AUDIO

Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop

by Marc Myers
8 CDs. 9:30 hrs. HighBridge Audio. Nov. 2016. ISBN 9781681683140. $34.99. digital download. MUSIC
COPY ISBN
From Lloyd Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" in 1952, to R.E.M's "Losing My Religion" in 1991, the stories behind 45 popular hits are shared by Myers, who expanded several columns he originally wrote for the Wall Street Journal. Creators behind each song take turns describing the emotions, techniques, and lucky breaks that went into the process; however, what works on the page is harder to render in an audiobook, as narrator Jonathan Yen's character work isn't distinctive enough to prevent a certain sameness setting in after a while. Also, since no snippets of the original recordings are included, the listener must fall back on other resources to recall the songs mentioned.
VERDICT Despite all that, a book inclusive enough to represent artists ranging from Loretta Lynn to Pink Floyd to The Clash does have merit. Recommended for larger libraries. ["Most of the author's oral histories are informative and entertaining. Recommended for libraries with a popular music section.": LJ 9/15/16 review of the Grove hc.]
Reviewed by Kelly Sinclair, Temple P.L., TX , Mar 01, 2017
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