Anatomy of a Song (subtitle: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R & B And Pop), Marc Myers, Grove Press, 2016, 323 pages, $26, hardcover, ISBN 978-0-8021-2559-0
Anatomy
of a Song presents
first-person accounts of 45 classic tracks, the stories told through quotes
from journalist Marc Myers’s interviews with the songwriters, performers,
producers, and/or others involved in the record’s creation. Myers introduces
each chapter with a brief overview of the song, providing context for the
interviews that follow.
The
result is fascinating and essential, similar in intent to what I tried to do in
Goldmine
with my interviews with The Ramones and Joan Jett and my histories of power pop
and bubblegum music. The Greatest Record Ever Made! has
no pretense of trying to match Myers’ individual re-creations of how these
records were made, as told by the men and women who made them. My book’s goal
is different, and serves as a complement to Myers’ work: Anatomy of a Song lets us
see the how and the why, The Greatest Record Ever Made! tries
to convey the WOW factor, the thrill and tingle of a great record, the
expressive urge to hear that record again and again. The two books share only
four songs—“You Really Got Me” by The Kinks, “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by The
Four Tops, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding, and “Midnight
Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight & the Pips—but they share a commitment
to celebrating each song and its impact individually.
There
are two passages in Myers’s book that could serve equally as a manifesto for The
Greatest Record Ever Made! The very first line of Myers’s
introduction—“At its heart, this book is a love story”—made me want to jump up and
testify my agreement. A bit later in the introduction, Myers lays out a raison d’être that mirrors my own:
“This
collection of forty-five songs does not purport to be a list of the best songs
ever recorded nor do the songs chosen claim to cover every major event in music
history. Together, they simply are a subjective collection of music milestones
that I believe provide us with a greater understanding of the songs, the
artists, and the music’s history. Some readers might argue that other songs
belong on the list. Maybe so. But I don’t believe their inclusion would have
dramatically altered the book’s larger story about the music’s development.
Ultimately, these forty-five songs are stand-ins for the music’s major turning
points, presenting us with a starting point for conversation and a debate about
other worthy songs.”
Myers
is right. And that’s the sort of book I have set out to do.
And now once again: back to work!
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You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby! Hey, Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 100 essays (and then some) about 100 tracks, plus two bonus instrumentals, each one of 'em THE greatest record ever made. An infinite number of records can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Updated initial information can be seen here: THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (Volume 1)
Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes, Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here. A digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) is also available from Futureman Records.
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