Charlie Gillett, a man whose few words left a deep legacy

I've been distracted by a few things lately and have fallen behind on my music reading, particularly blogs from across the pond.
"The Sound of the City" was out of print for many years but now is available online at places like Amazon
So, it was with dismay that I've only just learned of the March 17 death of Charlie Gillett, a legendary rock author and radio host.

Gillett wasn't prolific but did write the hugely influential 1970 book "The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll," which was among the first to examine the roots of rock and its underlying sociological impacts, and the role independent labels played in the growth of what became a pop culture tidal wave. If you're a fan of rock history, this book is a must. It's 40 years old but still resonates today, much like Greil Marcus' "Mystery Train." 

The book's list of Recommended Records is worth the price alone (Google Books offers a glimpse at the list, starting at page 451).

Close your eyes ... it's The Beatles

The Fab Faux - Abbey Road Side 2 (mostly) from The Fab Faux on Vimeo.

The Fab Faux are a group of East Coast studio musicians -- including bassist/vocalist Will Lee of the David Letterman Band -- who gathered to record an amazing live performance of Side 2 of the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album.

What makes the performance amazing is it was recorded live and is a nearly note for note replica of the original Beatles songs. If you're a musician or recovering musician, you know how difficult an undertaking this was to pull off live.

And it wasn't just the notes that were replicated -- duplicating the audio environment was part of the challenge as well. Check out this video of the Fab Faux learning recording tricks from legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick.

Price slashed on excellent Clash book

If you're a fan of The Clash and you have a Borders nearby, you may want to scram to pick up an excellent book priced new at $45 but now available in the bargain bin for $6.99. Get it before they're gone.

My girls -- wife and two daughters -- bought it for me for my birthday so I've just started reading it. But so far so good.

The self-titled "The Clash" is hard to miss -- its cover is hot pink -- and is loaded with great photos and interesting backstories. While's it's an "official" book released by the band, The Clash weren't people who pulled punches and hid behind PR hacks. There's enough juice and surprises in this book to keep even hardcore fans engaged.