From The Joshua Tree to Blood Sugar Sex Magik, from Automatic for the People to OK Computer, they produced some of the most memorable rock albums of the post-punk era. Beyond the music, though, the members of U2, R.E.M., Radiohead and the Red Hot Chili Peppers share several common bonds. Having emerged from punk’s do-it-yourself ethos, they embody collective creativity over individual artistry. With the exception of the Chili Peppers’ revolving-door guitarists, each band’s lineup has remained stable while the groups outlasted most of their contemporaries. The twin factors of group-inspired music and long-term collaboration make these four bands important case studies in modern rock and roll.

With a focus on creative dynamics, author Mirit Eliraz studies four of the most popular, critically acclaimed, and prolific rock bands of the last quarter century. Introductory chapters offer band bios; reasons for formation; and each group’s friends, collaborators and business partners. Middle chapters discuss the governing structures and general relations within the bands; obstacles to unity and survival; how diverse elements are merged into a productive whole; role divisions; the collaborative process; and life on the road. Concluding chapters cover external influences on band dynamics; the evolution of each band’s communal life; and challenges to the band paradigm.

Writer Mirit Eliraz lives in Ontario, Canada.

Mirit Eliraz

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 272
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2620-1
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Introduction: On Bands      7

1. “How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us”: Band Bios      13
2. “Begin the Begin”: Reasons for Forming the Band      43
3. “Pyramid Song”: Friends, Collaborators, Business Partners      50
4. “Trip Thru Your Wires”: Governing Structure and General Relations Within the Bands      73
5. “Feeling Gravity’s Pull”: Obstacles to Band Unity and Survival      92
6. “One”: Merging Diverse Elements into a Productive Whole      114
7. “Where I End and You Begin”: Role Divisions      126
8. “2+2=5”: The Collaborative Process      139
9. “Road Trippin’”: Onstage and on the Road Together      168
10. “Otherside”: External Influences on Band Dynamics      181
11. “Another Time, Another Place”: Evolution of the Unit’s Communal Life      202
12. “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”: Challenges to the Band Paradigm      216

Notes      233
Bibliography      243
Index      259

“fascinating”—Interference.com