Genres Books

After years of being a devoted fan, Chris Heath's book changed my opinion of our Boys from the UK. "Literally" revealed the true side of the Pet Shop Boys.

In public, Neil is the verbal communicator and frontman while Chris is the silent mind behind the synthesizers! But in reality it's almost the opposite: Neil is quiet and reserve and Chris so outspoken, that he borderlines on being obnoxious!

The book reveals the Boys points of view on everything from their opinion of fans to what they think of Bryan Ferry.

The book was not as interesting as I thought it would be. A better book is the follow up book "Pet Shop Boys VS America.

What happens when you put two Englishmen, who just happen to be international pop stars, on a tour bus with forty-odd tech people, in a tour featuring movies, dancers, and a $200,000 wardrobe? You get the Pet Shop Boys, and their 1989 tour of Japan, Hong Kong, and Great Britain.

Sure, concerts are performed to rave reviews, parties are had, the artists are congratulated and much champagne is drunk. But below the surface, you've got squabbling roadies, the censors breathing down your backs, screaming fans at every turn, and two dancers who won't share a hotel room with one another because they each complain that the other one smells. Welcome to the life a pop star.

Heath's writing is excellent, as are the insights made into the lives of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the two Pet Shop Boys themselves. Witty, funny, and fascinating the whole way through. A captivating read from beginning to end! YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!

As an obsessive Pet Shop Boys fan I had to have this book and found it to be a great gossipy read. Even for non-fans it's quite the page-turner and gives great insight into what successful musicians have to go through whilst touring. It's amazing the PSBs let someone enter their midst and catch them in such unguarded moments without knowing whether the book would be complimentary or condeming. Heath side-steps such touchy issues as Chris and Neil's sexual orientation, their opinion of other pop stars and celebrities. Some of the stories had me screaming with laughter they were so funny. Yes, Neil does come off a being a bit bossy and a bit of a control queen and Chris does sound a bit demanding, but then again you have to be to be successful on your own terms. Chris Heath's writting is very witty, engaging and crisp, very British and a refreshing blast of fresh air when compared with other pop star bios.

"Literally" was written by Chris Heath, a long-time PSB collaborator, who also pens their fan letter of the same name. I'm a huge PSB fan, and reading this book was an excellent way to learn a little bit more about the boys. I greatly enjoyed "Literally" and think that other PSB fans will also.

First, the book is terribly funny. PSB act like spoiled rock stars at times and then seem like the most normal chaps you could hope to meet. This schism is appropriate for a group that writes and performs such complex music. We also learn a great deal about their creative process. For example, I had always assumed that Chris wrote the music and Neil wrote the lyrics, which apparently is not the case; instead, they seem to have equal say in developing songs. The boys also seem surprisingly principled and unwilling to bend their artistic choices for the sake of popularity and record company approval.

"Literally" covers their tour during for "Introspective" CD ("It's Alright" was released as a single in Britain during this time). The PSB were in their self-proclaimed "imperial period" - when everything they did went to #1 in the UK and top 10 in the US. However, times were clearly changing, especially with the proliferation of English boy bands during the 1990s. Neil and Chris riff on a number of British and American pop stars, and the fun is not diminished by the fact that many of these acts, such as Bros, are fairly unknown in the US. If anything, the fading of these untalented bands and the continuing (European) success of PSB documents that substance can win over style.

Although the book is a bit dated, it?s a terrific read. Most highly recommended for PSB fans.

This album is for the head banger. For the casual listener, there is no way in. But since this is about the book and not the album, here's a bow shot: There is no tablature in here. So if your skill lies in reading music, this is the place to go but don't expect any fret numbers laid out for you neatly to go home, have a few beers and play along. I doubt if Gilmour himself will be able to play along this stuff considering he cannot read music. Additionally, here's a bit of trivia for you. The outro solo on Pigs on the wing - Part 2, was crafted and executed by Snowy White and not David Gilmour, as is usually thought. In conclusion, this is one of PF's heaviest albums and worth learning to read notes to play the stuff. Have fun

RK

this cd is almost perfect...
Pigs on the wing.. almost makes me cry every time I listen to it..

Dogs is a 17 minute tour de Force.... All thanx to Waters...
Waters is god...
This is a great book... Gilmour's solos are great... But thanx to waters... ahhaha

I thought I'd save everyone the trouble and let you all know that this book does NOT have the popular Tablature format!
Otherwise, the book has a nice collection of photos and essays as well as the music in standard format.

The animals is not generally known for it's musical prowess. It was also admitted by the band that they needed something badly for a tour and threw in this material. While waters dominates the album's song credit, David Gilmour's contribution to it's music has not gone unnoticed. Dogs features some of David's best guitaring and of which he admittedly was very proud of. For him as well, It is not his normal run of the mill solo. Historically for Floydians, it is a track(the solo parts) that Waters accidentally erased and that Gilmour had to re-record. Anyway, It is subtle in the guitar sound and has a pace remniscent of Money, all the luscious signature Gilmour bends. Also sonically, It is an altered tuning that is tuned down a whole step on all strings. Pigs features some repetitive musical parts, the only musical highlight being the outro solo with good bass finishing things off. This solo is a good example of Gilmour's lyrical playing. Rarely does he move around in this solo between too many notes. Instead his attitude is compositional by just staying around a few notes riding it high with bends and vibrato. The two solos are a must for progressive guitarists and there is a lot of learning here in terms of feel and those huge bends. Sheep, not to metion, has some unusual guitar playing on it as well and is a great track and fantastic usage of biblical psalms by Waters. Lyrically, Roger has put George Orwell's Animal Farm to good use here and in Rock & Roll format. It is his lucid observation of the workings of society and the evils that go with it that makes Pink Floyd the band they are and worthwhile listening to.

I just got my copy of this and for the $8.50 that I paid for it I feel that I've gotten my money's worth, but I do have a few complaints although rather minor. First, that intro or sometimes called "Preamble" to "War Pigs" is suspiciously missing. But, on the plus side all of the other parts are intact including the solo section and outro. The intro to Iron Man has a slight error. Most transcriptions show the drum intro lasting 2 measures of 4 and then the guitar dive bomb comes in repeats on 1st beat of the 3rd measure and then repeats after 2 more measures and again and then the last time before the guitar riff starts there is one measure of 4 and one of 2 beats. Tedious though this may seem it is noticeable and unless I'm mistaken they've cut "Iron Man" one verse short. Still kind of fun but for learning Sabbath/Iommi riffs in greater detail I recommend the book by Troy Stetina where the songs are discussed in great detail and perfomed one section at a time at normal tempo and then at slow speed. Also they could've put tuning notes for standard tuning as well as the drop tunings (which Troy Stetina also does). It's still kind of fun to play along with if you already know the songs but not that great if you don't.

I ordered this book for my 10-year-old son who just began taking guitar lessons last month. Within one day he could play major sections of four of the songs. He is extremely pleased with this book! In case you are wondering which six classics are included in this book, they are: Iron Man, Paranoid, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Snowblind, Sweetleaf and War Pigs.

excellent learning tool . Loads of fun to play along with.

The best way to learn and play Sabbath songs. The tablature and songs are excellent quality and superbly transcribed! A must get for cover or tribute bands!

Gearoid O hAllmhurain is no stranger to any fan of Irish music. His is a household name among traditional fans all over both for his own concertina playing and his music history lectures. I first saw him in Ireland about 5 years ago giving a lecture on the Irish Famine. I was so pleased by what an easy and interesting introduction to the topic this book was that it became my Christmas stocking stuffer for lots of my friends. Both those who play and those who love to listen to the music.This new book was pretty light reading and yet the best introduction to Irish music in the context of powerful historical events, war, famine, colonalism, Michael Flattley and Lord of the Dance. It makes me long for a real full version from this author. Unlike Ciaran Carson's popular, Last Night's Fun, this book is substanative and educational, not just an entertaining jaunt through the musical pubs of one sessioneer.

Mr OhAllmhurain does a splendid job or recording the details of Irish musical history that have heretofore survived only through the oral recountings passed from generation to generation in Ireland's musical heartland of Clare.

As an American with a life-long love for Irish music - but short on real musical knowledge - I found this book a god-send. Like another reviewer I would like to see another book by Gearoid (However, I wish Irish people writing in English would not use the difficult Irish version of their names. I take it that Gearoid's name in English is good old Gerard O'Halloran, but I digress...) which treats the matters in more depth.

I was particularly impressed that the author, who obviously is highly qualified on the subject, does not fall into the trap of overwhelming us with academic lecturing and, most of all, is respectful to all shades of contribution in the living river of traditional Irish music. And a great river it is!

I read this book knowing little about Irish history and less about Irish traditional music. Having finished it I now know considerably more about both, but still don't know much about anything in any depth. This book is a wonderful primer, but it blows through several hundred years of history in 161 small pages. It is well written book and the connections made between historical events and the music that either recorded them lyrically or grew out of them (e.g., incorporation of various Scottish or Polish rhythms) are fascinating and done in a consistent manner.

This book is an excellent place to start in on this topic, but you'll finish wanting more.

"Power Of A Woman" is gripping in its wealth of detail. It makes me feel like I am in the midst of all the action. Of all the books I have read, this is the only one that makes me experience what it must have felt like to have lived during those troublesome and exciting times. Such a wonderful and exciting book! "Power Of A Woman" is more than just a book, it bring the people to life in a fresh, new way and contains a wealth of exciting information on its people and the times in which they lived. I highly recommened it to all who want a historically accurate book!

Lady Shirley Cassidy
Dublin, Ireland

"Power of a Woman" brings us an "autobiography" of Eleanor of Aquitaine that is accessible and entertaining! Eleanor was Medieval Europe's most interesting woman. In an age when women were considered a necessary evil, and expected to bear sons and be quiet, she defied tradition. She married two of the most powerful men in Europe, and birthed several more. She went on Crusade. She ruled vast territories. She created a definition of love that survives to this day. Telling her story in Eleanor's voice, Robert Fripp shows us Medieval Europe through her eyes: Crusades, wars, enmities, alliances, eternal subterfuge. Fripp's vision brings the very stones and glass of cathedrals and castles to life. History becomes a tapestry which Eleanor works, stitch by stitch. At eighty-one, she hasn't much time. We feel her urgency, the ache in her knees, the chill in her bones. Will she finish before she dies? Her sorrow of lost love, lost children, lost time is as real as the triumphs of her extraordinary life. Eleanor emerges as a woman of great wisdom, dearly won. A real woman, with a strong sense of her place in this life and the next. What a great read! This is so gripping. I got so totally caught up in this story one night that I woke up with images of Eleanor in my mind, and Kate Hepburn's voice in my ear. I love this story."

Reading this book aloud to my legally blind companion was
immensely fun and educational. We gained many details of Eleanor of Aquitaine's life which I feel other biographers missed, especially her deeply personal feelings around Thomas Beckett. We are brought to ponder Eleanor's emotions in many various contexts. I loved how [the author
explains] her relationship with Richard the Lion. And all so vividly expressed from the mouth of a very wise and passionate woman!

Through diligent research, and artful pen, Robert Fripp brings
Eleanor of Aquitaine to life. I am absolutely amazed at his stunning ability to know the heart of a woman.

"Power of a Woman" captures the moment in 1203 when the 80-year old
Eleanor of Aquitaine, near the end of her life and feeling mortal,
reflects on the life she has lived, and the loves and hurts she has
survived. To capture the essence of Eleanor, (queen of first France and
then England, mother of Richard the Lionheart and King John of Magna
Carta fame), the author has successfully parked his gender beside his
name on the title page and written Eleanor's memoirs through the mind of
this medieval woman.

Jane Rady Lynes, NY

like i stated for the other product directly related with this one. my skill has doubled in a matter of weeks

Tabs are very close to the actual way that Les Claypool plays his songs. Notations are a little difficult to remember, but they are the same throughout both anthologies and Sailing the Seas of Chesse (play it like it is) tab books so it isn't impossible to learn them quickly. Also be aware that a lot of the songs are played using a 6string bass (like old Les) and makes it difficult to get all of your money's worth out of it without first owning a 6string. Overall a great buy!

This book is a much needed explination of the insanity of Les Claypool's bass style. His slap bass style with bits of tapping, usually on a 5 string bass, occasionally fretless. I have been trying for years to decifer les's music, and now it's finally possible. worth every penny and every second of practice. This is perfect for any primus fan who is instrumental, but be warned, Les' music "is!" as hard to play as it sounds. Have fun.

Cherry Lane has now released transcriptions of the "Progressive Freak-Out Music" band Primus, divided alphabetically by song title into two volumes. (For those who didn't know, Cherry Lane published many other transcription books and instructional videos during the late 80's shred-guitar era.) Each song transcription includes the guitar lines and bass parts in both standard notation and tablature, as well as the lyrics and vocal melody. A time line of the band's history is included each book. Everything, note-for-note, is taken straight from the original albums. Though being a bass player, I mainly bought these books for the bass parts.

I was very, very pleased to see them feature many songs from the first two albums. Songs like "John The Fisherman", "Jerry Was A Race Car Driver", and "Tommy The Cat" were the ones that introduced me to Primus, and really intrigued me to sit down and learn how to play Claypool's parts. Though maybe some of the newer fans will be disappointed that the books do not include the South Park theme, or songs from the last couple of albums. Nevertheless, the thumb-slapping technique became extremely popular again for bassists around the early 90s, and Les Claypool (along with Flea, Robert Trujilio, etc.) had a lot to do with that. This brings me to the title of this review: why the heck they didn't print a Primus bass transcription book back then, when such a thing would be in its highest demand?

Les also used a variety of basses, including a 4-string with a whammy bar, 6-string basses, uprights, and fretlesses. He also used a variety of techniques other than slapping, such as left and right hand tapping, strumming, and three finger picking. But all the transcriptions seemed to have been faithfully done. (Though I did find tablature to be an odd inclusion for songs like Mr. Krinkle, which features a bowed upright bass! Where is this "third fret" he's supposedly hitting?) The only other thing I find odd is the lack of drum transcriptions. I like Larry Lalonde's guitar style, but let's face it: Primus is mostly known amongst musicians as a "bassist's and drummer's" band. Though maybe drummers aren't that big into transcriptions; I don't know.

I buy transcription books very rarely, but this is one that I've really been waiting for. That's probably what pushes me to give it 5 stars instead of 4. Sitting down with these books and my bass has been fun, a bit nostalgic, and challenging.

Tabs are very close to the actual way that Les Claypool plays his songs. Notations are a little difficult to remember, but they are the same throughout both anthologies and Sailing the Seas of Chesse (play it like it is) tab books so it isn't impossible to learn them quickly. Also be aware that a lot of the songs are played using a 6string bass (like old Les) and makes it difficult to get all of your money's worth out of it without first owning a 6string. Overall a great buy!

this sheet music just opened my eyes to how les claypool plays his songs. my skill has literally improved twice as much in a few weeks time.

this is a very good tab book. I love primus and that is probley why. You get 9 tabs or songs in one book. The songs are al popular primus songs. The thing to look at is if you are looking for a tab that you want to play it might not be the correct insterment. For example if your looking for a 4 string version of tommy the cat you wont find it here. Or if there is a banjo it will be a banjo not normal guitar. Overall this is a pretty good tab book. Make sure you like the songs on it before you buy it because this is the O-Z tab of primus and the other book is A-N.

This book is a much needed explination of the insanity of Les Claypool's bass style. His slap bass style with bits of tapping, usually on a 5 string bass, occasionally fretless. I have been trying for years to decifer les's music, and now it's finally possible. worth every penny and every second of practice. This is perfect for any primus fan who is instrumental, but be warned, Les' music "is!" as hard to play as it sounds. Have fun.

I first started listening to Queen back around 1987, having a copy of "The Game" that a cousin gave me. But it wasn't until 1992 that I became a fan, and I bought this book to learn about the band. It's got a lot of good information and pictures, and I recommend it to any Queen fan.

There is one aspect of the band that isn't touched on in the book, and that is their debauchery! Even though I've been a fan for almost 15 years, only recently did I learn that these guys were real hellraisers! I'd read a magazine article after "Innuendo" came out that mentioned the wild release party they held for it, but I had no idea how hard these guys partied. Sick and twisted!

But anyway, that one, minor, misgiving aside, I recommend this book. I wish there were more books available on Queen.

I bought this book back in 1992 when I first became a Queen fanatic. There are some great pictures and quotes, along with kind of an abbreviated history of the band. It concludes with a list of all of Queen's music releases up until 1992. It is a beautiful book that is well worth the money. You will look at it again and again.

This book brings you right along side the band and their legendary music. If you like queen, this is a must have for your library!

This Queen book is absolutely fabulous! It is perfect in nearly every way. It is basically a visual timeline of the band, from its subtle beginnings to its flashy end (or is it?). The pictures alone are worth the price, but the ingenius quotes from band members simply makes this one of the best Queen books available. Look for Freddie in his Superman shirt!

This is neither a "companion piece" nor a "tell-all" book. Equally, it is not a flimsy paperback stapled and glued together just in time for the band's next big tour. What Denise Sullivan does write (and write well, also) is much closer to an anecdote, a souveneir, a recalled event. She avoids the trite and passionless type of "rock'n'roll" review/expose we have to endure all the time and instead lets the reader get a glimpse not so much of the band REM, but of the people that REM exerted some influence on, or the people for whom REM mattered. Reading Sullivan's book, I am reminded of how one of my closest friends and I discuss REM -- from memory, from songs, from what has been happening in our lives. This book feels like a friend.

Unlike most "rock-n-roll" books which often pander to the lowest common denominator -- which usually is the author's own personal bias barely hidden in the text and most often the lens through which we are forced to watch the history of the band/singer unfold -- Denise Sullivan gives us something better, and frankly, more fun. "TATP" offers an original and fresh perspective on a very enigmatic yet familiar college - rock - alternative - mainstream - wacky - superstar band. This book is a must-have for both the fan and fanatic. The writing is well-done, the subject matter well-handled. While almost everyone's favorite REM song and/or album may change over time, this remains my favorite book on the band.

You can't get much better than this -- personal accounts of people who actually were there. There is just as much information to be found here as in _It Crawled from the South_. It proceeds chronologically with great detail, and feeds the REM-fact hungry reader just what he/she wants.

This book was excellent. It was great to get a history of what went on by people who actually were there.Recommendwd if you are a fan of Mr. Stipe and Co. or just interested in a the history of great music that shaped a scene.

This is a superb book. Its very well written and exceptionally well researched and thought through. Anyone who's interested in the work of Springsteen, Guthrie and Whitman or the liberatory potential of popular culture will find this book fascinating. I read it like a thriller - staying up all night.

Garman works from a rigorously principled political position which leads him to be very even handed in his assesment of the achievments and failures of the subjects of his study. This is no hagiography but it also has none of the self righteous contempt for the popular that infects so much cultural studies.

This is exemplary work.

Bryan Garman's book provides an indepth study of those singer-songwriters who, according to the author, follow in Whitman's footsteps. He analyzes Woody Guthrie and Springsteen's work thoroughly. The consideration of Guthrie's "hurt song" is fascinating. The author also makes a good case for expanding our horizons beyond the white male heterosexual dominant order. I was rather taken aback to learn that some of my old favorite English folk club singalong songs smacked of homoeroticism. In particular, we are told that Tom Paxton's "Rambling Boy" is "a love song that contains and expresses a homoeroticism that permeated the work of socially engaged artists from Whitman to Traubel, Hughes to Guthrie" (p 159). Gosh, I wonder what Paxton would say about that! I agree with Mr. Garman, however, that much of this New Left rhetoric marginalizes women. That is why folks like Ani Di Franco seem far more engaging and even revolutionary than Springsteen. A Race of Singers has proved an invaluable book for me as I prepare my PhD dissertation at a Spanish university. I recommend it to anyone studying contemporary folk music and its place in recent history.

Garman's analysis of Springsteen, Dylan, Guthrie, and Whitman is very provocative. Especially his insights into Springsteen and the way in which his music played off against (or was interpreted as being in sync with) Reagan's politics, and pop culture in the 80s, such as Rambo. Definitely a worthwhile read for someone who considers her or himself a fan of any of the aforementioned singers, or someone interested in an in-depth analysis of the politics of these singers.

As a cultural figure of the late 20th century Bruce Springsteen has long been admired as well as the object of derision in some circles. Garman's work places Springsteen in a context far removed from the fickle nature of fame. By linking Springsteen with Guthrie and with Whitman Garman allows us to appreciate Springsteen as far more than his icon status as "the boss", but rather as the latest in a long line of cultural critics who allow us to "hold a mirror up to nature" as Shakespeare had Hamlet say long ago. Garman's book is not just for an admirer of Springsteen, but also for anyone with an appreciation for social commentary and its long rich history in the US.