Composers Books

Anyone who considers himself a Dylanophile needs this book. It's incredibly rare, as it was printed in a tiny first printing (about 1,000 copies) and the publisher failed soon after. But a Dylan collection isn't complete without it. Engel writes from a lifetime's research. It's a shame he doesn't reprint his book elsewhere.

I grew up on the Mesabi Range within 25 miles of Hibbing, Dylan's boyhood home. I've been a fan of his for 26 years. This is the definitive book on his early years. Full of photographs, some never before published, this book covers all aspects of his youth...his faith, his family, his town, his friends, and how he grew into who he became. Delightful reading for the true Dylan freak!

An excellent guide for a road trip, or pilgrimage to Hibbing. It gives a lot of information on the history of Hibbing and its culture. Also quite a bit more info on Dylan's childhood and family history than I have seen anywhere else, including numerous photos. Picked it up on New year's Eve afternoon last year, devoured it overnight, and on New Year's Day--at 4a.m.--left for Hibbing and felt as if I had been there before when I got there and "watched the sun come rising from that little Minnesota town." Found all of the Dylan sites listed with the help of the book, but should have picked a better day. (Zimmy's was closed, the Dylan museum was closed, and it was rather chilly to be wandering around old Hibbing.)

Think of it as a highly detailed tour guide to Dylan's Hibbing, whether or not the reader actually goes. Adds a lot of weight to references in songs like North Country Blues, etc.

George Strait, the original country "hat act" is the subject of this new biography by Jo Sgammato. The story begins in his early days from his hit album, Strait Country, to the present. Strait has been at the top of the charts for sixteen years, a rarity for most country stars. I have been a fan of his for many years and was very excited when the book "Keepin' It Country," was announced. This book is must reading for all of his fans. As Barbara Mandrell sings, "I was county when country wasn't cool." This is also true of Strait the country sensation who never performs without his hat.

I really enjoyed this book. It gave good back-ground information on the singer and the person.

I love this autobiography of George Strait. It is the first book I have read about him. It gave great detail to his life and his music. I am waiting for another book about him to come out. he is so interesting and a true country singer.

Even if you've read all the other Kiss books, you still need this one. I'd say along with Gene Simmons' Kiss and Make Up autobiography, this is my favorite Kiss book ever. DETAILS about the recording and times of the original line up in this book are OUTSTANDING. Album by album, song by song, member by member, this book has the stuff a total KISS freak like me could only dream of.

I read a lot of the passages in the KISS Album Focus when it was an online feature of the old KISS Asylum site. I loved the stuff then, I love it now. In terms of sheer volume of information, this is probably the most comprehensive KISS book on the market. The truths behind some well-known KISS myths are explored (debunking many in the process). Julian Gill, who put this together, is obviously a knowledgable and dedicated KISS fan. The amount of effort involved in compiling this must have been staggering.

It's just too bad that what is otherwise a very handy KISS reference is marred by awful (perhaps non-existant) copyediting. The spelling and grammatical errors, while numerous, can be overlooked. But what really hurts this book is the lack of organization and editing/trimming. For a book of more than 500 pages to have NO index is a crime. While having the chapters arranged in chronological order helps, it is still extremely difficult to quickly find information.

And as for the length - although this book seems impressive at 500 pages, it doesn't need to be that long. While the KISS Album Focus is definitely comprehensive, it can also be repetitive. A lot of information is repeated, sometimes in the course of a single page. This book, despite the title, could really have used more focus.

That being said, I still highly recommend this book to any true KISS fan who wants to dig deeper into the group's history than the usual Gene Simmons/Paul Stanley PR puffery. You find out who played on what songs; you get the stories behind all the albums from the original makeup era; you get a nice, detailed look at all the stuff the members did before KISS. In short, this book (along with KISS & Sell, Black Diamond, Behind the Mask, and KISS Alive Forever) is essential for any KISS Army recruit.

Finally you get an overview of who played what on which songs! It may get some KISS fans mad that not all members play on every song, or in some instances, outside players were used (Dick Wagner, Anton Fig, Steve Ferris, Robin Ford, Bob Kulick) and so on... It's an ejoyable read for someone who is a major fan and gives insight into what was going on in the band at each phase. Nice bios on solo stuff by Ace & Peter, plus general bios on each member involved in the 1972-1982 timeframe. The author is abviously a huge fan, but doesn't sugarcoat the dirt!

This book starts out with relatively easy 4th's and 5th's exercises to get you accustomed to some of the intervals Larry uses in his work. For exercises they sound amazingly good. It then progresses to a step by step analysis of one of his more chordally involved pieces which will take you a while to fully absorb due to the complexity. I'd recommend a very patient approach and playing the CD while following along with the music to thoroughly know the piece before attempting to play it. From there it moves on to another interesting piece employing 'Turkish Finger style' technique. I could explain the whole book but in a nutshell what this book is is a way to experience a shot of Larry's guitar(music) trancendance. It's not easy. In fact it's quite difficult because there's nothing easy about his approach to the instrument. Somehow he consistently manages a greater than the sum of the parts result which is the true measure of a music genius regardless of musical category. This book might not be for everyone but for me, it was a work of art.

This book is intended to the intermediate to advanced player.Reading the text and playing the scores will put you on a new dimension of jazz music.

Larry Coryell's Power Jazz Guitar: Extending Your Creative Reach is a straightforward "how-to" instructional guide strongly recommended for anyone seeking to learn the rhythm and joy of playing true jazz guitar music. Chapters include musical scores, descriptions of the music's moods and nuances, instructions on using special finger styles, and much more. An accompanying CD contains the lively jazz scores and lessons to better demonstrate and perform the music! If you aspire to proficiency on the jazz guitar, begin with a careful reading of Larry Coryell's Power Jazz Guitar, and practice along with the lessons on the "user friendly" Larry Coryell's Power Jazz Guitar compact disk.

Great conditon and very efficiant on the delievery. We thank you for the wonderful conditon of this book. Pleasently surprised!

A GREAT book! It has great pictures, appendices, and tells all the facts about the greatest band ever!

This is a must for every Led Zeppelin fan. It's chock full of information about the individual members and the group experience. It's well written and has enough illustrations to keep the photog fanatics contented.

This is a wonderful and amazing book on so many levels. I remember when I was trying to get ahold of this book there was an original printing that contained three huge wolumes, it was very expensive, then I saw that there was an updated version in one single volume. It's not easy to find a copy of this book but if you can get one check it out. Aside from listening to his music the only other true way to get to know this wonderful man and his family is through their letters to one another. Anderson does a wonderful job leaving the letters as they were written, and giving the reader helpful footnotes along the way. This book is very thorough and a great read. I would say it is for someone who wants a great deal of detail about mozart's life and times, in his words. I think this is in some ways better than a biography about Mozart, even though there are some great ones out there. This is the closet thing to an autobigraphy of mozart as there can ever be. Sadly, after the death of his father in 1787, Mozart lost his main contact, so we don't always know his day to day activities as we were able to get before then, especially the last three years or so of his life. But to read some of those letters to his wife constanza, or to puchberg, who was helping him again and again with his finances, to me are just heartbreaking. Why is it no one in his time was able to see this man as the unrivaled musical genius he really was??? Through this book we learn about his fears and flaws, his likes and dislikes and the things that were happening during each year of his life. The letters between Mzt and his father are very insightful, whether they are arguing with one another or praising one another. Even though this is a much longer and harder read than a biography might be, the author is the Mozart family, so there is really no way for the book to be biased as an author might tend to be in some areas. Have I said enough to convince you yet??? Go and get this book if you truly love Mozart and want to see him as he really was.

The letters make one feel present throughout Mozart's life. One sees Mozart as a human being,loving and pious but also sometimes mean and petty. I looked for this book for years ( I considered borrowing it from the library and "losing it") and finally found it through the publisher, St Martin Press.Good appendix and notes makes this an indispensible for the Mozart lover.

This is a much admired and beloved labor of love. Mozart wrote words like he wrote music: full of lively play and energy. His "naughty" letters to his cousin are especially wonderful! How do you translate a long string of nonsense syllables from German nonsense into equivalent English nonsense? Emily does it! And she handles the prolific scatological references in robust 18th century style (no Victorian gloves for Emily!) This should not be out of print, but it is. Please let me know if you find a copy.

At 228 pages long, including the index, this looks like a good introductory book on Mahler. As part of a series called "Musical lives" the reader would be further inclined to believe this is an introductory work.

But let the reader beware: this little book is much bigger than it looks. Peter Franklin wanted to be certain that his book would not fall into some of the preconceptions established by so many earlier works. Thus, he is very careful to put his remarks in the context of the times, carefully explaining the intellectual, sociological, and political climates that played a role in how Mahler saw himself, and how the world saw him and his music.

To provide an example of this approach: three of the chapter titles are: "Becoming a musician in Vienna" and "Imperial and royal (Nature and the city)." and "Alma's Mahler." So what you get in this book is not a simple chronology of Gustav Mahler's life, but a look at his life with constant references to psychological influences, and the changing worlds that Mahler lived in. Perhaps it was the diversity of the cities and countries where Mahler conducted (and their political climates) that explains why his own compositions were adored in some parts and ridiculed in others.

Be advised that this is not a book for Mahler beginners. It sometimes requires an effort to keep in mind the attitudes and conventions being tied in to the events in Mahler's life. To try to explain the life of a musical genius in relation to the many worlds he lived in is certainly no small task. But then this is a BIG little book!

This biography is an excellent introduction into the life of the composer Gustav Mahler. The creative process of his symphonies and his relationship with his wife, the free-spirited Alma, is revealed in great detail, and Franklin avoids any declaration of opinion, forming assumptions through thorough research. And the research comes from reliable resources (Alma's diaries, Mahler's letters, Bauer-Lechner's accounts), and Franklin is clear when the resource may not be all-together reliable.

I particularly appreciated the way he handled the hot topic of the detrimental relationship between Mahler and Alma. He claims that the uneasy marriage is due to the fault of both. Mahler wanted Alma to be an ideal wife, but she desired to be free. Some could say that she was an early feminist, but Franklin doesn't make that assertion. The reader is left to form his own opinion.

The storytelling is often very lucid simply by the careful arrangement of primary accounts, be they newspaper articles, memoirs, letters or diary entries.

The book is not a threatening size, but the content is not something that can be absorbed all in one sitting. Two-hundred pages probably isn't enough to explain all of Mahler's life, but I believe everything of general import is mentioned in this book and analysis is thorough and journalistically sound.

The first glance of this biography told me that what I was about to read was an incredabley detailed and devoted branch of modern, biographical literature (warning, have some prior basic knowledge of Mahler before reading!) Dr. Franklin has certainly shined in this exploration, which cerculates the success of a once dreamy, inspirational child, who became a more practical intellectual both as a composer and conducter. The relationships between Mahler's life and his music are forefronted amongst a variety of primrary and secondary sources, including people most close to the impatient, hot-tempered perfectionist, contrasted with those who simply try to interperate his ideas. The course of development is fine-tuned, also, with several illustrated sources, indicating the places where Mahler had worked and their significances. Within this course embodies the causes and effects of his ideas. Austria-Hungary was riddled with anti-semites, which affected Mahler in more ways than one. Vienna, deaths, modernists, religion, nature, nationalism, and other aspects are explored due to their effect, making this exceptional innovator the eclectic, liberal idealist he would increasingly become. These aspects are brought to us honestly and without bias, which is one of Franklins' great assests. The biography is backed up extensively by quotes, especially from the accounts of de La Grange and auxiliary versions. An introduction prepares the reader with Franklin's task throughout the book, accompanied by the usual notes and useful aids, especially for readers wishing to pursue their interests towards other texts.
The special aspect of theis book is the story being told as it was, with the relationships between Mahler and his wife, the people he worked with, friends, family, and even counter-examinations, where no bias lies. The criticisms are presented to us as well as more valuable accounts recording Mahler's abnormal personality in a way in which we can truely get to grips with this man's philosophy, stringing his ideas in juxtaposition and calculating his aims and methods of going about them. If you like song, dance, long and flowing melodies and richly expressive harmonies, then you will certainly take to the nine symphonies of Mahler. Mahler's sense of colour ranks with the great masters of orchestration, and the spirit of song permeates his art, taking inspirations from cultures of countries like China, with the poems of Li Po. You can learn much more about his sources of inspiration, the times in which he composed, and how those times affected Mahler throughout this biography. Franklin brings forthe descriptions and induces two-way notions to get the reader thinking about these sources, as well as picturing Vienna at the turn of the century and the changing, post-romantic era.
Mahler's life is remarkable, and Peter Franklin has clearly gone to trouble not to offend the person that he was and became, acknowledging the borders that shield wrongs lines of thought. For example, Mahler's wife (Alma) insists "a person should remain a 'person' and not be frozen into a legend, turned into an insufferable plaster-bust". Although we tend to think of composers as slightly odd, abnormal and completely different to ourselves, we must remember that they're still human beings. Franklin injects other points which back this up, touching on Mahler's love for nature and spirit, as well as art, love and religion. I have presented enough of the core elements of the biography, and so what is left is to declare the book as an excellent portrayal, using a variety of techniques in order to capture Mahler the Musician, and the real Mahler, whom always questioned the relationship of his life and his music. The book tends to display thoughts of irony, especially about Mahler's death, and would suit any musicain wishing to broaden thier philosophical answers to why we, and issues like those in Mahler's competitive life, exist. Indeed, any philosopher with enough scape to facilitate a focussed examination of a famous composer would find this biography useful. The book, however, does tend to be slightly uneasy about its purpose (in relation to two major preoccupations which are induced by two statements highlighted in the introduction). Franklin acknowledges this, and says there lies a knot of wide "interrelated issues concerning notions about 'art' and 'genious' and the ways in which they were mediated in the individual experience and in public creative activity in nineteenth-century Europe". That does not mean, though, that one can't interperat Franklins' notions; I found that the concepts of the string of issues formed neater towards the end by re-examining the two statements previously mentioned. That way, synoptically, one can focuss and understand the purpose of the accounts and methods in which the author put them to us, so that we may assemble the notions to acheive the resolution which every reader desires. If you are intellectual enough to percept the outcomes of this intelligent journey, simply jump on board!

Much like the book "A Day in the Life," this one details all the songs, recording sessions and goings-on behind the scenes of the Beatles' studio career. Unlike "A Day in the Life," this book was able to make use of the Anthology interviews, and other tidbits that have surfaced the past 12 years. It is very interesting and doesn't fail to hold your attention throughout, all while reinforcing many things you already know about the Beatles' recording sessions, as well as giving you new insight into many songs.
Much like Abe Lincoln material, Beatle books are ubiquitous and a dime a dozen. This one deserves to be on your bookshelf with a few select others.
Besides, the picture on the front cover is cool.

Any music library strong in Beatles surveys and references will welcome LONG AND WINDING ROADS: THE EVOLVING ARTISTRY OF THE BEATLES, which takes quite a different approach than most biographical focuses. This one maps the group's evolutionary trends from their first recordings to the height - and then fall - of their career. The Beatles' body of songs - not their lives - are considered in an analysis which does include some biography, but doesn't make this the focal point. The result is more well-rounded than most Beatles coverages with an emphasis on music over inspirational influences.

There are hundreds (thousands?) of books written on the Beatles. However, Mr. Womack has added another significant chapter to the story. This well written and researched book will be enjoyed by the ultimate fan or folks just becoming familiar with this group that will long be realized as a major force in 20th century popular music.

This is a wonderful book about a spectacular talent who brought an immeasurable amount of joy to the world. Looking through the hundreds of photos of Louis, one can't help but be charmed by Louis's infectious beaming smile. Reading through the book, I just kept thinking that Louis might have been the coolest person who ever lived. I wish I could have met him, let alone heard him play.

You will love this book. A ton of rare high quality photographs right from his and wife lucille's private picture albums and scrapbooks. Good writing too in the book that will hold the reader's interest. I agree with the other reviewer in that it makes you want to check out the actual house he once lived in that is open to all fans as a museum.

This is a wonderful coffee table book, perfect for paging through while listening to your favorite Louis Armstrong recordings. The photographs include include wonderful candid shots of Louis both on and offstage (despite the title). The book also has some great anecdotal material regarding Louis' life and work. Perusing this book has made me look forward to visiting the newly opened Armstrong House museum in Queens the next time I get back to NYC. A real treasure for the fan of Armstrong's music.

When I read this book four years ago it haunted me for a long time. The beauty of its prose and the lucidity of the author's memories lingered in the back of mind and in the recesses of my heart, adding a dimension to the character of a young man few people can say they understand. There are no portraits of Franz Süssmayr, no eye-witness accounts of what kind of person he was, or what his relationship with Mozart was really like. This book fills in those spaces to reveal a gifted, generous, tender-hearted man, who was a loyal friend to the end-and beyond.

Books that claim to have their basis in past-life recall are always met with ridicule because people who don't believe in reincarnation are not educated in the field and thus cannot comprehend all the profound implications of it, or the myriad beautiful possibilities that go along with it. Immature souls see life as black and white. Mature souls see life as an ocean of limitless color, light and shadow, tone and texture. This book is a creation of all these qualities.

I recently re-read Loving Mozart and I received more from it than I did after my first reading. Only when something contains the truth can it affect us this way-it touches our hearts again and again, regardless of how many times we pick it up, dust it off and allow it to take us into its private world. When truth is that palpable, we know it deep in our subconscious whether we recognize it or not, and assumed historical details lose their grasp. Ask any police detective if any ten people will remember an event the same way and the answer will be no. Mozart knew a great many people, some of whom were never allowed into his private life. Many of those people went on to write about him, and even they do not always agree on just what happened at the end of Mozart's life. We remember events from our own experience and inner reality, and history is written by the winners anyway. Franz Süssmayr was not one of the winners. The winners went on to create a Mozart that would appeal to charitable organizations and individuals-an eternal manchild, a composer who never struggled over a piece of music, but composed as easily as writing out a grocery list, an apollonian god.

Some critics of this book don't recognize that Loving Mozart is not a book about Mozart, but a book about the spiritual path of someone who simply loved, and acted out that love in a beautiful, selfless way. If that's not Truth I don't know what is.

for anyone who has ever stopped to wonder WHY one has these memories that just do not fit in one's current life. Also, this book gives some insight into Mozart as a person with talent, not the "man touched by God" as a recent A&E commentator claimed.

There are two kinds of people who claim famous past lives: total phonies, who are simply out to make themselves seem more important, and the rare genuine articles, who really do have some connection, direct or archetypical, with a historical figure.

How to tell which is which? Just ask the person this: "When you found out you were or knew so-and-so... how did you deal with the shock and the fear?" If they don't know what you're talking about, you have a genuine, garden-variety phony.

Real ones do what most of us would do in their situation: look in the mirror, think 'how could I have been THAT?', feel surreal and worry that maybe they are just crazy. When considering telling anyone, they worry about their reputations, their jobs, their relationships. They know about the phonies, the weekend Cleopatras, and they know what they will be called. They sometimes wish their memories would just go away.

We hear only from the most courageous of them.

_Loving Mozart_ was ten years in the making; ten years for the author to gather the information and the courage to publish. Wishful thinking simply doesn't take that long, and lusts after perfect experiences, not the painful, ambiguous, messy ones portrayed. Besides, if the author had the total freedom of fantasy, why not go the whole hog and claim to have been Mozart himself?

This book isn't about fame and glory anyway; it is about music, and about love. It is about loyalty, joy and a passion for creating beauty that transcend poverty, rejection and death. It is about the nature of souls and their multi-life connections and missions, and about how inspiration is drawn from the Divine.

If you firmly disbelieve in reincarnation you don't want to read it; it will just seem like airy-fairy nonsense, and the details that differ from history (as is inevitable, since people often remember the same events differently) will peck at you. If you can accept reincarnation as fantasy, you will be both moved and uplifted. If you accept reincarnation as reality, you will find much that is confirmatory -- and still be moved and uplifted. If you are undecided but open-minded, there is a lot to learn, and this deeply beautiful book will stay in your mind and heart for a long time after reading.