(Guitar Recorded Versions). Milwaukeean Steve Miller learned his first guitar chords from family friend Les Paul; and as a preteen formed a blues band with his buddy Boz Skaggs. From these auspicious beginnings; hes become a superstar whose songs are radio staples. This terrific 22-song collection features photos and tab transcriptions of all your favorite rock hits: Abracadabra * Fly Like an Eagle * Jet Airliner * The Joker * Living in the U.S.A. * Rockn Me * Space Cowboy * Take the Money and Run * and more!
#1290478 in eBooks 2006-02-01 2006-02-01File Name: B00GQZO798
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great read; and so relevantBy Alva HascallIn this time of political unrest; reading about the lives of artists under the rule of Poppa Joe (Stalin) is revelatory. Great read; and so relevant.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. A haunting; marvellous; masterful narrative of artists under Stalins Russia:By Sigrid OlsenThere have been some excellent books out about the Stalinist Era and people and artists trying to survive...but Fear and the Muse includes a wider subject matter and is really a marvel of research and narrative. I found myself frequently looking up the names in this rich dense book; and was amazed to learn their stories...some are very tragic while others endure exile; near misses; or are protected only to be targeted in a second wave of persecution after World War II; when Stalin still remained at the helm. McSmith begins his story during the relatively benign early Communist Days when artists strove to be different and send a new message about the revolutionary world; but as Stalin gains power; things change. Against the backdrop of political purges; comes the artistic persecutions. Plays; poems and art all are questioned; while their authors are terrified into submission; silence; or murdered. McSmith includes the story of Vsevolod Meyerhold; the theater director; whose wife was brutally murdered; while he was sadistically tortured to death. At the same time; we learn about Prokofievs homesickness for Russia and his return (which led to complications; but did produce the enchanting Peter and the Wolf.) It includes conversations that Pasternak had with Stalin about the "has been" Anna Akhmatova. Throughout all the changing attitudes toward art and the state McSmith weaves his narrative with the vivid skein of Russias artists; suppressed; starved and scared; and still productive. This narrative makes one wonder at their persistence; and knowing that even the smallest incursion could mean years of forced labor. The author also includes information gleaned from post Communist archives. This is a wonderful book and very readable...it unfolds story after story; each fascinating; including all the major players-- Eisenstein; Gorky; Shostakovich-- with personal details that bring each characters motives into the context of what was happening in Russia. McSmith also quotes many poems; passages; and conversations that help us to learn what exactly was under attack. It also includes Stalins own opinions on how art should be produced and monitored by the state. Though non-fiction; the succinct and well chosen details of this book made me feel as if I entered into another era.
