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Bob Dylan is the magician who sprinkled poetic fairy dust on to the
popular music of the early sixties and his songwriting sparked a
revolution and changed rock music forever. The diminutive
poet/singer claimed he was merely a 'song and dance man' but Dylan
altered popular music from intellectually bereft teenage rebellion
into a serious adult art form worthy of academic study. Dylan
headed for the sixties as a Little Richard rock 'n' roller but soon
turned acoustic folkie and after absorbing the music and words of
Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson and Brecht, he became a vagabond
social troubadour. Basking in Rimbaud he transformed into a poetic
symbolist before later immersing himself in lysergic beat
surrealism. The chameleon of Dylan in the sixties was bewildering
to his followers. His first album was a raw debut folk/blues. Then
followed three acoustic poetic gems, three ground-breaking surreal
,electric wonders and four that were more mundane and
country-tinged. But by the mid-sixties he was a strung-out
polka-dotted rock star. He crashed (physically and mentally) before
leaving the sixties as a clean-cut country crooner. Dylan had
mutated more times than a trilobite. Dylan's ground-breaking music
changed the world and his amazing story is revealed by exploring
the eleven albums that he released between 1962 and 1970.
In the realm of singer songwriters, few have been as influential as
Neil Young, whose music has always been creative and relevant
throughout six decades. Neil is a chameleon for whom boundaries of
genres do not exist. He has delved into folk, country, r&b,
rock ‘n’ roll, grunge, hard rock, electronic and pop and made
them his own. But the sixties were his launch pad. This book
follows his music through that seminal period when he played with
The Squires, Mynah Birds, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash
and Young, Crazy Horse and The Stray Gators. During this seminal
period, Young wrote or co-wrote some of his greatest songs,
including ‘I Am A Child’, ‘Southern Man’, ‘Helpless’
and – most importantly – ‘Ohio’. It is the story of how one
of the most seminal artists of the last fifty years learned his
trade - every band, every twist and turn and every track.
Captain Beefheart (Don Vliet) was undoubtedly the creator of the
most bizarre and wonderful music. A child prodigy sculptor, he
applied his artistic approach to music, creating 'aural
sculptures'. He befriended Frank Zappa in High School,
collaborating on a teenage rock opera and sci-fi/fantasy film
entitled Captain Beefheart vs The Grunt People. It was from this
film that Don took his name. Of course, a magic character had to
have a magic band. The Magic Band started out as a blues band in
the mid-sixties but soon, with lysergic propulsion, surreal poetry,
free-form jazz, polyrhythms and African beats, they were at the
forefront of West Coast Acid Rock. A series of hugely inventive
albums, including the infamous Trout Mask Replica, established them
as the foremost avant-garde rock band with legendary live
performances. The author was there for their first concert at
Middle Earth and that night changed his life. Few Bands are as
influential. The Beatles, The Fall, PJ Harvey and Tom Waits all pay
homage, While The Magic Band have inspired a myriad of tribute
bands and created a mythology like no other. This book sets the
history of the band in context, analysing every track and
interpreting the music with its poetic content. It is essential
reading for diehard fans and the Beefheart-curious alike.
Roy Harper must be one of Britain's most undervalued rock musicians
and songwriters. For over fifty years he has produced a series of
innovative albums of consistently outstanding quality. He puts
poetry and social commentary to music in a way that extends the
boundaries of rock music. His 22 studio albums 16 live albums, made
up of 250 songs, have created a unique body of work. Roy is a
musician's musician. He is lauded by the likes of Dave Gilmour, Ian
Anderson, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Joanna Newsom, Fleet Foxes and
Kate Bush. Who else could boast that he has had Keith Moon, Jimmy
Page, Dave Gilmour, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Chris Spedding,
Bill Bruford and Steve Broughton in his backing band? Notable
albums include Stormcock, HQ and Bullinamingvase. Opher Goodwin,
Roy's friend and a fan, guides the reader through every album and
song, providing insight into the recording of the songs as well the
times in which they were recorded. As his loyal and often fanatical
fans will attest, Roy has produced a series of epic songs and he
remains a raging, uncompromising individual.
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