Customer Reviews

Big Al Pavlow's the R and B Book: A Disc-History of Rhythm & Blues

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Big Al Pavlaw owned a record store in downtown Providence R.I. for many years. I purchased this book shortly after it's release in 1983. Extremely well done and as others have pointed out it fills a huge gap in the history of American popular music. This books not only covers doo-wop and R n B in the 1950's but also does a great job covering the black music of the 1940's. The only negative aspect is that the type is extremely small. But buy a magnifying glass and enjoy!

Simply the best book on the golden years of R&B - the '40s and the '50s. Don't miss this one. Over 200 titles per year listed in order of relative popularitya and a year-by-year chronicle on the amazing story of R&B.

As an R&B record collector,fanatic, and student of the roots of R&B and Rock 'n Roll, I was astounded when Ipicked up a copy of Big Al'sR&B book in a local bookstore recently. Even though I have been at it for 30 years, I couldn't believe the depth and thorough jobPavlow has done to fully document rhythm & blues music and records. The book clearly documents thousands of the very important 45 rpm and 78 rpm records that form the foundation not only of r&b, but is also invaluable in its documenting of the roots of Rock 'n Roll. This book has filled the enormous gap that existed in documenting this most essential aspect of popular music for the past 80 years, and as such is a "must buy" for anyone interested in the music. I constantly use the text as an invaluable source book to find great r&b music, and as an irreplaceable learning tool to further my understanding of both r&b an r&r. Thanks Al! And job well done! You've done music lovers all over the world a great service. (P.S.: the book would be a steal at twice the listed price.)

Reading Big Al's fine R&B book changed my life! No, really, prior to reading this book and coming from a "blues-purist" background, my sense of musical history was skewed to my preferences. After reading this book,where Al puts things in perspective, I came away with a totally new understanding of how each artist and song fit into the big picture of pre-1959 R&B history.Definitely a must-have for any good reference library that has anything to do with musical history. Not only that, but after reading it, my hair grew back and my sex life improved dramatically(-).Recommended!

Simply the best book on the golden years of R&B - the '40s and the '50s. Don't miss this one. Over 200 titles per year listed in order of relative popularitya and a year-by-year chronicle on the amazing story of R&B.

Big Al offers a selective disc history of rhythm & Blues music from 1940 to 1959. His selections are great, and his list of hits by year is accurate and balanced. Indexes for artist, title, and key performers by era are included. Of particular value is his weighting system, for it reveals who were the heavy hitters. His list of "bonus tunes" for each year insures that hidden classics are not ignored. Al also writes up a good, readable page on each year describing the flow of events and the beginning of new trends. In summary, anyone interested in roots music can find out a lot about the sounds to look for courtesy of Big Al. His book is a gem.I have read about 100 books on R&B, and this is the one I would give up last.