains fifteen complete compositions of Chopin's works. Having the CD with the book means that the author can refer to the music in his writing knowing that you will have exactly the music he is discussing. This is a great concept that adds imeasurably to the book.

Amadeus Press has filled a underserved niche in the classical music literature with these marvelous little guides to the great composers and their greatest compositions. They fill the gap between the highly detailed, scholarly volumes of the lives of the great composers ... and the too-superficial tiny guides that offer too little program notes on the music or the composer. It gives you a compelling "play-by-play" description of each composition without venturing into musicology that would lose a beginner. The entire series is extremely well written and make a great guides to new discoveries. It should appeal to beginners as well as classical veterans alike. This Chopin volume is proving to be a valuable guide as I explore in depth Chopin's music and the great performances on disc.

Every major category is covered in satisfying depth to give you solid understanding of what is behind each work - and what in particular is historically and musically significant in them. ALl major works are covered: the lilting Waltzes .. the pensive and sometimes turbulent Nocturnes ... the weighty Sonatas, Scherzos and Ballades ... the delicate miniatures ... the amazing early piano concertos ... the showpieces, Etudes, Preludes and even the few chamber pieces of Chopin are explored to reveal many curious historic details.

This volume on Chopin makes for compelling reading and is one of the only modern volumes of program notes on the piano music of Chopin I could find. The number of works covered is large and satisfying with enough detail to give you a deep appreciation of the significance, musical structures and impact of each work. In a way, it reads much like program notes in a CD, but covering the entire range of Chopin's life and works. Other reviews below outline the range covered. The volume, supplemented by classic volume like Schonberg's "Lives of the Great Composers" should give a high quality education to the music of Chopin. This book includes a Naxos CD containing performances by Idl Bieret which gives a quality intro to Chopin, but some listeners will surely want to explore the great Chopin performances of pianists like Rubinstein, Horowitz, Kissin, Perahia, Argerich and many others. Bottom line: these "Unlocking the Masters Series" are a great investment to deepening one's appreciation that will not go out of style any time soon. 5 stars.

i've never thought getting this would be beneficial since there are tons of free resource on the net, but i was wrong. better arrangement, more detail, it's just better for learning and playing. again i'm an beginner, but i like this book so much. chopin all the way!

This is an excellent book from Schirmer's Chopin collection "Complete ...", in this case "... Preludes, Nocturnes and Waltzes". Really amazing collection of Chopin's master pieces. This book worths every cent you invest in it.

Carefully transcripted and correctly analysed in both tonal and expression matters this sheet music Chopin collection covers the needs of both the experienced and the amateurs pianists.

This book is an excellent value with offerings suitable for the intermediate to advanced player. A wonderful opportunity to add these selections to your music library. The book itself is about 245 pages it stays open easily on my music stand. The pages are large and printing is dark.

I noticed a copy of this book at the local music store while I was searching for "the Advancing Guitarist - by Mick Goodrick" and "Chord Chemistry - by Greene".
As many already know, the Advancing Guitarist and Chord Chemistry are premier guitar chord books that have stood the test of time.

The Chord Factory by Jon Damian, is an outstanding book and is on par, with the best. Jon's method of teaching is ideal. His style of writing does not come off as the "know-it-all" style where the author attempts to pack as much technical detail into the book as possible.
Jon teaches the reader through this book and teaches him/her the theory and practical construction/application of guitar chords.
This book will set a strong foundation for students of the guitar who desire a solid understanding of the instrument.

Kudos to Jon for writing such an excellent book!

With this, his second book, Jon has once again put into print what hundreds of current (and former, like myself) students have always known: guitar is an infinite and fun jigsaw puzzle that, if approached with openness and mindfulness, can provide a lifetime of challenge and joy. his humor, articulation and broad range of cross-medium influences inform and enliven this book; to not purchase could leave a hole in your six-string sky!

I've been playing guitar for about 30 yrs and I'm always looking for new books to spark some creativity and improve my playing. When I say I've bought a lot of guitar/music books over the years...that's an understatement...from Greene to Goodrick and everything in between,... and can honestly say this book along with Jon's first book, are two of the most important and useful books you will ever get. Seriously...I've read 'em all and these 2 books by Jon Damian are special. If you like Wayne Krantz(like me)...or Bill Frisell...or Jim Hall, this book will put you on the fast track....not many... if any, other books I've come across can do this. Jon is a fantastic teacher....that in itself is priceless...combine that with the information in this book and you have gold my friends. Think about what you pay for one guitar lesson....this book is worth that many times over....this is a no-brainer...BUY IT.

Jon Damian did it again. Six years after his great first book, he created a book about chords. Again it's full of great ideas, lessons and highly motivational - and, as is the first book - full of Jon's great sense of humor so often missed in the "jazz world". But this book is definetely not only for jazz guitarists, but for guitarists of all styles and levels. Everyone can learn from this book.
It's a DIY-book of some special sort. Jon delivers ideas and starting points, the rest is up to us students - I prefer this method over 1000- page- Chord- bibles, where you don't have to think.
The book is about music and discovery and about our love for the guitar AND full of great-sounding chords. So, buy it, sharpen your pencils and get started in the Chord Factory to build your own chord dictionary.
Both of Jon's book and Mick Goodrick's books are "for the island" - lifetime study material....

This is a great book from a person's point of view regarding many of my favorite bands. I am not completely done reading it but I like it so far.

This book is amazing. You want to know about female artists in the indie/punk scene? Read this book. This book has tons of information on every female artist in the underground. It's fabulous and well-written and is a good read. I didn't think that I would read this book all the way through, and would just read the chapters about artists that interested me, but I ended up reading it from cover to cover and loving it all the way. I learned so much from this, the background of the groups, stories about the girls, tons and tons of stuff. If you want to know more and read a really great book, I definitely recomend this!

Raha's book is pretty good but has some flaws nevertheless. The author seems to be too harsh on non-indie musicians, as if nothing of any worth has ever come from any of them.
Also, she seems to be trying to write objectively, but her opinions and tastes come through in her writing sometimes. Just as an example, she doesn't seem to be too fond of Bikini Kill's music(maybe that's just my impression but she seems to feel the need to justify their technical flaws, despite the fact that they weren't any worse than many bands in this book, let alone in punk in general, and the fact that technical aptitude is far from being extremely important in punk. There seem to be some omissions as well, among them neglecting to mention how Mia Zapata of the Gits died and how it affected the community. Still, if that's in order to concentrate on her life instead of her death, then omitting the information was a good decision.
Despite all its flaws, the book is very informative and serves as a great testament to some of the amazing punk/indie women of the past and present, who, despite their talents, efforts(in many cases both musical and activist) and influence, constantly get overlooked in most punk/indie chronicles.

Readers interested in punk rock music in general and women's contributions to the genre in particular will relish Cinderella's Big Score: Women Of The Punk And Indie Underground, a tribute to punk rock's female artists. Maria Raha works for Spin and Vibe magazines: her focus on the U.S. and English punk rockers of the 1970s and 80s details how women influenced groups of the times, and beyond. Recording history influence and background blends with details on the lives and contributions of major female musicians and groups.

An outstanding script from an outstanding musical.

When I saw it in London many years ago, the production's days were already numbered, even though the house was packed and the audience in raptures. I could not understand why it was not a massive hit. I still can't.

I already had a cd of the music; it's good to relive the twists and turns of the plot and the hard-boiled wisecracks.

If you never saw it on stage, you really missed out. A must for fans of detective fiction, film noir or just good music.

I first heard of City of Angels after hearing Anthony Warlow's recoridng of 'You're Nothing Without Me'. I bought the CD to hear more from the musical. I instantly fell in love with the soundtrack, then sought the libretto to find out what happens in between.

As soon as I started reading this, i couldn't put it down. I had no idea what to really expect, and it's the first book that i've laughed out loud while reading.

In this book, you get Larry Gelbart's words and David Zippel's lyrics. The best way to compliment this book is to also get the OB Cast Recording to really get a feel for Cy Coleman's wonderful music.

Not to be confused with the recent Cage/Ryan flick, this book is the libretto of a little-known musical with music by Cy Coleman ("Sweet Charity", "The Life"), book by Larry Gelbart ("A Funny Thing...", "Tootsie"), and lyrics by David Zippel (Disney's "Hercules" and "Mulan"). "City of Angels" won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Musical and is the story of a detective novelist named Stine and the perils he encounters while trying to adapt his novels for the silver screen. In the play, scenes about Stine (in color) are juxtaposed with scenes about his private-eye creation, Stone (in black and white). Besides building some genuine film noir detective-mystery suspense, the musical offers an insightful commentary on how art imitates life, and vice versa. Unfortunately, one misses out on the marvelous jazz-infected music that accompanies the adventures of Stine and Stone if one merely reads the libretto, so grab a copy of one of the cast recordings (Broadway or London) as well!

When City of Angels premiered on Broadway in 1989, it ran for fewer than 1000 performances. When you read this libretto, which you absolutely must do if you like musical theatre at all, you'll wonder why it isn't running today. The book is full of wit, and is incredibly funny and biting as it satirizes Hollywood movie-making. The stage directions keep you fully abreast of what's going on (even if you've never seen a show), and they allow you to easily keep track of where the action is happening. The only thing missing from this wonderful volume is, of course, the great music that goes with the song. All the more reason to buy the OCR of the show and listen to it at the same time! City of Angels is a great musical, and one you'll enjoy reading (and listening to!) time and time again.