Conference mr1pst::music

Off The Record - An Oral History of Popular Music
-------------------------------------------------
Written by Joe Smith
Warner Books
1989
ISBN 0-446-39090-9
$14.95 ($18.95 CAN)

This is a thrilling book if you are a real music fan. Basically, Joe went
and travelled around the world and talked with hundreds of different artists,
each for an hour or so, and then compiled all these interviews into this book.
Each interview/story is about 1 page long, and carry a lot of fun stories, 
interesting facts, and great insights.

The books spans almost all genres of music (the only one I can think that
was left out was rap, and there's not too much on country music). It is
arranged basically in chronological order, starting in the 30's and ending
in the late 80's.

Joe Smith had great access to people, as he is heavily involved in the music
industry (he is currently CEO/president of Capitol Records). A small sampling 
of the people he talked to:

Artie Shaw, Lionel Hampton, Sammy Cahn, Ella Fitzgerald, Mitch Miller,
Johnny Ray, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Bo Diddley, Roy Orbison, Les Paul,
Hank Ballard, James Brown, Dion, Tom Jones, B. B. King, Bob Dylan, Neil
Diamond, Paul McCartney, George Martin, Mick Jagger, Roger Daltrey, Robbie
Robertson, John Fogerty, George Harrison, Robby Kreiger, Van Morrison,
Alice Cooper, Paul Simon, Elton John, Ry Cooder, Bob Seger, Robert Plant,
Don Henley, David Bowie, Roger Waters, Jon Anderson, Gene Simmons, Peter
Frampton, Don McLean, Lindsey Buckingham, Tom Petty, John Cougar Mellencamp,
Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, Sting, Bono, David Lee 
Roth, and tons and tons more.

In addition to the artists, he also talks to influential people such as
arrangers, songwriters, producers, and record company folks, like: Mitch 
Miller, Ahmet Ertegun, Jery Wexler, Dick Clark, Mike Stoller, Gerry Goffin, 
Jerry Lieber, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Bill Graham, Clive Davis, David
Geffen, Walter Yetnikoff, Irving Azoff, Richard Branson, Tommy Motolla,
Michael Chapman, and (again) more and more.

(As a matter of fact, I can count on one hand the number of important, living 
artists that are NOT in here.... Joe even mentions Sinatra, Springsteen,
Chuck Berry, and Col. Tom Parker as four that he wanted to get but couldn't,
for one reason or another.)

Overall, I found this book to be both very entertaining and enlightening!
It's great that all the stories are so short, it makes for great bathroom
reading or late-night reading. Easy to put down and pick up again later.

alan

    Totally amazing that an ex-deejay (Boston, caught in payola scandal)
    and record-company executive should reveal such a depth of love and
    knowledge about pop music.  Great book.
    
    "Honkers and Shouters" by Arnold Shaw is more or less the equivalent
    book for rhythm and blues and soul music.
    

  Maybe it would be useful to review some of the best introductory books,
  which communicate passion, & a basic feel, for a type of music...
  Examples:

    Nat Hentoff, Jazz Is
    Martha Humes, You're So Cold I'm Turning Blue (country music)  
    Robert Palmer, Deep Blues
    Peter Guralnick, Sweet Soul Music

  I couldn't personally get to this until next year, but -- it's a thought.

  A FYI - For fans of the previous editions, I ran across the '92 revisions
  of Rolling Stone's "Illustrated History of Rock 'n' Roll" and the "Rolling
  Stone Album Guide" in a bookstore.  So far I am unmoved to purchase either
  (Christgau & Trouser Press not hearing footsteps from "Album Guide"
  IMO...), though the previous editions definitely come in handy as purely
  discographical references.    - Jay

    
    
    Hammer of the Gods		biography of Led Zepplin, some very
    amusing stories, some very disturbing stories. All in all an
    informative book if you enjoy, or grew up enjoying Led Zepplin.
    
    
    Some parts are not for the faint of heart, ie. the "red snapper"
    incident.
    
    
    			fred deady

    I read the Kerry Livgren (of Kansas) autobiography and really enjoyed
    it.
    
    Great insight into a band which I hold in the very highest regard.
    

    Has Any_Body Read/Seen the new Biography on Keith Richards?
    
    
             Crazy_When_I_Grow_Up_I_Want_His_Blood_Al

    RE: .2
    
    It's not that amazing, Tom.  I grew up listening to him on WVDA and
    his knowledge and enthusiasm were the keys that unlocked rock'n'roll
    for me.
    
    He was the antithesis of Bill Marlowe and Kenny Mayer. 
    
    I was always impressed by his insistence on playing original versions
    instead of the major label, whitebread, cover versions that the other
    jocks fostered on us.
    
    Thanks to you and Alan for pointing this book out.
    
    -rjc-

    
    	As long as there's a note now, it's reminded me to put in this
    	request:
    
    	I'd love to find a "Who's Who" of [especially] rock music, from
    	maybe 1965-present, listing as many musicians as possible and
    	who they played with.  As many connections as possible, as far
    	as current/past bands and guest appearances with other bands
    	and/or performers.
    
    	Money is [practically] no object ... would pay over $50 if I
    	had to.
    
    	Thanks for any info.
    
    							GTI

    A fellow in the UK named Pete Frame wrote a book of "family trees" of
    various bands.  I can't recall the exact title or whether it was
    published in the US at all.  
    
    						Brian

re: .3 (Jay)

>  Maybe it would be useful to review some of the best introductory books,
>  which communicate passion, & a basic feel, for a type of music...
>    Peter Guralnick, Sweet Soul Music

I hope, at some point, to pick up this book also. I have heard nothing but
very good things about it. Robert Palmer's 'Deep Blues' is another one that
interests me, although not quite as much as the Guralnick book.

'Hammer Of The Gods' is ok reading for entertainment, but not very informative.
I wish someone would examine Led Zeppelin for the music rather than their
antics. Jimmy Page was an accomplished producer and writer, and that side
of the band has been little explored so far.

I also read the Beatles Recording Sessions book this past summer, I'll have
to drop a review of that in here later this week. Very good stuff, if you like
that kinda info (might be somewhat dry for some).

alan

There's a new book out on Rock sets. It's by the people who have done 
sets for Floyd, Stones etc...

Anyone seen it? Any good?


Rupert

    I recently read Mick Fleetwood's autobiography "Fleetwood Mac" and
    found it very interesting - great insight to a band I just love.
    
    Currently reading "Up and Down with the Rolling Stones" written by Tony
    Sanchez who was an employee of Keith Richards.  I'm about half way
    through and have found it to be a pretty honest (I hope) look at the
    lives of some very influential musicians.  It also is going into a lot
    of detail of how drugs nearly killed many talented people.  (BTW, its
    reported that Mick Jaggar basically stayed away from drugs through he
    did indulge in smoking grass at times)
    
    Joyce

    "Hit Men" by Frederic Dannen. A study of modern day payola within
    the American music industry featuring sex, drugs, rock n roll and
    the Mafia. The book focuses on the workings of "The Network", a group 
    of independent record promoters (racketeers) who made millions at the 
    expense of the largest record companies in America during the late 70's 
    and early 80's and who are probably still doing so. It's quite disturbing 
    and makes the record industry look somewhat seedy and seamy. 
    
    barry.    
    

    
    RE: Who's who in Rock
    
    There is a book called "The Encyclopedia of Rock" which has tons
   of albums listed with short biographies of artists, etc...
    
    Sean  

Today's Boston Globe has a review of a new book, an autobiography of Jerry
Wexler ('Wex'). Titled "Rhythm and The Blues, A Life In American Music",
it's publsihed by Knoff, 334 pages, and retails for $25. It's co-written
by David Ritz, who also worked on books by Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and
Smokey Robinson).

For those unfamiliar, Jerry Wexler (along with his partner Ahmet Ertegun)
founded Atlantic Records. Wexler produced a wide variety of acts, including
Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, the Drifters, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke,
'Wicked' Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Etta James, and tons more. He also
signed such acts as Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond, and Duane Allman.

I haven't read it yet, but the review sounds very promising! 

alan

    re: .15
    
    Now this *does* sound interesting (the price rather less so, but I
    suppose it does have 334 pages, photos, etc.).
    
    It's uncanny how many good books have come out over the years dealing
    with R&B/soul. These musical styles seem to be better represented than
    any other.
    
    I've already heard a lot of interesting anecdotes told by artists on 
    Atlantic Records, and I'm sure this book'll contain a lot more. One
    that particularly sticks in my mind concerns Duane Allman.
    
    When Allman was hired as a session man to play guitar on a recording by
    an Atlantic soul singer whose name slips my mind (I don't remember
    whether it was Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin or Johnny Jenkins), they
    put on the backing tapes and told him to listen through the headphones.
    Allman put the headphones on, plugged his guitar in and listened to the
    song three times without attempting to play a single note! He then took
    the headphones off, unplugged his guitar and said: "It's perfect! I
    can't play anything over that that'll improve it." Or words to that
    effect.
    
    So they paid him for the session and off he went!
    
    Dom 
    

This week's Boston Pheonix also has a large article on the Wexler book,
along with a short interview with him. I definitely gotta check this out!

(Another anecdote listed was the fact that Wexler once locked Steve Cropper
and Wilson Pickett in a Memphis hotel room with a bottle of Jack Daniels, and 
orderded them to write a hit song. They came up with "In The Midnight Hour"!)

alan

    I just read an interesting book about Neil Young.  It's called "Neil
    Young, The Canadian Years: Don't Be Denied" by John Einarson.
    
    It covers his life from 1960, when he was 14 yrs. old, and had just
    moved from Ontario, to Winnipeg, with his mother, after his parents
    divorce, up until he moved to L.A. and formed Buffalo Springfield with
    Stephen Stills, in early 1966.
    
    I thought it was fun to read.  It describes bands he was in as a
    teenager and has interviews with girls he dated in high school, and
    guys who were in bands with him.
    
    Lorna
    

    I recently read the new book about Van Morrison, "Too Late To Stop Now"
    by Steve Turner.  It's an interesting book for Morrison fans since
    Morrison is very reclusive and wants the public to know as little about
    him as possible.  The book chronicles his musical success and set
    backs, and talks a little about his personal life.  There are quite a
    few pictures.  I found out some things about him I didn't know before,
    as the book touches on some details of his personal life.  In fact, I
    just read in Q Magazine that Van was so incensed with the unauthorized
    biography that he at first attempted to purchase all of the books
    printed!!  However, that proved unrealistic, and now he has to put up
    with his fans knowing just a little bit more about his personal life
    than we did before.  
    
    This book is a must for Van Morrison fans, but probably not of interest
    to anyone else.
    
    Lorna
    

    some books worth mentioning...
    
    Mick Fleetwood's book is finally hitting the remainders piles - its
    somewhat amusing and interesting even if you haven't gotten into them
    much - it touches on the English Blues scene as well.  Light and quick
    reading.
    
    Two books came out in 1992 that I enjoyed (Xmas gift) - one each on
    Brian Eno and Robert Fripp.  Both were directed (somewhat) towards
    musicians and music theorists, but I enjoyed them (and I've never had
    the patience to learn more than the beginnings of any musical instrument).
    
    \chuck

    Re: .20
    
    Title/author/publisher for the Fripp book?