Most Popular Books by Peter Ames Carlin

Originally published in hardcover in 2012.

From the acclaimed biographer who brought you the rock biography of Bruce Springsteen comes the life of musician Paul McCartney—from his groundbreaking years with the Beatles to Wings to his work as a solo artist and activist. More than a rock star, more than a celebrity, Paul McCartney is a cultural touchstone who helped transform popular music as one half of the legendary Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo. In this definitive biography, Peter Ames Carlin examines McCartney’s entire life, casting new light not just on the Beatles era but also on his years with Wings and his thirty-year relationship with his first wife, Linda McCartney. He takes us on a journey through a tumultuous couple of decades in which Paul struck out on his own as a solo artist, reached the top of the charts with a new band, and once again drew hundreds of thousands of screaming fans to his concerts. Carlin presents McCartney as a musical visionary but also as a layered and conflicted figure as haunted by his own legacy—and particularly his relationship with John Lennon—as he was inspired by it. Built on years of research and fresh, revealing interviews with friends, bandmates, and collaborators spanning McCartney’s entire life, Carlin’s lively biography captures the many faces of the living legend.

Brian Wilson was the visionary behind America''s most successful and influential rock band. As the leader of the Beach Boys, he sold 100 million records and built a catalog of songs that continues to define the sound and feel of American popular music. Healso became one of the culture''s most mysterious and tragic figures--but after spending years lost in a wilderness of despair, Wilson has fought his way back to productivity. Now journalist Carlin, who conducted in-depth interviews with dozens of sourcesand listened to hundreds of hours of unreleased studio recordings and live music, tells a uniquely American story of the band, the music, and the culture the Beach Boys both sang about and helped create.--From publisher description.

"Recounts the life and achievements of the American music icon, detailing his youth as a grandchild of Jewish Hungarian immigrants, his celebrity relationships, and the definitive music that earned him fifteen Grammy Awards and two inductions into the Rock ''n'' Roll Hall of Fame, "--NoveList.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS'' CHOICE • An electrifying cultural biography of the greatest and last American rock band of the millennium, whose music ignited a generation—and reasserted the power of rock and roll "[Carlin''s] unique gift for capturing the sweep and tenor of a cultural moment...is here on brilliant display." —Michael Chabon In the spring of 1980, an unexpected group of musical eccentrics came together to play their very first performance at a college party in Athens, Georgia. Within a few short years, they had taken over the world – with smash records like Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Monster and Green. Raw, outrageous, and expressive, R.E.M.’s distinctive musical flair was unmatched, and a string of mega-successes solidified them as generational spokesmen. In the tumultuous transition between the wide-open 80s and the anxiety of the early 90s, R.E.M. challenged the corporate and social order, chasing a vision and cultivating a magnetic, transgressive sound. In this rich, intimate biography, critically acclaimed author Peter Ames Carlin looks beyond the sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll to open a window into the fascinating lives of four college friends – Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry – who stuck together at any cost, until the end. Deeply descriptive and remarkably poetic, steeped in 80s and 90s nostalgia, The Name of This Band is R.E.M. paints a cultural history of the commercial peak and near-total collapse of a great music era, and the story of the generation that came of age at the apotheosis of rock.

A fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the making of Bruce Springsteen’s ground-breaking album, Born to Run – one of the most iconic records in rock history – Tonight in Jungleland combines lush music writing with unprecedented inside access to Springsteen, his bandmates, and the full story behind every song… and coincides with the album’s 50th anniversary in August 2025. From the opening piano notes of “Thunder Road,” to the final outro of “Jungleland” – with American anthems like “Born to Run” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” in between – Bruce Springsteen’s seminal album, Born to Run, established Springsteen as a creative force in rock and roll. With his back against the wall, he wrote what has been hailed as a perfect album, a defining moment, and a roadmap for what would become a legendary career. Peter Ames Carlin, whose bestselling biography, Bruce, gave him rare access to Springsteen’s inner circle, now returns with the full story of the making of this epic album. Released in August, 1975, Born to Run now celebrates its 50th anniversary. Carlin reveals a treasure trove of untold stories, detailing the writing and recording of every song, as well as the intense and at times tortuous process that mimicked the fault lines in Springsteen’s psyche and career, even as it revealed the depth of his vision. A must-read for any music fan, Tonight in Jungleland takes us inside a hallowed creative process and lets us experience history.

From journalist Peter Ames Carlin, Sonic Boom captures the rollicking story of the most successful record label in the history of popular music, Warner Bros. Records, and the remarkable secret to its meteoric rise. The roster of Warner Brothers Records and its subsidiary labels reads like the roster of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, Prince, Van Halen, Madonna, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, and dozens of others. But the most compelling figures in the Warner Bros. story are the sagacious Mo Ostin and the unlikely crew of hippies, eccentrics, and enlightened execs. Ostin and his staff transformed an out-of-touch company, revolutionized the industry, and, within just a few years, created the most successful record label in the history of the American music industry. How did they do it? One day in 1967, the newly tapped label president Mo Ostin called his team together to share his grand strategy: he told them to stop trying to make hit records/ "Let’s just make good records and turn those into hits.” With that, Ostin ushered in a counterintuitive model that matched the counterculture. His offbeat crew recruited outsider artists and gave them free rein, while rejecting out-of-date methods of advertising, promotion, and distribution. And even as they set new standards for in-house weirdness, the upstarts’ experiments and innovations paid off, to the tune of hundreds of legendary hit albums. Warner Bros Records conquered the music business by focusing on the music rather than the business. Their story is as raucous as it is inspiring—pure entertainment that also maps a route to that holy grail: love and money. Includes black-and-white photographs

Ensimmäinen kattava elämäkerta legendaarisesta laulajasta ja lauluntekijästä, jonka musiikki on ollut ilmiö jo kuusikymmentä vuotta. 1960-luvulla folkrockduo Simon & Garfunkel nousi kertaheitolla popmusiikin ykköskaartiin The Sound of Silence -kappaleellaan. Paul Simon kirjoitti suurimman osan duon kappaleista, joista on sittemmin tullut popmusiikin ikivihreitä klassikoita. Duon hajottua 1970-luvun alussa Paul Simon aloitti menestyksekkään soolouran luoden pitkän sarjan hittejä, jotka niin ikään soivat edelleen ympäri maailman. Unkarinjuutalaisen siirtolaisperheen poika New Yorkista on tehnyt musiikkihistoriaa, johon harva yltää. Mutta tarinaan mahtuu paljon muutakin kuin musiikkia ja menestystä. Vaiherikas elämä pitää sisällään myös masennusta ja huumeita, avioliittoja ja eroja, huippuhetkiä ja aallonpohjia. Sekä suuren määrän värikkäitä ystäviä, kollegoita ja kanssakulkijoita.

A finales de los años 70, algo se estaba fraguando en la ciudad universitaria de Athens (Georgia), donde empezó a emerger un sustrato de jóvenes con inquietudes artísticas que no tardarían en formar grupos de rock. De este entorno surgieron The B-52''s o Pylon, y poco después una de las bandas que alcanzaría el cénit del rock: R.E.M. Michael Stipe (voz), Peter Buck (guitarra), Mike Mills (bajo) y Bill Berry (batería) tomarían las riendas de los precursores, pero llegarían mucho más lejos. Tras los inicios en el sello independiente I.R.S., donde publicaron algunos singles y álbumes que forjaron una comunidad de fans acérrimos, ficharon por Warner, multinacional para la que grabaron discos fundamentales como Green, Out of Time y Automatic for the People, y temas como "Losing My Religion" o "Shiny Happy People", entre muchos otros hits, que vendieron millones de copias en todo el mundo. Pero, a pesar del éxito, R.E.M. consiguieron mantenerse a flote entre el vendaval de la fama y las interminables y multitudinarias giras, y preservar una libertad creativa que forjó canciones memorables y los encumbró como uno de los grandes grupos de rock de los últimos tiempos. Esta es su historia.

For over forty years, Bruce Springsteen has stood astride the rock ''n'' roll stage like a musical colossus, his 18 studio albums - from the 1973 debut Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. to 2014''s High Hopes - the testament of a life dedicated to music-making and committed songwriting. This book examines every stage of his musical career, discussing influences, lyrics, popularity, politics and all other aspects of Springsteen''s music.

A humorous wedding guide covers wedding themes and customs, writing contemporary vows, planning the reception, videotaping the ceremony, and choosing a honeymoon location

Het levensverhaal van een Amerikaanse vrouw die zich tot doel stelt de Mount Everest te beklimmen om zichzelf terug te vinden.