Released when ELP and Elton John were plodding from one packed stadium to the next, Radio City was a radical album influenced by records that were already deemed oldies and yet sounding like a lean electrical jolt from the future. Here, Bruce Eaton examines the key ingredients of Radio City's lasting appeal- and through extensive interviews with all of those involved, gets to the heart of the cult of Big Star.
"I want to make an album of real genius, to sit alongside the Stones' 'Exile On Main Street', and Big Star's 'Third'" (Peter Buck, R.E.M. 1991) The definitive biography of Big Star, the most influential band of the last 30 years.
The first biography of the artist who “essentially invented indie and alternative rock” (Spin) A brilliant and influential songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist, the charismatic Alex Chilton was more than a rock star—he was a true cult icon. Awardwinning music writer Holly George-Warren’s A Man Called Destruction is the first biography of this enigmatic artist, who died in 2010. Covering Chilton’s life from his early work with the charttopping Box Tops and the seminal power-pop band Big Star to his experiments with punk and roots music and his sprawling solo career, A Man Called Destruction is the story of a musical icon and a richly detailed chronicle of pop music’s evolution, from the mid-1960s through today’s indie rock.
Available for the first time as a traditional paperback, this revised and updated edition contains new and archival interviews with those closest to Chris Bell and the Big Star circle: their friends, family, former bandmates—even fans, exes, classmates, and coworkers. “Bell’s and Big Star’s existence was short, but the wealth of stories and quotes here provides a healthy sustenance for the truth seekers. A top-notch biography.” —San Francisco Book Review The varied cast of voices—many from the band’s hometown of Memphis—comprises all the members of Big Star, including Chris Bell, the iconic Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel, and Jody Stephens. In the following decades after its 1975 breakup, the obscure group somehow reached and inspired some of rock’s most important bands, including R.E.M., the Replacements, Yo La Tengo, Teenage Fanclub, Beck, and Wilco. With Chris Bell at the center of the Big Star universe, this book carefully reveals the production of the band’s masterful 1972 debut LP, #1 Record, for Ardent/Stax Records. Despite stellar reviews, the record suffered abysmal sales. Soon after, toxic personality conflicts and turmoil tore the band apart while Bell battled drug abuse and depression. There Was A Light then delves into Big Star’s second and third albums, while recounting Bell’s second act as a struggling solo musician and born-again Christian. During several trips to Europe, he produced ambitious recordings and pitched himself to record labels—even crossing paths with Paul McCartney. From this fertile era arose Bell’s lone solo album, the posthumously released I Am the Cosmos—his swan song and masterpiece. There Was A Light details the pop culture phenomenon that made Big Star legendary and divulges how its staunch fanbase saved the band from obscurity. “... an encyclopedic compendium…illuminating Bell’s life from a thousand angles.” —Memphis Flyer
"The first extensive photo monograph of the 1970s cult band, Big Star. This authorized limited edition book showcases images from photographers who chronicled both Big Stars beginnings during the burgeoning 1970s Memphis music scene and later solo projects of songwriters Alex Chilton and Chris Bell in both New York and Europe. In Big Star--Isolated In The Light, they share their unique visual perspective long with memories of a band that went on to influence several generations of musicians. The book also features new interviews and the bands original and written letters and lyrics. The publication coincides with the 50th Anniversary of Ardent Studios, the Memphis independent label and recording studio that became ground zero for all of Big Stars recordings. The book pays tribute to Ardent founder John Fry, their mentor, producer and engineer extraordinaire ... Over 200 color and black and white photographs by illustrious names in the Fine Art and Rock Photography world such as William Eggleston, Michael O'Brien, Maude Schuyler Clay, Carole Manning, David Bell, John Fry, David Godlis, Stephanie Chernikowski, RAL20, David Arnoff, John Dando and band member Andy Hummel. All photos are lovingly re-scanned and restored from original negatives, transparencies and print"--Publisher's website.
Gordon's critically acclaimed and richly entertaining exploration of the birthplace of rock and roll is peopled with Delta bluesmen, manic deejays, matinee cowboys and Elvis.
The true story of how Radio City Music Hall, Art Deco masterpiece and one of New York City's iconic tourist attractions and cultural landmarks, was saved from demolition is told at last. Nearly forty years later, Rosemary Novellino-Mearns, Dance Captain of the legendary Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company during the 1970s, tells the amazing story of how she motivated a small group of dedicated colleagues, friends, media and political allies to join forces, challenge the Rockefeller establishment and, against all odds, save "the Showplace of the Nation."
Long Legs and Tall Tales is a comic memoir about a naïve, goodie two-shoes, Midwestern psychology student (Kristi Lynn Davis) who tosses aside her conservative business suit and college education, leaves the safety of suburbia behind, and hesitantly sets off to become an international, sexy showgirl supreme. Follow her into her dressing rooms around the globe, as she learns to survive and then thrive (in stilettos, no less) in the wild and wonderful world of entertainment. With a virtual VIP All-Access Backstage Pass, readers get a sneak insider peek into two of America's most iconically sexy and spectacular institutions--Playboy and the Radio City Rockettes--like never before. But wait! There's more. The book also chronicles highlights of Kristi's wacky journey from obscurity to fame, including her humble tutu and tiara-loving beginnings at her local "Dolly Dinkle" dance schools, her awkward stretch into modern dance amid the danger and excitement of New York City, mortifying corporate party performances (including dancing as half of the Brooklyn Bridge and knocking over patrons with her big buttress), musical theatre and movie escapades in and around Hollywood, homespun fun in the Ozarks as Buddy Ebsen's hottie Beverly Hillbillies sidekick, jet-setting and bar-hopping with real live Playboy Bunnies, her horror at sashaying on stage in a G-string, going overboard for love on a cruise ship, and shaking her tail feathers for President Bill Clinton. From the sweaty, smoky nightclubs of Singapore to the sizzling Las Vegas strip to the snowcapped mountains of Alaska and beyond, these behind-the-scenes, high-kicking high jinks rival the euphoria of thunderous applause. Having spent over 12 years strutting her stuff as a professional entertainer, including logging in over 1,200 performances (and 240,000 kicks) as a Radio City Rockette and touring overseas with the steamy Playboy's Girls of Rock & Roll, Kristi has juicy secrets and shenanigans to spill. Through stories of her sparkling success despite mortifying missteps, Long Legs and Tall Tales aims to inspire readers to light their spark, pursue their passion, and shine brightly as the stars they truly are.
