This paperback book with large print could be reduced to a "pamphlet" after removing definiations and a directory.

This book cuts to the chase and gives practical information with simple delivery. It is a good book to help songwriters clarify the ideas in a song, check structure and format, as well as offering some inside tips on the business. I personally found it very helpful and didn't have to make a huge effort to study a dry text style book. I Immediately could see ways to improve and check my songs for common pitfalls. I highly reccommend this book.

With so many other books weighing the pros and cons of this way and that way and the maybe way, Jerry does not leave you with a maybe feeling. What he knows for sure is said as clearly and simply as possible. This in itself is an example of good writing. This book is written like songs striving to be hits should be written. Get to your hook fast, Yea! If you are into finding reasons for procrastinating instead of just doing it, this book is not for you. For me the compactness of the book is a plus. Real truths are often simple and short.

A waste of time and money - could not get past the second chapter before totally giving up on this one (I really did give it a shot)....

This book is written in a very sophmoric text and was really down right boring. With the exception of one or two interviews all the info can be found in any music magazine. I was at times embarrassed for the authors "attempting" to interview these ladies. Don't waste money on this one, borrow it or go to the library.

Alan Kulwicki fall in love with Cassy Kulwicki and married on December 22, 1989. Kulwicki said if he's a winner at Rockingham, Britsol, 2 times, Phoenix and Pocono. He's a champion in 1992. He hang out his movie "Apartment #9" is named after Tammy Wynette song. Starring Alan and introducing Rusty Wallace's son, Stephen Wallace. His son, Tracy Lynn is born after Dale Jarrett wins on Aug. 19, 1991. Alan died at the plane crash on April 1, 1993 at 38 over 3 years of marriage.

This book is too biased to be taken seriously- The author cuts down every artist he wasn't given direct access to. He discribes encounters he couldn't have seen, and quotes conversations he couldn't have heard. Apparently he isn't a fan of radio-friendly country music, and if you are you won't enjoy the way he puts down your favorite artists. There's no doubt Mr. Leamer did his research, but when he couldn't find information he made it up.

An exercise in pseudo case-study, this book leaves the reader with the feeling that they've just done a marathon reading session of the National Enquirer. Throughout the pages and pages of intimate details of many current country music personalities (much of which is negative), the reader continues to wonder how exactly the author found out all this information. He appears to have been everywhere at once, but his voice or presence never appears in the text. The best example of this is the picture of Garth Brooks driving his pickup, obviously from the inside as the truck is moving, with the caption, "Garth drives alone in his truck." If he was alone, where was the photographer? The text is the same way throughout. One wonders if the people the author got his information from knew how he would present the details. The writing is much like the country songs he decries: trite, sensationalist, and filled with cliches. It's readable, but unsympathetic toward most of his subjects and slanted toward a particular type of country music

To-days music fan is finally demanding to know the truth about it's Stars. You finally realize that after reading the rash of books that come out on the heals of Stardom, that they are basically a re-hash of the perfect picture painted by a publisist or the star involved. Laurence Leamer gives you a glimpse of reality and makes you aware that stars should be accountable for everything even if it is in the past.I would personally like to see him dig a little deeper. Congratulations Laurence, get in touch, I can help you with your dig!!

Buy this book and you will have something in common with Confederate General John Bell Hood. You will both be victims of author Wiley Sword. The defenseless Hood is villianized by Sword's vicious, albeit eloquently written spin. Hood's critics are given top billing in Sword's pages, while Hood's many defenders are silenced. Statistics are twisted to make Hood's performance appear remarkably poor. Sword's fact-filtering, and cut-and-paste journalism will unfortunately impress the unwitting reader, who will be twenty bucks poorer, and totally misinformed on the 1864 Confederate campaign to liberate Nashville. John Bell Hood has been described as the Civil War's most "famously unfortunate" commander. Much more accurate and complete information on the campaign can be found within the pages of Shrouds of Glory, by Winston Groome, who doesn't try to create a villian where none existed.

The Civil War is rapidly drawing to a close. The Southern Confederacy is literally being ripped apart by the Union armies. In desperation Jefferson Davis turns command of the Army of the Tennessee to a crippled general with no experience at high level command. The outcome was almost foreordained. Mr. Sword's book recounts the tragic destruction of an army that had been scourged by the effects of bad leadership for far too long. The appointment of John Bell Hood proved to be, argueably, the single worst decision that the Confederate president ever made.
In spite of ample evidence of the futility of frontal assualts Hood sent his army into poorly coordinated, and futile, attacks that sapped both the heart and soul of his army as well as it's strength. The casualties incurred during Hood's 7 month tenure as its commander destroyed it's combat effectiveness and it's self-confidence and hope.
Mr. Sword's book meticulously documents the events that led to the fateful battles that destroyed the Army of the Tennessee with both passion and attention to detail. The suffering and privation of the men; the strategic and tactical decisions; the events that affected the overall war effort are all faithfully portrayed.
Unlike many works of military history this one is hard to put down. It reads like a novel but is backed by extensive research and documentation. One is left with a profound feeling of sadness from the descriptions of the torn and wounded survivors of both the Blue and Grey and also a sense of deep pride at the accomplishments and gallantry of so many of our forefathers.
Civil War buffs will find few books of this caliber and will be moved by the pathos in it's presentation. As a tribute to heroism and endurance this book is withour peer. The Army of the Tennessee was often defeated but never conquered and Mr. Sword's account does them the honor their sacrifices deserved.

I reviewed this book at the store for an hour so you don't have to. This book contains the following, a very confusing tedious test to take, buying 50 or more supplements, taking these supplements all day at different times during several months, jumping on trampolines, and eating cruciferous veggies. Very nutty in that it wont tell you what day would look like on the diet or what foods you can eat, and it seems the publisher here has a vested interest in you buying these supplements. Don't waste your time. You will lose weight from sheer frustration.

I read many, many books on weight loss. Most were very restrictive in the diet. I was really looking for a healthy diet that a person could live with. Something to help me lose about 10 pounds and get some energy. This book is great! I learned alot about food and liver in the fat flush plan, that started me using some great supplements. Now after reading this book, I have learned about other supplements and it has given me energy and helped me maintain my weight without much effort. Thanks for a great book

This product is cute. It features a little sythesizer which unfortunately sounds rather cheap, especially if the batteries are a bit flat. But it has a little keyboard with three different sounds: trumpet, xylophone, and singing cat. In addition are a number of special buttons with sound effects that kids love, like the "crash" of a cymbal, and "baa" of a sheep. Not bad for a little synthesizer! Best of all, it comes with a hardcover book, with a collection of popular children's tunes, such as Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Baa Baa Black Sheep. Each tune is printed on a simple music scale with colours and numbers that fit with the notes of the keyboard, so it's easy for kids to get the hang of playing the tunes. It has bright colours, and colourful pictures throughout. All in all, not a bad product for children, who are sure to love it! Mine's tucked away in the cupboard until my four year old's birthday, but I'm sure I'll be hearing it lots after that!

It may be out of date and of more historical value, but it is fun to look back at. It's amazing to see the progress Nashville's made in the past 10 years. The photography is gorgeous. It's a fun book to flip through.

A meandering narrative of the authors trip to Nashville to search for the heart and soul of Nashville. Along the way she meets up with Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and Linda Ronstadt amongst others. Earle is at the heart of the book and is also the subject of St Johns next book, the best chapters in this book include Earles view on the Death Penalty, Drugs and Garth Brooks! The other best parts feature Emmylou Harris, a singer with true integrity.

An interesting read.

I was temporarily drawn in by the plot - despite the cheesy cover. After a few pages I felt I could go the distance with Vicious Spring. But ultimately I just couldn't handle the lack of substance. One of two things happened here, either the author has no idea how to write and develop characters and theme, or the book was over-edited. From some passages that set the reader up to go further only to quickly dump you, I'm assuming the editor got carried away. The book, at 180 pages or so, seems light from the start and is confirmed by the time you reach the end - IF you reach the end. I did and boy am I sorry. Just horrible.

I found this small gem of a novel to be original, compelling, and written in spare but evocative prose. It is, in fact, the diametric opposite of the book described by the negative reviewer who called it cliched and its protagonist unsympathetic. Contrary to the moralizing tone of so much current fiction, Vicious Spring refuses to sentence its characters to horrid fates simply because they use drugs or profit from their sexuality. In Christy, Hampton-Jones has created a complex and credible portrait of a flawed, funny, unfortunate, but refreshingly less-than-tragic young woman. Vicious Spring is eminently readable, thought-provoking, and more than a little bit sexy.

Alma Marceau...

Although some may feel that "Vicious Spring" is too minimalist at times, Hampton-Jones makes good use of the less-is-more expository approach. It's called good writing. Her broad-brush style takes us from the highs of humour to the depths of despair with a few well-chosen phrases. Her fresh takes on life, family, sex, fear and hope kept me turning the pages and anxious for her next book.

Yes, there's sex (and then, more sex), but - though graphic - it is handled in the same minimalist fashion that is so refreshing compared to the legions of authors who seem to be paid by the word of their sex scenes.

Much in the style of Jay McInerny ("Bright Lights, Big City"), "Vicious Spring" is provocative, funny, fresh and extremely well-written.

This book shows less than no research and little or no personal knowledge. Three years as a waitress in an Illinois honky tonk gives her knowledge of Country music fans, and being a Vanderbilt University professor gives her legitimacy. I don't think so.

The author says in 100 words what could be said in 10. She uses amateurish sentences like "I explain this better in chapter 6."

With her experience in an Illinois honky tonk, she tells us honky tonks are a Southern phenomenon. Then she says honky tonk music is dead.

Her premises, presentation, and conclusions are faulty. This is simply a bad book.

I felt like a specimen in a research lab while reading this book--because I'm one of the fans the author analyzes. In truth, I don't care whether the music is authentic or commercial. Most of us are smart enough to realize music is a business and people are in it for the money. I listen to country music because I love the sound, and I especially like fiddles and steel. There's no reason we must give up those instruments as a sign of progress. There's plenty of room in the business for traditional and new music. As for the Coke analogy, Classic Cokes tastes better than new Coke--that's why people wanted to keep it, not because they didn't like change. The author says she kept the Rose Bowl and college lives separate. Well, country music is an integral part of my life. I guess that makes me authentic. I wanted to learn about the development of the Nashville Sound. Instead I got a lecture on the meaning of commercialization and I was told to grow up and accept the fact that life changes. I wasted my money in buying this book.

This book is not history, nor is it fan literature. If that's what you're looking for, you have many alternatives available to you.

Instead, Jensen delivers a scholarly analysis of the controversy that arose in the '50s and '60s, when producers like Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley abandoned twangy honky-tonk stylings and created the pop-influenced Nashville Sound. Opry-loving purists cried sellout; Music Row executives anxiously defended the new sound as "still country." Where did this anxiety come from, Jensen asks, and what does it tell us about what cultural genres mean to people?

Jensen spends most of the book puncturing two widely-accepted country music myths: Music Row destroyed pure country music by pandering to pop audiences for money (in fact, country had been a commercially-driven enterpise since the '20s); and country had to play to a wider audience to save itself from the onslaught of rock 'n' roll (yet both country and rock were responding to the same set of changing market demands). If these two explanations don't account for the Nashville Sound and the battle lines drawn around it, what does? Jensen situates the answer, not in economic or cultural "forces," but in the beliefs and values of perfomers, producers, and fans. She reinforces her point by sharing her own experience of cultural identification in a honky-tonk bar she worked at as a grad student.

In so doing, Jensen puts people back in cultural criticism, a field in which economic systems and discursive structures are often portrayed as mysteriously acting by themselves. If I have a criticism of the book, it's that it doesn't go quite far enough. If, as she demonstrates, country fans value the music's generic markers as reaffirming class identities, how does the music industry turn class alienation into a "product" -- the sale of which presumably reinforces the capitalist infrasturcture that class alienation arises from? And if the study of culture is to be based in the values of people, how does it keep from drifting off in a sea of subjectivity?

That said, Jensen offers a well-researched, thoughfully written exploration of a fascinating moment in the evolution of country music. If you agree that country music is worth thinking about, then you'll want to read this book.