Matisse and Picasso achieved extraordinary prominence during their lifetimes. They have become cultural icons; standing not only for different kinds of art but also for different ways of living. Matisse; known for his restraint and intense sense of privacy; for his decorum and discretion; created an art that transcended daily life and conveyed a sensuality that inhabited an abstract and ethereal realm of being. In contrast; Picasso became the exemplar of intense emotionality; of theatricality; of art as a kind of autobiographical confession that was often charged with violence and explosive eroticism. In Matisse and Picasso; Jack Flam explores the compelling; competitive; parallel lives of these two artists and their very different attitudes toward the idea of artistic greatness; toward the women they loved; and ultimately toward their confrontations with death.
#687624 in eBooks 2012-11-01 2012-11-01File Name: B009REXYAS
Review
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Miss Hit Maker USA Mary WellsBy Motown DaveI have been a long time fan of Mary Wells. I will say this book showed me a whole new side to her that only her closest friends and family would know. That said it does not diminish my love for her music or Mary herself. This book will open your eyes about her poor choices both in her personal life and her career. Being the constant hitmaker she was(her knick name was Miss Hitmaker) she was a major player in the early days of making Motown a powerful record label.You could actually say that Motown was the label that Mary Built.This book takes you through her life from beginning to end and is very informatve. From her affairs with Carl Davis and Jackie Wilson to her disasterous marriage to Herman Griffin and her longest marriage to Cecil Womack(11 years).Mary could also be a very jealous person when it came to the men in her life and she could be a handfull. Mary tried suicide twice and survived. This book will show how her personal life may have been rocky but when Mary got on stage and did her shows she was a pro. I was able to see her once in concert at the Park West in Chicago in the early 80s. She gave one heck of a performance. Read the book and you will have a better understanding of how and why things went from bad to good and back to bad for her. I feel Mary was her own worst enemy. To the author Peter Benjaminson I say thank you for such a wonderful book on "The Queen Of Motown". You didnt make her out to be something she wasnt. you showed us that she was human like the rest of us. She made a lot of bad choices in her life but who hasnt? We all have. She just made more of them and happened to be a famous singer.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Such a Troubled SoulBy KiwesWOWWWWW! I tell you. WE really dont truly know anyone. now do we? This book clearly demonstrates that about the appropriately-named title Tumultuous life of Mary Wells. Ive been a fan of Marys music for most of my life having grown up listening to it. The Motown sound is something that you cannot escape.She was such a talented person with a troubled soul. I wonder sometimes if these special types of gifts God gives us is a "gift" or a curse. I suppose its all in the way you handle your blessing. Unfortunately. Mary had so many demons. she couldnt escape herself.From leaving Motown and Berry Gordy. The Chairman. as he is penned. to going to Twentieth Century to several other record companies. Mary just couldnt find her way. She did. unfortunately. find her way to too many cigarettes and drugs. All of this was of Marys doing in some ways. especially the guilt she felt for what she did to the Womack family. whom being the most well-known RB legend. Bobby Womack. What she does was almost Jerry Springer-ish of sorts. I had to go back and reread some of this section because the relationships got so muddied.I could not put this book down! I learned so much about this famous singer and all her money troubles. Again. many of her problems were due to her own accord. Peter did an outstanding job bringing Mary to life. and it was also great that Mary. while on her deathbed. decided to come clean and tell her story the way she wanted it to be said. No on can dispute that she was a troubled soul. but at least. before her death. she became whole. in my opinion.This is a great story and sad at the same time. but one worth adding to your list. if youre a reader who loves biographies and memoirs. such as myself! Well done!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Superstar of the Early 1960sBy FrankMJMary Wells finally gets her due in a focused book-length discussion. The books strength is that it does a good job of discussing Mary the person and her life. giving the reader a lot of personal information about Mary not previously known. The fact that Mary is no longer with us means Benjaminson had to take piecemeal info about her and string it into a coherent story. This had to be a challenge in itself. The Appendix is also thorough.Where the book falls short is that Benjaminson does not sufficiently give Mary her due in the larger context of the music industry at the time. Shes a superstar at Motown but she was the biggest African American female solo artist of the early 1960s. Its is this lack of context that keeps Mary from getting the recognition from groups like the Rock Roll Hall of Fame. Shes contextualized in the book and in most other publications as Motown superstar but not a superstar outside of Motown.. which she was. No other Black female artist had the amount of crossover hits she had between 1961-1964. Benjamin missed the opportunity to present her in a larger context that the general public needs to understand.Some of the contextual points he does make are questionable. For example. he claims Smokey productions on Mary were influenced by the girl group sound especially the Shirelles. Thats highly unlikely for the mere fact that the background vocals on most of Smokeys productions in 62-63 are from the Love-Tones. Also. in early 62 when he started working with Mary. the girl group sound hadnt become dominant yet in radio. That wouldnt happen for another year. 1963 was the the dominant year for girl groups. The examples he gives of the Dixie Cups. Shangri-Las. etc. are also questionable because these groups didnt debut on the Billboard Hot 100 until 1964. two years after Mary had already established herself as a major recording star. Theres also some wrong information like him stating the Supremes sang background on "Hes The One I Love" when its actually the Andantes.Granted. Benjaminson is a journalist and not a musicologist. However. fact checking is always appropriate regardless of an authors background. What also would have strengthened the book is a more definitive presentation of Mary Wellss career. including more photos. especially rare ones. Surely. with a little more effort he could have secured several rare photos of her at Motown. Also. anecdotal remembrances from non-Motowners would have been interesting. Wells played the chitlin circuit and worked with just about every major act of the day. many of whom are still alive. Their memories of working with Wells would have interesting to read. Some documentation of those chitlin circuit performances would have been good as well. Overall. Benjaminsons style is easy to follow. making the book a quick and enjoyable read. Its just lacking the "meat" that is needed to elevate Mary Wells from Motown superstar to American music legend.
