Product Description: Heaven Was Detroit: From Jazz to Hip Hop and Beyond is the first of its kind to capture the full spectrum of Detroit popular music from the early 1900s to the twenty-first century. Readers will find in this unique and stimulating anthology new essays, and a few classics, by widely known and respected music writers, critics, and recording artists who weigh in on their careers and experiences in the Detroit music scene, from rock to jazz and everything in between...read more

Product Description: Bruce Springsteen: Two Hearts is the definitive biography of one of the most important songwriters and performers of the last three decades. Critic Dave Marsh has traced Springsteen's career from its beginning, and has earned the singer's respect through his careful documentation and critical description of Springsteen's work...read more

Traces the history of the British rock band, the Who, and examines the development of the group's musical style

A leading rock music critic offers a critical study of the Beatles' inventive second album--which included such hits as 'Roll Over Beethoven,' 'Long Tall Sally,' and 'You Really Got a Hold on Me'--offering a provocative look at the music industry of the era in both Britain and the U.S., the dynamics of the group, and the seminal influence of this important album.

Product Description: In August 1964, twenty-one-year-old photographer Douglas R. Gilbert, on assignment for Look magazine, photographed an up-and-coming folk singer named Bob Dylan. Just twenty-three years old, Dylan had already composed a striking body of work, including "Blowin' in the Wind," yet he himself was still relatively unknown...read more

Product Description: Authorized by Bruce Springsteen, written by his longtime biographer Dave Marsh, and packed with photos from Bruce's personal collection, Bruce Springsteen on Tour is a glorious full-color tribute to one of America's best-loved musicians...read more

Presents a tour-by-tour look at an artist who has, to a great extent, been defined by his live performances.

Product Description: A new edition of Dave Marsh's classic work on the three-chord song that rocked the world "A tale as compelling as any John Grisham thriller." -Rolling Stone "Dave Marsh's Louie Louie is part rant, part rock criticism and part cultural analysis, with a good dose of Ripley's Believe It or Not! thrown in...read more

The author of several books on 'The Boss' offers his first comprehensive biography of Springsteen, tracing his musical career from his boyhood in New Jersey through his most recent work with the E-Street Band, The Rising, which he says is subtlely influencing American culture. Reprint. (view table of contents)

Chronicles the history of the first heavy metal band through interviews with the four founding members--Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ozzy Osbourne--and with other members through the years.

Lists and reviews rock and soul singles from rock, pop, rhythm and blues, disco, country, rap, and reggae music

An intimate oral history of the turbulent career of one of rock music's most celebrated groups documents the story of Creedence Clearwater Revival from their early struggles, to their rise of stardom, to the battles that drove them apart. Original.

Product Description: Booming out from the depths of disco in the 1970s was an unmistakable new sound: a danceable beat and bass riff, laid under an exquisitely tight and inventive horn ensemble, all coaxed out by an ultra-hip narrator whose spoken revelations believably proclaimed they came from another planet...read more

Product Description: Three more fascinating books in a multi-volume oral history of rock and soul music, edited by one of America's preeminent pop music journalists.Told in the voices of the people who were actually there, here are the stories of: (1) Sly and the Family Stone, the Woodstock-era interracial, intergender band which merged soul with psychedelic rock; (2) George Clinton and P-Funk, the inventive musical aggregation that laid the groundwork for rap, hip-hop, alternative, and techno music; and (3) Women of Motown, members of "girl groups" and solo artists during the heyday of the world's most famous record label...read more

Product Description: There are two kinds of black music: before Sly Stone, and after Sly Stone. He shook the foundations of soul and turned it into a brand-new sound that influenced and liberated musicians as varied as Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock...read more

Product Description: The guitar line rises like a Roman candle, it bursts into a joyfully sassy horn riff, and all of a sudden you just cant sit still anymore--because youre a soul man. When Sam Moore and Dave Prater brought the call-and-response sounds of the black church onto the charts in the mid-sixties, they set soul music on fire and energized an entire generation...read more

Product Description: Q: How do you get a guitarist to stop playing?A: Put a music sheet in front of him.Rock 'n' roll has been a term in the American lexicon for nearly fifty years now. And all institutions-as reluctant as they may be-must face some skewering humor now and again...read more

Complete with hundreds of photographs, this biographical study interprets Presley's appeal and relates the various stages in his career

Product Description: With his 1981 debut album, Strait Country, George Straight revitalized the sound of country music, bringing back a simple, straightforward style that would bring him both critical acclaim and a string of chart-topping hits. Now fans can follow the story of the boy from small-town Texas who made it big in Music City...read more

Product Description: From his early days with Buffalo Springfield to his newest top-10 album with Pearl Jam, Neil Young's playing, singing, and writing has kept fans surprised--and satisfied. With little information available on this legend, Young's millions of fans will be delighted by this history of the artist's fascinating and quirky musical path...read more

Product Description: Exploding out of Minneapolis with the album Grave Dancers' Union, Soul Asylum became an overnight sensation--after 10 long years of underground status. This history explores the long trek to stardom, and analyzes the unique, energetic, punk-influenced sound that brought the band world-wide attention...read more

Product Description: How did critically acclaimed rocker Bruce Springsteen achieve icon status in the 1980s? Filled with candid comments from Springsteen, a behind-the-scenes perspective, and perceptive commentary, Glory Days chronicles both Bossmania and the context in which it blossomed...read more

Profiles the life and career of one of the leaders of contemporary rock and roll music, noting the character of his stage performances and the inspirations for his songs

Writers and rock music critics describe their experiences touring with the rock band they formed to raise money for charity