The Music Shelf

British Invasion '64 - The Year That Changed Rock & Roll Forever
Gene Popa
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887712192, $35.00, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/British-Invasion-64-Changed-Forever/dp/B0C9G7QHDK

Synopsis: The first weeks of the year 1964 were cold, gray, and somber, as = America was reeling from the tragic death of its vibrant young President. B=
ut then something began piercing through the desolate haze: a sound, both n= ew, yet also echoing the thrilling, unbridled energy of early Rock and Roll=
-- it was an energy that had been almost utterly tamed in recent years.

Up to this time, British bands had been wholly unsuccessful at gaining a la= sting foothold in American Rock and Roll. But suddenly, all of that changed=
forever as four young men led an army across the ocean, and from that mome=
nt on, nothing would ever be the same again.

The British Invasion was more than just The Beatles -- it was The Dave Clar=
k Five, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Peter and Gordon, The Swinging Blu=
e Jeans, Dusty Springfield, The Zombies, The Kinks, and so many others. And=
1964 was more than just a year -- it was the gateway to vast changes in mu= sic and culture. And the British Invasion was the soundtrack to it all!

Critique: Informative, insightful, nostalgic, "British Invasion '64: The Ye=
ar That Changed Rock & Roll Forever" the English bands and their take on th=
e Baby Boomer phenomena of Rock 'n Roll, was seminal, ground-breaking, and =
a major influence on American popular culture. Featuring a section of black= /white historical photo images, A 1964 U.S. Discography, and an Index, "Bri= tish Invasion '64" will prove a welcome and informative pick for personal, = professional, community, college, and university library 20th Century Ameri= can Music History and Popular Culture collections and supplemental curricul=
um studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, American music=
historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the sub= ject that "British Invasion '64" is also available in a paperback edition (= 9798887712185, $25.00).

The Gospel of The Hold Steady
Michael Hann, author
The Hold Steady, author
Akashic Books
232 Third Street, #A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.akashicbooks.com
9781636140957, $40.00, HC, 206pp

https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Hold-Steady-Resurrection-Really/dp/1636140955

Synopsis: On January 22, 2003, four men stepped onto a stage in Brooklyn an=
d did something no one else was doing at that time, in that place. They pla= yed rock 'n' roll: old-fashioned rock 'n' roll with skyscraping riffs and s= loppy solos, topped with extraordinary lyrics about an out-of-focus America=
, blurred by pills and powders, of crime and fear and desperation and redem= ption.

Twenty years later, The Hold Steady are one of America's most beloved rock = bands, famed for live shows that turn unbelievers into converts, and for a = catalog filled with some of the most exciting yet poetic music of the twent= y-first century. To mark those twenty years, The Hold Steady tell their ful=
l story with the publication of "The Gospel of The Hold Steady: How a Resur= rection Really Feels".

An oral history, based on interviews with everyone who has played in the ba= nd, and those who have worked with them over the course of their career, "T=
he Gospel of the Hold Steady" addresses all the triumphs and setbacks of Th=
e Hold Steady's career in the band's own words, ranging from high times, to=
near deaths, and from the brink of splitting, to their current renaissance=
..

"The Gospel of The Hold Steady" is completed by essays about America's grea= test bar band by writers Rob Sheffield, Laura Barton, Isaac Fitzgerald, and=
Michael Hann, as well as the thoughts and memories of "The Unified Scene" =
-- the fans who have helped define the band's identity over the years.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of more than 200 photo= graphs and images, "The Gospel of the Hold Steady: How a Resurrection Reall=
y Feels" is a singularly informative and fascinating history that will be o=
f special and particular interest for the legions of The Hold Steady fans -=
- and anyone else who 'understands that the magic of rock 'n' roll happens =
on a stage in a small room, with voices raised from the crowd'. While also = available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.= 99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 97816666= 44586, $22.99, CD), "The Gospel of the Hold Steady: How a Resurrection Real=
ly Feels" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, communit=
y, college, and university library Contemporary American Music collections = and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Michael Hann is a writer and editor based in London, who=
contributes to the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Economist, the Spect= ator, the Quietus, and Uncut. He was formerly the film and music editor at = the Guardian. He is the author of Denim and Leather: The Rise and Fall of t=
he New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Editorial Note #2: The Hold Steady is comprised of Craig Finn, Tad Kubler, = Galen Polivka, Bobby Drake, Franz Nicolay, and Steve Selvidge. Since formin=
g in Brooklyn in 2003, they have released eight studio albums, most recentl=
y Open Door Policy in 2021. Their debut album, The Hold Steady Almost Kille=
d Me, was named one of the 100 best albums of this century by Rolling Stone=
..

I'm Into Something Good
Harvey Lisberg
https://harveylisberg.com
Omnibus Press
www.omnibuspress.com
c/o Independent Publishers Group (distribution)
www.ipgbook.com
9781913172886, $28.99, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Im-Into-Something-Good-Managing/dp/1913172880

Synopsis: When 22-year-old accountant Harvey Lisberg heard the Beatles' 'Pl= ease Please Me', he had an epiphany: he could be Manchester's answer to Bri=
an Epstein. He had a musical ear, a knack for numbers and a gambler's insti= nct for taking a punt. Within a year he had taken local group, Herman's Her= mits, to number one with 'I'm Into Something Good'. Soon, Hermania was a gl= obal phenomenon. Harvey had found his vocation.

"I'm Into Something Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman's Hermits and Many = More!" is an uproarious, frank and moving autobiography in which he reveals=
the excesses of life on the road with Herman's Hermits; the frustration of=
championing unknowns Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber; the highs and lows =
of managing the brilliant 10cc; the utter madness of looking after snooker = bad boys Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins and Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White and much, muc=
h more.

Many other artists benefitted from Harvey's guidance during this time, incl= uding Tony Christie, Barclay James Harvest, Sad Cafe and the Chameleons. "I=
'm Into Something Good" is his account of a life that started in Salford an=
d ended up in Palm Springs; a life in which he traveled the world, met hero=
es and villains, fulfilled his dreams, and spent a fortune on good living, = family and friends.

Critique: Personal, informative, fascinating, candid, revealing, memorable,=
and exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "I'm Into Somethi=
ng Good: My Life Managing 10cc, Herman's Hermits and Many More!" will have =
a very special appeal to readers with an interest in 20th Century Rock Band=
s in general, and Herman's Hermits in particular. While especially and unre= servedly recommended for community and academic library Rock History, Biogr= aphy, and Memoir collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists=
that "I'm Into Something Good" is also readily available in a digital book=
format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Harvey Lisberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Lisber=
g) is a British talent manager who found success guiding the music careers =
of 10cc, Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Herman's Hermits among others. =
As well as his work in the music industry, Lisberg managed many prominent s= ports people including the legendary snooker player Jimmy White.

Going Back to T-Town
Carmen Fields
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806191843, $26.95, HC, 225pp

https://www.amazon.com/Going-Back-T-Town-Territory-Greenwood/dp/0806191848

Synopsis: There was a time when countless young people in the Midwest, Sout=
h, and Southwest went to dances and stage shows to hear a territory band pl= ay. Territory bands traveled from town to town, performing jazz and swing m= usic, and Tulsa-based musician Ernie Fields (1904-1997) led one of the best=
..

With the publication of "Going Back to T-Town: The Ernie Fields Territory B=
ig Band ", Ernie's daughter, Carmen Fields, tells a story of success, disap= pointment, and perseverance extending from the early jazz era to the 1960s.=
This biography is an enlightening account of how this talented musician an=
d businessman navigated the hurdles of racial segregation during the Jim Cr=
ow era.

Because few territory bands made recordings, their contributions to the dev= elopment of jazz music are often overlooked. Fortunately, Ernie Fields not = only recorded music but also loved telling stories. He shared his "tales fr=
om the road" with his daughter, a well-known Boston journalist, and his son=
, Ernie Fields Jr., who has carried on his legacy as a successful musician = and music contractor. As much as possible, Carmen Fields tells her father's=
story in his own voice: how he weathered the ups and downs of the music in= dustry and maintained his optimism even while he faced entrenched racial pr= ejudice and threats of violence.

After traveling with his band all over the United States, Fields eventually=
caught the attention of renowned music producer John Hammond. In 1939, Ham= mond arranged for recording sessions and bookings that included performance=
s in the famed Apollo Theater in New York. Ernie finally scored a top-ten h=
it in 1959 with his rock-and-roll rendition of "In the Mood." At a time whe=
n most other territory bands had faded, the Ernie Fields Orchestra continue=
d to perform.

A devoted husband and family man, Ernie Fields also respected and appreciat=
ed his fellow musicians. This biography also includes a "Roll Call" of his = organization's members, based on notes he kept about them. Going Back to T-= Town is a priceless source of information for historians of American popula=
r music and African American history.

Critique: Fascinating, original, detailed, informative, well written, memor= able, "Going Back to T-Town: The Ernie Fields Territory Big Band " will hav=
e immense value for readers with an interest in the history of American Jaz=
z, the Big Band Era, and raise from an underserved obscurity a part of Amer= ica's 20th Century Music History. While especially and unreservedly recomme= nded for personal, community, college, and university library American Biog= raphy collections and supplemental American Music History curriculum studie=
s lists, it should be noted that "Going Back to T-Town" is also readily ava= ilable in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.49) as well.

Editorial Note: Carmen Fields is an Emmy Award-winning broadcast news journ= alist who currently produces and hosts the public affairs program Higher Gr= ound on WHDH-TV, Boston. She co-anchored WGBH's Ten O'Clock News from 1987 =
to 1991 and wrote the script for the American Experience documentary "Goin'=
Back to T-Town" (1993).

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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