Bøger om Rock & roll

Im November 2020 wurden Depeche Mode in die "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" aufgenommen. Bei der Annahme der Ehrung sagte David Gahan: "Ich möchte mich bei Anton Corbijn bedanken, der Gott sei Dank zur richtigen Zeit zu uns stieß und uns tatsächlich cool aussehen ließ." Ebenfalls im Herbst 2020 brachte TASCHEN den limitierten und von Depeche Mode und Anton Corbijn signierten Band Depeche Mode by Anton Corbijn (81-18) heraus, der sich zu einer der am schnellsten verkauften Collector's Editions in der Geschichte des Verlags entwickelte. Diese günstige und aktualisierte Ausgabe im handlichen Hosen-TASCHEN-Format gibt Zeugnis von Corbijns einzigartiger Vision und ist in der Tat so "cool", wie Gahan in seiner Rede würdigte. In der reich illustrierten Geschichte erfährt man, wie Corbijn, der 1986 de facto Kreativdirektor der Band wurde, dazu beitrug, Depeche Modes Ruf als größter Kultband der Welt zu untermauern. Der Band enthält über 150 Fotos aus Corbijns umfangreichem Archiv, darunter sowohl offizielle als auch privatere Bandporträts, aufgenommen in Madrid, Hamburg, der Wüste Kaliforniens, Prag oder Marrakesch; dazu eine Vielzahl von spontanen, ungestellten Bildern und atemberaubende Live-Aufnahmen von sämtlichen Tourneen von 1988 bis 2023 . Entstanden in enger Zusammenarbeit mit der Band gewährt Depeche Mode by Anton Corbijn eine Vielzahl von Einblicken in die Arbeit mit Corbijn und zeigt auf eindrucksvolle Weise, wie die einzigartige Ästhetik eines Mannes, von dem sämtliche Fotografien, die meisten Musikvideos, Albumcover und Setdesigns stammen, die anhaltende Popularität der Band prägten. In der Einleitung erinnert sich Corbijn an seine vielschichtige Rolle bei Depeche Mode: "Vieles hing von mir ab. Ich wollte einfach der Richtige für sie sein, für sie mitdenken und aus mir das Allerbeste herausholen." Der Band zeugt von der Tiefe und Breite dieser Großartigkeit und feiert eine der kreativsten und beständigsten Kooperationen der Musikgeschichte.

Examining one of the most popular and enduring genres of American music, this encyclopedia of classic rock from 1965 to 1975 provides an indispensable resource for cultural historians and music fans.More than movies, literature, television, or theater, rock music set the stage for the cultural shifts that occurred from 1965 to 1975. Led by The Beatles and Bob Dylan, rock became a self-conscious art form during these years, daring to go places unimaginable to earlier rock and roll musicians. The music and outspokenness of classic rock artists inspired and moved the era's social, cultural, and political developments with a power once possessed by authors and playwrights-and influenced many artists in younger generations of rock musicians. This single-volume work tracks the careers of well-known as well as many lesser-known but influential rock artists from the period, providing readers with a handy reference to the music from a critical, groundbreaking period in popular culture and its enduring importance.The book covers rock artists who emerged or came to prominence in the period ranging 1965-1975 and follows their careers through the present. It also specifically defines the term "classic rock" and identifies the criteria that a song must meet in order to be considered as within the genre. While the coverage naturally includes the cultural importance and legacy of most well-known American and British bands of the era, it also addresses the influence of artists from Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Readers will grasp how the music of the classic rock era was notably more sophisticated than what preceded it-an artistic peak from which most of contemporary rock has descended.

Math rock sounds like blueprints look: exact, precise, architectural. This trance-like progressive metal music with indie rock and jazz influences has been captivating and challenging listeners for decades. Bands associated with the genre include King Crimson, Black Flag, Don Caballero, Slint, American Football, Toe, Elephant Gym, Covet, and thousands more. In an online age of bedroom producers and sampled beats and loops, math rock is music that is absolutely and resolutely played: men and woman in rooms with instruments creating chaos, beauty, and beautiful chaos.This is the first book-length look at the global phenomenon. Containing interviews with prominent musicians, producers, and critics spanning the globe, Math Rock will delight longtime fans while also serving as a primer for those who want to delve deeper. It shows why and how an intellectually complex, largely faceless, and almost entirely instrumental form of music has been capturing the attention of listeners for 50 years-and counting.

In 1984, five teenagers and two adults were given more than what they expected at a Van Halen concert. Forty-years ago, a band from Pasadena, California delivered one amazing concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. Van Halen gave these kids an experience that would last for years, one that they can recall instantly, especially when they hear the song, JUMP. Van Halen not only gave them an awesome concert, but created fans for life. 1984 was supposedly the year of doom and gloom, however for these boys it was the year that gave them an experience of a lifetime. This true, coming-of-age story about an over-the-top concert gave these kids an energetic outlook on what life truly was supposed to be about, and created rock n' roll enthusiasts for life. However, it is what happened before, during, and after the concert that gave these kids a new spin on what the power of music can do for any concertgoer. This nostalgic, true story of life-long friends will create a lust in the reader to attend concerts, create a lure to purchase albums, and a zest to never turn down the opportunity to spend time with friends. JUMP will get your brain thinking about your experiences at concerts, your favorite bands, and the friendships you will never forget. It will give you a reason to JUMP for joy.

An American institution, Sun Records has a history with many chapters -- its Memphis origins with visionary Sam Phillips, the breakthrough recordings of Elvis Presley, and the studio's immense influence on the sound of popular music. But behind the company's chart toppers and legendary musicians there exists another story, told by Barbara Barnes Sims. In the male-dominated workforce of the 1950s, 24-year-old Sims found herself thriving in the demanding roles of publicist and sales promotion coordinator at Sun Records. Sims's job placed her in the studio with Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, Carl Perkins, and other Sun entertainers, as well as the unforgettable Phillips, whose work made the music that defined an era. The Next Elvis: Searching for Stardom at Sun Records chronicles Sims's career at the studio, a pivotal time at this recording mecca, as she darted from disc jockeys to distributors. Sims not only entertains with personal stories of big personalities, but also brings humor to the challenges of a young woman working in a fast and tough industry. Her disarming narrative ranges from descriptions of a disgraced Jerry Lee Lewis to the remarkable impact and tragic fall of DJ Daddy-O Dewey to the frenzied Memphis homecoming of Elvis after his military service. Collectively, these vignettes offer a rare and intimate look at the people, the city, and the studio that permanently shifted the trajectory of rock 'n' roll.

"Ben Wynne's "A Hound Dog Tale" is a detailed history of the rock-and-roll standard "Hound Dog." Citing its original release and reception as a turning point in American popular culture, he reveals how the song reflected American society through issues of race, gender, and generational conflict. The story is compelling. Two white Jewish teenagers from New York and Baltimore who fantasized about being Black wrote "Hound Dog." They gave it to Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, a three-hundred-pound African American female blues belter from Alabama who was as talented as she was intimidating. "Big Mama" made the song a hit in the Black entertainment marketplace. After that, a white Las Vegas lounge singer from Philadelphia rewrote many of the lyrics and recorded an updated version. Not long afterward, an aspiring white Mississippi singer and guitar player named Elvis Presley recorded that version of the song and turned "Hound Dog" (and himself) into a global phenomenon. As Wynne points out, "Hound Dog" crossed the color line repeatedly: Black and white artists who grew up in a rigidly segregated society performed and recorded it. His history of the song includes treatments of the artists who recorded its most well-known versions-"Big Mama" Thornton and Elvis-along with the comings and goings of many others involved in the tune's story. The cast of characters is large and eclectic, including singers, songwriters, and musicians from the worlds of R&B, rock-and-roll, and country music, both honest and unscrupulous record producers and managers, famous television hosts, a couple of lawyers, and even a gangster or two. "Hound Dog" ties all these people together against dramatically changing times during the 1950s. "A Hound Dog Tale" is sure to be of interest to historians who study American cultural history, the 1950s, R&B, and rock-and-roll, or the role of race in American popular music. In addition, R&B, blues, and rock-and-roll music enthusiasts in the United States and abroad will be interested, as will many of the countless fans of Elvis Presley"--

The definitive exploration--told in revelatory detail--of the writing, recording, and release of John Lennon's celebrated and magical fourth solo album Mind Games, and the era that inspired it.

Selected writings on three decades of music from one of the most influential critics of his generation.

"A long-awaited, myth-busting, and deeply affecting memoir by the daughter of legendary rock star "Mama" Cass Elliot."--Provided by publisher.

"A thought-provoking exploration of Bruce Springsteen's iconic album, Born in the U.S.A.--a record that both chronicled and foreshadowed the changing tides of modern America. On June 4, 1984, Columbia Records issued what would become one of the best-selling and most impactful rock albums of all time. Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. would prove itself to be a landmark not only for the man who made it, but rock music in general and even the larger American culture over the next 40 years. Because this record ended up being much more than just an album-it is a document of what this country was in its moment, a dream of what it might become, and a prescient forecast of what it actually turned into decades later. In There Was Nothing You Could Do, veteran rock critic Steven Hyden explores the essential questions that explain this classic album - what it means, why it was made, and how it changed the world. By mixing up his signature blend of personal memoir, criticism, and journalism, Hyden digs deep into the songs that made Born In The U.S.A. as well as the scores of tunes that didn't, including the tracks that make up the album's sister release, 1982's Nebraska. He investigates how the records before Born In The U.S.A. set the table for the album's tremendous success, following Springsteen as he tries to balance his commercial ambitions with his fear of losing artistic control and being co-opted by the machine. Hyden also takes a closer look how Springsteen's work after Born In The U.S.A. reacted to that album, discussing how 'The Boss' initially ran away from his most popular (and most misunderstood) LP until he learned to once again accept his role as a kind of living national monument. But the book doesn't stop there. Hyden also looks beyond Springsteen's career, placing Born In The U.S.A. in a larger context in terms of how it affected rock music as well as America. Though he aspired to be as big as Elvis and as profound as Dylan, he was equally aware of his heroes' shortcomings and eager to avoid their mistakes-all while navigating the tumultuous aftermath of Vietnam and Watergate, a time when America was coming apart at the seams. Born In The U.S.A. simultaneously chronicles that coming apart and pushes for a more united future, a duality that made him a hero to a younger generation of bands - from Arcade Fire to The Killers to The War On Drugs - who openly emulated the sound of Born In The U.S.A. in the hopes of somehow, in their own way, achieving a measure of that album's impact in the 21st century. By the aughts, when Springsteen fan (and future podcast partner) Barack Obama entered the White House, it appeared that the hopeful promise of Born In The U.S.A. might be realized. But the election of Donald Trump seemed to confirm an opposite truth that was closer to the darkness of songs like 'My Hometown' and 'Born In The U.S.A.' than Springsteen's revival-like shows. As Springsteen himself reluctantly conceded, the working-class middle American progressives he wrote about in 1984 had turned into the resentful and scored Trump voters of the 2010s. How did we lose Springsteen's heartland? And what can listening to these songs teach us about the American decline that Born In The U.S.A. forecasted? In There Was Nothing You Could Do, Hyden takes readers on a journey to find out"--

Jim Sullivan - a 2023 inductee into the New England Music Hall of Fame - spent 26 years writing for the Boston Globe and two decades more writing for national publications. He has interviewed and reviewed countless musicians, many of them multiple times. The second volume of his music-writing anthology, Backstage & Beyond, focuses on artists who came to prominence in the 1970s and '80s: punk, new wave, post-punk and beyond. Eleven of them are already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Chapters on: Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash, Patti Smith, Buzzcocks, Damned, Fall, Joy Division / New Order, Cure, Stiff Little Fingers, Gang of Four, Pogues, Police, Cramps, David Byrne / Talking Heads, Beastie Boys, Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, Cars, English Beat, Morrissey, Pixies, Mission of Burma, Feelies, Puff Daddy, Spiritualized, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Swans and U2¿¿Praise for Backstage & Beyond:"I have spoken to many journalists in my time: some good, some bad, some terrible. And it is lovely when you meet someone who is just like you ... a huge music fan! Jim Sullivan ... is friendly, knowledgeable, forthright and opinionated! An expert in his chosen field. He is no pushover ... if you have faults or are resting on your laurels, he is the first to tell you off." -Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order)"There's a lot of history here, and a lot of reflecting on that history. For me, it's interesting to see the conflict many artists have as they try to evaluate their own work and its place in the scheme of things. Jim Sullivan has been able to coax some of those reflections out of a broad spectrum of artists, and it's fascinating to read." -Greg Hawkes (Cars)"Jim Sullivan is an expert interviewer with an uncanny ability to connect with his subjects. In Backstage & Beyond, he brings out the humanity in a host of rock and roll icons who are too often portrayed as godlike figures. This an intimate and revealing look at many of the major personalities of the classic rock era." -Tom Perrotta, author of Election, Tracy Flick Can't Win, The Leftovers and Mrs. Fletcher"These are wonderful stories across the whole range of popular music, by one of rock's finest journalists. As history lengthens and some of these legends move on, these become increasingly precious fragments of lives lived at the sharp edge of music." -Richard Thompson"Jim is one of those journalists that you feel comfortable with. No hidden agenda. If he likes your band, he says so. If he doesn't, same. He's always been kind about us. The thing is, unlike a lot of writers, if Jim said we did something that sucked, I would pay attention. That's why these writings are worth reading. He's the real deal." -Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers)"Having been on both ends of his many years of reviews and interviews with all manner of artists - as subject and reader - I am always drawn to his writing; because I know he won't have ambushed anyone or left them (us) feeling caught out, yet still end up with insight and history shared and some great stories." -Hugo Burnham (Gang of Four)"With a twinkle in his eye, Jim cuts through the business and, speaking from his heart, he gently gets you to do the same. You learn a great deal about an artist from a Jim Sullivan interview, including yourself!" -Dave Wakeling (English Beat)

Across five decades and counting, New Zealand-born singer/songwriter and Crowded House founder Neil Finn has become one of the best-loved figures in popular music, crafting enough hits along the way--'Weather With You', 'Locked Out', 'I Got You', 'Fall At Your Feet', 'It's Only Natural', and of course 'Don't Dream It's Over'--to forge his very own one-man Great Antipodean Songbook.One fateful day in April 1977, teenage Neil received a transcontinental phone call that would change his life. It was his older brother, Tim, calling from London, England, with a simple question: 'Do you want to join the band?' That band, the art-rock combo Split Enz, would provide the launchpad for a career that has taken in widespread international success with Crowded House, as a solo artist, back with Tim in The Finn Brothers, and as a touring member of Fleetwood Mac.There have been bumps along the road, including repeated clashes with Tim and the tragic death of original Crowded House drummer Paul Hester, but taken as a whole, Finn's story is one of the most inspiring musical sagas of modern times. Australian author and journalist Jeff Apter has observed Neil's career from close quarters since the late 70s, from frantic early Enz gigs to private listening parties to huge reunion shows and numerous points in between, giving him the perfect perspective to write this intimate, even-handed biography.

Solid Rock is a visual celebration of the evolution of heavy guitar music. A coffee table book with a unique commentary drawn from our 'In-conversation' sessions with K.K. Downing, a founding member of heavy metal legends Judas Priest

Memorias altas en emoción, agudísimas en cultura pop, refinadas, bestiales, amorosas.Así comienza: "De niño conocí el olor de la muerte".Y así (lógicamente) termina: "Continuará...".En el medio, cuatrocientas páginas de memorias cuyo etiquetado frontal debiera advertir: altas en emoción, agudísimas en cultura pop, refinadas, bestiales, amorosas, explícitas. Fito Páez pasó el encierro pandémico recordando y escribiendo, repasando y puliendo episodios, ajustando cuentas y desarreglando todo lo demás, en un ejercicio de introspección al que la palabra "prodigioso" le queda pintada.De la infancia rosarina narrada en travelling virtuoso al apogeo de su juventud con la locura de El amor después del amor, el recorrido es, como los mejores caminos, largo y sinuoso. Infinidad de escenarios, nombres, lugares, anécdotas, homenajes, viajes, borracheras... y la tragedia y el amor marcando el ritmo de un relato que parece rapsodia: una suma de partes que hace de este libro de memorias una larga canción perfecta.

Are we not men? Best known for their industrial suits and red energy domes, Devo merged innovative stage sets, robotic choreography and futuristic stage uniforms with experimental music and quirky lyrics. Challenging the boundaries of popular music in the 1970s and '80s, Devo wrote their own rules. Emerging from the industrial rust-belt city of Akron, the Spud Boys were products of their Midwestern upbringing. This book chronicles Devo's formative years, the many twist and turns in the group's lengthy career as well as the stories behind the group's songs. There is also an examination of the Akron music scene that spawned Devo and other like-minded rock bands.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre are one of the great contemporary cult American rock and roll bands. At the peak of their anarchic reign in the San Francisco underground of the late '90s their psychedelic output was almost as prodigious and impressive as their narcotic intake. Immortalized in one of the most unforgettable rock and roll documentaries of all time, DIG!, alongside their friends/rivals/nemeses, The Dandy Warhol's, in their early years when the US were obsessed with grunge, the BJM felt like a '60s anachronism. But with albums like Their Satanic Majesties Second Request and Thank God for Mental Illness, and incendiary, often chaotic, live shows, they burnished their legend as true believers and custodians of the original west coast flame; a privilege and responsibility which continues to this day when the band have a bigger and more dedicated audience than ever. Joel Gion's memoir tells the story of the first ten years of the band from the Duke Seat. A righteous account of the hazards and pleasures of life on and off the road, In the Jingle Jangle Jungle takes use behind the scenes of the supposed behind the scenes film that cemented the band's legend. Funny as hell, shot through with the innocence and wonder of a 'percussionist' whose true role is that of the band's 'spirit animal', In the Jingle Jangle Jungle is destined to take its place alongside minor cult classics in the pantheon of rock and roll literature like Playing the Bass with Three Left Hands, Head On, and 45.--Publisher's description.

This empirical and theoretical book should be of interest to anyone who dares to consider the contentious topic of measuring and justifying aesthetic value in music, as well as the issue of how experts compare to nonexperts in terms of aesthetic fluency, aesthetic sensitivity and aesthetic judgment in appraising music. The book should be both practical and personal for anyone who has a music collection and loves to see it grow continuously but wisely. What makes someone an expert? The key issue I tackle is how one develops into such a connoisseur of music. Overall, the book should spark much healthy debate about music quality and aesthetics in general, both among scholars of aesthetics and the musically passionate general public. Many of the ideas for connoisseur development for music could also be applied to appraisal in other areas of aesthetics beyond music, such as films, visual art, or literature.

When he died in 2004, John Peel was in the middle of writing his memoir, which was completed by his wife, Sheila Ravenscroft, with help from their four children. His compelling autobiography details his life as the most influential DJ in rock history. At BBC's Radio 1, Peel helmed his own show from 1968 until his death, and first introduced UK listeners to reggae, punk, and hip-hop. T-Rex, David Bowie, the Faces, the Sex Pistols, Fairport Convention, Pink Floyd, the Clash, the Buzzcocks, the Cure, Joy Division, the Wedding Present, Def Leppard, Pulp, the Smiths, and the White Stripes have all credited Peel as a major boost to their careers. This intimate portrait of the man and his music provides firsthand remembrances of many of these acts and illuminates how this modest and unassuming man singlehandedly changed the course of rock'n'roll.

This all-access look at the legendary Who presents a glimpse of what it was like to see the band in their prime at Bill Graham's legendary San Francisco concert venue.

"A memoir tracing the author's life and art, from his teen years, to the formation of his legendary rock group, to his years as a member of Sonic Youth"--

Described as the Irish John Peel, Dave Fanning has been a major player in the Irish and global music scene for over 30 years.

"In the golden age of rock'n'roll, there was one name who rivaled Elvis, both in style and talent: Eddie Cochran. A trailblazer of rockabilly whose smash hits "Summertime Blues," "C'mon Everybody," and "Three Steps to Heaven" defined an era, Eddie's life was tragically cut short when he died in a car crash in 1960 at just twenty-one years old. Yet his work has inspired and been recorded by everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Prince and is still influencing musicians and enthralling audiences today."--Page [4] of cover.

In the book The Greatest Rock And Roll Band You Never Heard Of author Marcus Mason dives into the unknown and curious tale of the Philadelphia-based hard rock band "Hit The Ground Runnin' ".

"JOE COCKER is one of the most dynamic singing stars to emerge from the Twentieth Century, and was one of the most unique, creative, and memorablerockers around. With distinctively huge hits like, "With a Little Help from My Friends," "You Are So Beautiful," and his Number One duet withJennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong," Cocker is a one-of-a-kind legend. Although he was relatively unknown in 1969 when he took the stage of the Woodstock Music Festival, he quickly rose to fame for his trademark onstage choreography and anguished blues singing. His album, "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" cemented his international stardom. Though he was an Academy and Grammy Award winner, Cocker's life was not always on an uphill track. He suffered from low self-esteem and bouts of depression. It wasn't until later in his life that he met the love of his life, Pam, who helped him put his personal life back on track before his death in 2014. Cocker's life was one of attaining goals, making disastrous mistakes, and ultimately finding happiness and redemption in the eleventh hour. In Joe Cocker: With a LOT of Help from His Friends, every aspect of Joe's amazinglife and career is examined and explained."--

U2 formed in 1976 when the drummer posted a note to the school bulletin board. Over forty years later, the band is still producing music and touring the world with the same line-up they have had ever since the 1970s. U2 have become one of the most successful rock bands of all time, releasing fourteen studio albums and over seventy singles. In this book, the reader is guided through each release, song by song, from the band's first album "Boy" (1980) until the single "Your Song Saved My Life" released in 2021. Everyone knows U2's biggest hits--songs like "With or Without You," "One," and "Beautiful Day"--but delve into all of the songs including B-sides, compilation tracks, and lesser-known album tracks. U2: Song by Song is a look at every song by the Irish rock group, written by a lifelong U2 fan. The book provides an examination of each track including the inspirations behind them and the impact that these songs have had on the world today. U2: Song by Song charts U2's rise to success, documenting chart positions, and awards given to each song.

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNew York Times bestselling author Alan Paul's in-depth narrative look at the Allman Brothers' most successful album, and a portrait of an era in rock and roll and American history.The Allman Brothers Band's Brothers and Sisters was not only the band's bestselling album, at over seven million copies sold, but it was also a powerfully influential release, both musically and culturally, one whose influence continues to be profoundly felt.Celebrating the album's fiftieth anniversary, Brothers and Sisters the book delves into the making of the album, while also presenting a broader cultural history of the era, based on first-person interviews, historical documents, and in-depth research.Brothers and Sisters traces the making of the template-shaping record alongside the stories of how the Allman Brothers came to the rescue of a flailing Jimmy Carter presidential campaign and helped get the former governor of Georgia elected president; how Gregg Allman's marriage to Cher was an early harbinger of an emerging celebrity media culture; and how the band's success led to internal fissures. The book also examines the Allman Brothers' relationship with the Grateful Dead-including the most in-depth reporting ever on the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, the largest rock festival ever-and describes how they inspired bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, helping create the southern rock genre.With exclusive access to hundreds of hours of never-before-heard interviews with every major player, including Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman, conducted by Allman Brothers Band archivist, photographer, and "Tour Mystic" Kirk West, Brothers and Sisters is an honest assessment of the band's career, history, and highs and lows.

Formed in Southern California in 1974, Van Halen became one of the best-selling bands in rock history and one of the highest-grossing tour acts with their rock-solid rhythm section, the histrionics of outrageous frontman David Lee Roth, and the wildly inventive and until-then unimaginable guitar heroics of Eddie Van Halen. In Van Halen at 50, prolific rock journalist Martin Popoff pays tribute to the band on the occasion of their 50th anniversary by curating 50 significant milestones, from their formation in 1974 to the passing of Eddie Van Valen in 2020.

"North Carolina has always produced extraordinary music. From Charlie Poole standardizing the bluegrass form in the 1920s, to the creation of an entire diaspora of Black musicians which included Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Nina Simone, to the gentle early-70s sounds of James Taylor, the state has many distinguished sons and daughters. But it was the indie rock boom of the late 1980s and '90s that brought North Carolina most fully into the public consciousness. In addition to creating legacy label Merge Records and a raft of excellent indie bands like Superchunk and Archers of Loaf, this was the time when North Carolina bands broke Billboard's top 200 and sold millions of records - several million of which were issued by an ambitious indie label based in Carrboro, Chapel Hill's smaller, sleepier, next door neighbor. It's time to take a closer look at exactly what happened. "A Really Strange and Wonderful Time" chronicles the extraordinary decade between 1989 and 1999, letting those who were there - band members, culture mavens, producers, visual artists, DJs, club owners - speak for themselves, while musician and writer Tom Maxwell provides context, color, and his own perspective as a participant. Deftly researched and intimately written, this is a book that takes readers directly into the scenes as Maxwell experienced them: to the sweaty basement gig, the sold-out Cradle show, the makeshift recording studio, the 15-passenger van. Through interviews and insightful commentary, Maxwell convey the wondrous flowering of activity, followed by its inevitable decay, proving that success is not necessarily defined by fame-and that genius is communal"--