Megadeth’s Rust, Sara Evans’ flight, Van the Man’s Belfast, Bob Dylan’s America, Beethoven’s life and your next favourite songs — here are your reading options for the coming week.
Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece
By Dave Mustaine
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Rust in Peace details the making of Megadeth’s iconic record, which was released in 1990, at an incredible time of flux and creativity in the rock world. Relayed by the lead vocalist and guitarist of Megadeth himself, Dave Mustaine, the book covers the process of hiring the band and supporting cast, of trying to handle the ensuing success, and ultimately the pressure of fame and fortune — which caused the band to finally break up. In short, it’s a true story of groundbreaking anti-pop that was moving toward the mainstream (or the mainstream that was moving toward the band), at a time of great cultural change, power, ego, drugs, and other vices that went hand-in-hand with rock ’n’ roll, circa the late ’80s-early ’90s. Little did Mustaine know that the birth pangs of the record were nothing compared to the oncoming pain and torment that would surround it. Alcohol, drugs, sex, money, power, property, prestige, the lies the band was told by the industry — and the lies they told each other — were just beginning, and much like rust in real life, these factors would ultimately eat away at the band’s bond until only the music survived. Rust in Peace is a story of perseverance, of scraping off the rust off that builds over time on everything: ourselves, our relationships, pop culture, art, and music.”
Born to Fly
By Sara Evans
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sara Evans — a Billboard, ACM and CMA award–winning country music star who’s been named one of People’s 50 Most Beautiful People and competed on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars — has been inspiring fans throughout her successful music career. In this powerful, personal, and often humorous book, Sara opens up and shares stories from her career, describing what it’s like living in the spotlight and how her faith keeps her strong. She writes about overcoming life’s most challenging experiences, from a childhood accident that nearly took her life, to the loss she experienced when her parents divorced, and from her own painful and very public divorce, to finding incredible love when she least expected it with former pro quarterback-turned-sportscaster Jay Barker. Now, after over a decade of marriage, Sara and Jay’s blended family of nine is thriving, filling her life with focus and meaning. As she weaves the narrative of her life, Sara candidly reveals the things that are most important to her and her family now, her favorite tips about staying true to herself and her faith, knowing when to ask for help, abandoning perfectionism, and the importance of a strong support group of friends and family. Fans old and new will enjoy this inspiring, heartfelt book.”
You’ve Never Heard Your Favorite Song: 100 Deep Cuts to Make Your World Sound Better
By Doucet
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Let go of your musical biases and dive into the deep cuts that are what music is really about with You’ve Never Heard Your Favorite Song. From underground musicians to passed-over classics, your favorite song is out there waiting for you, you just need to go find it. Relearn what makes a song great and set those played out pop tunes on the back burner once and for all. The latest edition in the Curio series, this pocket-sized book is perfect for referencing on the go. So get reading to find out why you might not even know your favorite song yet, and why you should keep your musical mind open.”
Beethoven: A Life
By Jan Caeyers
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The authoritative Beethoven biography, endorsed by and produced in close collaboration with the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, is timed for the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. With unprecedented access to the archives at the Beethoven House, renowned Beethoven conductor and scholar Jan Caeyers expertly weaves together a deeply human and complex image of Beethoven; his troubled youth, his unpredictable mood swings, his desires, relationships, and conflicts with family and friends, the mysteries surrounding his affair with the ‘immortal beloved’; and the dramatic tale of his deafness. Caeyers also offers new insights into Beethoven’s music and its gradual transformation from the work of a skilled craftsman into that of a consummate artist. Demonstrating an impressive command of the vast scholarship on this iconic composer, Caeyers brings Beethoven’s world alive with elegant prose, memorable musical descriptions, and vivid depictions of Bonn and Vienna, the cities where Beethoven produced and performed his works. Caeyers explores how Beethoven’s career was impacted by the historical and philosophical shifts taking place in the music world, and conversely, how his own trajectory changed the course of the music industry. Equal parts absorbing cultural history and lively biography, Beethoven: A Life paints a complex portrait of the musical genius who redefined the musical style of his day and went on to become one of the great pillars of Western art music.”
All Along Bob Dylan: America and the World
By Tymon Adamczewski
THE PRESS RELEASE: “All Along Bob Dylan: America and the World offers an important contribution to thinking about the artist and his work. Adding European and non-English speaking contexts to the vibrant field of Dylan studies, the volume covers a wide range of topics and methodologies while dealing with the inherently complex and varied material produced or associated with the iconic artist. The chapters, organized around three broad thematic sections (Geographies, Receptions and Perspectives), address the notions of audience, performance and identity, allowing to map out the structure of feeling and authenticity, both, in the case of the artist and his audience. Taking its cue from the collapse of the so-called high/low culture split following from the Nobel Prize, the book explores the argument that Dylan (and all popular music) can be interpreted as literature and offers discussions in the context of literary traditions, or visual culture and music. This contributes to a nuanced and complex portrayal of the seminal cultural phenomenon called Bob Dylan.”
In Another World: Van Morrison & Belfast
By Gerald Dawe
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In Another World is a unique trip through Belfast, mapped into the mystic through the timeless music of Van Morrison. The aptly soulful and inventive prose stems from the electric wit of acclaimed poet and fellow Belfast man, Gerald Dawe. Struck by the extraordinary brand of rhythm and blues that was Morrison’s brainchild, Dawe’s book is a celebration of the inspirations that underline Morrison’s music. Silhouetted in the work is Belfast, moody and vibrant, and the formative influence of the pre-Troubles northern capital on Morrison’s musical direction. Dawe’s writing transmutes the tender and unforgettable strains of Morrison’s work, from the release in 1968 of Astral Weeks to the publication in 2014 of Lit Up Inside: Selected Lyrics. A powerful tribute to mark Van Morrison’s accomplishments, In Another World taps into his legacy’s eclectic soul and is kin to its enchantments.”
