Newly-released book The Borth of Loud maps out one of Rock’s greatest rivalries.
What do Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini, plus your wife and your mother have in common? All are bound by hugely intense rivalries that seem to have spanned since time immemorial.
The same goes for Leo Fender, founder of the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, and Les Paul, the star guitarist whose name adorns the Gibson six-string he pioneered. We’re sure that anyone who’s ever picked up a guitar and learnt the basics of Wonderwall in order to get laid has at least an inkling of the ferocious conflict between these two giants of the industry. But just in case you live under a rock, a new book, The Birth of Loud, explores this riveting saga of Rock and Roll in depth.
Spanning from each company’s successes during the roaring 50s, through the drug-fueled haze of the 60s and ending with Woodstock 1969 – which was for all intents and purposes the defining point of rock history – this is a tale of competition and innovation, deception, cunning and a boatload of contempt.
You’ll learn how each man meticulously tinkered with his designs, working towards producing the louder, more distorted ear candy that has become a staple of the industry ever since.
Drawing from anecdotes from the likes of Dylan, Hendrix and the Beatles – who all picked sides in the heated instrumental debate – this narrative is so compelling that you’ll feel as though you’re living vicariously through these musical icons.
All that’s missing is a big doobie in your mouth and a whole lot of tie-dye.
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