Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, U2, Peter Gabriel, and the Neville Brothers all have something in common: some of their best albums were produced by Daniel Lanois. A French-speaking kid from Canada, Lanois was driven by his innate curiosity and intense love of music to transcend his small-town origins and become one of the world's most prolific and successful record producers, as well as a brilliant musician in his own right.Lanois takes us through his childhood, from bein...

Ewan Spence looks beyond the sequins, pyrotechnics and key changes to explore what Eurovision really means, from the finer details of the contest to the myth of political voting. This book examines whether the best song ever wins, the media perception of the contest and the ability of this mad, wonderful institution to represent Europe and the people of the continentEurovision is more than three hours on a Saturday night in May. It's something that lives and breathes throughout the year. But ...

**The perfect gift for music fans and anyone fascianated by Woodstock, Barefoot in Babylon is an in-depth look at the making of 1969’s Woodstock Music Festival—one of Rolling Stone’s “50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.”“Mr. Spitz feeds us every riveting detail of the chaos that underscored the festival. It makes for some out-a-sight reading, man.”—The New York Times Book Review**Fifty years ago, the Woodstock Music Festival defi...

In the mid-1960s, Steve Reich radically renewed the musical landscape with a back-to-basics sound that came to be called Minimalism. These early works, characterized by a relentless pulse and static harmony, focused single-mindedly on the process of gradual rhythmic change. Throughout his career, Reich has continued to reinvigorate the music world, drawing from a wide array of classical, popular, sacred, and non-western idioms. His works reflect the steady evolution of an original musical ...

What does a conductor actually do? How much effect does he or she have? Can the orchestra manage without one? Why don't the players look at the conductor more? Is it necessary for the conductor to play every instrument? What about interpretation? What happens at rehearsals? Why do some conductors "thrash around" more than others? Who's the boss in a concerto: the soloist or the conductor?These are some of the questions that receive lively andinformative answers in this book...

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS… Sex, drugs, rock stars, divas, d-bags and previously untold stories about some of the biggest acts in music and the crazy things that have happened behind the scenes.What happens when someone gets murdered in your hotel while you’re on tour? How do you get backstage at a big rock concert? How much drugs were people in the music business really doing in the 70’s and 80’s? Which superstar artist rented out a whole supermarket after hour...

John Field is the most misunderstood composer in the history of classical music. The author, a former educator, classical pianist, and member of the Aldenori Piano Trio, finally sets the record straight. Pianists both professional and amateur, educators, teachers of piano performance, and musicologists who want to meet the real John Field and understand his finest creations, the nocturnes, will find this book indispensable.

The Beatles' sixth studio album, Rubber Soul, was a game changer. By December 1965, when the album was released, the Beatles had played the first arena rock show at Shea Stadium for 55 000 delirious fans, been awarded MBE (Member of British Empire) medals, and were indisputably the greatest musical phenomenon since Elvis Presley. With their first film, A Hard Day's Night, John, Paul, George, and Ringo laid down the blueprint for everyone who ever wanted to form a group. T...

Every major singer from Frank Sinatra to Christina Aguilera. Every major composer from Irving Berlin to Stephen Sondheim. Every major song from a century of favorites. Every major musician and lyricist. Every major styling from blues, jazz, and country to folk, big band, and rock and rollThe most recorded songs of all time. A guide to understanding the "standard" lingo. The evolution of popular music from Tin Pan Alley to contemporary musical theater, and more.

Bruce Springsteen is among the most literate of singers in rock history with songs touch people's hearts and minds. He is the story teller of our generation. Tougher Than the Rest dissects the best of Springsteen's vast body of work, from his earliest pieces on 'Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ' right through to 'Devils & Dust' released three decades later. The author comments on the origin and critical response each song received as well as sharing insights into the song's ...

As immediately believable as they were cartoonish, as much an inner city cipher as a suburban boys gang, the foursome that made up the Pharcyde were the most relatable MCs to ever pass the mic. On their debut and magnum opus Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, they created a record almost overstuffed with possibility, the sound of four restless man-children fresh out of their teens, finding a perfect outlet in a form of music that was just as young and fertile.And like the produ...

In Extended Play, one of the country's most innovative music writers conducts a wide-ranging tour through the outer limits of contemporary music. Over the course of more than twenty-five portraits, interviews, and essays, John Corbett engages artists from lands as distant as Sweden, Siberia, and Saturn. With a special emphasis on African American and European improvisers, the book explores the famous and the little known, from John Cage and George Clinton to Anthony Braxton and Su...