Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Dreaming Out Loud: : Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, And The Changing Face Of Nashville by Bruce Feiler ISBN: 0-380-79470-5 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 06 April, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (12 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Very in-depth look at the business of country music
Comment: Although Garth Brooks, Wynonna and Wade Hayes are featured in the title of this book, the real key figure is the business that is country music, particularly in Nashville. Feiler uses these three artists as a jumping off point for a sometimes seemingly tangential look at the origins and growth of country music and its effects on pop culture, the city of Nashville and the music industry in general. For true country music fans, as well as those interested in the sociology of music, it is a must read. It sometimes feels a little intense, but it is a well-written tome. Unlike a recent predecessor, it does not aim to be an "inside scoop" on the stars, and is not as eager to highlight flaws. Feiler's writing appears much more objective.
Rating: 4
Summary: +1/2 stars -- Fascinating portrait of country music business
Comment: Feiler's book is ostensibly a portrait of three modern country artists, Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd and Wade Hayes. And though he provides interesting portraiture of all three, what he really documents - using the three artists as vehicles - is the changing business of the country music industry, and by association, the broader changes wrought by and to American media and culture. It's a well-written volume, with some illuminating conclusions, fleshed out by first-hand observations the author made in and around Nashville.
Much has been made of Feiler's veracity, but, to a large degree, his larger theses are independent of the specifics. Brooks and Judd have each taken their digs at Feiler (the latter being more surprising, since Feiler's portrait of Judd is, ultimately, quite flattering), so one might take his biography of their lives with a grain of salt. Even so, his conclusions about Nashville's changing face, both musically and operationally, are usually spot-on.
The Cliff's Notes rendition of Feiler's work focuses on his portraiture of the three principals: Garth Brooks as an obsessive careerist who only finds joy during his time on stage, Wynonna Judd as the screwed-up (but ultimately triumphant) result of a screwed-up childhood brought upon her by the most heinous of mothers, and Wade Hayes as the naïf, making his way through a hurricane of market forces. By threading these three stories with history of Nashville's business, the reader sees how the threads of art and commerce have intertwined over the years, with commerce realizing a substantial choke-hold on artistry in the '90s.
Of particular interest is Feiler's description of the symbiosis between artists, labels and radio. The manipulations of hit single charts, the conniving for chart position (and the lurid world of not-exactly-payola that fuels it), the trading of accurate charts for those that can be "influenced" is eye-opening for those outside the industry. Feiler's discussion about various trends in country music, the rise of women signaled, in part, by the Judd's supremacy, the displacement of Wynonna by the sex-appeal of Shania, and the replacement of earlier artists by a new wave, are all very compelling.
The book is weighted towards reporting on Garth Brooks, which isn't necessarily a negative, since his is the most complex portrait, and Feiler finds his greatest insights in Brooks' rise and plateau. On the negative side, parts of this book were previously published as magazine articles, and there is some unnecessary repetition. The careful reader will wonder whether Feiler's editor actually read the entire book through.
Feiler is a fine writer, and has provided a unique portrait of Nashville through the peak of its '90s supremacy. Whether or not you believe the details he reports on his principal subjects, there's a deep ring of truth in his analyses.
Rating: 1
Summary: Buyer Beware
Comment: Bruce Feiler presents what one supposes to be an 'insider's' look at country music. He had access to Garth Brooks for what was suposed to be a magazine article (which never materialised) for about 48 hours total. Much of what is written is a re-hash of past articles, conjecture and 'sound bites' from Garth Brooks. I have had it on good authority from Garth himself to disbelieve the majority of what is written about him. For example, Mr Feiler portrays Mr Brooks as a 'womaniser' throughout school; Mrs Brooks (Garth's mum) had stated in several interviews Garth did not date widely, and was somewhat shy in that area.
There are several easily verified errors in the book. The Wynonna web sites deride this piece of fiction, and perhaps that is the best description: fiction.
 |
Title: Learning to Bow : Inside the Heart of Japan by Bruce Feiler ISBN: 0395647266 Publisher: Mariner Books Pub. Date: 22 September, 1992 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: Under the Big Top : A Season with the Circus by Bruce Feiler ISBN: 0060527021 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: Looking for Class : Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge by Bruce Feiler ISBN: 006052703X Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
 |
Title: Abraham : A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths by Bruce Feiler ISBN: 0380977761 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 17 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown ISBN: 0385504209 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
