The Birth of Loud

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A hot rod joy ride through mid 20th century American history The New York Times Book Review , this one of a kind narrative masterfully recreates the rivalry between the two men who innovated the electric guitar s amplified sound Leo Fender and Les Paul and their intense competition to convince rock stars like the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton to play the instruments they built.In the years after World War II, music was evolving from big band jazz into rock n roll and these louder styles demanded revolutionary instruments When Leo Fender s tiny firm marketed the first solid body electric guitar, the Esquire, musicians immediately saw its appeal Not to be out maneuvered, Gibson, the largest guitar manufacturer, raced to build a competitive product The company designed an axe that would make Fender s Esquire look cheap and convinced Les Paul whose endorsement Leo Fender had sought to put his name on it Thus was born the guitar world s most heated rivalry Gibson versus Fender, Les versus Leo.While Fender was a quiet, half blind, self taught radio repairman, Paul was a brilliant but headstrong pop star and guitarist who spent years toying with new musical technologies Their contest turned into an arms race as the most inventive musicians of the 1950s and 1960s including bluesman Muddy Waters, rocker Buddy Holly, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton adopted one maker s guitar or another By 1969 it was clear that these new electric instruments had launched music into a radical new age, empowering artists with a vibrancy and volume never before attainable.In an excellent dual portrait The Wall Street Journal , Ian S Port tells the full story in The Birth of Loud, offering spot on human characterizations, and erotic paeans to the bodies of guitars The Atlantic The story of these instruments is the story of America in the postwar era loud, cocky, brash, aggressively new The Washington Post. Download The Birth of Loud By Ian S. Port – kino-fada.fr I learned a lot about the history of guitars in the 20th century, and grew to appreciate the inventiveness and persistence of Leo Fender and Les Paul in being on the ground floor, so to speak, of the music that would lead to pop and then rock and roll The author does an exceptional job of putting all this into the context of the times, and also is first rate in his descriptions of the lives of some of the giants of not just guitar music, but of the rise of rock and roll, including Buddy Holly, I learned a lot about the history of guitars in the 20th century, and grew to appreciate the inventiveness and persistence of Leo Fender and Les Paul in being on the ground floor, so to speak, of the music that would lead to pop and then rock and roll The author does an exceptional job of putting all this into the context of the times, and also is first rate in his descriptions of the lives of some of the giants of not just guitar music, but of the rise of rock and roll, including Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Dick Dale, and others But and the reason I can t give this book 5 stars the writing suffers when the author tries to describe a song In my opinion, no author can adequately do this in writing A song has to be heard, felt in your heart and soul, and is an emotional experience that each one of us can only appreciate because we are bringing our individual feelings and histories into play...I am reading an advance, galley proof copy of the book and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the hardcover edition in a couple of weeks You don t have to be a guitar player, or even a Southern California history buff to be engaged...Muchthan a biography of the two titans of the electric guitar industry, Leo Fender and Les Paul, this book is a fascinating history of American music between 1950 and 1970, that includes several interesting profiles of musicians such as Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Jimmy Hendrix Thoroughly researched, and very well written, the book is a testament to the American ideals of ingenuity, hard work, and perseverance.The Audible version is excellent, and the 9 h Muchthan a biography of the two titans of the electric guitar industry, Leo Fender and Les Paul, this book is a fascinating history of American music between 1950 and 1970, that includes several interesting profiles of musicians such as Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Jimmy Hendrix Thoro...A book about the electric guitar and how it became a force in music You get a look into Les Paul his life, his work with Gibson guitar and how his suggestions on their guitar made for a better smooth sound, especially for jazz He was also able to have hit records in the early 50s with his second wife Mary Ford which also helped sales of that guitar The author then takes you to Southern California Orange County where Leo Fender a radio repairman in the forties is going around to honky tonks an A book about the electric guitar and how it became a force in music You get a look into Les Paul his life, his work with Gibson guitar and how his suggestions on their guitar made for a better smooth sound, especially for jazz He was also able to have hit records in the early 50s with his second wife Mary Ford which also helped sales of that guitar The author then takes you to Southern California Orange County where Leo Fender a radio repairman in the forties is going around to honky tonks and dance halls tinkering with steel guitars from different players He is looking for sounds that are different He then meets Bill Bigsby who also was working with steel guitars and lap ones He also was looking for a different sound and later he would be the one who came up with the whammy or vibrato He would add some of his ideas to the Gibson and later suggest that Fender stole some of his ideas, never proven Any way Him, Gibson with Les Paul and Fender Fender really took off...This is a delightful little read about the two giants of electric guitar design and production whose instruments changed the world Neither invented the solid body electric guitar, indeed, as is well known, Les Paul basically had no input in designing the beautiful mahogany monster axe which bears his name Rather, Leo and Les occupy this story as the kind of obsessive tinkerers of a previous age they are the grandchildren of Edison and Bell, the forefathers of Jobs and Gates I m not suggest This is a delightful little read about the two giants of electric guitar design and production whose instruments changed the world Neither invented the solid body electric guitar, indeed, as is well known, Les Paul basically had no input in designing the beautiful mahogany monster axe which bears his name Rather, Leo and Les occupy this story as the kind of obsessive tinkerers of a previous age they are the grandchildren of Edison and Bell, the forefathers of Jobs and Gates I m not suggesting the Stratocaster and Les Paul affected the world as the incandescent bulb and the iPhone have...Great story and insights into the development of the electric guitar Also, the stories of entrepreneurs Leo Fender and Les Paul tell a rich tale about the rapidly changing America of the post World War II era The author is not ...Written with enthusiasm and full of fascinating detail a must read for music fans and musiciansA really interesting look at the friendship and competition between the two biggest names behind the invention and growth of the electric guitar.Well written and researched Well doneNow this was an interesting reading experience I thought I knew something about this topic, but I must admit I was wrong NOW I do Birth of Loud starts small, describing the largely independent efforts of Leo Fender, Les Paul and others to getvolume out of the acoustic guitar I had thought that Paul s efforts played the greater role I was mistaken.Author Ian Port is not a stylist his writing is not the strength of the book, but the story is About a third of the way in, my view sh Now this was an interesting reading experience I thought I knew something about this topic, but I must admit I was wrong NOW I do Birth of Loud starts small, describing the largely independent efforts of Leo Fender, Les Paul and others to getvolume out of the acoustic guitar I had thought that Paul s efforts played the greater role I was mistaken.Author Ian Port is not a stylist his writing is not the strength of the book, but the story is About a third of the way in, my view shifted from this might be a 3 star book to man, what a great story, 4 stars Les Paul s great contribution to modern music recording is multi tracking He was a phenomenal guitarist, and he figured out how to multi track guitar and voice even before the widespread use of tape in recording studios With his wife, Mary Ford, he had numerous 1 records notably The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise beware, it s an ea...Contrary to what the title suggests, this book is not really about a rivalry Yes, Fender and Paul were opposites the former was a reserved perfectionist, the latter a gregarious showman And yes, the products for which they are best known the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster before it and Gibson Les Paul took turns jockeying for popularity But those expecting juicy tales of vendettas and sabotage might be disappointed to learn that Fender and Paul shared quite a bit in common Both were Contrary to what the title suggests, this book is not really about a rivalry Yes, Fender and Paul were opposites the former was a reserved perfectionist, the latter a gregarious showman And yes, the products for which they are best known the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster before it and Gibson Les Paul took turns jockeying for popularity But those expecting juicy tales of vendettas and sabotage might be disappointed to learn that Fender and Paul shared quite a bit in common Both were initially mocked by instrument makers when they suggested solid body electric guitars, and both were also renowned inventors Fender may fit the moldclosely, but Paul p...When you consider the history of popular music in 20th Century American culture, you have to acknowledge the role played by the electric guitar Ian S Port explores the electric guitar s impact in his book The Birth of Loud Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock n Roll Port describes, in a marvelous conversational style, the evolution and effect of the electric guitar Leo Fender was a quiet, half blind, self taught radio repairman who tinkered with elect When you consider the history of popular music in 20th Century American culture, you have to acknowledge the role played by the electric guitar Ian S Port explores the electric guitar s impact in his book The Birth of Loud Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock n Roll Port describes, in a marvelous conversational style, the evolution and effect of the electric guitar Leo Fender was a quiet, half blind, self taught radio repairman who tinkered with electronic amplification He worked with various guitarists who wanted their playing to heard, not drowned out ...

The Birth of Loud
  • 09 October 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 352 pages
  • 1501141651
  • Ian S. Port
  • The Birth of Loud