The Music Shelf

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: The Red Hot Chili Peppers were going to be a one-time act for a f= riend's album release party. Forty years later the funk rock band is arguab=
ly 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.

With the publication of "Out in L.A.: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1983" by t=
he band's founder, Hamish Duncan reveals exactly what happened during that = first year and explores what it was that made the Red Hot Chili Peppers so = compelling and so fresh, even as they continue on their musical journey to = this very today.

Critique: An absolute 'must' for the legions of Red Hot Chili Peppers fans,=
"Out in L.A.: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1983" is exceptionally informativ=
e, impressively insightful, very well written and unreservedly recommended = for personal, professional, community, and academic library American Popula= r/Rock Music & Musicians collections. It should be noted for personal readi=
ng lists that "Out in L.A.: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1983" is also availa= ble in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Currently residing in Sydney, Australia, Hamish Duncan is t=
he founder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers Sessions Archive website (www.rhcps= essions.com) and is also the editor of Red Hot Chili Peppers Live Archive (= www.rhcplivearchive.com).

Roadhouse Blues
Bab 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, legendary, 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", cultural historian Bob Batchelor presents an epic t= ale of one of rock's (and America's) most significant periods, as the Age o=
f Aquarius inevitably gave way to a new age of mayhem, presidential misdeed=
s, and murder. "The Roadhouse Blues" combines cultural history, musical and=
lyrical analysis, and a broad stroke of pop-culture mythos to give fresh p= erspective 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 readers on a roller-coaster ride, exami= ning the impact the band had on America as the nation veered from decadence=
to debauchery.

Critique: An absolute 'must' for the legions of Jim Morrison fans, "Roadhou=
se Blues: Morrison, The Doors, and the Death Days of the Sixties" is an ext= raordinary study that is as inherently fascinating and it is informative. I= llustrated with historic black/white photos, "Roadhouse Blues" is especiall=
y and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and a= cademic library Rock Music Histories & Biographies collections. It should b=
e noted for the reading lists of Morrison fans and anyone else with an inte= rest in the subject that "Roadhouse Blues" is also available in a digital b= ook format (Kindle, $9.99).

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

I Am the Warrior
Holly Knight
Permuted Press
https://permutedpress.com
9781637584392, $30.00, HC, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Am-Warrior-Writing-Rocking-Eighties/dp/1637584393

Synopsis: As a writer and musician, Holly Knight worked hard and played har=
d with the likes of KISS, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Heart. She = showed the boys how it was done when many women were still struggling to ge=
t a foot in the door.

Starting in the late 1970s in post-punk New York, Knight, a gifted keyboard= ist, joined the band Spider -- which quickly ascended to buzzworthy status = before things began to disintegrate. Fortunately, her song "Better Be Good =
to Me" found its way to Tina Turner and became the second single on her lan= dmark solo album, Private Dance. Soon she was being sought out to write for=
other artists in search of the big hit or their lead single. Coinciding wi=
th the birth of MTV, Knight's powerful lyrics, hooks, and melodies became a=
staple on the channel as it exploded into a cultural force.

But it was an often lonely journey to success. Not only was Holly a woman i=
n a male-dominated industry that didn't welcome women warmly into the inner=
sanctum, she carried with her the baggage of a difficult childhood and a f= raught relationship with her mother, the substance of which informed the th= emes that made her songs so anthemic.

Critique: "I Am the Warrior: My Crazy Life Writing the Hits and Rocking the=
MTV Eighties" is an intensely personal story of survival, perseverance, an=
d triumph laced with ample amounts of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Backst= age, onstage, in the studio, and on the road, this memoir is an impressivel=
y revealing life story by an articulate woman who welcomes her readers to t= ake a look back at one of the most adventurous and colorful periods in musi=
c history. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community libr= ary Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted = for personal reading lists that "I Am the Warrior" is also available in a d= igital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Throughout the 1980s, singer/songwriter Holly Knight compos=
ed anthems that became the soundtrack for millions of people's lives. She c= reated and crafted empowering odes to independence, liberation, and equalit=
y. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Knight)

Keeping Doo Wop Alive, second edition
John Cheatdom
Conscious Dreams Publishing
9781937269821, $12.67, 176pp

https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Doo-Wop-Alive-International/dp/1937269825

Synopsis: "Keeping Doo Wop Alive: One Man's Story of Strength, Stamina & Su= rvival as an International Entertainer" is the memoir of singer, John Cheat= dom -- a man who started his professional entertainment career in 1957, at = the age of 17, and is still working to the present day.

"Keeping Doo Wop Alive" is also the story of what it is like to be a member=
of a vocal group. Not as easy a job as you might think as John reveals the=
ups and downs and the changing phases of the music industry over more than=
60 years.

After starting his recording career as a member of The Velours and making a=
life-changing move to England in 1967, John had success with The Fantastic=
s, The Realistics, and The Magic Platters.

"Keeping Doo-Wop Alive" is a fun and fascinating read for anybody intereste=
d in the world of black vocal group music by a man who has seen it all.

Critique: An inherently interesting life story in the entertainment busines=
s, "Keeping Doo Wop Alive: One Man's Story of Strength, Stamina & Survival =
as an International Entertainer" by John Cheatdom is especially and unreser= vedly recommended for community and academic library biography/memoir colle= ctions. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Keeping Doo Wop=
Alive" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: John Cheatdom (https://www.johncheatdom.com), who is arguab=
ly one of the Greatest Falsetto Singers of his Generation, was born in Broo= klyn, New York, July 7, 1938 and probably the only living singer who has ha=
d success as a lead vocalist in five different singing groups - The Troubad= ors, The Velours, The Fantastics, The Realistics and The Magic Platters. At=
the age of 79, currently residing in London, England, John continues to to=
ur and has carved out a significant career and life for his family.

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=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(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=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)