Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Country and Rock 'n' Roll titles entice

Is it too early to discuss a music-minded gift guide for 2020? Check out my roundup of a slew of new special deluxe editions available now...




Artist: Marty Stuart
Title: The Pilgrim: A Wall-To-Wall Odyssey (BMG Books)
You might like if you enjoy: Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, Johnny Cash
Tell me more: At 192 pages and weighing well over three pounds, the astounding hardcover title The Pilgrim: A Wall-To-Wall Odyssey fully expands and sheds light anew on country icon Marty Stuart's brilliant "The Pilgrim." Released in 1999, The Pilgrim was Stuart's 10th album and marked a true artistic turning point for the artist. In addition to Stuart's considerable talents as singer-songwriter and musician, he is joined by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, George Jones and Johnny Cash on the ambitious album inspired by true events that occurred in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi. The lushly-illustrated coffee table volume features countless details about the recording of the project and what the seminal album has meant to Stuart's celebrated career; additionally, the title is enhanced by the inclusion of an audio CD featuring the original album along with 10 unreleased bonus tracks. Information: www.bmg.com.



Artist: Hank Williams
Title: Pictures From Life's Other Side: The Man and His Music in Rare Recordings and Photos (BMG)
You might like if you enjoy: Hank Williams, traditional country music
Tell me more: In addition to the wonderful edition of Marty Stuart's The Pilgrim: A Wall-To-Wall Odyssey, BMG has released the equally-crucial Hank Williams table-top book Pictures From Life's Other Side: The Man and His Music in Rare Recordings and Photos. The book includes more than 200 photos (many never-before-seen!) of the late country music hero as well as six full-length audio CDs of remastered performances pulled from his "Mother's Best" radio series. More than 65 years after his death at the age of 29 on New Year's Day in 1953, Williams remains among the most influential and important country music artists of all time. This splendid coffee table book  that comes in a slipcase and is bolstered by a treasure trove of audio recordings  serves as an enduring reminder that Williams classics such as "Cold Cold Heart," "Lovesick Blues," "I Saw the Light," "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and many more set a template for country music and Americana styles that live on in 2020. Information: www.bmg.com.



Title: London, Reign Over Me
Author: Stephen Tow
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Hardcover: 224 pages
Tell me more: Author Stephen Tow's informative London, Reign Over Me offers an in-depth look at the explosion of the British classic rock scene of the 1960s. While it's easy to peg the era as simply "the '60s," Tow's probing volume provides a nuanced look at the various styles that mattered including skiffle, R&B, British blues, folk and progressive rock. A key area explored is how British musicians took American blues music and made it into something that was their own, ultimately helping to forever define what we recognize today as classic rock. Much of the history of the decade comes alive via interviews with a who's who of rock legends: Rod Argent (The Zombies), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Dave Davies (The Kinks), Peter Frampton (Humble Pie), Carl Palmer (ELP, Asia), Roger Glover (Deep Purple) and many more. This is a must-read for fans of classic rock. Information: www.Rowman.com.




Title: Rush: Song by Song
Author: Alex E. Body
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Paperback: 160 pages
Tell me more: While it took the establishment decades to catch on to the power and magic of Canadian rock trio Rush, diehard fans of the outfit have been championing the group since the early 1970s. The power of the band's music is celebrated in spades on writer Alex E. Body's Rush: Song by SongI somehow missed the release of the book when it was published last summer but I wasted no time in reading the title when I discovered it earlier this month. Body really does a great job of addressing the musical layers on specific tracks, as well as details in the lyrics and how those were influenced by the times when the songs were written. Reading the book brought back a flood of memories including my high school pal Jeff introducing me to Rush via blasting Fly By Night while we cruised in his station wagon on Whittier Boulevard and catching the band in concert in the '80s, '90s and several times this century. Information: fonthillmedia.com.


Robert Kinsler

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