Rock Books

Excellent, informative history of the rave scene in England... everything is in here: how influential Ibiza was to the scene, MDMA and its history, smiley faces, baggy pants, all the main players and djs... it brought back a lot of happy memories of my raver days in NYC in the early 90s. A must read for those interested in this scene especially the beginning which shows that it all started in America: Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage, Frankie Knuckles's Warehouse parties, Dr. Shulgin and his MDMA studies... Britian took it to the next level in the 80s beginning with the Summer of Love and raves and was then past back to the US in the early 90s: Frankie Bones and the Storm raves, NASA, and the rest. This book tells you all about it!

This book is truely entertaining, it covers music, culture, politics, drugs, ect... It was hard to put this book down, I was sucked into it and learned a great deal about the scene in Eroupe. I recommend this book to people who are looking for answers to questions they didn't know they were asking...

This book is well written from start to finish and is hard to put down. It provides a real inside viewpoint of not only the music put the politics of ecstasy culture. To those who seek alternatives to corporate-consumer-culture this book is very inspiring. In particular the stories of how groups like Spiral Tribe live(d) their lives.

To me this book really captures a lot of the emotion that those inside the 'rave movement' feel. Even though the book is centered on the London scene it seems to capture the universal essence of the culture. Reading the book felt like reliving the rave experience all over again. It's like a trip taking you from a ravers first mind-opening dose of MDMA to the realizations that come after continued exposure to underground dance culture and politics.

This book also provided a great account of the actions taken by the opponents of youth dance culture; the ignorance of the politicians and police using scare tactics to try and control what they clearly don't understand, the attempts by the alcohol industry to take the culture away from the underground and commodify it into regular bars for their profit, and the problems created in the culture by organized crime.

Altered State also delves into the issues of prohibition and harm reduction. This is another area where the book's message transcends the London setting it describes. These topics will resonate with anyone familiar with the current political climate in the USA. With the 2002 RAVE (Reducing Americans Vulnerability to Ecstasy) club owners can now be held responsible for what their patrons ingest. Meanwhile organizations like DanceSafe.org offer harm reduction strategies to the millions of ecstasy users who defy prohibition.

I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

As someone who "came of age" in the club culture of Austin, Texas in the mid-1980s (Halls, Stephanie's, 606), I have been quite surprised that the Dallas (Starck) and Austin dance subculture has not been fully explored in many books as "ground zero" for the ecstasy-fueled rave movement that developed in Europe during the late-80s and early 90s. Although MDMA had been around for a while, if it wasn't for a chance meeting between a certain Austin DJ and one of Britain's top new wave bands after an Austin concert, England's 1988 "summer of love" might not have happened (or at least it would have been delayed for a few years). That "three days of love" on Lake Travis had a tremendous influence on the social history of youth over the next twenty years! The book mainly focuses on Britain's experience with the rave and dance subculture. However, it is the first few chapters that I find so fascinating . . . the development of MDMA and its infusion into the mainstream population through unassuming college students who had no idea they were guinea pigs for the multitudes to follow. Well worth the read, especially for those of us who experienced the phenomenon first hand.

Garage, House, Acid House, Techno, Balearic, Drum & Bass, Jungle, whatever you call it: this is the book about the real history. Sometime in the past fifteen or twenty years rock died finally, amd weren't you glad? I was happy but I was on E and my vote doesn't count. I was taking alot of smart drugs too and I wrote a few novels on those so-called "pep pills." But I wasn't hanging out in Ibiza with Danny Rampling of Claire Manumission, or even Larry Levin at the Paradise Garage. I was still listening to Wire and Gary Numan. Like most people, at first I didn't care for most techno or house, but you know what? It's all I listen to now (I am still living in 1999). How did that happen? Before I used to listen to a lot of punk, ska and reggae, and then dropped out of the music scene for a while. I liked punk music especially since there were no rock stars, and anyone with long hair (or even looked remotely like Evan Dando) was immediately uncool and we used to beat them up. Boy, we were thugs back then, eh? But sometime in the late 1980s, someone slipped me a hit of E, and this disco record came on and it sounded like the best record I ever heard, and I was in love with everyone and I dove in the middle of the groping room. A few years later, I got serious and became the literary insider, and read Joyce, Proust, Beckett, Pynchon, Irvine Welsh, back to back, you know the story.... Well, what I'm saying is this book is a wonderful read, and adds a little narrative to the no-narrative techno policy. It also documents the most profound youth movement of the last ten or fifteen years. That's what I like about Techno: no rock stars!

It stood the test of time for me anyway, since I used to read this book in bed every night when I was about 14 or 15 and marvelled not only at the world of the Beatles but at the way that Schaffner's words opened up a realm of ideas whose breadth I could only intuit at the time. I just finished rereading the book again, 25 years later, and it still strikes me as elegantly written, passionate, honest, insightful and at times very humorous. (The way he speaks about McCartney's solo career is particularly funny). In 1977, he wrote, "As usual the wild card of the lot is John Lennon."

I think this is the book about the Beatles we all wish we had written. My copy is in tatters, and has a torn-up dust-jacket with the Rubber Soul fish-eyed lens photograph. I will never part from it!

This book is one of a few that every Beatle collector must have. Along with "The Beatles" with covor work by Andy Warhol, "The Beatles Forever" is a must have. If you are interested in owning the 1977 and 1978 soft and hard back copies of "The Beatles Forever" in near mint condition contact Seth at henry23@home.com

I have the pair listed under Yahoo auctions, "music," THE BEATLES, "The Beatles Forever." Look it up via search or let your fingers do the walking. I will ship upon receiving certified funds and you must pay shipping however it should not cost but $7 to $10 max to ship and you can see what the current bid is in Yahoo auctions.

This book must have taken Nicholas Schaffner all his energy to write. It's a wonderful account of the lads music from their rise to fame in 1964 to their solo careers in 1977. Schaffner cares most about the music and he definetely knows his stuff. He's not escatic about Sgt. Pepper, which is an overated album, and he mentions a forgotten George Harrison masterpiece, "It's all too Much". Schaffner writes in a dry witty factual style focusing on the Beatles albums, their influence on rock music, the ups and downs of their solo careers, and anaylizes their lyrics. There are pictures of all the Beatles singles and rare pics of the beatles infamous butcher cover. This is my favorite Beatle book.

I have loved this book for years. Nick Schaffner has done a superb job of sharing his personal love for the Beatles from both an objective and subjective standpoint. Not only does he make personal references in re the Beatles, he also details the history of the band and the recordings they had released up until this book was published. Certain references, such as the Beatles' hair length being comparable to then-president Jimmy Carter (1976-80) are what "dates" this work; other than that, this excellent book is a timeless classic.

When I was in the 9th grade, I wrote a paper on the breakup of the Beatles entitled "The Gestalt Beatles: The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts" and smile today as I think of how much I wanted to be a paperback writer. There is no doubt that Mr. Schaffner has inspired countless hordes of fans in this manner. I think of my old term paper because the writing in this book is greater than the sum of its parts - the combination of objectivity and subjectivty make for a very well rounded presentation indeed!

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick Schaffner at a Beatles' convention and he graciously autographed my copy of this book. He also shared stories about the Beatles and offered words of solace to fans still mourning John's death. This book deserves a place of honor and is a must-have for the avid Beatles' fan. Please read this book and share it with somebody. You will be glad that you did.

I own over 150 books about this lot....and this is one of the 4 or 5 best. Track this down

Beyond a Doubt is a must read if you enjoy a great suspense. Colleen Coble is one of the best suspense writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

I just finished "Beyond a Doubt", the second in Colleen Coble's Rock Harbor Series. I have been looking for a Christian novelist to replace the secular novelists I have been reading. I travel every week and choose to read instead of turning on the TV in the hotel. Someone recommended Colleen and I am thrilled with her work. I inhaled "Without a Trace", read "Beyond a Doubt" in less than 3 nights, and have already started on "Into the Deep". I already have the Aloha Series books, ready to read next. If you're looking for an exciting, "clean", romantic, mystery that will keep you turning pages as fast as you can, Colleen Coble's novels are it. So, I recommend all her work, not just this one. If you like series writing, like I do, start with "Without a Trace" before reading "Beyond a Doubt". Then you'll be ready for "Into the Deep". Happy Reading!

Colleen Coble knows how to spin a mystery. I enjoyed this and her first book "Without a Trace". This is a great series, so far. Can't wait to read more. These are "don't want to put them down" books, so try to find a day to get the book in without interuption, if you can.
PB - Morris, AL

Colleen Coble's Beyond A Doubt has crisp storylines that are distinctive yet cleverly woven together. I didn't skim "ahead" because if I did, I missed something important.

If you love well written stories, with believable, heart impacting characters, read Beyond A Doubt. Read Collleen Coble.

I really like this book, I just finished reading it a few hours ago. I really like the relationship brewing between Kade and Bree (Or will it be Nick and Bree? We'll have to see!) I also enjoyed the angsty twist Colleen added to the ending of this book. I'm a sucker for agnsty love! I can't say this enough -- I highly recommend this book! Buy it!

Rick was something else. While I enjoyed his music, his writing was concise and entertaining all the way thru and I really enjoyed the pics.
Great insight into a musical genius the likes we may never see again.
DJ
Stockbridge, GA

After doing some (in-store and online) price comparison, Amazon's prices are definitely the better bargain "hands-down".

If you like Rick James this book is highly recommended. It is a book you will not be able to put down.

THE BOOK IS ON FIRE. RICK WAS ONE TALENTED DUDE. UNFORTUNATELY ALL MOST OF US KNOW ABOUT HIM IS THAT HE LIVED A CRAZY LIFE. RICK WAS MUCH MORE THAN THAT AND THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW WHAT MADE THE MAN TICK.

Very entertaining and informative I could not put it down I purchased 3 for gifts

This is a superb book on prayer! I devoured this book the day it came in my mail box. I only put it down for a few necessary praise breaks! The revelation I received from this chosen vessel bordered on overwhelming. You will need a highlighter because there will certainly be things that you will need to go back and read again. I have since re-read this book and continue to go back for refreshers... Your prayer life will never be the same; mine certainly isn't!
Be blessed :)

This is an inspiring and encouraging book on prayer---the best I have ever read. I am applying the suggestions outlined by the author and am being blessed in my walk with the Lord. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they need help with their prayer life.

The book expands upon "The Lord's Prayer" and gives us great understanding into "fleshing-out" the outline given in Matthew 6:9-13. Breaking it up into six parts, Dr. L. Lea examines and expands it and associates it to six "laps" of an indoor jogging track (and calls the parts 'demarcations'). The examples and short illustrative stories add much richness to the presentation.

All in all, it was a highly iformative and enjoyable read. I am currently re-reading the book and gleaning more out of it than I thought possible.

Anyone wishing to enhance their prayer life should have this in their library, it will be a regular 'friend.'

This book is a must have for any Christian's library or study resources. The study in prayer and how to become effective in prayer is excellent. The book will certainly change your view on prayer and your prayer life if it's principles are applied.

I can't imagine anyone coming away from this book without understanding the importance of prayer. The book leaves you with a desire to pray.

THERE'S ALOT OF GREAT PICTURES IN HERE!THIS BOOK TALKS ABOUT CERTAIN PEOPLE WHO INFLUENCED MANSON,AND WHY.IT TALKS ABOUT CERTAIN " LABELS " GROUPS,AND PEOPLE GAVE HIM AND HIS BAND.IT TALKS ABOUT CHARLES MANSON,ALEISTER CROWLEY,AND ANTON LAVEY.THERE'S SO MUCH MORE INFORMATION IN HERE.THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT SUBJECTS BEING TALKED ABOUT.THIS IS REALLY AN INTERESTING BOOK!YOU REALLY SHOULD BUY THIS AND THEN YOU'LL KNOW MANSON ALOT BETTER!

THIS BOOK COVERS ALOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.HE TALKS ABOUT ANTON LEVEY AND THE CHURCH OF SATAN.WHY HE HAS SO MANY " PERSONALITIES. " WHY HE DOES THE MUSIC HE DOES AND WHY HE CHOOSES THE SONG TITLES.HIS BELIEFS AND FEELINGS ON CERTAIN ISSUES.THERE'S SO MUCH MORE.THIS BOOK IS VERY INFORMATIVE.IT HAS ALOT OF EXCELLENT PICTURES!HE CERTAINLY IS A VERY INTERESTING PERSON!

This is one of the best Marilyn Manson books I've ever read, besides of course "The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell", without lies. which is mostly what you could find on a MM book.

I read it in 2 days. The way it is presented in organized is amazing. You learn about so much in so few pages. The only flaw is a few minor inaccuracies. Get this book!

This book reads like a "works cited" page for Marilyn Manson's life. It's basically a list of all the influences on his music, fashion, philosophy, religious views, and general tastes in things like movies and books. It also gives an explanation for why all of these are relative to Manson, although I'm sure this is in the author's perception and not his own. This book is a must for those that want to understand why Marilyn Manson is the way he is. It does a much better job than his own autobiography, which I consider to be more entertainment than knowledge. I highly recommend reading both books, they serve as excellent companions to one another since neither give the complete story.

All of Brent's books are well worth it. Provided easy inexpensive do it yourself prodjects to aid with the financial burdens associated with this expensive hobby. Brent is a very helpful seller, and very easy do deal with.

My friend and I are amazed at what you can do at a fraction of the cost of going to a store !!!! It's almost like being a kid again and playing in the mud !!!!

I am waiting until spring when I can do this outside, but I think the manual is just great, and the seller is especially helpful

The manual provided by Mr Lebo allows you to create you own works of art in your tank in order to provide a healthy environment for your marine pets, and at the same time it makes you feel proud of creating your own rocks. The most important thing of all is that it allows you to save money and it saves natural reefs. Will recomend any product Mr Lebo comes up with.

This was a great project. My daughter really enjoyed the mud pie making aspect of it (just make sure you wear a dust mask). My rocks are curing now , but they look great. I made several of them look like three-legged tables so sand would go underneath and make little caves. It's a simple step by step manual that will save a ton of money. Even dead rock at the local fish store is $2/lb. Just get a few pieces of live rock to put on top and some patience, and you're all set.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep on Truckin'!

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

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

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

Everything is transcribed perfectly.

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

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

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

I really enjoyed reading this. It flowed really nice and I kept wanting more. I finished without ever getting bored.

The story about a young man dealing with becoming a father was good, but what blew me away was the incredible depiction of the life of a person with a minimal handicap. His epilepsy doesn't show immediately to others, but it haunts every moment of his life. He has completely educated himself to limit the disease as much as it can be limited and if he is control of his life he controls the disease. But none of us can control our lives and the conflict of this book seems to be, can he be heroic enough to risk imbalance and save his son? Can he take the steps to make others in his life recognize that he can handle the handicap and run his own life? I thought there were a couple of other issues - people testing your love by pulling away and how we manipulate our life stories to fit the truths we can handle about ourselves that resonated with truth. There seemed to be a great honesty in this book and I was deeply impressed.

This novel is a brilliant and beautifully written meditation on the ever shifting nature of the truth. It is also an excellent portrayal of how Evan, the "black sheep" of his family, learns to take charge of his own story and stop letting others dictate it for him. Yes, he is a flawed character. He has secrets that he has kept from his family because he was too ashamed to reveal them. He has a 14 year old son he has never met, and he is an extremely talented musician who isn't getting anywhere with his music. And he has epilepsy.

The journey we take with Evan as he learns to grow up and become a father is immensely satisfying. The details, especially regarding the emotional lives of the characters, are beautifully described.

You have to be smart about reading this, though. While it is written in the third person, it is not an omniscient narrator. It is a very tight third person where everything is really coming straight from Evan's P.O.V. It is as close to being written in the first person as you can get while still being a third person narrative. I found this fascinating! And I loved the tone it set for the book. So if you find yourself complaining that Mica, for example, is too good to be true, you are not reading carefully! Of course she is too good to be true--everything we learn about her we learn from Evan, and he's fallen completely in love with her.

I honestly don't understand how more people haven't found their way to this book. How Evan Broke His Head--about family, truth, fatherhood, and being able to rewrite your own story--is an amazing read. I was transported instantly into the world of these characters and almost forgot that they were characters and not real people whose lives I cared about deeply.

Nobody builds a character like Garth Stein. Evan and Dean are real without being overdrawn, instantly likeable without being cloying or cute. Best of all this story of a relationship never turns the reader off with simple-minded parenting pap. This is the real deal between two imperfect people and all of us imperfect people should be able to relate.

Stein is also an excellent scene-builder. The depictions of the pop music scene in Seattle is instantly believeable-the reader feels like an insider immediately. The depictions of living with epilepsy were a revelation and very moving. I'm surprised, having read this book, that its inherent drama hasn't been used in fiction more often.

Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine

Epilepsy has rarely been examined in fiction.
In How Even Broke his Head and Other Stories, Garth Stein puts an end to the silence.
With cool and measured precision, he introduces us to Evan Wallace, epileptic, and then forces us to watch Evan's ever-so-slow drift toward the inevitable seizure. Along the way, somehow, we find ourselves hoping Evan's efforts to ward it off, control his grip on consciousness, will succeed because at stake is the love of his son - a son he's only just learned exists.
Stein's depiction of their coming together is real, raw, gritty. Both father and boy are flawed. They feel their way, just like all of us.
The struggle begins the day they meet, and for Evan becomes his first real attempt to come to terms with the disorder that until now has ruled his existence.
Garth Stein knows this subject. His PBS documentary "When Your Head's Not a Head, It's a Nut?" is the story of his sister's preparations for surgery aimed at relieving her epilepsy. You owe yourself this read. It'll grow your head.
Art Tirrell - author of The Secret Ever Keeps - March 2007 from Kunati Book Publishers.