Book Description
The first and only account of hip-hop's birth, told in the never-before-published words of its founders and stars, and highlighted by almost 200 photos and flyers.
"I always knew that, for those that never heard this music, that if they had a chance to hear it, they would have no choice but to love it." --Grandmaster Flash
Hip-hop today is ubiquitous, dominating not only the music industry but also popular culture around the world. Like rock and roll before it, it has permanently transformed music, art, dance, and fashion while capturing millions of listeners-and this vast cultural revolution was all started by a bunch of street kids in the ravaged Bronx of the 1970s. Documenting hip-hop's remarkable genesis for the very first time, this book tells its stories in voices that bristle with vitality, character, humor, and menace, tracing the music from DJ Kool Herc's first parties in 1973 through the release of "Rapper's Delight" in 1979 and the rise of the new school in the mid-'80s. Fricke and Ahearn weave an electric narrative from the never-before-heard accounts of over fifty of hip-hop's founders and stars, old school and new, including Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool Herc, Melle Mel, Grand Wizard Theodore, Grandmaster Caz, Rahiem, Fab 5 Freddy, Tony Tone, and DMC. A wealth of previously unseen photographs, flyers, and posters illustrate the text; noted critic Nelson George introduces it all.
Yes Yes Y'All is a chorus of voices, a tale of artistry in the face of extraordinary adversity, and the definitive history of a revolution created with nothing more than a microphone, a turntable, and a dance floor.
Customer Reviews:
The Truth That's Never Been Told.......2006-05-05
I am the original King LaBrue out of the camp of Kool Herc and the Herculoids. Before there was Sugar Hill and 50 Cent, there was King LaBrue--to this day still represents true hip-hop. I plan to write my own account of the true pioneers that should be respected for dedication and commitment for all these years.
Essential.......2003-11-30
Anyone into Hip Hop must own this book. It's a seminal work. Like Toop's The Rap Attack or Nelson George's Hip Hop America...it must be owned. The most detailed Old School study ever and great visuals.
the coolest book.......2003-08-13
I got the coolest book this passed Christmas, entitled ýYes! Yes! Yall! The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hopýs First Decade ý by Jim Fricke. This book focuses on Hip-Hop, and Black culture in America through oral history. Black urban culture gave birth to hip-hop and is the source of influence for todayýs American culture. ýYes! Yes! Yall!ý is a true period piece focusing on the growth of a new artistic movement. The book is very clear and is written as if youýre really listening to someone talk about Hip-Hopýs old school beginnings. This was a relaxing book to read, and very simplistic in form. As I was reading I felt as if I was sitting in a recreation center or classroom listening to the forefathers, and mothers of this great Black music culture.
The book starts by panting a picture of New Yorkýs inner city in the early 1970ýs to the mid 80ýs. Each chapter focuses on all four elements of Hip-Hop, such as: d.j-ing, brake dancing, emceeing/rhyming or raping, and graffiti art. Looking at some of the old photos of B-boys and girls break dancing, the airbrushed clothing, party flyers, and old record jackets was very nostalgic.
The book highlights the fact that the whole subculture came out of unequal systematic conditions in the late 1970ýs into the 80ýs. This is a real honest approach to the history of the newest, and highly co-modified cultures. Itýs filled with first hand accounts, stories of back stage antics, tours, emcee battles, dance battles, club fights, and groupies.
In chapter two titled, ýThe Forefathersý, many people interviewed gave his or her respects to the godfather of Hip-Hop (d.j Kool Herc). They would talk about how d.j Kool Herc would play all the best brake beats at that time. D.j Kool Herc was Jamaica borne and his homeland would be the source that inspired his d.jing style.
Kool Herc was the one who coined the term B-boy/B-girl, because boys and girls that would dance to brakes of different songs. The brake was the favorite part of the song, it was known as the get down part of the record. The other reason for calling the party people B-boys and girls was because they were all from Brooklyn also known as the ýBoogie Down Bronxý.
Kool Hrec changed and revolutionized the whole music form, once he started toasting, what we call rapping or rhyming today. Toasting started in the Jamaican dance halls, or yard parties. The Selecta or D.j would chant out two or three bare rhymes to get the crowd hyped. Herc added the style toasting from his homeland, and the New York street style of d.jing, to cerate his own style. Thus giving birth to a new sound and genre of music.
ýYes! Yes! Yall!ý lastly focuses on the gangs, graffiti, emceeing, and brake dancing and how they intertwine within hip-hop and black culture. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in finding more information on the history of Hip-Hop and how it stems from Black culture.
Real Nice.......2003-05-17
This beautiful book attempts to trace the formation of hip-hop culture through interviews with those who were around for the first ten years. Fricke (a curator at the Experience Music Project museum) and Ahearn (photographer and director of the seminal hop-hop film Wild Style), attempt to document the New York City scene from about 1974-84 (right up to the formation of DefJam and Run-DMC) through photos, original party flyers, and the words of the DJs, MCs, b-boys (breakdancers), graffiti artists, and promoters who were there.
The early portion shows how DJ sound-system battles emerged in the early to mid '70s against the backdrop of a decaying Bronx, attracting youths to more or less impromptu parties in parks, streets, and playgrounds. Competition was fierce as to who had the loudest sound system and the best records, and tough security (gang members) was a necessity. One thing that gets disappointingly glossed over is how this copied what happened in Kingston, Jamaica ten years earlier. It was exactly the same: competing street sound systems, with competing DJs who would take the labels off records so spies couldn't find out what they were playing, gangs, violence-all the same. DJ Kool Herc, who lived in Jamaica until 1967, makes a fleeting reference to it, but that's all.
For the first few years, the DJs were the "stars" of the scene, offering an alternative to disco music. But as DJs started to learn how to manipulate their turntables to extend the "beats" from a song, eventually MCing started to become more vibrant. What had initially only been calls to the crowd to keep the party's energy up evolved into more and more sophisticated catchphrases, freestyle rhymes, and soon MCs were writing and memorizing lines. Again, it's a bit puzzling that no mention is made of Jamaican"toasting" which emerged in the mid to late '60s. This was the practice of DJs who would talk and rhyme over the records they played, and soon progressed to a point where they would have instrumental versions of popular songs laid down for them to rhyme over-often in a boasting style, talking about how they were the "#1", "champion", and so on. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
The other two legs of hip-hop culture are given somewhat less space. The material on breakdancing (aka "b-boying" to the true old-schoolers) seems to indicate that the "b-boy " crews filled a kind of competitive void left by the waning of street gang culture. And while there was some of this dancing at the parties, music was the focus, rather than the dancing-which didn't get big until the early '80s. Graffiti, on the other hand, was clearly a prominent feature of the NYC landscape from the early '70s on. But, what's most interesting here is that while the graffiti artists often went to parties and knew some of the music people, the idea that graffiti was part of a larger hip-cop culture didn't emerge until late in the game. It wasn't until the downtown Manhattan art scene started getting interested that the music, breakin', and graffiti were packaged-by the white art scene-a unified "street" culture.
The book is lavishly put together, with tons to look at-however, the oral history structure isn't the greatest. From a historical perspective, it's great to hear all these unknown voices from the past telling about their roles, but at times it does get tedious. Especially when it comes to details on how so and so met so and so and that led the the formation of this or that. Even more so late in the book, when record companies get in the mix, and then all kinds of resentments come pouring out. There could have been a little more editing, as well as a little more context to fill in some of the gaps. For example, there are a lot of references to gangs being involved in the early scene, and shootings, and violence, but there's never any unified discussion of it. The same for the role of drugs in the scene, at one point someone (I think Spoonie Gee) talks about how everyone was totally coked up all the time, and that's something that could have been explored a little more. In any event, it's still a great book for anyone with an interest in the days of hip-hop, giving proper space and voice to all the unknowns who deserve to be known.
PRE-RUNDMC.......2003-04-29
eye opener for all those who think oldskool hiphop only stops at Run-dmc, or the Furious 5, recognize the forefathers who layed down the foundation of the Hip-Hop culture and what they were facing at that time.
Book has pretty good historical context and the stories flow together. Much props to mr.Ahearn and mr. Fricke. Only giving it 4stars because I'm still halfway in the book. YES YES Y'ALL.
Book Description
An exploration of the voluntary simplicity movement including comments from simple livers and a look at class, race, and gender in this movement.
Customer Reviews:
a nice dissertation, but not a great guide to living.......2005-09-12
I hate to say something negative about a book, but this book was not a good guide to living a life of voluntary simplicity.
To give the author credit for truth in advertising, though, right on the back of the book the review reads "Grigsby looks inside the movement at the daily lives of participants and includes their own accounts of their efforts. She also uses reflexive empirical analysis to explore race, class, and gender in relation to the movement."
The book reads like a grad-student thesis on a movement. Grigsby uses long sentences and references almost excessively. For example, a paragraph from page 93 begins "In mixed gender circles, which are most common, men end up coopting circle agendas over time, drawing them back toward a masculine competitive pattern of relating, and establishing themselves as experts and leaders. I theorize that this occurs because of interaction of the following factors: (1) the power men hold over women through the present configurations of institutional structures (Acker 1988, 1990; Dixon 1997; Ferguson 1984; Kleinman 1996; Milkman 1988; Walby 1990) and their desire to both create change and retain power; (2) the poverty of the cultural gender repertoires available ...." This is fine for a dissertation, but I believe most people who start reading about voluntary simplicity would prefer a discussion of what they can do to live more ethically on our planet, not a review of what academics think about voluntary simplicity.
Thus, in summary I would say that this is a fine description of the voluntary simplicity movement from the point of view of a scholarly observer. Given what it is, this is not a bad book. The reader might be disappointed, though, if you order the book expecting a guide to living within the philosophy of voluntary simplicity.
The Dirty Little Secret of the Voluntary Simplicity Movement.......2005-08-17
What is the voluntary simplicity movement? Who participates? Why do people join the movement? How do they participate? What has the movement accomplished? Where is it going? Mary Grigsby asks these questions and seeks to answer them in this sociological study.
It's difficult to get a handle on the voluntary simplicity movement because, by its nature as a counterculture, there are no leaders and there is no generally acknowledged definition of the movement, if indeed there is really a movement at all. It is a sort of anarchic trend of downshifting, financial independence, and back-to-the-land. Politically, it embraces bits of socialism, libertarianism, and anti-globalization. Individuals pick and choose the parts of voluntary simplicity that suit them. Some participate in simplicity circles, many don't. Since Grigsby was only able to interview and observe those who participated in simplicity circles, she saw only a sliver of the movement.
What she did see, however, makes for some surprising reading. She mentions several times that she is sympathetic to the ideas of voluntary simplicity, and she participated in at least one circle. She found that as a group, simple-livers are overwhelmingly white, middle-class, and heterosexual. They are mostly middle-aged and have no children, or at least, no children living at home. In other words, this group of anti-establishment pioneers is actually a closed society much like the very people who run things.
Grigsby finds the simple-livers fall into the stereotypes you would expect to find in any other middle-aged, middle-class, white group of North Americans. In simplicity circles, the men tend to take over. Everyone makes excuses for themselves when they don't live up to the expectations they think you have ("I see Costco as a heartless, spiritless, communityless operation, but some things are half-price there.")
The book's conclusion is a comprehensive list of steps the voluntary simplicity movement can take to achieve its goals, for instance, expand the group beyond its heterogeneous boundaries in order to get new input and different ideas on how to make voluntary simplicity work. Grigsby's list is practical and realistic.
Grigsby mentions that this book came out of her work on a dissertation, so there's a fair amount of sociological jargon. Still, it is a readable book on a compelling subject, and her findings should jar some of the more self-satisfied simple-livers. It is original and at times, unexpected. (A comparison of voluntary simplicity with Wicca threw me for a loop until I saw that Grigsby's dissertation advisor has written articles on witchcraft. Aha.)
Book Description
These puzzles, created by the country's top constructors, are smart, challenging, and fun. The back cover is constructed of extra-heavyweight board, providing firm support for ease in puzzling on the sofa or in bed. And the books make perfect, thoughtful gifts for senior citizens or anyone else who might appreciate the large, easy-to-read print.
Book Description
A collection of one hundred daily-size puzzles from the pages of
The New York Times, all in an easy-to-read format.
Customer Reviews:
Not just for people with vision loss.......2001-12-21
I bought this as a present for my parents because they like to do crossword puzzles together. The large print crossword puzzles make it easier for two people to work on a crossword puzzle at the same time. And, of course, the NY times puzzles are excellent.
The New York Times Large Pring Crossword Puzzle Omnibus.......2000-12-06
I bought this for my 91 year old Grandmother for Christmas. She has always enjoyed reading, and loves word games to keep her mind active. Even though she needs to write down that I visited so she can remember to tell others who came to the house, she can still do a mean crossword puzzle! She said she'd be doing them all year until next Christmas!
Just when you need it the most...........2000-09-21
I purchased this book as a gift that fills a certain need. My mother-in-law LOVES crossword puzzles. Recently, however, she has had a serious loss of vision. This book gives her the challenge of newspaper crosswords while providing her with the fun of maintaining a passion. Bravo!
Book Description
Large word type.
Generously sized grids.
Easily seen numbers in the boxes.
125 Puzzles in every book.
No wonder these volumes have the seal of approval from the NAVH (National Association of Visually Handicapped).
They're challenging for the brain, but not hard on the eyes, so everyone can enjoy some puzzle fun. Crosswords can keep the mind sharp, but if your sight has weakened through the years, of if you're vision-impaired, you might have to strain to read both the words of the clues and the numbers in the boxes. That can be frustrating--and cause even the most determined puzzlers to put down the crossword. Not anymore, because every one of these large-print puzzles--125 crosswords in each collection--takes two pages, so they're easy to see and to fill out. And these cunning puzzles will really please, covering a variety of subjects and offering a real test of your word smarts.
Customer Reviews:
Mis-leading title.......2006-02-26
Don't find out the hard way as I did,that this book is the same book titled "100 Challenging Crosswords".It has just been printed in large print.I think it should have been given the same title as you wouldn't know this untill you recieved it.
Book Description
For puzzlers who want to strain their minds-not their eyes, featuring: -Fifty great New York Times puzzles in an easy-to-read, easy-to-carry book -Two pages per puzzle.
Customer Reviews:
A GREAT PUZZLE BOOK !!.......2001-02-27
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK FOR MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO IS IN A NURSING HOME. SHE LOVES IT ! SHE STILL LIKES TO KEEP ACTIVE AND BUSY AND THIS REALLY FILLS THE BILL !!
Average customer rating:
- Among the best for puzzle fans.
- What's a five-letter word for five stars?
|
Large-Print Crosswords Challenge #2 (Large Print Crosswords Challenge)
Daniel Stark
Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
 General
| Crosswords
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Puzzles
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 156138609X |
Book Description
These 104 challenging crossword puzzles, created by the nations' top constructors, are taken from past editions of the popular Crosswords series by Mel Rosen, a respected cruciverbalist. Designed to meet the standards of the National Association for the Visually Handicapped (NAVH), it features an extra-heavy-duty back cover for comfortable and convenient puzzling.
Customer Reviews:
Among the best for puzzle fans........2002-09-14
Crossword puzzles in this series are some of my mom's favorites.
They are wire-bound, making it easier to lay them flat and get down to business. But she would prefer they be laid out on single pages, and have larger type.
The puzzles are challenging without being overwhelming. These are roughly comparable to those found in the NY Times and LA Times, in both level of difficulty and in their design.
A pretty safe bet for fans, but no 5th star for the reasons above.
What's a five-letter word for five stars?.......2001-06-23
This series is easy to read and laid out conveniently. The puzzles are challenging without being insane. These are my mom's current favorites, and I would recommend them to fans of the crossword puzzles appearing in the NY Times or LA Times.
Product Description
More than 100 puzzles to test your knowledge, Challenge your memory and ultimatly boggle your mind!
Book Description
Expanded to a larger size for ease in working each of the fifty Bible-based puzzles-especially for the puzzle enthusiasts who have a difficult time handling the smaller editions.
Book Description
If you've heard about Skype--and who hasn't with all the recent media attention devoted to internet telephone services--chances are you've been mighty tempted to try it out. Skype Hacks tells you what all the Skype hype is about, explains the basics, and shows you more than 100 clever tips and tricks for tweaking and tuning Skype to make it do just what you want and more.
Millions of people (48 million and counting, in fact) have opted for Skype, which uses peer-to-peer (P2P) technology to turn any PC, Mac, or Pocket PC into a telephone. Skype offers free calls between computers and extremely cheap calls to "old-fashioned" phone numbers (landlines and mobile phones). The sound quality is excellent, and end-to-end encryption means the connection is private and secure.
But if you really know what you're doing, Skype can accomplish a whole lot more than that. Software developer and author Andrew Sheppard recently converted his entire house to Skype and uses it for all his personal and business calls, even when he's traveling. In Skype Hacks, he shows you how to do things with the technology that even the engineers at Skype probably never intended.
Skype Hacks shows you how to:
- Get started with Skype
- Figure out how much money you're saving and maximize your savings
- Cut the ties to your old phone company
- Optimize your Skype configuration
- Integrate Skype with desktop tools like Microsoft Office and your web browser
- Set up a Skype-based call center
The book offers ideas for creating and organizing a contacts list, using Skype to transfer files, taking advantage of chat and voicemail capabilities, turning a PDA into a mobile phone, and automating Skype for even greater efficiency. So whether you'd simply like to give Skype a trial run, you want new Skype ring tones and fun on-hold music, or you're considering wiring your home with Skype to get rid of "regular" phone service altogether, Skype Hacks is your ideal guide.
Customer Reviews:
Save your money for more SkypeOut minutes.......2006-09-05
A generally well-written book, but offers few nifty insights to save more money or get more service. Look, download Skype and start using it; if you want to go beyond what's obvious from simple use, google will have what few insights are out there; no book will offer a wealth of tips because Skype isn't that kind of produce/service. Secret commands or "hacks" just don't exist for Skype.
And why does the author put that bizzare tip on how to physically cut your phone lines??
The one thing I really wanted to have more info on--how to integrate Skype long distance into your existing home phones with Skype's products under Shop->Accessories--the book barely mentioned as Option 1 of several. Very little help.
VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!.......2006-08-20
Are you a novice or a hardcore Skyper who wants to play with Skype's innards? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Andrew Sheppard, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that shows you how to save money by using Skype; and, how to remove boundaries imposed by having lived within the confines of your regular phone system for so long, a system that has been in stasis for decades--dumb, lifeless, and unmoving.
Sheppard, begins by explaining what Skype is and how it works, and introduces Skype's main features. Then, the author focuses on the economics of Skype and the ways of figuring potential savings. Next, he focuses on Skype configuration, by showing you how to improve performance, and customize Skype to meet your individual needs. The author then shows you how to improve and enhance your communication while on the move. He continues by showing you the fun and playful side of Skype. Then, the author shows you how to hack around with Skype's other major features; namely, instant messaging or chat, and voicemail. Next, he shows you how to have the visibility you require within the Skype community, and how you can be secure against some of the more common risks encountered by Skype users. The author continues by showing you how to deal with Skype limitations. Then, the author gives you a glimpse of Skype add-on products and tools that are currently available, and a sense of what is yet to come. Finally, he introduces you to the Skype API and how you can extend Skype's functionality and automate repetitive tasks using scripting methods: VBScript on Windows, Python on Linux, and AppleScript on Mac OS X.
This most excellent book aims to liberate your imagination and show, in a practical hands-on way, how Skype can do amazing new things--sometimes things that even its creators never envisioned. More importantly, this book shows you how to make Skype work for you.
A range of new possibilities for those tired of the confusion of internet telephony options.......2006-06-05
Andrew Sheppard's Skype Hacks: Tips & Tools For Cheap, Fun, Innovative Phone Service tells how to make the Internet telephony Skype application work well. Haven't heard of Skype? It brings a range of new possibilities for those tired of the confusion of internet telephony options, and Skype Hacks covers all the basics; from how to set up a Skype server and put shortcuts on the computer to avoiding Skype problems and spammers. The program may be newer but the idea of money-saving internet telephony just went up a notch with the ease Skype Hacks Offers.
Download the program, get this book, enjoy quality VOIP at home.......2006-04-20
Skype is one of the most popular VOIP applications for the individual user and small office on the market today. If you have already installed it or are considering installing it then you will want this book so you can configure it to work the way you want it to work and head off any problems before they occur. The first thing I have to say about Skype is that it is so user friendly that many of the hacks in this book are unnecessary. It is easy enough to figure out how to make conference calls, transfer calls, forward calls and do various other common tasks. On the other hand, there are a lot of useful tips including how to claim your money back if something goes wrong, avoiding additional mobile phone charges, building a Skype server, working with routers, using Skype at work, working with privacy issues, and add-on products. Because Skype is a peer-to-peer network service it is very important to understand the privacy and security issues and the author does a great job of both explaining them as well as how to work with them. Skype Hacks is highly recommended for advanced computer users or anyone responsible for administering Skype in a business environment.
The first book you should get after downloading Skype..........2006-02-01
Given that I have a number of international colleagues, you'd think that Skype would be a must-have piece of software for me. But I downloaded it during the initial beta and it never really gained traction on my radar screen. All that may now change after reading Skype Hacks - Tips & Tools for Cheap, Fun, Innovative Phone Service by Andrew Sheppard.
Contents: Start Using Skype; Save Money with Skype; Configure Skype; Tweak and Tune Skype; Skype at Work; Mobile Skype; Skype Fun and Play; Skype Chat and Voicemail; Security and Privacy; Quirks, Gotchas, and Workarounds; Skype Add-Ons and Tools; Automate Skype; Index
Skype has become the path of least resistance for people starting to explore Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, because its easy and free. When I first downloaded Skype during the beta period, it seemed like an interesting concept. But I found that most of the people I'd want to talk with weren't on Skype. Now it's changed, and I think I'll be running Skype on a regular basis. Skype Hacks takes a pretty comprehensive tour through the software and covers 100 "hacks" (tips and tricks) you can do to get the most out of the software. For some, the first couple of chapters will be more than enough... how to get started on Skype, how to set the software up, and how you can use Skype to replace your regular phone (or at least reduce your monthly bills). But if you're already past that point, the rest of the chapters will allow you to venture into areas you may not have known about. For instance, the Automate Skype chapter shows a number of scripts you can use to interact with Skype programmatically. Great if you want to have an agent send you a chat message when something is completed. Or take the Skype Add-Ons chapter... There's a website called skyperunner.com that allows you to send a chat message to a Skype user without having to be logged on to the service. Great if you want to send a message to someone in an asynchronous fashion. And using Skype to practice your foreign language skills with willing Skype users around the world was something that never occurred to me...
So, if you've downloaded Skype and used the basic functionality, great. A copy of this book will take you to the next step and open up some interesting possibilities...
Books:
- Younger Than That Now: The Collected Interviews with Bob Dylan
- 100 Tips For Guitar You Should Have Been Told (includes CD)
- 1000 Record Covers (Taschen 25)
- 1791: Mozart's Last Year
- A Year With Swollen Appendices: The Diary of Brian Eno
- All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul
- And It Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years
- Arlen Roth's Masters of the Telecaster
- Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble
- Barbra: The Way She Is
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Inventory Accuracy: People, Processes, & Technology
- History: Fiction or Science
- Triple-Entry Bookkeeping and Income Momentum
- A Music Producer's Thoughts to Create By
- Bookkeeping for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide to Nonprofit Accounting
- Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide
- Exploring Mesoamerica
- A Managerial Accounting Primer: Corporate Approach
- Work Engendered: Toward a New History of American Labor
- Animal Advocacy and Englishwomen, 1780-1900: Patriots, Nation, and Empire
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
The Vibe History of Hip Hop
And It Don't Stop: The Best American Hip-Hop Journalism of the Last 25 Years
Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists
Back In The Days
