Designers around the world are carving out opportunities for new kinds of engagement; new kinds of collaboration; new kinds of design outcomes; and new kinds of practice; overturning the inherited assumptions of the design professions. Seventeen conversations with practitioners from the fields of architecture; policy; activism; design; education; research; history; community engagement and more; each representing an emergent role for designers to occupy. Whether the "civic entrepreneur;" the "double agent;" or the "strategic designer;" this book offers a diverse spectrum of approaches to design; each offering a potential future for architectural practice.With a foreword by Dan Hill and interviews with Steve Ashton; ARM; Bryan Boyer; Helsinki Design Lab; Camila Bustamante; Mel Dodd; muf_aus; DUS Architects; Jeanne Gang; Studio Gang; Reinier de Graaf and Laura Baird; AMO; Conrad Hamann; Natalie Jeremijenko; xClinic; Indy Johar; 00:/;Bruce Mau; Arjen Oosterman and Lilet Breddels; Volume; Todd Reisz; Wouter Vanstiphout; Crimson; Matt Webb; BERG; Marcus Westbury; Renew Newcastle; and Liam Young; Unknown Fields
#1164469 in eBooks 2009-11-12 2009-11-12File Name: B009T0KKL6
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Cristina SatoExcelllent17 of 18 people found the following review helpful. The numerous references to Emericks book hurt this collections credibilityBy ABQChrisAbout half of this book makes for some highly enjoyable. often insightful reading about the music we all know. The down side is that many stories. events and recording sessions that have already been narrated hundreds of times reappear here with puzzling frequency -- one can claim "Just in case there are new listeners" only so many times before the appearance of new Beatles books appears largely superfluous. But theres some great stuff here. if youre willing to be patient about the age-old anecdotes.But we now have at hand an excellent example of why irresponsible history-skewing should be taken out of print before it bleeds into other texts and muddles the relevant knowledge base. Geoff Emericks -Here. There and Everywhere- is cited often. especially in "The Beatles as Recording Artists" by Jerry Zolten (an essay thats also grammatically disastrous). Emericks book is well known to be filled with errors. outright fabrications. and Emericks taking credit for things that George Martin actually did.Anything that Cambridge allows to be published as an academic "Companion" should. one would immediately assume. be combed over. fact-checked. and basically made to adhere to responsible literary practices. There are mistakes in other sections. as well; for instance. Howard Kramer. in "Rock and Roll Music." claims that the Beatles had to record twelve new songs for their first album. when in fact they only needed ten (the other four were the already-recorded A and B sides of their first two 45s).Clearly. politics. rather than offers of fresh insight. figured strongly in which writers were chosen to write pieces for this collection.For some reason. critics opinions (credentials. please? Its like telling someone to immediately switch tastes in food...theres no right or wrong in music) are cited often. along with chart positions -- especially in Michael Frontanis mere list of facts in narrative form. "The Solo Years." Why? Talk about irrelevant -- especially in a book with more-intellectual-than-the-other-stuff pretensions.If youve already got all of the other truly great books about the Beatles (Many Years from Now. the groups own Anthology. Recording the Beatles. the Complete Beatles Recording Sessions and. if youre into ultimately irrelevant but fascinating musical discussion. Tell Me Why). then this one wont do you any harm. Its often highly entertaining. But if youre looking for a place to begin reading about the Beatles. how they approached the studio. what they did to revolutionize the recording industry. etc.. then Id strongly recommend starting elsewhere; there are more consistent. more factually responsible volumes available. including those Ive just listed.(Incidentally. its surprising that even the detail-oriented writings on the Beatles still havent mentioned the speed discrepancies between first two American albums -- at least as theyre heard on the Capitol boxed-set CDs -- and their much faster British equivalents. Many songs on Rubber Soul have this UK/US speed difference as well. Surely Im not the only person to have noticed that the American transfer speeds were off?)1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Joseph D. GerencserVery nice overview of their career and influence.
