Two great recent books on music.

For those who like to read about music as well as listen to it, there are two recently published ones I consider essential reading.

- Songs Of America; Patriotism, Protest, And The Music That Made A Nation by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw. Meacham is a well-known and best-selling American historian, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, and University professor. In this book he tells the story of The United States Of America in relation to the songs that document it’s history, from the Founding Fathers through 9/11. Country singer Tim McGraw, a neighbor and friend of Jon’s in Nashville, comments in sidebars on some of the artists and songs Jon cites. This book brings history to life!

- The History Of The Band by Harvey & Kenneth Kubernik. Harvey has been writing about music since the late-60’s, published in Variety, Mojo, Melody Maker, Goldmine, and The L.A. Times. His brother Kenneth was editor of Music Connection, and has written for Mix Magazine, The L.A. Times, and Variety, and served as editorial consultant on the recent film Canyon Of Dreams (see the recent thread about it here on Audiogon).

I am aware of the fact that not everyone holds The Band in as high regard as do I and others like me, such as the Kuberniks and Jazz drummer/band leader Jack DeJohnette (he met The Band when they asked Miles Davis---in whose band Jack was a member---to open for them at The Hollywood Bowl in 1970. Jack: "I knew The Band---Music From Big Pink---and thought they were terrific. We got to jam briefly with The Band----nothing formal, without Miles---and really dug their musicianship.). If you don’t hear it in their recordings, I don’t know that this book will show you the error of your ways ;-) . But there is a lot more to the book than just The Band (and Dylan, of course). For instance:

I’ve always considered the movie Woodstock dreadful, and had no desire to attend the festival itself. Here’s what Jerry Garcia said to Harvey about it:

"Woodstock. The ultimate calamity. It was raining and it got dark and we went on. There was maximum confusion going on about logistics. Really weird.....the stage had sheet metal on it. It’s wet, and I’m getting incredible shocks from my guitar."

"It’s dark, and you don’t see any audience, but four hundred thousand people are out there. Then, somebody says the stage is about to collapse. I’m standing there in the middle of this, trying to play music. Then they turn on the lights, and they’re a mile away. Monster supertroopers (stage lights). Totally blinding, and you can’t see anything at all."

"Here’s this energy and everything is horribly out of tune. ’Cause it’s all wet, damp, and humid. It was humbling. That was a total disaster from our point of view. We played probably the worst set of our career. I’d like that one erased from the books."

Lot’s of fake Blues bands (Ten Years After?!), hokey, corny, unintentionally funny "hippie raps" (I thought so at the time of the festival, let alone the movie’s release). The Band elected to not let their set be included in the movie; good thinking ;-) .

The book is full of incredible pictures, musical history (not just of The Band, but also the Brill Building songwriters, the Band’s influences---Blues, Hillbilly, Rock ’n’ Roll, Rockabilly, R & B, Jazz, and all the rest). There are also lots and lots of quotes from other professional musicians on their view of The Band, and the influence they had on their musical lives. Indispensable!