The Art of Noise

August 18, 2014
Inspired by Paul Zollo’s Songwriters on Songwriting, which focuses on North American songwriters, writer and musician Rachel faithfully, though unremarkably, gathers similar material from 23 British songwriters, including Ray Davies, Mick Jones, Sting, and Annie Lennox. Some, like Davies, see their profession simply as a part of their life: “I still wake up in the mornings and wonder what am I’m going to do when I grow up. Why am I a songwriter? That’s the way it ended up.” Others, like Laura Marling, have no inkling how they got into songwriting, but can’t do imagine themselves doing otherwise: “I think out of necessity is the reason why I keep doing it: it’s a necessary exercise. I don’t know the reason why I started doing it.” Jimmy Page openly reveals his approach to writing: “Coming from the guitarist’s point of view, I’ll start with the music first. That’s the essence of the key ideas and then I’ll work on those.” Paul Weller, of The Jam, “can’t imagine a time when I wouldn’t want to write; it’s a catharsis of a kind; it’s who I am.” For Joan Armatrading, writing is a “very, very happy time... sometimes if you would see me writing you’d probably think I was mad because I’m quite animated: I move around, I jump around, I dance.” These are fans notes that will appeal to those obsessive about the details of songwriting.

October 1, 2014
Interviews with more than two dozen leading British rock and pop songwriters."God Save the Noise," declares the knowledgeable writer/musician Rachel, whose celebratory debut gathers the voices of songwriters from Ray Davies of the Kinks, whose songs of sexual ambiguity reflect a music-hall tradition, to folk musician Laura Marling, one of a handful of female singer-songwriters included here. Rachel traces the beginning of modern British pop to John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "Love Me Do" (1962), and he has selected the songwriters based on their "depth, originality and imagination." Uniformly interesting, the lengthy interviews explore every imaginable aspect of the art, from the songwriters' beliefs and working practices to sources of inspiration to such technical matters as rhyme, harmony and melody. As Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music) says, there's "no fixed way of working," a sentiment echoed by many of the songwriters. "I've found the most stuff comes out when I'm really down or I'm really feeling up," says Andy Partridge of XTC, whose "creative highpoints were undermined by mental-health problems, addiction to prescription drugs and diminishing sales returns." Others find songs come to them at unpredictable times. "They're not so much songs as slices of life," says John Lydon (Sex Pistols). "They're stories." Says Annie Lennox: "You just have to capture the ideas as they come." Robin Gibb (Bee Gees) likens the search for melody to playing Scrabble: "[Y]ou're constantly looking for seven-letter words." The interviewees range from acclaimed artist Sting, who says he is less interested in finding a place in history for songs like "Fields of Gold" than in "getting through the show without fucking up," to the lesser-known renegade Lee Mavers (the La's), who hasn't released a song in 25 years. Others include Jimmy Page, Joan Armatrading, Noel Gallagher, Jarvis Cocker, Lily Allen, Billy Bragg, Damon Albarn, Paul Weller and Johnny Marr. A splendid treat for music aficionados.

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September 15, 2014

Musician and writer Rachel's first book should have been called "The Art of Writing Noise," as this collection of interviews with various musicians is essentially one long communion over the practice, craftsmanship, and artifice of songwriting. Maybe people want to read about the technicalities of the art, but it seems most casual fans of musicians such as Sting don't really care about how often he plays scales or why he believes rhyming is important. They'd rather get into the musician's mind-set while he was writing "Message in a Bottle" instead of reading about the tune's chord structures. Still, using Sting as an example, Rachel does explore the life context and idea genesis of songs, however, those human moments are minor compared to the academic discussions of the craft. It's too bad because the author has a knack for making his interview subjects feel comfortable enough to open up and talk beyond the banal. Because of that, reading through this title almost feels like a giant tease as Rachel gives us rare time with musical stars, including Damon Albarn, Mick Jones, and Jimmy Page as they talk about--ugh--the technical nuances of composing songs. VERDICT For what it is, this work is a stellar collection of interviews with A- and B-list musicians. But what it isn't marks this book much more than what is on the pages.--Rob Morast, Norfolk, VA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
This is a book for boomers in particular and song-lovers in general to spend hours with, pondering the words and thoughts of some of the most beloved and influential contemporary songwriters. Who's here, from Ray Davies, Joan Armatrading, and Sting to Annie Lennox, Jarvis Cocker, and Laura Marling, and who's not (how could the latter not be myriad?) aren't as important as the thoughtful, surprising paths these discussions take. Interviewer Rachel follows the threads wherever they go; this is no three questions asked of the 27 musicians. As a result, readers learn, for instance, of the dearth of female UK singer-songwriters, what melodies themselves try to communicate, the initial vision behind Stairway to Heaven, and so much more. There's a conversation with members of the group Madness, and some interviews are with duosfor example, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowebut all clearly depict Rachel's love for and knowledge of songwriting and the musicians themselves. The pages are sprinkled with equally fascinating reproductions of handwritten songs, photos, and other memorabilia, and the book closes with a satisfyingly hefty individualized bibliography and music Publishing Credits. A must-have for contemporary music collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)