Frank Zappa was an unremitting musical innovator and experimenter always looking for ways to exploit the latest advances in technology. His working life coincided with the explosive development of music technology that ran from the 1960s through the…
In this volume author John Corcelli reveals Zappa's roots as a musician from his diverse influences to his personal life. We also learn more about his former band members and the enormous musical legacy inherited by his son Dweezil. The book feature…
This new version of Tony Bacon's ESix Decades of the Fender TelecasterE shows how the world's first commercially successful solidbody electric guitar still attracts musicians more than 60 years since its birth in California. Today it is more popular…
Originally published in 2003 and now revised and updated EThe Songwriting SourcebookE is the third entry in Rikky Rooksby's bestselling EHow to Write SongsE series. This easy-to-use book will help you write better songs by explaining the art of writ…
This expanded edition for beginners to experts is a step-by-step manual to maintaining and repairing electric and acoustic guitars and basses. Players learn how to set up a guitar and keep it in top form by mastering basic maintenance. Features an e…
Acquired wisdom has always put ESgt. PepperE at the head of the class but it was ERevolverE that truly signaled The Beatles' sea change from a functional band to a studio-based ensemble. These changes began before ERubber SoulE but came to fruition…
From shopping for a first electric guitar to setting customized action this do-it-yourself primer for owning and maintaining an electric guitar explains the ins and outs of choosing the right guitar; cleaning tools and basic maintenance; personalizi…
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 r…
Here is the story of an often overlooked one-of-a-kind rock 'n' roll musician and the historic times he lived in. In spite of numerous opportunities for success he became a tragedy.THJerry Nolan came out of New York in the 1970s as part of two of th…
Actor performer musician entrepreneur winemaker athlete writer curious adventurer a Maynard James Keenan is the embodiment of the archetypal artist. Best known as the vocalist in award-winning groups Tool A Perfect Circle and Puscifer he has trusted…
ENew York TimesE Bestseller EA Perfect Union of Contrary ThingsE is the authorized biography of musician and vintner Maynard James Keenan. Co-author Sarah Jensen's 30-year friendship with Keenan gives her unique insight into his history and career t…
Color and B&W photos throughout
Paperback Original w/French flaps
Joni Mitchell is one of the most celebrated artists of the last half-century and her landmark 1971 album EBlueE is one of her most beloved and revered works. Generations of people have come of age listening to the album inspired by the way it clarif…
Since the famed Kenneth Arnold flying saucer sighting of 1947 the world has been fascinated and unnerved by these mysterious objects in the sky. Millennia of recorded human history report UFOs and everything from the extinction of dinosaurs to the o…
This ultimate guide to all the gear used by the Beatles details exactly which guitars drums amplifiers and keyboards the Fab Four embraced throughout their brief but revolutionary career from their earliest days as the Quarry Men to the dissolution…
EThe Jazz Guitar HandbookE is a step-by-step guide to jazz guitar playing. It takes you from the basics through to advanced harmony and soloing concepts and teaches you the music theory a jazz guitarist needs to know. Along the way it covers a wide…
To many vintage guitar fans it seems inconceivable that Gibson dumped the Sunburst Les Paul in 1960 and during the following year introduced a completely new design the one that we know now as the SG ( solid guitar ).THAt the time however it made go…
Once in a while a photographer gains the trust of an artist or a band and his work fuses with that of the artist in such a way that the two become married in the public consciousness. One can think of David Duncan's pictures of Picasso at work or Al…
Offering a fresh perspective on one of the most prolific and well-loved catalogs of songs in the rock 'n' roll canon EFleetwood Mac FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Iconic Rock SurvivorsE digs deeper than your average music compendium and side…
In 2009 the legendary Les Paul passed away at the age of 94. In celebration of his life this book capturing Paul's own reflections on his remarkable inventions and guitar playing was published as a high-end collector's edition. In 2015 Les Paul reac…
It has been 40 years since the untimely death of L.A.'s mystic and rock's Dionysus Jim Morrison yet the Doors have consistently inspired new generations of fans worldwide ever since. Highlighting one of the most influential original and outrageous A…
From its artful beginnings (Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd the Mothers of Invention and those progressive forebearers the Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles) through the towering guitar solos monumental synthesizer banks and mind-boggling special effects of the Go…
The preeminent synth-pop outfit for four decades, Depeche Mode have endured an ever-shifting musical landscape, rising above fads and battles with personal demons, somehow managing to retain a hold on the charts and the audience, the latter which co…
Other people locked themselves away and hid from their demons. Townes flung open his door and said 'Come on in.' So writes Harold Eggers Townes Van Zandt's longtime road manager and producer in EMy Years with Townes Van Zandt: Music Genius and RageE…
EA rock 'n roll classic back in print updated and revised.ETHOne of the funniest rock memoirs ever Al Kooper's legendary EBackstage PassesE is available again! Al's quirky life from would-be teenage rocker to crashing Bob Dylan's recording session a…
Many of the architects of rock and roll in the 1950s including Elvis Presley Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard were Southerners who were rooted in the distinctive regional traditions of country blues and R&B. As the impact of the British Invasion a…
With clear and easy-to-understand exercises EThe Piano HandbookE is perfect for anyone interested in learning the piano or improving their skills. It provides fresh material and techniques in styles ranging from classical to jazz rock bebop and fusi…
In 1982 Fender revived an old guitar-string name for its new line of Japanese-made electric guitars. Millions of guitars later and celebrating its 30th anniversary Squier is almost as important to the company as the main Fender brand.THGuitar pundit…
Gretsch electric guitars have a style all their own a a glitzy wacky retro charm that over the years has drawn players from all kinds of popular music from timeless stars to unknown teens. The Beatles Chet Atkins Duane Eddy and Brian Setzer all made…
ERingo: With a Little HelpE is the first in-depth biography of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr who kept the beat for an entire generation and who remains a rock icon over fifty years since the Beatles took the world by storm. EWith a Little HelpE traces…
EGuitar Effects Pedals: The Practical HandbookE opens up the world of effects pedals vintage and new alike for the guitarist. In an easy guitarist-friendly style the book explores the history of different effects pedals what each type of effect does…
Lavishly illustrated with color photos throughout
Despite Steely Dan's popularity its ability to cultivate an ever-growing base of avid and loyal fans and its chart positions relatively little has been written about the group. ESteely Dan FAQE clears up some of the many misconceptions about the ban…
So you want to write songs and you want to write them on guitar. This is the book that shows you exactly how. Taking tips and tricks from classic songwriters from Bob Dylan to the Beatles to Tori Amos EHow to Write Songs on GuitarE takes you through…
Although rock 'n roll is America's all-time leading cultural export half of the classic rock sound a hard-hitting skintight audacious and vibrant a was born across the pond. Musician journalist and writer Dave Hunter's EThe British Amp Invasion: How…
Whether you think you know everything about Queen already or if you're new to the band and want to learn more, Queen FAQ will walk you through every aspect of one of the music industry's strangest, longest, and most successful bands of all time. Que…
Bill Haley a the man who brought rock 'n' roll into the mainstream. His song Crazy Man Crazy was the first rock 'n' roll song to break the EBillboardE Top 20 in 1953 and was followed by his evergreen We're Gonna Rock Around the Clock the first song…
Rikky Rooksby's revised and updated bestseller explores more than 200 classic riffs from Cream and Led Zeppelin through Nirvana and Soundgarden to Metallica U2 and the White Stripes. The first half of the book analyzes classic rock riffs and reveals…
EThe Gibson 335 Guitar BookE tells the story of Gibson's ES-335 and related models as played by B.B. King Alvin Lee and Eric Clapton among other virtuosos. It's full of great guitars cool players and fascinating historical detail. The book traces th…
EBruce Springsteen a Like a Killer in the SunE originally published in Italian is the definitive book on the work of Bruce Springsteen showing his unique narrative talent and offering an accurate critical examination of his poetics. It presents 117…
In this candid and perceptive memoir of his 45-year career bassist Jerry Scheff takes us onto Elvis's private jet on tour with Bob Dylan and into the studio with The Doors. A stalwart presence behind some of the greatest names of popular music Schef…
In the turbulent sixties the Woodstock Festival and the Generation that came from that event were a manifestation of the desire to create a free loving and just world. Elliott Landy has had his finger on the pulse of the Woodstock generation. He was…
EProg Rock FAQE traces the controversial but much misunderstood musical genre through its five-decade history highlighting the rise eventual decline and recent resurgence of one of the most inventive and storied popular musical forms of the latter h…
ERolling Stones GearE is the first book to historically document all of the Rolling Stones' musical equipment. It's also the story of the Rolling Stones but with a new twist: their history as told through the instruments they used. This book covers…
A musician offers a compelling retrospective of Wonder's life and career, exploring his childhood, his musical influences, and his career as a musician, while presenting more than eighty color and black-and-white photographs from the singer's career…
EThe WallE was Roger Waters's first album. So begins Dave Thompson's Thompson's ERoger Waters: The Man Behind the WallE the first full biography on this notoriously guarded personality that has eluded probing queries and papertrail dissection for th…
Cleverly marketed by their original manager as the bad boys of rock, the Rolling Stones have survived dalliances with the devil, drug busts, and the death of founding member Brian Jones to become the world s longest-running rock and roll band. Led b…
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…
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…
Two eight-page B&W and color photo inserts
ELyricsE sheds light on all aspects of lyric writing for music and will make songwriters feel more confident and creative when they tackle lyrics. It's perfect for all songwriters: those who don't like their own lyrics and find them difficult to wri…
