Music

Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll

Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll

  • Downloads：6112
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-01-12 18:21:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lenny Kaye
  • ISBN：0062449206
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Leah ，

A heartfelt and weighty tome from Lenny Kaye， who is best known as the lead guitarist of the Patti Smith Group， in addition to curating the influential NUGGETS compilation （1972） that highlighted the familial connections between late 60’s psychedelia， garage and early punk。 Part history and part memoire， Lightning Striking is structured around ten transformative moments in rock history， those “mile marker notches （on the） road map of musical cartography” （xii）， told from the perspectives of emer A heartfelt and weighty tome from Lenny Kaye， who is best known as the lead guitarist of the Patti Smith Group， in addition to curating the influential NUGGETS compilation （1972） that highlighted the familial connections between late 60’s psychedelia， garage and early punk。 Part history and part memoire， Lightning Striking is structured around ten transformative moments in rock history， those “mile marker notches （on the） road map of musical cartography” （xii）， told from the perspectives of emerging cultural scenes in different times and geographical places。 In each temporal location Kaye is also present， as a fan， an artist on the scene， a collector and a witness。 Like a rock ’n’ roll Forrest Gump， he seems to have been everywhere at the right moment， and this insider’s perspective authenticates and enriches the text with compelling energy and excitement。 The book doesn’t seem interested in myth-busting or demystification。 Rather， it seems that Kaye wants to build new mythologies focussing on the people， buildings， technologies， fashions， accidents， and energies of local music scenes and not just those visionary individuals that history remembers。 Special communities on the cusp of magic。 This ecological perspective allows Kaye to map out connections between details， to zoom out to the panoramic and illuminate the ways disruptive creativity can emerge and flow， and how all active participants in a music culture are active co-creators of it。Of the ten moments， the most compelling are those locations that the author knows most intimately。 ‘Philadelphia 1959’ is street smart and rich with authentic local insight。 ‘New York 1975’ could easily make an excellent book on its own; writing that puts the reader smack in the centre of the early CBGBs scene in Manhattan， just as Patti Smith releases her debut Horses。 The account of ‘Liverpool 1962’ not only focusses on The Beatles， but also includes Joe Meek， bridging the story of Beatlemania to the psychedelia and studio boffinry that followed。 For ‘Detroit 1969’ Kaye gets under the skin of the city and illustrates how the music it inspires couldn’t have been any other way， whether it be Motown， garage， hip hop or techno。When situated in time and place， Kaye writes excitedly in the active present tense， as if we have Quantum Leap-ed to the very moment something big is about to go down。 The prose is aureate and lyrical， overflowing with affection and care。 It’s an idiosyncratic style that engages and entertains for the most part， yet for a book of such heroic length， the relentless intensity can get exhausting at times。 He is more than happy to reach for a cringey metaphor。 For example， setting the scene in New Orleans: “… Mississlipping and Mississliding off the rim of the soup bowl that contains this swampy city， plunging into the alluvial okra of its musical mélange” （51）。 Or how about: “Yeah times three。 The mathematics of dream。” （Liverpool 1962， 131）。 Maybe these will work better in the audiobook version。In the end， the transformations are not only historical， but intensely personal， intensely felt by this person。 Lightning Striking is evangelical in its faith in the power of music to change the world for the better。 This book is a valuable and enriching account of history from the eyes and heart of a man who cares deeply。（this review was published in issue 455 of The Wire） 。。。more

John Bialas ，

In the spirit of American Bandstand， which is featured in the Philadelphia chapter， I give Lightning Striking a score of 98 on the 35-to-98 rating scale。 As the kids used to say， "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it。" In the spirit of American Bandstand， which is featured in the Philadelphia chapter， I give Lightning Striking a score of 98 on the 35-to-98 rating scale。 As the kids used to say， "It's got a good beat and you can dance to it。" 。。。more

Michael Burke ，

"Memphis， 1954。 New Orleans 1957。 Philadelphia 1959。 Liverpool， 1962。 San Francisco 1967。 Detroit 1969。 New York， 1975。 London 1977。 Los Angeles 1984 / Norway 1993。 Seattle 1991" These are the hotspots of rock and roll covered in Lenny Kaye's "Lightning Striking"。 Lenny is a longtime collaborator with Patti Smith， he is a guitarist and songwriter who also was the producer for Suzanne Vega's first two albums （remember "Luka"？）。 He was also responsible for compiling the legendary "Nuggets" compila "Memphis， 1954。 New Orleans 1957。 Philadelphia 1959。 Liverpool， 1962。 San Francisco 1967。 Detroit 1969。 New York， 1975。 London 1977。 Los Angeles 1984 / Norway 1993。 Seattle 1991" These are the hotspots of rock and roll covered in Lenny Kaye's "Lightning Striking"。 Lenny is a longtime collaborator with Patti Smith， he is a guitarist and songwriter who also was the producer for Suzanne Vega's first two albums （remember "Luka"？）。 He was also responsible for compiling the legendary "Nuggets" compilation album-- a treasure of garage rock and psychedelic classics。I enjoyed some sections much more than others。 I ate up everything about the Beatles， the San Francisco psychedelic era， and then the birth of punk， new wave， and grunge。 "Lightning Striking" is pretty comprehensive， all chapters had something of interest， it just covers more ground than I needed， particularly in the earlier periods。 I did hit up Spotify for a number of songs listed and I have played more Patti Smith than ever before。 Thank you to Ecco， NetGalley， and Lenny Kaye for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Paige ，

Very cool subject for a book！ I found the moments they picked to be interesting。 I maybe didn’t agree with them all but I liked the reasons for those moments that were picked。

3 Things About This Book ，

I consider this book as more of an educational piece。 If you want to get bite size histories of cities and eras that shaped music industry， this is your book。 You take a quick tour of Memphis， 1954; New Orleans， 1957; Philadelphia， 1959; Liverpool， 1962; San Francisco， 1967; Detroit， 1969; New York， 1975; London， 1977; Los Angeles， 1984 / Norway， 1993 and finally Seattle， 1991。 You have your Motown， Hendrix， The Beatles， Bowie， The Clash， Sex Pistols， and many more that gave you that good taste I consider this book as more of an educational piece。 If you want to get bite size histories of cities and eras that shaped music industry， this is your book。 You take a quick tour of Memphis， 1954; New Orleans， 1957; Philadelphia， 1959; Liverpool， 1962; San Francisco， 1967; Detroit， 1969; New York， 1975; London， 1977; Los Angeles， 1984 / Norway， 1993 and finally Seattle， 1991。 You have your Motown， Hendrix， The Beatles， Bowie， The Clash， Sex Pistols， and many more that gave you that good taste in music。 I would highly recommend having your phone nearby， so you can start listening to the songs that made rock and roll what it is。 It was great to get this from an insider and hear how it shaped his perception and understanding of this genre。 。。。more

Dan ，

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Ecco Books for an advanced copy of this new music history。Musicians are of course great writers， either of music， lyrics or both。 Very few musicians bring their skill to books。 Yes there are many music "memoirs"， mostly ghostwritten collections of stories used to either settle old scores， claim credit for songs， groupies or place their mistakes in a better light。 Nick Cave and Bob Dylan wrote fiction， one better than the other。 Few however have written ab My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Ecco Books for an advanced copy of this new music history。Musicians are of course great writers， either of music， lyrics or both。 Very few musicians bring their skill to books。 Yes there are many music "memoirs"， mostly ghostwritten collections of stories used to either settle old scores， claim credit for songs， groupies or place their mistakes in a better light。 Nick Cave and Bob Dylan wrote fiction， one better than the other。 Few however have written about music， the history of， influences of， even when they are front in center in the changes that going on。 That's why a book like this one is so rare and fascinating。 Lenny Kaye in his book Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll brings both his knowledge of music and performance to write of seminal moments in rock history。Famed for being both a founding member of the Patti Smith Group， and for creating the musical anthology Nuggets， a collection of sixties garage-rock bands that has its own fame， Kaye has also written biographies and overviews across the musical spectrum。 In this book Kaye chooses 10 transformative moments in rock history where everything changed。 These moments can be obvious， Memphis 1954， London 1977， to more esoteric like New Orleans 1957 or Philadelphia 1959。 Kaye writes of the era， what was happening musically， socially politically， what happened， what changed， what was destroyed or left in the wake。 Some seem to be more in depth than necessary， and others can be argued about their inclusion， but that is the point about books like these。 They provoke thought， and conversations， sometimes raised voices and louder music。 Sometimes you learn something new。 Sometimes a reader disagrees， write your own book。 I enjoy books like this so I will happily read it。 The writing style can be little odd。 Maybe a slight case the beat writers， with a touch of Ms。 Patti Smith。 Also the reader is expected to know major characters in music and culture with little introduction。 So this might not be the best book for new ears to read， but quite a lot can be learned。 Kaye makes a very good teacher， knowledgeable about his subject matter not just by book learning but from performing， producing and doing， and is happy to teach all that he has learned over the years。 。。。more

Bargle ，

I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program。I liked this one。 Well described major events in Rock & Roll， some of which the author was witness to or part of （He's in Patti Smith Group） and many that helped shape Rock as it is today。 The writing style doesn't always please me， but that's alright。 Definitely recommended if you want to know how popular music became what it is today。 I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program。I liked this one。 Well described major events in Rock & Roll， some of which the author was witness to or part of （He's in Patti Smith Group） and many that helped shape Rock as it is today。 The writing style doesn't always please me， but that's alright。 Definitely recommended if you want to know how popular music became what it is today。 。。。more

J Earl ，

Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll by Lenny Kaye tells the history of rock using ten specific "moments" as a structuring device。 This is both a fun book for those of us who remember the vast majority of these moments as well as a rich history for those always looking for more insight。Told as an insider of the industry and someone involved in， or at least with the proverbial backstage pass to， many of these moments we get anecdotes and asides mixed in with the more st Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll by Lenny Kaye tells the history of rock using ten specific "moments" as a structuring device。 This is both a fun book for those of us who remember the vast majority of these moments as well as a rich history for those always looking for more insight。Told as an insider of the industry and someone involved in， or at least with the proverbial backstage pass to， many of these moments we get anecdotes and asides mixed in with the more straightforward telling of music history。 There is no "the" history of rock， but as a history of rock this volume adds plenty of information and a lot of energy to collection of histories that tell the story。I don't think one needs to be particularly well-versed in rock history to enjoy the book though it will likely be more appealing to those who are familiar with more than just the artists who topped the charts。 Names and strands of various genres are tossed off regularly， some with contextualization and some not。 Usually those not are also not integral to understanding the overall story， so they can be noted as one reads on then， if curious， looked up later to learn more about them。Again， these are important moments that， as the title says， transformed the music。 Most did produce chart toppers but that is not really the reason for inclusion。 It is how each changed the course of the genre and also how much each influenced future artists。 In that regard these moments are transformative。 I imagine one could argue for an additional inclusion or two， and if one wants to be arrogantly narrow can argue that the transformations a couple of these moments caused weren't "important" enough。 But all in all this is an excellent selection and all are told with the same sense of excitement and energy that permeated those times and places。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more

Devon ，

Advanced Reader's E-ProofDNF。 I believe this book would only be appreciated by someone already deeply knowledgeable about rock and roll history。This book presents a selection of scenes from significant moments in rock history。 Although it's clear the author has passion for this history， the average reader feels left out。 The context of the events and the significance of the （many） names dropped in the stories are unexplained， making the book only suitable to a very well informed audience。 The wr Advanced Reader's E-ProofDNF。 I believe this book would only be appreciated by someone already deeply knowledgeable about rock and roll history。This book presents a selection of scenes from significant moments in rock history。 Although it's clear the author has passion for this history， the average reader feels left out。 The context of the events and the significance of the （many） names dropped in the stories are unexplained， making the book only suitable to a very well informed audience。 The writing has a rhythm that can't decide if it's prose or poetry and is sometimes abstract。 。。。more

Ted ，

Advanced digital review copy courtesy of Edelweiss & Ecco PressLightning Striking brings together Lenny Kaye's considerable talents as a music historian and writer。 Kaye’s words flow forth and lead readers through ten times & places that have been inextricably linked in the minds of listeners wishing they could have been part of these fleeting golden musical moments。 The highly attuned scribe & musician witnessed many of the 10 scenes firsthand as they were unraveling in real time。 Further， Kaye Advanced digital review copy courtesy of Edelweiss & Ecco PressLightning Striking brings together Lenny Kaye's considerable talents as a music historian and writer。 Kaye’s words flow forth and lead readers through ten times & places that have been inextricably linked in the minds of listeners wishing they could have been part of these fleeting golden musical moments。 The highly attuned scribe & musician witnessed many of the 10 scenes firsthand as they were unraveling in real time。 Further， Kaye often played the role of a cultural catalyst helping to set off a ripple effect that often had a direct influence on the development of these scenes。 As a compiler， Kaye introduced Nuggets to the world in 1972， was the lead guitarist for the Patti Smith Group from 1975 to 1979 and even co-produced the widely-heard music of Suzanne Vega in the late ‘80s。 Throughout Lightning Striking， Kaye expresses rock ‘n’ roll’s unbridled energy， while throwing in some well-placed stylistic flourishes and compelling accounts from his fieldwork。 This one-two punch of reinforcing his research and writing chops with direct experiences sharpens the focus on the historical details-leading to a heightened awareness of the panoramic rock ‘n’ roll picture。 In short， Kaye supports the traditional historical record at moments and then flips it at other times to provide readers vantage points from both sides of the record， the retail counter and the stage。 Ultimately， Kaye is an adherent of the notion of letting the sparks fly where they may and possibly creating something new in the process or what Jonathan Richman called “Fly into the Mystery。”Another ViewKaye begins by unboxing a stockpile of creation tales and origin myths， spurring the question: “How many times can one re-write this mega history and in how many ways？” Bob Stanley attempted to do something similar with Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé in 2014 and received mixed reactions。 By approaching rock ‘n’ roll history through mostly manageable bursts of 10 times and places， Kaye is able to present the scenes which had arguably the most impact on the direction of rock 'n' roll in the last half of the 20th century。 Lenny does not strive to be comprehensive or exhaustive， just insightful， true to the music and wide-ranging。 He is so conversant with this history， inside and out， that he can play it how he feels on a multitude of levels without forgetting to have “some kinda fun” with it， which should be the self-evident point of rock ‘n’ roll？ Overall， his extraordinary versatility is on clear display as he has a vast repertoire and deep reservoir to draw upon。 Knowing his way around guitars， bands， recording sessions， mixing boards， record stores and live performances informs his perspectives and illuminates his writing。Trace ElementsFor the better， Kaye frequently ventures off the conventional routes and explores the mean streets， street corners， the suburbs and subterranean stratums as he’s a believer in rock ‘n’ roll’s immediacy， infinite nature and enduring presence。 As a musician， he also does not shy away from the music’s redemptive qualities as he frequently covers “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” by Gerry & the Pacemakers along with the spiritual dimensions which may be encountered in his work accompanying Patti Smith and Jessi Colter。 While some of Kaye’s intriguing accounts have appeared in Ugly Things interviews and profiles over the years， his individual recollections are a welcomed companion-coinciding and bolstering his particular approach to the history。 Readers get the opportunity to see it through Kaye’s watchful ears， street smarts， and vast experiences of seemingly being everywhere at once。 It is in these accounts， wherein lies the book’s distinctive treasures。 The scenes may be over and done with， but they are still reverberating and arguably as influential as the current times。 New York 1975Kaye writes of his good fortune to be both at the epicenter and periphery of the New York street rock scene。 I enjoyed encountering the fact that Sandy Bull once opened for Patti Smith & Lenny Kaye at Max’s Kansas City in 1974。 Lenny recently expanded upon this experience in his appreciative piece on Sandy entitled “Sandy Bull: In a China Store” which appeared in Ugly Things #57。 Would we expect anything less from a guy who assisted Waylon Jennings with his autobiography and included the fact that Waylon surprisingly played at Max’s Kansas City in 1973？ He also mentions the sagacious roles played by streetwise label executives like Terry Ork （Ork Records） and Seymour Stein （Sire） on the industry side of things。 All along， Kaye’s ethos has always been hovering somewhere between street level， the garage and those atmospheric nocturnal Bowery images offered by photographer David Godlis。 Kay offers plenty of other opportunities for readers to stumble upon the previously unknown details。 He mentions the fact of Mickey Ruskin’s unsuccessful attempt to expand his Max’s Kansas City nightclub & restaurant enterprise when he opened Max’s Terre Haute。 The second location did not catch on and quickly fizzled out， proving that the chickpeas were not magic beans。 Interestingly， only about half of these scenes generated a high proportion of hits， but all of them went on to arguably change the course of history。 Musical acts emerging from Memphis 1955， Philadelphia 1962， Los Angeles 1984 and Seattle 1991 did top the charts of the times。 The Beatles （Liverpool 1962） and Blondie （New York 1975） would obviously go on to break through to mega-success on a global scale a few years later after putting in their Gladwellian 10，000 hours and Warholian 15 minutes of fame。 The Ramones soldiered on to become highly influential and fondly remembered in the process， while Talking Heads didn’t breakthrough until the ‘80s music video-era when they were able to utilize their design school-influenced visual component。Memphis 1954Like the seemingly extemporaneous explosion of graffiti on a railcar that has already been sketched out on cardstock， Kaye gives credence to the notion that Sam Phillips was working along similar lines at the Sun Studio in Memphis。 Kaye conveys that Phillips knew enough to be dangerous and in the process helped rock ‘n’ roll blast off the Tennessee ground and become all the rage。 Kaye details， “Where Les （Paul） is precise， pinpointed， Sam wants it pinwheeled; a blurrier sound， live and spontaneous as if it’s being made up right in front of the speaker。” （p。 22）He also encapsulates the long green， quick cash， cut-rate schemes of R&B economics and logistics or the business of suspending platters:“R&B is now a sales hierarchy with its own star system， rewarding the ability to get a record on the streets as soon as possible， before the next disc ships and the returns start to come in。 No room for error， it’s cash in motion， like the title of that other music trade magazine， Cashbox， which gets the flow of capital right。 Nickel and dimes into the slot。 You have to make them want what you're hawking before the next record plays。” （p。 29）I can picture a wide-eyed Seymour Stein， working as an apprentice for Syd Nathan of King Records， learning the tricks of the trade mentioned above。Philadelphia 1959Kaye illuminates his text with abundant local color and regional lore。 The Mitch Thomas Show is mentioned as playing a groundbreaking role as well as being a direct influence on American Bandstand and later Soul Train when the discussion turns to rock & roll as presented by Philadelphia-area television stations。 This treatment of early ‘60s Philadelphia， demonstrates Kaye is fair and balanced with his coverage。 He does not short either or Dick Clark， Mitch Thomas or disc jockey & local Philly legend Jerry Blavat when recognizing and evaluating their notable contributions and influence on that scene。 To his credit and for those who first consult the index before buying or checking out a book， Kaye stays generally neutral to positive on everyone he mentions。 Kaye understands how hard it is to sustain a musical career even if your material starts to landslide after the ‘60s （e。g。， Bob Seger）。 Overall， he demonstrates the quality to be able to step back and deliver a fair assessment with equanimity when it comes to evaluating the historical significance and influence of both overexposed and unheralded musicians。San Francisco 1967 and the Embryonic Journey from Los AngelesKaye also bestows his first-person accounts of directly encountering and experiencing 1967 San Francisco when it was attempting to translate its experimental and ornate international ethos to the national stage。 Again， don’t let the chapter tiles fool you because he explores several more connected scenes and cities within。 For instance， in San Francisco 1967 he also covers the gloriously sprawling Los Angeles/Sunset Strip scene 1965/66 of the Byrds， Love， Leaves， Bobby Fuller Four， Beach Boys， Buffalo Springfield， Doors， Turtles， etc。 who emerged （boss） radio ready from Southern California’s surf， folk and R&B scenes。 These leading Angeleno bands made each other better and even the average bands still had their moments in the sun because of the high standards set by the aforementioned world-turning groups。 Still， the limitations of these grand sweeping accounts is that you cannot include everyone and everything due to the requirements of being selective。 I wonder if there is an expanded bonus cuts version of the manuscript which might include Athens 1983， Manchester 1989 and/or Berkeley 1993？ Detroit 1969 It is well documented that Kaye has long been a dedicated and devoted enthusiast of vocal group harmony。 I’ve always enjoyed those his ‘n’ her （Patti Smith in Just Friends） accounts of Lenny working at Village Oldies record store on Saturday nights in the early ‘70s where he first met poet Patti who dug reading one of his pieces on the acapella revival for Jazz & Pop Magazine。 Elsewhere， Kaye twice mentions the seemingly illustrious Lafayette Coney Island in Detroit as it was the setting for the afterparty， courtesy of Clive Davis of Arista Records， for the Patti Smith Group and where Patti Smith first crossed paths with future husband Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5。Initially， I had a high interest in Detroit rock ‘n’ roll as mentions of the proto-punk of MC5， Stooges were prevalent in the late ‘80s， but the records of these Ann Arbor/Detroit groups were not readily available in the hinterlands。 I once met a guy along Grand River Blvd。 in East Lansing who recalled people jumping up and down and walls shaking at a MC5 concert held at Michigan State University’s Student Union ballroom。 I still felt the high energy emanating from this guy and his account still riveting even if it was 20 years after the fact （1990）。 Another person told me he saw the 5 live and declared it was not his scene with all the American flags （upside down or otherwise）。 That same guy later told me the Modern Lovers was pretty much the only record he listened to in 1976。 Mileage may greatly vary when it comes to the MC5。 My interest greatly waned with the ruse and fiasco of DKT/MC5。 I recently became appreciative again after reading Wayne Kramer’s The Hard Stuff and seeing how frequently they played in their heyday through concert listings on the internet。 These listings revealed these road warriors played almost every night and most everywhere in the upper Midwest （including three of the colleges and universities that I attended）。 Kaye’s writing and praise for the MC5 goes into overdrive。 The spark plug collector powerfully and aptly details their rama-lama sound by bringing fitting descriptors such as “assembly plant rhythms“ out of backstock。 He’s effusive with his praise when it comes to the Detroit sound and you can see his passion for that once incendiary scene poured out on the page。 Julian Cope might be the only contemporary who can match him in his enthusiasm for these motorvatin’ Detroit sounds。 New Orleans 1957-The Missing LinksThroughout his interviews and writings， Kaye has consistently acknowledged and championed the forgotten forebears who created the Urtext like Hank Ballard and the Midnighters （“The Twist”） and the Gladiolas （“Little Darlin’”）。 The rough edges of these ramshackle records were later rounded off and taken up the charts into glory by the acolytes who became the recipients of the recognition。 I’m still surprised at myself that I didn’t know “Land of 1000 Dances” was written and first recorded by New Orleans’ Chris Kenner。 I’ve long assumed that the song originated somewhere along Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles。 London 1977The Sex Pistols are given abundant space on the page to the point where these derelicts seem to overstay their welcome。 While it was a good refresher on the filth and the fury previously documented and unleashed in England’s Dreaming by Jon Savage， I veer towards the line of thought that the Sex Pistols were an off-the-rails rock and roll circus that quickly descended into orthodoxy in no small part to Malcolm McLaren’s Anarchy straightjacket and schtick。 When it comes to UK Punk， the Clash， Buzzcocks， the Jam and the Undertones should be commended for their balance of purpose， passion and pop-art。 These bands were said to be largely influenced by Kaye’s Nuggets。 In fact， the Undertones covered “Let’s Talk About Girls” by the Chocolate Watchband， which was originally recorded by Tucson’s Tongues of Truth （aka the Grodes）。 Shifting readers away the current vantage point， Kaye reminds us that punk as rendered by the Sex Pistols was truly up against the wall by the time ‘77 ended。 Steve Jones did go on to have a brilliant Los Angeles radio show， Jonesy's Jukebox， in the first decade of this century。 Los Angeles MCMLXXXIVIt scared me how much metal I knew simply by osmosis from growing in a place where this particular music reigned supreme over the flatlands-filling the buses， gyms and corridors。 I had to laugh when Kaye gets out his metal detector and describes Mötley Crüe’s drums recorded “As if in Carlsbad Caverns。” Seattle 1991The final chapter contains too much Nirvana and their grunge brethren for my taste， but we live in a pop culture age where the trio has been regulated to a logoed “lifestyle accouterment” t-shirt to be bought at Target （next to ones for NASA， Ghostbusters， Polaroid and Thrasher）。 Maybe the grunge overload is to reflect the excessive nature/orientation of the music？ However， I was happy to see my all-time Seattle favorites the Fastbacks along with the Young Fresh Fellows receiving honorable mentions along with acknowledgment of the Pacific Northwest region’s progenitors: the Ventures， the Wailers， the Kingsmen， Paul Revere and the Raiders and the Sonics。 “Do You Believe in Magic？”Ultimately， rock ‘n’ roll is about a feeling and sound that cannot be contained。 Kaye is able to present the sound and spirit with astonishing clarity as the cross-cultural-currents sweep over the sound。 In no small measure， Kaye also gently reminds readers not to neglect those equally important and mostly invisible influences of the underlying collective unconscious。 The musician’s calling of tapping in and articulating the intangible and expressing elusive feelings affixed to an uplifting or descending melody for the ages are arguably the ultimate artistic peaks to work towards。 Bubbling Under the Surge of CreativityKaye understands that records emanate from vibrant scenes and cultural capitals These scenes cannot be forced to happen as with MGM Records’ disastrous promotional/marketing campaign of the Bosstown/Boston sound in the late ‘60s being a perfect example。 On the other hand， Columbia Records greatly benefited from having a recording studio on the teeming 52nd Street jazz/bebop scene in Manhattan during the late ‘40s and early 50s。 Kaye reveals a common denominator beneath all these scenes is the elusive something （aka lightning striking） entering the mix along with musicians and an audience allowing things to unravel in order distinguish it from what has become before。 All share the collective desire to make something happen and in the process elevate art & life to a realm that is more inspiring， illuminating and more engaging than the necessary， but repetitive work-a-day version。 Factors stack upon factors， facet upon facet and events begin to take on a momentum of their own and add up to more than the constitutive parts to become a movement。 Things groundswell on the local and then the regional levels and in the charged air many remarkable events happen in a compressed amount of time。 The emerging scene ultimately defines a new sound or vice-versa and then achieves musical lift-off into unexpected realms and anything seems possible-even transcendence。Dissolution & DisintegrationConversely， there is the inevitable downward slide and eventual fallout of the scene into apathy， factionalism， or absorption into a larger subculture or the mainstream culture。 Internecine clashes， conflict and missed opportunities are also all part of the aggregate story。 I still have to accept the fact that Kim Fowley was indeed a prime mover and shaker in the Los Angeles scene of ‘63 to ‘70。 Would we have ever heard the wonders of “Popsicles and Icicles” by the Murmaids without Fowley？Sifting through for Gold Nuggets & Eureka Moments Many times， when I was much younger I subscribed to the face value notion that art just happened like a bolt of lightning without understanding all the work， commitment， and unseen efforts leading up to the gestalt moment。 Kay provides ample evidence of both the optimal conditions and sense of possibility （or in some social milieus， the sense of desperation） required to set things in motion on a collective level。 Kaye has certainly expanded and enriched the world as he has provided the monumental Nuggets， Waylon Jennings' autobiography， doo wop dissertations， documentary appearances on the glories of the Fort Worth ‘60s garage scene， and the foreword to the definitive book on Fortune Records。 He also sets an inspiring example to keep searching， exploring， listening and bringing things to fruition。 Like rock ‘n’ roll itself， one never knows the direction in which Kaye will go。 Charged particles of of creativity surge through Lightning Striking as it has throughout the work of Lenny Kaye。 There is a bit of whirlwind cyclone in Kaye as he seems centered and calm at the eye of the storm， but his artistic expressions can be as unpredictable， flashing and boundless as the remarkable music he collects， documents and plays。 。。。more