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 Definitive American music story November 22, 2008
Fabulous history of not just Atlantic records-but of American music history. Every serious student of music should own this.
What'd I Say? I say "fantastic." May 28, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Had it not been for Ahmet Ertegun and his family moving from Turkey to America, more than 75% of the music that would come out over the time afterward would never had come to be and the musical mainstream would dramatically have never been the same.
I consider Ertegun to be would one of the best musical geniuses of the 20th century for it was he that started the snowball rolling and it kept getting bigger and bigger. He had his own acetate-cutting machine when he was a kid (pretty neat) and wrote his own songs. Close with his brother, Nesuhi, the two were avid jazz fans. When Ahmet got the urge to make records and hire acts to record for him, he founded his own record company with partner Herb Abramson in 1947 from a $10,000 loan from Ertegun's dentist. The rest is history. Atlantic had a huge roster of stars from jazz and R&B greats of the '40s, '50s and '60s to hard rock bands of the '60s, '70s and '80s. It starts with background history on Ahmet and continues on with the start of Atlantic from the '40s to the present. This huge book chronicles it all loaded with quotes from artists and from Ahmet and the production team as well as tons of photographs. It is pricey but it is worth every penny. Thank you, Ahmet Ertegun. American music would never have thrived without Atlantic!
Must Have!! July 31, 2002
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
Ahmet Ertegun what a Important figure in the Music Business? the Guy truly knew His stuff at making a label Important.just His Association with Ray Charles&Aretha Franklin alone speaks volumes to me.He had a strong Idea of what He wanted&He got it.in it's Hey Day Atlantic Records was as Important as Any Other Label then or Now.the one thing you get after reading this Book&Hearing the Atlantic Box Set is that Ahmet Ertegun could vibe with anyone.a Must Have.
Indispensable! February 1, 2002
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I had the supreme honor of working for Atlnatic Records as a promotions Manager in the '70s, so I saw first-hand a lot of what's in this book. I saw it through the label, the artists, radio and retail. And lemme tell you, the book is spot-on accurate. The two words that best describe Atlantic Records are sophisticated and engaged, and those characteristics come top-down from the founder, Mr. Ahmet Ertegun, and through all of his management. While the book is an amazing account of Atlantic Records, what is more is the indispensable perspective on the music business at large. For anyone even remotely interested in the history of this industry and its artists, this book is vital. The cost is a bit pricey, but the old saying you get what you pay for has never been more true. The oversized book features fantastic photography and superb quality. I just wish it would have had included a 30-song sampler of the history of Atlantic artists.
This is one big beautiful book January 11, 2002
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
First of all, this book is huge and weighs a ton. That is appropriate for the subject matter, because Atlantic Records is a huge presence in the history of rhythm & blues and rock. Chock full of pictures and commentary, this presents a totally fascinating portrait of Ahmet Ertegun and his record company, including all the great artists associated with Atlantic. From the early days with artists such as Ruth Brown and the Clovers, through the early career of Ray Charles, and on to Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett and the incomparable Aretha Franklin, Atlantic Records made its reputation in R&B. Less well known, but hardly less influential, is its presence in the jazz world, thanks to Ahmet's brother Nesuhi. In the late '60's Atlantic expanded into the field of rock with Cream, Led Zeppelin, and, later, the Rolling Stones, and was a major player in art/progressive rock by signing such bands as King Crimson, Yes, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. They could have ended the book in the early '70's, in my opinion, because after corporate buyouts and sellouts, Atlantic's imprint became less distinctive. Face it, Foreigner could have been on any label and it wouldn't have made much difference. Later forays into country music seem very un-Atlantic, to say the least. But during its heyday, there was no label putting out as high a level of quality music as Atlantic records, and this is its fascinating story.
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