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London, 1966: Paul McCartney met a group of three electronic musicians called Unit Delta Plus. McCartney was there because he had become fascinated by electronic music, and wanted to know how it was made. He was one of the first rock musicians to grasp its potential, but even he was notably late to the party. For years, composers and technicians had been making electronic music for film and TV. Hitchcock had commissioned a theremin soundtrack for Spellbound (1945); The Forbidden Planet (1956) featured an entirely electronic score; Delia Derbyshire had created the Dr Who theme in 1963; and by the early 1960s, all you had to do was watch commercial TV for a few hours to hear the weird and wonderful sounds of the new world. The Sound of Tomorrow tells the compelling story of the sonic adventurers who first introduced electronic music to the masses. A network of composers, producers, technicians and inventors, they took emerging technology and with it made sound and music that was bracingly new.
The late Lowell George is best known as the lead singer, slide guitarist, songwriter and producer of Little Feat. George's humor and surreal lyrics became a Little Feat trademark, making songs like “Fat Man in the Bathtub” and “Dixie Chicken” unforgettable. Rock and Roll Doctor explores the genius that animated Little Feat – from George's early bands to his work with Frank Zappa, landmark albums such as Feats Don't Fail Me Now and The Last Record Album, and his later production work with Linda Ronstadt and the Grateful Dead. George's colorful childhood is covered in depth – as is his solo career after Little Feat that was cut short tragically. Each Little Feat album is treated to a separate chapter that examines the development of every song – how it was conceived, recorded and produced. The analysis of Little Feat's complex rhythms will fascinate musicians and fans alike. “Lowell George was the best singer, songwriter and guitar player I have ever heard, hands down, in my life.” – Bonnie Raitt
This volume of VGAR critically analyzes video game art as a means of survival. Though "survival strategy" exists as a defined gaming genre, all video games-as unique, participatory artworks-model both individual and collaborative means of survival through play. Video games offer opportunities to navigate both historical and fictional conflicts, traverse landscapes devastated by climate change or nuclear holocaust, and manage the limited resources of individuals or even whole civilizations on earth and beyond. They offer players a dizzying array of dystopian scenarios in which to build and invent, cooperate with others (through other players, NPCs, or AI) to survive another day. Contributors show how video games focus attention, hone visuospatial skills, and shape cognitive control and physical reflexes and thus have the power to participate in the larger context of radical, activist artworks that challenge destructive hegemonic structures as methods of human conditioning, coping, and creating.
Lyrics sheds light on all aspects of writing lyrics for music and will make lyricists and songwriters feel more confident and creative when they tackle lyrics. It's perfect for all songwriters: those who don’t like their own lyrics and find lyrics difficult to write, experienced writers looking for a creative edge, and those offering lyrics to set to music in a partnership. The book discusses channeling personal experiences into lyrics, overcoming writer's block, the right lyrics for a bridge, the separation between lyrics and poetry, exploring imagery and metaphor, avoiding clichés, and more. It also offers tips on the various styles of lyrics, from protests, spirituals, and confessionals to narratives and comic songs. New to this edition are artist and song references throughout to reflect musical history to date. Also, a new section provides examples of taking lyric ideas right through the drafting process, illustrating development and re-drafting and using a handful of contrasting approaches.
What do Tom Jones, Nick Cave, Joan Baez, John Denver, Ray Charles, Del Shannon, Keith Richards, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Carol Channing, Manowar and Linda Ronstadt... have in common? Mickey Newbury. They recorded his songs. Matter of fact, Newbury's material has been covered by over 1,230 artists. That is just about everybody. His inspirational ballad "An American Trilogy" has been recorded by more than 550 artists. It was Elvis' showstopper. His "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is the rocker that launched Kenny Rogers' career into the stratosphere. Newbury, who grew up on Houston's tough North side, is the only songwriter to place four top hits on fo...
Using narrative accounts from a sample of 69 New York City-based musicians of various genres who are self-acknowledged heroin users, the book addresses the reasons why these musicians started using heroin and the impact heroin had on these musicians' playing, creativity, and careers.
by David Atkinson, Vic Gammon, Rikky Rooksby, Mark Brend, John Morrish, Martin Carthy, and Nigel Williamson. Words & melodies for 80+ traditional songs, plus detailed explorations of their history & meaning and their value to writers & performers. With audio tracks of 20 songs recorded in the field.
Melody is the true heart of music—the identity of a composition, the vessel that carries the lyrics, the tune that you keep whistling on your way home from a concert. Composing melodies is often thought of as a mysterious process—a lightning bolt of inspiration delivered by the songwriter's muse—but in fact melody is an art that can be learned, honed, and perfected. This book teaches that art in an engaging and thoroughly accessible fashion. Starting from basics, it covers the essentials—rhythm, intervals, scales, and harmony—and builds on these simple principles to offer a wealth of advanced techniques and tricks. Every musical example in the book is accompanied by a downloadable audio track, allowing songwriters to increase their understanding of melody through both sight and sound. How to Write Melodies is the only guide you’ll ever need for demystifying and perfecting the art of melody writing.
This new version of Tony Bacon's Six Decades of the Fender Telecaster shows how the world's first commercially successful solidbody electric guitar still attracts musicians more than 60 years since its birth in California. Today, it is more popular than ever and for many guitarists has overtaken the Stratocaster as the Fender to own and play. The Tele is the longest-lived solidbody electric, played by everyone from Muddy Waters to Keith Richards, from Radiohead to Snow Patrol. Its sheer simplicity and versatility are vividly illustrated here through interviews with Jeff Beck, James Burton, Bill Kirchen, John 5, and more. The book is three great volumes in one: a compendium of luscious pictures of the most desirable Teles, a gripping story from the earliest days to the latest exploits, and a detailed collector's guide to every Tele ever made. Packed with pictures of great players, collectable catalogs, period press ads, and cool memorabilia, The Telecaster Guitar Book is the one Tele book that all guitar fans will want to add to their collection.
The original edition of Beyond and Before extends an understanding of “progressive rock” by providing a fuller definition of what progressive rock is, was and can be. Called by Record Collector “the most accomplished critical overview yet” of progressive rock and one of their 2011 books of the year, Beyond and Before moves away from the limited consensus that prog rock is exclusively English in origin and that it was destroyed by the advent of punk in 1976. Instead, by tracing its multiple origins and complex transitions, it argues for the integration of jazz and folk into progressive rock and the extension of prog in Kate Bush, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree and many more. This 10-year a...