The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy: His Fascinating Musical Career and Discography Book Review
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The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy: His Fascinating Musical Career and Discography
by Darlene and Joe Lacey
Book Description:
“He’s groovy! He’s sexy! He’s a hit with all the kids! Who’s that? Paul McCartney? Davy Jones? NO! It’s Mr. Spock – WAIT! It’s Leonard Nimoy! The two are inseparable and both are cultural icons. This book captures the moment in time in the far out ’60s when Leonard Nimoy was signed to a five album record deal for Dot Records, signed a universe of autographs, and toured the country to promote his singing career to throngs of adoring fans. Highly illogical? You be the judge. Find out the story behind the viral Malibu U video The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins and how Leonard Nimoy in his inimitable fashion survived the bumps and bruises from his infamous Golden Throats recordings to live long and prosper as a man of many talents.
“The story of Nimoy’s music is showcase with full color photos, press clippings, historical essay, and discography.”
Book Set-up:
- Preface
- From Earth to the Stars
- The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins
- Funny Buttons
Discography
- The Original Five Albums
- 45-RPM Records
- Cassette, Reel-to-Reel, and 8-Track Tapes
- Test Pressings and Promotional Records
- Foreign Releases
- Reissues
- Compilations
- Digital Format
Film Television and Stage Appearances
- Television
- Star Trek
- Live Performances
- Musical Theater
- Musical Scrapbook
- About the Authors
- References
The Review/Verdict:
This is an interesting book for those who enjoyed Leonard Nimoy’s music, especially for those who were old enough to enjoy it when his albums first came out.
My only experience (and it was in the early 1970s) was with arguably the worst of his songs (The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins, which still makes me cringe), and Once I Smiled (based on Spock’s time with Leila Kalomi in This Side of Paradise). So I must confess to a little negative bias on my part.
The book describes Nimoy’s musical career, including Nimoy’s activities during the time. It then describes all of the various releases. It was interesting to find out how each album was received, by the public and the critics, as well as what kind of songs he sang. Nimoy moved from the goofy songs in the earlier albums to more serious ones in the last two.
Overall, if you’re interested in Nimoy’s music career, or even if you’re not but are just a fan of the actor, this book will be of interest. In addition to all of the information about the book, you’ll learn about a Sixties fad (of which I was unaware, even though I saw them all the time and had a few myself), and a TV show which was the reason for THAT video – the one of Nimoy performing Bilbo Baggins! Unsurprisingly, the show…well, read the book to find out all the details.
At any rate, it’s an enjoyable book with plenty of illustrations and it’s perfect for gift-giving this season to that Trek fan in your family. I will confess that the book has made me take another look at Nimoy’s albums in a more positive way and I want to hear more.
Well except for that Bilbo Baggins song!
Book Information:
Author: Darlene Lacey and Joe Lacey
Publisher: Diner Mighty Graphics
Publication Date: April 25, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1733984201
ISBN-10: 1733984208
Pages: 108
The Musical Touch of Leonard Nimoy is available as a trade paperback for $22.50 or as an eBook for $7.99. To order the book, head to the link located here.
About The Author
