Reddit mentions: The best books about rock music

>I didn't study music theory in general but rather individual songs

Good.

>That gave me a solid grasp on how the most popular chord progressions work together(the all-time classic C-Am-F-G, basic blues scales, A minor pentatonic etc),

Good.

>when I listen to the three aforementioned artists, and when I study their songs, I can see all these wild chord changes, crazy melodies that I can't quite grasp due to my lack of knowledge in certain areas of music theory.

Not really. It's true that a lot of their songs go well beyond the I-vi-IV-V and other diatonic changes, but you can learn the principles through the same process as before.

How did you come up with C Am F G? You studied a whole load of songs before noticing that common pattern in enough of them that you can call it "classic". You didn't feel you had to study theory to get to that point. You just learned the songs you liked, because you wanted to play them, yes? And maybe write songs using similar material?

Now there's what seems like a big leap - a quantum jump - to the likes of Bowie, Elton, Queen (let's stop short of Steely Dan or Radiohead... ;-)). But a useful link here is the Beatles. None of those three would have done anything like they did - they might not even have taken up music in the first place - if it wasn't for the Beatles. Everyone post-Beatles took songwriting inspiration from them - picking up their tricks. (Other linking figures would be Stevie Wonder and the Motown and Brill Building writers.)

I.e., there is a continuum there, in the evolution of pop/rock songwriting. If you can stand paying for a hefty book, I highly recommend this. It takes various kinds of theoretical principles and examines how various Beatles tunes illustrate them. There is free Beatles analysis here, but it starts from the tunes, and I think you'd find it more useful to start from the principles and see how they're applied.

>I'd just like to take all the bits and pieces of information I already possess and place them within a bigger picture.

Well said. You start from what you know, and expand outwards from there.

Here's a couple of simple principles to get you started:

(1) Secondary dominants

This is mostly a jazz thing, but does occur in pop, way back in the 50s (and of course in classical!). It's the principle that any chord in the key (not just I) can have its own major V or V7 chord. In C major, you can have all these:

D7 - goes to G; A7 - goes to Dm; E7 - goes to Am; B7 - goes to Em; C7 - goes to F. (Only the last one really needs a 7th, they're optional on the others.)

Sometimes these are used in "deceptive cadences" - e.g. E(7) might well go to F instead of Am. But generally the reason for introducing these chords is to give more forward momentum towards the following chord.

(2) Mode mixture, aka modal interchange, or borrowed chords

The principle here is basically to blur the distinction between major and minor tonality. A major key can use chords from the parallel minor, and vice versa. It helps to darken the "too bright" major key, and to brighten the too weak or tedious minor key.

One thing that makes this really common in rock is down to which chords are easy on guitar! So you find this principle demonstrated mostly in the major keys of E and A, and the minor keys of Am and Dm, where all the open position cowboy chords can have a role.

The E major key can include D, G C and Am. The E minor key can include F#m and A. (B is already there thanks to harmonic minor.) IOW, both keys can share each other's material. The nature of the tonic chord may be the only thing that defines a key as "major" or "minor".

So, to take a common rock key of A major, you might find any of these chords used:

A, Bm, B, C, C#m, D, Dm, E, F, F#m, G. (No, not G#dim, forget that one. Use E/G# or C#m/G if you want a G# bass note.)

The key of A minor might feature any of these:

Am, Bm, C, Dm, D, Em, E, F, G. (No, not Bdim or G#dim. See above. Bm7b5 in jazz, yes, and just maybe in the writers you mention.) F#m and Cm might even make appearances ("chromatic mediants"), but they would be rarer. Likewise Bb from A phrygian.

Altered chords are actually rare in pop/rock, but one the Beatles (at least) liked was the augmented triad - which can be considered a V(#5) chord, often in secondary use. E.g., C+ can go between C and F or Am or A.

...

Obviously you want to bear in mind hear that Elton John is a pianist (as was Freddie Mercury), so doesn't have the same biases towards certain keys and chords that guitarists (such as Bowie and Brian May) naturally do. Elton had proper piano lessons! He knew stuff!

Anyway, all the above will give you ways of beginning to branch out from the old diatonic key sequences you're used to - ideas for chords you can add. Naturally, don't try and pile them all in at once. Try one at a time.

More importantly, study a few favourite songs by those artists and see if you can identify each chord used as fitting one of the above principles (remembering that songs can also change key in the middle). I.e., identify the key first - the "I" - and then how all the others relate.

Also study how the chords move: if a move seems weird, are there shared tones between the chords? How do the other chord tones move? Is there some kind of moving bass line (typically descending) providing a linking thread? How do the chords harmonise the melody (very important). Can the melody explain a strange choice of chord? Or vice versa?

There are numerous literary references in Rush songs if you're interested.

Have a look at this. It's from 1995-1996, but it's a good start.

"Clockwork Angels" has also been translated into a novel.

There are all kinds of Easter eggs in Rush's work, as well. The cover of "Clockwork Angels" is a clock face with the hands pointing at 9:12, or 21:12 in 24-hour time. I'll leave the rest for you to find. It's part of the fun.

Also, Geddy Lee changed the way I thought about music in 1996 when I discovered Rush, and made me a damn good bass player because of it. I don't want to brag, but I've never auditioned for a band and lost the part. In my current band, I beat out 41 other bass players for the part, and I'm 15-20 years younger than the other guys. Geddy inspired me to sit down and work on getting good. I've been playing bass for more than half my life (since I was 13 back in 1993), and it's probably the thing I'm best at, behind my actual (and less fun) job.

In short, some people don't get it, but Rush changed my life. Band mates are second only to family in loyalty, and I've met some amazing people along the way. I don't think I would have been afforded the experiences I've had if my girlfriend when I was 16 didn't get me "Exit... Stage Left" for my birthday.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Good luck to you on your class. I think you've got lots of material to work with in studying Rush.

If you want to invest $10-$20, I recommend getting the Muse Piano Songbook. It contains 22 of Muse's more piano-heavy tracks (up through The Resistance album), including several of the songs that you mentioned.

The songbook contains both the chords and sheet music. Personally, I would start with learning the chords (and chord inversions, by extension). Sunburn, for example, may sound intimidating, but it's really easy once you discover that you're just arpeggiating^(fun word!) three chords over and over. Once you're comfortable with the chords, you can use the sheet music (or your ears) to nail the specifics.

As far as songs go, I agree with the consensus that Feeling Good and Sunburn are good starters. Exogenesis 3 isn't bad either. Explorers is also great, though the book doesn't have it :(

Of course, learning through YouTube will achieve mostly the same effect, because they're also going to break it into the chords and go from there, but it's always nice to have music that you can hold in your hand.

Huh, how did I miss that one? Definitely going to order it. I have the Brendan Mullen Oral and Visual History on my coffee table and that one is pretty sweet too.

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Hot-Chili-Peppers-History/dp/006135192X

Edit: so I added Me and My Friends to my cart on Amazon and this book called Fandemonium, apparently dedicated to the fans of RHCP, was a suggested purchase. Looks awesome! I'm into photography so it looks like a nice way to combine two of my favorite things haha

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0762451483/ref=pd_luc_rh_bxgy_01_02_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

There is a book called songwriting secrets of the Beatles.

It's the best I've found. Clear and concise. The author also takes into account how the Beatles would have written the songs given their limited theory. My take on it is that they didn't formally understand what they were doing but they had a couple of things going for them that their contemporaries lacked:

1. extensive chord library. They new a lot of different chords and how to apply them. They might not have understood dominant substitution but they new the E7 was great lead up to A. Or where a B6 would fit etc...
   
   
2. vast musical vocabulary. As the other poster said, they were very knowledgeable of many different styles of music. McCartney's father was a part time jazz musician. Classical influences were also very present. Not to mention George Martin's traditional scoring approach (he was instrumental in the songwriting process)
   
   
3. lack of knowledge. I always found really interesting anecdotes of Lennon in the studio saying to Martin or the engineers that he wants the song to do this or that and they reply "it's not done that way", "nobody does that" "it can't be technically done" but it's the Beatles so they humour him. And that's how a lot of innovative or interesting parts were created. They thought outside the box.
   
   
4. rock boot camp. The Beatles early on in Germany sometimes played hours upon hours in clubs every night. They had honed their technique in front of a live audience in a way most artists today don't. . By the time they were recording their first album they already keenly aware of audience taste and how to temper their own choices with what a listener wanted to hear.
   
   Another thing about the Beatles is to understand their recording process because later on, the studio became instrumental in how they approached their songwriting (key change in strawberry fields, reverse guitar solos, limitations of 4 track recording).
   
   There is an INCREDIBLE book about abbey road recording innovations.
   
   Edit. And about the poster that said they stole liberally (in a good way) I would argue that this isn't particular to pop music. All musicians and composers do this.

This 1999 review of Mark Lewisohn's excellent Beatles studio diary book where many of The Beatles recording engineers and tape operators and their producer George Martin are interviewed (and it shows how truly innovative,brilliant and creative especially John and Paul were in the recording studio),The Beatles Recording Sessions titled, Behind The Creative Genius Of A Groundbreaking Band by a musician himself says it all, he says that as a musician he found Mark Lewisohn's portrayal of The Beatles genius and in parenthesis he says, especially that of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, to be completely thorough and accurate, as well as insightful. He then says if you are to buy any one Beatles book,buy this one.












https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3EHW182TIHFQ2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1454910054







And this reviewer RAS who became a big Beatles fan after he read The Beatles Recording Sessions book,said,I think The Beatles ARE BRILLIANT and he said he despairs what his life would be like without The Beatles!! He said that when he first saw this book,he said Oh another garbage Beatles book.





http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Beatles-Recording-Sessions/product-reviews/1454910054/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_paging_btm_2?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=helpful&pageNumber=2








Here is a very recent great review by another musician Steve,






https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3R5JDL0D5RMYP/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0600635619







Here is another great recent review by a huge Beatles fan and a musician,





https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3R5JDL0D5RMYP/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1454910054







Here is a more recent great review by a huge Beatles fan and musician,





https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3R5JDL0D5RMYP/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1454910054







The great book music diary,The Beatles Recording Sessions book by Mark Lewisohn originally came out in 1988 but it was re-released in September 2018 and it's already # 1 in Music Reference on Amazon.com

Have you ever read "Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream" by Dave McGowan? It's a must read for everyone to get insight on how these "movements" are created for control. Much like Antifa today. The Hippy movement was a creation of the MK Ultra mind control program....which certainly runs them like cults.

If you haven't read the book yet, I highly recommend it. It's fascinating, especially for those who lived through that period of time.

https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I'd steer away from Norman.

Regardless of age, it's hard to beat Miles' biography of Paul - because we all know it's authorised.

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-McCartney-Many-Years-Now/dp/0805052496

​

As for George there was a thread today: https://www.reddit.com/r/georgeharrison/comments/cjy3hf/best_biographies/

You might also take a look at this: https://www.amazon.com/George-Harrison-Soul-Man-Vol-ebook/dp/B07N11T8W9/ and volume 2, but this one I haven't read.

​

\> What are the best books on them as a band

I think that mean's Hunter Davies original biography: https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Updated-Hunter-Davies/dp/0393338746

And it has to mean the Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Anthology/dp/0811826848

And it definitely has to mean Tune In: https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-These-Years-Extended-Special/dp/1408704781

Worth a look:

https://www.amazon.com/As-Time-Goes-Derek-Taylor/dp/0706700279

https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mystery-Tours-Life-Beatles/dp/0312330448

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Me-Do-Beatles-Progress/dp/0140022783

​

For John, I really enjoyed the 'Letters' book that Hunter edited - but I prefer first person material.

https://www.amazon.com/John-Lennon-Letters/dp/0316200808/

Also, you might look at https://www.johnlennonseries.com/ I've heard her speak and she knows her stuff - but its a long road she is hoeing.

https://www.amazon.com/Lennon-Remembers-Jann-S-Wenner/dp/185984376X

https://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Come-Home-Lennon-Father/dp/0207169969

Here's a few I've enjoyed not all maybe pertinent but all great reads in my opinion and inspiring:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Beatles-Recording-Sessions/dp/0600612074

http://www.amazon.com/Temples-Sound-Inside-Recording-Studios/dp/0811833941

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wouldnt-it-be-nice-charles-l-granata/1103812231?ean=9781556525070&itm=1&usri=9781556525070

http://www.mixingwithyourmind.com/

The book suggested by Myrad, Mixing Engineers Handbook is a great one too.

Cobain Unseen is a great book full of cool stuff like replica notes, sketches, tour tickets, etc from the band and Kurt. Kurt's Journals is a cool one too that is like reading his journals. Pretty much any Nirvana/Kurt book is a good read.

Thank you, spread the info far and wide.

I've seen Jan's stuff (gnostic media). I'm a fan. It's good work. I generally agree with most of his assertions except that T. McKenna was an agent. If he was, then his role was benign and simply to corral triphead and psychonauts into one forum.

A lot of his cia-psychedelic movement is elaborated in David McGowan's book "Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream". It's an interesting read.

I'm not sure! A quick amazon search showed this, but it appears to not be exactly the same, and the reviews are pretty bad lol

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1847326641/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1426640524&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=red+hot+chili+peppers+book

I got this book for like 70% off when Borders was closing down, and I can definitely recommend it, it's really cool!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/006135192X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1426640524&sr=8-3&keywords=red+hot+chili+peppers+book&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

The record display could be neat, but it wouldn't be my first choice to be honest. With a $20 budget you could get her The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics which is a really awesome collection of (you guessed it) academic annotations of all Grateful Dead songs.

Another solid choice is Jerry on Jerry, which was just published. It's full of unreleased interviews with the Man himself.

OR if you're feeling ripe with the charitable spirit, you could always make a donation to The Jerry Garcia Foundation.

https://www.amazon.de/Complete-Annotated-Grateful-Dead-Lyrics/dp/1501123327/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=grateful+dead+lyrics&qid=1568931636&sr=8-1 Amazon has pretty much a complete collection of every piece of Grateful Dead related literature and usually for super cheap, I'm going through Phil's biography at the moment, but couldn't contain myself from buying this book when I saw it.
Get the hardcover, the quality is amazing and the wrap with the skeleton on the cover is beautiful

Many years ago I had to "teach" (clients or young engineers) on occasion.

The best "basic" tool I had was a photo of an orchestra, with the louder instruments "in the back," and the quieter ones "up front."

Sinatra was photographed a lot in the studio, and many of these photos illustrated variations on microphone placement, gobos (acoustic isolation panels), etc.

Another really important tool was found in early Motown (or similar) recordings where instruments had to often perform "double duty" due to the limitation in number of tracks. Session musicians, like Tommy Tedesco, would often play "secondary parts," or provide subtle noise effects, in addition to performing their primary parts. Often, these additions were not written on the score or chart. Following a specific instrument, such as a guitar, can be a real eye opener. These instruments were often panned hard left or hard right, and were easy to follow.

I think getting kids to overdub, and literally "sing with themselves," would provide the biggest "wow factor" that kids could relate to. I would be easy to recreate that "kids chorus" from Another Brick In The Wall (Pink Floyd), and the kids would have a blast.

Isolated vocals, like this or this.

Books, such as Good Vibrations or the Beatles Complete Recording Sessions are often more inspiring than the "how to recipe" books. I think kids could probably relate to the idea of the Beach Boys recording in an empty swimming pool.

Check out this page from musicnotes which allows you to view the first page for free!

I can also recommend this book of sheet music dedicated to Kid A and [this one] (http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Songbook-Radiohead-Radioheads-Biggest/dp/0739077848/ref=sr_1_1) of Radiohead's greatest hits (although surprisingly Kid A isn't in the latter).

Long story short: buy this one. I own it and it's fantastic. The selection of songs is amazing. Highlights like Last Flowers to the Hospital and How I Made My Millions are included. Chords are accurate, as well as the keys. Especially if you're an experienced player, you'll have lots of fun with it.

Dave McGowan's amazing "Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream"

http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122

It's both eye-opening and highly entertaining. Dark, but funny. Both well-researched and convincing in its analysis. The guy is a genius.

This may not be what you're looking for, but my girlfriend gave me this for my birthday, and I love it. I've learned almost every song in there and they sound great. For anyone interested, it contains these songs:

• Creep
  
• Everything in Its Right Place
  
• Exit Music (For a Film)
  
• Fake Plastic Trees
  
• Fog Again
  
• High and Dry
  
• How I Made My Millions
  
• I Want None of This
  
• Karma Police
  
• Knives Out
  
• Last Flowers to the Hospital
  
• Life in a Glasshouse
  
• Like Spinning Plates
  
• Lucky
  
• Motion Picture Soundtrack
  
• My Iron Lung
  
• No Surprises
  
• Paranoid Android
  
• A Punch Up at a Wedding
  
• Pyramid Song
  
• Sail to the Moon
  
• Sit Down. Stand Up.
  
• Street Spirit (Fade Out)
  
• Subterranean Homesick Alien
  
• Videotape
  
• We Suck Young Blood
  
• A Wolf at the Door.
  
  Before I got this though, I would just Google sheet music of the song I wanted and usually could find the first page or so of it, and work the rest out by ear.

This looks awesome. I love this kind of extended criticism. Though they don't have very good reviews I thought the 33 1/3rd's dedicated to Kid A and OK Computer were at least worthwhile - you'd probably find them interesting if you haven't read them already.

http://www.amazon.com/Radioheads-Computer-Thirty-Three-Third/dp/0826416632

http://www.amazon.com/Radioheads-Kid-33-1-3/dp/0826423434/

Great Documentary includes a cool story about Gregg Allman nailing Midnight Rider on the first take. Definitely worth a watch for any Allman Brothers fan, as are the Duane Allman Biography and the Gregg Allman Autobiography. That being said, Duane was definitely the driving force behind the Allman Brothers Band. He was the true leader of the group.

I really enjoyed the Keith Moon biography - not the most talented writer, but the story is so incredible that you can't help getting sucked in.

I can also recommend the Motley Crue autobiography. Absolutely unbelievable what they got up to, and it's nice reading the same stories from four different perspectives.

Lastly, I haven't read it but Slash's biography is supposed to be worth a look.

Thanks for your reply. I remember reading a Hunter Davies book decades ago when he shadowed them for a while during the making of Revolver, which was quite interesting.

There is also the Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, which is an exhaustive record of every one of their studio sessions based on recording logs and the author listening through master tapes. I have this book and love it...it's available again here https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Beatles-Recording-Sessions/dp/1454910054

I haven't read this but looks like a very interesting read https://www.amazon.ca/Beatles-Recording-Reference-Manual-1966-1967/dp/1727146980/ref=pd_sim_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1727146980&pd_rd_r=c213ebd9-ee80-11e8-b8bf-2d5ac68107a8&pd_rd_w=jolIq&pd_rd_wg=u3gmZ&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_p=f2db799a-cb6a-4ff5-b84b-b317891b94a8&pf_rd_r=AQJG2ARARZDJK4JGE2ZE&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=AQJG2ARARZDJK4JGE2ZE

off the top of my head:

• Bowie In Berlin covers Bowie & Iggy's time in Berlin; really nothing new or groundbreaking, just a deeper look into Bowie's Life at that time.
  
• Manson - Long Hard Road what i thought was going to be fluff and merch was actually a good look into his Life pre-Manson
  
• Scar Tissue the essential "did you read it, bro??"
  
• Three Dog Nightmare - a nice slice of rock excess
  
• A Long Time Gone - a good Asshole AutoBio of David Crosby
  
  and most recently:
  
• Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein is better than expected
  

That's a really interesting characterization to me, because Sgt. Pepper is probably their most labored and intricate recording session. That's also so different than my own appreciation for that album, which is justifiably their most important but not my favorite (UK Rubber Soul for me, please).

If you're at all interested in this sort of thing, this book is well worth the money:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Beatles-Recording-Sessions/dp/1454910054

if you love Moon then you should read "Dear Boy", it's one of the best Rock Autobiographies I have ever read, full of incident and suprises, brilliant drummer, troubled man...

While the accompanying novel wasn't the best literature I've ever read, it was interesting to help bring the story in together.

​

And Headlong Flight is just awesome. Not sure what's not to get there. :)

["Scar Tissue"] (http://www.amazon.com/Scar-Tissue-Anthony-Kiedis/dp/1401307450?ie=UTF8&keywords=scar%20tissue&qid=1465428729&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1), Anthony Kiedis' autobiography. His life is just crazy and interesting. ["If Chins Could Kill"] (http://www.amazon.com/If-Chins-Could-Kill-Confessions/dp/0312291450), Bruce Campbell's autobiography. A great read if you're a fan of his work, it's also really funny.

Currently whipping through Harlan Coben's latest thriller, Missing You and Bob Dylan's Chronicles Vol. 1.

Up next, a few nostalgic re-reads I received from the reddit book exchange, Number the Stars and The Giver.

How about you? What are you reading and looking forward to reading?

Great discussion. Any discussion involving books is good stuff!

Phil's a nice guy. Read his biography Searching for the Sound if you have even the slightest interest in the band. They're an amazing piece of Americana, and he was and is an integral part of it.

I was thinking of the audiobook version of this book. Now that I go back and listen now, it's pretty dry. It's like a textual analysis of the finished product, rather than breaking down the recording process. Idk, if you have a free Audible trial due (I think you can do one per year) it's worth a listen.

Have you read Cobain Unseen? https://www.amazon.ca/Cobain-Unseen-Charles-R-Cross/dp/0316033723 Pretty much 60-70% of that book is photos i haven't seen at that point, had probably seen like more than 100 or so pics at that time. Comes with all kinds of cool things like: a card that kurt made when he was young, a mask and a cd https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81jQ6l0IR4L.jpg

This book has some mindblowing stuff on Zappa. I would link to the free version but his site just shows a white screen.
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122

I didn't realize it til just now, but I was actually listening to Buddy Miles' cover of Dreams because of Youtube's autoplay when I initially made my comment. Despite that though, TABB still has done a cover of Them Changes before - from their 3/39/2009 show at the Beacon. They had former members of King Curtis' Kingpins sitting in (Bernard Purdie, Jerry Jemmott, etc.), the band that famously opened for and backed up Aretha Franklin during her 3 night run at Fillmore West in 1971. If you've never listened to those shows, Ray Charles showed up unexpectedly and sat in for Spirit In The Dark. You can read more about those performances in this post.

Basically, King Curtis and Duane Allman were very close. Shortly after King was murdered, TABB covered Soul Serenade in tribute to him during their A&R Studios show, which I consider one of the best TABB recordings out there. Gregg, Duane, and King all sat in with Delaney and Bonnie in a different A&R show that is absolutely worth checking out.

EDIT: I recommend reading these two books: Skydog: The Duane Allman Story and Chronicles of King Curtis.

And then there were two.

I highly recommend The Beatles' Complete Recording Sessions. It really details the extent George Martin played as the "fifth" Beatle. Fantastic book.

It's ok to be withdrawn and to dislike other people. Many others feel the same, including me. I hate other people but can cope being near and around them. Empathy isn't something that's natural. It's a learned skill that takes time to build. If it were natural we wouldn't have wars or even violence. If you truly want to change it starts with opening up your mind.

My recommendation is to start with reading a couple biographies to learn what it means to think like another person. Since you're into music I suggest Scar Tissue. From there work backwards and find people with the most clashing ideals and read their biographies. Learning how someone you don't agree with thinks is easier with a guide and a biography is exactly that.

She's probably referring to The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics

Not that expensive and WELL worth the price, trust me :)

Instead of creating another thread, by far and away my favorite Beatles book is The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions.

Fascinating account of a kind of "day by day" recording history.

Hadn't seen the paperback cover design before - it's far better than the hardcover design for the same book.

I too was given this as a gift, but never really gave it a fair shot - maybe having already read The Phish Book by Richard Gehr and the band and also The Phishing Manual by Dean Budnick, what I saw retread a bunch of what I had already read before, and the writing didn't exactly impress. (I highly recommend the first book, by the way)

Maybe I should give it another shot to see what it says about 2.0 and the dawn of 3.0. The books I linked came out in '99 and '96, so there's a good bit of history not covered by those. But I think when I tried reading those in Puterbaugh's book I felt I already had an understanding of those events just because I was paying close attention to the band during those times.

that's a good move! I have been working on accurate sheet music for anything I love and can't find...still working on making them correct. PM me and I can help out. These books are the best so far:

https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Shaped-Piano-Voice-Guitar/dp/0571539602/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483536765&sr=1-8

https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Songbook-Radiohead-Radioheads-Biggest/dp/0739077848/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483536765&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/Radiohead-Kid-Piano-Vocal-Guitar/dp/0757992471/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483536765&sr=1-7

The '28 Biggest Hits' is a treasure trove, though some mistakes. AMSP is golden. Kid A is a cheap publisher but accurate.

This was in my old university library. Also one of the lecturers wrote a small 'dissertation' book on OK Computer.

http://www.amazon.com/Radioheads-Computer-Thirty-Three-Third/dp/0826416632

To be fair a lot of people misunderstood the book, but it isn't an all out and out great read.

That and John wasn't much of a Queen fan. Tony Bramwell discusses this is his book Magical Mystery Tours. Its a great read and highly recommended for anyone who hasn't read it yet.

There's an official Muse piano songbook that includes several of the songs on your list (Space Dementia, Apocalypse Please, Feeling Good, Sunburn, B&H) as well as several others.

Heh once you start it's gonna go far beyond 3 weeks. Over at archive.org you can find thousands of recordings, both soundboard recordings and audience recordings. I think you should start with the first album and then listen to a show or two from that era and then do the same for each album. Maybe some older Deadheads can recommend some shows from each era, album by album. I'm a big fan of the '73-'74 sound which was when they released Wake of the Flood and From the Mars Hotel. My favorite show from then is 6/10/73 at RFK Stadium.


You'll find different Deadheads favoring different eras. Some people prefer the Pigpen years and some prefer the Brent Mydland years but each and every era is worth listening to.



While you're at it read Phil Lesh's book.

Autogenerated.

Michael Imperioli wrote a book and is slated to do an AMA next month in /r/books

I'm sure it's no You Bark, I Bite, but the dude wrote a book and may show up to talk about it in a month. Thought it was worth noting.


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Comment 1 of 1
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I was just about to recommend this as well!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0826416632/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tqu-ybRRP22TX

I don't understand why it's so poorly reviewed; I really enjoyed it!

“It's enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.”

-Gabriel Garcia Marquez One Hundred Years of Solitude

I'd love to READ this penny book

Oh man, i had the same question just a couple of days ago. Here's what I would suggest (pretty much fundamentals!):

[DK's Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip] (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grateful-dead-maurice-waite/1120824345?ean=9781465440082#productInfoTabs)

This one is a 500 page biography of the band's journey on the Golden Road from the Sixties to now (this one happens to be the slightly updated 50th anniversary edition as well.) Covers a lot of details towards major events/concerts, the phases they went through, every release and side project(s) the band members did throughout the 70s, 80s & now. Thousands of pictures as well, & the foreword is written by Robert Hunter who helped write lyrics for the band!

[The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Annotated-Grateful-Dead-Lyrics/dp/1501123327) Also compiled by Robert Hunter with David Dodd, this book provides the lyrics to every song from every album, with all the unique context & the whole process of creating the songwriting for these tunes. Plus there's a lot of original GD-inspired artwork! This one is again the 50th anniversary edition, but the older version with a completely different cover is basically the same :)

Did you just get the album, or an advanced copy of the book? If so, I'm jealous. The rest of us have to wait until September 3rd.

http://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Angels-Kevin-J-Anderson/dp/1770411216/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346124920&sr=8-1&keywords=rush+clockwork+angels+book

P.S. Happy birthday, fellow Rushian!

I have the Radiohead Songbook. Interestingly, as well as being made up of classic hits (Creep, Paranoid Android), it also contains more obscure pieces that were written for piano (How I Made my Millions, I Want None of This).

Some of the non-piano pieces sound good, like Karma Police and Sail to the Moon. My Iron Lung transcribes surprisingly well. Some really don't work, like Creep and Subterranean Homesick Alien (though the bassline given by the book implies completely the wrong rhythm).

>All the VPRO documentaries.

This was gonna be my answer. Also, OP, if you don't mind reading, the Oral/Visual History is fantastic and features commentary from almost every member that's ever been in this revolving door of a band. Beautifully constructed.

If you're really starting from scratch, try to find the Behind The Music somewhere online. It's outdated (like almost 20 years old) and super condensed but it'll give you the basics.

The 1960's "counter-culture" music scene was rife with military brats, you should check out some of Dave McGowan's work on the subject. Intelligence has been recruiting people for roles in popular culture for a long time.

The Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles

Really explains everything clearly and with lots of examples. I feel like it's already had an effect on my own writing, and I've only read a couple of the chapters so far.

Have seen a couple posts talking specifically about Phil but haven't heard mention of Searching for the Sound, which is his Autobiography. He covers this at one point in good detail, so much amazingness in that book!

If you haven't read it, go.. NOW!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316154490/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1370182844&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

Not a stretch for him to play that character, since he was constantly dealing and hosting parties all night before Anthony had to wake up for school. Source: Kiedis autobiography

This comment was inspired by this fascinating post.

I spend a lot of time complaining about the show's writing while praising its production: acting, cinematography and music, but the reverse is true with the books: the writing is sublime but there are two areas where the production team has badly screwed up in my opinion:

• the lack of quality assurance for Roy Dotrice's wonderful narrations
  
  
• the obsession with "binding" and page count: This would matter if ADwD had been a "barely break even" business proposition, but they knew it was going to sell millions of copies. All they had to do to include the TWoW sample chapters that occur in the ADwD timeline was to print Part 1 and Part 2 in separate books and sell them in a nice little open-ended cardboard box that holds both - just like they've now done with A Storm of Swords and, for that matter, with the whole series. I recently bought all 5 paperbacks in one big cardboard case. Look at this book (a truly amazing book, by the way).
  
  I have no problem with using storytelling, rather than chronology, to order the chapters, but all the events you list (and many of the TWoW chapters, especially those pertaining to the three battles - Ice, Fire and the setup for Aegon VI being taken seriously as a threat to King's Landing) should have been in the original book. I support this opinion with my own experience of reading it as published, and then reading it with the extra chapters - there's no contest - I'm almost infinitely more frothing-at-the-mouth for TWoW now than I was when I'd only read the published book.

Hi Michael, big fan here! Any reasons why your book is more expensive on Amazon? https://www.amazon.com/Perfume-Burned-His-Eyes/dp/1617756202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523290100&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Perfume+Burned+His+Eyes

+ImNotThatIntoYou:

Hi Michael, big fan here! Any reasons why your book is more expensive on Amazon? https://www.amazon.com/Perfume-Burned-His-Eyes/dp/1617756202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523290100&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Perfume+Burned+His+Eyes

Positively 4th Street:
http://www.amazon.com/Positively-4th-Street-Fariña-Richard/dp/B008SMTSDM
Freewheel in' Time
http://www.amazon.com/Freewheelin-Time-Greenwich-Village-Sixties/dp/0767926889/ref=pd_sim_b_3/181-7152492-3180319
Chronicles Vol. 1
http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Bob-Dylan/dp/0743244583/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Author Dave McGowan wrote a book, Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon, about the nest of creativity that was the rock scene in and around Laurel Canyon in the days of Zappa, The Doors, and Joni Mitchell. Lots of strange occurrences happening in those days, maybe more than mere coincidence can explain. Here's the website

Tons of now-classic rock came from Laurel Canyon, by the way. Even if you think McGowan is a kook, his book is a fascinating read.

I would recommend Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers singer/original member) and L.A. Son by Roy Choi (chef/Kogi truck mastermind). Both autobiographies tell stories about how growing up in LA shaped who they are.

He was a real dick to Frusciante at times. If you haven't read it I strongly suggest checking out this if you're a fan. It's awesome.

I really liked this one.

You're new here. Welcome, come see how deep the rabbit hole goes ....

https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122

By far my favorite- https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0375502033/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467817195&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=the+phish+book&dpPl=1&dpID=51BJ5A3KZ9L&ref=plSrch

Yep - received the announcement from amazon this morning.

View here.

How about the Complete Annotated Lyrics book? I love my copy and will just sit down and flip through it while listening to a show.

The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501123327/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8wC4DbTEM8E3D

Apparently John Lennon liked the song enough that his late-teen nickname was “Johnny Guitar”. (Source: https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-These-Years-Extended-Special/dp/1408704781)

If you haven't read Cobain Unseen I highly suggest it
It's really creatively put together.

The Dave Grohl Story. Maybe I had high hopes that it would be as interesting as Scar Tissue but so far it is an extremely in-depth history of hardcore punk in Washington with a few mentions of Grohl thrown in.

EDIT: Forgot to say read Scar Tissue. Absolutely incredible, even if you're not a Chili Peppers fan. That man has lived!

Sorry, link
The Beatles - All These Years - Extended Special Edition: Volume One: Tune In https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1408704781/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Vwydub0GW4EJ3

Archive.is link

Why this is here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

TL;DR - I don't know

I have this one and it is great but definitely too hard for me (i am a beginner player). Though that just means things will take time (and I am currently putting a Coldplay and Elliott Smith song ahead of finally learning PS, MPS, or Fog(Again).

You've got Morning Bell on yours though.. I am jealous!

If you don't live in the UK, check Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Beatles-These-Years-Extended-Special/dp/1408704781

Maybe talking about the book version of this website: http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl/

Think this is the latest edition from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Annotated-Grateful-Dead-Lyrics/dp/1501123327/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479846335&sr=1-1

David McGowan uncoverd this years ago before he was killed

This one is probably the most eye opening book available.

The author converted the site into a book for sale

https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122

RHCP are/were famous for this.

See: Kiedis' biography.

From memory I think this book was quite interesting... and had a lot of technical information in it

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Radioheads-OK-Computer-33/dp/0826416632

Try here http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl/

or in book form http://www.amazon.com/dp/1501123327/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000009O8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0424C49PG0DD9SETDG0N

or from the man himself

http://www.amazon.com/Box-Rain-Lyrics-1965-1993-Penguin/dp/0140134514/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1462560418&sr=1-1&keywords=robert+hunter

Anthony Kiedis explained in his autobiography that while on tour in his early 20's he had sex with a 14 year old girl. He didn't know she was 14 at first but even after he found out he continued to have sex with her. She stayed with him for several days then he finally put her on a bus and sent her back home to her parents. Her dad was a cop or something.

Is it this book?

I found out this is all part of a book:
http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122

And there's more parts available on this site (which includes more images and videos!):
http://informationfarm.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/inside-lc-strange-but-mostly-true-story.html

https://www.amazon.com/Come-As-You-Are-Nirvana/dp/0385471998https://www.amazon.com/Heavier-Than-Heaven-Biography-Cobain/dp/0786884029/ref=sr_1_1?


crid=2ZFTTXPN7SYMA&keywords=heavier+than+heaven&qid=1557248468&s=books&sprefix=hevie%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C239&sr=1-1


https://www.amazon.com/Serving-Servant-Remembering-Kurt-Cobain/dp/0062861506/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=cobain&qid=1557248502&s=books&sr=1-1https://www.amazon.com/Journals-Kurt-Cobain/dp/157322359X/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=kurt+cobain&qid=1557248532&s=books&sr=1-2


https://www.amazon.com/Nirvana-Complete-Illustrated-Charles-Cross/dp/076034521X/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Nirvana&qid=1557248588&s=books&sr=1-3


https://www.amazon.com/Cobain-Unseen-Charles-R-Cross/dp/0316033723/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=cobain+unseen&qid=1557248615&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmrnull

Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon by David McGowan

Here is an interview with the author: Sofia Smallstorm Interviews Dave McGowan

Read scar tissue

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Beatles-Recording-Sessions-1962-1970/dp/0600612074

Yes

'Murica

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970 Paperback – October 1, 2013
by Mark Lewisohn

This one:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Beatles-Recording-Sessions-1962-1970/dp/1454910054

Weird scenes inside Laurel Canyon

Billy's Book, Deal

Phil's Book

Dennis McNally's book

David Brown's Book

Jerry on Jerry: Unpublished Interviews

Start with these

https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o2GjY8DN-7I

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/classic_rock_conspiracy_theory_weird_scenes_inside_the_canyon

You read that right.

Look into rock n roll and the laurel canyon community

https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122


https://www.conspiracyschool.com/blog/laurel-canyon-sex-drugs-and-aliens

https://open.spotify.com/episode/58H5HM7fNtDbbRRbRVfyDY

Laurel Canyon, in Los Angeles. This is the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527092729&sr=8-1&keywords=Dave+McGowan+Laurel+Canyon

Cant pick just one So I'll name a few

1. A Time Too Kill-John Grisham
   
2. Scar Tissue-Anthony Keidis(Autobiography of the lead Singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers)
   
3. Different Seasons-Stephen King
   
4. Back In The Day: My Life And Times With Tupac Shakur- Darrin Keith Bastfield
   
5. That was then This is Now-S.E. Hinton
   
6. I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action-Jackie Chan (Autobiography)
   

Its called the "Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0711981671/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1394825990&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40

Here is the mobile version of your link

Apparently he is quite forthcoming in Complete annotated Grateful Dead lyrics about many of his lyrics. (Sorry for the Amazon link, I’m lazy)

Did you read the autobiography? It's one of my favorite of any of the Dead books... most are about Jerry, obviously, but this one gives you a different, more logical view on the whole scene... http://www.amazon.com/Searching-Sound-Life-Grateful-Dead/dp/0316154490

this is the official story... evidence exists however that the military actually synthesized LSD from LSA(i think... LS-something... cant remember) based on Hoffmans previous work.... even if this isnt true however, it is clear that Hoffman did have a relationship with the US military, the OSS, and later the CIA....

I havent looked at this info in a while and was trying to find sources for another guy earlier but he pissed me off with his ridicule... cant remember the authors name.... ill try to search thru some youtube channels for the interviews i remember he was in and get his name.... ill post some links in this comment latter for you.... the guy really did some indepth digging into this and provides source material... check back at this comment in a hour or two....

Found it: http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes-Inside-Canyon-Laurel/dp/1909394122 - the book focuses primarily on the 60s but includes information on Hoffman.