Best Sellers
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Music as Medicine
- How We Can Harness Its Therapeutic Power
- Written by: Daniel Levitin
- Narrated by: Daniel Levitin
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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A work of dazzling ideas, cutting-edge research, and joyful celebration of the human mind, Music as Medicine will explain to you what we know, and how we can harness music to heal – helping us look forward and reimagine our lives.
Written by: Daniel Levitin
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How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition
- Written by: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 36 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Even if you have listened to many of these illustrative pieces throughout your life you will never hear them the same way again after experiencing these lectures....
Written by: Robert Greenberg,
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Peak Human
- What We Can Learn from History’s Greatest Civilizations
- Written by: Johan Norberg
- Narrated by: Andrew Cullum
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
All golden ages are marked by periods of spectacular cultural flourishing, scientific exploration, technological achievement and economic growth; yet no two are the same. Their beliefs, societies and place in the wider world all vary. Despite this, all previous golden ages have ended.
Written by: Johan Norberg
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Vocal Power
- Speaking with Authority, Clarity, and Conviction
- Written by: Roger Love
- Narrated by: Roger Lovejoy
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
You can now develop your vocal power, presence, and influence on others and all within the comfort and privacy of your own home....
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super book by Roger love...
- By Solomon on 25-05-21
Written by: Roger Love
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There's Nothing Like This
- The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift
- Written by: Kevin Evers
- Narrated by: Candace Joice
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Singer-songwriter. Trailblazer. Mastermind. The Beatles of her generation. From her genre-busting rise in country music as a teenager to the economic juggernaut that is the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has blazed a path that is uniquely hers.
Written by: Kevin Evers
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Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- Written by: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist....
Written by: Howard Sounes
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Music as Medicine
- How We Can Harness Its Therapeutic Power
- Written by: Daniel Levitin
- Narrated by: Daniel Levitin
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A work of dazzling ideas, cutting-edge research, and joyful celebration of the human mind, Music as Medicine will explain to you what we know, and how we can harness music to heal – helping us look forward and reimagine our lives.
Written by: Daniel Levitin
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How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition
- Written by: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 36 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even if you have listened to many of these illustrative pieces throughout your life you will never hear them the same way again after experiencing these lectures....
Written by: Robert Greenberg,
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Peak Human
- What We Can Learn from History’s Greatest Civilizations
- Written by: Johan Norberg
- Narrated by: Andrew Cullum
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All golden ages are marked by periods of spectacular cultural flourishing, scientific exploration, technological achievement and economic growth; yet no two are the same. Their beliefs, societies and place in the wider world all vary. Despite this, all previous golden ages have ended.
Written by: Johan Norberg
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Vocal Power
- Speaking with Authority, Clarity, and Conviction
- Written by: Roger Love
- Narrated by: Roger Lovejoy
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
You can now develop your vocal power, presence, and influence on others and all within the comfort and privacy of your own home....
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super book by Roger love...
- By Solomon on 25-05-21
Written by: Roger Love
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There's Nothing Like This
- The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift
- Written by: Kevin Evers
- Narrated by: Candace Joice
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Singer-songwriter. Trailblazer. Mastermind. The Beatles of her generation. From her genre-busting rise in country music as a teenager to the economic juggernaut that is the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has blazed a path that is uniquely hers.
Written by: Kevin Evers
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Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- Written by: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist....
Written by: Howard Sounes
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How to Listen to Jazz
- Written by: Ted Gioia
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
In How to Listen to Jazz, award-winning music scholar Ted Gioia presents a lively introduction to one of America's premier art forms. He tells us what to listen for in a performance and includes a guide to today's leading jazz musicians....
Written by: Ted Gioia
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3 Shades of Blue
- Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans & the Lost Empire of Cool
- Written by: James Kaplan
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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1959 saw Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the other members of Miles's sextet come together to record the seminal jazz album of all time Kind of Blue. 3 Shades of Blue is a biography on the paths which led Miles, Coltrane and Evans to the mountaintop of 1959 and the aftermath....
Written by: James Kaplan
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This Is Your Brain on Music
- Understanding a Human Obsession
- Written by: Daniel Levitin
- Narrated by: Daniel Levitin
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Using musical examples from Bach to the Beatles, Levitin reveals the role of music in human evolution, shows how our musical preferences begin to form even before we are born and explains why music can offer such an emotional experience....
Written by: Daniel Levitin
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This Is What It Sounds Like
- What the Music You Love Says About You
- Written by: Dr Susan Rogers, Ogi Ogas
- Narrated by: Dr. Susan Rogers
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This Is What It Sounds Like distils a lifetime's expertise as a producer and an award-winning professor with a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, to present a new theory of listening for everyday music fans....
Written by: Dr Susan Rogers,
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Set Your Voice Free
- How to Get the Singing or Speaking Voice You Want
- Written by: Roger Love, Donna Frazier
- Narrated by: Roger Love
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Every time we open our mouths, we have an effect on ourselves and the way others perceive us. The ability to speak clearly and confidently can make or break a presentation, an important meeting....
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Best Book
- By Anonymous User on 10-10-24
Written by: Roger Love,
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Surrender
- Bono Autobiography: 40 Songs, One Story
- Written by: Bono
- Narrated by: Bono
- Length: 20 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Bono—artist, activist and the lead singer of Irish rock band U2—has written a memoir: honest and irreverent, intimate and profound, it is the story of the remarkable life he’s lived, the challenges he’s faced and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him....
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Wonderful storytelling
- By Abhijit Pradhan on 03-09-24
Written by: Bono
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Leonard Cohen
- The Mystical Roots of Genius
- Written by: Harry Freedman
- Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Harry Freedman uncovers the spiritual traditions that lie behind Leonard Cohen's profound and unmistakable lyrics....
Written by: Harry Freedman
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Musicophilia
- Written by: Oliver Sacks
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Oliver Sacks examines the powers of music through the individual experiences of patients, musicians and everyday people....
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Not just music
- By NEERAJ SHRIVASTAV on 16-07-22
Written by: Oliver Sacks
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The Shortest History of Music
- From Bone Flutes to Synthesizers, Hildegard of Bingen to Beyoncé―5,000 Years of Instrument and Song
- Written by: Andrew Ford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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The Shortest History of Music takes us on a lively tour through several thousands of years of music history, tracing our relationship with this essential art and allowing us to freshly appreciate and understand music today.
Written by: Andrew Ford
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Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories
- Written by: Robert J. Morgan
- Narrated by: Steven Roy Grimsley
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Pastor Robert Morgan’s goal is to keep these traditional hymns vital and meaningful to all generations. Then Sings My Soul will help listeners reacquaint themselves with 150 beloved hymns of the faithful....
Written by: Robert J. Morgan
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Unf--k Your Brain
- Written by: Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN
- Narrated by: Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN
- Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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A no-nonsense and helpful guide on how to cope with a slew of mental-health issues that are hell-bent on ruining the lives of millions of people worldwide....
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Can't recommend, too many cuss words
- By Johnson on 24-02-22
Written by: Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN
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Major Labels
- A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres
- Written by: Kelefa Sanneh
- Narrated by: Kelefa Sanneh
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Kelefa Sanneh debunks cherished myths, reappraises beloved heroes and upends familiar ideas of musical greatness, arguing that sometimes the best popular music isn't transcendent: it expresses our grudges, as well as our hopes, and it is motivated by greed as well as inspiration....
Written by: Kelefa Sanneh
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The Lives of Brian
- Written by: Brian Johnson
- Narrated by: Brian Johnson
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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The son of a British army sergeant-major and Italian mother, Brian grew up in Dunston, Tyne and Wear, as it emerged from the shadow of the Second World War....
Written by: Brian Johnson
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Anatomy of the Voice
- An Illustrated Guide for Singers, Vocal Coaches, and Speech Therapists
- Written by: Theodore Dimon Jr, G. David Brown - illustrator
- Narrated by: Max Newland
- Length: 2 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The first comprehensive, fully-illustrated approach to the voice that explains the anatomy and mechanics in detailed yet down-to-earth terms, for voice users and professionals of all kinds.
Written by: Theodore Dimon Jr,
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Dylan
- The Biography
- Written by: Dennis McDougal
- Narrated by: Gary Bennett
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Bob Dylan is an internationally best-selling artist, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and an Oscar winner for Things Have Changed. His career is stronger and more influential than ever....
Written by: Dennis McDougal
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From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir
- The Autobiography
- Written by: Lisa Marie Presley, Riley Keough
- Narrated by: Julia Roberts, Riley Keough
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Born to an American myth and raised in the wilds of Graceland, Lisa Marie Presley was never truly understood…until now....
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A Memoir That Hits Different
- By Anonymous User on 04-01-25
Written by: Lisa Marie Presley,
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Walk This Way
- Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song That Changed American Music Forever
- Written by: Geoff Edgers
- Narrated by: Geoff Edgers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Washington Post staff writer Geoff Edgers takes a deep dive into the story behind "Walk This Way", Aerosmith and Run-DMC's legendary, groundbreaking mashup that forever changed music....
Written by: Geoff Edgers
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La Ley 50 [The 50th Law]
- Written by: Robert Greene, 50 Cent
- Narrated by: Jaime Collepardo
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Más cercano a Maquiavelo que a Dale Carnegie, este libro inteligente, que equipara la política del trabajo diario con la vida callejera, presenta enseñanzas útiles sobre cómo escapar de las expectativas de la sociedad y de los obstáculos que nuestros miedos nos siembran en el camino....
Written by: Robert Greene,
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It Starts with One
- The Legend and Legacy of Linkin Park
- Written by: Jason Lipshutz
- Narrated by: Jason Lipshutz, James Fouhey, Helen Laser
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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From the executive director of music at Billboard, an extensive look inside the 20+ year career of mega-selling rock band Linkin Park, It Starts with One features new interviews, exclusive quotes, and insights from the band’s associates and collaborators.
Written by: Jason Lipshutz
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Songs of the Gurus
- Written by: Khushwant Singh
- Narrated by: Dev J. Haldar
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In its purest form Sikhism is about unity, simplicity, equality, and surrender (to God) and the verses of the Sikh Gurus articulate this beautifully. This elegant edition contains a selection of verses from the Guru Granth Sahib and other sacred texts....
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The unity in faith traditions
- By Mayank Pande on 27-12-23
Written by: Khushwant Singh
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Guitar by Ear: Solos Box Set 5
- The Guitar by Ear Series
- Written by: Bill Brown
- Narrated by: Bill Brown
- Length: 15 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
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This box set contains a wide variety of fingerstyle solo arrangements that are worthy of every performing guitarist’s repertoire. In this set you will find The Eagles, Bee Gees, John Denver, and Alabama, as well as timeless standards all arranged at around an intermediate level.
Written by: Bill Brown
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Finding the Raga
- An Improvisation on Indian Music
- Written by: Amit Chaudhuri
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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By turns essay, memoir and cultural study, Finding the Raga is Amit Chaudhuri's singular account of his discovery of, and enduring passion for, North Indian music....
Written by: Amit Chaudhuri
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The Classical Music Book
- Written by: DK
- Narrated by: Peter Forbes
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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From Mozart to Mendelssohn, this comprehensive guide to classical music history and classical music biography is the perfect latest addition to the best-selling Big Ideas series....
Written by: DK
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Bach and the High Baroque
- Written by: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Robert Greenberg Ph.D. University of California Berkeley
- Length: 25 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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Though unappreciated in his own time, Johann Sebastian Bach has ascended to Olympian heights, the verdict of contemporary audiences long since overruled by succeeding generations of music lovers....
Written by: Robert Greenberg,
New Releases
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Peak Human
- What We Can Learn from History’s Greatest Civilizations
- Written by: Johan Norberg
- Narrated by: Andrew Cullum
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
All golden ages are marked by periods of spectacular cultural flourishing, scientific exploration, technological achievement and economic growth; yet no two are the same. Their beliefs, societies and place in the wider world all vary. Despite this, all previous golden ages have ended, whether it be because of external pressures or internal fracturing; too much hubris or too little wariness.
Written by: Johan Norberg
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Anatomy of the Voice
- An Illustrated Guide for Singers, Vocal Coaches, and Speech Therapists
- Written by: Theodore Dimon Jr, G. David Brown - illustrator
- Narrated by: Max Newland
- Length: 2 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
This book is the first to explain, in clear and concise language, the anatomy and mechanics of the mysterious and complex bodily system we call the voice. Beautifully illustrated with more than 100 detailed images, Anatomy of the Voice guides voice teachers and students, vocal coaches, professional singers and actors, and anyone interested in the voice through the complex landscape of breathing, larynx, throat, face, and jaw.
Written by: Theodore Dimon Jr,
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Fantasies of Nina Simone
- Written by: Jordan Alexander Stein
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Fantasies of Nina Simone, Jordan Alexander Stein examines the space between our collective and individual fantasies about Simone the performer, civil rights activist, and icon, and her own fantasies about herself. Stein outlines how Simone gave voice to personal fantasies through releasing dozens of covers of her white male contemporaries.
Written by: Jordan Alexander Stein
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Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited
- 33 1/3, Book 35
- Written by: Mark Polizzoti
- Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In this book, Mark Polizzotti examines just what makes the songs on Highway 61 Revisited so affecting, how they work together as a suite, and how lyrics, melody, and arrangements combine to create an unusually potent mix. He blends musical and literary analysis of the songs themselves, biography (where appropriate) and recording information (where helpful).
Written by: Mark Polizzoti
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Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Kirk Walker Graves
- Narrated by: Torian Brackett
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Swallowing the chaos wrought by his public persona and digesting it as a grandiose allegory of self-redemption, Kanye sublimates his narcissism to paint masterstroke after masterstroke on MBDTF, a 69-minute hymn to egotistical excess. Sampling and ventriloquizing the pop music past to tell the story of its future–very much a tale of our culture's wish for unfettered digital ubiquity–MBDTF is the album of its era, an aesthetic self-acquittal and spiritual autobiography of our era’s most dynamic artist.
Written by: Kirk Walker Graves
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The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Jim Fusilli
- Narrated by: Adam Barr
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Pet Sounds is, rightly, one of the most celebrated pop albums ever released. It has also been written about, pored over, and analyzed more than most other albums put together. In this disarming book, Jim Fusilli focuses primarily on the emotional core of the album, on Brian Wilson’s pitch-perfect cry of despair. In doing so, he brings to life the search for equilibrium and acceptance that still gives Pet Sounds its heart almost four decades after its release.
Written by: Jim Fusilli
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Peak Human
- What We Can Learn from History’s Greatest Civilizations
- Written by: Johan Norberg
- Narrated by: Andrew Cullum
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All golden ages are marked by periods of spectacular cultural flourishing, scientific exploration, technological achievement and economic growth; yet no two are the same. Their beliefs, societies and place in the wider world all vary. Despite this, all previous golden ages have ended, whether it be because of external pressures or internal fracturing; too much hubris or too little wariness.
Written by: Johan Norberg
-
Anatomy of the Voice
- An Illustrated Guide for Singers, Vocal Coaches, and Speech Therapists
- Written by: Theodore Dimon Jr, G. David Brown - illustrator
- Narrated by: Max Newland
- Length: 2 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book is the first to explain, in clear and concise language, the anatomy and mechanics of the mysterious and complex bodily system we call the voice. Beautifully illustrated with more than 100 detailed images, Anatomy of the Voice guides voice teachers and students, vocal coaches, professional singers and actors, and anyone interested in the voice through the complex landscape of breathing, larynx, throat, face, and jaw.
Written by: Theodore Dimon Jr,
-
Fantasies of Nina Simone
- Written by: Jordan Alexander Stein
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Fantasies of Nina Simone, Jordan Alexander Stein examines the space between our collective and individual fantasies about Simone the performer, civil rights activist, and icon, and her own fantasies about herself. Stein outlines how Simone gave voice to personal fantasies through releasing dozens of covers of her white male contemporaries.
Written by: Jordan Alexander Stein
-
Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited
- 33 1/3, Book 35
- Written by: Mark Polizzoti
- Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this book, Mark Polizzotti examines just what makes the songs on Highway 61 Revisited so affecting, how they work together as a suite, and how lyrics, melody, and arrangements combine to create an unusually potent mix. He blends musical and literary analysis of the songs themselves, biography (where appropriate) and recording information (where helpful).
Written by: Mark Polizzoti
-
Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Kirk Walker Graves
- Narrated by: Torian Brackett
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Swallowing the chaos wrought by his public persona and digesting it as a grandiose allegory of self-redemption, Kanye sublimates his narcissism to paint masterstroke after masterstroke on MBDTF, a 69-minute hymn to egotistical excess. Sampling and ventriloquizing the pop music past to tell the story of its future–very much a tale of our culture's wish for unfettered digital ubiquity–MBDTF is the album of its era, an aesthetic self-acquittal and spiritual autobiography of our era’s most dynamic artist.
Written by: Kirk Walker Graves
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The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Jim Fusilli
- Narrated by: Adam Barr
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Pet Sounds is, rightly, one of the most celebrated pop albums ever released. It has also been written about, pored over, and analyzed more than most other albums put together. In this disarming book, Jim Fusilli focuses primarily on the emotional core of the album, on Brian Wilson’s pitch-perfect cry of despair. In doing so, he brings to life the search for equilibrium and acceptance that still gives Pet Sounds its heart almost four decades after its release.
Written by: Jim Fusilli
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Madvillain's Madvillainy
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Will Hagle
- Narrated by: Curtis Michael Holland
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This book celebrates Madvillainy as a representation of two genius musical minds melding to form one revered supervillain. A product of circumstance, the album came together soon after MF DOOM's resurgence and Madlib's reluctant return from avant-garde jazz to hip-hop.
Written by: Will Hagle
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The Who's The Who Sell Out
- 33 1/3
- Written by: John Dougan
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 36 years since its release, Sell Out, though still not the best selling release in The Who’s catalog, has been embraced by a growing number of fans who regard it as the band’s best work, one of the few recordings of the late 1960s that best represents the ambitious aesthetic possibilities of the concept album without becoming mired in a bog of smug, self-aggrandizing, high art aspirations. Sell Out, powerfully and ecstatically, articulates the nexus of pop music and pop culture.
Written by: John Dougan
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The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico
- 33 1/3, Book 11
- Written by: Joe Harvard
- Narrated by: Brian Telestai
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The Velvet Underground and Nico has influenced the sound of more bands than any other album. And remarkably, it still sounds as fresh and challenging today as it did upon its release in 1967. In this book, Joe Harvard covers everything from Lou Reed's lyrical genius to John Cale's groundbreaking instrumentation, and from the creative input of Andy Warhol to the fine details of the recording process. With input from co-producer Norman Dolph and Velvets fan Jonathan Richman, Harvard documents the creation of a record which - in the eyes of many - has never been matched.
Written by: Joe Harvard
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Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland
- 33 1/3
- Written by: John Perry
- Narrated by: James Fouhey
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Electric Ladyland is one of the greatest guitar albums ever made. During the recording process, Jimi Hendrix at last had time and creative freedom to pursue the sounds he was looking for. In this remarkable and entertaining book, John Perry gets to the heart of Hendrix's unique talent—guiding the listener through each song on the album, writing vividly about Hendrix's live performances, and talking to several of Hendrix's peers and contemporaries.
Written by: John Perry
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The Clash's Sandinista!
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Micajah Henley
- Narrated by: John Pirhalla
- Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Despite its polarizing reception from critics at the time of its release, Sandinista! is often considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Nevertheless, critics and fans have spent over 40 years debating whether the album would be better as a 12-track LP. This book entertains that idea and considers what is lost or gained in the process.
Written by: Micajah Henley
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AC DC's Highway to Hell
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Joe Bonomo
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Joe Bonomo strikes a three-chord essay on the power of adolescence, the durability of rock & roll fandom, and the transformative properties of memory. Why does Highway To Hell matter to anyone beyond non-ironic teenagers? Blending interviews, analysis, and memoir with a fan's perspective, Highway To Hell dramatizes and celebrates a timeless album that one critic said makes "disaster sound like the best fun in the world."
Written by: Joe Bonomo
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Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Ayanna Dozier
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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The question of control for Black women is a costly one. From 1986 onwards, the trajectory of Janet Jackson’s career can be summed up in her desire for control. Control for Janet was never simply just about her desire for economic and creative control over her career but was, rather, an existential question about the desire to control and be in control over her bodily integrity as a Black woman.
Written by: Ayanna Dozier
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D'Angelo's Voodoo
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Faith A. Pennick
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Voodoo, D'Angelo's much-anticipated 2000 release, set the standard for the musical cycle ordained as "neo-soul," a label the singer and songwriter would reject more than a decade later. The album is a product of heightened emotions and fused sensibilities; an amalgam of soul, rock, jazz, gospel, hip-hop, and Afrobeats. D'Angelo put to music his own pleasures and insecurities as a man-child in the promised land. It was both a tribute to his musical heroes: Prince, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, J Dilla...and a deconstruction of rhythm and blues itself.
Written by: Faith A. Pennick
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J Dilla's Donuts
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Jordan Ferguson
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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From a Los Angeles hospital bed, equipped with little more than a laptop and a stack of records, James “J Dilla” Yancey crafted a set of tracks that would forever change the way beatmakers viewed their artform. The songs on Donuts are not hip hop music as “hip hop music” is typically defined; they careen and crash into each other, in one moment noisy and abrasive, gorgeous and heartbreaking the next.
Written by: Jordan Ferguson
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Radiohead's OK Computer
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Dai Griffiths
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Seemingly granted ‘classic album’ status within days of its release in 1997, OK Computer transformed Radiohead from a highly promising rock act into The Most Important Band in the World – a label the band has been burdened by (and has fooled around with) ever since. Through close musical analysis of each song, Dai Griffiths explores the themes and ideas that have made this album resonate so deeply with its audience, and argues that OK Computer is one of the most successfully realized CD albums so far created.
Written by: Dai Griffiths
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The Last Great Dream
- How Bohemians Became Hippies and Created the Sixties
- Written by: Dennis McNally
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Fascinating, far-reaching, and definitive, THE LAST GREAT DREAM is the ultimate guide to a generation-defining countercultural movement, an Underground 101 course for newcomers and aficionados alike.
Written by: Dennis McNally
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U2's Achtung Baby: Meditations on Love in the Shadow of the Fall
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Stephen Catanzarite
- Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Stephen Catanzarite takes a close look at what many consider to be U2's most fully formed album through the prisms of religion, politics, spirituality, and culture, illuminating its previously unexplored depths, arguing that it's a concept album about love and the fall of man.
Written by: Stephen Catanzarite
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Metallica's Metallica
- 33 1/3
- Written by: David Masciotra
- Narrated by: uncredited
- Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1991, Metallica released their fifth studio album that would become known and beloved around the world as “The Black Album.” Since its release, it has sold 30 million copies, and become a towering monument in the pantheon of rock’s greatest records. Listeners will get unprecedented insight into the story behind an iconic album from one of the world’s most iconic bands through interviews with James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted, and “Black Album” producer Bob Rock.
Written by: David Masciotra
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Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Geoffrey Himes
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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When Bruce Springsteen went back on the road in 1984, he opened every show by shouting out, "one, two, one, two, three, four," followed by the droning synth chords of "Born in the U.S.A." Max Weinberg hit his drums with a two-fisted physicality that cut through the swelling chords. With a rolled-up red kerchief around his head and heavy black boots under his faded jeans, Springsteen looked like the character of the song, and from the very first line ("Born down in a dead man's town") he sang with the throat-scraping desperation of a man with his back against the wall.
Written by: Geoffrey Himes
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Pearl Jam's Vs.
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Clint Brownlee
- Narrated by: TJ Clark
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Vs. is the sound of a band on fire. The same confluence of talent, passion, timing, and fate that made “grunge” the world’s soundtrack also lit a short fuse beneath Pearl Jam. The band combusted between late 1992 and mid-1994, the span during which they planned, recorded, and supported their sophomore record. The spotlight, the pressure, the pace—it all nearly turned the thriving act to ash.
Written by: Clint Brownlee
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Britney Spears's Blackout
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Natasha Lasky
- Narrated by: Rachel Jacobs
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Britney Spears barely survived 2007. She divorced her husband, lost custody of her kids, went to rehab, shaved her head and assaulted a paparazzo. In the midst of her public breakdown, she managed to record an album, Blackout. Critics thought it spelled the end for Britney Spears’ career.
Written by: Natasha Lasky
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Johnny Cash's American Recordings
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Tony Tost
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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This title offers a superb investigation of what is arguably Johnny Cash's greatest album, focusing on his enduring mythology. When Johnny Cash signed to Rick Rubin's record label in 1993, he was a country music legend who, like his fellow Highwaymen Willie, Waylon and Kris, remained a fondly regarded yet completely marginalized Nashville figure, unheard on the radio and unseen on the charts. Cash's odyssey from oldies act to folk hero pivots on his first American Recordings album, a document of almost unbearable solitude and directness.
Written by: Tony Tost
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Carl Perkins
- The King of Rockabilly
- Written by: Jeff Apter
- Narrated by: Alex Knox
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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He was the King of Rockabilly, and one of rock and roll's true pioneers. A groundbreaking guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Carl Perkins inspired countless musicians in country, rock, and pop music. Now acclaimed music writer Jeff Apter recounts Carl Perkins's remarkable life story—the triumphs, tragedies, and career highlights that include some of the most pivotal moments in music history.
Written by: Jeff Apter
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R.E.M.'s Murmur
- 33 1/3
- Written by: J Niimi
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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R.E.M.'s debut album, released in 1983, was so far removed from the prevailing trends of American popular music that it still sounds miraculous and out of time today. J. Niimi tells the story of the album's genesis—with fascinating input from Don Dixon and Mitch Easter. He also investigates Michael Stipe's hypnotic, mysterious lyrics, and makes the case for Murmur as a work of Southern Gothic art.
Written by: J Niimi
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The Beatles' Let It Be
- 33 1/3, Book 12
- Written by: Steve Matteo
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The recording sessions for Let It Be actually began as rehearsals for a proposed return to live stage work for the Beatles, to be inaugurated in a concert at a Roman amphitheater in Tunisia. In this thoroughly researched book, Steve Matteo delves deep into the complex history of these sessions.
Written by: Steve Matteo
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Fleetwood Mac's Tusk
- 33 1/3, Book 77
- Written by: Rob Trucks
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Here, Rob Trucks talks to Lindsey Buckingham, as well as members of Animal Collective, Camper Van Beethoven, the New Pornographers, Wolf Parade, and the USC Trojan marching band in order to chart both the story and the impact of an album born of personal obsession and a stubborn unwillingness to compromise.
Written by: Rob Trucks
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Elton John's Blue Moves
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Matthew Restall
- Narrated by: Daniel Henning
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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By 1976, Elton John was the best-selling recording artist and the highest-grossing touring act in the world. With seven #1 albums in a row and a reputation as a riveting piano-pounding performer, the former Reggie Dwight had gone with dazzling speed from the London suburbs to the pinnacles of rock stardom, his songs never leaving the charts, his sold-out shows packed with adoring fans. Then he released Blue Moves, and it all came crashing down.
Written by: Matthew Restall
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Elvis Presley's From Elvis in Memphis
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Eric Wolfson
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Like a killer returning to the scene of the crime, Elvis came back home to Memphis, where it had all begun. Eschewing the fancier studios of Nashville and Hollywood, he set up shop at the ramshackle American Sound Studio, run by a maverick named Chips Moman with an in-house backing band now known as "The Memphis Boys,"" and made the music of his life. The resulting work, From Elvis in Memphis, would be the finest studio album of his career, an explosion of mature confidence and fiery inspiration.
Written by: Eric Wolfson
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Jeff Buckley's Grace
- 33 1/3
- Written by: Daphne A Brooks
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The power and influence of Grace increases with each passing year. Here, Daphne Brooks traces Jeff Buckley's fascinating musical development through the earliest stages of his career, up to the release of the album. With access to rare archival material, Brooks illustrates Buckley's passion for life and hunger for musical knowledge, and shows just why he was such a crucial figure in the American music scene of the 1990s.
Written by: Daphne A Brooks