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As any regular shopper already knows Twist & Shout carries one of Denver's largest and most diverse sections of books relating to music including biographies, art, criticism, reference books, and counter-cultural scenes. To reflect this we will be featuring regular reviews of new books we've received so be sure to check back regularly to see what we have in store for you.





On the Many Deaths of Amanda Palmer edited by Rohan Kriwaczek


Price:  $24.95


Following the death of indie pop-star Amanda Palmer her fans and followers began posting anonymous texts on internet blogs and in chat-rooms, taking the form of stories, poems, essays, stream-of- consciousness explorations, each attempting in their own way to attribute her death with some meaning through art. Over time these writings, and the responses they generated, began to exhibit specific shared qualities that marked them out as a unique genre in their own right that, a genre that has come to be known as the Palmeresque. This book originally set out to be the first major study of the Palmeresque, however shortly after initial publication all copies of the book were seized by the Boston Police Department due to the incriminating content of Text Number Nine. The following investigation revealed a complex web of deceit, manipulation and literary fraud that once again raised the questions: who did kill Amanda Palmer; who were the real authors of the texts; who is Tobias James? Finally, and under strict restrictions, permission has been given for this amended edition to published, together with an extensive appendix exploring these and other issues.

   


Alice in Chains In the Studio by Jake Brown


Price:  $20.00


Now, for the first time, within the pages of Alice in Chains: in the Studio, fans get the first-hand account of how their favorite AIC hit albums- including Dirt, Alice in Chains, Jar of Flies, and others within the original line-up's catalog- were written and recorded, recounted via exclusive interviews with band producers including Dave Jerden and Toby Wright, engineers Bryan Carlstrom and others, and interview material with band members, etc. A sure-fire hit with AIC listeners old and new, Alice in Chains: in the Studio is truly one of a kind, and a must-have for any true AIC fan!

   


I, Tina: My Life Story by Tina Turner


Price:  $13.99


From Nutbush, Tennessee, to Hollywood stardom; from Ike’s Kings of Rhythm to onstage with Mick Jagger and the Stones; and from the lowest lows to the highest highs, Tina Turner has seen it, done it, suffered it, and survived it all. In her monumental bestseller I, Tina - the basis for the Academy Award-nominated motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It—she tells it like it really was . . . and really is. This book is a superstar's honest and intimate account of struggle and pain, love and abuse, glory and tragedy, and one of the greatest comebacks in music history.

   


Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman (paperback)


Price:  $15.00


Q: What is this book about?
A: Well, that's difficult to say. I haven't read it yet--I've just picked it up and casually glanced at the back cover. There clearly isn't a plot. I've heard there's a lot of stuff about time travel in this book, and quite a bit about violence and Garth Brooks and why Germans don't laugh when they're inside grocery stores. Ralph Nader and Ralph Sampson play significant roles. I think there are several pages about Rear Window and college football and Mad Men and why Rivers Cuomo prefers having sex with Asian women. Supposedly there's a chapter outlining all the things the Unabomber was right about, but perhaps I'm misinformed.

Q: Is there a larger theme?
A: Oh, something about reality. "What is reality," maybe? No, that's not it. Not exactly. I get the sense that most of the core questions dwell on the way media perception constructs a fake reality that ends up becoming more meaningful than whatever actually happened. Also, Lady Gaga.

Q: Should I read this book?
A: Probably. Do you see a clear relationship between the Branch Davidian disaster and the recording of Nirvana's In Utero? Does Barack Obama make you want to drink Pepsi? Does ABBA remind you of AC/DC? If so, you probably don't need to read this book. You probably wrote this book. But I suspect everybody else will totally love it, except for the ones who totally hate it.

   


Van Dyke Parks' Song Cycle by Richard Henderson (33 1/3 series)


Price:  $10.95


The debut album from songwriter and pianist Van Dyke Parks, Song Cycle first appeared in 1968 on Warner Brothers Records. Its twelve songs led listeners through Joycean wordplay and sound collages to reveal messages of dissent and personal loss, at odds with Parks buoyant, riotously eclectic music. Monumentally ambitious and equally expensive, Song Cycle resembled a film, possibly Citizen Kane, more than the pop music of its day; like Kane, Parks' masterwork was adored by critics yet all but ignored by paying customers. In his efforts to plumb the mysteries of this quixotic record and its subsequent fate, Richard Henderson interviews several of the key figures involved with Song Cycle, notably Parks himself and producer Lenny Waronker.

   


Bob Marley: The Untold Story by Chris Salewicz


Price:  $27.50


"Chris Salewicz's account of the life of the late, great Robert Nesta Marley contains a raft of never-before published interviews with scores of people who knew the reggae singer. Indeed, Salewicz--a respected journalist whose Joe Strummer biography is also well worth a read--got to know Marley in 1979, and it's this authenticity that sets the book apart from other biographies about the man and the legend. From Bob's humble beginnings in Nine Miles to the years in Kingston and the fame, fortune and untimely death in 1981, Bob Marley: The Untold Story is the definitive account of the man and the myth." --Steve Richards, The Independent

   


Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter by Randy L. Schmidt


Price:  $26.95


Little Girl Blue is an intimate profile of Karen Carpenter, a girl from a modest Connecticut upbringing who became a Southern California superstar.

Karen was the instantly recognizable lead singer of the Carpenters. The top-selling American musical act of the 1970s, they delivered the love songs that defined a generation. Karen's velvety voice on a string of 16 consecutive Top 20 hits from 1970 to 1976 - including "Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," and "Hurting Each Other" - propelled the duo to worldwide stardom and record sales of more than 100 million. During their short musical career, the Carpenters released ten studio albums, toured more than 200 days a year, taped five television specials, and won three Grammys and an American Music Award.

But that's only a part of Karen's story. Little Girl Blue reveals Karen's heartbreaking struggles with her mother, brother, and husband; the intimate disclosures she made to her closest friends; her love for playing drums and her frustrated quest for solo stardom; and the ups and downs of her treatment for anorexia nervosa. After her shocking death at 32 years of age in 1983, she became the proverbial poster child for that disorder; but the other causes of her decline are laid bare for the first time in this moving account.

Little Girl Blue is Karen Carpenter's definitive biography, based on exclusive interviews with her innermost circle of girlfriends and nearly 100 others, including professional associates, childhood friends, and lovers. It tells a story as touching, warm, and involving as any of Karen's greatest songs.

   


Five Hundred 45s by Spencer Drate and Judith Salavetz


Price:  $29.99


The 45 record sleeve has long been viewed as a medium for design experimentation, a blank slate onto which designers could unleash their creativity and ingenuity. From the 1950s to the 1980s, before the 45 was replaced by the CD, and then in the 1990s, when grunge became the rage and 45s enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, 45 record-sleeve design combined photography, illustration, color, and typography with innovative bravado. For this reason, vintage 45 record sleeves today are sought-after collectibles by music buffs and designers alike.

Compiled by well-known designers and authors Spencer Drate and Judith Salavetz, Five Hundred 45s contains more than 500 examples of striking seven-inch record sleeve design across every genre of music and its great musicians--all reproduced at full size. This gorgeous book includes a foreword by Lenny Kaye, music critic and guitarist for the Patti Smith Group, as well as essays offering diverse perspectives on the subject by avid collectors, industry insiders, and designers. The book is organized into thematic chapters, with a mix of dynamic, visually inspiring pairings on every spread. A discography at the back provides complete information for each sleeve, rounding out this highly collectible volume.

   


Rock Paper Show: Flatstock Volume One


Price:  $60.00


The first decade of the twenty-first century marked a highpoint at the intersection of graphic design and music. Against the backdrop of the digital music revolution, the rock poster has suddenly reemerged as an art form, and as a memento or calling card of a remarkably talented group of artists and design studios. Rock Paper Show: Flatstock Volume One presents an editorial and visual history of Flatstock-- the American Poster Institute's ongoing, nomadic series of rock poster exhibitions. Since its inception in 2002, Flatstock has evolved into the definitive showcase for the most heralded and innovative poster artists working today, among them Yee-Haw studio and Jason Munn, for bands such as Modest Mouse, Wilco and Spoon. This deluxe volume chronicles the first 20 Flatstock exhibitions, which took place in some of the most exciting cities for music in America--from San Francisco and Austin to Chicago and Seattle. Featuring 566 color photographs of posters, as well as texts by important collectors, bands, critics and the artists themselves, among them Rock Paper Show: Flatstock Volume One takes the reader on a behind-the-scenes look at the places and personalities at the heart of this vibrant and varied community.

   


An Education in Rebellion: The Biography of Nikki Sixx by Jake Brown


Price:  $20.00


Time Magazine quipped at the start of the Millennium in their gossip section that the Backstreet Boys might be transforming into the Millennium's new Motley Crue now that "Nikki Sixx has mellowed out..." Following an almost 3-decade education in rebellion as Hard Rock's mad musical scientist - highlighted by a now-infamous (and temporarily lethal) heroin overdose; relationships with some of Hollywood's most luscious leading ladies, including Vanity, Playboy Playmate Brandi Brandt, Baywatch star Donna D'Errico, and L.A. Ink star Kat Von D; and an almost 30-year, multi-platinum run (selling over 80,000,000 records worldwide) as the creative center of hard rock's most decadent and notorious rock band, Motley Crue, Nikki Sixx's legacy among rock and metal fans worldwide is secure.

   


You Never Give Me Your Money by Peter Doggett


Price:  $24.99


Acclaimed journalist Peter Doggett recounts the previously untold story of the dramatic final chapter in the lives, loves, and legal battles of John, Paul, George, and Ringo—aka The Beatles—from their breakup in 1969 to the present day. Called “refreshingly straightforward and highly readable” by The Daily Telegraph (London), You Never Give Me Your Money is the dramatic and intimate story of the breakup and aftermath of The Fab Four as it’s never been told before.

   


Lips Unsealed: A Memoir by Belinda Carlisle


Price:  $26.00


The women of the iconic eighties band the Go-Go’s will always be remembered as they appeared on the back of their debut record: sunny, smiling, each soaking in her own private bubble bath with chocolates and champagne. The photo is a perfect tribute to the fun, irreverent brand of pop music that the Go-Go’s created, but it also conceals the trials and secret demons that the members of the group—and, in particular, its lead singer, Belinda Carlisle—struggled with on their rise to stardom.

   


You Don't Know Me by Ray Charles Robinson Jr.


Price:  $24.99


Ray Charles is an American music legend. A multiple Grammy Award- winning composer, pianist, and singer with an inimitable vocal style and a catalog of hits including "What I Say," "Georgia on My Mind," "Unchain My Heart," "I Can't Stop Loving You," and "America the Beautiful," Ray Charles's music is loved by fans around the world.

Now his eldest son, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., shares an intimate glimpse of the man behind the music, with never-before-told stories. Going beyond the fame, the concerts, and the tours, Ray Jr. opens the doors of his family home and reveals their private lives with fondness and frankness.

He shares his father's grief and guilt over his little brother's death at the age of five — as well of moments of personal joy, like watching his father run his hands over the Christmas presents under their tree while singing softly to himself. He tells of how Ray overcame the challenges of being blind, even driving cars, riding a Vespa, and flying his own plane. And, in gripping detail, he reveals how as a six-year-old boy he saved his father's life one harrowing night.

Ray Jr. writes honestly about the painful facts of the addiction that nearly destroyed his father's life. His father's struggles with heroin addiction, his arrests, and how he ultimately kicked the drug cold turkey are presented in unflinching detail. Ray Jr. also shares openly about how, as an adult, he fell victim to the same temptations that plagued his father.

He paints a compassionate portrait of his mother, Della, whose amazing voice as a gospel singer first attracted Ray Charles. Though her husband's drug use, his womanizing, and the paternity suits leveled against him constantly threatened the stability of the Robinson home, Della exhibited incredible resilience and inner strength.

Told with deep love and fearless candor, You Don't Know Me is the powerful and poignant story of the Ray Charles the public never saw — the father and husband and fascinating human being who also happened to be one of the greatest musicians of all time.

   


Forever Changes: Arthur Lee and the Book of Love by John Einarson


Price:  $19.95


Forever Changes: Arthur Lee and the Book of Love tells the life story of an incredible contemporary musical talent who died tragically of leukemia. Fronting the first ever fully integrated rock band, Lee emerged from the nascent LA folk-rock scene on the Sunset Strip in 1965 with the band Love to become the prince of the Strip. Love’s first three albums were groundbreaking, combining elements of folk-rock, garage-punk, jazz, blues, flamenco, and classical music. Through exclusive interviews with those closest to Lee, Forever Changes paints a portrait of this intriguing, remarkable cult figure. The book also includes Lee’s own voice throughout, drawn from his personal writings, letting both dedicated fans and newcomers discover this singular artist like never before.

   


Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Erin Bradley


Price:  $14.95


Is there a reason some girls grew up worshipping The Cure while others were hot for Motley Crue? Could your love of the Beastie Boys have anything to do with your current beau's commitment issues? Have you ever wished for the kind of timeless romantic wisdom that can only come from years spent listening to David Bowie in your bedroom?

Wonder no more! Every Rose Has Its Thorn: A Rock N Roll Field Guide To Guys is here to help (and/or moderately entertain) you. Packed with quizzes, true life tales, lots of words, and illustrations in glorious black and white, this book will help you better identify and understand the rockstars and wanna- be's you'll meet on romance's bumpy tour.

What kind of guy... Owns a gorilla suit, but not an interview suit? Uses a broomstick as a curtain rod and a T-shirt as a pillowcase yet spends entire paychecks optimizing the gaming capabilities of his computer? Wants sex but not as much as he wants to watch Adult Swim?
See Chapter 4.

What kind of guy... Considers a car, a job, and a place to live "nice to have" but mostly optional? Has a life story that reads like a reverse Horatio Alger novel? Is self-proclaimed "lazy" about: brushing his teeth, returning monies borrowed, dressing open wounds?
See Chapter 1.

What kind of guy... Can school you on complicated investment strategies but keeps sending you viruses on Facebook? Arrives at your 40's Party in period clothes with a martini shaker, instead of in an Adidas sweatsuit with a case of malt liquor? Has lots of baggage but really nice luggage?
See Chapter 9.

   


Return of the King: Elvis Presley's Great Comeback by Gillian G. Gaar


Price:  $19.95


On January 1, 1967, a contract between "Colonel" Tom Parker and his sole client, Elvis Presley, gave Parker a 50 percent cut of profits that Presley generated. It was a shameless grab for a bigger piece of a pie that had actually been shrinking for some time. Though Parker’s plan to reestablish Presley as a star after he left the army proved successful at first (with the triumph of films like G.I. Blues and Blue Hawaii), by 1967 Presley’s singles struggled to break the top 20, and he hadn’t hit number one for six years. Amazingly, by the end of 1968 he was artistically revitalized, reemerging in a TV comeback special and slimmed down for the now-iconic black leather suit. It was the pivotal moment of the second great period of Presley’s career, which lasted through to the end of 1970, during which he recorded some of his most enduring records, including "Suspicious Minds" and "In The Ghetto." Return of the King document's Presley reclamation of his crown, making an extraordinary transition from fading balladeer to engaged, vital artist.

   


We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz edited by Vincent Bessieres


Price:  $50.00


The most comprehensive book on the artist to date, offering an insightful look into the legendary musician and his enormous impact on the development of jazz. We Want Miles explores the life and art of one of the greatest visionaries in jazz history—through photographs, handwritten musical scores, album covers, posters, and more—cementing his reputation as the embodiment of cool, both on- and offstage. To examine his extraordinary career is also to examine the history of jazz from the mid-1940s through the early 1990s, as Davis was crucial in almost every important innovation and stylistic development during that time. His genius paved the way for these changes, both with his own performances and recordings, and by choosing collaborators with whom he forged new directions. Miles Davis—trumpeter, bandleader, and composer—was one of the most important figures in jazz history. He was born in a well-to-do family in St. Louis in 1926 and died in a Los Angeles hospital in 1991. He was at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including cool jazz, hard bop, free jazz, and fusion. Davis worked with many of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, including Ron Carter, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Charlie Parker, and Max Roach, among numerous others.

   


60 Years of Fender by Tony Bacon


Price:  $24.99


The latest addition to Tony Bacon's acclaimed series of guitar books, 60 Years of Fender gives a year-by-year history of the most successful electric guitar maker. In 1950, Leo Fender introduced to the world the solidbody electric guitar - the instrument known as the Telecaster. He soon added two more classics: the Precision Bass (1951) and the Stratocaster (1954). Fender's sleek, adaptable guitars have since fueled modern music - from country to rock - and have been heard in the hands of virtually every guitarist of note, from Buddy Holly to Kurt Cobain, from Eric Clapton to John Mayer. Illustrated with an unrivaled gallery of color photographs of instruments, players, and memorabilia, this revised and updated edition expands upon 50 Years of Fender (published in 2000), covering nine more years of the Fender story.

   


My Generation: The Glory Years of Rock by Alwyn W. Turner


Price:  $45.00


The story of the people who provided the soundtrack a momentous time in music history and includes images of the biggest names in rock history - from the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

   


The Fallen: Life In and Out of Britain's Most Insane Group by Dave Simpson


Price:  $14.95


"Hilarious.... Horror stories... Dave Simpson's written the book we have waited our entire lives to read?!?" - Peter Wild, www.bookmunch.co.uk

"Fascinating, amusing and moving... a British, provincial take on Apocalypse Now! where Kurtz (Smith) is encountered by Capt. Willard (Simpson) before the latter gets on the boat" - The Quietus

"Brilliant and bloody awkward. Just like its subjects" - The Word

"Tracks down The Fallen - a difficult task given Mark E. Smith's tendency to fire, assault and abandon them" - Mail On Sunday Live mag "In Demand" book of the week

"That book will go down in history as one of the maddest of all time. It is so accurate as to be uncanny. That is how it was. People who read it will be stunned." - Tommy Crooks, guitarist, The Fall, 1997-8

"I hate that f***ing twat! I just f***ing burned it!" - Mark E. Smith