Star-making machinery: The odyssey of an album

The record business may have changed a bit since the 1970s when this book was written, but not so much that this book isn't still a must-read for anyone dreaming of or on their way to being involved in any aspect of the major label record business. And it's a great, fun and very informative read for anyone interested in how the major label record business really works. This book is fact filled, but wrapped in drama, humor and poignancy as we see how real, talented musicians deal with the ups and downs of the business side of rock stardom. It is also a good view of pop culture in the 1970s. The author takes us inside the music business, up close, giving us a blow-by-blow, true-life account of a year in the life of the band Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, a mid-tier rock band poised on the brink of greatness. It's a story of drama, comedy, pathos and heartbreak as we see the band members work their way through (and be worked by) the "star-making machinery" of the record business. We are taken into the recording studio numerous times and see what a major label recording session is like and how it feels to be a musician involved in it all. We go into meetings with record company executives. We see the jealousies, the in-fighting, the record executive double-dealing, the hopes and dreams and disappointments of the rock business. This book is a joy to read. It is entertaining, informative and real. Don't sign a record contract without reading it!