Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar
"Every guitar player will want to read this book twice. And even the casual music fan will find a thrilling narrative that weaves together cultural history, musical history, race, politics, business case studies, advertising, and technological discovery." —Daniel Levitin, Wall Street Journal
For generations the electric guitar has been an international symbol of freedom, danger, rebellion, and hedonism. In Play It Loud, veteran music journalists Brad Tolinski and Alan di Perna bring the history of this iconic instrument to roaring life. It's a story of inventors and iconoclasts, of scam artists, prodigies, and mythologizers as varied and original as the instruments they spawned.
Play It Loud uses twelve landmark guitars—each of them artistic milestones in their own right—to illustrate the conflict and passion the instruments have inspired. It introduces Leo Fender, a man who couldn't play a note but whose innovations helped transform the guitar into the explosive sound machine it is today. Some of the most significant social movements of the twentieth century are indebted to the guitar: It was an essential element in the fight for racial equality in the entertainment industry; a mirror to the rise of the teenager as social force; a linchpin of punk's sound and ethos. And today the guitar has come full circle, with contemporary titans such as Jack White of The White Stripes, Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys bringing some of the earliest electric guitar forms back to the limelight.
Featuring interviews with Les Paul, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, and dozens more players and creators, Play It Loud is the story of how a band of innovators transformed an idea into a revolution.
Reviews (118)
No ax to grind with "Play It Loud"
"Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, & Revolution of the Electric Guitar" is one of the best – and best-written – books on music’s evolution over the last eighty years. Whether or not you play a guitar or even like guitars, all you have to do is like music or good writing to appreciate this book. It traces music’s growth – particularly blues, jazz, country western, and, of course, rock – through the development of the electric guitar and some of its accessories like amps, pickups, etc. Guitar innovators Leo Fender, Adolph Rickenbacker, Ted McCarty (Gibson), Fred Gretsch, Paul Reed Smith and others are brought to life, becoming more than just names affixed to a guitar’s head. And the place in music history of Kay, Harmony, Valco, and Teisco, makers of often overlooked and underappreciated less expensive instruments (so-called ‘catalog’ or ‘junk’ guitars), is solidly…and finally…made. Perhaps most important, the personalities who made the electric guitar indispensable to music...why they played the ‘ax’ they did, their styles, what type of music they played, how long they stuck with a particular brand, whom they played with, when and where they debuted their guitars…unfold in interesting vignettes and anecdotes. All of this is put in perspective by providing the cultural milieu during which these musicians and developments took place. "Play It Loud" also dispels some of the myths swirling about the electric guitar; for instance, that Les Paul was its inventor. Actually, had it not been for George Beauchamp in the 1920s and 30s, the electric guitar might never have made it to music’s mainstream. According to authors Brad Tolinski and Alan Di Perna: “He (Beauchamp) not only invented the first fully functional guitar pickup, he also put it to work in his pioneering design for the world’s first successful, commercially produced electric guitar.” Development of the solid-body electric guitar was Les Paul’s forte and claim to fame. Tolinski and Di Perna, know their stuff. They did their research and then with their writing skill and talent turned that work into what is generally reserved for the mystery/adventure/spy genres…a page-turner. Included in the book is a chronology of the electric guitar, its makers and musicians. Plus, there’s a foreword by guitar virtuoso, Carlos Santana. "Play It Loud" is a great pickup you won’t fret about…or regret.
Must Read For Guitar Heads
If you grew up in the '50's and 60's, this volume will be like mother's milk to you. The history of the electric guitar is, in fact, the history of rock and roll and R&B, they are so closely intertwined. If you have the slightest knowledge of types and prices of guitars, you'll appreciate what it took Leo Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Beauchamp to take that creative step that has changed the world. Discover the world of amps, tubes, distortion, cannibalizing one guitar, or several to get just what is desired. If you're the least bit wonky about collecting and playing, I urge you to get this book. I got it on Kindle, but wanted that hardcopy to savor the pictures with likeminded friends, so I got it also. Reads easy with a nice, informative talky style that won't go over anyone's head, and the author obviously knows his stuff.
An excellent resource
This is an excellent resource it is well-written and held my attention through even parts of the history I did not know about. This would be an excellent choice for new guitar enthusiasts , but even those well_versed in guitar history could use the compendium of reference material. I am somewhere in between the beginner and the well_versed. I enjoyed the book immensely. It left me wanting though in regard to contributions from Afri can American guitarists beyond the obvious blues roots. I am not taking anything away from the book. It would be interesting to address r and b plAyers and genre bending acts.
This was an Amazing Journey
As a long-time reader of Alan di Perna articles and books, I was truly thrilled to get into this one. Authors Alan di Perna and Brad Tolinski did such a wonderful job telling the story of the electric guitar. I really loved the story about the Beatles escaping through a tunnel under Central Park! It was like something out of “A Hard Days Night.” I also learned alot about Leo Fender, Les Paul (plenty of personal anecdotes!) and other guitar "influencers." I now know so much more than I thought I would and enjoyed every step of the amazing journey through the history of the electric guitar.
I'm about 2/3 of the way through and I love it. It answers so many questions I had ...
I'm about 2/3 of the way through and I love it. It answers so many questions I had about the history of rock (generally speaking, without going into the various genres) and of the guitars that made history. If you love music the way I do this book is great and for you.
Guitar fans apparently like it.
Bought it for my uncle, who's an amateur guitarist and loves the history of rock and/or roll. He reported back that he learned a bunch of new stuff from the book and promptly passed it off to my mom for her to read, too. So apparently it's good!
Highly recommended.
As interesting and entertaining (and factual) a history of electrics as I've found in 30 years in the industry. Tolinski knows his stuff, and knows how to write a story that never bogs down with minutiae, but keeps the reader engaged. Highly recommended.
great history
I thought this might be a snooze but it actually was very interesting and full of interesting history. I learned a lot and filled in the cracks of what I had already known as a 50 year practicing and performing guitarist/singer/songwriter
Well researched
A very interesting and informative book. I really liked the parts of the book that talked about the conversations between Les Paul and Leo Fender. Both great minds who restlessly searched for ways to move music fwd
Hey Guitar Player! Read this!
Guitar player? Know someone who is? They should read this book. It's not just a book about guitars. It is the entire history of the electric guitar illustrated with great stories. From the first use of an electric guitar to today, Play It Loud reads much more like a novel than a history book. Recommended!
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