Heavy

It features accurate TABS, but does miss out on "Under My Skin" I won't get into the details of it, but it is not correct to the actual song.

this book is truley a book to buy if your a diehard MuDvAyNe fan, i recomend it to all

this book was great, but..

it didnt show their faces enough if it did at all.
if you want a movie that shows their faces through the whole movie (just about).. i know the perfect movie.
The Knot Gone Wild.
check that movie out.

but anyway..
the book was great. it kept me interested throughout the whole book. from the biginning of the bands' stardom to present day.
if you're a Slipknot fan, you should definalty get this book.

Not being much of a Slipknot fan, I wasn't expecting much from this book. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised. It's very in-depth in regards to how this band came to be & chronicles its success quite well. It provides a look into the their personal lives as well as their public persona. A sprinkling of the McIver trademark humor is always a good thing. Even though I don't much care for the band this is indeed a good read. I'm to the point now where I look forward to reading Joels books, no matter the subject.

A much needed critical study of the impact of Black women in white America. She explores the dimensions of race, class and gender. I recommend this book for any human being who cares about the response to subjugation of oppressed groups. It teaches how to deliver and redeem, and it provides hope for future movements.

Black females(African American, African, Caribbean, Afro-Latina)
have long been relegated to the margins by black men and whites(male and female)for so long. The gathering of black women in New England in 1994 was a good start, but they need to be proactive in defending black women consistantly, whether concerning the negative portrayals by the media and society. I think this book is a great start.

Ed Wolff's book--a review of his earlier work on wealth, with some new additional material added--documents that the United States today is a more unequal society than at any time since the Great Depression.

According to his numbers--which are lousy, but are nevertheless the best we have or are likely to acquire-- in 1929 the richest one percent of households had about 41 percent of the economy's total wealth. But the leveling associated with the Depression and World War II had reduced the richest one percent's share to about 22 percent by 1945. Thereafter, the leveling trend continued. By the mid-1970s, the richest one percent's share--including the implicit value of rights and claims on the Social Security system. of total wealth was down to 13-16 percent of the economy's total wealth. But by the late 1980s, the richest one percent's' wealth was back up to 21 percent of the economy's total wealth. And scattered pieces of information suggest that the trend toward increasing inequality has continued into the 1990s.

Increasing inequality is not due to a surge in entrepreneurial activity: economic growth was unusually low in the 1980s (in substantial part because of the drain on investment resulting from the Reagan deficits). The fortunes made were, for the most part, not to any unusual extent the by-product of especially rapid economic growth.

Rising inequality is cause for alarm for two reasons: First, in a time of high inequality politics becomes nasty and democracy becomes less secure and stable. Second, an unequal economy--an economy in which the chances of striking it rich are larger and the chances of failing to maintain middle-class incomes are larger--fails to provide adequate social insurance. Risk-averse people would, if given a choice when young, overwhelmingly prefer to live in an equally rich overall but more equally distributed society.

This study of the distribution of wealth in America is disheartening indeed. Though it only surveys the economic scene until 1989 (a postscript brings it up to 1992), it is not hard to believe that things haven't changed much since then. Basically, it concludes that the gap between the rich and the poor has increased to a greater extent than at any time since before the Great Depression, and that the gap between the rich and the poor is greater than in most European countries.

Not only does this book outline the problem in detail, but it proposes a restructured tax system similar to that existing in many European countries, a tax system which would ease the burden on the poor, while placing little extra tax burdens on the rich-- and still raise billions more in tax revenue. Though this book is filled with statistical analyses, it is slim (fewer than a hundred pages), and those not mathematically inclined can skip to the conclusions here and there, which are written in clear, understandable prose. Well worth reading, and certain to be a wake-up call to anyone who has suspected that the middle class has been disappearing in this country.

the best o

Great story and illustration, it gives an exact picture of Japan during the samurai era in the way I like to think it was.

"Sound of the Beast. The complete headbanging history of Heavy Metal" by Ian Christe. Published by Harper Collins Publishers/copyright 2003

I borrowed this book from a friend of mine who knows about my passion for heavy metal. Ian Christe has put together a well-researched book with quite a bit of information about many of the bands that influenced the course of metal history. The full names of band members are always listed, his dates are pretty well right on, and his references are sound. Nevertheless, he spends an INORDINANT amount of time focusing on and discussing the roles of METALLICA and BLACK SABBATH. While there is no question that these two bands had significant influence, he paints them both as metal titans that had the primary influence on metal, relegating all other bands to a secondary status. Further, Ian Christe gives far too much press to the -core bands and nu bands, in effect validating them as part of the heavy metal scene. The current resurgence of metal in Europe is not covered. And his black metal section is confined to a little Venom plus the Mayhem Norwegian criminal incidents of the early 1990's

I read this book with some difficulty. That is, this book did not particularly hold my attention or offer anything that I did not already know. At times, it was interesting to read his perspective on the roles of certain bands. It was also interesting to read his "Genre Boxes" where he lists about 31 different metal genres, describes them, and includes categorized bands. The photos in the book are of medium to poor quality.

I grant you that undertaking the writing of such a book is not easy. There will always be personal biases that come through, despite best intentions. You will never be able to please everyone all of the time in such as endeavor. Let's face it, we metal-heads are a highly opinionated bunch!

In summary, for someone with little historical knowledge of the roots of metal, this is a decent book. But for those who have already spent most of their lives in or around the metal scene, this book offers nothing new at all and in fact disappointed me in its focus. Most metal experienced readers will be under-whelmed by this book. The target audience might more aptly be the readers of Metal-Edge magazine or someone with no true knowledge of the history of our beloved art (perhaps one in the same?) There, this book could have a positive effect in that it does reference many of the main impact bands since 1970.

Having read quite a few music histories and biographies, the one thing that really stands out about Ian Christe's book is the writing; in a word, superb! Many of the reviews of this book that I've read miss this and gripe, simply because their favorite bands did not get enough coverage. Sure I could complain that Black Flag or the Obsessed or Corrosion of Conformity doesn't get enough coverage, but that wouldn't change the fact that Metallica is simply the most important band in metal. Doesn't mean they are the best, but they, more than any other band, are responsible for metal being as popular as it is today. Christe nails it on the head that heavy metal really started with Sabbath (I like Zeppelin, the Who and Hendrix too, but they were rock bands and spawned an entirely different generation of music). EVERY metal band around owes a debt to Sabbath (for the heaviness, the look, and the orchestration). In addition, he does an excellent job of covering the whole metal scene and a brilliant job in breaking down the genre by sub-genre. The fact that bands such as the Accused, Die Kreuzen and Exodus are mentioned is awesome and the depth and breadth of metal knowledge that Christe has accumulated over the years is impressive. If you are interested in the hard rock-punk evolution, read Rock and the Pop Narcotic (Joe Carducci). For metal, this is the book. Hats off to you Ian! Great book!

I applaud Sound of the Beast long and loud. This is a literate, humorous, and thorough look at the true filthy heart of heavy metal. I never thought I would see the day when bands would get their due like Kreator, Megadeth, Bathory, Venom, AC/DC, Voivod, Emperor, Judas Priest, Brutal Truth, Saint Vitus, EXODUS, Mayhem, Raven, the almighty Motorhead...and yes Black Sabbath and Metallica (If you forgot about these bands, you've really lost touch). From 1970 to today, the book does an amazing job of summarizing the careers of these greats, also tracking the rise and fall of glam metal, nu metal, and other doomed trends. To my eyes, these sections were laughable, and it was great to laugh at the excess Hollywood hair bands who were so painful in their day. You have to wonder what kind of country would buy over 8 million Ratt albums! At the end of the day, Black Sabbath triumphs, and it was a great ending to a great odyssey of a book.

I can list 50 bands I wish I saw more about, including Omen, Sortilege, GZR, and so on. Where was the chapter on Eyehategod? But I'm more than satisfied and impressed that the writer left few stones unturned. Some of the quotes by Dee Snider, Rob Halford, and Chuck D are genius. I bought three copies so far, and the only one I kept for myself was stolen. That should tell you something. This book rules, death to false metal books.

If you aren't a science fiction fan, then you probably aren't going to get into this film. However, if you have at least a passing familiarity with the genre and it's evolution over the years then it will hold your interest.

First of all, the framework that holds all the various animated segments together (in an old, isolated, Victorian house) seems to be a tribute to Clifford Simak's work. The first segment (Harry Canyon) is a gritty cyberpunk story set in a decaying New York of the near future, ala PKD. The second piece (Den) is a parody of heroic fantasy fiction, ala Edgar Rice Burroughs. The third (Captain Sternn) is a parody of heroic, hard science fiction, ala Roddenberry and the early Heinlein. The fourth (B-17) is pure graphic horror ala William Gaines and the horror mags of the 50's. The fifth segment (So Beautiful, so Dangerous) reminds one of the underground comics of the 60's and 70's in its look and content (drug humor.) Lastly, segment six (Taarna) is an original piece of straight heroic fantasy reminiscent of perhaps Robert E. Howard.

The editors did a pretty good job of tying all of these diverse segments together with reference to the Lok-nar (a sentient, glowing, green orb from space that represents the origin of pure evil in cosmic and human history- perhaps this is a tribute to Lovecraft.)

Back when this film first came out there was an organised feminist campaign to destroy it. I used to wonder if those people ever actually watched the film- I can't imagine a more heroic feminine archetype than Taarna....

This digitally remastered edition is really worth having. I don't remember the images being this crisp and bright when I first saw this in the theaters in '81. As for the sound track (Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Devo, Grand Funk Railroad, Journey, Nazareth, Stevie Nicks, etc.) I don't see how it could be much better.

Oh yes, as for the Stingray with the astronaut driving it dropping out of the orbiting shuttle- I don't have a clue as to what that was all about....

Bringing with it the release of it's sequel, Heavy Metal has finally made it's way to DVD (and how). For those of you don't know, Heavy Metal is a collection of stories from the graphic magazine by the same name. Story such as Soft Landing, Den, B-17, So Beautiful So Dangerous (my favorite), and the ever popular Tarrna featured on the cover all blended together into the story of the ancient green orb called the Locknar. The DVD extras are of high quality. First off, theres a documentary on the film which runs for about 30 minutes. Then theres the artwork. You can actually few how each cel was layered out in a few pictures. One of the greastest extras is the deleted footage of Nowhere Land, a sequence just before B-17, and an alternative story angle. You can also view all the Heavy Metal issues from 1977 to 1999! Even more, there is also a rough cut version which was used as a prototype of the film along with commentary. And for the movie itself is commentary by none other than Carl Macek (The same guy who was the English director for such anime titles as Akira and Vampire Hunter D). The 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby sound are both great to hear. So if you haven't seen the epical film which changed everyones mind on animation, pick this one up. Highly reccomended.

Heavy Metal is a wonderful amalgamation of fantasies inspired by Heavy Metal magazine. The stories cover a spectrum including comedy, horror, heroic revenge, adolescent sexual fantasies, and eerie surrealism, all set to either hard-core heavy metal / hard rock music or wonderful orchestral pieces, depending on the mood being set. The movie is a fun ride not to be missed.

One note of caution. If you are unfamiliar with this movie, and you are offended by sex, drugs, rock and roll, or graphic violence, this film is not for you. Heavy Metal makes no apologies for it's hard edge and is not for the squeamish.

Certain aspects of some of the animations don't quite work. This is largely because of the experimental and innovative nature of the film. Animated works aimed at adult audiences were virtually unheard of in 1981, so numerous techniques had to be invented to fulfill the grand vision of the artists. This combined with an extremely tight schedule (the movie was produced in less than a year) made certain types of animation flaws inevitable. However, in a very real sense, these "flaws" give Heavy Metal character, and provide insight into the arduous task of animating complex scenes entirely by hand.

The individual stories are knitted together with a somewhat crude linkage device (a glowing green orb that represents the sum of all evils), the ending feels rushed, and the ultimate fate of the green orb is plagued to a certain extent by a time travel paradox. However, the individual stories that comprise the bulk of the film are quite good. Each was animated in a different style by a different studio, adding to the anthology aspect of the film as well as keeping it visually interesting throughout.

The quality of the overall DVD is surprisingly good. I say "surprisingly" in light of the shocking number of great films that have been released as mediocre or poor DVDs in recent years. Three key elements determine the overall quality of a DVD release:

1) Quality of the feature presentation

2) Quality and quantity of "extras"

3) Taking advantage of the power of the DVD medium.

The quality of the Heavy Metal feature is quite good. While there is some "dirt" visible, it is minimal. You actually have to look for it, so it doesn't detract from enjoying the film. It looks better than any rendition of the film that I've seen before on videotape or in theaters. The audio is also remarkably good.

There are some really wonderful extras included that will appeal to people who fell in love with this film in their youth like I did. The "neverwhere" deleted sequence is included, as is a story board animation of an alternate framing/linkage device that was considered before going with the green orb of evil. Also, an entire "rough cut" of the film is included, along with a running commentary. In the rough cut, you get to see, among other things, the woman used as the model for Taarna going through the motions that appear as animation in the final cut. Seeing a real (not to mention attractive) woman going through the exact same motions as Taarna performs (especially during the dressing scene) is surreal in the extreme. There is also the Heavy Metal magazine cover art that starts with the magazine's inception in 1977 and runs through 1999. Numerous bits of conceptual art, pencil drawings, etc. are also included. Yet another commentary track is included, with Carl Macek reading the book "Heavy Metal: The Movie". This commentary covers lots of technical details about the film and provides a glimpse of the work and people involved behind-the-scenes. And finally, there is a documentary about the film that stars several of the key creative minds involved in the project.

As for taking advantage of the medium of DVD, I would give Heavy Metal a B-minus. The menus are well designed and artistically interesting, but they are static. There's no motion in the scene selections, and there is no motion or music in any of the menus. There is some use of animation in the pencil sketch area that is vaguely interesting, but none of the advanced features of the DVD medium are exploited.

Black Diamond is a good read for die-hard KISS fans only. It's up there on my top ten list for an all KISS book. Compared amongst other books like KISS and Sell, it's a better read. My favorite amongst all the Kiss books is KISS & Tell by Gebert and McAdams... NOW THAT'S A CLASSIC ROCK BOOK. I rate that a must-read for all rock fans (not just Ace/Kiss fans).
My list of KISS reading would be KISS & Tell first, Black Diamond and Black Diamond II (for the Kiss collectable people out there).

When I bought this book, I assumed it was just another biography. Was I wrong! Dale Sherman has spent years researching the "hottest band in the world," and I think he did an excellent job. I am extremely happy that the book talks chapters on the late Eric Carr - the man that is often overlooked in KISStory. Then again, he goes into the details of all the obscure members. Over all, I must give it a 5 becaue it taught me things, and thats hard to do with KISS.

Great book. Read a lot about KISS in Black Diamond I did not know about the band. I have read other books about KISS,but they were not as informative or went in to such detail as Black Diamond did. If Black Diamond 3 is as informative as Black Diamond 1,2 it should be a great book. The CD on Eric Carr that came with Black Diamond 1 was great,but I read the same thing in the book. The CD should have been different then the book.

...are some of the customer reviews I have just read, from impressionable, probably disturbed youngsters writing things like "Hail Sathanas" and recommending this book to all black metal scenesters as a "how-to" guide. Obviously these kids have MISSED THE POINT. Sure, the music is compelling--having worked in a record store that sells recordings by Burzum and Emperor, amongst others, I agree that black metal is quite unlike anything else out there and musically ingenious. But the philosophy behind it--NO WAY. I have no love for Christian belief systems, either, but this does not mean I condone the sort of blind, unrelenting, emotionless hatred and destruction perpetrated by the followers of black metal philosophy. The two journalists who wrote this book did a fine job of researching, interviewing and trying to be objective, but nothing in this book acts as an encouragement to embrace national socialism, or Satansism, or murder and church-burning--nothing. The most intriguing part of this book, which unfortunately the authors did not address in detail, is how little jail time and punishment was given to these black metal criminals. They are continuing their message of hate from jail, inciting their (very young) followers, and they'll be out in a matter of years, with every intention of committing other crimes. Even Vikernes will only be 42 when he is released. It saddens and frightens me that some people see this work of research into destruction and violence as some sort of handbook. I urge those people to read this book again, more carefully, without focusing only on the bloody murders and the nihilistic spoutings, and at least try to understand what happens to these people, what the consequences of their actions are. The best example is the interview with Ihsahn of Emperor--I don't agree with his beliefs, but he is one of those people who would understand that I don't have to--he seems to have his head on straight, at least, and a good grasp of what his beliefs actually mean. Read this book as the sociological study that it is, and hear the music as works of art, not as incitations to violence, and understand what it is that drives these people to embrace heathenism and Satanism--which is the best way to distance yourself from the actual violence, as the authors of the book have done. I congratulate them on a well-researched, intelligent account of black metal, and regret that there are those who cannot see beyond the hatred and gore to understand their objective account.

Lords of Chaos traces Satanic Metal from its dark roots in jazz and blues, through it's rather comical incarnations with bands such as KISS and Black Sabbath, on to the bloody and deadly serious Black Metal of Norway. The book is very well thought-out, and does not merely report on the bands, but the real people involved in them; their thoughts, their frustrations, their goals and their dreams. Lords of Chaos also deals briefly with the elements of facism and Odinism in the black metal "scene," and some of the effects of Satanic music in America. I highly recommend Lords of Chaos to metal fans, Satanists, Odinists, janitors, housewives, and security guards, (just to name a few.) It's enlightening, entertaining, and moves deftly from the ghastly to the esoteric and back; kids, you just won't get this on Jerry Springer! (Or, maybe you will, on the show, "My Daughter Sold Her Soul To Burzum.") Well worth the money; buy two, and give one to a friend!

This book is not really about black metal as a musical form, although the first section of the book is concerned with tracing the sonic genealogy of the genre. However, you won't find much information on the distinctive sounds of black metal. Many of the innovators, popularizers, and post-black metallers get little or no coverage: Dimmu Borgir and Satyricon are briefly mentioned in the expanded preface as examples of black metal breaking into the mainstream. Instead, this book focuses on the crimes surrounding the black metal scene in Norway (as well as other scenes in Germany, France, etc) and, more compellingly, the evolution of the black metal ideology; from the cartoonish "in-name-only" Satanism of Venom, to the orthodox Odinism and neo-Nazi beliefs of Varg Vikernes, to the cultivated and mature Nietzsche-esque beliefs of Ulver. It is clear that, as far as the material uncovered in this book is concerned, this aspect of the black metal scene is the most deeply fascinating to Moynhihan. As such, I would say that this book is principally about ideology in metal music. Moynihan himself takes the union of these two things very seriously as one can well see when listening to his band Blood Axis. I think that black metal fans who pick up this book will get the most mileage out of the sections concerning the crimes of the inner circle centered around the Helvete store. However, the anthropological aspect of this book, which they may overlook, is invaluable to truly understanding those crimes and the motivation behind black metal in general.

I have a different background and upbringing than Chuck Klosterman, but we are the exact same age. Much of what he wrote about in "Fargo Rock City" I can relate to: replace "Pyromania" with his beloved "Shout at the Devil" album when we were both young lads, and he might as well be describing the musical aspects of my early life. The early '80s were indeed a burgeoning time for up-n-coming metal bands, and Klosterman was correct in pursuing their history from a true metalhead's viewpoint. Laugh if you will, but the arena-ready acts Klosterman describes sold millions of records, and some enjoyed extended careers - 10-15 years, 5-7 albums. (Puddle of Mudd and Bush got nothin' on that!)

ANYWAY, I have a dim take on this book; I didn't enjoy it, which is unfortunate because I was psyched to read it, based on the subject matter and glowing reviews up front (not counting Stephen King's accolade, since King has been known to love the CRAPPIEST of horror novels). Klosterman lays it all on the line. His style is severely rambling - thought to thought, group to group - but that's not even the biggest problem. I mean, I expected a rambling memoir about '80s metal when I bought the book. The author is passionate, no doubt, but passionate about what? I'm not sure even he could answer that question. The guy self-conciously changes his mind or condradicts himself nearly every other sentence, like some teenage girl who's worried what her popular girlfriends will think if she dates the class geek. (You know, like those Molly Ringwold flicks created during the years of Klosterman's discourse.)

Many of the author's observations are absurd, and I suppose that's his right since it's his damned book. Nonetheless, calling Def Leppard "faceless" during their heyday makes no sense to me, and worse, the guy calls half of Nirvana's "Nevermind" album "filler" in a footnote. (Later in the book he praises both Kurt Cobain and "Nevermind" - see what I mean about contradicting himself?) The author claims to love rock music, which I certainly don't doubt, but simultaneously scoffs at CDs in their entirety, saying dics were invented for the masses to simply "skip ahead" to whatever one or two songs they want, then leave behind forever like so much pop culture trash. Such sentiments seem strange to me, given that Klosterman is an accomplished music journalist who has indeed talked with many famous musicians.

I don't know. The author rightly puts down guys like Metallica's James Hetfield, who seemed to him humorless and ugly back when '80s metal was in full throttle, but to me, Chuck Klosterman himself is pretty humorless and mean spirited. I didn't find this book to be funny, despite its opinionated attempts to be so. Towards the end, things get downright depressing - and long-winded. He injects a dull teenage story about his ATM card, then later drinks himself into oblivion. (Yawn.) No one cares about other people who drink themselves into oblivion, especially incoherent writers with baseless, meandering, lame viewpoints that an eighth-grader could formulate. (Maybe Klosterman DID write this in the eighth grade!!) There are interesting takes on later '90s bands, including an astute insight into the mighty and underrated Stone Temple Pilots, but it's way too little, way too late.

Simply being ironic, negative and cynical does not make prose interesting or funny. This book drips with insecurity on every page, and I guess that's what bothers me the most in the final analysis. Dude, if you liked Cinderella, shout it from the mountaintops!! Be proud!! Shout at the devil!!

And with that, I leave you with this:

"For time is on our side/For time is an essence."

"Overture" - Def Leppard, 1980

With a title like "Fargo Rock City," and especially with a subtitle promising "A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota," I was excited about this book. I was psyched to read about what it was actually like to be a teen head-banger in the homeland of Lawrence Welk. Serenading the cows with power ballads in the milking barn? Starlit, wheatfield PBR-fueled dissections of Led Zeppelin album covers?
However, there was not so much of that anecdotal gold as protracted, self-righteous, even (God forbid) *intellectual* defenses of glam metal, or hair metal, or whatever you want to call it. The genre, by definition, defies such analysis; I'm sure that David Lee Roth or someone similar would be the first to tell you that he was an entertainer, not an artist. So, what you get with this book is, unfortunately, not so much of an "odyssey" as a diatribe.
What works in "Fargo Rock City" are the rural-life anecdotes that the author does choose to include, like his first slow-dance to a Poison song. What does not work are the attempts to rationalize the borderline-misogyny, faux-Satanism and other prevalent aspects of the genre, and to ridicule those who might actually find such aspects offensive. Worse still, the author seems to believe that those who generally would rather have listened to U2 and REM during the same era entirely lacked a sense of humor: I liked those bands, and others that seemed to have more than half a brain amongst them-- but I also thought that Ozzy, David Lee and some of the others were a hoot. The "darker" groups like Danzig and (later) Marilyn Manson were never really my cup of tea, but I certainly didn't look down my nose at those who chose to buy their records.
It would have been a far better book if the author had quit hiding behind his rationalizations, but instead had shouted from the mountaintop (a difficult task in his exceedingly flat home state): "Hey, I freely admit that hair metal was really, really, stupid- but so what!" In the end, "good" music is whatever you like, nothing more: a sentiment that seems to be lost on the author.

Here's a really great book about 80's Heavy Metal that takes the subject beyond the usual clichés. Chuck writes it from his perspective growing up in a rural town where these rock maniacs where part of his upbringing and served as a way to break free from ordinary "boring" life. Chuck delivers his opinions straight-up on how he sees things--and lists tons of bands in the genre that sucks and why! Like he say's a lot of the music was crap, but (with a big but!) the stuff that didn't --were amazing! From GNR to Van Halen to Mötley Crue read about their importance for kids growing up--at least get the authors take on it and bring out those records and cassettes again!!!