It has beautiful painted rocks in it and shows just how easy it is to paint rocks. I am not a real good painter but, I do plan to give it a try. Instructions and ideas in this book are great even for a beginner like me.

I couldn't help it, it sounded so fascinating when I was invited to a "rock party". A friend held it, and all of us got together at her place. She had a bunch of field rock, (though I've heard smooth river rock is good also) and she had cleaned them all up and they sat, waiting on her front step. We took turns choosing the rock that "spoke to us" and brought it into the house for some good old fashioned gossip and a fun project with friends. Oh, yes, we had doubts! Halfway through those rocks were UGLY, and we took a few chip and salsa breaks so we could look at them from a distance (they looked better that way- Laugh!). But- amazingly enough- when we finished the last step, perfectly outlined in the book- our rocks looked GREAT!! I actually DISPLAY mine in my little rock garden, and get so many comments on their "uniqueness". What a fun idea! And takes almost no $ to get started, if you're like me, you already have the simple materials lying around from previous projects!! Great book, simple instructions, great tips and pointers- even for the novice.

Painting Pets on Rocks is a fabulous step by step instructional book. My students (1st through 7th grade) created fabulous rock paintings following these easy-to-follow instructions.

I bought this book to use as resource for my environmental education and religion/spirituality work. As a musician and songwriter for the Earth Mama projects, I review lots of current music materials. This is the finest I have seen. Notation is clear and accurate. Commentary and notes on the songs and ideas are articulate and thoughtful. The entire volume (over 400 songs)is a rich resource of material from many traditions which I will savour and enjoy for years. References, incidentals, quotes and comments sprinked throughout are the icing on the cake. I have given several of these as gifts to schools, music departments and organizations. They are always delighted to add Songs for Earthlings to their library.
Joyce Rouse, AKA Earth Mama...

This is a great resource for anyone who likes to sing earth-friendly songs. Great selection, well organized, and the hole-punched format fits well with the many notebooks of music I have.

I am a choir director for a small, non-denominational Christian church. We like to do music from a wide variety of traditions. This book has been like a gift from the Gods! It's an amazing resource for music from so many different traditions, organized in an easy to use way. Every time I look through it I find something new.

I saw the book in the store and started reading...before I realized it my husband was yelling at me that I'd been standing there laughing for twenty minutes and he and the kids wanted to get to the movies and that I should just buy the damn thing or he'd meet me back there at the end of the movie. Considering the movie they were going to see was "Terminator" it was tempting to tell them to meet me back at the bookstore - but I wasn't that smart. I bought the book, suffered through Terminator (God I hope Arnold doesn't run for governer) and by eagerly counted the moments until I had some free time again to continue reading after everyone went to bed. Needless to say I lost a whole night's sleep because I couldn't put it down. This book is amazing...it's naughty, funny, and not very subtle. Well written, funny and anti-George Bush Republican reactionary world... in other words a perfect book.

Author Browde is tasteless, blasphemous and perhaps the most fited satirist plying his trade today. I look forward to the promised sequel

This book is absolutely hilarious! I didn't know what to expect when I first read it, although I had heard that it's funny, but it totally blew me away! When I read the book in public (in between lectures or on the metro) people would probably wonder what the hell is so funny about this book -While I'm Dead, Feed The Dog -cause it had me in stitches the whole time. A really good piece of work, I enjoyed it. So when's the sequel? I'm dying to find out what happened to our infamous hero Ric and his babe Nina!

This is really a terrific book for a lot of reasons -- best of all it's completely fun to read (you won't be able to put it down) plus it's so packed with rare and esoteric information that in about five minutes you'll have absorbed enough obscure factoids to impress anybody at the next Beatles convention, and even sound nearly as expert as author Kristofer Engelhardt himself, a true Beatles scholar and collector who has lovingly gathered the information here for the past seven years. That in itself is extraordinary: how many writers have spent seven years researching one book? And the author's ambitious scope is immediately obvious: it's amazing how active and involved the Beatles have been in other musicians' recording sessions from the most famous (Dylan, Beach Boys, Zappa) to the utterly obscure (Crowbar, Splinter, Timon, though most musicians here will be familiar) as well as to combinations of both (who were all those players in 'Elephant's Memory'? ).

But what makes this book really so valuable is that Engelhardt has a professional historian's fanaticism for accuracy. Full disclosure: I've been lucky enough to know couple of the musicians discussed here (Dennis and Brian Wilson, guitar legend Jesse Ed Davis) and the facts Engelhardt entertainingly lays out in BEATLES UNDERCOVER are all rock-solid as far as I can tell. Tangential rant: it's not widely known but a lot of rock and roll "history" books are junk...woefully inaccurate and historically useless, with various tales, myths and canards repeated ad infinitum verbally and then immortalized in print by so-called professional writers who really don't know what they're talking about (Steve Gaines' book on the Beach Boys is a glaring example... ). Here you get the real thing -- as far as I can tell everything here is solid gold you can take to the bank, and no doubt BEATLES UNDERCOVER will be must-read basic source material for all future writers with a serious interest in the Beatles and the 60's-and-beyond pop music scene.

Besides the Beatles' own stories there's a further interest served with Engelhardt's fascinating and erudite thumbnail overviews of the careers of all the non-Beatle artists discussed. If you didn't know that Count Basie was born in 1904, started on the drums and then studied piano with Fats Waller, it's all here, and if BEATLES UNDERCOVER does neglect to mention that Jesse Ed Davis claimed to have taught Duane Allman how to play the slide guitar -- a claim with substantial merit it turns out -- that's only because the Beatles never jammed with the Allman brothers ... because if they had, they'd be in this book!. A great read, and a major piece of scholarship that will be re-read for pleasure and consulted for serious study for a long time to come.

Painstakingly researched, thoroughly documented, well organized and entertaining to read, this is a reference book that any Beatles completist will want to have. Seven years of research and interviewing went into this comprehensive catalog of the contributions that each Beatle made to other artist's recordings. It includes their roles as writers, producers, vocalists and session musicians. The book includes 399 individual recordings from 220 artists from Alexeyev to Zappa. Readers who consider books by Mark Lewisohn and Doug Sulpy as essential to their Beatles' reference library will want to add this one to their shelf. If you thought you had everything recorded by a Beatle on vinyl or CD, wait until you read this book. You'll find quite a few surprises.

The acknowledgments read like a "who's who" of musicians, producers, singers, writers, authors, researchers and members (past and present) of the Beatles' inner circle. The recollections and contributions by these people add to the credibility of the information presented. In the introduction, the author acknowledges how people's recollection and memory of events may diminish over time or may have been altered by the drug and alcohol scene of the past. He has made every effort to indicate what is documented and what is speculation.

Each entry includes artist name, record label and catalog number, media (vinyl, CD, VHS, etc.), producer, description of the jacket and other packaging, recording date and location, song details, composer, release date and country, and musicians. The author also indicates the level of likelihood of a Beatle contribution to a specific recording in the instances when it has not been confirmed. While not every possible version of a release is given, Engelhardt lists the recordings in their "best available" format as far as quality of recording.

The bonus CD includes three previously unreleased tracks produced by John Lennon and provided courtesy of Ray Cicala and permission of Yoko Ono. These are Incantation - performed by Dog Soldier with Patrick Jude, lyrics by John Lennon, produced by Roy Cicala and John Lennon; Let's Spend the Night Together - vocals by Lori Burton and Patrick Jude, produced and arranged by John Lennon; and Answer Me, My Love - vocals by Lori Burton, produced by Roy Cicala and John Lennon. The sound quality of the recordings is superb and add to the desirability of this book for the ultimate collector.

While it may appear that the book is merely a listing of facts and trivia, the author delivers well written prose to tell the stories behind the recordings. The book can be read cover to cover or used strictly as a reference book. It is alphabetized by artist and includes an index.

I am a Beatles freak (I just attended the 1999 Beatlefest in Irvine, CA two days ago), but checked this book out of the library reluctantly, thinking it would mainly be boring trivia, and maybe 5 pages out of the whole book would be interesting. Books that categorize minutae are mainly good as RESEARCH books worth pulling off a shelf only when you need to look up a fact, rather than good READING experiences. But, boy, was I pleasantly suprised to find this to be a riveting piece of work. It includes fascinating facts you'd never learn anywhere else, plus, best of all, there are some wonderful stories about the Beatles in these pages. And they are well written. One of my big complaints about a lot of "historical" books is that the authors are often brilliant RESEARCHERS, but they are dull WRITERS. But Englehardt has that rare and blessed combination of being a great researcher and a first-rate writer. I kept reading the book, thinking it had to bog down somewhere, but it really kept my interest from the first page to the last.

Having praised the book so highly, I do have to add that the music on the CD that comes with it is not very good. It's interesting for one listen to hear songs that individual Beatles were involved in. But you probably won't want to play it more after the first listen has satisfied your curiosity about it.

But the book is suprisingly good, and should be read by anyone who considers him/herself a diehard Beatles fan.

Ever since I became a Cure fan I had always wondered if Robert or any of the other band members had a biography, marking the major turning points of their musical careers.... And I guess that my question has been answered ever since I first heard about this crucial book. It lives up to what everyone has said about it, and I just got it yesterday from my friend Ben actually!(Thanks again! You're a sweetie!!)
What can I really say that hasn't been said already? It starts out in the late 70's, the original band members were in the middle of high school and already showing major signs of music excellence. Robert showed obvious signs of his intrest in music around his 10th grade year, and this book clearly highlights his journey to the top. I personally think it's quite intresting to read about their rise to fame and the obstacles they had to encounter along the way. I don't want to give out any spoilers so you all will just have to find out of yourselves the stories in here (oh yeah, there's a hilarious one that concerns Lol and Billy Idol... I almost fell over laughing!!)
This treasure is full of surprises and just about anything else you won't expect to hear. And, lets not forget the oh so needed eye candy!! It's practically exploding with tons of rare, great pictures... Color and black and white. The cute as hell baby pictures are a perfect ending. I especially love the color on the cover. Just because it says it's "paper-back" does not mean that it's not durable or good-looking. First time I saw it I thought it was a hard back because the front is glossy.
The pages are made out of nice quality paper and it's really thick, so you'll have hours to spend reading it. It's a fairly large book as well, I'd say around the size of a good-sized magazine (the width being roughly 8 1/2 in. and the length being 11 in.). This book is generally hard to come across(if not impossible), so I highly urge any Cure fan who is considering on buying this to second-guess no more.
You WILL NOT find any and I mean ANY other Cure book that will be more on the mark than this one. Take it from me and millions of Cure fans alike, this book will easily become one of your most valued possesions. Also, it's important to note that this is the only site on the 'net where I've seen this book for sale (new and used).
I've tried bidding before and no matter what, I was always outbidded by like, 12 other people so just save yourself some time and not to mention money and buy this now! I wish that I would've done that a long time ago. I promise you won't be disappointed in the least!

I have been a cure fan for as long as I remember and own several cure books, but I must say this is my very favorite, one of the most interesting I have ever read on this band."Ten Imaginary years" takes you on a journey from the very begining of the band (it even mentions how Smith and Tolhurst meet) and ends around the late 1980's when the cure play in Orange, France.
Members of the band talk about their experiences with being in the world of music,their musical inspirations, life on the road, bad managment,fights,bar hopping, drinking binges (hilarious!!!), making of their videos, family life and the very unusual characters and situations they have been in along the way.
This was one of my first cure books , so I absolutely recomend it to the new cure fan and for the old cure fan, its a must have. It has great pictures (including childhood pictures form all members!!), a discography at the end of the book and lots of information about the members I had no idea about. Most important of all this book is extremely humorous.This book is the real thing, it revelas all unapologetically. You will love it!!!!!

This book is not just a The Cure fan's book, it just a great book. In depth from cover to cover with every thing from school times to kiss me kiss me kiss me. In a few words: Lovable, interesting, and just wonderful.

I like to read rock-n-roll books whether I like the band or not. I like Free, but like a lot of people, only knew their hit song and the later Paul Rodgers groups. My point is: If you're a casual fan, this is still an excellent book with the kind of inside story that makes for some great reading; if you're a serious fan, this is an even more engaging book because it's very thorough but never boring. The fact that they interviewed the surviving band members gives it the credibility that so many other rock books lack. The pictures are incredible too, and not just some little middle section with 20 photos. These shots are interspersed throughout the book on every page, thus truly illustrating their awesome story! Heavy Load is highly recommended!

I like to read rock-n-roll books whether I like the band or not. I like Free, but like a lot of people, only knew their hit song and the later Paul Rodgers groups. My point is: If you're a casual fan, this is still an excellent book with the kind of inside story that makes for some great reading; if you're a serious fan, this is an even more engaging book because it's very thorough but never boring. The fact that they interviewed the surviving band members gives it the credibility that so many other rock books lack. The pictures are incredible too, and not just some little middle section with 20 photos. These shots are interspersed throughout the book on every page, thus truly illustrating their awesome story! Heavy Load is highly recommended!

this great book at second edition try the reader in a dimension as end '60 never forget and reach light on the hard times of the group.very fine photos but only black and white ,i think perhaps not could be a difficult thing to buyer for this splendid book.
i hope in a third edition with more accurate pages,photos colours and in a book only dedicated to my great guitar player and always inspiration source PAUL KOSSOFF.
peter from italy.

Being a long-time admirer of Mr. Rollins since his Black Flag days, I was compelled to look into some of his work other than music, which leads me to reading this book.

"See a Grown Man Cry/Now Watch Him Die" encompasses Henry's personal reflections of his life and touring throughout the 1988-1992 period. Mr. Rollins' book is comprised of writings taken from his personal journal and poems that he wrote during one of the darkest periods of his life, including witnessing the murder of his best friend, Joe Cole. Reading the first half of this book, his poems, leaves the reader with a taste of Henry's lonely and depressed feeling of obscurity. His poems not only reflect the dark side of his life, but also the tender and vunerable side that often causes him pain. . . one would think that Henry's often suicidal view is a cry for help. But in reality, he choses to hang on as shown by his defiant attitude towards life. The second half, comprised mostly of journal entries while touring, reflects the often angry Henry who wants nothing more than to spit in your face and to be left alone. At the same time, he wants everyone to know who he is and where he's coming from, yet needs the loneliness of his existence--one can only feel that Henry's expressions are nothing more than a contradiction: he desires success and fame, but agonizes over what comes with the territory of being famous (having fan recognition and having to do interviews).

The book is a true, sometimes brutal account of Henry's life and what he has endure during this dark and depressing time. I can appreciate his straight forwardness, honesty and defiant attitude towards life because we all share a painful period in our lives; some more than others. At the same time, I feel that while he deserves success, he does not necessarily deserve total kudos for his achievements, although I shall continue to respect his work.

Overall, I would still recommend it to fans of Henry Rollins. WARNING: Do not read this book if you're expecting a happy ending.

7 years ago, a friend of mine read me a poem from "Now Watch Him Die" (They were seperate books back then). It's the one on page 164 of this volume, the one that starts with "I love you and you'll never know." Since then, I have not gone anywhere without a copy of these books close at hand. They are an all-encompassing chronicle of one man's solipsism, isolation, desperation and depression. This may not sound fascinating, but that man happens to be Henry Rollins, who has a talent for intensity and a command of words rivaled by no one of this era. Not since Bukowski has someone used so little to say so much. If you are ready for a descent into a maelstrom of anger, violence and pure, blinding pain, then this is the book for you. If you're looking for something sappy, sweet and redemptive, then try Oprah's Book Club instead.

I bought this book on a whim one day from a local bookstore and wasn't able to put it down. It's a brutally honest rendition of a life filled with tragedy, depression, doubt and one unsuccesful relationship after another. It's one of the more depressing books I've read, but I pick it up even when I'm feeling down. The intense emotion is almost palpable, you'll feel every bit of rage, heart-ache and frustration, loneliness and confusion. See a Grown Man Cry is worth every penny you pay, every minute you read and every pang of grief you feel for the suffering Mr. Rollins. If you ever by a book by Henry Rollins it should be this one.

This is the bible for tape/CD traders of Grateful Dead shows! It lists, as far as is known, all performances in chronological order, plus whatever tunes were performed at each show. For the most part, I've found very few errors in the book. When the author(s) don't know for sure, they're up front and say so. But sometimes shows differ from Deadbase. I've got a Jan. 1970 Honolulu show that has all the tunes listed in Deadbase, but in a different order. Are my two CDs of the show right, or is Deadbase? It doesn't really matter, of course, because the music is good. Deadbase also contains a statistician's dream of information, such as how many times songs were played, when they were first played, when the last time they were played, and on and on. It also has a great section (which, after the show listings is my favorite) of reviews from fans. This book gets 4 stars and not 5 from me simply because I really don't care how many times Loose Lucy was played. I'd rather have fewer stats and more reviews. The reviews are great and, though I have some 800 shows on tape, there are some reviews of shows I'm looking for and they've been very helpful. The reviews also are helpful for "newbies" (an affection term for someone just starting out on tape/CD trading) to decide what shows they want to get first. I could sit for long periods of time and enjoy Deadbase. For a while, a Deadbase Jr. was being published, and I liked it because it was not much bigger than a paperback, had all the shows, major venues, some stats, but was easy to refer to when looking at lists on the Internet. I STILL use my tattered Jr. when I can, but kicking back on the couch with the "big book" and dreaming of shows yet to come is a pure joy. For anyone involved in tape/CD trading, this is ESSENTIAL and very, very highly recomended!

If you have a huge collection of unlabeled tapes, this book will help you ID the tape by listing every song played with every song played BEFORE and AFTER it. It's a blast to just leaf through. There isn't another book like it anywhere. You really have to get a copy of this book. It's not like it's an optional purchase. The information in this book is not found anywhere else.

If you are a taper, collector, trader, or just forgot what opened the second set in the last Philly JFK show, then this book is a must. Finally make a setlist for all those unidentified MP3s. Check off what you have to make trading easier. Get goosebumps over one of the transitions you forgot about. Kick yourself for working and not seeing the second night. If you collect you gotta have this or wait for the next one coming soon.

This book is pretty cool. It offers good advice for improving your single-note technique, especially in the realm of soloing. John also presents helpful tips on how and when to use certain modes, along with a couple of demonstrations of each. It's not an exhaustive book on anything, really, but it's definitely worthwhile looking at for players of nearly any level.

Wellllll.. like rock discipline, this is a must-have as well. If you're searching for "wild stringdom" on amazon.com, you're probably already familiar with john's columns, so i need not elaborate on them here. My advice is, as i advice on rock discipline, GET IT, NOW!! :) But be willing to muster discipline, that's all you need. This book won't turn you into the guitarist you envision yourself to be unless you put time, discipline and willingness to practice everything AS GIVEN from bottom to top and back, and vice versa, a life time long. BUY IT! :)

I've seen it elsewhere in the reviews, and this statement is correct. If you're just starting out in guitar (less than 1 year experience), this is not the book for you.

Ideally the guitarist reading this book should have at least a basic working knowledge of the 7 basic modes (and all the types of chords, scales, and associated arpeggios) , circle of 5ths, and alternate picking techniques.

The book has a ton of great exercieses ( a LOT of chromatic runs) which will help your improve dexterity and 'cleanliness' in picking.

A HUGE bonus is the CD that's included in the back with like 100 tracks, you can actually hear the examples in the book as they are supposed to sound.

If you, as a guitarist, have been stuck in a rut, or are looking to delve into more exotic and cool song structures and such, definately check out this book!

There is so much in this book. I think the best approach is to take it 1 week at a time, and cover a chapter per week. That's what I'm going to attempt!

I myself have been a practicing guitarist since 1996.

Kyle
[URL]

A truly amazing work obviously written by a true fan with a bad performance review. The statistical effort needs some urgent B2 coaching in order to reach the dizzy heights at the top of the "Group of Six".

It seems that the authors have gone the extra mile in order to keep it authentic with a generous amount of time off work donated by their respective employers or was work manager involved?

Excellent.

A very fine piece of work. This must have been writtenon Saturdays.....

I don't see any reference to Doris Jones in the credits!!

A truly excellent piece of work. It surely justifies a much higher asking price.

However I do wonder how much credit should go to BT for all the generous time they donated to the project. I did not see them listed in the credits for the book.

The seven layers were very puzzling, but obviously the authors knew their significance.

Overall a very fine complete history of the band