The Life and Music of Roy Orbison. Roy Orbison emerged as an artist alongside his Sun Records contemporaries in the early days of rock 'n' roll. He did not possess the good looks of Elvis Presley or the everyman toughness of Johnny Cash, nor did he conduct wild-child stage antics like Jerry Lee Lewis. But he did possess a magnetic

The Taylor Guitar Book. Growing from a small custom shop in the early 1970s to the only new brand to have challenged the traditional Big Three of American acoustic Guitars (Gibson, Guild, and Martin), Taylor has effectively changed the marketplace for acoustic steel-string Guitars and influenced every other maker of acoustic stringed instruments. But Taylor's influence in the Guitar market goes far beyond the Guitars themselves. Having pioneered the use of modern building techniques ? such as utilizing CNC machines, UV-finishing, etc. ? the company has been an undisputed leader when it comes to innovation. Taylor's latest efforts are concentrated on wood conservation, and again, the company is setting the example that the industry is following. The Taylor Guitar Book combines a historical storyline with useful hands-on information about model changes over the years ? to help readers learn how to identify and date a Taylor ? and features shop and factory photos (both historical and current) as well as full-color images of Guitars.

A Complete Course in Techniques and Styles-This latest entry in Backbeat's bestselling handbook series starts by exploring the humble beginnings of blues guitar through the early decades of the 20th century including profiles of such players as Robert Johnson Charley Patton and Son House. As the story moves into the '40s and '50s and blues players migrate to major urban centers author Adam St. James follows the evolution of the music at the hands of such electric blues kingpins as Muddy Waters Howlin' Wolf and B. B. King. Then it's the blues-rockers of the '60s '70s and '80s (including Eric Clapton Jimmy Page Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan) before the story comes up to date with blues flame-keepers suchas Keb Mo' or Duke Robillard and some not-quite-traditionalists such as Robben Ford or Derek Trucks.A comprehensive section for mastering electric and acoustic blues follows this historic overview. Starting from the very basics it leads you into more advanced rhythm and lead techniques before examining four key styles: acoustic blues classic electric blues blues rock and jazz blues. The many exercises in the book are supported by specially recorded audio tracks on the accompanying CD.

The Backstage Story of How the Beatles Rocked America Hard Cover Edition Boxed Set-The Beatles North American tours turned the entertainment business on its ear and forever changed the landscape of the concert touring industry. In February 1964 after finally achieving a number-one hit in America the Fab Four came to the country with high hopes performing on the wildly popular Ed Sullivan Show in both New York City and Miami and playing concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Washington Coliseum. In just fifteen short days the Beatles conquered America.The Beatles made music-entertainment history with their North American tours from 1964 to 1966. Some Fun Tonight! The Backstage Story of How the Beatles Rocked America: The Historic Tours of1964-1966 is a comprehensive two-volume set which gives you a city-by-city synopsis of the group's activities as they traveled the United States and Canada for their groundbreaking series of concerts. From San Franciscos Cow Palace show on August 19 1964 through their last-ever live performances at that city's famed Candlestick Park on August 29 1966 these books cover the music and the madness that characterized the Beatles three North American tours. With hundreds of photographs and images of rare memorabilia it is truly the definitive reference for what is arguably the most important period in the Beatles long and winding career. Youll read about the behind-the-scenes negotiations the mayhem at the airports and hotels and the cheeky quotes delivered at the press conferences. Youll also read about the opening acts the concerts and the stories behind the shows through the eyes of the Beatles their entourage the promoters the emcees and the fans.Never before have the Beatles North American concerts been covered in such depth. If you witnessed the mania firsthand youll relive the excitement in the pages of these books. If you were born too late to be a part of those halcyon days youll learn what it was like to be swept up and carried away by the phenomenon of the greatest musical act of all time. When all is said and done Some

The Piano Improvisation Handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the practical skills and theoretical issues involved in mastering all forms of Piano improvisation including classical jazz rock and blues.Whereas most books offer little more than models for imitation and exercises for practicing this one adopts an approach specifically designed to encourage and enable independent creative exploration. The book contains a series of graded tutorial sections with musical examples on CD as well as an appendix listing useful scales chords voicings and progressions across all keys a bibliography and a discography.In addition tosections outlining how melody harmony rhythm texture and form work in improvised Piano music giving distinctive emphasis to the interconnectedness of classical and jazz improvisation there are sections devoted to explaining how ideas can be developed into continuous music and to exploring the process of finding a personal style.

From Bob Dylan Joni Mitchell and Bruce Springsteen to the Beatles the Who and the Rolling Stones this is the ultimate guide to rock & roll's most enduring artists. It's all here: 1000 expert reviews of the most famous rock albums and the forgotten jewels from the classic rock vaults.Some timeless works featured include the Beatles' pivotal and infinitely influential Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Led Zeppelin's throbbing epic Physical Graffiti Heart's magic Dreamboat Annie and the Jimi Hendrix Experience's psychedelic electrifying debut Are You Experienced?This grab-and-go book is an experience in itself with iconicalbum art inspiring reviews and quick-reference artist song and album lists making it an indispensable tool for building a no-risk album collection.The All Music Guide Required Listening series is based on the larger industry-leading authoritative All Music Guide. Since its first edition in 1992 the All Music Guide has become the last word in music. These distinctive books are well-used buying tools and must-have additions to every music lover's library. With the new All Music Guide Required Listening series top music editors and journalists have worked hard to showcase the best of their recommendations -- essential for any music fan from the hardcore aficionado to the novice looking for some solid advice from the experts.

Until the launch of the Flying V and Explorer in 1958 electric guitars were supposed to look like...guitars. Suddenly Gibson turned conventional design upside down almost literally by using straight lines and angular body shapes changing the way electrics could look and in the process creating a set of rare future collectables.Flying V Explorer Firebird tells the story of those first peculiar instruments and goes on to describe Gibson's second attempt at nonstandard designs with the Firebird of the early '60s. The book shows how most of these were a commercial failure at first and goes on to detail the influence of the designs on Guitar-makerssuch as Hamer Jackson Dean Ibanez and BC Rich all of whom embraced Gibson's original weird-is-good design ethic. In parallel with the story of the makers is an absorbing account of the players who discovered these odd-shaped instruments including Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) Edge (U2) and Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick).Interviews with players and makers illuminate the story of this fascinating assortment of Electric Guitar innovations alongside specially commissioned images of every key model and brand and an enviable collection of Guitar memorabilia plus a gallery of leading guitarists photographed in action with their instruments. If it's weird and has strings it's in Flying V Explorer Firebird.

This do-it-yourself guide to owning and maintaining an Electric Guitar explains the ins and outs of choosing the right Guitar; cleaning tools and basic maintenance; personalizing and improving on a ?factory setup;? troubleshooting; basic Guitar electronics; choosing and installing replacement pickups pots switches and capacitors; setups of the pros and much more. This second edition is overhauled from top to bottom and re-organised to make it easy for the reader to make their electric Guitar sound and play great. This edition also covers Bass Guitars and includes online video where Dan Erlewine shows you how easy it is to set up yourStrat Les Paul Bass or Floyd Rose-equipped Guitar so it plays in tune and feels great. Also includes cutout tool sheet with specialised Guitar gauges at the back of the book.

Everyone knows the success stories of the music industry – how Michael Jackson's Thriller blew the roof off and how Clive Davis helped orchestrate Carlos Santana's stunning comeback. But now you'll find out aboutpeople who were dead wrong. This book details some of the most expensive blunders ever made by artists and by record executives managers and producers who've worked with stars such as Michael Jackson Christina Aguilera TheBeatles Madonna Nickelback Bob Dylan Dido The Rolling Stones and dozens more. From contract and copyright screw-ups to sheer arrogance and lying this book includes eye-opening revelations on: the pitfalls of employing afamily member • the marketability of suicide • the industry's accepted levels of lies and thievery • and much much more.

This indispensable handbook helps players of all levels produce better more creative and more varied bass lines. Divided into two sections – Playing Your Bass and Knowing Your Bass – it covers everything from tuning reading music scales and chords and advanced techniques to tips on buying and upgrading a budget bass and troubleshooting. Along with a list of suggested listening and a reference guide this book provides an unrivaled digest ofbass information that might otherwise take an entire career to amass.

If the Beatles wrote the soundtrack of the swinging '60s then the Eagles did the same for the cynical '70s. The story of the Eagles is also the story of most artists of their time the drugs the music the excesses and the piles of cash. But the Eagles took it to the limit. And in Don Henley and Glenn Frey they had two songwriters who intuitively understood and accurately portrayed the changing America they lived in. They perfected the California sound shifted power from record company to artist and pioneered album-oriented rock. Eagles songs of the period are as memorable as any ever written and their most popular album Hotel California became a timeless record of'70s decadence.In The Eagles FAQ music critic Andrew Vaughan brings an insider's view into the various chapters of the group's fascinating history. He shows how they blended the best folk rock and country sounds of the '60s into a worldwide soundtrack of the '70s while challenging the industry status quo with a new business model. The story of their rise fall and rebirth is all here their mega-selling smashes their tensions and breakups the band members' solo work and their triumphant reunion and continued place at the top of the rock-and-roll tree.

Setting the scene with America's traditional folk of the early '60s this book describes the sea of change that began in 1964 when the social consciousness of folk met the energy of rock. It concentrates on 1964-66 when the best most popular and most controversial folk-rock was created. The book explores the dizzyingly fast cross-fertilization of such giants as The Beatles The Byrds and Dylan; the passionate conflicts between folk devotees andfolk-rockers; the sudden frenzy of the media; and the unforgettable music that was born. Turn! Turn! Turn! also examines how folk-rock continued to influence late '60s psychedelic rock country-rock and the British scene as well as its gradual partial transformation into the singer-songwriter movement. Based on first-hand interviews with such visionaries as Roger McGuinn Judy Collins Donovan John Sebastian Arlo Guthrie Janis Ian and dozensof others.

There's a huge amount of hype and mythology surrounding tube amplifiers in the guitar world. For years experts have argued over the tiny details of exactly how they do what they do and how their various components interact.What's undeniable is that far more than being just a “loudness booster ” the unique combination of tubes capacitors resistors and transformers in these amps can contribute enormously to the quality of sound derivedfrom any electric guitar. In this thorough and authoritative book Dave Hunter cuts through the marketing hyperbole and the blind faith and supplies all the information you need to choose the right amp and get the best from it.The book also features exclusively conducted in-depth interviews with leading figures in the tube amp-building world – including Ken Fischer Mark Sampson and Michael Zaite – and even provides full instructions onhow to construct your own high-quality tube guitar amp from scratch.

In the 1950s rock and roll was played on simple instruments with simple audio equipment. But today rock music can be as technically complex as any Hollywood blockbuster. Rock Hardware uncovers how the instruments and technologyof rock have evolved giving new insight into the mechanics of rock music's most famous moments on stage and in the studio. The book explores the range of instrumental and technical choices including acoustic guitars electricguitars basses amps drums and percussion keyboards electronic music brass woodwinds live sound systems and recording technology. An absorbing narrative and 200 striking color photos depict the design intricacies ofclassic and contemporary landmarks in rock's fascinating instrumental history. Rock Hardware gives today's musician an understanding of how to choose from the vast array of old and new instruments and how to combine the tools andtechnology to create their own new milestones in rock history.

A Complete Illustrated History of Bass Guitars Updated Edition-In California in the early '50s the Fender company introduced the world's first electric bass guitar. They couldn't have known known it then but the Precision Bass would start a revolution in the sound of popular music. This book explains how that revolution happened and how its reverberations are still felt today. The two-guitars-bass-and-drums lineup that would define pop music found its heart with the Fender bass. In the coming decades the bass guitar provided the solid foundation upon which much modern music is still built. The Bass Book is the first to study its story with the full lowdown of the most important bass players and bass makers. Brands featured in the bookinclude Alembic Danelectro Epiphone Fender Fodera Gibson Hofner Ibanez Lakland Line 6 Music Man Peavey Rickenbacker Sadowsky Spector Squier Steinberger Wal Warwick and Yamaha. Original interviews with makers of bass guitars from the past and present illuminate the book with the popular establishment of the bass during the '60s and '70s examined in detail along with more recent developments such as the popularity of the five-string bass. There is an exclusive interview with Paul McCartney and other bassists who feature in the story including Stanley Clarke Flea James Jamerson Jaco Pastorius and Robert Trujillo. Dozens of unusual desirable and rarely seen basses are presented in high-quality photos. A reference section provides a wealth of information on the key makers. The Bass Book has all you need to know about the story of the bass guitar in one stylish readable volume and this revised and refreshed third edition brings the story right up to date.