Rock Books

I could have devoured five times as many of the fine stories written here as I had the good fortune to read. The variety of subject matter, coupled with the strong voices of the authors, make this book wonderfully appealing.

The best thing about this anthology is the range of subject matter, from bouldering to mountaineering, from young sport climbers to veteran alpinists. Every story gives a different view of climbing. It's also filled with good humor, from John Long to the crazy story about the guy on a road trip with his pet monkey.

This book is an anthology of articles published in Rock and Ice, with an emphasis on fairly recent work. They are primarily trip reports and essays. Detailed description of the sort of climbing which often doesn't get much press gives many of the articles a fresh, interesting quality. In addition, they have only previously been published in the magazine, so they will be new to many readers. Definitely recommended!

Intriguing short story that has it all. A love story, industrial espionage and the courage of a man that risked his mining career to investigate the strange occurences surrounding a coal mine fire. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down.

This fictional work takes the reader on a journey into the world of coal mining in Appalachia. The author's vivid descriptions have the reader feeling as if he is present as the action takes place. I found the story development both captivating and suspenseful. A real page-turner for me, it was difficult to put the book down in anticipation of what would happen next.

The main character, Jack DiCosimo, presents as an intriguing modern-day hero. A leader of men, Jack personifies such traits as wisdom, sincerity, logic, ethics, and courage. Add to that a lover of animals and nature and a defender of the innocent, and you have a glimpse into the persona of Jack DiCosimo.

Colorful characters with equally colorful vernacular add to the story as the mystery unfolds. This realistic picture of the reality of the coal mining industry in the Appalachian Mountains is sure to appeal to many readers.

This novel has generated much interest for predictable reasons: it's a page turner with an enticing plot. It starts with a bang and holds your attention.

Once I began this extraordinary book, I could not put it down. "Between two Rocks" is so much more than a gripping suspense thriller. Jess Justice takes us beyond the main plot of the efforts of a coal executive teamed with a power company executive to eliminate the man that stood between them shutting down a mine and making millions fraudulently taking advantage of the tax incentives for synthetic fuels. He introduces us to the way of life for mountain men and women, working in the coal fields, and what it's like working in and running one of these mines that I, for one, think most people have never known existed...or even thought about.

If there are flaws in the plot, I was too busy reading to discover any. That is probably the sign of a terrific book! The writing is excellent and the characters are a bit on the super-hero/heroine side, but who cares? Is what "Between Two Rocks" proposes true? Well, these things do happen in the business world. The historical events, places and people explored in the book have a familiarity to them. But no one knows the truth...nor will we ever, probably. I think that some things are meant to be a mystery or maybe just a good book.

When I read "Between Two Rocks", I had no idea it would be as detailed, intricate, and accurate it was. After I finished, I was amazed at the work Jess Justice had to go through to write this book.

The book is a fast paced thriller that would probably make a great movie.

Billboard provides the definitive charts for music and Craig Rosen has written the definitive book on the albums that reached number one on those charts. As the title suggests, Mr. Rosen tells the story of behind the making of every number one album. This book is kind of like a mini Behind The Music. You may or may not know the stories behind albums by major artists like The Beatles, The Stones, Springsteen and so on, but it's stories of the more obscure artists like Gerry Rafferty, Janis Ian, Pantera & Vangelis that are the most interesting. Not only do you get the album's story, you get a track listing, the date it reached number and weeks at number one. A great book and hopefully it will be updated with the most recent number one albums.

Not Now but back When Albums Were Special&they ROse Too The Top it was always Interesting Hearing The Stories&Creative Process that went into Making them Become the Hits they would Become.and this Book Does a Great Job Of That.hearing how your favorite Album got made or the changes going on with it.Very Essential.

This book is full of what you would expect from Billboard. This book will last you forever and you can pass it down from generation to generation as an example of music in the last 50 years. Please give us another edition!

I bought this book and it was a perfect birthday present for my friend's daughter.

This book is such a great present for "little ladies". It teaches them all about birthstones, and then they can use the pretty "gem" stickers and punch-out jewelry to play dress-up. I just gave it to a 6 year-old girl who loved it!

The birthday jewlery book, is a wonderfully written beautifully illustrated childrens book. We've read it many times to our children who have loved every word of it. Both our children and us learned a lot about birthstones and we highly recomend this book. This would make a great birthday gift for any child.

Our priest gave my mother and the rest of the staff at our church this book with a blessing cup as a Christmas gift several years ago. We have used it ever since, and have bought it as a gift for other family members and friends. Great gift idea for a young married couple begining their life together.

My husband and I received the Blessing Cup book and a blessing cup for a wedding present 4 years ago. It has helped us bring religion into our home without feeling awkward. It has been such a great experience, I am now buying it for my cousin's wedding.

We've used these prayers along with our blessing cup for years. Highly recommend it! When we switched to using the blessing cup, our kids thought we had literally lost our minds. Now, it is a cherished tradition in our home

This book is done the most guitar books should be . It takes you through about 10 or 11 mainly blues based tracks. First the major licks for each piece are explained with some theory. Then the whole solo is played with both a rhythm only and rhythm with lead tracks. Further additional theory/explanation is give prior to each major solo. The author is obviously a great guitar player and draws a lot from Stevie Ray Vaughn and Johnny Winter. The solo are fairly fast though not impossible for an intermediate player if learned in stages. I wish the author would write a similar straight rock based book and maybe even a country one.

I was at the point where I was playing blues scales too much. I took the time to learn one scale a week and played them thru these backing tracks mimicking the styles of the songs. I learned a lot. This guy takes you thru all types of playing styles from many of the greats in each solo. His two note exercise in Mixalydian mode (seventh scales) and minor seventh scales (very similar to blues scales) got me motivated to get deeper into the Mixalydian mode and learn them. That one two note exercise alone leads to better playing. I hear them used by Hendrix, Freddy King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and other aggressive greats including Johnny Winter. I have improved a great deal. I would suggest this for someone with over 5 years of experience who is very able to read tab. My only wish is that he puts out a second edition in the same exact style. If he did I would suggest a strictly slow blues book in differant scales with the same use of multiple artist styles.

I really enjoyed going through this book. There is a good amount of licks from different styles and the integration of the licks into the tracks on the CD are really good. There is a nice variety of songs and some basic scale and music theory. The only thing that I don't really like is that the lead for the songs are placed on only one track of the CD. This makes it kind of annoying to keep going back and forth. IMO he should have split it up into sections but it's not that big of a deal. This stuff may be too advanced for beginners. If you are just the casual lead guitarist, maybe 2-3 years experience would be sufficient to play this stuff. Beginners should buy Texas Blues by Calva, it is much easier than this stuff. Overall good book and worth going through.

This book is really great, WoW, WHAT A READ! I'd consider it a MUST for all Dylan fans, veterans or newcomers. It was impossible to put down. I'd give it 10 Stars if I could. This Volume, like Volume 1, is even beyond great, as is the magazine it comes from, ISIS, which has been publishing informative, thought provoking articles and opinions about Dylan for twenty-years. This book is the place to come if you're a thinking Dylan fan who wants to read the finest, most creative and most interesting Dylan writing on the planet.

I've just finished reading the new ISIS Anthology book and wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. I brought the fist ISIS Dylan book a few years back and although it was a fantasic read this one surpasses it! As with vol 1, the essays about Dylan make great reading but Vol 2 has the edge because it's more than just essays and interviews. This vol is closer in content to the wonderful long running magazine from which the Anthology is complied and therefore it contains many great asides, anecdotes and interesting facts that help create just the right balance. This is a must for all fans of Bob Dylan.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of essays by a variety of authors, as it gives different views of Dylan and is at times very funny. This book covers some great topics and tells some fantastic stories of Dylan not previously covered in other books. Not only does this book span Dylan's career, but also the 20 years of ISIS. Derek Barker has lovingly put this collection together and it is an enjoyable read for any Dylan fan.

Mark Payress's original book from 1992 has long been consider by many in the Bolan community as the "Bolan Bible" Ok their words not mine but is surly was the most detailed and well researched book at the time.
I had hoped Mark would one day find the time to update the book as Marc Bolan as an icon and respected musical figure has grown by leaps and bounds since then, along with a new treasure trove of unearthed material that had been locked away.
That in itself was enough to update the book but also on the personal side of Marc's life the past 10 years saw Marc's only son Rolan come into his own and in turn opened the doors for other family members to add to the Bolan story.

This truly is a MUST Have book for any Bolan Fan

marc bolan expert mark paytress has produced a superb revised edition of this definitive account of the life of the t. rex star. bolan's childhood, his various early bands like john's children and solo outings, his hippie- era career with tyrannosaurus rex and the far more popular t. rex, and his interactions with other famous performers like david bowie, elton john, and ringo starr are explored with great detail and informative tidbits of trivia. while not every recording of bolan's was meritorious or interesting, paytress describes all facets and periods of bolan's all too brief life with clarity, depth, and fascination. this is the best chronicle of bolan's carreer to date, and is a superbly readable and engaging book on this diverse performer, a musician whose very best work( quite a bit of the tyrannosaurus rex stuff, the early 70's albums ELECTRIC WARRIOR and THE SLIDER, and singles like CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION and 20TH CENTURY BOY),are first rate recordings. important colleagues and supporters like producer tony visconti and legendary british d.j. john peel offer illuminating testimononials and insights. a fascinating reminder of a vital British artist who provided some of the best late 60's / early 70's rock, and whose catalogue remains quite underrated in the U.S.A.

This is a well-researched, detailed biography. Paytress captures the excitement developing in 1960s Britain as the mod scene sweeps Mark Feld -- a sometime photo model and guitar-strumming minstrel with an obsession for Dylan and Donovan -- into the role of a self-made rock'n'roll icon. It's not a smooth transition. Often ignored and put-down in his earliest efforts, Bolan eventually finds success through the support of radio maverick John Peel; his subsequent rise to stardom, fame, and the eventual excesses that lead to failure is the stuff of countless rock briographies. What sets Paytress's book apart from the usual sad story is Bolan's star-making drive -- first as a brash upstart and self-promoter, then as a performer whose real talent lay in crafting the perfect three-minute pop song. The book goes a great way to renovating Bolan's tarnished image as a 70s rock'n'roll curiosity, and while his work may not be the equal of his contemprary David Bowie, Bolan was as much a craftsman in image and music as Ziggy himself. Paytress writes the T Rex story with a blast of glam energy from start to finish.

Great Book. Very informative. A thorough body of research was completed in order to have this book published. I thought I knew all about Chuck Berry until I read this book. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Chuck's. The book is balanced and pulls no punches. No wonder the biography is unauthorized. It contains information that is both provoctive and endearing.

I've been reading this book for the last few months (it's been my reading material on the train on the weekends hehe) and it's been an enertaining read of the life and hard times of Chuck Berry.
Previous to reading this book, I had only heard Chuck Berry's music and loved it, but did not know much about the man himself.
Bruce Pegg has done a good job of detailing Chuck's life, from the early days in The Ville, his begginings in music, Racism in the USA in the 50's, Chuck's relationship with Chess Records, concerts, all his court appearances (the Mann Act Trial, the Southern Aire Restuarant Video Tape Scandal (which I first heard about on E! News!) plus much more.
There are some great photos in the book which i'm not sure have been seen before.
Pegg also has also rounded up all the important people in Chuck's life and they all give interesting comments.
I haven't read Chuck Berry's offical Autobiography, but upon reading this, i'm sure this gives a much better view into his life.

As a long time fan of Chuck Berry, I have tried to read everything I could find about him, from enclyclopedia's to Rolling Stone Magazine. Over the past 20 years, I have tried to piece together the various differing messages about him, from musical genius to "difficult to work with" entertainer. This book puts it all together in an extremely well written and well documented manner. Pegg ties together all of the pieces with a lot of information and insight otherwise unknown, with interviews of principle persons in Chuck's musical and professional life. He is obviously a fan of Chuck's, but the book is very honest with the facts and never sensational.

If you are a fan of Chuck Berry, please do yourself a favor and get this book. You will not be able to stop reading it! I think it also would be helpful for anyone interested in the social/historical milieu of this time period in relationship to black entertainers in general as well.

Even if you are not a fan of Bryan's music, you will really enjoy his photograhy.

This photo book series is really high class, and Bryan Adams did not disappoint. I will collect most of the books for future reference.

This beautiful book stuffed with Badman-pictures really is a must for every Badfan on this earth. With over a hundred pictures in it, it shows Bryan Adams in a lot of different positions. Sleeping in an airplane, playing with dogs, standing on top of a rock in the desert of Utah and, of course, on stage. If not for the photographs, you should buy this book for the great comments on the pictures, written by Adams himself. Can you sing along to Vanishing, consists your CD-collection mostly of Adams-albums, do you get angry about everyone who spells Bryan with an 'i', or are you in any other way a die-hard, I would say: BUY THIS BOOK!