The Music Shelf

Diary of a Rock and Roll Tour Manager
Willie Perkins
Mercer University Press
1501 Mercer University Drive, Macon, GA 31207-0001
www.mupress.org
9780881468465, $25.00, PB, 144pp

https://www.amazon.com/Diary-Rock-Roll-Tour-Manager/dp/0881468460

Synopsis: With the publication of "Diary of a Rock and Roll Tour Manager: 2= ,190 Days and Nights With the South's Premier Rock Band", Willie Perkins ch= ronicles the triumphs and tragedies of the day-to-day touring of The Allman=
Brothers Band from 1970 to 1976, detailing their rise from obscurity to th=
e absolute pinnacle of rock super stardom.

As their tour manager, Perkins shepherded the band from their lowly beginni= ngs in smoke-filled bars to six figure payoffs before hundreds of thousands=
of fans in outdoor venues. He was there for the tragic, untimely accidenta=
l deaths of both Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, the ugliness of drug and al= cohol abuse, and the love for the music and true brother and sisterhood amo=
ng band, crew, management, and family members.

In a fully candid memoir, Perkins writes in detail about the efforts involv=
ed in the touring and recording career of The Allman Brothers Band in their=
early and most productive years. He also introduces the reader to some of = the colorful promoters who produced the concerts and the interesting histor= ical venues where they performed -- many of which no longer exist.

Critique: A fascinating and informative read, "Diary of a Rock and Roll Tou=
r Manager: 2,190 Days and Nights With the South's Premier Rock Band" is a '= must' for the legions of Allman Brothers Band fans. Informatively illustrat=
ed throughout, "Diary of a Rock and Roll Tour Manager: 2,190 Days and Night=
s With the South's Premier Rock Band" is especially and unreservedly recomm= ended for personal, community, and academic library American Popular Cultur=
e & Rock Music History/Biography collections.

Roadhouse Blues
Bob Batchelor
Hamilcar Publications
https://hamilcarpubs.com
9781949590548, $18.99, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Roadhouse-Blues-Morrison-Doors-Sixties/dp/1949590542

Synopsis: Shrouded in mystery and the swirling psychedelic sounds of the Si= xties, the Doors have captivated listeners across seven decades. Jim Morris=
on (haunted, beautiful, and ultimately doomed) transformed from rock god to=
American icon. With each successive generation of fans, the Doors become m= ore popular and transcendent. Yet the band's full significance is buried be= neath layers of mythology and folklore.

With the publication of "Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Deat=
h Days of the Sixties", author Bob Batchelor presents an epic tale of one o=
f rock's (and America's) most significant periods, as the Age of Aquarius g= ave way to a new age of mayhem, presidential misdeeds, and murder. In "Road= house Blues", Batchelor deftly combines cultural history, musical and lyric=
al analysis, along with a broad stroke of pop-culture mythos to give fresh = perspective on a pivotal time.

Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, "Roadhouse Blues" is a biogra= phy of a man, a band, and an era that set the tone for the contemporary wor= ld. Beyond the mythology, the hype, and the mystique around Morrison's unti= mely death, "Roadhouse Blues" takes its readers on a roller-coaster ride, e= xamining the impact the band had on America as the nation veered from decad= ence to debauchery.

Critique: Fascinating, informative, extraordinary, and essential reading fo=
r the legions of Jim Morrison fans, "Roadhouse Blues: Morrison, The Doors, = and the Death Days of the Sixties" is especially and unreservedly recommend=
ed for personal, community, college, and university library Rock Music/Rock=
Band collections in general, and Jim Morrison/The Doors reading lists in p= articular. It should be noted that "Roadhouse Blues" is also available in a=
digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Bob Batchelor (https://www.facebook.com/bobbatchelorauthor)=
is a cultural historian and the author of "Stan Lee: A Life", "The Bourbon=
King", and a dozen other books exploring history and biography. He has wri= tten about many iconic musicians and eras, including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash=
, Grunge, and jazz. Batchelor's books have been translated into a dozen lan= guages, while his work has appeared or been featured in the New York Times,=
Cincinnati Enquirer, Los Angeles Times, Today.com, The Guardian, and Time.

Out in L.A.: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1983
Hamish Duncan
Chicago Review Press
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
9781641608015, $30.00, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Out-L-Chili-Peppers/dp/1641608013

Synopsis: A rock music band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers were going to be a o= ne-time act for a friend's album release party. Forty years later the funk = rock band is arguably one of the best known and the longest running in the = United States.

Everything that happened in 1983 set the course for the rest of the band's = career. The scrappy band quickly rose to scene-wide fame, playing all over = Los Angeles and gaining fans and media attention wherever they performed. B= efore the year was out, they had played approximately thirty shows, put tog= ether an early, beloved repertoire, recorded a blistering demo that secured=
them a recording contract with EMI/Enigma, and lost two of their founding = members to a rival band.

"Out in L.A.: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1983" by Hamish Duncan is an attem=
pt at finding out exactly what happened during that first year and explorin=
g what it is that makes the Red Hot Chili Peppers so compelling and fresh, = even as they continue on their musical journey today.

Critique: As the founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hamish Dunca=
n provides an authentic 'insider' perspective as he deftly lays out the ban= d's history with the publication of "Out in L.A.: The Red Hot Chili Peppers=
, 1983". Informative enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an Appen= dix (The 1983 Venues), four pages of Notes, and a an eleven page Index, "Ou=
t in L.A.: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1983" is a 'must read' for the legion=
s of Red Hot Chili Pepper fans. While unreservedly recommended for communit=
y, college, and university library American Pop Culture and Rock Music Hist= ory collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Out in=
L.A.: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1983" is also available in a digital book=
format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Hamish Duncan (https://www.toppermost.co.uk/red-hot-chili-p= eppers) is the founder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers Sessions Archive websit=
e (www.rhcpsessions.com) and editor of Red Hot Chili Peppers Live Archive (= www.rhcplivearchive.com). He currently resides in Sydney, Australia.

Kurt Cobain: The Last Interview
Introduction by Dana Spiotta
Edited by Melville House staff
Melville House
46 John Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
https://www.mhpbooks.com
9781685890094, $17.99, PB, 176pp

https://www.amazon.com/Kurt-Cobain-Interview-Other-Conversations/dp/1685890= 091

Synopsis: Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 - April 5, 1994) burst into Americ=
an consciousness with a vengeance with the release of Nevermind, an instant=
classic that defined a sound and a generation. Three years later, he was d= ead of suicide, leaving a meteoric career and a cultural influence that wou=
ld never wane.

As the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain changed American m= usic as few musicians ever have. His instantly identifiable raspy croon, hi=
s slash-and-burn guitar playing, and his corrosive and poetic lyrics made h=
im a hero to a generation of lost souls. In interviews Cobain was funny, th= oughtful, sarcastic, impassioned, and even kind. "Kurt Cobain: The Last Int= erview and Other Conversations" is collection of interviews provides a look=
at a man who was too often misunderstood.

Critique: Deftly compiled and edited by the Melville House staff, and an ab= solute 'must read' for the legions of Kurt Cobain fans, "Kurt Cobain: The L= ast Interview and Other Conversations" is an especially and unreservedly re= commended for personal, professional, community, and academic library 20th = Century American Pop Culture and Music History collections. It should be no= ted that "Kurt Cobain: The Last Interview and Other Conversations" is also = available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Kurt Cobain was an American singer, guitarist, and songwrit= er. With his band Nirvana he invented the hard-rock genre known as grunge a=
nd became an inspiration to a generation with his corrosive, poetic lyrics = and blistering stage presence. He was inducted posthumously into the Rock a=
nd Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain)

The Inner Light: How India Influenced the Beatles
Susan Shumsky, D.D.
Permuted Press
https://permutedpress.com
9781682619773, $30.00, HC, 512pp

https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Light-India-Influenced-Beatles/dp/168261977X

Synopsis: The spiritual journey of the Beatles is the story of an entire ge= neration of visionaries in the sixties who transformed the world. The Beatl=
es turned Western culture upside down and brought Indian philosophy to the = West more effectively than any guru. "The Inner Light: How India Influenced=
the Beatles" illumines hidden meanings of the Beatles' India-influenced ly= rics and sounds are decoded by Susan Shumsky who is a rare insider having s= pent two decades in the ashrams and six years on the personal staff of the = Beatles' mentor, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

An informative and facinating volume that draws back the curtain on the Bea= tles' experiments with psychedelics, meditation, chanting, and Indian music=
.. Among many shocking revelations never before revealed, we discover who in= vented "raga rock" (not the Beatles), the real identity of rare Indian inst= ruments and musicians on their tracks, which Beatle was the best meditator = (not George), why the Beatles left India in a huff, John and George's attem= pts to return, Maharishi's accurate prediction, and who Sexy Sadie, Jojo, B= ungalow Bill, Dear Prudence, Blackbird, My Sweet Lord, Hare Krishna, and th=
e Fool on the Hill really were.

Half a century later, the Beatles have sold more records than any other rec= ording artist. A new generation wants to relive the magic of the flower-pow=
er era and is now discovering the message of this iconic band and its four = superstars. For people of all nations and ages, the Beatles' mystique lives=
on. "The Inner Light" is Susan Shumsky's gift to their legacy.

Critique: Fascinating, informative, revelatory, "The Inner Light: How India=
Influenced the Beatles" by Susan Shumsky is a 'must read' selection for th=
e legions of Beatles fans. While certain to be an immediate and enduringly = popular addition to personal, community, and academic library Rock Music Hi= story collections, it should be noted that "The Inner Light: How India Infl= uenced the Beatles" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $15= ..99).

Editorial Note: Susan Shumsky (https://en.everybodywiki.com/Susan_Shumsky) = has authored twenty books in English, released thirty-six foreign editions,=
won forty-one book awards, and done 1,300 media appearances. A rare inside=
r, she was on the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's personal staff for six years and = lived in his ashrams for twenty years.

Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance
Rik Forgo, author
Steve Cafarelli, author
Time Passages LLC
https://timepassages.net
9781734365337, $39.99, PB, 503pp

https://www.amazon.com/Eagles-Up-Ahead-Distance-Trilogy/dp/1734365331

Synopsis: The opening guitar chords of "Take It Easy" captured America's at= tention in June 1972, and Eagles' debut single became that summer's nationa=
l anthem. Blending musical and commercial excellence, the band from Los Ang= eles became a pop-rock phenomenon with few peers over the next several year=
s.

"Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance" is a history of this rock music legendar=
y band with 500-plus pages of detailed stories, in-the-moment photographs f= rom rock's greatest photographers, exclusive interviews, comprehensive info= rmational graphics, and Time Passages' own brand of "forensic rock research=
" that uncovers specifics in the band's history that offers the most thorou=
gh retelling of the Eagles' story ever published.

Authors Rik Forgo and Steve Cafarelli pick up where the first book in the s= eries, "Eagles: Before the Band", left off -- continuing the stories of the=
group's evolution from opening act to can't-miss headliners. This second v= olume in the series and tracks how the Eagles rocketed to the top of the ch= arts with hits like "Witchy Woman," "The Best of My Love," "One of These Ni= ghts," "Lyin' Eyes," "Take It to the Limit," "Hotel California," and "The L= ong Run."

"Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance" explores the inspirations behind the son=
gs you know (and some you don't!) and traces each band member's journey and=
the artistry and personalities that blended so beautifully but could clash=
so vehemently. "Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance" follows the band's ascen=
t into rock's upper echelon and describes how the pressure to succeed, crea= tive intensity, and an unrelenting drive for perfection consumed its member=
s and led to their breakup in 1980.

Critique: Absolutely essential reading for the legions of Eagles fans, "Eag= les: Up Ahead in the Distance" continues the saga of one of America's premi=
er rock bands. While unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and = academic library Rock Music/Biography collections, it should be noted for p= ersonal reading lists that "Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance" is also avail= able in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Ric Forgo (https://rik-time-passages.medium.com) is a fan o=
f history and classic rock music, a writer, an editor and an entrepreneur w=
ho owns and operates Time Passages LLC, a independent book publisher near A= nnapolis, MD.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
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(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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