NAMED ONE OF THE TOP 10 ROCK MEMOIRS OF ALL TIME BY ROLLING STONE From Chic to Daft Punk; Nile Rodgers is the creative force behind some of the biggest hits ever recorded. Here is the story of how global poprsquo;s greatest genius transformed his own dramatic life into the brilliantly joyful playlist of a generation. You will hear a Nile Rodgers song today. It will make you happy. In the 1970s and 1980s; Nile Rodgers wrote and produced the songs that defined the era and everything that came after: ldquo;Le Freak;rdquo; ldquo;Good Times;rdquo; ldquo;We Are Family;rdquo; ldquo;Like a Virgin;rdquo; ldquo;Letrsquo;s Dance;rdquo; ldquo;Irsquo;m Coming Out;rdquo; ldquo;Rapperrsquo;s Delightrdquo;mdash;and worked with every influential pop star to create a string of enduring hits; from Diana Ross and Madonna to Duran Duran and David Bowie. Even today; he is still musically relevant: writing and performing record-breaking hits like ldquo;Get Luckyrdquo; with Daft Punk and Pharrell. But before he reinvented pop music; Nile Rodgers invented himself. From jamming with Jimi Hendrix in a Greenwich Village haze to the decadence of the disco era to witnessing the birth of Madonna on the Danceteria dance floor; Le Freak traces one of the greatest musical journeys of our time. Praise for Le Freak ldquo;[An] amazing memoir . . . steeped in the incestuous energy of the times: Punk; funk and art rock mixed it up in the downtown clubs; where musicians partied together and shared ideas. . . . Le Freak has plenty of sex and drugs. But itrsquo;s the music that makes it essential. . . . Rodgers gave those dreams a beatmdash;and helped invent pop as we know it today.rdquo;mdash;Rob Sheffield; Rolling Stone ldquo;This book is an absolute knockout: exhilarating; warm; and courageous; deeply moving and deeply funny. Le Freak is as much about the greatness of life as it is about Nile Rodgersrsquo;s extraordinary musical journey. As Rodgers well knows; the best music is the stuff we feel; the stuff that speaks to us and wonrsquo;t let go. Le Freak does all that and much more. This is truly one of the best books ever written about art; music; life; and the way we grow to be exactly who we are. Actually; one of the best books period.rdquo;mdash;Cameron Crowe ldquo;A coming-of-age tale every bit as impressive as the musical insights and star-time chronicles that follow.rdquo;mdash;The New York Times Book Review ldquo;Consistently entertaining . . . His legacy as a funk-rock visionary is assured; and his autobiography serves as further proof that disco does not suck.rdquo;mdash;San Francisco Chronicle ldquo;An unforgettable; gripping book.rdquo;mdash;The Sunday Times (UK) ldquo;Name a star and you can bet theyrsquo;re in this book; playing or partying with Rodgers. But far from being a succession of name-dropping anecdotes; this autobiography is a wonderfully funny; moving and wise reflection upon the important things in life: the people you love and the things you create.
#484855 in eBooks 2011-01-12 2011-01-12File Name: B004KA9UXE
Review
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. fun and educational!By J. B. FieldsThis book focuses on learning to hear harmonic progressions. You should first know how to read music and probably already have some basic ear training--enough to transcribe a simple melody. A semester of music theory. for example. should be plenty.Theres no magic bullet here; this is just a guide to the necessary hours of practice. But the framework she provides is clear and sensible. The text is well-written. and the books well laid out and easy to use. The accompanying audio examples are also high quality.Also. she suggests recordings to use as practice material. and gathers the suggestions into a discography at the end. The choices are well thought-out: they stand up to repeated listening; theyre at appropriate levels of difficulty; theyre mostly easy to find. and many will be familiar (which helps give the feeling of learning names for things youve heard before).Ive made it about halfway through. and Im having fun and learning a lot. Highly recommended.Youll also want a notebook with some manuscript paper. some comfortable headphones. an instrument to try stuff on. and access to a good music library (Ive been using Googles subscription service plus CDs for occasional exceptions (mainly Beatles songs)). This isnt something to read passively. It would also be better with a teacher or at least some fellow students to work with. but Im finding it useful enough on my own.22 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Not Real Easy. but Really Really HelpfulBy nerdyguy1618This book has a lot crammed into it. Radley is a master at teaching this difficult subject. She provides a clear step-by-step approach that involves listening exercises and examples from popular music. The audio examples are well done. They are easy to hear and involve a variety of instrument sounds.Radley teaches this course at berkleemusic.com. It has been the best course I have taken anywhere in any subject in any academic setting. The course follows the topics in the book. If you can take the course. its well worth it. and be prepared to work hard. If you cant take the course. then enjoy this excellent book. The more active you are about doing the exercises. the more youll get out of it.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Next best thing to taking college ear training courseBy danielbytheoceanIve been playing guitar off and on for over 15 years and i purchased this to enhance my playing. I purchased this book overa year ago and i have definitely noticed that i hear nuances in chords and progressions in a way that ive overlooked in the past.I believe this book would definitely aide beginner musicians learning the diatonic scale and music theory. It really didhelp me internalize the sound of intervals. triads and root motion in a new way. Radley uses examples from a wide range of music genres as well as artists (e.g. Hendirx. Hootie the Blowfish. Al Jarreau.etc.) so its not a stuffy boring book. I found some of the initial examples require an instrument that can hit some low bass notes; I used guitar. bass and an Ipad piano app to work through the book. My Ipad app instrument was my favorite to work with since i could use headphones and voice the notes much clearer while practicing.I think its a well written book and methodology written by a well known professor at Berklee College of Music. and a greatvalue considering what you would have to pay in tuition costs to take this course at Berklee.It might be a little challenging for beginning musicians. but definitely worth the effort. This book wont magically makeyou ear trained once you completed it. but you will have improved in some way. And I agree with one of the other reviewers that stated. "youll get out of it what you put in."
