The Hammond Organ: Beauty in the B

Rating:
Summary: Thorough and real, Vail's book is a good read
Review: As a Hammond B3 player for more years than I'd like to admit, I WILL admit I enjoyed this book tremendously. Now, it's not a tech manual, but I thought the book was laid out very well. It gave a good description of who Laurens Hammond was, such as being inventor of the electric clock. When doing research there's always gonna be some folks out there who may disagree with some statement, but that's just natural. I think that Mark Vail did an incredibly thorough job of researching this instrument and its history. He showed that he has a personal interest in it as well. A lot of people can just write a book 'cause they're paid to, but Mark has passion for the B. He showed it all the way through. I liked the reproductions of some of the original brochures, with the pictures of the different models. I remember those from when I was a kid -- my mother went to buy a Hammond and brought those brochures home. Quite often when I'm talking with someone about a particular model, I'll take out Mark's book and show them the photos and descriptions. He gives the year the models were built, what their price was -- that sort of stuff is very helpful and just plain fun to know.

Rating:
Summary: A Lot of Great Stuff Here!
Review: As a jazz organist and endorser of the New Hammond B3, I found Mark's second addition to be a great book. Not only does he cover the history of the Hammond organ well, he also ties in the players and their discographies as well. I don't think he meant this book to be a technical guide on how to repair organs or further more get into every detail and story possible! It is an informative book with great information about the Hammond organ, the leslie speaker and the many different organ players out there. This book is a great way to get acquanted with the wonderful world of Hammond organ!!! Tony Monaco www.B3MONACO.COM

Rating:
Summary: Great coffee table or restroom book
Review: Beauty in the B is a nice overview of the most popular Hammond and Leslie instruments. It is not technical (although it tries to be at parts) and not comprehensive, but does cover the most popular models and applications. Some nice pictures, but many are black and white with little detail. Would be nice to have more color.

BITB is full of spelling, grammatical, technical and historical errors. Any info implied as technical should be taken with a grain of salt. Don't repeat to anyone who knows something about Hammonds/Leslies unless you want to embarrass yourself.

Overall, it's a fun book to read, really the only one in its class as of now. If you can get past the various errors, its almost campy/corny quality imitating a serious reference book becomes endearing.

In summary, if you know a great deal about Hammonds/Leslies, it's mostly scorn fodder, with maybe some useful nuggets in it. For the beginner, it is to be taken purely as entertainment and opinion, with no technical information worthy of being taken seriously.

Rating:
Summary: Great coffee table or restroom book
Review: Beauty in the B is a nice overview of the most popular Hammond and Leslie instruments. It is not technical (although it tries to be at parts) and not comprehensive, but does cover the most popular models and applications. Some nice pictures, but many are black and white with little detail. Would be nice to have more color.

BITB is full of spelling, grammatical, technical and historical errors. Any info implied as technical should be taken with a grain of salt. Don't repeat to anyone who knows something about Hammonds/Leslies unless you want to embarrass yourself.

Overall, it's a fun book to read, really the only one in its class as of now. If you can get past the various errors, its almost campy/corny quality imitating a serious reference book becomes endearing.

In summary, if you know a great deal about Hammonds/Leslies, it's mostly scorn fodder, with maybe some useful nuggets in it. For the beginner, it is to be taken purely as entertainment and opinion, with no technical information worthy of being taken seriously.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this book
Review: I had borrowed a copy of this book from a friend, and after skimming it, decided then and there I had to have my own copy; so I bought one.

It's great to see that someone took the time to research and write such an informative and interesting book on a very "niche" piece of the music industry.

It should be required reading for anyone interested in the Hammond organ, and it's history. Because of the amount of pictures and quotes, it makes for very "easy" reading. I finished it in about one day, and still refer to it!

I recommend it, highly!

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive Hammond and Leslie Info Under One Roof
Review: Previous to the publcation of Vail's book, newcomers seeking to penetrate the mystique surrounding the Hammond organ had to rely on a diffuse smattering of sources for information. Most such sources are commercial: technicians, restorers, shops dealing in vintage musical gear, etc. Though many of these specialists are deeply knoweldgable and provide great products and services, it's a small and competitive community, which can make it difficult for the curious novice to get objective information. As a younger keyboard nut, I personally bugged enough of those people to learn that most do not have the time or energy to play the role of educator, especially if a sale is not imminent.

Playing this role is exactly the point, though, when you have a book to sell, and Vail approaches this task with a thoroughness, integrity, and love of the subject that make this one of the best books of its kind. No. it's not an exhaustive technical reference, nor the end-all of any debate about the Hammond. It's not meant as such, any more than a docent-guided tour of a famous museum is meant to replace a PhD in art history. Rather, it's the beginning of a journey, and for this subject, a better beginning than we've ever had.

Among Vail's many sources are longtime Hammond exec Alan Young, who also shed light on the legacy of John Hanert, the engineer who made many of Laurens Hammond's ideas work, rotary speaker inventor Don Leslie, and a who's who of the jazz, rock, and gospel players that imprinted the Hammond-Leslie sound on our consciousness to the degree that even people who've never heard the name of the instrument recognize "that sound." While I haven't fact-checked every page, it is simply absurd to suggest any generalization that the sources are suspect or the information inaccurate.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and informative read that can save you a ton of legwork in approaching the realm of the mighty Hammond. The better part of a century lies between us and its conception, and some current repairers and restorers scrape part numbers off components so their work can't be duplicated. In such a world, Vail's book is as objective as it gets.

Rating:
Summary: Spinning wheels to moving Air
Review: The "beauty in the B" first edition was hard to put down,I have read it from cover to cover several times. The Second edition is equally compelling and filled with a wealth of additional information on how to approach "the sound" with todays instruments. Mr Vail also presents "how to play" information and performance tips from several B3 masters, a must for anyone seeking to master the incredible B3's range of sound. A detailed history of Laurens Hammond and his Organ Company is also wonderfully covered with many quotes from company insiders. Of course the other mandantory half of the B3 equation, the Leslie speaker and it's creator Don Leslie, are also detailed in photo and text. Especially intriguing to me was the war between Laurens Hammond and Don Leslie. Mr Vail presents insight from insiders of both camps as the battle waged on, great reading.If you have not read the first edition, the second edition is an incredible buy. If you have an insatiable appetite for all things Hammond and Leslie, own both books!.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed in the Second Edition
Review: The first edition of this book had many inaccuracies which are too numerous to mention here. I was greatly looking forward to the second edition, and the correction of the many discrepancies that were written in the first edition of Beauty in the B. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The book continues to be innacurate in many ways. For example, there is a picture of Rhoda Scott playing a Hammond B-3000, with a caption saying that it was manufactured by Hammond Suzuki. This organ was never manufactured by Hammond Suzuki. It was made by the old Hammond Organ Company. This inaccurate information was also in the first edition of the book. This is but one of the examples. Mr.Vail would have been well-served to have Alan Young review the entire book before publishing it. The effort of compiling the information for the book is to be commended, but the inaccuracies are too many to overlook.

Rating:
Summary: Not a thorough research project
Review: This book is better than nothing, it alerts potentially otherwise ignorant readers that Hammond organs have a distinct following, market value, and sources for parts and service. However, it is not thorough historically, technically, or musically.

There are other organs besides Hammonds, there are other Hammonds besides B-3s hooked to Leslies, and other kinds of professsionally recorded music besides jazz and Chicago blues that people still enjoy-even Ken Griffin (although personally I can't stand him). It's a pretty lopsided look at an instrument with a lot of history, only a small slice of which is considered "hip" by the Jann Wenner-thinking people who control today's popular magazines. (I write this on June 1 of the year 78 MM-which brings to mind "Specialization", a bouncy 1960 tune riffing on this very subject...)

If you want a thorough Hammond education, I'd start with the original Hammond service manuals and brochures followed by some of the period literature for organ hobbyists, as well as print and web sites devoted to the sacred cows of Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and the DeFrancescos and their little branch of the big organ tree. Soap operas, Black churches, skating rinks and even the notorious Anton LaVey all have a place in Hammond history which the jazz organists are not overridingly more important than.

Rating:
Summary: Who knows the truth about Hammond?
Review: Wow, I was looking forward to this new 2nd edition, however, I was very disappointed to see that it still has many items wrong, as was the case in the 1st release.

Mr. Vail seems to rely on the information from people who have never worked for the Hammond Organ Company, and not the present Hammond Suzuki Company... the original Hammond Company. Plus he seems to lean towards personal judgements and opinions that seems to show a great amount of disdain towards the present products from Hammond Suzuki. I didn't think that a book such as this was about product reviews. I thought this book was about Hammond Organs and Leslie Speakers and giving TRUE accounts and information.

If you want product reviews, then save yourself the purchase price of this book and purchase back issues Keyboard Magazine.

Hal Leonard Publishing should be ashamed selling a product like this. Hal Leonard Publishing has, in the music industry, been noted for their accuracy and fantastic editing. This one slipped through the cracks.

Buy something else and don't waste your MONEY!