Isbn: 9781606996164 - the grammar of rock: art and artlessness (6 Ergebnisse)

Hardcover. Zustand: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Hardcover. Zustand: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Zustand: Very Good. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Hardcover. Zustand: As New. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: As New. 1st Edition. As brand new.

Hardcover. Zustand: As New. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: As New. 1st Edition. First Fantagraphics Books printing: February, 2013. 345pp. Bright, clean & tight copy, unread, in AS NEW condition. "Alexander Theroux outdoes himself in one of his most penetrating and original books as he treats us to an incisive and never-before-seen appraisal of the lyrics and language of music: pop, rock, jazz, folk songs blues, show tunes and the staples and standards of the American songbook. Here is a penetrating evaluation not only of songs old, odd, historical, and contemporary, but an incredible catholic, satirical, and fiercely witty, always even-handed consideration of composers, singers, their styles and vocal approaches, a study of the good and the bad. He examines it all. Overwriting. Incompetent styles in singing. The inarticulate Sixties. Rap. As he ponders the deep lyric tradition, illogic is the dragon he seeks to slay. [] But it is a cognitive tour, as well. Focusing on the art of song--the power of words and the nature of syntax--Theroux takes us along autobiographical routes to remark on how we hear, the nature of diction, what voices can do and how protean they are, the cliches we encounter in songwriting, presenting all with his usual encyclopedic insights into the state of the lyric, reinforcing the truism that W. H. Auden [who] pointed out--'The problem we have with our vocabulary reflects the problem we have with our lives.' He deconstructs violence in the texts, the discourse, of language as well as its assaults on our listening impulse in a way that no one else has ever done. [] THE GRAMMAR OF ROCK. . . is a potpourri of strong opinions and savvy insights, a salvo at silly song titles, maddening instrumentals, shrieking divas, musicians' quirks, clunker lines, vain celebrities and their unmusical crullers, movie stars who should never have raised their voice in song but who were too shameless to refuse a mike, and the excesses of awful Christmas recordings. [] THE GRAMMAR OF ROCK is a clarion call--never without humor--against the corrupting, ruthlessly ruinous gap between thought and language as well as a poignant and glorious reminder of how music and its force imprints itself on us and so effects our lives." [partial jacket copy] "Alexander Theroux. . . is one of America's premier frotteurs, to use a French term the impeccable James Salter applies to someone who 'rubs words in his hand.'"--David Bowman, New York Times. "I can't recall any read of late that caused so much laughter. The book is artful, vicious, erudite, argumentative, and full of omissions, but a must read for anyone interested in music, lyrics, and language."--DLW. Pristine hardcover w/brilliant corners & crisp edges, a square & tight binding, wrapped in a bright-as-new jacket with R. Crumb's illustration. A typically top-notch Fantagraphics production, quite presentable. R. Crumb (illustrator).…

Zustand: as new. Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, 2013. Hardcover. Dustjacket. [6].346 pp. - National Book Award nominee, critic and one of America?s least compromising satirists, Alexander Theroux takes a comprehensive look at the colorful language of pop lyrics and the realm of rock music in general in The Grammar of Rock: silly song titles; maddening instrumentals; shrieking divas; clunker lines; the worst (and best) songs ever written; geniuses of the art; movie stars who should never have raised their voice in song but who were too shameless to refuse a mic; and the excesses of awful Christmas recordings. Praising (and critiquing) the gems of lyricists both highbrow and low, Theroux does due reverence to classic word-masters like Ira Gershwin, Jimmy Van Heusen, Cole Porter, and Sammy Cahn, lyricists as diverse as Hank Williams, Buck Ram, the Moody Blues, and Randy Newman, Dylan and the Beatles, of course, and more outré ones like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Patti Smith, the Fall (even Ghostface Killa), but he considers stupid rhymes, as well ? nonsense lyrics, chop logic, the uses and abuses of irony, country music macho, verbal howlers, how voices sound alike and why, and much more. In a way that no one else has ever done, with his usual encyclopedic insights into the state of the modern lyric, Theroux focuses on the state of language ? the power of words and the nature of syntax ? in The Grammar of Rock. He analyzes its assaults on listeners? impulses by investigating singers? styles, pondering illogical lunacies in lyrics, and deconstructing the nature of diction and presentation in the language. This is that rare book of discernment and probing wit (and not exclusively one that is a critical defense of quality) that positively evaluates the very nature of a pop song, and why one over another has an effect on the listener. Condition : as new copy. ISBN 9781606996164. Keywords : MUSIC.…