Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar
Kindle
$13.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$32.82
Paperback
$16.18
Audible Logo Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
$0.00
  • Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
  • One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
  • You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
  • $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Learn more about membership
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: $20.25
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Brad Tolinski (Author), Alan di Perna (Author), Carlos Santana - foreword (Author),
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 455 ratings
See all formats and editions

The inspiration for the Play It Loud exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

"Every guitar player will want to read this book twice. And even the casual music fan will find a thrilling narrative that weaves together cultural history, musical history, race, politics, business case studies, advertising, and technological discovery." (Daniel Levitin, Wall Street Journal)

For generations the electric guitar has been an international symbol of freedom, danger, rebellion, and hedonism. In Play It Loud, Brad Tolinski and Alan di Perna bring the history of this iconic instrument to roaring life. It's a story of inventors and iconoclasts, of scam artists, prodigies, and mythologizers as varied and original as the instruments they spawned.

Play It Loud uses 12 landmark guitars - each of them artistic milestones in their own right - to illustrate the conflict and passion the instruments have inspired. It introduces Leo Fender, a man who couldn't play a note but whose innovations helped transform the guitar into the explosive sound machine it is today. Some of the most significant social movements of the 20th century are indebted to the guitar: It was an essential element in the fight for racial equality in the entertainment industry; a mirror to the rise of the teenager as social force; a linchpin of punk's sound and ethos. And today the guitar has come full circle, with contemporary titans such as Jack White of The White Stripes, Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent), and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys bringing some of the earliest electric guitar forms back to the limelight.

Featuring interviews with Les Paul, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, and dozens more players and creators, Play It Loud is the story of how a band of innovators transformed an idea into a revolution.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 51 minutes
  2. Author
    Brad Tolinski, see all
  3. Narrator
    Rob Shapiro
  4. Audible release date
    October 25, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B01LYNWT7D
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
Next page

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $9.49 after you buy the Kindle book.

Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 51 minutes
Author Brad Tolinski, Alan di Perna, Carlos Santana - foreword
Narrator Rob Shapiro
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date October 25, 2016
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01LYNWT7D
Best Sellers Rank #55,872 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#45 in Music History & Criticism (Audible Books & Originals)
#267 in Music History & Criticism (Books)
#327 in Guitars (Books)

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
455 global ratings
Compelling
5 Stars
Compelling
Play it Loud, is a popular history of a uniquely American invention, which impacted society on a global scale. A detailed work of non-fiction that reads as smooth as fiction.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

milwaukeeobserver
5.0 out of 5 stars No ax to grind with "Play It Loud"
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
"Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, & Revolution of the Electric Guitar" is one of the best – and best-written – books on music’s evolution over the last eighty years. Whether or not you play a guitar or even like guitars, all you have to do is like music or good writing to appreciate this book.

It traces music’s growth – particularly blues, jazz, country western, and, of course, rock – through the development of the electric guitar and some of its accessories like amps, pickups, etc.

Guitar innovators Leo Fender, Adolph Rickenbacker, Ted McCarty (Gibson), Fred Gretsch, Paul Reed Smith and others are brought to life, becoming more than just names affixed to a guitar’s head. And the place in music history of Kay, Harmony, Valco, and Teisco, makers of often overlooked and underappreciated less expensive instruments (so-called ‘catalog’ or ‘junk’ guitars), is solidly…and finally…made.

Perhaps most important, the personalities who made the electric guitar indispensable to music...why they played the ‘ax’ they did, their styles, what type of music they played, how long they stuck with a particular brand, whom they played with, when and where they debuted their guitars…unfold in interesting vignettes and anecdotes.

All of this is put in perspective by providing the cultural milieu during which these musicians and developments took place.

"Play It Loud" also dispels some of the myths swirling about the electric guitar; for instance, that Les Paul was its inventor. Actually, had it not been for George Beauchamp in the 1920s and 30s, the electric guitar might never have made it to music’s mainstream.

According to authors Brad Tolinski and Alan Di Perna: “He (Beauchamp) not only invented the first fully functional guitar pickup, he also put it to work in his pioneering design for the world’s first successful, commercially produced electric guitar.” Development of the solid-body electric guitar was Les Paul’s forte and claim to fame.

Tolinski and Di Perna, know their stuff. They did their research and then with their writing skill and talent turned that work into what is generally reserved for the mystery/adventure/spy genres…a page-turner.

Included in the book is a chronology of the electric guitar, its makers and musicians. Plus, there’s a foreword by guitar virtuoso, Carlos Santana.

"Play It Loud" is a great pickup you won’t fret about…or regret.
16 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
cosmocat
5.0 out of 5 stars Arrived in timely manner
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
Nice product, arrived quickly. Awesome
Helpful
 Report
Chazzo
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent resource it is well-written and held my attention through even parts of the history I did not know about. This would be an excellent choice for new guitar enthusiasts , but even those well_versed in guitar history could use the compendium of reference material. I am somewhere in between the beginner and the well_versed. I enjoyed the book immensely. It left me wanting though in regard to contributions from Afri can American guitarists beyond the obvious blues roots.

I am not taking anything away from the book. It would be interesting to address r and b plAyers and genre bending acts.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Joe Meakin
5.0 out of 5 stars As Usual, History is Anything but Boring
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Even if one closed themself from enjoying history in high school, this work will prove to them how fascinating history can be: the personalities, coincidences, inventiveness, timing, skill, and just plain luck all combine to comprise our past. These facets as applied to the history of electric guitar make its part of overall history even more fascinating than most.

While moments such as the founders of Fender & Bigsby hanging out together in Les Paul's garage in the '40s and Hendrix's rendition of 'The Star Spangled Banner' are included, so too are their context and effects of such moments. The evolution of the instrument goes hand in hand with the evolution of music, and this book lays that out in a manner that's anything but dry.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Layton P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read For Guitar Heads
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2018
Verified Purchase
If you grew up in the '50's and 60's, this volume will be like mother's milk to you. The history of the electric guitar is, in fact, the history of rock and roll and R&B, they are so closely intertwined. If you have the slightest knowledge of types and prices of guitars, you'll appreciate what it took Leo Fender, Gibson, Rickenbacker, Beauchamp to take that creative step that has changed the world.
Discover the world of amps, tubes, distortion, cannibalizing one guitar, or several to get just what is desired.
If you're the least bit wonky about collecting and playing, I urge you to get this book.
I got it on Kindle, but wanted that hardcopy to savor the pictures with likeminded friends, so I got it also.
Reads easy with a nice, informative talky style that won't go over anyone's head, and the author obviously knows his stuff.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Nag.Jon.in.Chi
5.0 out of 5 stars Very fun read
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book. As a guitar builder I have so much love and respect for all that made everything what it is. And like any industry it is user input and innovation that drove the electric guitar industry. I know and love so many of the artists in this book and reading this book is not just a rock history account but an account of the birth and development of the electric guitar with as many links between the luthiers and artists as possible. The time line jumps around a bit but this was super pleasurable to read none the less. I recommend this read to any music or guitar lovers
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Terence Gardiner
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read for Guitar Types - or Anybody Who Loves Music.
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening journey through the history of the electric guitar. It's not just about the rise and fall of the famous - and not so famous - brands, but also about the great players, from the early bluesmen to the Beatles and recent guitar heroes such as Steve Vai. I loved the stories, such as Jimi Hendrix's performance of the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock being completely unrehearsed, Eddie Van Halen building his own guitars, and Paul Reed Smith's determination to break into the big time with quality. I was disappointed when I came to the end and am now looking out for similar books.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Leo M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Um grande trabalho de pesquisa
Reviewed in Brazil on November 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
Um dos melhores livros sobre a história da guitarra! A pesquisa foi intensa e completa aqui. Todos os grandes fatos foram lembrados e analisados por quem realmente entende do assunto.
Um viagem musical e "guitarrística" maravilhosa!
Report
Anthony Karydis
5.0 out of 5 stars don't we all love the electric guitar?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
A celebration of the electric guitar. If you love it. you will like this book. But I guess that if you are reading this, you do love the electric guitar. So go ahead and get this book.
Report
Raul Arreola
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente Libro!!
Reviewed in Mexico on March 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
Muy recomendable para todos aquellos que verdaderamente están interesados en conocer a profusión la historia de la guitarra eléctrica, sus principales exponentes y su influencia en la cultura popular y en el mundo de la música.
Report
Stephan Brilmayer
5.0 out of 5 stars Hervorragend
Reviewed in Germany on August 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
Dieses englische Buch erzählt die unglaublich interessante und spannende Geschichte vom Blues zum Rock mit allen wichtigen Größen und der E-Gitarre als Mittelpunkt. Leider kann man sich die ganzen Informationen nicht alle merken, aber es lohnt sich sowieso dieses Buch 2mal zu lesen.
6 Sterne!
Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy interesante
Reviewed in Spain on March 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
Un paseo por la historia de la guitarra eléctrica, sus creadores, sus usuarios, sus hitos. No solo es la guitarra, es un paseo por la cultura musical del siglo XX. Riguroso, con mucha información. Muy recomendable.
Report