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Eudaimonia: Perspectives for Music Learning (Routledge New Directions in Music Education Series)
by Gareth Dylan Smith Marissa SilvermanEudaimonia: Perspectives for Music Learning asserts the fertile applications of eudaimonia—an Aristotelian concept of human flourishing intended to explain the nature of a life well lived—for work in music learning and teaching in the 21st century. Drawing insights from within and beyond the field of music education, contributors reflect on what the "good life" means in music, highlighting issues at the core of the human experience and the heart of schooling and other educational settings. This pursuit of personal fulfillment through active engagement is considered in relation to music education as well as broader social, political, spiritual, psychological, and environmental contexts. Especially pertinent in today’s complicated and contradictory world, Eudaimonia: Perspectives for Music Learning is a concise compendium on this oft-overlooked concept, providing musicians with an understanding of an ethically-guided and socially-meaningful music-learning paradigm.
Willie Nelson: A Little Golden Book Biography (Little Golden Book)
by Geof SmithHelp your little one dream big with a Little Golden Book biography about country-music star and activist Willie Nelson! Little Golden Book biographies are the perfect introduction to nonfiction for preschoolers!Willie Nelson, singer-songwriter of such hits as "On the Road Again" and "You Were Always on My Mind," is the subject of this terrific Little Golden Book biography. Children--as well as adult fans--will be inspired by Willie's activism and work with Farm Aid and how he always stayed true to himself by dressing how he liked and creating the music he wanted to share! Look for Little Golden Book biographies about these other inspiring people:Carol BurnettHarriet TubmanLucille BallQueen Elizabeth IIBarack ObamaSonia SotomayorDr. FauciJoe BidenDolly PartonKamala HarrisMisty CopelandBetty WhiteFrida KahloRuth Bader GinsburgJackie RobinsonMartin Luther King Jr.
Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache
by Granger SmithNew York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, ECPA Bestseller'Country music artist Smith debuts with a sensitive and moving recollection of his path through grief. . .In stark, intimate prose, the author candidly renders the realities of suffering while articulating a moving message of renewal. Those seeking a faith-based path through grief will find this instructive and affecting.' -- Publishers WeeklyLike a River, a triumphant story of new life birthed out of tragedy, will teach readers how to face their failures, confront their pain, and connect with God—the true source of life.On June 4th, 2019, country music singer Granger Smith was enjoying a final evening with his kids before heading to Nashville for the CMT Music Awards and his next tour. While helping his daughter London with her gymnastics, his youngest son fell into their pool. Granger did everything he could to get to him, but he was too late. River drowned, and Granger's world shattered.The days, weeks, and months that followed River's death sent Granger on a dark and painful journey. Every time he closed his eyes, he replayed the horrific event in his mind, and every time he opened his computer, he was bombarded by the critique and criticism of people who blamed him for the accident.Despite his best effort to get back on stage with a smile and song, it was all a façade. On the inside he was dying. Fortunately, that's not how his story ended. And now he is compelled to help people all around the world find strength, peace, and hope on the other side of tragedy.Like a River, life is full of twists and turns.Like a River, people pollute our world with their critique and criticism.Like a River, tragic events keep us dammed up.But like a river, we can find the courage to keep moving downstream. Rivers don't run on their own strength; they flow from their source. When we try to keep going on our own, we won't make it, but when we connect to the greater source, we will find the strength and the faith to keep living after loss. This triumphant story of new life birthed out of death will inspire every reader to live Like a River.
The Contemporary Literature-Music Relationship: Intermedia, Voice, Technology, Cross-Cultural Exchange (Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Literature)
by Hazel SmithThis book explores the relationship between words and music in contemporary texts, examining, in particular, the way that new technologies are changing the literature-music relationship. It brings an eclectic and novel range of interdisciplinary theories to the area of musico-literary studies, drawing from the fields of semiotics, disability studies, musicology, psychoanalysis, music psychology, emotion and affect theory, new media, cosmopolitanism, globalization, ethnicity and biraciality. Chapters range from critical analyses of the representation of music and the musical profession in contemporary novels to examination of the forms and cultural meanings of contemporary intermedia and multimedia works. The book argues that conjunctions between words and music create emergent structures and meanings that can facilitate culturally transgressive and boundary- interrogating effects. In particular, it conceptualises ways in which word-music relationships can facilitate cross-cultural exchange as musico-literary miscegenation, using interracial sexual relationships as a metaphor. Smith also inspects the dynamics of improvisation and composition, and the different ways they intersect with performance. Furthermore, the book explores the huge changes that computer-based real-time algorithmic text and music generation are making to the literature-music nexus. This volume provides fascinating insight into the relationship between literature and music, and will be of interest to those fields as well as New Media and Performance Studies.
There's a Place For Us: The Musical Theatre Works Of Leonard Bernstein
by Helen SmithLeonard Bernstein was the quintessential American musician. Through his careers as conductor, pianist, teacher and television personality he became known across the US and the world, his flamboyance and theatricality making him a favourite with audiences, if not with critics. However, he is perhaps best remembered as a composer, particularly of the musical West Side Story, and for songs such as 'America', 'Tonight' and 'Somewhere'. Dr Helen Smith takes an in-depth look at all eight of Bernstein's musical theatre works, from the early On the Town written by the 26-year-old composer at the start of his career, to his second and last opera A Quiet Place in 1983; in between these two pieces he composed music for Trouble in Tahiti, Wonderful Town, Candide, West Side Story, Mass and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. These works are analysed and considered against a background of musical and social context, as well as looking at Bernstein's other orchestral, choral and chamber works. One important aspect examined is Bernstein's use of motifs in his theatre compositions, which takes them out of the realms of Broadway and into the sphere of symphonic writing. Smith provides an indispensable overview of the musical theatre works of an eclectic composer, and shows what it is that constitutes the Bernstein 'sound'.
Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven
by James Bryan SmithExperience Rich Mullins's Legacy of Joy and Real CompassionBeloved contemporary Christian musician Rich Mullins lived his life with abandon for God, leaving the spotlight to teach music among a Navajo community. An accident cut his life short in 1997, but his songs and ragamuffin spirit continue to teach many.Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to HeavenSee the layers of his story through reflections from friends and family, an afterword by Rich's brother David Mullins, and Smith's own bond with him. And in remembrance, be inspired to enjoy God's world as Rich did.
The Gift of Music: Great Composers and Their Influence
by Jane Stuart Smith Betty CarlsonOne of the finest achievements of Western culture is its brilliant heritage of classical music. A Gift of Music looks at the lives of the greatest composers who have given us this heritage, and especially at how their music was shaped by their beliefs. The result is a remarkable and inspiring book, showing the importance of Christian faith for many composers, and the effect of this upon their music. But it also shows how the lack of faith has brought profound change in the meaning and form of contemporary music. Thus A Gift of Music seeks to open up a whole new world of music—to encourage listening to the finest compositions with new understanding and pleasure, and to stretch our ears and imaginations. It is a book which will be greatly appreciated by those who already love classical music, and by others who want to explore this delightful world for the first time.
Sound
by Jeff Smith Mark Kerins James Wierzbicki Vanessa Theme Ament Kathryn Kalinak Nathan Platte Jay BeckSound has always been an integral component of the moviegoing experience. Even during the so-called "silent era," motion pictures were regularly accompanied by live music, lectures, and sound effects. Today, whether we listen to movies in booming Dolby theaters or on tiny laptop speakers, sonic elements hold our attention and guide our emotional responses. Yet few of us are fully aware of the tremendous collaborative work, involving both artistry and technical wizardry, required to create that cinematic soundscape. Sound, the latest book in the Behind the Silver Screen series, introduces key concepts, seminal moments, and pivotal figures in the development of cinematic sound. Each of the book's six chapters cover a different era in the history of Hollywood, from silent films to the digital age, and each is written by an expert in that period. Together, the book's contributors are able to explore a remarkable range of past and present film industry practices, from the hiring of elocution coaches to the marketing of soundtrack records. Not only does the collection highlight the achievements of renowned sound designers and film composers like Ben Burtt and John Williams, it also honors the unsung workers whose inventions, artistry, and performances have shaped the soundscapes of many notable movies. After you read Sound, you'll never see--or hear--movies in quite the same way. Sound is a volume in the Behind the Silver Screen series--other titles in the series include Acting; Animation; Art Direction and Production Design; Cinematography; Costume, Makeup, and Hair; Directing; Editing and Special Visual Effects; Producing; and Screenwriting.
Music in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity
by John Arthur SmithIn Music in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, John Arthur Smith presents the first full-length study of music among the ancient Israelites, the ancient Jews and the early Christians in the Mediterranean lands during the period from 1000 BCE to 400 CE. He considers the physical, religious and social setting of the music, and how the music was performed. The extent to which early Christian music may have retained elements of the musical tradition of Judaism is also considered. After reviewing the subject's historical setting, and describing the main sources, the author discusses music at the Jerusalem Temple and in a variety of spheres of Jewish life away from it. His subsequent discussion of early Christian music covers music in private devotion, monasticism, the Eucharist, and gnostic literature. He concludes with an examination of the question of the relationship between Jewish and early Christian music, and a consideration of the musical environments that are likely to have influenced the formation of the earliest Christian chant. The scant remains of notated music from the period are discussed and placed in their respective contexts. The numerous sources that are the foundation of the book are evaluated objectively and critically in the light of modern scholarship. Due attention is given to where their limitations lie, and to what they cannot tell us as well as to what they can. The book serves as a reliable introduction as well as being an invaluable guide through one of the most complex periods of music history.
Music in Religious Cults of the Ancient Near East (Routledge Research in Music)
by John Arthur SmithMusic in Religious Cults of the Ancient Near East presents the first extended discussion of the relationship between music and cultic worship in ancient western Asia. The book covers ancient Israel and Judah, the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Elam, and ancient Egypt, focusing on the period from approximately 3000 BCE to around 586 BCE. This wide-ranging book brings together insights from ancient archaeological, iconographic, written, and musical sources, as well as from modern scholarship. Through careful analysis, comparison, and evaluation of those sources, the author builds a picture of a world where religious culture was predominant and where music was intrinsic to common cultic activity.
Skryabin, Philosophy and the Music of Desire (Royal Musical Association Monographs #19)
by Kenneth M. SmithCommentary on Skryabin has struggled to situate an understanding of the composer's music within his idiosyncratic philosophical world views. Early commentators' efforts to do so failed to establish a thorough or systematic approach. And later twentieth-century studies turned away from the composer's ideology, focusing instead on 'the music itself' with an analytic approach that scrutinized Skryabin's harmonic language in isolation from his philosophy. This groundbreaking study revisits the questions surrounding the composer's music within his own philosophy, but draws on new methodological tools, casting Skryabin's music in the light not only of his own philosophy of desire, but of more refined semiotic-psychoanalytical theory and modern techniques of music analysis. An interdisciplinary methodology corrects the narrow focus of Skryabin scholarship of the last century, offering insights from New Musicology and recent music theory that lead to hermeneutical, critically informed readings of selected works.
School of Rock: The Classic Illustrated Storybook (Pop Classics #10)
by Kim SmithFor those about to read . . . we salute you! The zany and much-beloved comedy-musical film about pint-sized rockers sticking it to the man is now an adorable picture book! It&’s just another ordinary day at Horace Green Prep School, and the students think they&’re getting just another ordinary substitute teacher. Instead, Dewey Finn, a washed-up musician with dreams of greatness, whisks them away on a totally rocking adventure. After Dewey hears the kids practicing in music class, he discovers how talented they are and realizes he has another chance at his greatest dream: winning the Battle of the Bands. But when the parents discover what Dewey has been teaching their kids, will the School of Rock even be able to compete?With all the iconic moments and laugh-out-loud lines from the film included, the book's charm and spirit shines on every page. This delightful story of a diverse and passionate group of children coming into their own is a must-have for fans of the film, parents of musical kids, and anyone who&’s ever stuck it to the man!
Steinway & Sons (Images of America)
by Laura Lee SmithThis history of the iconic piano brand chronicles the story of an immigrant family, American ingenuity, and more than a century of musical excellence. The legendary piano maker Steinway & Sons holds a unique place in American history. The name alone conjures many things: a symbol of class and elegance, an American success story, an area of New York City, and the height of craftsmanship. From their factory in Queens, located on Steinway Place, the company has touched the hearts of millions across the world, from piano teachers and students to world-class musicians, and from salespeople to artisans, audiences, and music lovers. After leaving his native Germany for America in 1850, Henry E. Steinway established his new enterprise with a simple but ambitious mission &“to build the best piano possible.&” In the late 19th century, Steinway emerged as the standard-bearer in piano design and manufacturing, outshining and outlasting other brands including Chickering and Weber. Today, the Steinway piano is still built by hand in New York City according to the same stringent processes developed by Henry E. Steinway and his sons more than a century ago.
Rhymes in the Flow: How Rappers Flip the Beat
by Macklin Smith Aurko JoshiDespite its global popularity, rap has received little scholarly attention in terms of its poetic features. Rhymes in the Flow systematically analyzes the poetics (rap beats, rhythms, rhymes, verse and song structures) of many notable rap songs to provide new insights on rap artistry and performance. Defining and describing the features of what rappers commonly call flow, the authors establish a theory of the rap line as they trace rap’s deepest roots and stylistic evolution—from Anglo-Saxon poetry to Lil Wayne—and contextualize its complex poetics. Rhymes in the Flow helps explain rap’s wide appeal by focusing primarily on its rhythmic and thematic power, while also claiming its historical, cultural, musical, and poetic importance.
Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith
by Mark E. SmithThe only way to appreciate the legendary musician Mark E. Smith is to encounter the man in his own words.'May be the funniest music book ever written' ObserverThe Fall are one of the most distinctive British bands, their music - odd,spare, cranky and repetitious - an acknowledged influence on The Smiths, The Happy Mondays, Nirvana and Franz Ferdinand. And Mark E. Smith IS The Fall.47 members have come and gone over the years yet he remains its charismatic leader, a professional outsider and all-round enemy of compromise, a true enigma. There have been a number of biographies of the legendary Smith, but this is the first time he has opened up in a full autobiography. For the first time we get to hear his full, candid take on the ups and downs of a band as notorious for its in-house fighting as for its great music; and on a life that has endured prison in America, drugs, bankruptcy, divorce, and the often bleak results of a legendary thirst.'A riot' Independent on Sunday 'Unbeatable' Time Out'Vicious' Daily Telegraph'Hilarious' Scotland on Sunday
The Otherwise: The Screenplay for a Horror Film That Never Was
by Mark E Smith Graham DuffThe first ever publication of Mark E. Smith's supernatural film treatment, co-authored with Graham Duff.In 2015 Mark E. Smith of The Fall and screenwriter Graham Duff co-wrote the script for a horror feature film called The Otherwise. The story involved The Fall recording an EP in an isolated recording studio on Pendle Hill. The Lancashire landscape is not only at the mercy of a satanic biker gang, it's also haunted by a gaggle of soldiers who have slipped through time from the Jacobite Rebellion.However, every film production company who saw the script said it was 'too weird' to ever be made. The Otherwise is weird. Yet it's also witty, shocking and genuinely scary. Now the screenplay is published for the first time, alongside photographs, drawings and handwritten notes. The volume also contains previously unpublished transcripts of conversations between Smith and Duff, where they discuss creativity, dreams, musical loves (from Can to acid house) and favourite films (from Britannia Hospital to White Heat). Smith also talks candidly about his youth and mortality, in exchanges that are both touching and extremely funny.
In with the In Crowd: Popular Jazz in 1960s Black America (American Made Music Series)
by Mike SmithMost studies of 1960s jazz underscore the sounds of famous avant-garde musicians like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Albert Ayler. Conspicuously absent from these narratives are the more popular jazz artists of the decade that electrified dance clubs, permeated radio waves, and released top-selling records. Names like Eddie Harris, Nancy Wilson, Ramsey Lewis, and Jimmy Smith are largely neglected in most serious work today. Mike Smith rectifies this oversight and explores why critical writings have generally cast off best-selling 1960s jazz as unworthy of in-depth analysis and reverent documentation.The 1960s were a time of monumental political and social shifts. Avant-garde jazz, made by musicians indifferent to public perception aligns well with widely held images of the era. In with the In Crowd: Popular Jazz in 1960s Black America argues that this dominant, and unfortunately distorted, view negates and ignores a vibrant jazz community. These musicians and their listeners created a music defined by socialization, celebration, and Black pride.Smith tells the joyful story of the musicians, the radio DJs, the record labels, and the live venues where jazz not only survived but thrived in the 1960s. This was the music of everyday people, who viewed jazz as an important part of their cultural identity as Black Americans. In an era marked by turmoil and struggle, popular jazz offered a powerful outlet for joy, resilience, pride, and triumph.
Koussevitzky
by Moses SmithTHE LIFE of Serge Koussevitzky reads like a modern fairy tale. Horatio Alger could not have fabricated a more glamorous tale than this real life-story of the poor, humbly-born lad. From a small town in darkest Tsarist Russia, he worked his way through a conservatory in Moscow, acquired tremendous proficiency on the double-bass, then met and wedded his fairy princess, who opened the door to a new career—conducting.Koussevitzky became a celebrated conductor in Russia, founding his own orchestra, not only giving concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also making three fabulous tours up and down the Volga, bringing the finest symphonic music to thousands who had never heard it. He persisted with his mission through the dark days of World War I, and the bitter early years of the Russian Revolution, before leaving Russia to become a glamorous figure in the concert halls of Paris and other western European capitals.
A Year at the Met
by Patrick J. SmithA study of the Metropolitan Opera presents a behind-the-scenes look at its public, private, artistic, financial, and organizational operations and discusses the traditions, achievements, and innovations of the opera company.
A Book of Days
by Patti SmithA deeply moving and brilliantly idiosyncratic visual book of days by the National Book Award–winning author of Just Kids and M Train, featuring more than 365 images and reflections that chart Smith&’s singular aesthetic—inspired by her wildly popular Instagram. In 2018, without any plan or agenda for what might happen next, Patti Smith posted her first Instagram photo: her hand with the simple message &“Hello Everybody!&” Known for shooting with her beloved Land camera 250, Smith started posting images from her phone including portraits of her kids, her radiator, her boots, and her Abyssinian cat, Cairo. Followers felt an immediate affinity with these miniature windows into Smith&’s world, photographs of her daily coffee, the books she&’s reading, the graves of beloved heroes—William Blake, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Simone Weil, Albert Camus. Over time, a coherent story of a life devoted to art took shape, and more than a million followers responded to Smith&’s unique aesthetic in images that chart her passions, devotions, obsessions, and whims. Original to this book are vintage photographs: anniversary pearls, a mother&’s keychain, and a husband&’s Mosrite guitar. Here, too, are never-before-seen photos of life on and off the road, train stations, obscure cafés, a notebook always nearby. In wide-ranging yet intimate daily notations, Smith shares dispatches from her travels around the world.With over 365 photographs taking you through a single year, A Book of Days is a new way to experience the expansive mind of the visionary poet, writer, and performer. Hopeful, elegiac, playful—and complete with an introduction by Smith that explores her documentary process—A Book of Days is a timeless offering for deeply uncertain times, an inspirational map of an artist&’s life.
A Book of Days
by Patti SmithIn 2018, without any plan or agenda for what might happen next, Patti Smith posted her first Instagram photo: her hand with the simple message “Hello Everybody!” Known for shooting with her beloved Land Camera 250, Smith started posting images from her phone including portraits of her kids, her radiator, her boots, and her Abyssinian cat, Cairo. Followers felt an immediate affinity with these miniature windows into Smith’s world, photographs of her daily coffee, the books she’s reading, the graves of beloved heroes—William Blake, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, Simone Weil, Albert Camus. Over time, a coherent story of a life devoted to art took shape, and more than a million followers responded to Smith’s unique aesthetic in images that chart her passions, devotions, obsessions, and whims. Original to this book are vintage photographs: anniversary pearls, a mother’s keychain, and a husband’s Mosrite guitar. Here, too, are photos from Smith’s archives of life on and off the road, train stations, obscure cafés, a notebook always nearby. In wide-ranging yet intimate daily notations, Smith shares dispatches from her travels around the world. <P><P> With over 365 photographs taking you through a single year, A Book of Days is a new way to experience the expansive mind of the visionary poet, writer, and performer. Hopeful, elegiac, playful—and complete with an introduction by Smith that explores her documentary process—A Book of Days is a timeless offering for deeply uncertain times, an inspirational map of an artist’s life. <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
Éramos unos niños
by Patti SmithGANADOR DEL NATIONAL BOOK AWARD El libro icónico de Patti Smith, en el que cuenta su relación con Robert Mapplethorpe: un homenaje a la amistad cuyas páginas cargadas de vitalidad y humor nos devuelven el sabor de un Nueva York donde casi todo era posible. Fue el verano en que murió Coltrane... Los hippies alzaron sus brazos vacíos y China detonó la bomba de hidrógeno. Jimi Hendrix prendió fuego a su guitarra en Monterey... Fue el verano del amor. Y en aquel clima cambiante e inhóspito, un encuentro casual cambió el curso de mi vida: fue el verano en que conocí a Robert Mapplethorpe. Corría el mes de julio de 1967 y eran unos niños, pero a partir de entonces Patti Smith y Robert Mapplethorpe sellaron una amistad que solo acabaría con la muerte del gran fotógrafo, en 1989. De eso habla este espléndido libro de memorias, de la vida en común de estos artistas, los dos entusiastas y apasionados, que cruzaron a grandes pasos la periferia de Nueva York para llegar hasta el centro neurálgico del nuevo arte. Fue así que acabaron instalándose en el hotel Chelsea y se convirtieron en los protagonistas de un mundo hoy ya perdido donde reinaban Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol y sus chicos, y se creaban las grandes bandas de música que marcaron los años finales del siglo XX, mientras el sida hacía estragos. La crítica ha dicho:«Un relato conmovedor del afán de unos seres dispuestos a poner sus almas al servicio del arte, inspirados por Rimbaud, Dylan, Genet y otros nombres idolatrados.»Rafa Cervera, Babelia, El País «Patti Smith no solo es una gran artista, es una hechicera, es decir, alguien en contacto con otros niveles de la realidad.»William S. Burroughs «Patti Smith nos ha honrado con una obra maestra, una espléndida invitación a abrir un cofre de los tesoros que nunca antes se había abierto.»Johnny Depp «Este libro es tan íntegro y puro que supone un auténtico éxtasis.»Joan Didion «Patti Smith fue hace tiempo el heraldo salvaje de Rimbaud, pero el dolor la convirtió en un San Juan de la Cruz, una persona mística llena de misericordia.»Edmund White
Year of the Monkey
by Patti SmithFrom the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train, a profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year. <P><P>Following a run of New Year's concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland with no design, yet heeding signs--including a talking sign that looms above her, prodding and sparring like the Cheshire Cat. <P><P>In February, a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, "Anything is possible: after all, it's the Year of the Monkey." <P><P>For Smith--inveterately curious, always exploring, tracking thoughts, writing--the year evolves as one of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of America. <P><P>Smith melds the western landscape with her own dreamscape. Taking us from California to the Arizona desert; to a Kentucky farm as the amanuensis of a friend in crisis; to the hospital room of a valued mentor; and by turns to remembered and imagined places, this haunting memoir blends fact and fiction with poetic mastery. The unexpected happens; grief and disillusionment set in. <P><P>But as Smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world. Riveting, elegant, often humorous, illustrated by Smith's signature Polaroids, Year of the Monkey is a moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times. <P><P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Year of the Monkey
by Patti SmithFrom the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train, a profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year.Following a run of New Year's concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland with no design, yet heeding signs--including a talking sign that looms above her, prodding and sparring like the Cheshire Cat. In February, a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, "Anything is possible: after all, it's the Year of the Monkey." For Smith--inveterately curious, always exploring, tracking thoughts, writing--the year evolves as one of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of America.Smith melds the western landscape with her own dreamscape. Taking us from California to the Arizona desert; to a Kentucky farm as the amanuensis of a friend in crisis; to the hospital room of a valued mentor; and by turns to remembered and imagined places, this haunting memoir blends fact and fiction with poetic mastery. The unexpected happens; grief and disillusionment set in. But as Smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world.Riveting, elegant, often humorous, illustrated by Smith's signature Polaroids, Year of the Monkey is a moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times.
All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release (All the Songs)
by Patti Smith Jean-Michel Guesdon Scott Freiman Philippe Margotin**NOTE: EBOOK DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY IMAGES**Every album and every song ever released by the Beatles?from "Please Please Me" (U.S. 1963) to "The Long and Winding Road" (U.S. 1970)?is dissected, discussed, and analyzed by two music historians in this lively and fully illustrated work.All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the Beatles and their music. This first-of-its-kind book draws upon decades of research, as music historians Margotin and Guesdon recount the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, the recording process, and the instruments used.Here, we learn that one of John Lennon's favorite guitars was a 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri, which he bought for £100 in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. We also learn that "Love Me Do," recorded in Abbey Road Studios in September 1962, took 18 takes to get right, even though it was one of the first songs John and Paul ever wrote together. And the authors reveal that when the Beatles performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, John's microphone wasn't turned on, so viewers heard only Paul singing.All the Songs is the must-have Beatles book for the any true Beatles fan.