Eminent Hipsters

Author: Donald Fagen
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101638095
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 109

Book Description
A witty, candid, sharply written memoir by the cofounder of Steely Dan In his entertaining debut as an author, Donald Fagen—musician, songwriter, and cofounder of Steely Dan—reveals the cultural figures and currents that shaped his artistic sensibility, as well as offering a look at his college days and a hilarious account of life on the road. Fagen presents the “eminent hipsters” who spoke to him as he was growing up in a bland New Jersey suburb in the early 1960s; his colorful, mind-expanding years at Bard College, where he first met his musical partner Walter Becker; and the agonies and ecstasies of a recent cross-country tour with Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. Acclaimed for his literate lyrics and complex arrangements as a musician, Fagen here proves himself a sophisticated writer with his own distinctive voice.

Eminent Hipsters

Author: Donald Fagen
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143126016
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Major Dudes

Author: Barney Hoskyns
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1468316281
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
A “thoughtful, loving, and thorough portrait” of the pioneering musicians behind Steely Dan, featuring interviews, essays, reviews and more (PopMatters). At its core, Steely Dan is a creative marriage between guitarist Donald Fagen and keyboardist Walter Becker. It recorded several of the cleverest and best-produced albums of the 1970s, making them one of the most successful bands to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Major Dudes collects some of the smartest and most revealing interviews Becker and Fagen have ever given, along with intelligent reviews of—and commentary on—their extraordinary songs. Compiled by leading music critic Barney Hoskyns, Major Dudes features contributions from the likes of Sylvie Simmons, Fred Schruers, and the late Robert Palmer; plus rare interviews and reviews of Steely Dan’s early albums from Disc, Melody Maker, and Rolling Stone. With an introduction by Hoskyns and an obituary for Walter Becker by David Cavanagh, Major Dudes is essential reading for any rock afficionado.

The Truth Matters

Author: Bruce Bartlett
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
ISBN: 0399581170
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Book Description
Distinguish fake news from reliable journalism with this clear and concise handbook by New York Times best-selling author Bruce Bartlett. Today’s media and political landscapes are littered with untrustworthy sources and the dangerous concept of “fake news.” This accessible guide helps you fight this deeply troubling trend and ensure that truth is not a permanent casualty. Written by Capitol Hill veteran and author Bruce Bartlett, The Truth Matters presents actionable tips and tricks for reading critically, judging sources, using fact-checking sites, avoiding confirmation bias, identifying trustworthy experts, and more.

Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years

Author: Brian Sweet
Publisher: Omnibus Press
ISBN: 1787591298
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 469

Book Description
Reelin’ in the Years tell the remarkable story of the American jazz rock band who have sold over 50 million albums during a career lasting over 20 years: Steely Dan. Updated and revised for 2018. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, a couple of cynical New York jazz fans wormed their way into a record contract and astonished critics with their first album Can't Buy a Thrill in 1973. Nine albums later, they were among the biggest selling acts in the world. Steely Dan were different from the rest of rock's super-sellers. They rarely gave interviews and, after some early bad experiences on the road, they refused to tour. They didn't have their photographs taken and few people knew what they looked like. Steely Dan weren’t even a proper group; it was two musicians and a producer, yet every top notch player in the world lined up to appear on their albums. This book, penned by Brian Sweet, the editor and publisher of Metal Leg, the UK-based Steely Dan fanzine, finally draws back the veil of secrecy that surrounded Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Here is the story of how they made their music and lived their lives.

The Bar Chef

Author: Frankie Solarik
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 1443419052
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 362

Book Description
Vanilla-and-hickory smoked Manhattan, anyone? BarChef is a cocktail lounge on Queen Street West in Toronto. Dedicated to the art and science of the cocktail, its beauty lies in the colours and details behind the bar—from apothecary jars filled with bitters and syrups to bell jars and 100-pound blocks of ice. Owner Frankie Solarik holds court in his fedora, chipping ice, talking to patrons (a mix of rockers, hipsters, business people, locals and celebrities) and enjoying his craft thoroughly. Solarik is a leading figure of the global cocktail renaissance. His book, The Bar Chef, explores the importance of engaging all the senses when creating modernist cocktails. Depth and balance—the ideas behind great wines, and great food and wine pairings—are vital to a magnificent drink. Chapters detail the elements of the set-up, the art and craft of mixology and, of course, include recipes for syrups, infusions, bitters and the cocktails themselves. A chapter for non-alcoholic drinks rounds out the book. This book is aimed at adventurous mixologists, enthusiasts who want to hone their skills and taste, and who want to experience something of Solarik’s genius at home. This book is neither comprehensive nor “general.” Rather, it is a carefully curated sampling of Solarik’s creations, featuring recipes that are challenging but achievable, and oh so delicious.

Steely Dan FAQ

Author: Anthony Robustelli
Publisher: FAQ
ISBN: 9781495025129
Category : Rock musicians
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
(FAQ). Despite Steely Dan's popularity, its ability to cultivate an ever-growing base of avid and loyal fans, and its chart positions, relatively little has been written about the group. Steely Dan FAQ clears up some of the many misconceptions about the band and sheds new light on the genius behind the songwriting of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, the perfection of their productions, and the myriad musicians who have played a role in creating the distinctive Steely Dan sound. Steely Dan FAQ takes us through five decades of cryptic lyrics, sophisticated music, elusive interviews, dramatic interludes, and misconstrued sentiments. The band has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has had the majority of its albums certified platinum or double platinum in the U.S., yet the story has not been fully told. Within these pages readers will gain insight into the influences, musicians, situations, and complications that created one of the most distinctive bands in the history of rock and roll.

Historical Dictionary of Popular Music

Author: Norman Abjorensen
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538102153
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 695

Book Description
This book seeks to trace the rise of popular music, identify its key figures and track the origins and development of its multiple genres and styles, all the while seeking to establish historical context. It is, fundamentally, a ready reference guide to the broad field of popular music over the past two centuries. It has become a truism that popular music, so pervasive in the modern world, constitutes a soundtrack to our lives – a constant though changing presence as we cross thresholds and grow from children to teenagers to adults. But it has become more than a soundtrack; it has become a narrative. Not just an accompaniment to our daily lives but incorporating our lives, our sense of identity, our lived experiences, into it. We have become part of the music just as the music has become part of us. The Historical Dictionary of Popular Music contains a chronology, an introduction, an appendix, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1000 cross-referenced entries on major figures across genres, definitions of genres, technical innovations and surveys of countries and regions. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about popular music.

Steely Dan on track

Author: Jez Rowden
Publisher: Sonicbond Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1789520886
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 172

Book Description
One of the biggest names in the musical landscape of the 1970s, Steely Dan released a string of albums that pushed the boundaries of what was possible in a recording studio. With albums like The Royal Scam and Aja, the songs of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen drew from their love of jazz, their ability to write memorable pop hooks and their penchant for subversive humour, to produce a catalogue of unparalleled brilliance. With worldwide album sales in excess of 40 million copies, the durability of their songs has made Becker and Fagen one of the most celebrated writing partnerships in popular music. With Walter Becker’s untimely death in 2017, Donald Fagen continues to keep the band’s flame burning on stages around the world. Steely Dan - on track gives an overview of the band's career while investigating every track recorded across the nine Steely Dan studio albums. It also covers Becker and Fagen’s six solo records plus the official live albums and joint collaborations. The book also delves into duo’s early - largely unreleased - recordings and other tracks recorded under the Steely Dan name, making this a comprehensive guide for both fans of the band’s work or newcomers to the fascinating world of this unique partnership. A music fan for as long as he can remember, Jez Rowden worked in record shops for many years, absorbing music of all kinds. He enjoys many genres and has been involved in writing album and concert reviews, mostly within the progressive rock field, for nearly fifteen years. He also acted as editor for the Dutch Progressive Rock Pages website and, more latterly, The Progressive Aspect which he helped found in 2013. The music of Steely Dan fascinated him from first hearing, the appeal growing stronger as the years go by. An avid concert goer, he lives in Swansea, UK.

Small Town Talk

Author: Barney Hoskyns
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 0306823217
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 426

Book Description
Think "Woodstock" and the mind turns to the seminal 1969 festival that crowned a seismic decade of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. But the town of Woodstock, New York, the original planned venue of the concert, is located over 60 miles from the site to which the fabled half a million flocked. Long before the landmark music festival usurped the name, Woodstock-the tiny Catskills town where Bob Dylan holed up after his infamous 1966 motorcycle accident-was already a key location in the '60s rock landscape. In Small Town Talk, Barney Hoskyns re-creates Woodstock's community of brilliant dysfunctional musicians, scheming dealers, and opportunistic hippie capitalists drawn to the area by Dylan and his sidekicks from the Band. Central to the book's narrative is the broodingly powerful presence of Albert Grossman, manager of Dylan, the Band, Janis Joplin, Paul Butterfield, and Todd Rundgren-and the Big Daddy of a personal fiefdom in Bearsville that encompassed studios, restaurants, and his own record label. Intertwined in the story are the Woodstock experiences and associations of artists as diverse as Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Tim Hardin, Karen Dalton, and Bobby Charles (whose immortal song-portrait of Woodstock gives the book its title). Drawing on numerous first-hand interviews with the remaining key players in the scene-and on the period when he lived there himself in the 1990s-Hoskyns has produced an East Coast companion to his bestselling L.A. canyon classic Hotel California. This is a richly absorbing study of a vital music scene in a revolutionary time and place.