Scott Miller has released more than a dozen albums with his bands Game Theory and the Loud Family, and his music has been described as "a cross between Alex Chilton, James Joyce, and the Electric Prunes" (Stereo Review) and "smart, funny, and instantly memorable" (Rolling Stone). In this book, Miller writes about each of the past 54 years in popular music-1957-2010- via countdown song lists, blending the perspectives of a serious musician, a thoughtful critic, and an all-devouring music fan. Miller not only tells you why he loves particular songs, but also what was going on in the musical world in which they competed to be heard.
Scott Miller has released more than a dozen albums with his bands Game Theory and the Loud Family, and his music has been described as "a cross between Alex Chilton, James Joyce, and the Electric Prunes" (Stereo Review) and "smart, funny, and instantly memorable" (Rolling Stone). In this book, Miller writes about each of the past 54 years in popular music-1957-2010- via countdown song lists, blending the perspectives of a serious musician, a thoughtful critic, and an all-devouring music fan. Miller not only tells you why he loves particular songs, but also what was going on in the musical world in which they competed to be heard.
More important is the way Miller makes end runs around canonical items - recasting them slightly to give hoary history new dimensions.
What makes Miller's work different from your opinionated cousin's LiveJournal is that he knows a lot about music - from the inside, as a player and writer. "Music: What Happened?" is mostly about the act of listening, but a fair amount of musician talk comes into play, and Miller deploys it gracefully. -- Michaelangelo Matos
Kim Cooper
Scott Miller's the wizard behind some of pop's most beguiling melodies (and he's no slouch in the lyrics department, either). Who better to be your guide on a curated tour of the rock era's top recordings, a genre-hopping jaunt through the big hits and lost gems, each placed in its own contextual niche? Skim it to see what he says about your fave raves, or delve deeper to discover the unknown sonic pleasures that await you. A must for the dedicated music fiend.
4 stars! Scott Miller was the auteur behind the band Game Theory, whose classic 1987 album Lolita Nation is a head-spinning classic. He puts a lifetime of musical smarts into this book. The premise is simple: Miller breaks down songs from every year since 1957, more than 1,000 in all. But his insights are dazzling. When he digs into details that make a song work, he'll make you want to hear 'Hey, Jude' right now -and make you feel like you're hearing it for the first time. -- Rob Sheffield
Product Details
BN ID: 2940012423955
Publisher: 125 Records
Publication date: 1/20/2011
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Sales rank: 318,765
File size: 1 MB
Items ship to U.S, APO/FPO and U.S. Protectorate addresses.
Meet the Author
Scott Miller has released more than a dozen albums with his bands Game Theory and the Loud Family. His music has been described as "a cross between Alex Chilton, James Joyce, and the Electric Prunes" (Stereo Review) and "smart, funny, and instantly memorable" (Rolling Stone), and he has shared stages with Aimee Mann, The Magnetic Fields, Muse, and many other bands.
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Overview
Scott Miller has released more than a dozen albums with his bands Game Theory and the Loud Family, and his music has been described as "a cross between Alex Chilton, James Joyce, and the Electric Prunes" (Stereo Review) and "smart, funny, and instantly memorable" (Rolling Stone). In this book, Miller writes about each of the past 54 years in popular music-1957-2010- via countdown song lists, blending the perspectives of a serious musician, a thoughtful critic, and an all-devouring music fan. Miller not only tells you why he loves particular songs, but also what was going on in the musical world in which they competed to be heard.