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Becoming Elektra: The true story of Jac Holzman's visionary record label Paperback – September 1, 2010

by Mick Houghton (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars 21 ratings
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Becoming Elektra is an account of Elektra Records in the Jac Holzman years, from 1950 to 1973. It tells the story of Elektra's growth from a small independent folk label to a major, multi-faceted, hit making concern. Jac Holzman's role in founding and running the company is central to the story, and his capacity for lateral thinking - that led to innovations such as the first-ever sampler album, and a million-selling series of sound effects records - is a recurring theme. But the book is not just a story of one man's business success. It is also about the label's artists and the great music they produced, and other key people who gave the company its identity. Becoming Elektra places the label in a broad context. A gripping narrative drawing in elements of musical and cultural history, and biographies of the main participants in the story, the book opens with a pivotal moment in Elektra's history, when Holzman discovered The Doors. It then goes back to the previously untold story of Elektra in the 50s, when the label brought folk music to a wide audience. Moving into the 60s the story takes in artists that have had an extraordinary resonance down the years including some, such as Tim Buckley, who are far more popular today than in their lifetime. His story is told, along with those of artists that read like an inventory of 60s and 70s musical innovation: The Doors, Love, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, Tim Buckley, Fred Neil, David Ackles, Phil Ochs, Bread, Queen, The Incredible String Band, Carly Simon, The Stooges and The MC5.

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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Jawbone Press
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    8.5 x 1 x 10.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1906002290
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1906002299
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There is a newer edition of this item:

Becoming Elektra: The True Story of Jac Holzman's Visionary Record Label (Revised & Expanded Edition)
Becoming Elektra: The True Story of Jac Holzman's Visionary Record Label (Revised & Expanded Edition)
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About the Author

Mick Houghton is a music publicist and journalist. Since 1979 he has looked after the Ramones, Talking Heads, Undertones, Echo & The Bunnymen, Julian Cope, Sonic Youth, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The KLF, Spiritualized, XTC, Bert Jansch and Richard Thompson, among many others. His writing has appeared in Let it Rock, Circus, Zigzag, Sounds, Time Out, Mojo, Uncut and Shindig! and he wrote the book that formed part of the Grammy nominated Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra 1963-1973 CD boxed set. He first bought an Elektra LP in 1966.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jawbone Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1906002290
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1906002299
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.8 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 1 x 10.5 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #5,291,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
21 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

  • Barron W. Chandler Jr.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great treatise of a great record label.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2010
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A wonderful, well-written account of the people and artists that made the original Elektra label so consistently excellent. I often bought artists' releases simply because they were on the Elektra label.
    Here is a detailed and even presentation of the stories behind and histories of the many famous and/or highly talented contributors - Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, Phil Ochs, Fred Neil, Tim Buckley, Judy Collins, Paul Butterfield, Love, Doors, Stooges, Queen, Jac Holzman, Paul Rothchild, Bruce Botnick, John Haeny, William Harvey to name a few. So many interesting and fascinating facts and facets, often provided first-hand by the actual participants, to keep the reader engrossed and inspired to hear as much of the music as possible.
    This is a book that will be referenced many times after the first reading. A must for any music lover's library!
    8 people found this helpful
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  • SRW
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Except for the fact that the author strongly dislikes and has only a little familiarity with most American folk music, and is waiting to tell us about Earth Opera, The Doors, Bread,and Love (god help us, except for The Doors) when he thinks Elektra really began - this is a well-written wonderful story, capturing the times and people well in words and pictures, with more truth about the world of music and records than I've read in years. PS I started with folk music, Elektra, Nonesuch, (and Vanguard, and the rest) when I was about 12, and so this recapped my own adventures, in proxy, as much as it captured Elektra's history. Thanks!
    Book arrived immediately and in excellent condition, BTW
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Eric Peltoniemi
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book about a great of the record industry.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I enjoyed this a lot. Very inspiring. And always one to keep pace, at the age of 82 Jac is still the smartest man in the record industry.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • George Manney
    4.0 out of 5 stars Elektra to my ears
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2011
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    An amazing musical journey that includes the great Joe Boyd and the early start of psych-folk. A record label that gave birth to Love, The Doors, Phil Ochs and many more.
    A must read for any music lover.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Darren Davis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2018
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A fantastic book on a very important label.
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  • D. Lee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2015
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Excellent, informative
    One person found this helpful
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  • Jim Cherry
    5.0 out of 5 stars Jac Holzman's Adventures In Recordland!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2010
    Format: Paperback
    "Becoming Elektra" covers the years from when Elektra records was founded by Jac Holzman in his college dorm room to when he sold Elektra to Warner Communications. In between there was a lot of music, a lot of taking chances, a folk music scene that exploded, a rock music scene that exploded, iconic personalities and albums, iconic producers, and at the center of it, some times barely hanging on, was Jac Holzman and Elektra.

    The late 40's and early 50's were a comparable time to our's for the recording industry as today technology is available to those who want to make a CD. The early 50's was on the cutting edge of a technology change. The young and ambitious were there to take advantage of it. Many record companies started up at this time. Some didn't survive, but some did and we know them today; Atlantic Records, Chess Records and Elektra. The first technology to make this possible was the ability to create thinner and smaller records that were more easily usable than the thick 78's. The mechanical technology to record, portable and widely available to everyone was left over equipment from World War II.

    This technological vantage point is where Holzman found himself when he started Elektra. Another was New York as the opening of coffee shops put the city at the forefront of folk music as a scene. Holzman was able to record the folk denizens of Greenwich Village. Later, when the music scene in Los Angeles was about to burst Holzman had the insight to see the Sunset Strip as the same kind of focal point for music that Greenwich Village was in the 50`s.

    Since Elektra was a small company that didn't have a lot to lose but a lot to prove. Holzman was willing to experiment and let his artists experiment, from recording in a church or the artist's apartment to a club the artist was familiar with and comfortable in, to the experiments of Paul Rothchild and The Doors in the studio. His only credo was "just do what's right for the music."

    Perhaps the easiest and best review I could write would be a review just listing all the names of Elektra's artists over the years. Theodore Bikel, Josh White, Judy Henske, Tom Paxton, Jean Ritchie, Judy Collins, Cynthia Gooding, Susan Reed, Sabicas, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Tim Buckley, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Jean Redpath, The Dillards, John Sebastian, The Doors, Love, Clearlight, Bread, David Ackles, The Stooges, MC5, Queen, Jackson Browne amongst others. Or I could write of all the different styles of music Elektra recorded: world music, theme albums, military genre albums, ethnic music, the blues, folk, and flamenco. You would think that a compelling enough reasons to buy the book.

    Elektra's reputation has preceded it and earlier generations of Elektra artists have influenced later generations. Doors guitarist Robby Krieger had quite a few of Elektra's flamenco albums in his teenage record collection.

    Don't let the thumbnail graphic of the book fool you into thinking it`s an ordinary book. The book you'll receive is absolutely beautiful, filled with page after page of high gloss pictures, album covers, people, places, catalogs, records, letters, memos, performers. Anything and everything from Elektra's history.

    An oral history of Elektra "Follow The Music" was published in the 90's and it gives you the Elektra story from the point of the participants. If you already have "Follow The Music" (as I have) it`s a great companion book. If you don`t have "Follow The Music," "Becoming Elektra" is a great stand alone volume that gives you the wider perspective of the history and events. I was surprised at the new information I discovered, stories were filled out, and broader knowledge of the artists and music I now have.

    I'm not one to recommend a publisher or their whole catalog, but Jawbone Press is an exception. They're publishing high quality books in both content and the actual physical book. If you're a rock fan I would highly recommend other Jawbone Press books such as "Forever Changes: Arthur Lee and the Book of Love" and "Return of the King: Elvis Presley's Great Comeback (Genuine Jawbone Books)."
    15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Patrick V Hockey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight into the sixties recording industry
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The quality of the Elektra records was always so amazingly crisp and clear. It is interesting to know how it was achieved and Jac Holzmans' insistence on perfection. I have a lot of Elektra LPs and i was always looking for new artists and they had them all. The stories of how they came about are really interesting and some are humorous, it couldn't have been easy working with some of the artists but they did it.
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  • Juha Metsanen
    5.0 out of 5 stars How it all started
    Reviewed in Germany on July 15, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Well written and interesting details.
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  • Mr. Martin J. G. Dawson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Jac Holzman hae sight to visit LA a to see what artists where available to record
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2018
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Excellent book tracing the history of the Electra label
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  • Robert Carey
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2010
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    As someone who has a large collection of Elektra albums, I looked forward to this book with great anticipation, and I was not disappointed. Beautifully presented, well written, and with a graphic content out of this world. Wonderful!
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  • E. Junoy
    5.0 out of 5 stars ... as present for somebody else and it did not disappoint.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2015
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I bought this one as present for somebody else and it did not disappoint.
    Report