Corn Flakes with John Lennon: And Other Tales from a Rock 'n' Roll Life This instant

Hiburn obviously had a trusted two-way relationship with some of the legends of rock and country. There are some great stories here for fans and music history buffs of Springsteen, Dylan, Lennon, Elvis and Cash. Hilburn makes a mistake though in underestimating the influence of Roxy Music - says they were great, but like Steely Dan, a bit cold to be up there(or right beneath) w/ Dylan, U2, the Beatles, etc. The Guardian's position in contrast argues the opposite:

"Roxy is the drug. As Roxy Music hit the comeback trail, Tim de Lisle explains why they are second only to the Beatles...

Scissor Sisters don't bear much resemblance to U2. Franz Ferdinand are not obviously related to Bill Murray. Radiohead have nothing in common with Spandau Ballet. ABC didn't take their cue from Talking Heads. The original punks had no time for disco. Damon Albarn is not and has never been a goth. Yet all of them share one piece of cultural DNA: Roxy Music.

Brian Eno famously said that only a thousand people bought the first Velvet Underground album, but they all formed a band of their own. The line almost applies to the band Eno himself made his name with. The difference is that Roxy Music were not just in with the in crowd. Somehow, in a landscape dominated by Led Zeppelin at one end and the Osmonds at the other, they managed to reach the Top 10 with a heady mixture of futurism, retro rock'n'roll, camp, funny noises, silly outfits, art techniques, film references and oboe solos. And although their popularity has ebbed and flowed, their influence has been strikingly consistent.

...The most influential of all British groups is clearly the Beatles. Who comes second is more debatable: the Stones, the Who, the Pistols, the Clash ... But have any of them had wider repercussions than Roxy?"
(google "guardian roxy music is the drug" for the full article)

Hilburn's glowing review....

"...Looking beyond the group's fondness for colorful, quirky fashions and glamorous album graphics, you saw that Roxy Music wasn't truly glam at all, musically-speaking. The band--whose original lineup included pop auteur Brian Eno--was one of the pioneering ventures into art-rock.

Unlike the stark, street realism of the Velvet Underground, Roxy Music reflected onstage in the '70s some of the teasing theatrical verve of English music hall. But the music itself was smart, experimental and challenging--an influence, to varying degrees, on such equally cerebral outfits as Talking Heads and Radiohead."
(google LATIMES HILBRUN ROXY MUSIC for the article)

...of Roxy's 2001 tour even highlights the issue. Quote "When Roxy Music surfaced in 1972, it was in the very large, mesmerizing shadow--at least in this country--of David Bowie..."... that's the point, "at least in this country". In the UK and Europe, there was no shadow; and Roxy was a tier-one influence on punk and new wave and notable recent bands (Oasis, Franz F, etc). The missing quote from the book is from U2 themselves: "In March, U2 were inducted into the Hall of Fame in New York. The drummer, Larry Mullen, said in his acceptance speech: "The Sex Pistols, Television, Roxy Music, Patti Smith - these people are in our rock'n'roll hall of fame. Thank you.""Get more detail about Corn Flakes with John Lennon: And Other Tales from a Rock 'n' Roll Life.

The Best of Family Portrait Photography: Professional Techniques and Images Get it now!

Very good resource for group photo portraiture - both as to indoor and outdoor lighting and posing. Excellent and vey contemporary demo photographs. Must read text for specifics. Needs more set-up diagrams.Get more detail about The Best of Family Portrait Photography: Professional Techniques and Images.

Purchase David Busch's Canon EOS 50D Guide to Digital SLR Photography, 1st Edition

This book is a good to help learn your way around the Canon 50D. I had used his Rebel XT guide so was familiar with David Busch's books and style. If one is new to SLR photography David Busch clearifies how to use your camera.Get more detail about David Busch's Canon EOS 50D Guide to Digital SLR Photography, 1st Edition.

Buying The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers: A Legal Toolkit for Independent Producers

While not a lawyer, I have been through the legal process before when it comes to intellectual property. So when I read this book, it made me wish I had picked it up years ago -- it would have saved me from a lot of mistakes I made the first time around. Pocket Lawyer can be used as a reference when any legal questions come up, but it is written in an easy-going style so I was able to read it cover to cover, and picked up a lot of information that I might never have even thought to look up. I recommend every filmmaker read this book BEFORE they start their next film (or as soon as possible) to avoid a lot of headaches later down the road.Get more detail about The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers: A Legal Toolkit for Independent Producers.

Buying Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar (Book and Audio CD) (Guitar Books)

Although this book has received numerous reviews, here's one more. Berle and Galbo take the player step by step into rural blues in the tradition of Robert Johnson and others from the early twentieth century. It does take several exercises and short pieces before the music starts to sound like the blues, due mostly to the major triad focus at the beginning of the book. By the end, though, the pieces are like shortened versions of real blues instrumentals and songs. The pace of learning from piece to piece is just a little uneven at times, and there are some places where the player has to work out some technical details that need to be drilled beyond the printed exercises. Therefore, it's a book that would probably work well in guitar lessons. The CD is one of the more personable recordings that I've seen packaged with a music instruction book. The fluidity of the rural blues style really comes out in Galbo's playing on the CD, and he improvises beyond the printed scores just enough that the user of the book gets some ideas on how they too might change things up a little. Frankly, a couple of times he even flubs a lick and repeats the piece again. It may seem unheard of in a commercial product, but it makes this one of the more human packages out there. Because so much of this music was and is spontaneously composed by performers, perhaps one of the most valuable parts of Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar is the section on short vamp phrases. Players can take these vamps and create their own pieces by working them out, modifying them as desired, experimenting with stringing some of the ideas together, and so on. The vamps are especially helpful to learn for accompanying yourself singing, especially if you find it difficult to sing a melody, remember or improvise the lyrics, and play an ever-evolving guitar accompaniment at the same time. While some of the licks and pieces are quite challenging and may present roadblocks, there's plenty of opportunity to work out your own solutions. One minor annoyance: every once in a while the player encounters a half note that is missing a stem. For those who read music, it's annoying; for those who read tabs, but are working on reading traditional notation, it could present a confusion. The editor should have been more careful.Get more detail about Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar (Book and Audio CD) (Guitar Books).