by Jimmy Guterman (2005)
"Over the course of a career now in its fourth decade, Bruce Springsteen has earned one of the most passionate, devoted followings in all rock 'n' roll. He's selling more records and concert tickets in his fifties than he sold in his twenties." "Yet to many fans he remains an enigma." "How has Springsteen produced such a consistent body of work and retained his currency while other top rock 'n' rollers have gone by the wayside? Jimmy Guterman has been writing about Springsteen since the 1970s. In Runaway American Dream, he delves deep into dramatic and crucial moments from every phase of Springsteen's career, intepreting the songs and commenting on the man and the culture at large to deliver a nuanced portrait of The Boss from the earliest days right up to Springsteen's 2005 album, Devils & Dust."--Jacket.
Arthur Killer Kane
The New York Dolls, during and after their all-too brief existence, were a huge influence on numerous famous musicians. Their bassist Arthur “Killer” Kane died suddenly at age 55 in 2004, but he left behind not only the Dolls’ timeless music--and their many thousands of fans and friends--but this memoir of the Dolls’ early years.
Cathay Che
Madonna has called Deborah Harry "the coolest chick in the universe", Andy Warhol named her "my favorite pop star", and Shirley Manson of Garbage said that without her "we'd still be in a state of arrested development in terms of women's forays in the music world". Authorized biographer Cathay Che sums her up as "a '50s bad girl, a '60s freethinker, a '70s punk, an '80s pop star, and a '90s postmodern artist". From her first hit, "In the Flesh", with Blondie in 1976 to the chart-topper "Maria" for their 1999 reunion album, No Exit; from her movies with John Waters and David Cronenberg to hanging out at CGBG, Studio 54, and Warhol's Factory, Che follows Deborah Harry across the worlds of punk, rock, rap, art, film, and fashion.
Tom Weschler [photographer], Gary Graff
Product Description: A photo-driven insider's look at Bob Seger's career from the early days to his breakthrough as a world-famous musician. Tom Weschler spent more than ten years from the late 1960s through the 1970s in the Bob Seger camp, working as tour manager and photographer during Seger's hard-gigging, heavy-traveling, reputation-making early days. Weschler's behind-the-scenes photographs document the frustrations and triumphs of recording, performing, songwriting, and building the Seger Empire before the breakthroughs of "Live Bullet" and "Night Moves". "Travelin' Man" collects Weschler's early photos with additional images leading into the present. Weschler and award-winning music journalist Gary Graff annotate the images with Weschler's recollections of the events and Graff provides additional background on Seger's career in an introduction, time line, and cast of characters section.^ Weschler's photographs and stories pull back the curtain on seldom-seen aspects of Seger's career, including time in the studio recording Mongrel, early struggles to get radio airplay, and small shows at schools and shopping malls. Weschler captures Seger's personality on stage and at home and reveals the colorful personalities of those people he worked and performed with, including Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen, Glenn Frey, and Kiss. He takes readers inside Seger headquarters in Birmingham, Michigan, and practice space in Rochester, Michigan, introducing them to renowned manager Punch Andrews and the various members of Seger's bands. Weschler's photos feature highlights like Seger's show at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1976, his first gold record in 1977, the first meeting between Seger and Bruce Springsteen in 1978, and Seger's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.^ "Travelin' Man" also contains art from eight Seger album covers that Weschler designed, a foreword by John Mellencamp, an afterword by Kid Rock, and a comprehensive discography. Seger fans and readers interested in music and biography will enjoy the one of a kind story in "Travelin' Man."
Chris Welch
"Written by an award-winning authority on the band, Led Zeppelin documents the incredible journey of four talented rockers as they achieve musical glory. It takes you deep into the world of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll in the heady days of the 1970s, revealing the personal stories behind the recordings. Iconic rock photography and spectacular images of rare memorabilia capture the excitement of the era, including posters, art prints, tickets to the biggest concerts, invites to after-parties, superbly designed flyers, and even "The Object" from the cover of Presence. Led Zeppelin is an exhilarating celebration of a group whose unique sound has never been equaled and will never be bettered."--Amazon.com