Can You Feel the Silence?: Van Morrison, a New Biography

Can You Feel the Silence?: Van Morrison, a New Biography
ISBN-10
1556525176
ISBN-13
9781556525179
Category
Music / Genres & Styles / Rock
Pages
560
Language
English
Published
2003
Publisher
Chicago Review Press
Author
Clinton Heylin

Description

This groundbreaking biography of a brilliant but disturbed performer explores the paradox of the man and the artist. Based on more than 100 interviews, this intelligent profile explores Morrison's roots; the hard times he went through in London, New York, and Boston; the making of his seminal albums such as Moondance and Astral Weeks; and the disastrous business arrangements that left Morrison hungry and penniless while his songs were topping the charts. Detailed are the breakdown of Morrison's marriage, the creative drought that followed, and his triumphant reemergence. In addition, this biography attempts to explain the forbidding aspects of Morrison's persona, such as paranoia, hard drinking, misanthropy, as well as why, in the words of his onetime singing partner Linda Gail Lewis, Morrison's music “brings happiness to other people, not him.” Also included is a Van Morrision sessionography that spans 1964 to 2001.

Similar books

  • Surgeon's Call
    By Hilary Kay

    Surgeon's Call

  • Dictionary of American Pop/rock

    Explains terms and slang relating to American popular music, discusses its various musical styles, and surveys the careers of important figures in popular music

  • Grit, Noise, and Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll
    By David Carson

    The lives of the hard-rocking musicians influenced by Detroit's R&B heritage are spotlighted in the story of some of the great garage-inspired, blue-collar rock 'n' roll bands that exemplified the Detroit rock sound.

  • Marc Bolan: The Rise And Fall Of A 20th Century Superstar
    By Mark Paytress

    Marc Bolan was the very first superstar of the 1970s. As the seductive focus of T. Rex he revelled in fame and fortune, released a string of classic records before...

  • We All Want to Change the World: The Life of John Lennon
    By John Wyse Jackson

    "John Lennon (1940-80) was the founder of the most successful pop/rock group of all time, the Beatles. Convinced of his genius from an early age, he explored his own complex,...

  • We All Want to Change the World: Rock and Politics from Elvis to Eminem
    By Tom Waldman

    We All Want to Change the World provides a cogent and fascinating evaluation of post-World War II American commercial music and its complex, multi-faceted impact on the world of politics....

  • James Taylor: Long Ago and Far Away : His Life and Music
    By Timothy White

    From his Beatles sponsored debut in 1968 to his Grammy-winning Hourglass album of 1997, James Taylor has been universally acclaimed as a songwriter of exceptional eloquence and emotional power. In...

  • Price Guide for the Beatles American Records
    By Perry Cox, Joe Lindsay, Frank Daniels

    This long-anticipated sixth edition of the Price Guide for the Beatles American Records by Perry Cox and Frank Daniels contains thousands of listings and value for all Beatles and solo...

  • Madonna: Like an Icon
    By Lucy O'Brien

    This extensive biography offers detailed analysis of Madonna's music, complete with revealing interviews with musicians and producers. It focuses on her cultural impact and the way she uses cinema, photography,...

  • Soft Machine: Out-bloody-rageous
    By Graham Bennett

    Soft Machine were one of the greatest British pioneering bands, they played a pivotal role in shaping psychedelic rock, progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion. Out-Bloody-Rageous is the definitive biography of...