Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios

Book Description

All great music has a birthplace. Temples of Sound tells the stories of the legendary studios where musical genius and a magical space came together to capture some of the most exciting jazz, pop, funk, soul, and country records ever made. From the celebrated Southern studios of Sun and Stax, to the John Coltrane/Miles Davis sessions in producer Rudy Van Gelder’s living room, to Frank Sinatra’s swinging cuts at state-of-the-art Capitol Records, each of the 15 profiles in this book brings great music to life at the moment of its creation. With a trove of never-before-seen photographs and fascinating, all-new interviews with the musicians and producers who made the records, Temples of Sound is a rich inspiration for music fans.

Customer Reviews:

+1/2 -- Fails to deliver on its excellent thematic promise.......2005-05-12

The book's stated theme, "inside the great recording studios," is a tantalizing one. Unfortunately the authors rarely deliver the reader inside the temples themselves. Instead, they spend an inordinate amount of text rehashing introductory material about artists, songs, labels, musical genres and scenes. It's not necessarily uninteresting, but it leaves readers in the lobby, rather than actually taking them into the studio.

Worse, the writing is hugely uneven. The chapter on Atlantic is just that, a chapter on the Atlantic label, with tidbits about the studios they used. The chapter on Columbia, on the other hand, does a nice job of communicating the label's producers' emotional attachment to their studios. The text itself ranges from well-written to hyperbolic ("It is indisputable: there is no one label that had as much impact on the development of rock from the 1950s to the 1970s as Chess.") and overly clever ("Everyone wanted in, and the [Chess] brothers, refashioned as record men, kept adding more pawns to the Chess set.").

What this book does accomplish is a grounding of hit songs at their physical points of creation. It untangles the juxtaposition of Top-40 radio and strips away the music industry's placelessness by re-contextualizing songs with the writers, producers, engineers and musicians who created them. Who knew that Eric Clapton's "Layla" was recorded in Florida, within the same studios that reverberated with Hank Ballard's "The Twist," The Eagles' "Hotel California," and The Bee Gees "How Deep is Your Love?"

The book's photos provide intimate views of studios in use (not to mention, under construction), it's a shame that the accompanying text isn't as fully detailed on the technical and artistic inner-workings of these "temples of sound."

It's a FUN Read.......2005-01-25

With all the documentaries out there today, it's sometimes easy to forget the expression "The Joy of Music". Thankfully, Mr. Clark stays away from trying to overanalyze every note and decision, and at times delights in the instantaneous, spur of the moment happenings that create great hits. (ie.,How the song Hold On, I'm Coming by Sam & Dave was written in about 30 minutes by Isaac Hayes! Will never hear that song the same way again.)

Each chapter is devoted to one particular studio, and some of the giants who recorded there, what gave the studio that particular sound, but more often than not, what accidental happening's created the soundtrack to so many of our lives.

With each studio covered in only a chapter, there are probably thousand's of untold stories that go along with each studio, however once again Mr. Clark hits on the highlights, and does a good job of figuring out what the reader really wants to know.

After reading a chapter, found myself pulling out various cd's of the respective studio's and enjoying them all over again.

Those were the days.......2003-12-30

"Temples of Sound" is an interesting and inspiring look at some popular American recording studios, mostly from the late 1950s and early 60s, but with a few nods to the later sixties and early 70s. (Sorry, no British studios. Abbey Road, Olympic, and Trident spring to mind - anyone want to write one?) Each chapter picks a particular studio (Sun, Chess, Motown, Western, Columbia, etc.) and gives a brief overview of its history (down to the present day; alas many of the studios no longer exist), its features, and the people who made it special, both artists and engineers. Indeed, the authors have interviewed a number of studio owners and engineers, which adds much to the text. The book certainly succeeds in being evocative - these were the days when echo chambers could be someone's bathroom, when everything was recorded on glorious analog tape, when most basic tracks were done live all in the same room with sonic leakage, and cigarette smoking in the studio was glamorous. Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, the Doors, and other greats make walk-on appearances, and there are good photographs of many of them at work. (Actually, I could have used even more photos.) The book also rescues from relative obscurity one Bill Putnam, who apparently designed many of the sweetest-sounding rooms in the country. Often there are anecdotes about the history of studio owners and their labels, which are interesting, though one might hope for even more anecdotes about the artists and recording sessions. I found myself wishing for a little bit more technical information too, about how each room was set up and what specific gear they had, though some of this is mentioned briefly. And, of course, they can't cram every studio in here - for instance, there is no chapter on Muscle Shoals. However, the book ends with a nice discography of tracks to hunt down and listen to, each associated with one of the studios, and all of which I want to listen to after reading about these places' heydays. I find this book fascinating for what it does tell us, and inspiring in its depiction of an era when artistic talent, engineering skill, and human warmth made sometimes low-tech rooms into hallowed cathedrals of sound. A good gift for anyone interested in recording, or in the 50s-60s period.

It's OK, not great.......2003-09-23

I just can't muster the enthusiasm of other reviewers for this book. Perhaps most interesting and informative are the stories of how some of the best recordings of the golden days of analog were made on a shoe string, over garages on third hand equipment. There are some insights into what made some of the studios sound unique.

The early chapters dwell lovingly on some details of the lives of the produces, engineers and some of the artists. But by the end the facts are marshaled and rushed past, leaving the reader with the distinct impression that they were included so as not to offend some egos or just to drop some names. In some cases the fact that the producers were flat out ignorant of music, rather unlikable individuals and driven by the Wall-Street motives of fear and greed are all too clear, but left between the lines.

All in all the book it left me with more questions than answers about the recording process. A decent compendium of facts about who did what when and where with a smattering of favorite artists and a few pictures to keep pop audiences happy. The authors are weakest when the crass business of the music industry intrudes into their picture of the studio as a crucible of pop art. I'd rather have more detail (even if it hurts) about a few studios or a focus on just a few top engineers and specific recording sessions.

Really interesting!.......2003-07-26

Great book, especially after recently seeing the movie, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown." A must-read for any musicologist, especially one who grew up with all of these tunes blasting from the car radio on WKNR, WXYZ and CKLW back in the 60's. And I was AMAZED by the Rudy Van Gelder story, being a fan of traditional jazz (Coltrane, et al.)

Even you fans who weren't yet born when some of these stars had already begun passing away will appreciate the "inside stories" behind much of the music you still hear today.

Average customer rating:

Entertaining look at some bizarre world views

Things More Frightening Than The Apocalypse...

Joyride to the Future

Whining, revenge-seeking

A "Must-Read" for inquiring minds w/ a sense of humor

Apocalypse Pretty Soon: Travels In End-Time America
Alex Heard
Manufacturer: Main Street Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Amazon.com

Since 1987, New York Times Magazine editor Alex Heard has scouted out Americans with out-there beliefs: people who breed red heifers to hasten Christ's Second Coming and pen books like The Dead Are Alive and If We Can Keep a Severed Head Alive; astral-plane sky pilots; homicidal survivalists. The best piece is "Welcome, Space Brothers!" about UFO fans whose leader, Ruth Norman, "combined the couture sensibilities of a drag queen with the joie de vivre of a Frisbee-chasing Irish setter." He conveys what it must be like to be one who sat rapt as Ruth spoke, "sounding like a combination of Julia Child, Aunt Clara on Bewitched, and a bossy little girl telling other little girls the rules of her playhouse."

Heard gets inside their closed systems to poke fun from within, and often puts things in historical context. You'll understand mainstream apocalyptic literature like the bestselling Left Behind thrillers far better once Heard briefs you on the whole range of stranger biblical end-times interpreters. Like David Gelernter's 1939: The Lost World of the Fair, Apocalypse Pretty Soon has a poignant sense of what commonsense culture has lost in giving up its millennial dreams.

Heard is valuable because he's thorough and genuinely interested in why Arthur Blessitt finds it blessed to drag a 105-pound cross across the globe, surviving attacks by mamba snake, crocodile, Nicaraguan firing squad, and LAPD choke hold. His book is madly funny, and deeply sad. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

The inspired madness of America's apocalyptic and pre-millennial organizations may have reached a fever pitch with the turn of the twenty-first century, but intrepid cultural traveler Alex Heard spent a ten-year period witnessing the crescendo firsthand. Heard's enthusiasm led him on errands as diverse as being a voyeur at a Republic of Texas militia standoff, accompanying an expectant UFO "greeting party" to a remote field in Minnesota, and enacting the grief of the California quail at an ad-hoc therapy group for fierce environmentalists who believe the earth is an actual living entity that's preparing to kill off its human population--and soon...or at least pretty soon.

Amazing as it may seem, however, throughout this trenchant subcultural travelogue, Heard never stoops to ridicule his subjects. As one reviewer puts it, "Heard's real achievement may be that he makes us care--in a way that is more than voyeuristic--about the colorful characters he meets on the road to the new millennium. He takes these people seriously, allows his assumptions to be challenged, and lets himself find that some of their beliefs and fears reflect his own" (San Jose Mercury News).

Apocalypse Pretty Soon will appeal to science fiction fans and students of subcultures, as well as anybody interested in way-out alternatives to the brave new world.

Amazing as it may seem, however, throughout this trenchant subcultural travelogue, Heard never stoops to ridicule his subjects. As one reviewer put it, "Heard's real achievement may be that he makes us care--in a way that is more than voyeuristic--about the colorful characters he meets on the road to the new millennium. He takes these people seriously, allows his assumptions to be challenged, and lets himself find that some of their beliefs and fears reflect his own" (San Jose Mercury News).

Now in paperback, this book will have an audience well beyond "millenniamania," from science fiction fans to students of subculture, and anybody interested in way-out alternatives to the brave new world. -->

Customer Reviews:

Entertaining look at some bizarre world views.......2003-07-19

An entertaining, funny and often sad look at some of the various personalities that make up the cultish world of millenial apocalyptic groups. The common thread here is the belief in imminent apocalyptic change by the groups through different means (alien visitation, return of Jesus, cataclysmic Earth changes, etc.).
Heard, it seems, tries to be objective and open-minded about each group at first. But when faced with the absurdity of their belief systems and after getting to know the people that form the leadership of these groups, he can't help but present a slightly more skeptical opinion. By the end of each chapter, after Heard has presented his study of the group, it's leadership, tactics, and beliefs, it's hard to not think these people are out of their minds.
The book is also a fine study in the unusual aspects of the human psyche. From the egomaniacal and seemingly deranged leaders to their willing and needy followers, Heard gives us a hard look at some of the personalities that make up these fringe groups.

Things More Frightening Than The Apocalypse..........2002-11-12

What's more frightening than the idea of an apocalypse? How 'bout all the people out there with so many freaky ideas of how and when it will come... From a psychological standpoint, this book is absolutely fascinating, darkly humorous, and yet undeniably frightening in its portrayal of people who might be neighbors or cousins of yours and mine who await an alien takeover or the return of Christ or what have you and the extent to which these hopes or fears have affected their lives and the lives of those they know and love. Obviously, the author has focused on one particular quirk of the various lives his subjects lead, and yet what is magnified for the reader are some of the most thought-provoking and bizarre ideas and behaviors I have ever encountered in print outside of an issue of Psychology Today. A book that can be aborbed and pondered by anyone with common sense and the ability to seperate reality from fantasy, I would avoid letting this fall into the hands of impressionable or highly imaginative young readers who might become fixated on some particular section and grow fearful because of it. Disturbing in both an entertaining and harrowing way, I couldn't put it down and hope for some sort of a sequel. Amazing.

Joyride to the Future.......2001-05-05

Alex Heard's adventures in the borderlands of culture remind me of the joys of listening to radical idealists of any stripe. I could feel the presence of each of his subjects, whether dreamer of a new Atlantis or channeler of benevolent, alien intelligence, or cross-bearing transcontinental walker. Each individual is a revelation in the spectrum of humanity, and most of them are endearing in distinct and peculiar ways. Heard is not unkind to either his subjects or his readers. He is a translator between "here" and "there," whose writing is so fluid and flawless that these strange world views slide into one another leaving the reader wondering how preferrable his own reality is in comparison. Read this book and be, by turns, amazed, entertained, touched, and more eager to engage the world and try out other lenses on reality.

Whining, revenge-seeking.......2000-12-07

By his own admission, Alex Heard's first chapter (deemed his "best" by reviewers) seems to be a personally motivated, whining, and revenge-seeking diatribe against a New Age nonprofit organization that caught him stealing files and photocopying them from a private back room. After he was discovered and tongue-lashed by the organization's director, Heard, in his own words, "whined and pleaded" but could not understand why members of the organization didn't seem to "like him" after the incident! He goes on and on about wanting to be accepted and liked, and the cooler his reception, the more hurt he seems to be-and bent on revenge. The book seems to have been motivated by his resulting ego deflation, perhaps to salvage some self-esteem, or to prove to himself that, despite his lapse in ethics and law-abiding manners, he was still a "reputable journalist." But he tells on himself: (a) he never met the (deceased) founder of the organization, but that doesn't stop him from lobbing at her the caliber of insults one would think twice about hurling toward a hated enemy; (b) he never read any of the books upon which the organization's beliefs were founded; (c) not finding anything sinister to report, he digresses into a tale about a totally unrelated, extremist organization from the 1950s, whose behavior and beliefs bear no resemblance to the subject of his chapter. By this juxtaposition, he tries to imply some artificial similarity. When this fails, he uses the same tactic to imply parallels to the notorious Heaven's Gate organization-again, completely unrelated in beliefs and behavior. Perhaps because of Heard's affiliation with supposedly reputable periodicals, his unethical "reporting" on this subject has been published in book form. The fact that the subject organization of Heard's first chapter did not immediately telephone police after his break-in, or at the least, ask him to leave the premises and not return, may demonstrate that he might be right on one count, if such extreme tolerance can be called "crazy"! But Heard's chapter goes on. Still not satiated because he is unable to find any "dirt" to dish (beyond criticizing the founder's fashion choices), Heard digs up an article by another writer that he quotes extensively. It features an individual who left the subject organization under a cloud, after his alcoholism and promiscuous homosexuality had come to light (he was soliciting sex from young male members). This quoted former member (now also deceased) had a grudge to avenge after his public exposure, so Heard finds in him a suitable compatriot willing to ladle up enough fabricated slander to curdle anyone's pudding. After that, I put Heard's book down. I hate to think what his other chapters have done to other organizations. Real, reputable, sincere, or out there, I guarantee that Heard's reporting is slanted to his own objectives and therefore not the "objective" tour the book's cover promises. In fact, the book seems to be nothing more than an attempt to cover up for Heard's own lapses of manners and professional ethics. He can whine all day, as artfully as he wants to, and he'll still be the kind of journalist one should never let in the front door. If I wrote about my neighborhood church using his approach, you'd think every God-fearing American was some kind of wacko waiting for pie-in-the-sky "salvation" who should be locked up for "worshipping golden crucifixes gruesomely affixed to the wall"! I could paint the same kind of picture about any group, organization, belief system, or political organization. Let's don't encourage this kind of pre-biased, revenge-seeking "journalism."

A "Must-Read" for inquiring minds w/ a sense of humor.......2000-07-22

How this really informative, well written and highly entertaining book missed being a best-seller is beyond me! We've loaned our copy to several friends who then bought a copy for themselves, and we've ordered additional copies for several others. I've read it over at least three times. If you enjoy excellent writing about off-beat characters you will love this book!

Book Description

How has American radio—once a grassroots, community-based medium—become a generic service that primarily benefits owners and shareholders and prohibits its listeners from receiving diversity of opinions, ideas, and entertainment through local programming? In The Quieted Voice: The Rise and Demise of Localism in American Radio, Robert L. Hilliard and Michael C. Keith blame the government’s continual deregulation of radio and the corporate obsession with the bottom line in the wake of the far-reaching and controversial Telecommunications Act of 1996. Fighting for greater democratization of the airwaves, Hilliard and Keith call for a return to localism to save radio from rampant media conglomeration and ever-narrowing music playlists—and to save Americans from corporate and government control of public information.

The Quieted Voice details radio’s obligation to broadcast in the public’s interest. Hilliard and Keith trace the origins of the public trusteeship behind the medium and argue that local programming is essential to the fulfillment of this responsibility. From historical and critical perspectives, they examine the decline of community-centered programming and outline the efforts of media watchdog and special interest groups that have vigorously opposed the decline of democracy and diversity in American radio. They also evaluate the implications of continuing delocalization of the radio medium and survey the perspectives of leading media scholars and experts.

Customer Reviews:

Losing local.......2005-11-18

An ambitious yet concise history and analysis of local broadcasting and its decline as the consequence of corporate greed.

Amazon.com

Combining some of today's best ideas about customer-driven object-oriented design, Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML: A Practical Approach shows you how to use Unified Modeling Language (UML) in the real world, keeping with the author's proprietary software design process.

The book begins with the genesis of the author's ICONIX Unified Object Modeling Approach, borrowing ideas and strategies from the "three amigos" who invented UML: Grady Booch, James Rumbaugh, and Ivar Jacobson. Throughout this text, the ICONIX method is used to model a stock trading system, with all the relevant UML diagrams, beginning with class definition and use cases.

The author's approach to software relies heavily on customer requirements and use case scenarios for which he has a good deal of practical advice. He provides numerous hints for avoiding bogged-down diagrams. After preliminary design, he advocates drilling down into specifics with robustness diagrams, which trace how classes interact with one another. The most detailed design work comes next with sequence diagrams.

Subsequent chapters offer tips on project management, implementation, and testing. Throughout this lively and intelligently organized book, the author presents numerous real-world tips (and Top 10 lists) that supply wisdom to his perspective on effective software design.

Written for the reader who already knows a little UML notation, Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML provides an appealing blueprint for the software design success. --Richard Dragan

Customer Reviews:

More practical...but still a tad too much for my tastes.......2007-06-19

I liked a lot of the book but still felt much of it was too much BUFD, at least for what I do. As with any UML book or article I find myself lost between the similarities and subtle differences between many of the diagrams. I figure that if I am lost then surely the business experts and stakeholders I am working with will be too. The best thing I take away from this book is the real need to develop a high-level model, develop solid use cases or user stories, and then flesh out the model to handle these user stories.

I give it 4 stars because what is too much or too little in regards to UML and modeling in general is highly subjective and should not detract from the quality of the book.

Ditto this NOT being Unified Process.......2004-03-02

I had to read this book for a class I took. Here is my interpretation of the purpose of this book:

"I think the world should have used my ICONIX process! This UML stuff is inferior. I hate UML, but I will use it to sell my book."

Fortunately, the class also used Martin Fowler's great UML Distilled book. If you want to know about UML, get that one instead!

Not Unified Process.......2003-07-03

If you are looking for a book on the Unified Process (as I was), then this book is not for you. This book covers the author's Iconix process. Considering the book's title I would have expected it to examine use cases and UML more than it does.

I was really intereted in the Unified Process. But, the Iconix methodology is a good one, and were it to be more prevalent in the industry I would take a harder look at it.

Heresy! This is ICONIX, a compact method borrowing UML.......2002-04-01

This is the eighth software engineering title that uses the UML (Unified Modeling Language) that I have read in the last five months as I work to establish a software engineering guide and reference framework for a small team at my technology company. This book really sets forth the ICONIX methodology, the author's streamlined approach to modeling using mostly, but not only, UML.

Because of the author's quarrelsome nature and unusual departures from common progressions in the model views, I found this book less useful than the others. The author repeatedly explains (with a careful record of the dates) how much of his integration of the competing OO modeling methods preceded the work of the UML founders (Booch, Jacobson, and Rumbaugh) and frequently raises the small quarrels in the UML world for no purpose except to give a quick and unsupported opinion. Not surprisingly, ten of the twenty-five citations in the bibliography are the author's prior papers.

Although the title claims the method is "use case driven," techniques and guidelines for use cases are poorly done; and the author suggests that the requirements stage should begin with domain modeling and "robustness diagrams" before text for use cases is written. The author also places heavy emphasis on screen mockups during the requirements stage.

The contents would make a good lecture or two; but it is an annoying departure from the efforts of many to extend and enrich UML. Since the book is only 165 pages, it won't hurt for long, and there are thoughts here and there worth reading. Perhaps it's tongue-in-cheek, a test to see if we can spot obvious logical problems with the method.

The title is misleading.......2002-02-27

I expected this book to delve more into UML and use cases than it does. It really is a book about the ICONIX methodology. It only deals with UML and use cases at a high level.

The robustness analysis is interesting and may help people who have trouble linking the user interface to the model.

Amazon.com

A text on industrial system development using object- oriented techniques, rather than a book on object-oriented programming. Will be useful to systems developers and those seeking a deeper understanding of object orientation as it relates to the development process.

Customer Reviews:

Standard text for object oriented analysis.......2000-01-26

Lucidly describes the fundamental principals of object-oriented analysis, design, and programming. Excellent coverage of object-oriented analysis including the introduction of use cases. Uses an awkward state transition graph that resembles a flow chart in the design methodology. Emphasizes traceability from analysis model to design model to source code. Describes how object-oriented technology impacts specialized topics such as real-time systems, relational databases, testing strategies, component reuse, and product management. The "warehouse management system" case study is more stimulating than the longer "telecom" case study. Compares the OOSE method with other standard object-oriented methods.

Really got my gears spinning.......1999-09-24

This book, unlike others in the field, shows an indepth understanding of the software development process. Jacobson has definitely spent time designing real world apps. His view of OO as a mere component in the development of quality software is visionary and pre-dates the overemphasis and primacy given to it by latter day authors. If you understand the large picture he presents, you will go far in the pragmatic field of designing and deploying real systems.

Jacobson is clearly a visionary.......1999-08-04

This book was written in 92 yet continues to be a visionary text. The chapter on Components maps closely to the principles used today in distilling software patterns. The section on testing is key to understanding how to design objects properly (so they can be maintained over time). The appreciation of objects expressed in terms of data (entity) and tasks (operations) is crucial to good analysis and design. What Jacobson conveys is the essence of good software engineering. If you want to understand this book, read it several times as you gain knowledge and experience in the OO arena. Each time you will discover new pearls of wisdom.

Important work but somewhat confusing and now outdated ..........1999-02-18

Although this book is seminal in as much as it presents use-cases, it is definitely not the clearest introduction to OO. It does however present Jacobson's OOSE methodology (which is a simplified version of the Objectory methodology). The book is due for an update - and I believe one has been in the pipeline for a while. However, with the release of UML and the new Rational methodology, it is perhaps best left as is.

Provides some Good Contributions to OO Design.......1998-11-06

This book is considered a classic by many. The key contribution of the book is the introduction of Use Cases for requirements capture. Jacobson also provides some good hints on how to develop an OO design after starting from Use Cases.

There are two big weaknesses with this book. Firstly, the book is vague on the amount of detail that should go into a Use Case. This has led to a great amount of confusion and widely different usages in industry. Secondly, the book provides only weak design guidelines beyond those provided for extracting objects from the Use Cases.

Another criticism of the book is that it is written in a very academic tone, which may be hard to understand for some readers.

Another book that covers much of the same ground but in a clearer fashion is Ian Graham's _Migrating to Object Technology_.

Average customer rating:
Object-oriented Software Engineering: A Use Case Driven Approach
Christerson, Jonsson, Jacobson
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OOR8WU

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