I recently received two books for music aficionados.
The first is about the legendary rock band Queen. The book is entitled Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. Here is a brief description of the book:
Queen was renowned for electrifying performances, envied for rumors of rock excess, and beloved for music that melded an array of genres. Now available in a nicely priced paperback edition comes the first history befitting this larger-than-life rock band.
Packed with stunning performance and offstage photographs—dozens of them previously unpublished—as well as handbills, posters, backstage passes, tickets, T-shirts, LPs, and singles gathered from around the globe, this is the ultimate visual history for Queen fans everywhere. A history of the band spans the pre-Queen years to current work with Paul Rodgers. Complementing this thorough account are reviews of all studio and live albums; complete tour dates; an extensive discography; reflections on the band and their music from some of rock’s top performers past and present; and exclusive insights from their former crew.
The next book is about a genre of music called rockabilly. Rockabilly: The Twang Heard “Round the World: The Illustrated History traces this unique genre.
It was the twang heard ’round the world: Rockabilly was born out of country, bluegrass, jazz, and the blues in the 1950s, becoming rock ’n’ roll and ruling the world. Here’s the story of Elvis Presley’s first Sun records that inspired all. And here’s Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and many more rockabillies from the golden years of 1955–1959, in a book chock full of photos, collectible memorabilia, movie posters, rare records, fashion, and rebel lifestyle. Includes contributions from noted music journalists Greil Marcus, Peter Guralnick, Luc Sante, Robert Gordon, and more.
The story continues today, with a rockabilly revival that began with stars, such as the Stray Cats and Robert Gordon, spreading around the globe from Europe to Japan. Today, rockabilly is better than ever, with bands like Rev. Horton Heat and others playing the music and living the life from Memphis to Helsinki to Tokyo. There’s still good rockin’ tonight!
