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Rating: 
Summary: The Beat Goes On
Review: Earl Palmer is an incredibly important figure in pop music. His drumming virtually defines early rock 'n' roll, especially his recordings for the Specialty label in the 1950's.
It was great to hear him talk about his early years and how he became such a major performer in the studios of New Orleans and Hollywood.
It is also fascinating to hear him talk aout his desire to be a bebop drummer.
As a result of reading this book I went out and bought a whole bunch of records with Palmer.
Anyone interested in the roots of rock or in what makes a good drummer should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Recommended
Review: Fans of Earl Palmer, the great drummer who played on Fats Domino's records (and innumerable others), will jump at the chance to learn more about his life and musical development; however, this book does not communicate much of interest. There are lots of anecdotes regarding generally unknown New Orleans characters. The stories most readers want to hear, stories about musicians we may have heard of, are underrepresented. In addition, there is very little discussion of music in general. Disappointing, since musicians are going to be the main audience for this work.
Rating:
Summary: Different Take
Review: I am a great fan of Earl Palmer and eagerly read the book. I was even lucky enough to get him to sign my copy at a jazz fest appearance. That said, this is a moving book chronicling his rise as THE New Orleans drummer to being the premier studio drummer in the world . Music is the background of this book-the foreground is more about Palmer's life, loves and career. Palmer is frank, unapologetic, opinionated and somewhat cocky. He discusses New Orleans in the 40's and 50's, race relations and the music scene from a first person perspective. Its refreshing and full of surprises. He moves on to chronicle his career in L.A.- how he comes into the scene- who he displaces and eventually how he gets displaced. Anecdotes abound about various sessions and gigs- though not as many as one might want to hear. What this book clearly is not is some sort of insight into technique or musical philosophy. This disappointed me at first - then I realized Earl can let the huge body of recorded work do the talking there. ( I have seen some video tape for sale where Earl demonstrates various beats and techniques) The book is a bit choppy and somewhat unpolished at times- but it makes up for it in frankness.- over time I came to appreciate that.
Rating: 
Summary: Beat Man on New Orleans Tells His Story
Review: If is fun for me to read first hand accounts of pop music - especially from people who are from New Orleans - who go outside of the Cresent City and make it big - etc. Earl seems to paint an honest picture of the people and places of his career.
I will probably be reading it again. If you are a New Orleans' drummer - this book may be of more interest to you then anyone else on the planet.
Rating:
Summary: This is a good one!
Review: If you like behind the scenes stories of the old days of music, this is a book you'll like. Palmer has a gunfighter mentality that enhances his story, and a career that began back in the 1930's when he was a child dancer. He's experienced alot in his career, including the start of rock and roll. His explanation of the rhythmic changes that set early rock and roll apart from the music that came before it is fascinating. Palmer was playing in Little Richard's band and he noticed that Little Richard wasn't playing blues shuffle rhythms on his piano. Although the band could play a blues shuffle behind Little Richard and sound acceptable, as was the case on "Tutti-Frutti," the sound was better when the drummer and the band adapted to the rhythm that Little Richard was playing, as they did on "Lucille". Palmer doesn't know if Little Richard or Chuck Berry invented the rock and roll rhythm first, but he points out that Berry's band always played blues shuffles behind him, while Little Richard's band had a more modern beat. The records bear this out. I thought it was a fascinating explanation, and a cool insight.
Rating:
Summary: This is a good one!
Review: If you like behind the scenes stories of the old days of music, this is a book you'll like. Palmer has a gunfighter mentality that enhances his story, and a career that began back in the 1930's when he was a child dancer. He's experienced alot in his career, including the start of rock and roll. His explanation of the rhythmic changes that set early rock and roll apart from the music that came before it is fascinating. Palmer was playing in Little Richard's band and he noticed that Little Richard wasn't playing blues shuffle rhythms on his piano. Although the band could play a blues shuffle behind Little Richard and sound acceptable, as was the case on "Tutti-Frutti," the sound was better when the drummer and the band adapted to the rhythm that Little Richard was playing, as they did on "Lucille". Palmer doesn't know if Little Richard or Chuck Berry invented the rock and roll rhythm first, but he points out that Berry's band always played blues shuffles behind him, while Little Richard's band had a more modern beat. The records bear this out. I thought it was a fascinating explanation, and a cool insight.
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