Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into Music (Uncle John's Bathroom Reader)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 522 pages
• Published by: Portable Press February 26, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1592238246
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1592238248
• Book Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Weighs: 8 ounces

Product Description
What do Franz Liszt, Louis Armstrong, Woody Guthrie, and Elvis Presley have in common? What’s the story on the birth of the banjo, the electric guitar, and the Stradivarius violin? Why did disco happen? Who are the punk princesses? These are just a few of the questions answered in this lively book. Filled with facts, trivia, and stories about the world’s musicians, instruments, songs, and more, this endlessly diverting "plunge" dips into the history of Motown, muzak, and marching bands; tells the secret stories behind the hits; explores legendary venues like the Grand Ole Opry, the Apollo, and the Fillmore; spots the rarely sighted “two-hit wonders”; describes the origins of karaoke, rap music, and the cha cha cha. In short, it includes all the music news that’s fit to print is here in a variety of formats — longer entries for extended sojourns and brief tidbits for shorter stays.

Reader Reviews
With the publication of PLUNGES INTO MUSIC, Uncle John & Co. must have about a baker's dozen of these interesting volumes to their credit. As with the other volumes, MUSIC focuses in on one subject and serves up its usual, crowd-pleasing combination of history, trivia, lists, rankings, quotes and extended articles that so many of us enjoy. If you are interested in the world of music, you'll want to own a copy of this book. PLUNGES INTO MUSIC is a hefty volume, weighing in at 513 pages. It features, in no particular order, a mixture of isolated facts, short 'quick read' blurbs, 2-3 page articles, extended pieces and very extended articles. An example of this last category would be the three-part Story of Music. Extended articles include Musical Presidents, Stradivarius Violins and Famous Music Producers. Under Quick Reads you'll find MTV Facts, Musical Firsts, Perfect Pitch, Musical Word Origins and Frank Sinatra's 'lucky break.' And Short Articles include Cover Versions, Silly Songs that were hits, Rock 'n Roller Obits, Ancient Instruments, Opera History and the Weird, Weird World of Music. By this late date, Uncle John has the PLUNGES concept down to a winning formula. PLUNGES INTO MUSIC features something for everyone interested in the subject and trivia buffs in general. You can read this book straight through or, as I did, jump in at any page. Whatever approach you take, you'll find yourself being introduced to some absolutely fascinating material. Recommended. Comment (1) | | (Report this)