Tell Me Why: The Beatles: Album by Album, Song by Song, the Sixties and After

Book Description

A fully updated and revised edition of the classic album-by-album, song-by-song study of the Beatles.

A unique combination of musical analysis and cultural history, Tell Me Why stands alone among Beatles books with its single-minded focus on the most important aspect of the band: its music. Riley offers a new, deeper understanding of the Beatles by closely considering each song and album they recorded in an exploration as rigorous as it is soulful. He tirelessly sifts through the Beatles discography, making clear that the legendary four were more than mere teen idols: they were brilliant innovators who mastered an extremely detailed art. Since the first publication of Tell Me Why in 1988, new primary source material has appeared--Paul McCartney's authorized biography, the Anthology CDs and videos, the complete Parlophone-sequenced albums on CD, the Live at the BBC sessions, and the global smash 1. Riley incorporates all the new material in an update that makes this a crucial book for Beatles fans.

Customer Reviews:

Getting the Beat out of the Beatles.......2007-05-03

I did not like the Beatles when I first heard them in high school, but by the time Sgt. Pepper came out, I had matured enough to discover that they were a very special phenomenon. Now there are so many books about them that it is hard to know what to read to get the best sense of their contribution to music. I recommend Tim Riley's book for that purpose. The best thing about this book is that it will increase your sensitivity to the Beatles creative art as you listen to their songs. If you pay attention, you will be able to hear the way Paul brings the bass in to support the lead guitar or to counter the drums. You can hear how Ringo changes the beat in accord with what the song is trying to convey, and you have a better sense of how the words and music work together.

As other reviewers have noted, it does require some knowledge of music, notably chord theory, to understand some of the details, I do not think it is entirely necessary. I know just enough about chords to understand major and minor changes and what they mean to the music, but I get lost when he goes into descriptions of the tonic and dominant. You will also need to know a lot about percussion, because he refers not generally to Ringo's drumming, but to what he is using (high hats, tom-toms, snare, etc.). It is clear from this book that Ringo contributed more to the group than he is usually credited with doing. He is the one, according to Riley, who was able to subdue his ego and try to keep everything together with his beat and ability to complement everyone else.

Riley likes John Lennon the best and tends to favor whatever Lennon did, albeit not uncritically. He gives Paul a rougher time, putting down any song that lacks an edge or an angle as another "silly love song" unless it rises to the level of a standard such as "Yesterday." Unlike other reviewers, I did not find his analysis of George Harrison's contribution to be all that insulting, but I do think he understated Harrison's contributions as a forward looking instrumentalist. Riley has a low opinion of the vocal abilities of both Starr and Harrison, but it is true that both (and a lot of other singers) suffer in comparison to both Lennon and McCartney, whose vocalizing was overshadowed by their composing talent.

You also need to understand that he is writing his opinions of the meanings of the lyrics and the reasons the Beatles did certain things musically. His bias shows clearly. He admires the group and his disappoint over some of their less than stellar creations is palpable. It is a very high standard that they set for themselves and, although Riley acknowledges the timeless nature of their best work, he is scathing in his criticism of their more mediocre efforts. Bruce Greenfield's review is correct in saying that Riley pontificates a bit too much. I also found it irritating that he claims to know exactly what the lads were trying to do with each note and word. Again, these are only Riley's opinions. Another problem I had with that is that he goes into great detail on the songs he likes and admires, but if a song does not measure up to that, he will give it a sentence or two, dismissively.

I found value in the book from his ability to explain some of the innovations the Beatles developed from the very beginning of their career. A few of these are almost common knowledge to rock fans, such as the use of feedback at the start of "I Feel Fine" to George Harrison's introduction of the sitahr. There are some very good insights that never occurred to me, though. Riley points out that the lyrics to "She Loves You" break new ground in that although it is sung in the first person, the singer is speaking to a friend rather than to the listener. Their music conveys a sense of excitement and joy in carrying this good news. Another example is from McCartney's bridge in "Day in the Life," which is marked by a quicker sharper beat from Ringo. Riley notes that this beat evokes the "corporate precision" of every day life, but notes that while this may seem like waking from Lennon's nightmare verses, it becomes hard to tell who is singing about the real nightmare.

You really have to listen to the song while reading the book and even then, it is often hard to hear what Riley is writing about. He devotes a lot of words to explaining how different sounds come from the right, left or center in stereo, but I found it hard to detect these even after numerous playing. Perhaps, as others have pointed out, it is very hard to hear without the 1982 masters.

Riley uses the albums that were originally issued on Parlophone and neither the US Capitol releases (which were a greedy manipulation of the buying public while sacrificing the art of the Beatles created in sequencing the songs) nor CDs. Younger readers will have difficulty relating to his idea of endings and beginnings of vinyl sides, which CDs have rendered meaningless.

In the second edition, Riley gives a bow to Mark Lewisohn's book "The Beatles Recording Sessions," which is a description based on Lewisohn's hearing of all of the Beatle's master tapes. This book has its own insights and I would recommend it as a less harsh book than this one. Riley did not have the use of Lewisohn's book in writing "Tell Me Why," and it is clear that he would have benefited from it. The two authors disagree on a number of points so it would is useful to have the balance of their opposing views.

A Celebration of The Beatles' Music........2007-04-05

I loved this book. I don't know why so many people seemed to have a problem with it. Tim Riley is a knowledgable music critic,schooled in musical theory and an expert on classical music. He also absolutely adores the Beatles' music. With very few exceptions,he loves everything they ever did and tells,in great detail exactly what it was musically,that made them so special. Each and every song from Love Me Do to Let it Be,just like the title says,album by album, song by song. Actually,my love of the Beatles' music is a viceral thing. From the moment I first heard the opening chords of I Want to Hold Your Hand,this music seemed to enter my blood stream. I still get the same feeling whenever I listen to certain favorite songs,or hear their voices in harmony. But I never understood it in musical theory terms. The chord progressions, changes from major to minor chords in the same song, this had never been done before in pop music, only classical,until the Beatles. This is what excited everybody about their music but only other musicians can describe it accurately. Us lay people just think, "that song makes me cry" or "wow, I've never heard anything like this before". Riley dissects each song,practically note by note,every guitar lick,bass line, and drum fill. He particularly loves Rubber Soul and Revolver sighting them as two of the greatest albums of all time. He also loves Please Please Me, With the Beatles, and A Hard Day's Night. So he doesn't just give their later music a lot of acclaim,which would have been annoying. He feels that all of these albums were important, along with Abbey Road and the White Album. He describes them in a way that makes you think of them as little works of art. Each one pivotal and ground breaking in their own unique way. He also describes why each Beatle was wonderful and essential to the greatness of each song and album. He never lets you forget that they were an ensemble. He worships John and Paul's singing, calling McCartney's voice, "peerless". He details their songwriting and George's. He talks about how BOTH Lennon and McCartney were melodists, not only McCartney. He points out Paul's melodic,inventive bass lines,George and John's brilliant guitar work (not just George's like other books have). And he loves Ringo,calling his drumming underrated, because it was. He goes into so much detail about Ringo's drumming that it made me sit up and take notice of it also. Listen to 'Rain' and 'Ticket to Ride' and Ringo's live drumming, which he also loves. He dissects the Live at the BBC cds, and after reading that long section,I've begun to listen to all the things he hears on them. I see what a great live band they were. This book made me listen to their music from a fresh perspective, and I realize that I never really HEARD their music until now. There is so much going on, on their records. So much to listen to. While reading this book you need to have a cd player handy and a good pair of head phones with a bass booster. You need to be able to hear what he's talking about. In this new edition there is a section added which details the 3 Antology CDs, Live at the BBC,and others that have been released since the first edition of this book came out, in 1988.There is also a section on the solo records. You don't have to be a musician to enjoy this book either. You just have to be a fan of Beatle music.

Beatle Theory.......2007-02-13

I love this book. The author's trenchant, insightful analysis of the Beatles' music is nothing short of scholarly. He brilliantly discusses what the Beatles used to create their own unique sound. Fans will no doubt love and appreciate the Beatles all the more.

Tim Riley's research into the background of each Beatle is accurate and well done. He piques readers' interest in the group all the more by making them more aware of the influences that led them to create the songs they did.

This book is one musicians, guitarists in particular will love. Readers are treated to discussions of chord progressions so as to play Beatle songs the Beatles' way.

Very Enjoyable Book.......2006-09-22

I enjoyed this book immensely. I appreciated the song-by-song analysis from someone who obviously is a true scholar of music -- his articulation of what were the ingredients that went into making the Beatles' music so great truly enhanced my appreciation of them.

His knowledge of biographical and historical information -- such priceless vignettes as John's gleeful enjoyment of an obscure, chaotic Side B by a one-hit wonder group -- puts their music in a wider context, further deepening our understanding of how their music developed.

I dabble in music theory so I did appreciate the technical aspects of the book, such as getting into chord progression and such. I read this book many times -- it has provided me with many enjoyable hours.

Not for the Casual Fan or Non-Musician.......2005-12-31

"Tell Me Why" is a good look at the Beatles for what they are remembered for: the music. Long after all the gossip and backbiting and innuendos are forgotten, that is all that remains. And if you are a casual fan and only have "Tell Me Why" to guide you, I wish you the best luck in the world.

Tim Riley is a professional music critic, which means apparently that he thinks his audience will understand every musical notation cited in the text. If you really love discussing the difference between G chords and A chords, this will make your day. But for the rest of us, it's a bit much at times.

To be fair, though, if you get through the musician-speak without beating your head against the wall, you'll find that the book does a fairly fantastic job of getting at the heart of the music. By eschewing flowery discussions of the Beatles' history and concentrating on the music itself, Riley ends up creating a look at the creative process rarely dissected with such skill.

Riley has his opinions and isn't afraid to state them, especially in regards to what he considers the "fallow" period of late 1967 (after the release of the much-hyped Sgt. Pepper). Riley also pulls no punches in holding Paul McCartney's feet to the fire for his abandonment of the risk-taking that characterized his partnership with Lennon, instead becoming the pop-song behemoth that we all love to hate. The portrait that emerges of the Beatles as a group is that of a multitalented band with endless streams of talent on which to draw, with even their lesser efforts (Magical Mystery Tour, Let It Be, etc) having some worth not found in other music from the era.

Mark Hertsgaard's masterful "A Day In The Life" is probably a better selection for those who are casual or half-hearted fans, because it covers much of the same territory with little of the dedication to music-speak that colors some of the best passages in this book. But for a simple, nuts-and-bolts look at what made the Beatles' music special, and as a discussion of each and every song they ever recorded, "Tell Me Why" is hard to beat.

In the end, there is just the music. And it is a body of music worthy of such discussion as to have countless books written about it. But "Tell Me Why" is a nice one-book source for much of the motivation behind each song the Fab Four committed to vinyl, even if it's overboard with the musical composition language. If you can overcome that, you might find a good book about why the Beatles matter long after their last performance together.

Tell Me Why The Beatles : Album by Album Song by Song The Sixties & After a Beatles Commentary

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Tell Me Why The Beatles : Album by Album Song by Song The Sixties & After a Beatles Commentary
Tim Riley
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JJWJVK

TELL ME WHY, A BEATLES COMMENTARY - THE BEATLES: ALBUM BY ALBUM, SONG BY SONG, THE SIXTIES AND AFTER

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TELL ME WHY, A BEATLES COMMENTARY - THE BEATLES: ALBUM BY ALBUM, SONG BY SONG, THE SIXTIES AND AFTER
Tim Riley
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OM8MVI

Tell Me Why: The Beatles: Album by Album, Song by Song, the Sixties and After

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Tell Me Why: The Beatles: Album by Album, Song by Song, the Sixties and After
Tim (Author) Riley
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSN03M

Book Description

Designed to help readers become critical thinkers about technology not simply consumers of technology. The readings span a broad range of topics and genres (and include alternative readings available on a World Wide Web site connected to the book). An abundance of writing-to-learn and writing-to-communicate assignments provide practice in crafting reflective pieces, thoughtful analyses of issues, argumentative discourse, research proposals, multimedia projects, and other kinds of electronic writing aimed at on-line discussion groups.

Customer Reviews:

Literacy, Technology, and Society: Ancient Issues.......2005-11-18

"Literacy, Technology, and Society, Confronting the Issues", edited by Gail E. Hawisher and Cynthia L. Selfe is a textbook made up of a collection of essays that were published in popular presses from around the world. The essays are all based on technological issues. Specifically, the essays regard issues of social life, education, ethics and law, gender, and government. The text also offers comic relief with cartoons, interesting images, and advertisements. After every essay there is a "Thinking and Re-Reading" and a "Writing and Learning" section to help understand and elaborate on the essay.
The essays in the text are quite interesting and informative and even though they are based on technological issues they can be understood by anyone who does not know much about technology. Although the essays are interesting and informative the text was published in the year 1997. Because technology evolves rapidly some of the issues in the text are distant from the issues we have with technology today.
"Literacy, Technology, and Society, Confronting the Issues", is a very enlightening textbook concerning interesting topics of technological issues. The only problem with the book is that it is timeworn considering how technology has advanced since the year 1997. I believe that the book was much more practical eight years ago than it is today.

"Technologically" Outdated.......2003-10-15

"Literacy, Technology, and Society" by Gail E. Hawisher and Cynthia L. Selfe did not impress me much. The book contains articles about the combination of technology and other aspects of society. I found the articles to be very outdated and not consistent with today's technology. I expected the book to be helpful in introducing the thoughts on today's technological advancements and problems that occur, instead I found myself reading articles that were written in the late 80's to the early 90's. It boggled my mind, I felt as if I was reading a history time-line of the "new and amazing" Internet. The Internet today is definitely not as controversial as it is presented in some of the articles. A perfect example would be "Welcome to Cyberia" written by M. Kadi back in 1994. Kadi seems to think of the Internet as this terrible new thing that is only used by rich white males and costs $120 per month. The author seems so bitter towards the same service that many Americans use on a daily basis today. It is very outdated, quite boring, and somewhat pointless. There are actually a few positives about this book that I will explain, but they do not outweigh the negatives.

I purchased this book for my Intro. English college course, luckily there were many used books available and it was priced at about $38, which is a pretty good deal compared to many other textbooks. But, now that I have actually read some of the content of the book, I realize why there were so many used books. There is no use or value in this book beyond a class required text. I cannot see myself using or referring to this text for any purpose in the future. It cannot even be used as a very credible reference because all of the contents are taken from other sources. Even though there are many faults, there are a few good aspects of the book.

The text is organized in a easy and simple manner. Even though all of the articles deal with technology, they are separated in specific categories. These categories are organized as follows: Social Issues and Technology, Education and Technology, Ethics, Law, and Technology, Gender and Technology, and Government and Technology. The organization allows for teachers to pick a focal point on assignments. We had class discussions on articles in specific sections in this manner. The professor assigned articles (usually with opposing views on a topic) and we discussed them in class. Discussing the articles is a beneficial to students because it is interactive learning. (But I cannot credit the text with that, because it depends on who is teaching the class).

What I found helpful was the questions at the end of each article. Answering the questions makes the reader think and read critically about the style, tone, and different writing mechanisms in the article. They help in deciphering the articles more in depth than just words and ideas.

A very good aspect is the additional appendices at the end of the book. They help aid the reader in a deeper understanding of an issue and clarify unanswered questions the reader may have about a specific article. Appendix D: Bill of Rights, helped me comprehend the way Jesse Lemisch, who wrote "The First Amendment Is Under Attack in Cyberspace," actually interpreted the First Amendment, and which specific part the author feels most strongly about, in this case the freedom of speech. Another good addition are the Extended Writing Activities that are inserted at the end of each section. They're another tool to help the reader go more in depth with the articles and think more critically of what he or she is reading.

As for the overall appeal of this book, it is boring. It is all black and white with some poor attempts at making it entertaining by employing random technological advertisements. They don't quite do the trick. I found myself getting bored and sleepy while reading the articles. This is in part because many of the articles are too wordy and lose their effectiveness.

I would not recommend this book as a good instructional tool, especially in technology. "Technology," the word itself hints towards advancement, new things, and new knowledge. Everything in this book is old, outdated, and passed. It reminds me more of a history book about the Internet, than "...,Technology, and Society."

Confronting issues.......2003-10-15

"Literacy, Technology, and Society" written by Gail Hawisher and Cynthia Selfe, really confronts the issues of technology. This is a book enriched with articles discussing the different matters of technology. The authors' opinions in these articles vary to the opinions of cited work. While readers go through these articles it will be obvious that the book was designed to help students think critically about articles covering various issues on technology. In my opinion, "Literacy, Technology, and Society " can serve as a good and useful introduction to college students during their earlier years while taking English classes. Most High School students do not do enough readings in English classes and college has definitely higher standards and more requirements that have to be satisfied. The articles presented will satisfy the need for understanding and practicing critical thinking, for both beginners and those who are interested in more knowledge of technology.
Regardless of the negativity of some articles due to the complications or understanding such as "Myth information" written by Langdon Winner on page 42. The organization of other articles throw off readers because the paragraphs are not connected. An example is, Common Law for the Electronic Frontier, written by Anne Branscomb on page 315. In some other articles information given by the author was outdated such as in Welcome to Cyberia, written by M. Kadi on page 37. Inaccurate information and lack of citation is another complication such as in Paul Strassmann's article "Information Systems and Literacy" on page 134(show and example here and cite it). Also "Welcome to Cyberia" written by M. Kadi on page 37. Steve Silberman's article "We're Teen, We`re Queer, and We`ve Got E-Mail" on page 58 was not even cited. Finding these negativities about these articles prove that I have been thinking critically while reading them.
Some articles really deserve to be read because the issues they discussed are very informative and interesting and some have not been introduced before. "We're Teen, We're Queer, We've Got E-mail" and "Welcome to Cyberia" are examples of this.
We're Teen, We're Queer, and We've Got E-mail" is an article written by Steve Silberman. This article shows how homosexual teenagers can benefit from the internet, more precisely by E-mail. Gay teenagers have difficulties expressing themselves and revealing their identities to other people because they fear of being not welcomed. However this article unmasks the kind of people who can be participating online. This point came through a gay teenager's writings :"I would like to write to someone that I can talk to about issues I can't talk about with my friends" (Silverman p.59). In the article, "Welcome to Cyberia", the author informs us about technology and at the same time complains about the cost of entering the cyberspace or internet, and the limited numbers of individuals who choose to spend their free time on line. These two factors, cost and time, will definitely affect the diversity of the online Population. This fact is shown when the writer says: "People are drawn to topics and folders that interest them and therefore people will only meet people who are interested in the same topics in the same folders" (Kadi p.40). The article " Information Systems and Literacy ", defines the word literacy and presents communication in different ways and times. Also, the writer presents data and charts that support the given information in the article even though they were not accurate. Barbara Kantrowitz In the article " The information gap " compares the students in poor and rich schools, and the ones who use and do not use computers regularly. She tells the audience to all share the same problems which create the information gap. She uses the word choice to make the article clear and easy to understand to all types of readers. The article has all three different rhetorical appeals. The example of the two students Kantrowitz started the article with falls under the emotion or pathos rhetorical appeal because it gets the reader's attention when he/she feels bad for Michael who had no computer at home. Then, logic comes along because the information provided in the article is true and visible to readers. Authority is also presented in the quotes given in the article which certainly support it. The article in general is well organized and the writer's ideas are connected to each other, they don't get the reader lost or make it unable to see the connection of sentences. However, the article's length didn't affect the issue the author was trying to present. The article " The First Amendment Is Under Attack in Cyberspace by Jesse Lemiseh, tries to persuade the readers that the first amendment is being attacked. The author stated that to accomplish the purpose of persuading the readers that the first amendment is under attack in cyberspace, he has to describe the many obstacles to free speech that are later encountered in the article: " censorship, capricious rejection of messages, and a sacrifice of freedom to personal messages" (Lemiseh, p 277) . I found the articles above greatly interesting and made the whole book get my admiration. I am sure there is more similar articles listed in the book which I have not read yet.
One other negativity about the book is the price of it. I think it is a little too much for it. $51.00 can buy a lot more than one book. There should be a more encouraging price for the people to purchase it even it is not required.
Despite the negativities, I believe the book is still good and can be very useful to all types of readers. This information given in it is very valuable.

Literacy, Technology and Society: Confronting the Issues.......2003-10-15

I have read many reviews for books and textbooks, but none are going to be as useful for both students and teachers alike as this one. Literacy, Technology, and Society: Confronting the Issues is a compilation of essays and articles most of which have appeared in periodicals. Even though the book does a decent job in trying to get the reader to be critical of various aspects of writing such as style and context, and does try to familiarize the reader with a more technological aspect of writing composition, for many reasons which I will discuss in this review, I cannot recommend the use of this book.

A great majority of the essays which the book presents to the reader are biased, presumptive, un-factual, and most importantly severely antiquated. The latter of the flaws completely negates the purpose of the book; technology in today's society. In reading the books preface, the reader is informed of the authors' intent, of which can best be summed up when the authors write, "the essays and accompanying apparatus are intended to immerse students in the kinds of reading, writing, thinking, and activities that foster critical inquiry and response." The authors also states that they believe another audience, one in which is involved with working in computers and composition studies, would be able to use this text as a resource for their on teaching. I might be wrong in thinking this, and I mean that sarcastically, but I do not believe that college students who are involved with working in computers would be able to benefit from articles so absurdly outdated.

"Welcome to Cyberia" written by M. Kadi, is prime example of how old and antiquated some of these articles are. Kadi's entire article is based upon a now false premise that internet costs, on average, approximately $120 a month for limited internet access. She states that because of the approximate $120 a month internet fee, that the internet itself is severely limited in its diversity. To come to this amount, she describes internet connection rates ranging from $3 to $10 an hour! But that's not where it ends. My favorite example of how grossly outdated this article is can be found in this excerpt: "for purposes of this essay, we will examine the smallest of the major user-friendly commercial services-America Online (AOL)." No one in America could argue that this could be any more false. American Online is now, by far, the LARGEST online community. Literacy, Technology and Society: Confronting the Issues... yeah right. How can you confront the issues if, because their so outdated, the quote on quote "issues" don't even exist any more.

The organization in this book is also very poor. It is divided into 5 sections; Social Issues and Technology, Education and Technology, Ethics, Law, and Technology, Gender and Technology, and finally Government and Technology. One great example of the book being organized inadequately can be seen in the Information and Technology section. The authors choose to put the article, The Information Gap, by Barbary Kantrowitz, into this category. The entire premise of Barbara Kantrowitz's article is the gender gap in the use of computers and technology. This article is misplaced, and should be located in the Gender and Technology section, not the Information and Technology section. Disorganization greatly destroys the credibility of any book especially, and I don't know how to stress the word especially enough, in a textbook.

I would also like to use this article to point out a great example of how biased and generalized some of the articles in the book can be. Kantrowitz writes her thesis and her entire article, describing how much of a gender gap there is in technology and computers, completely based on one example. How can you make any assumptions on as grand of a scale as she does, based on one article? It blows my mind.

I could not get past the fact that so many of the essays in the book were are biased, presumptive, un-factual, and for the most part outdated. My recommendation is not to buy this edition of this text, and for teachers not to use this in their curriculum. I would hope that the authors come out with a completely updated and revised edition, one in which they paid more attention to the articles found in it.

Literacy, Technology, And Society: Confronting The Issues.......2003-10-15

Book Description

The current and definitive reference broadcast engineers need!

Compiled by leading international experts, this authoritative reference work covers every aspect of broadcast technology from camera to transmitter - encompassing subjects from analogue techniques to the latest digital compression and interactive technologies in a single source.

Written with a minimum of maths, the book provides detailed coverage and quick access to key technologies, standards and practices. This global work will become your number one resource whether you are from an audio, video, communications or computing background. Composed for the industry professional, practicing engineer, technician or sales person looking for a guide that covers the broad landscape of television technology in one handy source, the Broadcast Engineer's Reference Book offers comprehensive and accurate technical information.

Get this wealth of information at your fingertips!

· Utilize extensive illustrationsmore than 1200 tables, charts and photographs.
· Find easy access to essential technical and standards data.
· Discover information on every aspect of television technology.
· Learn the concepts and terms every broadcaster needs to know.

Learn from the experts on the following technologies:

Quantities and Units; Error Correction; Network Technologies; Telco Technologies; Displays; Colourimetry; Audio Systems; Television Standards; Colour encoding; Time code; VBI data carriage; Broadcast Interconnect formats; File storage formats; HDTV; MPEG 2; DVB; Data Broadcast; ATSC Interactive TV; encryption systems; Optical systems; Studio Cameras and camcorders; VTRs and Tape Storage; Standards Convertors; TV Studios and Studio Equipment; Studio Lighting and Control; post production systems; Telecines; HDTV production systems; Media Asset Management systems; Electronic News Production Systems; OB vehicles and Mobile Control Rooms;ENG and EFP; Power and Battery Systems; R.F. propagation; Service Area Planning; Masts Towers and Antennas; Test and measurement; Systems management; and many more!

Related Focal Press titles:
Watkinson: Convergence In Broadcast and Communications Media (2001, £59.99 (GBP)/ $75.95 (USD), ISBN: 0240515099)
Watkinson: MPEG Handbook (2001, £35 (GBP)/$54.99 (USD) ISBN: 0240516567)

- A wealth of information at your fingertips, offering easy access to essential technical and standards data
- Provides information on every aspect of television technology
- Explains concepts and terms every broadcaster needs to know

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BROADCAST ENGINEER'S REFERENCE BOOK
Joe Tozer
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N5ER5Q

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Broadcast Engineer's Reference Book
EPJ Tozer
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQBRDY

Book Description

while (dead_horse)

beat ():

If you’re like most people, the above seems like nonsense. Actually, it’s computer sense—C programming. After digesting C For Dummies, 2 ^nd Edition, you’ll understand it. C programs are fast, concise and versatile. They let you boss your computer around for a change. So turn on your computer, get a free compiler and editor (the book tells you where), pull up a chair, and get going. You won’t have to go far (page 13) to find your first program example. You’ll do short, totally manageable, hands-on exercises to help you make sense of:

All 32 keywords in the C language (that’s right—just 32 words)
The functions—several dozen of them
Terms like printf(), scanf(), gets (), and puts ()
String variables, numeric variables, and constants
Looping and implementation
Floating-point values

In case those terms are almost as intimidating as the idea of programming, be reassured that C For Dummies was written by Dan Gookin, bestselling author of DOS For Dummies, the book that started the whole library. So instead of using expletives and getting headaches, you’ll be using newly acquired skills and getting occasional chuckles as you discover how to:

Design and develop programs
Add comments (like post-it-notes to yourself) as you go
Link code to create executable programs
Debug and deploy your programs
Use lint, a common tool to examine and optimize your code

A helpful, tear-out cheat sheet is a quick reference for comparison symbols, conversion characters, mathematical doodads, C numeric data types, and more. C For Dummies takes the mystery out of programming and gets you into it quickly and painlessly.

Customer Reviews:

C - -.......2007-02-18

What is C without pointers? I am not sure but it is not C. Someone at work suggested it would be C--. That might be a better title for the book. It might be OK for a very very very beginner but it would probably leave even them hungry. In all fairness it does have 2/3 of one page on pointers. The classic K&R book on the C language by the people that invented it spends about 20% of the book on pointers.

This book mostly skips structures also with a mere 1.5 pages on them. If you combined pointers and structures probably 1/3 of K&R is on them.

I really like the Dummies series. They have a unique feature that is missing in most computer books. You can read them and not fall asleep before the end of one page. I recommend you skip this book and get "C All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies". Also, (not recommended for beginners) the classic "The C Programming Language" by Kerningham and Ritche, 1988, is still in print and surprisingly readable.

Too Slow.......2006-07-27

This book isn't bad by any means, but it is just so slow.... from start to 1/2 way through, I found myself reading a page, skipping 2, and doing this for about 1/2 of the book before giving up on it and getting a better suited one for me. Before I Picked this up I had never coded C before, with only general basic and ASM knoledge, it just never moved along like it should have...

If you've never programmed, or have trouble picking up on languages, this would be ok...
but if you know another language, or find learning a new language easy, look elsewhere.

Very exxelent introductory book for C.......2006-03-09

I always wanted to learn the C language because it was the best for game programming. one time i went to the book store and bought this and i read it in less than 3 weeks and i learned a LOT about C and what it has to offer. it is introductory and very comprehensive. i like it a lot because i was learning a lot. i kept trying to read other books but none of those books were as easy to learn as this one. HOWEVER, i already had some backgroud knowledge of programming in the BLITZBASIC language and LIBERTYBASIC and others similiar to those. the only reason why i chose this book is because there weren't any other game programmign books that used one of the BASIC programming languages i mentioned above, and others said that C/C++ were the most common and most powerful languags to use for game programming. so that is probably why i understood it so well. it explains everything in plain english as it says(or a dummy's point of view). however the only reason why i gave this book a 4-star rating is because it was too in-formal for me. and sometimes i couldn't understand somethings because of the humor but i eventually figured it out :). Overall, i think its a great book to buy. note: If your just starting to learn programmign itself, and if you can't understand this book, then buy Game Programming for Teens writen by maneesh seth(i think i spelled it right). you may not want to learn game programming, but it has some very comprehensive information that can get you started. I'm 13 years old and i have been programming for almost 1 year now :).

this should be your first beginners programming book.......2005-09-23

A common mistake for people teaching themselves C++ programming is to start out with "C++ for Dummies" or "Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days". Those books will leave you confused and fustrated. This is the book you should start out with, dont get into OOP till you have a handle on structured programming syntax. This book will guide you through all of the confusing concepts painlessly and only teach you what you need to know to get past the initial confusion of writing code. I should warn you though that this book does not cover many of the advanced concepts of C like pointers and linked lists and that you are better off buying "C All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies" by the same author which will give you more complete coverage of the C language than this book.

Verry GOOD!.......2005-08-10

I liked this book.
I'm just a simple high school student that was one day sitting at my desk and going to random sites. I was interested in how computers worked, and how they were programmed. So i once typed in "www.dummies.com". It turns out that's the site for the "for Dummies" series of books. I decided to look through the section on computers I came over this book about computer programming and decided to buy it on Amazon. I got it and read through a little bit, but I just set it aside after only a few pages of reading all kinds of stuff about where the C programming language came from and how important it was. A year later, I went back to the dummies site and decided that I wanted to read some stuff on how to write game programming. I bought the book, and later found out that t I needed some experience with C programming to use the book. I remembered this book and read it all through. It was a bit complex, I'll say, but very informative. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into computer programming. You might want to check out a site like www.w3schools.com first, and read the javascript tutorial. Although javascript (website design language) and C are very different languages, they do share similar functions and commands.
This book is a perfect-sized stepping stone into the wonderful world of computer programming. You may also want to check out some books on C++ and C# programming if you are seriously considerring becoming a professional computer programmer, because these three similar languages are a good part of the base to start learning other languages and becoming a programming master.

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