Read the Music (Paperback)

by Beth Winegarner (Author)
Key Phrases: chaos magic, raining blood, Tori Amos, Fields of the Nephilim, Days of the New (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Music touches everything. It pervades our memory, accompanies us through emotion and history, and becomes the lens through which we understand culture or politics. The essays in "Read the Music" are just as wide-ranging. The book kicks off with a ride through the post-9/11 landscape alongside Tori Amos and 12 cover songs she calls "girls," and concludes with a treatise on "Zoon," the album by British death-metal outfit Nefilim that retells an ancient Apocryphal text. In between, there's dialogue with Russian heiress Anastasia Romanov on the nature of trauma survival, the songs that might be sung by a robotic girl in love with the world, and a trip to the deepest part of the Scandinavian winter. If you've ever loved music, if you've ever found it seeping into every aspect of your life, then you will understand "Read the Music," even if you've never heard these songs before.

Product Details

• Paperback: 116 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (August 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847287166
• ISBN-13: 978-1847287168
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,039,773 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A learning experience, December 16, 2006

By	Gustavo Coutin (Cape Coral, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Essays are a collection of an authors stories or collection of thoughts. That is what this book is, a collection of thoughts on popular and esoteric pop music. I took away from this book the understanding that there is more to a song and an artist then just a blaring jumble of lyrics. I learned that when you hear a song there is normally a history to the sound or lyrics, and sometimes a meaning that is passed through the ages via the muses of the modern age.

5.0 out of 5 stars Music, decoded, July 14, 2009

By	S. K. Harrell "Soul Intent Arts" (NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With an original perspective on musical analysis, Winegarner does an excellent job of penning her love of music and those who craft it, as well as elucidates the power of music, itself. Through her personal connections to song and years of journalistic experience, Winegarner skillfully pulls together histories of the writing of artists such as The Doors, Tori Amos, and Live, shedding light on each artist's creative process. Beyond merely setting the inspiration of the muse to meter, Winegarner explores how each artist then bring the songs to life in a live medium, revealing a higher awareness evoked to intentionally create sonic energetic shifts. Her commentary on this process and how it works on audiences in interesting cultural times is unique and insightful.