Entertainment Books

I found this book very good to record my own songs. I have had an 8 track recorder for some time now, but everything sounded too thick, muddled etc. This book helped to learn to layer and create space.

This song covers traditional arrangement techniques. It is mostly suited to guitarists...not so much keyboardists. It has insightful info, but doesn't offer much in terms of experimental or unconventional arrangement techniques, which would have been nice. It's not one of Rooksby's best books, but it's still good (which says something)!

It was an okay book I wish it would have continued the story but hey. Its a good buy.

This is a great graphic novel for all who love graphic novels and for Street Fighter fans especially. This one really sums up the last 3 novels in short detail, but has some new revealing information regarding the characters backgrounds. Cant wait for the next volume!

I recommend the whole Street Fighter series as I rate the whole series 11 stars out of 10.

this books and the others are really good, I ordered this book with 4 more and all were delivered in less than a week!!

I am a little upset with this book, I guest something is missing, but... the book still be really great

While I'm happy that they released a collection of the bonus stories, it would have been nice if they had finished the main story first. These collections come out only a couple of times a year. It's a long wait until the next one and this edition will hardly satisfy until then.

Volume 4 is just ok. It is lousy at times. Some of the artwork is similar to that of Vol 1 to 3, but some of the artwork is weird and wacky, and although it is nice as an artform, it takes away from the story itself. The writing is the same as the other volumes since it is the same author/writer. The stories in here are 2 to 4 pages in length, very short. There are a lot of short stories. It kind of fills in the gaps, but in a lousy very quick way. The stories could have been longer. The art bothered me and so did the stories. I was happy with my Vol 1, 2, and 3 purchases, but I wish I could return this for a refund.

Read the book that was banned by the Disney Legal Department -- banned even though every aspect of the book is proven factual and truthful. What is it that the Disney Corporation doesn't want you to know about Walt Disney? The Animated Man -- a different Walt Disney.

I picked up this book in a gift shop in Downtown Disney at WDW this summer and just got around to reading it. I rarely read biographies, but even I found the book fascinating and easy to read. It is clearly well-researched and very unbiased, and I can honestly say I learned quite a bit from it. 5 stars, recommended!

In preparation for a recent trip to WDW, I wanted to read a biography the man himself. I spent a good hour looking around on amazon at different bios and what sold me on this one was that it was the most recently published bio and it seemed to be written from a more scholarly standpoint by someone who had done significant research. Also, the page count told me that it was not the standard 200 page fluff bio.

Having read the book leading up to my trip (finishing it sitting by the pool at my resort in Disney), I really felt like I had a better understanding of what went into making a place like Disney. The visionary nature of this guy was clearly explained.

If you prefer longer, more in depth bios, this is the one for you. If you are looking for a shorter, more populist treatment, buy something else.

My one complaint would be that when the author starts explaining the process Walt used for the creation and release of each film, he seems to go into extreme detail that goes beyond what is needed in bio of a man and would fit better in a history of the company. But, I tended to just skip over 3-10 pages when I realized he was geeking out on that. The author's other book is on something about animation history or something, and this probably gave him a larger than normal interest in film history.

All in all, I loved reading this book especially leading up to and during a trip to Disney World.

Mike Barrier has been the dean of Disney scholars for many years and this book ranks with the best of Walt Disney biographies. His thoroughness and professionalism as well as his devotion to animation history and particularly to Walt Disney make any of his books required reading for anyone interested in this subject matter.

I have been fascinated with animation since childhood, and have avidly read animation history books for over twenty years. I discovered Michael Barrier relatively recently, and he has quickly become my favorite writer on the subject. The Animated Man and Hollywood Cartoons are two of the most enjoyable, compelling books on the subject of animation that have been written.

Barrier writes with an academic thoroughness, yet his prose style is a pleasure to read. He analyzes the merits and faults of Disney's body of work, and his conclusions are always compelling, well-researched and well-supported. Even when I do not agree with Barrier's opinions, I always find them riveting.

The Animated Man had the misfortune to see print not long after Neal Gabler's widely publicized Disney biography. Barrier's is the superior book. Among professional animators, it is already the Disney biography of choice. I am convinced that in years to come, it will be regarded as the definitive book on Walt Disney.

I really enjoyed this book, and I think it's definitely worth considering if you're interested in how stories can be told in video games. I've bought plenty of books about video game design and storytelling. (I'm a programmer who's been making video games professionally for about 10 years -- I wish more people would include their personalbackground in their book reviews...) Some books on game design are written by people who obviously have more "static media" backgrounds like books or movies, and don't understand the fundamental problem of making a story in a situation where the audience has freedom to do what they want. Another problem that a lot of people don't understand is that people playing a video game don't necessarily WANT a story, in the sense that they are playing a video game because of the interactivity, and not to watch a 10 minute cutscene to learn some back story. If they wanted to watch a movie they'd pop in a DVD.

I think the author really understands these difficulties. You want to make an emmersive worl, but you need to do it very quickly. So he talks about dialog, and how to convey as much information as possible in as few words as possible. He talks about how to get the player to sympathize with a chaacter, from the situation that characetr is in, to the design of the character art, to the words that the character says. All of the information is very practical, not like some books that leave you with a bunch of high-level nonsense that doesn't work in a real game. I really appreciated that he wasn't one of these "video games are mindless because they don't tell a story" type of guys. Or acting as if video games need to learn how to tell a story in order to "grow up" like movies or TV have. In a straight up action game or fighter, you don't need as much of a story as you do in a more adventure game. Playing a video game is a just a different experience, and the story has a different role, it's NOT the holy grail like some people think. Rather than trying to tell you how to convert video games into novels, he describe ways that you can inject story without taking away from the inetraction. I think he makes a good case that in almost any game, you can introduce just a bit of characetr depth and relationships, without stopping for a ten minute cutscene, and it adds value to the game.

This author's background was originally in TV, but he also has considerable experience in video games. I felt like he has a good background to be writing the book, and was speaking from experience.

The only negative comment about the book is that I found several of the chapters to be very similar. Like you'd be reading a chapter, and you'd think, "Hey, didn't I just read this exact same thing a few chapters ago?" Actually, you didn't, this chapter is covering a very slightly different topic. In other words, I think he could have consolidated a few chapters, which would have saved me some time. I suppose this makes it easier to jump around, since you don't rely on information from previous chapters. But I found it a little repetitive.

All in all, a really good book for anybody interested in video game design or storytelling in general.

I've known Lee Sheldon for several years. He is one of the most pleasant and knowledgeable people I've met in the game industry, so I was very much looking forward to this book. Suffice it to say that I wasn't disappointed.

Writing for games has a lot in common with writing for other media (e.g., character and theme) and a lot that is unique to itself. Lee does an excellent job of covering both aspects - so much so that I would recommend this book to writers with absolutely no interest in interactive media. (I've read my share of writing books over the years, and this one stands at the top of the heap.)

Of particular interest to me were chapters 3-6 on character and chapter 14 on modular storytelling, the most elegant way I've seen of organizing a linear experience into a non-linear structure. The book also does an excellent job of discussing storytelling in massively multiplayer games and provides extensive background material, much of which is intended to set up and justify Lee's modular storytelling model - rather more background than necessary, actually, since you should be sold on the need for something like modular storytelling long before he gets around to explaining it.

The book's does have a few faults. For example, a couple of the later chapters feel out of place, and the text is dusted with a handful of puzzling and sometimes repeated typos (Eowen? Kalishnakov?) But these are of little consequence and should not detract from your enjoyment.

Highly recommended.

Cons: The book seemed slightly long for what it was, kept reusing the same semi-obscure examples from the writer's experience, and didn't always go in the directions I wanted it to go (for example more detail on world building, settings, or individual story scenes would have been appreciated).

Pros: It didn't matter that it didn't go where I wanted it because it was still very entertaining and unexpectedly beneficial to follow the writer on his path. The book is solid from start to finish and doesn't have a false air of superiority about it; everything is very practical and friendly. Definitely a good read that rewards the effort.

This book is excellent. Sheldon is witty and insightful and his book is a joy to read. I can't really think of anything negative to say, although I should perhaps mention that this book is pretty focused on RPGs and adventure games, since these are the genres which have traditionally relied most on story. Anyone interested in developing their understanding of storytelling in games should definitely pick this book up.

I am working on forming a game development studio, and our team is in the middle of producing our flagship title, an RPG entitled "Revolution's Dawn." I am the main writer of the script, and I just recently finished reading this book. Where I thought my duties as a writer were finished, I now see new openings to provide dialogue and sidequests to fill in the backstory, plot gaps, and other means of enrichment that I didn't see before. Because of having read this book, my team and I can now take this game and bring it into the realm of what we intended it to be-a vehicle for telling a story.

While the title of the book is "Character Development and Storytelling for Games," the book really focuses more heavily on the latter. I was expecting the former, but by no means am I complaining! I have been able to break through blocks in my own role as a writer for this project.

If you are looking for the "right" way to write your story, you won't find it here. What this book does instead is to open doors, and then let you decide whether to walk through them or not. And even then, you still have to choose for yourself what to do once you've walked through them. If you are looking for new openings in crafting your game _and_ writing your story(and synthesizing them both together), this is the book for you.

Already having nearly every Munchkin game, I was curious what to expect from this expansion. But this game is truly a way to change up the normal Munchkin rules by adding in Dungeon cards. These cards give all the players extra advantages (and disadvantages) thus making game play go by a little quiker than normal. I do recommend using the blank cards to create your own dungeons or treasures.

Great set of cards, delivered on time and for much less than what i would pay at a game shop.

In a nutshell:
Despite a long introduction assuring us it's not all about James Lipton, it's all about James Lipton.
Pompous and self-serving, ponderous reading.
Word for word rehashing of the tv shows' conversations with little to no new information or insight.
Mr. Lipton never misses an opportunity to sing his own praises (or to quote others who also, invariably, sing his praises). I'm a fan of the show and had no idea Mr. Lipton was so accomplished in so many areas. But a reader can only take so much and this unending litany of "aren't I wonderful and oh, by the way, aren't I wonderful." It gets tiresome quickly.

I, like most readers I assume, ventured to this book under the auspice that it could possibly reveal some kernels from behind-the-scenes of a show so devotely watched and scrutinized. I, also, have joined the legions that have enjoyed mocking, mimicking and wondering what possibly could have spawned such a fawning, erudite boob. Yet, while Lipton has over the years been the easiest of targets (i.e. Will Farrell, Ali G, etc.) there has always been an aspect that you cannot dismiss about him altogether.
Not only has he survived such ridicule with aplomb, but he has embraced it. (i.e. having Ferrell on show, appearances on Conan O'Brian)

What emerges in the book is a life enmeshed with literary and artistic giants but also a portrait of grace, intelligence and generosity. Lipton is uncommonly frank and is only discreet when the embarrassment is for someone other than him.
Most likely unknown are his previous best-selling books, Broadway musicals and collaborations with Arthus Miller, Baryshnikov, Stella Adler and other world movers that he can count as friends and heroes.

While I, too, was seeking more on the likes of Johnny Depp, Dustin Hoffman and Martin Scorcese, what I found was something more interesting. My own assumtions eroded and a new appreciation of the man, the arts and all the people that come and go through his long journey to the show. It's quite impressive.

That being said, be WARNED. Lipton is an erudite, a son of a writer, who published a book on words themselves ('The Exhaltation of Larks'). Don't go two steps from this reading without a dictionary in hand. Think I'm kidding? Then ask yourself- Are you a sesquipedalian?

Not a tell-all, nor a peep backstage, but a deep and winding discovery of a treasure hidden in plain sight.

Many of the people who have reviewed this book seem disappointed that there is so much Lipton and not enough "Inside the Actors Studio." Actually, I had quite the opposite reaction.

I wanted this book for all the inside scoop on "Inside the Actors Studio" yet found myself getting swept up in Lipton's fascinating life and, more importantly, his rich and colorful writing style (I was so taken with his writing that I went out and bought his novel, "Mirrors.")

I wanted to wallow in the words and the saga of this fascinating man, not sure if I wanted to race through it because it was so captivating, or slow down to savor each page.

My own disappointment came when it actually came to the reason I wanted the book in the first place--the story about "Inside the Actors Studio." Lipton's fawning over each guest got to be so nauseating that while I had devoured the first part of the book, it took me a much longer time to get through the end of it. These are actors. Good actors, to be sure, but not gods and goddesses, not heads of state, not nobel laureates. They are simply ACTORS, yet Lipton treats each one as if he were greeting the Pope, the Dali Lama or the Queen of England. It was fawning to the n'th degree and the only reason I stuck with the book to the end was that I had so enjoyed it up to that point.

I also wanted to know who this St. Bernard of Piveau that Lipton gushes about in every show really was, and never got a satisfactory answer to that, other than that he was apparently a French talk show host, another living legend to be fawned over.

I give this book three stars--if it had stayed at the level of the first half, I would enthusiastically give it five stars, but it is a very disappointing second half (for me).

I loved this book!!! James Lipton can write and does indeed write extremely well. The first half is indeed more autobiographical in nature but is a very interesting behind the scenes story of his life and art. Mr. Lipton includes plenty of self-congratulation, but contrary to some reviews, which made the book much more interesting for me.

Most of the last half is about "Inside the Actor's Studio", a TV-series that I never missed once I discovered it. I ran into a dozen or so passes that were quite moving as I read this book. I highly recommend the book for anyone who enjoyed the series and/or finds James Lipton to be an interesting fellow.

Just ignore the title and expect more than just about going Inside "Inside the Actor's Studio". If you only want the TV series part, read chapters 11-17 and view the photo section. Be warned, however, that you will miss some real nuggets.

What I wished he had included (think future edition) is a list of the 200 or so guests who appeared on "Inside the Actor's Studio", in order, in an appendix.

James Lipton provides the reader with a modestly-written account of his multi-faceted career and his many accomplishments. It is easy to journey with him from his initial efforts to earn money for law school to his accomplishments on radio, in television, on the stage and, finally as a (the?) principal of the Actors' Studio. That's the first half of the book. The second half is a review of many of the actors, actresses, writers and directors who were interviewed by him on "Inside the Actor's Studio" arranged with emphasis less on the individuals and their fame and more on their mettle. For devotees of the program, it is another wonderful journey with Lipton. For those who have not watched his television series on Bravo and who don't know James Lipton, it is an introduction to a most talented and accomplished individual who has a wonderful story to tell. "Inside Inside" is a most enjoyable read.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a book on OpenGL ES already in commerce after such a short time from the birth of the specification and first implementation. Indeed this book, as said in its preface, came out in "cell-phone time", (that is, very quick) but unfortunately also in "cell-phone-quality" (that is, very poor). It is an incoherent puzzle containing disparate info about EGL, some basic considerations about OpenGL ES functionality, audio for mobile devices, fixed point math and advertising for a few commercial game engines. If you think that looking hard enough you will find at least some info on how to choose and configure your development environment, to see working code for some basic functionality and maybe a little game.. well you are sadly mistaken. Another "book" hastily put together to make a few extra bucks at the expense of the unsuspecting reader. Buy only if love rough toilet paper.

The book does not talk much about OpenGL ES, but lots of the difference between OpenGL and OpenGL ES. It is good for the people that are experienced in PC 3D graphics.

I have finally finished reading this book. I found most of the information in this book very helpful. I've been developing 2D Java games on cell phones for a while. I found a lot of great infomation on OpenGL ES and EGL. There is enough here to really get started and some great insight on how to do fixed-point math. I found the sample code lacking at little and there isn't an actual 3D game from cover to cover, but the chapter on writing an OpenGL ES game was pretty good insight from a real 3D professional game developer. The audio chapter could be left out and the book still would have been good. If your looking at learning OpenGL ES gaming for cell phones you should at least consider this book as a good starter.

I've been reading up on OpenGL ES and just finished my first commerical game project that will be using OpenGL ES for a phone that will be out soon. I really enjoyed this book and it was a great help for our team to get the right info and tools. Lacking a full game, but not needed to get all the info you need - and every game developer already knows how to write a game mate :-)

I happened to have bought this at the bookstore when it first came out, in fact its in a cover to protect it from all dust----that's how incredible this book is!!!!! Since his untimely passing, I have not been too happy with how Afeni has continued his legacy....the movie Resurrection was on point and this scrapbook is priceless! The inserts of copied original Tupac scripts,letters,plans,his written ideas,explanations,songs is amazing! I recommend anyone that listened to his music and followed his star to look at this book! Once you look at it, you will want your own copy! And it deserves more then 5 stars!

THIS BOOK IS SO GREAT,I EXPECTED IT TO BE GREAT, BECAUSE EVERY TUPAC BOOK THAT I HAVE I PICK OUT CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE, I CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHOICE, BUT THIS IS THE BEST ONE BY FAR, IT EVEN HAS TUPAC'S GROCERY LIST IN IT, NOW, HOW AMAZING IS THAT, IS NOT EVERDAY, THAT YOU GET TO OWN YOUR FAVORITE IDOL'S GROCERY LIST, YOU ACTUALLY GET TO HOLD HIS PRISON CARD, INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT IT IN A BOOK, IT HAS A RARE PICTURE IN THERE TOO, IT HAS HIS RESTURANT MENU IN THERE THAT HE WAS GOING TO OPEN UP, THE POWEKEA CAFE, THAT IS SO GREAT, I HAVE ALWAYS DREAMED OF A BOOK LIKE THIS, AND WHEN THIS BOOK ARRIVED TO ME, MY DREAM TURNED INTO A REALITY, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK, YOU'D BE CRAZY NOT TO GET IT IF YOU ARE A TUPAC FAN, YOU ARENT A OFFICAL TUPAC FAN, UNTIL YOU HAVE OWN THIS BOOK, TRUST ME, YOU WONT REGRET IT ONE BIT,

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This book is incredible. The book is full of life with photos, documents, blueprints, and much more. Readers will be pleased with all of the detachable documents and things that somehow make you feel closer to Pac. My mom and I were in tears when we read on of the detachable court documents that a father wrote to a judge regarding Tupac's true character. He stated that his son was deathly ill and had one final wish that Tupac granted. What a tear jerker!! Read and enjoy. You will come away inspired and more in love with a man that helped change the way we perceived thugs and how we felt about hop-hop.

I bought this book for my son-in-law who is much interested in Tupac. When I opened it, I was amazed at how beautifully put together the book is. It has an innovative, creative format which combines story, photo, and the primary source materials of his life. I know this is probably a pretty academic review--but really, this is a creative, gorgeous, well- designed auto/biography. Excellent.

Nureyev: The Life
This is a page turner of a book- not only for the unusual life of Nureyev but also for a look into the world of dance. As great a dancer as he was, even he struggled repeatedly to find his place in the world. As he aged, he needed to change his repertoire, and, eventually, his career. Julie Kavanagh is a dancer who understands the politics of dance and builds in enough detail to make us feel the frustrations and struggles of Nureyev as he tries to find a company which fits his personality.

Kavanagh's "Nureyev" is another first-rate dance biography, fully matching her marvelous account of Frederick Ashton. Nureyev was more a great star than a great dancer, yet his impact on male ballet dancers worldwide was transformative. Before Rudi, they were mostly earthbound dullards, either crudely straight or mincingly effeminate; after Rudi, men in ballet became nearly as turned out, pulled up, and extended as ballerinas, with a protean animalism that enabled them to live gay yet seem to love their women onstage.

Unlike her predecessor Richard Buckle, whose dance bios read like transcribed engagement books, Kavanagh offers a nearly perfect balance of details and distillation, compellingly tracing arcs in her subject's life. She pays extra attention to Rudi's first years in the West, richly detailing his two key relationships--with Margot Fonteyn, whom he ignited just as she was about to retire, and with Eric Bruhn, the one dancer he would learn from and the love of his life--plus the recasting of his dancing into a fusion of Russian and Western. Rudi's restless gay life is all there, yet without prurience. Eventually he settled down, for a time, with Wallace Potts, an all-American gay boy whose goodness and devotion shine through quite attractively (other acolytes followed). In these pages, Rudi lives just like a coddled star athlete: no matter how beastly his conduct, somebody always satisfies his needs and keeps his ego fully inflated. A fine biography and a great read.

He was born on a train as his mother and sisters journeyed to be with his soldier father. Of this unusual entrance into the world, Nureyev was to say "...it was the most romantic event of his life, symbolic of his future statelessness and nomadic existence."

His was a life lived from place to place from humble beginnings in a Russian village to the most luxurious surroundings the world could offer. He was an icon, libidinous, both men and women were drawn to him. The great love of his life, according to this author, was the great Danish dancer Erik Bruhn. One reason for his defection Nureyev is quoted as saying is because he wanted to learn to dance like Bruhn and "to study with Bruhn's teacher, the Russian born Vera Volkova, a childhood friend of Pushkin's."

Many were to play a part in Nureyev's life and career, They helped him in numerous ways, introductions, opportunities, advancing his talent. However, once these people had served their purpose they "became dispensable."

A trained ballet dancer Ms. Kavanagh brings insightful commentary to this stunning biography, which abounds with quotes from letters, diaries, and interviews. All of these bring an immediacy to her narrative, an accessibility, if you will, to Nureyev's thoughts and ambitions. He was, of course, a superstar, an idol who lived a flamboyant life and brought a spectacular aura to the world of dance. Nureyev the man was unparalleled, and so is his biography by Julie Kavanagh.

- Gail Cooke

Rudolf Nureyev, flamboyant dancer with the Kirov Ballet of Leningrad (St. Petersburg), began life on a train to the Eastern Russian front. He was the son of Tatar parents from a remote part of the Soviet Union. His father was a soldier who was rarely home. The family was extremely poor and often hungry, but his mother managed to sneak them into a performance of a ballet when Rudolf was five. He was determined from that time on to learn to dance and perform on the stage. He had the talent, determination and perseverance to succeed.

Julie Kavanagh has documented the life of this dancing man in this encyclopedic volume. She includes information about Nureyev's early training in his hometown, Ufa, his extensive training with mentor Pushkin and Pushkin's wife, Xenia in St. Petersburg. She details his defection to the West in Paris that read like a spy novel - complete with KGB operatives.

Nureyev passion for dance and for learning propels him to work with choreographers from the Paris Opera Ballet to West Side Story. Kavanagh includes titillating factoids about Nureyev's personal life - hobnobbing with the rich and famous, his womanizing, his homosexual lifestyle, and his final battle with HIV/AIDS. She also talks about his dancing.

Nureyev is first and foremost a ballet dancer and she documents his transition from the formal classical ballet style to the avant-garde modern dance styles he helped to create.

This tome, and it is a tome of nearly 700 pages without counting the extensive footnotes, acknowledgements and index, is an extensive account of a fascinating person. It is quite readable, with the caveat that there are multitudinous Russian names, ballet terminologies, and musical references. These kept me reading somewhat slower than usual.

The book also has three large sections of photographic illustrations.

Armchair Interviews says: Anyone with a strong interest in ballet history or in Nureyev himself will find this to be a very satisfying book.

I have been buying books my entire adult life and off Amazon since its inception, however never have I before felt compelled to review until now, which speaks to the brilliance of Julie Kavanagh's book. I try to read outside categories I know, and this one was no exception, no absolutely nothing about ballet or dance. But this book made me feel and appreciate both, as well as the epic life of Nureyev. Passionately told and incredible well researched, this is a biography worthy of its subject.

Imagine yourself facing the task of telling Tony Bennett during a recording session that, while he sounds fine, you believe he's hit a few bum notes. Not only should you have the credible acumen for identifying such flaws, but also the knowledge of how to correct them. Fortunately, Phil Ramone has an abundance of both. One of music's most prolific and distinguished producers, he candidly shares experiences from his career in his new book, Making Records: The Scenes Behind The Music.

While neither a strict memoir nor a technical manual, the book blends elements of the two, usually within the context of representative and applicable anecdotes.

Ramone writes an engaging account of his ascension in the music industry, from working as a studio apprentice to engineering recording sessions and ultimately producing albums and live events. As a result, the reader gains priceless insight on some landmark recordings as well perspective on the evolution of music production over the last 50 years.

What makes this book such an enjoyable read is the producer's unassuming way of relating his memories and knowledge. One would suspect that someone as proficient and experienced as Phil Ramone would have, by now, lost all sense of wonder in regard to how music is made. Quite the contrary, while he undoubtedly knows what he's doing in the studio, he seems just as amazed and inspired by the creative process as any typical fan would feel.

Fans of Billy Joel, in particular, will take pleasure in reading what Ramone recollects about producing many of the Piano Man's greatest albums. He recounts how certain iconic sound effects were achieved, like the shattering glass that opens "You May Be Right" and the reverberating helicopter propellers that bookend "Goodnight Saigon." He explains his view on what was lacking in Joel's first four albums -- which he didn't produce -- and why that deficiency resulted in releasing Songs From The Attic. He even divulges how he would humorously blackmail Joel and his band into working whenever they got hungry or distracted.

In sharing his experiences of working with Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and a plethora of others, the consistent factor is how Ramone approached (and still approaches) each project with the artist's intent foremost in his mind. He astutely notes that his name doesn't appear on the covers of the albums he produces. Thus, instead of attempting to conform an artist to a certain style or standard, he respects and caters to each artist's creative goal.

At the same time, Ramone justifiably points out the credentials that he brings to the making of an album. A classically trained musician in his own right, he understands music from both sides of the glass. Even when he has worked with artists who've had production experience, like Paul Simon or Paul McCartney, Ramone says that he contributed a sense of objectivity that the artists found helpful.

Accommodating in his profession as well as in his prose, Ramone has graciously written a book that music fans of any age or education can appreciate. Given his expertise, he could have easily filled these pages with professional terminology related to record production. While he certainly refers to technological aspects and specific equipment associated with his work, he does so without leaving the average reader overwhelmed or confused. Rather, he only mentions something of this sort within the context of recounting a pertinent (and understandable) experience.

Making Records: The Scenes Behind The Music offers an intriguing glimpse into the art of music production. Few careers in this field have rivaled that of Phil Ramone. Now, in addition to albums, concerts, and other live events, he has once again produced a quality work. And this time, finally, his name is on the cover.

Yes, their may be issues at times with the quotes figure out if it is Phil Ramone speaking or someone else. But it is a great look into how the mind of one amazing music producer works. This book though isn't for the average reader, it is expecting you to know a lot about the background of the recording process. But for those who work in the industry this book gives great insight into how to bring the best out of musicians in the recording studio.

This book is not about making records; it's all about Phil, Phil and Phil.
The arrogance; name-dropping and bragging left not much room for telling us *how* records are really made.

Not too thrilling..... Heavy emphasis on Phil's people skills, which are important. Author's political agenda adds nothing of any importance. I bought the book hoping to read more about Phil's studio technique....obviously writen by an untechnical who found such information unimportant. This book mellows into the story of a kindly old guy, not the technical whiz & agressive risk taker that Phil had to be in order to get to the absolute top of his game.
Phil Ramone's breif interview in Behind The Glass is much more informative & passionate & I suspect, much more the REAL Phil Ramone.