Customer Reviews

Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, a disclaimer: I knew Will very well back in the mid- to late-70s; we hung out together and went to many concerts. (A whole group of us were regular concert goers.) So my opinion of this book is certainly influenced by that personal connection.

In any case, Will looks at a somewhat arbitrary 5-year period in the 70s (he easily could have extended it a year or two in either direction), and goes into great detail about the NYC music scene during that time. Not only did it see the rise of groups from CBGBs and Max's Kansas City (Talking Heads, Ramones and others), the minimalists (Steve Reich, Philip Glass), performance artists, and the early days of hip-hop, but it also was a key time for the ascendancy of salsa, singer-songwriter rock (Springsteen, Patti Smith, etc.) and jazz. Will was always an eclectic listener, and among my friends, was the one with the most varied record collection. He writes here about all these styles of music - yes, even disco, which sucked - with erudition and feeling.

As I look back on the 70s from a distance, I realize that not only were those formative years for my own musical tastes, but that they did, indeed, have lasting influence. Will points out how much of this gestation was under the radar for years before becoming influential, and highlights a number of forgotten musicians and artists that were essential back in the day. (And there were plenty of non-NYC bands that passed through: the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yes, Genesis - okay, I was a prog rock fan), Santana, the country rock bands like Lynard Skynard and the Marshall Tucker Band, and so much more.)

New York City in the late 70s was an amazing city for concerts. My friends and I would go to one or two a month, and many more in the summer (we'd hang out on the hill beside the Wollman skating rink in Central Park to listen to many of the concerts that we didn't care enough to pay for. Madison Square Garden, the Palladium, even the Nassau Coliseum were places we frequented, seeing shows by the big rock bands of the time, and in smaller venues, seeing an even broader range of performers. (And in spite of our lack of funds, these concerts were affordable.)

So there's a lot of nostalgia for me in the book. For others, who are younger, or not from NYC, you'll certainly learn a lot about the music scene, but especially understand how much of a connection there was among the different genres of the time. If you love music, read this book; you'll enjoy it.

Excellent history of an influential time in music and NYC left me adding whole new genres of music to my collection. Easily gets my vote for best nonfiction book of the year!

This was a much appreciated and well received gift. As always, a good book to read by the fireplace makes a great present.

This book isn't bad but aside from the inclusion of the salsa, hip-hop and jazz stuff, it's very similar to, and in many cases a rehash of, Legs MacNeil's PLEASE KILL ME. Be careful running to order the records endorsed so heartily within this book, a lot of them are very poorly rated and not, in fact, very good. Especially avoid the avante-classical stuff unless you are sure you know what you are getting and that you like that type of stuff.

If I hadn't already read PLEASE KILL ME, I'd rate this one another star, but having read that one already, it was far too similar in all the rock sections. Those stories can only be told so many times. Like I mentioned, it does have sections on other forms of music in the 70s NY scene, which did make it worth reading.

This is well-researched, as far as a student paper goes. An A minus, I would say. But it becomes much less when the writer keeps throwing in his angst for being too young to experience it. Too bad, I missed Woodstock due to a family move to California. Oh, and I was 14. But I did live in the Big Apple during the years in this book and spent way too much time in many of the clubs. I lived in The Village, my partner worked at Max's. I guess it's time to write a book about being there, feeling it, dancing to it and so glad to be a part of it. This book will make a good reference for me. Thanks. Oh, by the way, I have the signed single of the song by the Talking Heads, "Love Goes To A Building on Fire" You could at least get that right. (It's for sale btw)

Just saw this guy on Morning Joe pimping his book. Colour me curious. Got a long plane ride this week; downloading to my Kindle as we speak. Awesome.