A flock of Byrds, a former Blaster, a rapper named Boosie, a man named Cave and a red-headed stranger are all telling tales next week. Toss in tomes on the Elton, The Man In Black, classic guitars and Grateful tapers — among others — and you’ve got quite the paper trail to follow. Start here:
The Byrds: 1964-1967
By Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman & David Crosby
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A new large-format 400-page collectible art book curated by the band’s three surviving founding members. When The Byrds released Mr. Tambourine Man in 1965, they introduced Bob Dylan’s songs to a new audience and launched a career that would make them among the most influential rock bands of all time. With their unmistakable harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s innovative 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, the Byrds never stopped experimenting. They incorporated folk, country, and jazz, influences into a fresh blend that helped define an era. “And not to be too shallow,” Tom Petty once wrote, “but they also were just the best-dressed band around. They had those great clothes and hairdos.” Now the band’s three surviving founding members — McGuinn, Chris Hillman and David Crosby — have come together to present The Byrds: 1964-1967, a large format tabletop book that offers a unique visual history of the group. Featuring more than 500 images from legendary photographers such as Henry Diltz, Barry Feinstein, Curt Gunther, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney, Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal and Guy Webster, the book also includes a detailed oral history from McGuinn, Hillman, and Crosby.”
New Highway: Selected Lyrics, Poems, Prose, Essays, Eulogies and Blues
By Dave Alvin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Alvin is, first and foremost, a storyteller. The Grammy-winning artist’s disarmingly well-crafted lyrics represent just one of the many expressions of his unique ability to capture the gritty and beautiful moments of life with the written word. This anthology of his writing is a companion piece to Dave’s considerable musical output, and presents a staggering cross section of his work. New Highway includes a generous selection of his celebrated poetry; excerpts of his moving prose; newspaper articles and essays on artists including Frank Zappa, Bo Diddley and Ray Charles (which earned Dave a Grammy nomination); tributes to influences such as Merle Haggard; a long-lost interview with Buck Owens; and, of course, a carefully curated representation of his inimitable lyrics. Packed with rich imagery and poignant observations, New Highway follows Dave’s previous collections Nana, Big Joe & the Fourth of July, and Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You: Selected Poems & Writings: 1979-1995. If you know Alvin for his music, this collection will give you deeper insight into the heart of an artist whose pen knows no boundaries.”
Cross the Tracks: A Memoir
By Boosie Badazz
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A Baton Rouge native who began rapping at age 14, Boosie Badazz was already a cult hero in Louisiana when, in 2009, he was sentenced to two years in prison. The next year, he was indicted on even more serious charges, eventually landing him on Death Row. Prosecutors played Boosie’s music in the courtroom in an attempt to paint him as a thug with no chance of redemption. However, against overwhelming odds and the backdrop of a social media campaign to #FreeBoosie, he was freed in March of 2014 with a rare second chance to make his music dreams come true. In this evocative and compelling memoir, Boosie explores the relationship between his life on the streets with his ceaseless tear through the rap industry. From near-death experiences to a ruthless bout with kidney cancer to a life-threatening diabetes diagnosis, Boosie has overcome remarkable challenges to make a name for himself as one of rap’s most influential voices. A redemptive story with an urgent voice, Cross the Tracks is the survival tale of a man who wasn’t sure he would live to see another day … but who rose from the ashes to change the rap industry forever.”
Faith, Hope and Carnage
By Nick Cave & Seán O’Hagan
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Created from more than 40 hours of intimate conversations with Seán O’Hagan, it is a profoundly thoughtful exploration, in Nick Cave’s own words, of what really drives his life and creativity. The book examines questions of faith, art, music, freedom, grief, and love. It draws candidly on Cave’s life, from his early childhood to the present day, his loves, his work ethic, and his dramatic transformation in recent years. From a place of considered reflection, Faith, Hope and Carnage offers ladders of hope and inspiration from a true creative visionary.
Me And Paul: Untold Stories Of A Fabled Friendship
By Willie Nelson & David Ritz
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Immortalized in Willie Nelson’s road song Me and Paul, Paul English was the towering figure who for decades acted as Willie’s drummer, bodyguard, accountant, partner in crime and right-hand man. Together the two men roamed the country, putting on shows, getting into a few scrapes, raising money for good causes, and bringing the joy of their music to fans worldwide. Stories of Willie and Paul’s misadventures became legendary, but many have gone untold — until now. Set against the backdrop of the exploding Americana music scene and told in Willie’s inimitable, colorful style, Me and Paul follows the two performers through their decades-long careers.”
Elton John at 75
By Gillian G. Gaar
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Few rock artists continue to gather more and more adulation with age. Sir Elton Hercules John is an exception who proves the rule. In Elton John At 75, veteran rock journalist Gillian Gaar presents a unique and beautifully produced celebration of the iconic and beloved rock star, examining Sir Elton through the lens of 75 career accomplishments and life events. Key studio albums are featured, of course, as are a curated selection of his earworm singles. But Gaar delves deeper to reveal the events that helped chart the course of Elton’s career: Key performances such as his breakthrough performance at L.A.’s Troubadour, and the historic Soviet Union and Dodger Stadium concerts; legendary collaborations with the likes of George Michael, Billy Joel and Kate Bush; his film and TV work in Tommy and The Muppet Show; his tireless work on behalf of AIDS research; his notable awards and honors, including knighthood; and of course his collaboration with longtime cowriter Bernie Taupin. Beginning with his 1969 debut LP, Elton John is regarded as one of the most influential musicians and performers of the previous five decades. In examining 75 touchstones, Gaar provides a unique presentation of Elton’s career arc, from his first steps as a solo artist to the breakthrough album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road to his flamboyant stage presence, and beyond. Every page is illustrated with stunning concert and candid offstage photography, including gig posters, picture sleeves and more. The result is a stunning tribute to one of the most admired stars in rock — in a milestone year.”
Cash On Cash: Interviews and Encounters with Johnny Cash
By Robert Warren
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As an interviewee, Johnny Cash was an exemplary communicator to an astonishingly broad spectrum of people: always open and articulate, part friend, part spiritual authority, part flawed hero. Throughout a decades-long career, as Cash took risks, embracing new technologies, formats, and attitudes, he cleaved to a simple, core message of unvarnished truth. A comprehensive collection of Cash interviews and feature stories, some widely published and others never previously transcribed, culled from the 1950s through the early days of the new millennium, Cash On Cash charts a singular evolution. From hardscrabble Arkansas poor boy to rockabilly roustabout; international fame to drug addiction and disgrace; born-again Christian to gimlet-eyed chronicler of spiritual darkness; TV and movie star to Nashville reject; redemption to loss and back again, several times.”
After All Is Said and Done: Taping the Grateful Dead, 1965-1995
by Mark A Rodriguez
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “If any one musical act of the rock ’n’ roll era can be said to have transcended the simple categorization of “band,” The Grateful Dead is it: By the time they stopped performing in 1995, the Dead had become an international institution with a vast backing organization, a massive and devoted fanbase, and archival recordings both official and bootlegged. The cultural significance of these bootlegs — live concert cassettes which solidified the Dead’s legendary status even as they occupied a legal gray area for decades — is utterly unique in the annals of music, and the story of their creation, trading, and endless proliferation is a people’s history unto itself. Featuring dozens of interviews with tape enthusiasts and members of the Grateful Dead organization as well as the showstopping visuals from hundreds of archival cassette covers, After All Is Said and Done is artist Mark A. Rodriguez’s exploration of that history, a saga of homegrown psychedelia, anarchic graphic styles, and black market fandom as written in magnetic tape.”
This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You
By Susan Rogers & Ogi Ogas
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This Is What It Sounds Like is a journey into the science and soul of music that reveals the secrets of why your favorite songs move you. But it’s also a story of a musical trailblazer who began as a humble audio tech in Los Angeles, rose to become Prince’s chief engineer for Purple Rain, and then created other No. 1 hits, including Barenaked Ladies‘ One Week, as one of the most successful female record producers of all time. Now an award-winning professor of cognitive neuroscience, Susan Rogers leads readers to musical self-awareness. She explains that we each possess a unique “listener profile” based on our brain’s natural response to seven key dimensions of any song. Are you someone who prefers lyrics or melody? Do you like music “above the neck” (intellectually stimulating), or “below the neck” (instinctual and rhythmic)? Whether your taste is esoteric or mainstream, Rogers guides readers to recognize their musical personality, and offers language to describe one’s own unique taste. Like most of us, Rogers is not a musician, but she shows that all of us can be musical — simply by being an active, passionate listener. While exploring the science of music and the brain, Rogers also takes us behind the scenes of record-making, using her insider’s ear to illuminate the music of Prince, Frank Sinatra, Kanye West, Lana Del Rey and many others. She shares records that changed her life, contrasts them with those that appeal to her coauthor and students, and encourages you to think about the records that define your own identity. Told in a lively and inclusive style, This Is What It Sounds Like will refresh your playlists, deepen your connection to your favorite artists, and change the way you listen to music.”
Legendary Guitars: An Illustrated Guide
By Tony Bacon
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Legendary Guitars: An Illustrated Guide recaps how the great instruments created and produced between 1950 and 1969 went on to define the design, looks, and playability of today’s electric guitars. Legendary Guitars draws direct lines between the mid-century originals and many of today’s most highly-prized instruments. Alongside classic originals, you’ll see great examples of more recent instruments, showing how today’s guitar makers have produced fresh interpretations that draw on the venerable ’50s and ’60s templates. The guide details everything from highly accurate (and highly priced) vintage remakes and artist models to the broader influences and mashup qualities of modern retro creations. The 1950s marked the birth of so many now-classic electric guitars: from the Gibson Les Paul and the Fender Telecaster (as seen with Bill Haley & His Comets and Little Richard’s band) to the Gretsch 6120 and the Gibson Flying V (respectively twanged by Duane Eddy and touted by Albert King). In the 1960s, players pushed the sound of the electric guitar — bending, distorting, and overloading the instrument to within an inch of its life — all to fire some of the most extraordinary music ever created, not least by Jimi Hendrix with an upside-down Fender Stratocaster, Eric Clapton with a psychedelic Gibson SG, and George Harrison with a 12-string Rickenbacker. The work of more than 50 guitar brands — past and present — is highlighted. Alongside the eye-popping photographs are classic advertisements, period catalogs, and other rare memorabilia. Legendary Guitars: An Illustrated Guide also contains a chronological narrative of world events that places these remarkable instruments in the context of two decades of mesmerizing contrasts and revolutionary invention. Legendary Guitars takes you on an illustrated journey through the guitars and culture that drove the sound of rock ’n’ roll, blues, and country, from 1950 to present day.”
