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George Gruhn/Walter Carter: Electric Guitars And Basses - A Photographic History

Electric Guitars and Basses tells the story in full colour of one of the most influential forces on American culture in the 20th century - the Electric Guitar.From the earliest 'lap steels' that reshaped the sound of Hawaiian music, the the 'Spanish-neck' models that created a new voice in the Jazz world and powered the early rock and rollers, and on to the solid body models that shattered conventional ideas of Guitar design and Guitar music, all of the classic and historically important models are displayed and discussed by Guitar experts George Gruhn and Walter Carter.This new edition features an additional 16 pages of important instruments and newly discovered information.

Jim Roberts: How The Fender Bass Changed The World

This book by the founding editor and former publisher of Bass Player magazine not only celebrates the 50-year history of Fender's revolutionary Precision Bass, it also - for the first time - illuminates the full scope of its profound impact on music and society. Focusing on the bass' artistic influence, it details the technical milestones that gave the bass its musical power. This book also describes the impact of the bass in the hands of such visionaries as James Jamerson; cheers the innovations of rockers like Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney, John Entwistle and Sting; and honors the inspired work of such virtuosos as Jaco Pastorius. Loaded with black & white and 100 stunning colour photos.

Dave Hunter: The Guitar Amp Handbook - Understanding Tube Amplifiers And Getting Great Sounds

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 derived from 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 on how to construct your own high-quality tube Guitar amp from scratch. 40 colour and 90 black and white illustrations and photographs.

Sunburst: How The Gibson Les Paul Standard Became A Legendary Guitar

Through a series of interviews with players, collectors, guitar-makers and dealers, Sunburst: How The Gibson Les Paul Standard Became A Legendary Guitar reveals how the Gibson Les Paul Standard, known as 'the burst', became one of the most desirable electric Guitars of all time. Famously played by Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, the Gibson Les Paul Standard was first produced, in a batch of around 1,400, at the end of the 1950s. This book examines those originals, as well as the various reissues over the years, looking at the latest efforts by Gibson to re-create these hallowed Guitars. Sunburst is the latest book in Tony Bacon's bestselling Guitar series, with a thoroughly researched story partnered by a gallery of full-colour pictures of great Guitars, rare memorabilia, and famous 'burst' players ? from Keith Richards to Joe Bonamassa and Jeff Beck to Billy Gibbons. Its reference section reveals production details and dating clues for this most enigmatic and revered instrument.

Jim Dawson/Steve Propes: 45 RPM - The History, Heroes And Villains Of A Pop Music Revolution

In the 1950s and '60s, those shiny 45-rpm records with the big hole in the middle were the primary delivery system for popular American music, especially rock 'n' roll. Cheap to manufacture and available to even fly-by-night record operations, the donut disc changed the way popular music was written, recorded, promoted and marketed, and it broke - at least for a time - the iron-fisted dominance of the major record corporations. This book traces the 7-inch single's origins back to the 1880s, and explains the personality conflicts that led an eccentric genius to develop the 45 into one of postwar America's most popular consumer products. It explores how the jukebox, the autonomous disc jockey, and payola and artist rip-offs kept the 45 at the forefront of rock for 20 years. There are also chapters on the most valuable (and legendary) 45s of all time, as well as the oddities, oddballs and freak hits that make listening to 45s so much fun. With over 80 illustrations - many in full colour.

Relix: The Book - The Grateful Dead Experience

For the first time in one volume, here is the best of Relix magazine: the ultimate, spectacular history of the Grateful Dead and their fans.Relix magazine - much like the Grateful Dead, the band they captured relentlessly - was not just the backdrop for a generation, it was an inspiration. Begun in 1974 as a newsletter to connect Deadheads, the magazine exploded along with the tie-dyed community that embraced it.Relix: The Book is a compilation of the first 27 years of Relix magazine and includes interviews with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and all of the Dead's key players.A Deadhead family portrait and psychedelic time capsule, it also features iconic groups such as the Doors and Phish, along with nearly three decades' worth of brain-melting artwork, full-colour covers, and anecdotes from Relix founder Toni Brown, written exclusively for the book.For the global family of Deadheads, old-school hippies, and up and coming jam band fans, Relix: The Book is much more than an anthology, it is an event.

U2's The Joshua Tree : Planting Roots in Mythic America

Les Paul In His Own Words

**Please note: This title is not available to the EU book trade.** Les Paul In His Own Words celebrates the life of the legendary guitarist Les Paul , who passed away in 2009 at the age of 94. This book, capturing Les Paul 's own reflections on his remarkable inventions and Guitar playing, was published as a high-end collector's edition. In 2015, Les Paul reached his centennial, and Backbeat Books is pleased to celebrate the legend once more in the first-ever paperback edition of Les Paul In His Own Words , making his fascinating story available to a wide range of readers. This book is the definitive work on the recording and Electric Guitar pioneer whose prodigious talents and relentless work ethic single-handedly launched a new era in American popular music. This authentic account of Les Paul 's life is packed with words of wisdom and experience from one of the most important contributors to modern music.

U2 FAQ

Few would dispute U2's position as the biggest rock band in the world. Active and relevant for nearly thirty-five years, Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr. have been masters of reinvention, thriving artistically while continuing to sell out concerts across the globe.From their start at Dublin's Mount Temple School in 1976 up to the 2009 Rose Bowl show that shattered a U.S. concert attendance record (previously set by the group in 1987), U2's members have experienced some amazing collective highs. But in its ascent, the band has seen its share of personal, artistic, and commercial setbacks.These are just some of the topics U2 FAQ explores: How did Bono recover his cherished suitcase of lyrics 23 years after its 1981 disappearance? What movie dialogue is sampled in the middle of ?Seconds?? What effect did bull's blood have on Larry's drumming? How did Bono's visit to Central America inform The Joshua Tree? What are the details of Adam's 1989 marijuana bust? How did Mick Jagger wind up on All That You Can't Leave Behind?Award-winning music journalist John D. Luerssen goes beyond the essential facts, delving into the legendary fables and unique anecdotes that make U2 FAQ an indispensable read for all U2 disciples.

Guitar Player Presents: Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana is one of Guitar Player's most frequently covered artists. Revered by guitarists for his tone and brilliant sense of melody, Santana has been extremely giving in his Guitar Player interviews, sharing his gear secrets, technical approaches, musical influences, and the building blocks of his sound. Here, collected in one volume, are all of Santana's interviews, from his first post-Woodstock discussion to detailing the popular juggernaut that was 1999's Supernatural to the masterful seminar he gave on creativity in 2008. Also included are style lessons and licks from Guitar Player's respected staff of music writers and transcribers that reveal all the voodoo that explodes from Santana's fingers.

Rolling Stones Gear: All The Stones? Instruments From Stage To Studio

Rolling Stones Gear: All The Stones? Instruments From Stage To Studio documents the band?s 50 year history, as told through the instruments used by them. Crammed with facts, this book features input from members of The Rolling Stones and their contemporaries, as well as information on all of the songs recorded by the band, including demos and out-takes. Rolling Stones Gear: All The Stones? Instruments From Stage To Studio details every instrument used by the group, from their formative years in the 1960s to the present. Illustrated with hundreds of high-quality images, this book also contains several rare photographs that have never been published before. Covering the The Rolling Stones ' personal background, as well as their tours and studio sessions, this comprehensive guide will be of interest to any Stones enthusiast.

Anthony Robustelli: Steely Dan FAQ

Despite Steely Dan 's popularity, their ability to cultivate an ever-growing base of avid and loyal fans, and their chart positions, relatively little has been written about the group. The band has sold more than forty million albums worldwide, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has had the majority of its albums certified platinum or double platinum in the U.S., yet their story has not been fully told. Steely Dan FAQ clears up some of the many musconceptions about the band and sheds a new light on the genius behind the songwriting of Donald Fagan and Walter Becker, the perfection of their productions, and the myriad musicians who have played a role in creating the distinctive Steely Dan sound. This book takes us through five decades of cryptic lyrics, sophisticated music, elusive interviews, dramatic interludes and misconstrued sentiments. Within these pages, readers will gain insight into the influences, musicians, situations and complications that created one of the most distinctive bands in the history of rock and roll. Steely Dan FAQ is a must-have volume for those who want to know more about this elusive band!

John D. Luerssen: Bruce Springsteen FAQ

Long before he sold 120 million albums globally in a career that has endured artistically and commercially like no other performer's in the rock era, Bruce Springsteen was a working-class New Jersey kid with a dream and a guitar. By the time he was 16, he was playing ShopRite openings and school dances around his hometown of Freehold.For many, high school is where the garage-band dreams die, but time spent fronting a band called Steel Mill in the heyday of Asbury Park's Upstage scene gave him the courage to sidestep college and put his name out in front, soon enough making him ?The Boss? to his band. After five more years spent working diligently on that dream, Springsteen had landed the dueling Time and Newsweek covers that made him an instant household name on the strength of his album Born to Run.Bruce Springsteen FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Boss investigates Springsteen's superstar Born in the U.S.A. album and tour, the dissolution and reunion of the E Street Band, the legal wrangling that held up 1978's Darkness on the Edge of Town, the group's postmillennium resurgence, the untimely passing of core band members Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons, and more.This indispensible read, packed with countless images of rare memorabilia, is a volume Springsteen fans will treasure.

Will Romano: Close To The Edge - How Yes's Masterpiece Defined Prog Rock

**Please note: This title is not available to the EU book trade.** The first half of the 1970s was an especially fertile period for British progressive rock, laying claim to classics such as Tarkus, Selling England by the Pound, Larks' Tongues in Aspic, The Dark Side of the Moon, and Thick as a Brick. Collectively these and other works represent the best British progressive rock had to offer. Yet, it's Yes 's 1972 three-track masterpiece, Close To The Edge , that presents a snapshot of an adventurous rock band at the peak of its powers, daring to push itself musically, both as individuals and as a unit. Yes had previously penned epic tracks for The Yes Album and Fragile, but nothing on the magnitude of the musical gems appearing on Close To The Edge . It's something of a small miracle – perhaps even magic – that the virtuoso quintet crafted such a cohesive and compelling album during an often-hectic recording process that very nearly relegated this monumental work to the dustbin of history. So potent was the power of Close To The Edge that even before its release it had forever shifted the personal dynamics of the group and the course of progressive rock.  For this absorbing chronicle, acclaimed music journalist Will Romano draws upon dozens of original and archived interviews. This book also features rare photographs and an extensive discography, all of which reveal why Close To The Edge is the ultimate prog rock album.

The Band FAQ : All That's Left to Know About the Fathers of Americana

In a way that no prior rock act had done, the Band assimilated, remade, and contagiously celebrated the rich, deep tributaries of American vernacular music. Blues, country, jazz, folk, gospel, soul, rock'n' roll - the members soaked it all up, distilling what they heard and felt into an alchemical brew all their own. Via this vibrant concoction, the group - Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson - reshaped popular music, creating the genre now known as roots rock and giving us classic songs like The Weight, Up on Cripple Creek, and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. The Band wove a history that rivals the epic scenes they sang about: fromtheir early years as rockabilly wild man Ronnie Hawkins's group the Hawks, and their groundbreaking tours and Basement Tapes period with Bob Dylan, through their emergence as the Band with 1968's landmark album Music from Big Pink, they reigned as one of rock's most popular acts, culminating with rock's greatest concert movie, The Last Waltz, and their 1980s reunion and ultimate demise with the tragic deaths of Manuel and Danko. The Band FAQ digs deep to discuss different facets of the Band's collective and individual stories - providing intensive analysis of their recordings; highlighting their key concerts, collaborations with Bob Dylan, outside projects, musical and non-musical influences, and their contemporary artists; and examining the group's formidable effect on popular music and their still-thriving legacy. A host of rare images rounds out the book, which is a must-have for new and longtime fans.