Marc Myers

This sequel covers, chronologically, Dionne Warwick to Cheryl Crow, or 1964 - 1986. The author's requirement for inclusion in the series is that the songs must be at least 25 years old, and they must be distinctive, memorable, and/or groundbreaking. Also, primary sources needed to be alive so Myers could interview them. For instrumental nerds, there's basic chord, instrument, and soundboard specifics and decisions, and for the rest of us, there's the sausage of how the lyrics were made (usually last), who wrote them with whom, and how they feel about them, looking back. All of which is completely big fun for fans who had to wait until the songs came up on the radio to tape them, or to beg their parental units for $2.50 for the album. There's also an introduction before each selection that explains the state of rock, pop, and soul music at that time, and how that specific song advanced the genre. Some songs are Top 40 classics (a la Good Vibrations, Truckin', Small Town, Burning Down the House, Don't Stop Believin') but there are some oddball and lame choices (Keith Richards' Take it so Hard and Thin Lizzy's Boys are Back in Town - yuck) amid the predictable. And the best ones have actual real descriptions of what the songwriters were thinking and feeling at the time, and how surprised most are at the longevity of what took them 20 minutes to scribble down in the bathroom of the tour bus, or in their mom's den. There are omissions, like most of Motown and most of "Canyon/Yacht Rock", but a fantastic trip down the long and winding appreciation road.… (mehr)

Fun to dip in and out of, it would be hard to page straight through IMO. This is collection of brief oral histories of the genesis of hit songs. Most of the songs are not songs I like particularly, but it was mostly interesting to hear about them anyway. (ACDC's primary goal was not to write songs above the heads of their listeners. Mission accomplished boys!) Actually many of the stories I liked the best were for songs I don't really like. Sundown comes to mind, and Smoke on the Water both have fun origin stories. One fun story was for one of the songs I dislike most in the world (Don't Stop Believin') and some of the most boring were for songs I like a whole lot (She's Gone, Doctor My Eyes, Burning Down the House, and Love is the Drug definitely qualify.) There were some stories that came together for songs I like but are not faves. (Rapture, Barracuda, Bad Reputation and Walk on By all fit.) Fun fact, Barracuda and Don't Stop Believen' were both partially inspired by things experienced on trips to my home state of Michigan (East Lansing for Barracuda and Detroit for Don't Stop.) If you are looking for a gift for someone who enjoys (very) mainstream 20th century rock music you could do worse.… (mehr)

Many of my favorite songs from the '50s - '80s appear in this nifty collection from 2016. The author interviews performers, songwriters, and producers to recount their stories of how these gems were created - and each sausage is made differently! Sometimes a band member has a tune they can't forget. Other times a singer writes down a line or two (Steven Tyler wrote "Walk This Way" after seeing the movie Young Frankenstein, and when he couldn't find any paper, he scribbled some of the lyrics on a stairwell wall!). Or a producer plunks down a string quartet right in the middle of the studio, much to the band's surprise. Or a technician erases an entire lead vocal track, oops, when he was supposed to be sweetening it with strings. The title proclaims that the 45 (the number chosen to match those li'l records) songs changed rock, R&B, and pop. I'm not sure, and there are some very obvious omissions (Beatles, Aretha, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Dylan, The Band, Stevie Wonder, Queen, Simon and Garfunkel - I could go on), but it's possible that those contacts were not available. What's here is marvelous and there's a fascinating tale behind every tune. The author’s criteria is that the songs he chooses have to had twenty five years of staying power, and the sequel, Anatomy of 55 More Songs, will be out 12/6/22, so maybe the some of the blanks will be filled in.

Quote: “New Wave, upgraded post-punk bands were artfully camp in their jittery nerdiness and jaded sophistication. Their music was also more accessible and less taunting than punk, making the shift from gothic bleakness to art rock.”… (mehr)