This sweeping biography of one of America's greatest musicians is the first in twenty-five years to be written with the cooperation of Springsteen himself. With unfettered access to the artist, his family and band members, acclaimed music writer Peter Ames Carlin presents an intimate and vivid portrait.
This sweeping biography of Bruce Springsteen is the firs tin 25 years to be written with the cooperation of Springsteen himself. With unfettered access to the artist, his family, band members and longtime manager/producer Jon Landau, acclaimed music writer and critic Peter Ames Carlin presents an intimate and vivid portrait.
More than a rock star, more than a celebrity, Paul McCartney is a cultural touchstone who helped transform popular music as one half of the legendary Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo. In this definitive biography, Peter Ames Carlin examines McCartney’s entire life, casting new light not just on the Beatles era but also on his years with Wings and his thirty-year relationship with his first wife, Linda McCartney. He takes us on a journey through a tumultuous couple of decades in which Paul struck out on his own as a solo artist, reached the top of the charts with a new band, and once again drew hundreds of thousands of screaming fans to his concerts. Carlin presents McCartney as a musical visionary but also as a layered and conflicted figure as haunted by his own legacy—and particularly his relationship with John Lennon—as he was inspired by it. Built on years of research and fresh, revealing interviews with friends, bandmates, and collaborators spanning McCartney’s entire life, Carlin’s lively biography captures the many faces of the living legend.
"From journalist Peter Ames Carlin-the New York Times bestselling music biographer who chronicled the lives and careers of Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, the Beach Boys, and Paul Simon-Sonic Boom captures the rollicking story of the most successful record label in the history of rock and roll, Warner Bros Records, and the remarkable secret to its meteoric rise"--
The roster of Warner Brothers Records and its subsidiaries features iconic names like Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, and Madonna, among others. Central to the Warner Bros. narrative are Mo Ostin and a unique team of hippies and enlightened executives who recognized the shifting cultural landscape in the mid-1960s. By embracing outsider artists and granting them creative freedom, Ostin transformed a struggling company into the voice of a generation, revolutionizing the music industry and establishing the most successful record label in American history. The pivotal moment came in 1967 when Ostin proposed a radical strategy: "We need to stop trying to make hit records. Let's just make good records and turn those into hits." This counterintuitive approach aligned with the counterculture, allowing his unconventional team to reinvent business practices. They provided artists with autonomy while discarding outdated advertising and promotion methods. Their innovative experiments led to hundreds of legendary hit albums. Warner Bros. Records' journey is a captivating tale of prioritizing music over business, blending entertainment with a roadmap to achieving both passion and profit.