Play It Loud

An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar

By: Brad Tolinski, Alan di Perna

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Paperback | 12 February 2018

At a Glance

Paperback
400 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.1 x 13.1 x 2.0

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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.

About the Author

Brad Tolinski was the editor-in-chief of Guitar World, the world's bestselling magazine for musicians, for twenty-five years. He is the author of Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page. Alan di Perna is a longtime contributor to Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado and has written for Rolling Stone, Creem, Billboard, Guitar Player, and other leading music publications. He is the author of Guitar Masters: Intimate Portraits.

Industry Reviews

"A thrilling narrative that weaves cultural history, musical history, race, politics, business, advertising and technological discovery." --The Wall Street Journal

"A swooping, all-encompassing timeline of the instrument's early days to its beyond-essential role in pop culture and music." --The Guardian

"Fascinating. . . . A book that lives up to the urgent, innovative, all-encompassing spirit of its subject." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A cultural history, calling up the tastes, styles and fads, the economics and even the geopolitics of 90 years of music-making." --Dallas Morning News

"The definitive book about the history and business of the electric guitar." --Forbes.com

"Fascinating, elegantly written, page-turning. . . . It's all here--the history, the science, the musicians, and of course, the stringed beauties and the sounds they helped create." --Jonathan Kellerman, author of The Murderer's Daughter

"Everything knowable now becomes known about the plugged-in ax that changed the world. A comprehensive history of the electric guitar in cultural context is something long wanted, awaited and needed. At long last, it has arrived." --Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top guitarist/vocalist and Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee

"A marvelous survey of how the electric guitar has rocked its way into the hearts and minds of millions of music lovers. This is a rich trove of unforgettable anecdotes and vignettes. Highly recommended!" --Douglas Brinkley, author of Rightful Heritage

"Providing a holistic overview packed with contextual insights, music journalists Tolinksi and Di Perna skillfully pinpoint the watershed innovations and key musicians who turned a novelty into a mainstay of popular music. . . . An engaging introduction to a fun topic with broad appeal." --Library Journal (starred review)

"The electric guitar changed the world, and Tolinski and di Perna impressively reveal its epic story." --Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"A comprehensive history of the electric guitar, tracing its roots in George Beauchamp's experiments in search of a way to amplify a guitar's vibrations. . . . The authors engagingly explore the importance of amplifiers on artists' sounds." --Publisher's Weekly

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