This book explores the legacy of singer-songwriter Don McLean and his enduring work.Don McLean: A Musical Tapestry recounts the artist's early development, including the influence of Pete Seeger and Lee Hays, his engagement with social, political, and cultural phenomena through music, and the incorporation of visual elements into his songs. Working chronologically, from Tapestry (1970) to American Pie (1971) all the way through to Ame...

Lennon and McCartney: Painting with Sound explores the work of two of the most influential composers of the twentieth century. Five decades after the breakup of the Beatles, the music of John Lennon and Paul McCartney continues to fascinate and inspire. Evidence suggests that their uniquely eclectic approach can be traced back to the Liverpool College of Art. Following on that idea, this book explores the creative dialogue between John Lennon and Paul McCartney, both with the Beatles and o...

In September 1969, the Beatles released their final recorded work, Abbey Road, using a variety of progressive musical ideas that expressed the group's approach to multi-track recording and offering songs that constituted a highpoint in the Beatles' musical corpus. Of particular interest is the concluding sequence of songs (tracks 8-17): seemingly unrelated fragments woven together into a musical form that has thus far defied attempts at categorization. The Beatles' Abbey ...

In the 1960s, The Beatles would address like no other musical act a radical shift in the cultural mindset of the late twentieth century. Through tools of “electric technology,” this shift encompassed the decline of visual modes of perception and the emergence of a “way-of-knowing” based increasingly on sound. In this respect, the musical works of The Beatles would come to resonate with and ultimately reflect Marshall McLuhan’s ideas on the transition into a culture of “all-at-once-ness”: a...

Over the course of his career, Billy Joel has released a series of remarkable albums that together chart his journey as an artist from relative obscurity to international success. In Experiencing Billy Joel, musician and writer Thomas MacFarlane explores that musical journey, from Joel’s apprenticeship in the Long Island music scene to his experiences in both New York and Los Angeles writing and recording his own unique brand of piano rock and pop.After achieving a certain degree o...

George Harrison was one of the most prolific popular music composers of the late 20th century. During his tenure with the Beatles, he caught the wave of 1960s pop culture and began channeling its pervasive influence through his music. Often described as "The Invisible Singer," his solo recordings reveal him to be an elusive, yet essential, element in the Beatles’ sound. The discussion of George Harrison’s Beatle tracks featured in the text employs a Songscape approach that blends accessibl...

The definitive biography of guitar icon and Grammy Award-winning artist Bill Frisell.FEATURING EXCLUSIVE LISTENING SESSIONS WITH: Paul Simon; Justin Vernon of Bon Iver; Gus Van Sant; Rhiannon Giddens; The Bad Plus; Gavin Bryars; Van Dyke Parks; Sam Amidon; Hal Willner; Jim Woodring; Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill'A beautiful and long overdue portrait of one of America's true living cultural treasures.'JOHN ZORN'The perfect comp...

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings is firmly established as the world's leading guide to recorded jazz, a mine of fascinating information and a source of insightful - often wittily trenchant - criticism. This is something rather different: Brian Morton (who taught American history at UEA) has picked out the 1000 best recordings that all jazz fans should have and shows how they tell the history of the music and with it the history of the twentieth century. He has completely revis...

This is the ultimate critical guide to the music of and career of Pink Floyd, brought together in one amazing collection. Using the actual words of the band and critics, this is the definitive review of the work of the band on stage, on record and on film from the Syd Barrett era to Pulse. This eBook also features many rare photographs spanning the entire career of Pink Floyd.

Hes not paying me anymore, so I can say what I like. Ritchie is the greatest guitarist in the world. - Bobby Rondinelli of Rainbow This is the independent and uncensored guide to the music of Rainbow. Written by Jeff Perkins, this amazing eBook is the ultimate commemoration of one of the greatest rock bands on the planet.Also featured are rare and previously unreleased interviews with Ritchie Blackmore and the late great Ronnie James Dio. The views of the two founders are complemented by n...

If writing about music is like dancing about architecture, you'd do best to hone your chops and avoid clichés (like the one that begins this sentence) by learning from the prime movers. How to Write About Music offers a selection of the best writers on what is perhaps our most universally beloved art form. Selections from the critically-acclaimed 33 1/3 series appear alongside new interviews and insights from authors like Lester Bangs, Chuck Klosterman, Owen Pallet, Ann Powers and...

This collection of interviews with Hollywood composers offers the most intimate look ever at the process of writing music for the movies. From getting started in the business to recording the soundtrack, from choosing a musical style to collaborating with directors, including Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, the Coen brothers, Terry Gilliam, Kenneth Branagh, and Ken Russell, from learning to deal with editing to writing with time-sensitive precision, the leading practitioners in the field...