Essential reading for any Star Trek and movie fan. -trekmovie.com When Nicholas Meyer was asked to direct the troubled second Star Trek film; he was something less than a true believer. A bestselling author and successful director; he had never been a fan of the TV series. But as he began to ponder the appeal of Kirk; Spock; et al.; he realized that their story was a classical nautical adventure yarn transplanted into space and-armed with that insight-set out on his mission: to revitalize Trek.
#1229125 in eBooks 2009-07-01 2009-07-01File Name: B002GKGBPK
Review
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Hits and MissesBy Samuel C.Will Friedwald probably deserves a medal for taking on this project. a 400-page analysis and performance history of twelve oft-recorded American lullabyes. Even some of us who swear by the Great American Songbook might opt for "I Cant Get No Satisfaction" if the alternative is listening to several hundred different versions of "Stardust" (as lovely as it is). Granted. a song biography has more going for it than. say. a performance history of Shakespeares most popular plays. but still its not exactly a compelling page turner.Friedwald writes with hipness. esprit and engaging good humor. and he delivers provocative opinions. fascinating information. and a wealth of trivia. But the price of admission may be judged a bit excessive by some readers. mainly because the book contains no index. lists. or even discographies that would insure its value as a reference tool.Every reader will no doubt find much to quibble about with a book such as this (admittedly no small part of its appeal). Frankly. Im surprised the author makes no mention of the 1947 Lionel Hampton All-Star Concert recording of "Stardust" (with extraordinary solos by Charlie Shavers and Slam Stewart along with Hamps introduction of the "Pretty Baby" motif. which Friedwald attributes to a later recording). And although a Paul Desmond version is mentioned. the Brubeck Quartet performance on the indispensable "Jazz at Oberlin" album (which evokes without stating the melody) is not. Finally. Im surprised the author appears to accept "C" (as does Zinsser in his book) as the current standard key for the song. Any real musician Ive known has balked at lowering the tune down half a step from the traditional Db. and for good reason: such a simplification drastically alters the character and feel of the piece. making stardust little more than prosaic morning dust.No doubt no reader will be completely satisfied with the song selections--including this one. How can you possibly leave out as durable. beautiful. ingenious a tune as "All the Things You Are." especially given its many permutations? Which is simply to say that some of us would have preferred shorter chapters. more songs. and an index.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. More Fine Work From FriedwaldBy Scrappy LambertIf youre an aficionado of the Great American Songbook. this is a must-buy. If youve read Friedwalds "The Song is You." you should already have this fine follow-up."Stardust Melodies" covers the origins and musical structure of some well-chosen standards. On the latter score. dont be intimidated if you dont read music; the analyses cover only a few pages and. frankly. it would be educational to read them while listening to the songs themselves.Major recordings of the songs are then analyzed in the knowledgeable but witty and accessible style that endears Friedwald to his readers. and no one who has read any of his previous books will be disappointed. Perfect? No: the lack of discographies is a particularly glaring lapse. as noted by several reviewers. And. as others have also noted. Friedwald does have a blind spot when it comes to many more contemporary artists. but at least he wears his prejudices on his sleeve - he bluntly states. for instance. that he refuses to even listen to Johnnie Rays recording of "As Time Goes By" (which happens to be excellent and. for Ray. quite restrained - WF might even like it!). This doesnt help his overall credibility with some readers. but for others Wills dislikes are part of the fun in reading him.And thats the bottom line: this is a fun and informative book. not dry. stuffy or academic. reflecting the depth. variety and vitality of American pop. As the man said. Who could ask for anything more?1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Insightful. but not for all readersBy Jon WarshawskyStardust Melodies may be a godsend for musicologists. composers and musicians. but if you are a casual fan of jazz or swing this book may be overload. While Friedwalds other works. such as his biography of Sinatras musical career. are accessible to a wide audience. the authors considerable expertise results in Stardust Melodies being very analytical and for many readers it may amount to a lot of trivia. That said -- I devoured the book and think it is superb in both concept and nearly as good in execution. Sure. everyone has a different list of songs. but I cant argue with Friedwalds selections.Whats missing? By all means. include a CD sampler of some of the older. obscure versions of the songs. While it would obviously be out of the question to reproduce the Sinatra and Fitzgerald tracks (for example). Im sure that half of a surviving aircheck from Bing Crosby in the 1930s would be no problem and I would bet that almost none of the readers have heard it. Reading about music is sometimes difficult.However. the historical information (for example. about the evolving lyrics of Ol Man River. or the obscure origins of Mack the Knife) is treasurable and compensates for the frustration noted above. Opinion is inevitable in a work such as this. but Friedwalds is an educated opinion. and it adds flavor to the text.Recommended. but not for casual listeners. You really must own at least a basic library of jazz standards before Stardust Melodies will be much of a revelation.
