New York novelist Andrew Thale journeys to rural Massachusetts to look over a dilapidated family property and discovers a beautiful girl and an odd puzzle

A fascinating account of the making, remaking, and unlikely popularizing of one of the most played and recorded rock songs in history—Leonard Cohen’s beautiful and heartrending “Hallelujah.”“A venerated creator. An adored, tragic interpreter. An uncomplicated, memorable melody. Ambiguous, evocative words. Faith and uncertainty. Pain and pleasure.” Today, “Hallelujah” is one of the most-performed rock songs in history. It has become a staple of movies and television shows as diverse as Shrek and The West Wing, of tribute videos and telethons. It has been covered by hundreds of artists, including Bob Dylan, U2, Justin Timberlake, and k.d. lang, and it is played every year at countless events—both sacred and secular—around the world. Yet when music legend Leonard Cohen first wrote and recorded “Hallelujah,” it was for an album rejected by his longtime record label. Ten years later, charismatic newcomer Jeff Buckley reimagined the song for his much-anticipated debut album, Grace. Three years after that, Buckley would be dead, his album largely unknown, and “Hallelujah” still unreleased as a single. After two such commercially disappointing outings, how did one obscure song become an international anthem for human triumph and tragedy, a song each successive generation seems to feel they have discovered and claimed as uniquely their own? Through in-depth interviews with its interpreters and the key figures who were actually there for its original recordings, acclaimed music journalist Alan Light follows the improbable journey of “Hallelujah” straight to the heart of popular culture. The Holy or the Broken gives insight into how great songs come to be, how they come to be listened to, and how they can be forever reinterpreted.

Prominent music writers and cultural critics trace the growth of hip hop from its origins on the streets of the Bronx to its current status as an international phenomenon

A comprehensive oral history of the Beastie Boys follows the evolution of the band's career from their first hip-hop album in 1986 amd analyzes their important influence on pop music and culture. Original. 20,000 first printing.

More than one hundred full-color photographs, complemented by essays and tributes by friends and colleagues and interviews with the late rap artist, highlight a graphic portrait of the turbulent life, rising career, and tragic murder of Tupac Shakur. 100,000 first printing. (view table of contents)

Product Description: Using the same format that won Visual Basic How-To the Readers Choice Award from VR Journal for two years in a row, Visual C++ How-To presents over 100 How-Tos for Visual C++ programmers from the Microsoft mast ers. Complete Visual C++ projects are included on the CD to demonstrate the techniques and custom classes developed for the How-Tos...read more