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Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, Clive Davis
Clive DavisUnabridged — 22 hours, 33 minutes
Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, Clive Davis
Clive DavisUnabridged — 22 hours, 33 minutes
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…the 80-year-old hitmaker who has launched and reignited a staggering number of high-profile music careers…probably doesn't care about wowing anyone with his capacity to turn phrases. What he does care about is ensuring that his version of industry history gets documented, in permanent, published ink. On that front, he's done his job…Soundtrack will undoubtedly be listed as required reading on many History of Pop Music college-seminar syllabuses.
The book shows why Davis holds a rarefied status in the music world — an executive almost as famous as his performers.
"The pages of The Soundtrack of My Life are filled with fantastic scenes and revelations."
There are so many incredible stories; this book is literally a walk through musical history.
The Midas Touch. Until now, no one has written a book that reveals as much about the industry as Mr. Davis’ book does. It is hard to imagine a better survey of popular music during its 50 year commercial peak than this one.
His enormous success comes from luck and a phenomenal gift for recognizing, nurturing and selling talent. His drive helped make him one of the most visionary music men. In his memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life, the man who guided stars from Springsteen to Houston shares the secrets of his success.
Who put the bomp, Barry Mann asked in his 1961 single, in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp? Mr. Mann wanted to shake that person’s hand. For much of the 1960’s, 70’s, 80‘s 90’s and 00’s, a pretty good answer to that existential question was Clive Davis. As the head of Columbia Records and then Arista, the label he founded, Mr. Davis had a knack for introducing good singers to good material. The results tended to be explosive, as if he were dropping packages of Mentos into two-liter bottles of Diet Coke.
Who put the bomp, Barry Mann asked in his 1961 single, in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp? Mr. Mann wanted to shake that person’s hand. For much of the 1960’s, 70’s, 80‘s 90’s and 00’s, a pretty good answer to that existential question was Clive Davis. As the head of Columbia Records and then Arista, the label he founded, Mr. Davis had a knack for introducing good singers to good material. The results tended to be explosive, as if he were dropping packages of Mentos into two-liter bottles of Diet Coke.
"The pages of The Soundtrack of My Life are filled with fantastic scenes and revelations."
The book shows why Davis holds a rarefied status in the music world — an executive almost as famous as his performers.
The Midas Touch. Until now, no one has written a book that reveals as much about the industry as Mr. Davis’ book does. It is hard to imagine a better survey of popular music during its 50 year commercial peak than this one.”
"The pages of The Soundtrack of My Life are filled with fantastic scenes and revelations."
“His enormous success comes from luck and a phenomenal gift for recognizing, nurturing and selling talent. His drive helped make him one of the most visionary music men. In his memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life, the man who guided stars from Springsteen to Houston shares the secrets of his success.”
“Who put the bomp, Barry Mann asked in his 1961 single, in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp? Mr. Mann wanted to shake that person’s hand. For much of the 1960’s, 70’s, 80‘s 90’s and 00’s, a pretty good answer to that existential question was Clive Davis. As the head of Columbia Records and then Arista, the label he founded, Mr. Davis had a knack for introducing good singers to good material. The results tended to be explosive, as if he were dropping packages of Mentos into two-liter bottles of Diet Coke.”
“There are so many incredible stories; this book is literally a walk through musical history.”
“The book shows why Davis holds a rarefied status in the music world — an executive almost as famous as his performers.
In more than 50 years in the music business, Davis has discovered such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys, and Barry Manilow. Born into a working-class family in Brooklyn, he won scholarships to New York University and Harvard Law School and eventually landed a job as legal counsel for Columbia Records. He was handed the presidency of the company by chance, and it was then he learned he had “ears”: the ability to spot talent and create hit records. The first artist Davis signed was Scottish folk singer Donovan in 1966, but he established himself with Janis Joplin, whom he signed after being blown away by her performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. From there, he went on to work with everyone from Billy Joel to Luther Vandross to the Grateful Dead and had successes on his own with Arista Records and then J Records, which he founded in 2000. Of course, his relationship with Whiney Houston (1963?2012) is well known, and he devotes a chapter to her that begins, “Without question this it the most difficult chapter for me to write.” At 81, Davis is still going strong and working on a Broadway musical.
Verdict An important addition to the literature of American music and an essential title for anyone who enjoys insider stories about famous musicians. [The S. & S. audiobook also received a starred review, LJ 5/1/13.—Ed.]—Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA
(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Davis, one of the most successful record producers in history, reflects on his tremendous success in this candid and star-studded memoir. He recounts his beginnings, growing up in Brooklyn, and his relationships with his parents (he lost both when he was young) and family. He also discusses his scholarship to Harvard Law School and short-lived career in law before being hired by Columbia Records at the age of 28, where he signed such artists as Janis Joplin, Santana, and Sly and the Family Stone. He would later go on to found Arista Records, where he revived the careers of Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick and made his greatest discovery, Whitney Houston, as well as launching the careers of countless other recording acts. The book is excellently narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris. VERDICT This exhaustive and detailed biography is highly recommended for anyone interested in the music business and for music fans in general. [The S. & S. hc was a New York Times best seller.—Ed.]—Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence
Clive Davis—Harvard Law School alumnus, former Columbia Records president, and founder of both the Arista and “J” record labels— provides a lackluster and monotone narration of his memoir of his business career. Davis presents himself as an imperious egotist whose legal and business capabilities somehow assisted him in developing “golden ears,” which helped him build the careers of countless platinum-selling musical artists such as Barry Manilow and Whitney Houston. Dennis Boutsikaris’s contribution to the narration is smooth and measured. His voice is pleasant, strong, and youngish. But his lack of emotion and variability in style combined with what seems like dictated text makes for a tough slog for the listener. Still, music fans will get a unique and authentic look at the music world amid the author’s continual boasting. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Revealing, entertaining account of the fortunes--almost always waxing--of the music mogul. Writing with ace Rolling Stone journalist DeCurtis, Davis recounts his rise from an impoverished Brooklyn childhood to heading Columbia Records and other labels. That rise came by way of hard work and attendance at Harvard Law School, where he qualified for the Review but, ever entrepreneurial, joined the activities board because the post offered a small stipend. As counsel to Columbia, he found that he had an ear for music and an eye for talent, and from there, he rocketed upward. In his tenure at Columbia and Arista, Davis discovered many artists and elevated many others, and he is gracious toward almost all, if carefully so: Paul Simon, we gather, is prickly, and Whitney Houston was a constant handful (about The Bodyguard: "She held her own, but you couldn't say her performance was inspiring"). Davis is also remarkably catholic in his tastes, having worked with everyone from Miles Davis to Laura Nyro to Johnny Cash to the Grateful Dead to Sean Combs and his coterie of rappers ("When I went to artist showcases or parties Puffy threw for his label's stars in clubs around the city late at night, I never once brought a bodyguard"). The anecdotes are fun to read, if seldom newsworthy; what is of greater value is Davis' detailing of how hits are made. As he writes, "I think there's a bit of confusion between pop music and pop success," adding that although the Dead and Patti Smith, and even Aretha Franklin, weren't pop artists, he was able to work his magic on them to produce hits--and lots of money. A touch overlong, but a pleasure to read, elevated and mensch-y at the same time.
| BN ID: | 2940170510191 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date: | 02/19/2013 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
