Pete Townshend was once asked how he prepared himself for The Whorsquo;s violent live performances. His answer? lsquo;Pretend yoursquo;re in a war.rsquo; For a band as prone to furious infighting as it was notorious for acts of lsquo;auto-destructive artrsquo;; this could have served as a motto.Between 1964 and 1969; The Who released some of the most dramatic and confrontational music of the decade; including lsquo;I Canrsquo;t Explainrsquo;; lsquo;My Generationrsquo; and lsquo;I Can See For Milesrsquo;. This was a body of work driven by bitter rivalry; black humour and dark childhood secrets; but it also held up a mirror to a society in transition. Now; acclaimed rock biographer Mark Blake goes in search of its inspiration to present a unique perspective on both The Who and the sixties.From their breakthrough as Mod figureheads to the rise and fall of psychedelia; he reveals how The Who; in their explorations of sex; drugs; spirituality and class; refracted the growing turbulence of the time. He also lays bare the colourful but crucial role played by their managers; Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. And ndash; in the uneasy alliance between art-school experimentation and working-class ambition ndash; he locates the motor of the Swinging Sixties.As the decade closed; with The Who performing Tommy in front of 500;000 people at the Woodstock Festival; the lsquo;rock operarsquo; was born. In retrospect; it was the crowning achievement of a band who had already embraced pop art and the concept album; who had pioneered the power chord and the guitar smash; and who had embodied ndash; more so than any of their peers ndash; the guiding spirit of the age: war.
#1776501 in eBooks 2014-08-28 2014-08-28File Name: B00NKQIYI6
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Standard book on butohBy Customer5 stars for Sondra Horton Fraleighs essays; which she wrote while staying in Japan. Her personal insight and discussions and workshops and performances with masters of this dance philosophy are an essentail read to delve deeper into the subject.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A fantastic beautiful insight into a hidden world.By BaconFraleighs book is a hidden gem in the search for documentation regarding Butoh. When recently trying to research the subject for a performance art project I found myself confronted with the task of gaining access to this impentratable medium; There is not a lack to discover; just merely a lack to provide."Dancing Into Darkness;" acts as both journal to Fraleighs personal descovery of Butoh and also the relationship that the medium has today (for some of artists) with Zen - which ultimately results in her internal descovery - an experience; that as a reader; is overwhelmingly beautiful on ocassion.The text also acts as a kickoff point in understanding the conceptulization of the movement and gives reference to the facts and exploration of these to a certain point. Chapters are headed by instances of caligraphy and haiku; which perfectly set mood and pace.The only negative criticism that one may have is that in terms of pure research; though this does provide the necessary spiritulaism that one needs in understanding the peice; it lacks the essay like critques that some may desire for their own work. Either way this is a book that should suit all; purerists; intellectuals; newcomers and those seeking the spiritual.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. An individualistic account of that evasive form known as butoh.By Samantha MehraButoh is a dance genre that; for the most part; is hard to pin down into a digestible definition. Perhaps that is the beauty of it; perhaps the nature of it. Butoh; one could say; evades definition and just is. Fraleighs book takes this quality account; in the form of diary entries and snapshots of classes and performances; Fraleigh writes from a personal place; describing events and ideas of her own while providing some kind of context for Butohs background; variability; and poetry. I was particularly interested in her exploration of the way butoh explores/uses the feminine principle. I suggest this book for those who have grown tired of reading purely academic journal articles or textbooks. Fraleigh is a dance scholar and and thus; an academic; but writes this particular book in a way that it is both beautiful and readable. She gives us a good sense of what butoh involves; but also humbly acknowledges her position as someone writing from a Western perspective.
