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Turn It Up!

My Time Making Hit Records In The Glory Days Of Rock Music, Featuring Mötley Crüe, Poison, Twisted Sister, Cheap Trick, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, and more
By Tom Werman
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Turn It Up! recounts Tom Werman's journey from a music-loving youth in Boston to an influential A&R man and producer in the rock and metal scenes of the 1970s and 80s. Featuring key moments working with bands like REO Speedwagon, Boston, Ted Nugent, and more, Werman provides a candid insider’s perspective on the recording process and the music industry’s evolution, culminating in his retirement and unexpected return to storytelling through this engaging memoir.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$6100

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for fans of classic rock and metal, music historians, aspiring producers, and anyone intrigued by the behind-the-scenes creation of iconic albums from the golden era of rock music.

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An intimate, entertaining memoir of discovering, signing, and recording hit albums and singles with some of the biggest names of 1970s and 80s rock and metal.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Growing up in the Boston suburbs, Tom Werman was deeply affected by pop music from a young age. He long dreamed of a career in music—first as Elvis, then as the next George Harrison—but it almost didn't turn out that way. Dutifully following the path his parents had laid out for him, he obtained an MBA from an Ivy League university and took a plum job in an industry he came to despise. Then, in 1970, a chance letter sent to CBS Records boss Clive Davis led to a new opportunity... and a place in rock'n'roll history.

As an A&R man at Epic Records, Werman helped introduce the world to REO Speedwagon, Boston, Ted Nugent, and Cheap Trick; he also discovered KISS, Rush, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but his record label passed on all of them. Then, as an independent producer, he oversaw landmark albums by Mötley Crüe (Shout At The Devil), Twisted Sister (Stay Hungry), Lita Ford (Dangerous Curves), Jeff Beck (Live With Jan Hammer), Poison (Open Up And Say ... Ahh!), and many more. All in all, his record-making résumé includes twenty-three gold- or platinum-selling albums and cumulative sales of more than fifty-two million copies.

After bearing witness to several sea changes in the music industry, Werman retired from producing in 2001 and reinvented himself as an award-winning innkeeper in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. And that might have been that—until an off-the-cuff rebuttal to a disparaging critique of his role in making the Mötley Crüe album Girls, Girls, Girls on a music website led to a fortnightly column and now this book—an honest and engaging insider account on how some of the best-loved albums of the 1970s and 80s came to be. A must for anyone interested in the glory days of rock and metal, Turn It Up! offers valuable insights into the recording process, the recording studio, the role of the producer, and the production values that are essential to the creation of a hit record.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781911036340

Publisher: Outline Press Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 November 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Jawbone

Illustration: 30 black and white and colour

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 150.0mm

Height: 215.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction Tom Werman

About the Author

Tom Werman is a former record-industry executive and producer who worked with some of the biggest names in rock and metal during the 1970s and 80s. Shortly after joining Epic Records in 1970, he brought REO Speedwagon and Boston to the label, then discovered, signed, and produced Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, and Molly Hatchet, among others. In the 1980s and 90s, as an independent producer, he worked with acts including Blue Oyster Cult, Motley Crue, Poison, LA Guns, Twisted Sister, Stryper, and Lita Ford. Following his retirement from the music industry, he owned and operated Stonover Farm, a luxury bed-and-breakfast in Lenox, Massachusetts. His productions have sold more than fifty million albums.

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