Making Tracks: Atlantic Records and the Growth of a Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry.

by Charlie Gillett

Book by Gillett, Charlie.

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction

305 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Charles Thomas Gillett was a British author and radio presenter. He wrote the first scholarly history of rock'n'roll, and later was one of the group who coined and popularised the term "world music". He hosted 'Charlie Gillett's World of Music' on the BBC World Service from 1999 until his death in 2010.

Reviews

[Stephen- Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a business full of books that don't really get under the surface and simply tell the story from a "fan's" point of view, Charlie got under the skin and told the story, about as well as an "outsider" could. One of the definitive books about the history of Atlantic Records, told by a youngster who was given nearly unfettered access.....but I said "nearly"....! Definitely a "Good Read" and worth every minute spent in the time machine to the beginnings of what has become one of the greatest record labels in the industries' history !

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthwhile piece of journalism, with contributions from musicians and executives who built the great indie label, written in the early 1970s when rock was the dominant genre and R&B had been around as a commercial entity for 25 years, with Atlantic among the leaders in promoting the style.

[Peter Ruark]

I first read this in junior high after buying for a dollar from a discount table, and read a chunk of it without finishing because I wasn't familiar with many of the artists it discussed and I wasn't really interested in record labels (as opposed to the music itself) anyway. Then, decades later I found it at my parents' house and read little parts of it again and found it fascinating. I'll write a review when I actually get to reading the entire book, and it is on my list.

[Harry Burnside · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book on how the Atlantic Records Co did business focusing mainly on Jerry Wexler.