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Powell's Q&A, Q&A | June 24, 2009

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The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground and Nico (33 1/3 Series)

by Joe Harvard

The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground and Nico (33 1/3 Series) Cover

ISBN13: 9780826415509
ISBN10: 0826415504
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

33 1/3 is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched in September 2003, the series now contains over 50 titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike.

Review:

"It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher in the Rye or Middlemarch. The series... is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't enough." Rolling Stone

Review:

"One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet." Bookslut

Review:

"These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerds." Vice

Review:

"A brilliant series... each one a word of real love." NME

Review:

"Passionate, obsessive, and smart." Nylon

Review:

"Religious tracts for the rock 'n' roll faithful." Uncut

Review:

"We... aren't naive enough to think that we're your only source for reading about music (but if we had our way... watch out). For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, you'd do well to check out Continuum's 33 1/3 series of books." Pitchfork

Synopsis:

The Velvet Underground and Nico has influenced the sound of more bands than any other album. And remarkably, it still sounds as fresh and challenging today as it did upon its release in 1967. In this book, Joe Harvard covers everything from Lou Reed's lyrical genius to John Cale's groundbreaking instrumentation, and from the creative input of Andy Warhol to the fine details of the recording process. With input from co-producer Norman Dolph and Velvets fan Jonathan Richman, Harvard documents the creation of a record which - in the eyes of many - has never been matched.

Synopsis:

Joe Harvard separates the facts from the myths surrounding The Velvet Underground's legendary 1967 debut album.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Vfan, June 26, 2006 (view all comments by Vfan)
Dynamite.I liked this as much as any book on rock I've ever read. Only disappointment is it was a bit short, I wanted way more when I finished. but all the books in this series are that way, guess it's how they were designed.

This is a really well written book. I read it in two sittings, and would have done it in one if I didn't have to go to work. It's the third book in the 33 and 1/3 series I've read. I liked them all, but this is the best so far. After the first sitting I went out and bought the first VU record, the one the book is about, and it's become one of my favorites now (I never owned a VU or Lou Reed record before, maybe because I'm 27 it was before my time). Even when he was covering some of the detailed stuff about how long it took to record the record and what is cost, which was the dryest part of the book, it held my attention. But when he wrote about the songs, and the band, and his own background that led to writing the book, Joe Harvard was funny as hell. When he used parts of his life to make a point I think he was at his best - he still got in all the information I wanted to know about the Velvet U., including some stuff I haven't seen in other books on them I've read, but doing it the way he did made it seem fresh.

I gave my copy to a friend who has played guitar, and recorded bands, for many years. He was impressed, and he said that the writer really knows his stuff.

I wanted to read another book by Joe Harvard, a longer one. right away. I went looking but didn't find one, but I did come across a few articles, and found his web site which has lots of stories about music and bands, mostly in Boston. HArvard was a musician there and worked with many bands - I've heard of some that got big later on, but even the stories on bands I never heard of are good enough that I read a bunch. The ones about the writers band the Bones are too funny - someone should make a movie on them. There ws about a nundred articles, and lots of pictures - all free which is great. I spent so much time on it at work I almost got fired but the stories are really cool and funny.

The idea of using musicians to write about records is a good one, and there 2 surprises - one is noone has done a series like this before, and two is that the musicians Continuum picked are pretty good writers! So far I think Joe Harvard is the best among them, and I really hope he writes another book, maybe about boston - there's enough on his website to do at least one book, maybe more! If he makes a book out of it soon, I'll buy that one too. I give this book a five out of five! Just wish it was five times as long.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780826415509
Author:
Harvard, Joe
Publisher:
Continuum
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
United states
Subject:
Rock
Subject:
Rock musicians
Subject:
Alternative
Subject:
History & Criticism - General
Subject:
Genres & Styles - Rock
Subject:
Alternative & Indie
Subject:
Rock musicians -- United States.
Subject:
Velvet Underground (Musical group)
Series:
33 1/3
Series Volume:
2001-21
Publication Date:
April 2004
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
152
Dimensions:
6.64x4.78x.45 in. .36 lbs.
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