Press Room and Book Reviews of The Year the Music Died

REVIEWS

"Informative and A Lot of Fun!, July 31, 2007 By Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) I was excited when asked to review this book because I experienced first-hand the music so well documented in it. The years 1964-1972 brought with it music creators like, the Beatles, the Doors, Rolling Stones and the Byrds, just to name a few. Author Dwight Rounds takes us back to the 'golden era' of music in this work with information on different groups, trivia, quizzes and lists of their songs; along with charts and great pictures from old magazines of many different groups. I giggled at some of the lists he put in this work rating the artists. Good touch. I take my hat off to this author as it would be impossible not to realize the work and research that was done. and the time it took to put this work together, great job. Let me just say this; if you enjoyed your youth during this time and want to splash in the past for a while you will love this book. Or, if you are a music enthusiast that yearns to know more, you won't be able to put this one down. To coin a phrase, this one is "A Blast From the Past." A really fun and interesting work. Well done Mr. Rounds, thanks for the memories."

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My Back Pages, April 5, 2006

By Buzz (West Brookfield, MA)

"This book, highly recommended by my great friend in Connecticut, Marianne VanZandt, brought me back on a trip through the greatest years of my life. The information and trivia jogs my memory, makes me smile and re-inspires me. It helps me to rediscover the pioneers that, as a young singer/songwriter wanna-be, I tried to emulate back then. It's like sitting with an old friend arguing over who's better, the Beatles or Stones. You may not always agree with the author's opinion but you'll recall all of the discussions. His research is extensive, and truly reflects his love for this, (the best) period of rock music. Thank you, 'CT Banger Sister #1' for discovering Dwight Rounds. Thank you Dwight for a great book. "Please Read Me" (BeeGees-1967)....Buzz T-West Brookfield, MA"

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A MUST Read, March 20, 2006

By Marianne D. Van Zandt (Trumbull, CT United States)

"To miss out on this book is akin to missing out on an entire part of your life. Not only does it chronicle the greatest music era, it is entertaining and extremely informative. We thought we knew "everything" about that "magical" time of music, but Mr. Rounds proved we didn't. There are so many interesting facets to this book, it is a must read. Thank you Dwight Rounds for an incredible trip through the greatest time of music 1964-1972. Be assured, The Year the Music Died is not just for "boomers". We have 2 teenagers who fight over it. Re-live the memories and realize that "this" music will never die. Buy this book. You won't be disappointed."

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Charles Hugh Smith

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogoct07/year-music.html

Hooray for the Small Press--and the Web (October 12, 2007)

"If all we had to read were the selections made by bigbox bookstores, how impoverished we would be. Not every book is destined to be a million seller; as in Nature itself, there are niches for an enormous range of books. For example: longtime contributor Charlie R. recommended a book written by a friend of his, Dwight Rounds: The Year the Music Died, 1964-1972 which is subtitled: A Commentary on the Best Era of Pop Music, and an Irreverent Look at the Musicians and Social Movements of the Time. (The author's website is Animals to Zombies which refers to band names, of course.) Here is a book which takes unalloyed pleasure in the rock/pop music of the 60s, and in making unabashed value judgments on the relative merit/greatness of the groups and their albums/songs. Mr. Rounds is a knowledgeable fan of the era's music, and if you lived through the era, then the book's lists of songs and fun trivia will bring it all back. If you are too young (lucky you) to have lived through the late 60s, then this book may give you the flavor of the times and help you understand why gray-haired pony-tailed guys and gals remain so enthused by this music. (You may also find that music you thought was original in the 80s, 90s and new century is actually recycled 60s innovations.) The author is refreshingly unapologetic about dividing listeners into "Elite" and "Proletarian" categories, with the elites naturally hesitant to admit to liking any popular band. His commentaries on Elite choices is often amusing and spot-on. As a Beatles fan, I enjoyed his heavy emphasis on that band's players and music. Fans of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, for instance, may well feel he underplays the genius of those musicians. But the fun of the book is in Rounds' strong opinions, and your right as a reader to disagree. For instance, he doesn't consider the Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing" as one of their very best, while for me, it is a continual source of pleasure as a guitar player--certainly one of the most musically interesting (and challenging). If you're a musician, play these chords of the bridge, noting that the song is written in E major: G#m G+ B C# E F#m B The way the bridge incorporates the major key chord sound so right--and is so rare in rock or pop music. The double-string lead (played by one guitarist, not overdubbed) is one of the most challenging and unusual in rock music; even the structure of the tune (bridge, guitar lead repeated as interlude, bridge repeated with new lyric, then last verse, then guitar lead completes the song) is interesting. So in other words--the more you know, the more you will enjoy debating the opinions of this knowledgeable writer. It is great fun, I read it in one three-hour sitting, hearing dozens of songs play in my mind as I went through the lists and commentaries."

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Broken Arrow (Neil Young Appreciation Society)

"NYAS member Dwight Rounds has written a fun-filled and informative 300+ page book looking at a period that is broadly known as "the sixties." Extensively researched, the book is detailed and chock full of challenging opinions, interesting facts and fun lists. The music of the era is widely discussed, covering The Beatles, The Stones, Hendrix, The Doors, The Byrds and many more. A chapter devoted to Crosby Stills Nash and Young starts "The group's name is a list, in reverse order, of songwriting talent", giving a flavour of the opinions that Dwight so freely gives! Part of the fun, of course, is agreeing or disagreeing, and you will have lots of fun reading this book. Not to be missed. Find out a lot more at www.animalstozombies.com [where, in the audio clips section, Dwight challenges you to identify the words that are the opening line of "Brown Sugar." Can you do it without cheating? I couldn't. Turns out I've been singing rubbish for years....Ed)"