Customer Reviews (1)

The One Who Writes the Words
Let's face it, if it weren't for Bernie Taupin, Elton John wouldn't be where he is today.Mr. Taupin has a wonderful talent for creating poetic stories and combined with Elton John's incredible ability to put the words to music, they were an unbeatable team.I bought this book as a teenager back in the 70's and I still own it and love it.It contains dozens of pictures, drawings and paintings done by famous artists, celebrities and others that try (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) to interpret Taupin's lyrics into a visual.I recommend this book highly for anyone who loves the poetry and music of Taupin and John.Definitely worth picking up a used copy! ... Read more

Product Description
Grammy winner for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from Disney's 1994 blockbuster movie The Lion King, Elton John is a musician who has transcended generations. Since his U.S. debut 26 years ago, E.J. has had a top-40 hit every year. This first reference dedicated to the legendary singer/songwriter, who has been enchanting fans for nearly three decades, contains hundreds of anecdotes on people, places, and things related to his career. It includes a behind-the-scenes look at every album, a comprehensive list of all songs written or recorded (dozens never released), and the most extensive look ever at E.J.'s pre-career life. This well-researched volume offers a gold mine of Elton John trivia gathered by one of the artist's premier historians and the editor of the international Elton John fan magazine East End Lights. Fans and popular music buffs will enjoy the comprehensive treatment more than a quarter century since Elton John's U.S. debut. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Claude is sexy!!!
The author of this book Claude Bernardin is a god when it comes to Elton John and he is also a very attractive man.Buy this book and you'll know all there is to know about Elton.Claude sank the big one with this book.

BEST BOOK OUT THERE ON ELTON JOHN
Dates,songs,eras in Elton's career;it's all here.

The author who did research on this book,Claude Bernardin,did an outstanding job.His research was relentless.

I prefer this book to many others because it is an encyclopedia type book and facts are easily found.

Alot of information on unreleased songs, which is my favorite part of the book.

I recommend this book to all Elton John enthusiasts.

It is a book you must have in your library if you are a die hard Elton John fan.

There's A Mistake
While the book is a fun read with Elton facts in alphbetical order, this is a mistake in the book that has just bugged me for a while. The two authors, especially one of them, is known as a major Elton historian. Why then, did he make the mistake?. The error in question is this - In describing the "Honky Chateau" album, it was stated that "Rocket Man" and "Honky Cat", the two singles off the album, were Elton's first top 10 singles?. Uh, sorry, but wrong. 2 years prior to this record, "Your Song" was a top 10 hit on the Billboard single charts. How can such a big historian make that mistake?.

Rock on rocket man
Mr.Bernardin has shared his wealth of knowledge on the subject of Elton John in a clear, concise and enjoyable format. I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to know the all of Elton.

Rock on rocket man
Mr.Bernardin has shared his wealth of knowledge on the subject of Elton John in a clear, concise and enjoyable format. I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to know the all of Elton. ... Read more

Product Description
Enthusiastically anticipated as the latest Disney stage production, following the astounding success of Julie Taymors breakthrough production of The Lion King, Aida is certain to be a hit. Celebrated songwriter Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice present their version of the classic tale of Aidathe story of a love triangle in which the three main charactersRadames, Aida, and Amnerisare torn between love for each other and their greater duties. This colourful book contains all the excitement of the lavish production, detailing all the action on the stage and behind the curtain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great book for Aida fans
I'm designing sets for our production of Aida.This book is the perfect reference for colors, lighting and design.

Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida: The Making of the Broadway Musical
Amazing book, all Aida lovers should get it! The pictures are beautiful, and the information is really detailed.

One of the better Broadway books
I'm a fan of Tie-In books, whether they be for a movie, or Broadway. This one ranks fairly high up there, behind Rent
by the Johnny Larson Estate, the Renthead bible, but above the Beauty and the Beast book which was more pictures than information.

This one had tons of information, and a good selection of pictures. You get a fantastic idea of how they progressed from the original story to the Broadway show, and nice behind the scenes anecdotes. There are also some very beautiful 2-page spreads, such as when the two-starcrossed lovers meet in the museum. However, the book is rather thin compared to some, and thus it doesn't hold quite as much information as some would like it to. It certainly could have used more pictures.

One thing it doesn't have are production drawings and concept art (it has a couple but they're small), which I always love to see. Those really help get you visualize what the production team was going for originally.

Still it's worth buying, and I would recommend it very much to any Aida fan certianly.

Overall a fine book but lacking at times
You'll find this oversized book ripe with details, from conception to Broadway debut, and filled with pages of colorful photos that illuminate the production. Journalist and author Michael Lassell traces the show's history with interviews from those intimately involved, from writer and composer Elton John and Tim Rice to stars Adam Pascal and Heather Headley to costume designers and choreographers. His unrivaled access allows us to visit every aspect of the production.

The book is divided into four chapters: story, composition, production, and performance. The first section describes the timeless tragedy and romance of Aida and of its rebirth from acclaimed opera to modern day rock musical. John and Rice's hammering out the numbers is described in the second part, and we begin to see the show's evolution from its originally titled "Elaborate Lives" Atlanta production. Set design, art direction, scenery, and costuming are detailed in the third chapter, and the last focuses on performance details.

The most ardent fan will always find such books lacking, but in fairness it gives the common theatre-goer a good sense of the energy required to stage a Broadway production. One of the best features is the photos, both plentiful and saturated with color. I especially liked the visual contrasts between various stages of the show, such as early costume sketches compared with the final outfits. The breadth of interviews also conveys the passion of an extraordinary "Aida" team.

A couple of things could have been improved upon. While I enjoyed the pictures, there was a redundancy to some. Two full page spreads of "Dance of the Robe," for example, one to illustrate the lighting and a second to show the choreography, proved unnecessary.Space dedicated to "sequence shots," a cluster of essentially the same candid photo, could also have been better utilized with more production stills or, better yet, meatier text. At the core of the show is the story, its historical and contemporary implications, and this book doesn't drive into the heart of the characters quite forcefully enough. Lassell only dedicates several pages at the end to the actors' interpretations of their characters.

This is a heckuva book!
This is an excellent book and very informative. It tells you about all of the changes that the show went through. It has wonderful pictures. They're all in color and they bring back memories of the show. I had had the good fortune of seeing the show with the entire original cast still intact. There were no understudies that day and I was so happy. I'm still trying to remember where that scrim in Fortune Favors the Brave came from. My only complaint is that they didn't tell the name of the man who played Radames before Adam Pascal took over in Chicago. Buy this book. You will thank me. ... Read more

Product Description
An honest and compassionate guide to giving up alcohol by the therapist who has helped many people including such celebrities as Elton John and Michael Jackson overcome addictions. A refreshing alternative or supplement to the Twelve-Step program, the book includes an introduction by Elton John. Features in national magazines. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Book for Beginners
This is a good book if you've never been to rehab or a 12-step meeting.This advice is very practical and pragmatic, however it is incredibly redundant to people who have had experience quitting drinking or numerous tries at quitting.

Colclough writes with warmth, humor and compassion.Having said that, the author comes across more as a cheerleader than an expert in addiction treatment. ... Read more

Product Description
Judy Parkinson spent two years of meticulous research into the life and career of superstar Elton John. The result, Elton: Made In England, marks a new chapter in 'pop' biography. This is a comprehensive study, from Reg Dwight's very English post-war childhood in suburban Britain, to Sir Elton John's maturity both as a man and as a matchless international performer. Ms. Parkinson comes to her subject from outside the rock industry, bringing a fresh eye, a critical mind and the special warmth and understanding of a true fan to bear on Elton's genius. Elton: Made in England, featuring a full discography and previously unseen personal photographs from his family albums, is more than the ordinary story of an extraordinarily talented man. It is a detailed work of reference no fan will want to be without and a wholly authoritative account of the private and public lives of the record-breaking, Oscar-winning singer-songwriter. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a broad-ranging study of Shakespeare's work, featuring an international collection of essays, including the last published essay by Professor Harry Levine who died in 1994. Balancing both traditional and more recent critical approaches, the book provides an overview of scholarship and its methodologies today. Areas covered include Shakespeare's treatment of politics and religion, gender, art and music, his use of language and the issues that surround the staging of his plays. ... Read more

Product Description
Songs from the album by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. ... Read more

Product Description
This terrific book/instrument pack lets you play great songs from the Disney animated classic on a top-quality beginner's recorder! Includes: Be Prepared * Can You Feel the Love Tonight * Circle of Life * Hakuna Matata * I Just Can't Wait to Be King * and 4 more. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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Product Description
Collected for the first time in one volume, here are the complete recorded lyrics of Elton John and Bern ie Taupin. The poetry of the lyrics is brought to life with art works by modern artists, famous and unknown. ' ... Read more