Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright: The Bob Marley Reader

Book Description

A gathering of stellar writings on the life, legend, music, and meaning of Bob Marley, international voice of dissent and freedom.

Throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and America, Bob Marley represents far more than just the musician who translated spiritual and political beliefs into hypnotic, hard-hitting songs such as "Get Up, Stand Up," "No Woman, No Cry," and "Jammin'." Marley was born in rural Jamaica and reared in the mean streets of Kingston's Trenchtown; his ascent to worldwide acclaim, first with The Wailers--Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingstone--and later as a solo artist, is a riveting story of the spiritual awakening of a uniquely talented individual.

Now, for the first time, a symphony of voices has joined together to offer perspective on one of this century's most compelling figures. Dealing with Bob Marley as a man and myth, from his "rude boy" teens to international fame and his tragic death at the age of thirty-six, Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright then explores the larger picture, examining Marley as the spokesman for Jamaica's homegrown religion of Rastafarianism, as a flash point for the pressure cooker of Jamaican politics, and his unique status as the first pop musical superstar of the so-called "Third World."

Customer Reviews:

Forever Milking Bob.......2004-07-02

In contrast to Rita Marley's No Woman No Cry, which is on the inside looking out, Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright: The Bob Marley Reader is on the outside looking in. It concentrates on Bob's mythic or iconic dimensions.

On the very first page of text, a mini-intro titled "Marley: Cultural Icon," editor Hank Bordowitz informs us that Marley is a "cultural martyr who suffered for the sins of his audience."
Ouch. That reminds me of a red-headed singer at a Ft. Worth Bob Marley Festival in 2002 who shrilly declared: "Bob Marley died for your sins!" One could grin and bear such lunacies from enthusiastic fans, but in a book whose editor and writers surely want to be taken seriously, it sets one's teeth on edge.

This Reader is divided into two main sections. The first is titled "Wake Up and Live: The Life and Times of Robert Nesta Marley." Each chapter takes a Marley song to indicate its focus. "Waiting in Vain" is an oral history of the 1962-1972 period.

Chapter Two, "Stir it Up," covers the rise to international acclaim by Marley and the Wailers from 1972-1976. This includes a lengthy excerpt from Lee Jaffe's book One Love. Most of the writing dates from the 1970. We listen in on jaded New Yorkers who know how obvious some of Marley's stage mannerisms were, and yet acknowledge that they found his charisma irresistible.

A rough jewel here is Lester Bangs' "Innocents in Babylon." Bangs, writing for his Creem Magazine (immortalized in Almost Famous), freely confesses that Marley is his least favorite Jamaica artists. That critical distance, and the lack of editorial restraint, leads to some typically Bangsian gems. Bangs felt most at home in Jamaican record shops, rather than waiting around on stars. His time in one deafening store produces this memorable line: "the guitars chop to kill."

Chapter Three is "Top Rankin': The First Great `Third World' Star, 1976-1981." This includes Vivien Goldman's colorful portrait of the Wailers in Europe. In a different register, Carol Cooper's Afrocentric feature in the Village Voice describes Marley's ambition as "to resurrect the political ethic of Garveyism."

Chapter Four, "Blackman Redemption," is about the "Second Coming" of Marley 1981-2002. One can see how quickly reportage turned to hagiography in those years.

The much shorter second section of The Bob Marley Reader is titled "Music Gonna Teach Them a Lesson: The Meaning of Bob Marley." An essay by the late Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley, on "Reggae and the Revolutionary Faith," is worth a read. It's worth repeating that, in contrast to, say, R&B or soca, "THE GREATER PART OF BOB MARLEY IS THE LANGUAGE OF REVOLUTION."

There's a famous anecdote, which Ree Negwenya relates in her account of Marley's visit to Zimbabwe, of the I-Threes fleeing to their hotel after getting hit by tear gas. Bob was coming off stage when Rita, Judy Mowatt, and Marcia Griffiths returned. Half-smiling, he said: ""Hah! Now I know who the real revolutionaries are."

I hope the next Marley Reader grapples with some troubling questions Marley's life raises, such as: is the "revolutionary impulse" best enacted abroad, or at home, and what is "the woman's place" in such movements? And, can we or should we aspire to outgrow the messianic mindset? Idolatry was both Bob Marley's strength (his faith in his "perfect father"), but also a form of mental slavery in both the man and his admirers.

(...)

Film Genre Reader
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Great Crit of Movies by Genre

Film Genre Reader
Andrew Tudor , Edward Buscombe , Rick Altman , Judith Hess Wright , Barbara Klinger , Thomas Schatz , Thomas Sobchack , and Douglas Pye
Manufacturer: Univ of Texas Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Film Genre Reader III

Hollywood Genres: Formulas, Filmmaking, and The Studio System

Film Genre Reader II

Film/Genre

ASIN: 0292724551

Customer Reviews:

Great Crit of Movies by Genre.......2006-06-25

This is basically an updated and revised edition of "Film Genre: Theory and Criticism" published in 1977. As a system of filmmaking, genre has been one of the most important factors in making the cinema both an art and a highly successful form of popular entertainment. Divided into 2 parts, this anthology covers the full range of theoretical issues and critical approaches involving film genre. The essays in the second sectoin analyze a wide variety of particular genres, including westerns, science fiction, film noir, etc. A detailed bibliography, organized by genre, is included.

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Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Reader
Michael Streissguth
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece
Cash: The Autobiography
Cash
Johnny Cash: The Biography
The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash

ASIN: 0306812258
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Book Description

A collection of classic writings on the Man in Black, Johnny Cash, by a stellar list of music writers, including Ralph Gleason, Robert Johnson, Nick Tosches, Alanna Nash, Jon Pareles, and Ben Ratliff.

Johnny Cash is bigger than life, surrounded by myths and legends, a notoriously hard-drinking, hard-drugging man who sings searing songs of death, loss, God, and work. Since his debut in 1955, he has come to embody country music as well as the spirit of defiance and rebellion that drives rock, and has garnered an immense audience along the way, selling more than fifty million albums and winning ten Grammy awards. He is universally acknowledged as one of the musical giants of the century.

In Ring of Fire, some of our best music writers consider Cash decade by decade in a collection of thirty-two classic articles and essays. They follow him from his birth in 1932 to his meteoric rise to fame in the late '60s and early '70s, through his two-decade slump and his musical resurgence in the 1990s, through the phenomenal new albums he has made in the face of his recently diagnosed nerve disease. Ring of Fire takes the Reader format and transforms it into the best kind of biography: complex, insightful, and multifaceted.

The Thelonious Monk Reader (Readers in American Music)
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The coolest cat in jazz

The Thelonious Monk Reader (Readers in American Music)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Jazz | Composers & Musicians | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 019512166X

Book Description

Of all the major jazz artists, Thelonious Monk was one of the most original musical thinkers--nonconformist, idiosyncratic, imaginative, eccentric--in a word, unique. In The Thelonious Monk Reader, Rob van der Bliek has brought together some of the most revealing pieces ever written on Monk, providing a full portrait of the musician and his impact on the jazz world. Here is a wealth of information that was previously scattered and difficult to locate, including a wide range of articles, profiles, reviews, interviews, liner notes, and music analyses. Ranging in date from 1947 to 1999, these 39 pieces feature the work of some of our best jazz critics, including Leonard Feather, Ira Gitler, Nat Hentoff, Andre Hodeir, Gunther Schuller, Martin Williams, and many others. The book spans Monk's childhood and early recordings with Blue Note and Prestige, his Riverside period and the critical recognition that followed the release of Brilliant Corners, and his fame and fortune during his Columbia years. Readers will find colorful descriptions of Monk's eccentric lifestyle as well as thoughtful commentary on his unorthodox piano technique, which was marked by off-center accents and idiosyncratic voicings, broken rhythms, alternately dense and stripped down chords, and creative use of silence. Rob van der Bliek also provides a general introduction and brief introductions to each piece as well as critical annotations that place the work in context. Controversial, often contradictory, and always engaging, these readings offer a complete view of the man, his music, and his time. The only such book on Monk's life and work, this volume will be "must reading" for jazz fans and scholars, musicians, music lovers, and readers with an interest in African-American culture.

Customer Reviews:

The coolest cat in jazz.......2006-06-22

Thelonious Monk was the hippest, coolest, swingin'est, be-boppin'est, so far-out he's in'est cat in all of jazzdom. Critics couldn't figure him out, but audiences dug him the most, and you will too.
This wonderful book collects dozens of articles by influential music writers of the 40s 50s and 60s, from when Monk started as a cult favorite, all the way to when he became a worldwide sensation. You'll discover in these pages that some writers dismissed him. Others took a patronizing attitude. A few actually dug him. All of the writers were fascinated by him, his now-recognized musical genius, and his playful onstage antics. It's a glimpse into the past showing how people reacted to what was to become timeless jazz music.

Back to the Beach: A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader (Music)

Average customer rating:

This book has it all!
a treasure trove
Comprehensive & Insightful
Lots of behind the scenes scoop from every era of the band.

Back to the Beach: A Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Reader (Music)

Manufacturer: Helter Skelter Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Add Some Music To Your Day : Analyzing and Enjoying the Music of the Beach Boys
Brian Wilson And The Beach Boys: How Deep Is The Ocean?
Complete Guide to the Music of the Beach Boys (Complete Guide to their Music)
Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio

ASIN: 1900924021

Book Description

A collection of the best articles about the musical geniuses behind classic surf singles like "Surfin' USA" as well as more ambitious albums like Pet Sounds, together with a number of previously unpublished pieces and some specially commissioned work. Features Nick Kent, David Leaf, Timothy White and others, with a foreword by Brian Wilson.

Customer Reviews:

This book has it all!.......2006-09-20

This a good book for hardcore Beach Boys fans only. So much variety from SMiLE to the Brian Wilson/Andy Paley sessions to Holland to Good Surfing, Hello God! and unknown insights in the different areas of the group's career. Happy reading!

a treasure trove.......2004-06-15

Even having read several books and anthologies on the Beach Boys before, there are pieces in here that I had never even heard of. For fans only, of course, but fans should treaasure it.

Comprehensive & Insightful.......2000-01-01

Solid chapters on all aspects of the group, its troubles, controversies, triumphs, from the most noted Beach Boys scholars (Nick Kent, David Felton, David Leaf, Timothy White, Dominic Priore, Tom Nolan, Jules Siegal, Kingsley Abbott), of the last 30 years. A bit detailed but also designed to be a fun read. Diehard fans and new recruits will both dig it.

Lots of behind the scenes scoop from every era of the band........1998-12-13

A superbly edited collection of a few dozen features, interviews and editorials that serve as an excellent primer to the Smile-era Beach Boys, as well insights into the early years and Brian's solo daze as well. With reviews. Very good value; 4/5.

Jane Froman: Missouri's First Lady of Song (Missouri Heritage Readers Series)

Average customer rating:

Jane Froman Biography
Accurate but lacking warmth
Long Overdue

Jane Froman: Missouri's First Lady of Song (Missouri Heritage Readers Series)
Ilene Stone
Manufacturer: University of Missouri Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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With a Song In My Heart (from the 1952 film)/ Pal Joey (with 1952 cast members)
Jane Froman: With A Song In My Heart / Yours Alone - Original Recordings 1930-1952
My Heart Speaks

ASIN: 0826214584

Book Description

Once asked to name the ten best female singers, the renowned musical producer Billy Rose replied, "There is Jane Froman and nine others." A legend in her time, Jane Froman (1907-1980) was one of Missouri's greatest success stories. Her singing career, which spanned over three decades, included radio and television, recordings, nightclub performances, Broadway shows, and Hollywood movies. Drawing upon an autobiography that Froman started but never finished, Ilene Stone skillfully uses the singer's own words, along with other resource materials and extensive interviews with people who knew Froman, to produce the first biography of this extraordinary woman.

Customer Reviews:

Jane Froman Biography.......2005-09-10

Well written and informative bio of a very great and gracious lady. I have been an admirer of the froman sound for many years and it is wonderful to get to know the singer. It is to bad she is not known to more generations who sing today, they could learn a lot about there craft by listening too her.

Accurate but lacking warmth.......2004-05-01

As a fan and friend of the late Jane Froman, I found Ms. Stone's book factually accurate and researched thoroughly. As I had lost touch with Ms. Froman, I was pleased to learn about her retirement years and sad to learn how ill she had become. My only adverse comments is the tone of the book. Jane Froman was a kind, compassionate, warm human being that only one having known her could capture the essence of her personality and character on paper. I feel that "Jane Froman: Missouri's First Lady of Song" is a wonderful research essay, great for public libraries, but does not capture Ms. Froman's personality. But at any rate, I'm happy that after all these years. there is something concise in book form for Jane Froman admirers to read and own. Thank you, Ms. Stone.

Long Overdue.......2003-11-30

Having been an avid fan of Jane Froman for many years, I was pleased to see that a long overdue biography has finally been written. Jane Froman was an outstanding entertainer and an inspiration to those that met her. Now sadly almost forgotten outside the USA her recordings to the few of us that know of her talent are prized additions to any collection of popular music. Now to the book, Ilene Stone was able to draw on the limited ammount of resourse material available from the Froman papers and Jane's few surviving friends. Given the fact that the subject died over twenty years ago Ilene has done a commendable job with her biography. This book is a mine of information about Jane, I do however wish that Ilene had expanded on some of the facts she quoted in her book, for example why was Jane Froman's hand held microphone technique famous? Bing Crosby, Marlene Dietrich and many other used hand held microphones after all.
All in all an excellent attempt to bring to public attention the talents and bravery of one of America's greatest entertainers. Perhaps that now Ilene has led the way Fox studio's will now make available "With A song In My Heart" on VHS and DVD.

Average customer rating:

Film Genre Reader III

Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Film/Genre
Hollywood Genres: Formulas, Filmmaking, and The Studio System
Genre and Hollywood (Sightlines (London, England).)
Refiguring American Film Genres: Theory and History
Science Fiction Film (Genres in American Cinema)

ASIN: 0292701853

Book Description

From reviews of the second edition:

"The fascinating, well-chosen essays in this volume represent almost all of the recent (and often competing) trends in film scholarship and present significant revisions of earlier genre theories and analysis. Grant shows that the generic core, however constituted and established, is but one atom in a complex structure of film experience, response, and meaning."

— Choice

"A terrific collection of essays on film theory and genre criticism.... With its numerous stills and an excellent bibliography, this work is ideal as an academic text or as an informative read for film buffs."

— Bloomsbury Review

From reviews of the first edition:

"The most pedagogically useful text on genre analysis because of the comprehensive nature of its scope."

— Film Quarterly

"Ought to be considered by anyone teaching a course on theory and criticism of the American cinema."

— Communication Booknotes

Since 1986, Film Genre Reader has been the standard reference and classroom text for the study of genre in film, with nearly 20,000 copies in print. Barry Keith Grant has again revised and updated the book to reflect the most recent developments in genre study. This third edition adds new essays on teen films, the question of genre hybridity, and neo-noir and genre in the era of globalization, along with an updated bibliography. The volume includes over thirty essays by some of film's most distinguished critics and scholars of popular film, including John G. Cawelti, David Desser, Thomas Elsaesser, Steve Neale, Thomas Schatz, Paul Schrader, Steve Neale, Vivian Sobchack, Janet Staiger, Linda Williams, and Robin Wood.

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The Women of Country Music: A Reader

Manufacturer: University Press of Kentucky
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music, 1800-2000

ASIN: 0813122805

Book Description

Women have been pivotal in the country music scene since its inception, as Charles K. Wolfe and James E. Akenson make clear in The Women of Country Music. Their groundbreaking volume presents the best current scholarship and writing on female country musicians. Beginning with the 1920s career of teenage guitar picker Roba Stanley, the contributors go on to discuss Polly Jenkins and Her Musical Plowboys, 50s honky-tonker Rose Lee Maphis, superstar Faith Hill, the relationship between Emmylou Harris and poet Bronwen Wallace, the Louisiana Hayride's Margaret Lewis Warwick, and more.

Genre, the Musical: A Reader (British Film Institute Readers in Film Studies)

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Genre, the Musical: A Reader (British Film Institute Readers in Film Studies)
Altman
Manufacturer: Routledge Kegan & Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0710008171

MILES DAVIS RDR PB (Smithsonian Readers in American Music)

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MILES DAVIS RDR PB (Smithsonian Readers in American Music)
KIRCHNER BILL
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560988029

Amazon.com

Miles Davis--in the company of Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane--is one of a handful of instrumental jazz innovators. Born in 1926 in Alton, Illinois, Davis learned to play trumpet in grade school. By the time he was a teenager, he was accomplished enough to sit in with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie when they came to St. Louis in the 1940s. As this anthology of 24 interviews, essays, and reviews shows, Davis first achieved fame as part of the generation that reenergized jazz by creating be-bop. What is also clear is that, unlike many of his contemporaries, Davis never stood still: he invented and reinvented himself a half-dozen or more times. Davis created a form called "cool jazz"; formed bands with stalwarts such as Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, and Cannonball Adderly; and in the 1970s confounded all expectations with a series of jazz-rock ensembles. This impressive collection is complete with a number of transcriptions and musical examples.

Harold Arlen: Rediscovered
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Harold Arlen: Rediscovered
Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Harold Arlen Songbook

ASIN: 0793550785

Book Description

39 songs commemorating the career of songwriter Harold Arlen. Includes: As Long As I Live ¥ Get Happy ¥ I Love a Parade ¥ ItÕs Only a Paper Moon ¥ The Man That Got Away ¥ Stormy Weather (Keeps RaininÕ All the Time) ¥ and more. Includes photos and an extensive introduction by Edward Jablonski.

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