So, let me suggest something that has helped me ‘pass the time’ – music.\u00a0 Like me, you have probably found some solace in listening to\u00a0 music, singing in the shower or watching (and re-watching) concerts on TV; and I say keep doing those things, but I’m proffering some additional literary therapy and documentary escapism.\u00a0 Over the past few months, and particularly now that reading is one of my more athletic activities during the course of a day, I have found three excellent books and one Netflix documentary that I would recommend to any pop music lover.<\/p>\n The Wrecking Crew by <\/strong>by Kent Hartman<\/p>\n Flyleaf notes: “A sweet and wistful meditation on the early days of the music business, full of little gems\u00a0and wonders fit for serious music fans and a commendable, long-overdue tribute to the legendary Wrecking Crew<\/strong> – the ridiculously talented, go-to guys behind so many hits. This book will make your head spin.”\u00a0 <\/em>You think you know who played the music on most of the hit songs you listened to?\u00a0 You don’t!” The Song Machine <\/strong>by John Seabrook<\/p>\n Flyleaf notes: “There\u2019s a reason today\u2019s ubiquitous pop hits are so hard to ignore\u2015they\u2019re designed that way. The Song Machine goes behind the scenes to offer an insider\u2019s look at the global hit factories manufacturing the songs that have everyone hooked.”<\/em><\/p>\n Goodnight, LA <\/strong>\u00a0 also by Kent Hartman<\/p>\n “The rise and fall of classic rock – the untold stories from inside the LA recording studios.\u00a0 The music scene in Los Angeles was dominated by rock ‘n’ roll. If a group wanted to hit it big, L.A. was the place to be.”\u00a0 <\/em>Let the in-fighting begin.<\/p>\n Echo in the Canyon <\/strong>Netflix<\/p>\n Echo In The Canyon celebrates the popular music that came out of L.A.\u2019s Laurel Canyon neighborhood in the mid-60s as folk went electric and The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas and If you enjoy popular music, and by that I mean songs that were popular from the 60s to present day, you should enjoy the myriad of stories about the lives of people who made it all possible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n “If music be the food of love, play on.”\u00a0 <\/em>William Shakespeare<\/p>\n Stay well!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow \u201cMusic is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life.\u201d Jean Paul Richter Not that life is gloomy right now or anything, it’s just that it’s . . . different.\u00a0 We find ourselves looking for things to … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Wrecking-Crew-300x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Not that life is gloomy right now or anything, it’s just that it’s . . . different.\u00a0 We find ourselves looking for things to do around the cell, er, house; things that will help us keep our sanity while in solitary or familial confinement.\u00a0 We’ve completed most of those DIY ‘projects’, at least the ones that we were actually capable of completing, not the ones like fixing that leaky hot water heater valve or rewiring that electrical box.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Song-Machine.jpg\")
<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Echo-in-the-Canyon-300x168.jpg\")
<\/a> the Papas cemented the ‘California sound’.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n