(Book). The Beatles sixth studio album; Rubber Soul ; was a game changer. By December 1965; when the album was released; the Beatles had played the first arena rock show at Shea Stadium for 55;000 delirious fans; been awarded MBE (Member of British Empire) medals; and were indisputably the greatest musical phenomenon since Elvis Presley. With their first film; A Hard Days Night ; John; Paul; George; and Ringo laid down the blueprint for everyone who ever wanted to form a group. The movie; entertaining as it was; became an instruction manual for aspiring pop stars of the day on how to play; dress; and act. Richard Lesters 1964 comedy turned out to be the touchstone for every music video that followed. Then; with the release of Rubber Soul ; the Beatles created an artistic benchmark to which their peers measured their craft and creativity. Touring the world over two years; the band had grown up fast. Both musically and lyrically their new album represented a major leap. Upon hearing Rubber Soul ; Bob Dylan allegedly remarked; "I get it; youre not cute anymore." Newsweek hailed the Beatles as "the Bards of Pop;" while critic Greil Marcus claimed Rubber Soul was "the best album they would ever make." For Traffics Steve Winwood; the album "broke everything open. It crossed music into a whole new dimension and was responsible for kicking off the sixties rock era." In This Bird Has Flown ; John Kruth not only analyzes the songs and making of Rubber Soul ; putting the album in context of the turbulent times in which it was created; but captures the spirit of musical innovation and poetry that makes the record a standout in the Beatles canon.
#1369565 in eBooks 2012-10-10 2012-10-10File Name: B01BY34J3U
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting readBy A customerI bogged down in the first half of this book. I was annoyed that the author didnt mention whether Lees rapist was ever prosecuted. Child abuse is so upsetting. After that; Lees years as a beautiful young woman in Paris who was as sexually "liberated" as the hippies of the 1960s was frankly boring me. I put the book aside for several months; but then picked it up again and got into the war years. This was absolutely fascinating. Lee was amazing as a photo journalist in WWII. She was a remarkable woman. This book gives very interesting glimpses into the war and post war Europe.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Flapper finds her Destiny in World War IIBy James R. HollandLike so many individuals over the ages; Lee Miller grew up in a relatively small community in what the media currently refers to as "Fly Over Country." A member of a talented middle class family; she enjoyed every advantage that her parents could provide; which was considerable. From an early age she displayed a thirst for adventure. She fled to Paris to study and fell in love with the Latin Quarter before returning to America. Moving to New York City she stepped into the path of and on-coming car and was pulled to safety by a well-dressed stranger. In shock; Lee babbled in French causing the stranger; Conde Nast; to take a closer look at the young woman hed just rescued. He was impressed and asked her if she would like to come to work for one of his magazines--Vogue. At age of 19 Lee became a cover girl for Vogue and was dubbed the embodiment of the modern girl. She was the official model for the legendary "flapper." Soon she was in demand by most of the most famous photographers in America including Edward Steichen and Arnold Genthe. Tiring of being just a New York celebrity-model Lee was soon back in Paris where in a single day she became the traveling companion; mistress; model; muse; photography assistant and student of photographer Man Ray. Through him she became a member of the Surrealists and lived and moved among the great artists and writers living and working in Montparnasse at the time. Her early associations with these world famous artists would change her life. Under Man Rays tutelage she slowly began a transformation from being in front of the camera to being behind it. She eventually received additional photographic training at the Clarence White School along with another soon-to-be-famous woman photographer Margaret Bourke-White. After marrying a wealthy Egyptian and going slightly crazy as a member of the "Black Satin Pearls" expatriates living in Cairo; Lee found her mission in life by another unlikely event rivaling her earlier "Grace Kelly-like" discovery by Conde Nast. World War II broke out while Lee awaited its predicted arrival in London. Unbelievably she was soon working as a war photographer for Vogue magazine. Through her good looks; charm; talent and stealth she was soon the only woman photographer covering the front lines of the European battlefront. World War II was the highlight of Lees photography career. She took to being a successful war correspondent like a duckling takes to water. She was tireless; talented; resourceful and finally fulfilled through accomplishing important work. Changed by her war experiences; (an early example of Post-Traumatic Stress) she never quite received the same sense of satisfaction for her later work; but she was no longer as restless after having fulfilled some indefinable need in her naturally adventurous personality. For a beautiful woman (Picasso painted six bare breasted portraits of her during one summer); she was able to shake off the handicap of being a NY celebrity and actually accomplishes some important work that fulfilled her innermost needs. She was no longer just Lady Penrose; but her own person with her own considerable accomplishments. When Queen Elizabeth knighted her husband fellow Surrealist Roland Penrose in 1966; it didnt turn her into a snob. She sometimes jokingly referred to herself as "Lady Lee of Poughkeepsie." There is a lot of humor in this biography. Here are two choice lines; paraphrased; neither of them by Lee: ..."brevity is the soul of lingerie" (Dottie Parker) and on the subject of a new brand of womens underwear for the well-dressed wartime English women; "One Yank and they come right off." "The Art of Lee Miller" by Mark Haworth-Booth is an excellent companion book to Burkes biography because it reproduces many of the photographs discussed; but not shown in the biography. Lee Miller was notable for her beauty; her famous artist friends; her photography; her sense of humor and her infamous sexual exploits. Except for a few boring moments during her "Black Satin Pearls" experience in Egypt; this exhaustively researched book is difficult to put aside. During the hours spent reading the WW II segments I would stop reading and find myself disoriented to be back in the present time and not on the European battlefields. Thats powerful writing at work.Lee Miller was much more than Vogues personification of the "quintessential flapper." The reader can have fun comparing the Vogue cover of 19-year-old Lee as the epitome of the stylish modern New York woman with another picture of her washing off six-weeks of hard-won war correspondent grime while bathing in Hitlers personal bathtub in his captured Munich home. Unfortunately; she reported the bath reminded her too much of her recent; terrifying photo coverage of the liberation of Dachau and its "bathhouse gas chambers."3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Three StarsBy Jan ThomasFascinating woman. A bit too much detail in places of meaningless minutia
