Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed

By: Jim Berkenstadt

Narrated by: Matt Hurwitz

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed examines some of the secrets, myths, legends, hoaxes, conspiracies, and wildly inexplicable events that are such an intriguing part of rock and roll history.

Travel back to the 1950s to uncover "Who Really Discovered Elvis Presley?" Revisit the 1960s when a folk troubadour tried forming a supergroup with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Transport back to Jamaica 1976 to discover whether the CIA tried to assassinate reggae superstar Bob Marley. Discover whether The Beach Boys actually stole a song from cult leader Charles Manson. Uncover the secrets behind Nirvana's Nevermind album.

Award-winning, best seller Jim Berkenstadt, aka the Rock And Roll Detective®, has spent decades researching the players behind these famous mysteries hidden within the music itself. No one has ever asked eyewitnesses the tough questions or dug through the primary source materials and documentary evidence left behind...until now. Unsolved for decades, the stories of pop music lore have been unearthed—and the truth is finally revealed. Berkenstadt has served as an historical consultant to the late George Harrison, Martin Scorsese, The Beatles (Apple Corps Ltd), Traveling Wilburys, REELZ TV, and the estate of Roy Orbison.

Praise for Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed

"Jim Berkenstadt, the Rock And Roll Detective®, strikes again! Rock and Roll was built on its own crazy mythology, but Jim knows the true stories are likely to be even wilder than the myths. Mysteries surrounding Bob Marley, Elvis, The Beatles, the Stones, the Beach Boys, Nirvana, Traveling Wilburys, and even the FBI are finally revealed. I read this book with great pleasure and fascination and I have no doubt that you will too." (Chris Frantz, Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and author of Remain in Love)

©2022 Rock And Roll Detective, LLC. (P)2022 Rock And Roll Detective, LLC.

A Deep Dig Into The Truth

Our writer, a student of the history of Rock and Roll, shares his work uncovering conspiracies, myths, and fantasies we all have conjured in our minds. I have spent hours listening to and music reading liner notes, knitting a bond with the players on each recording. Sometimes this led to wild beliefs fueled by the media and the nature of fame and idolatry. This wonderful book sets the record straight in a few cases.
Can't wait for the next volume.

No mysteries here

mys·ter·y
1.
something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.
"the mysteries of outer space"

2.
a novel, play, or movie dealing with a puzzling crime, especially a murder.

Don't let the title confuse you; there are no mysteries here. Nothing impossible to understand or puzzling; only answers to questions you probably have never asked. It really is just a collection of behind the scenes music industry stories, and answers to some music trivia questions for those who like that sort of thing. If you look at it in that light, it's an average book where the author annoying and persistently refers to himself in the 3rd person, as in "the Rock and Roll Detective did this" or "the Rock and Roll detective did that." It gives the impression that the author is much more important than someone who simply knows a great deal of music trivia would normally be. That's the book - now for the performance.

Matt Hurwitz is a terrific journalist; I've read many of his articles over the years in various music related magazines. However, an impressionist he is not. His voice characterizations are amateurish. He makes anyone with a southern US accent sound like an idiot, and in some cases you would think he'd never heard the person speak (Klaus Voormann and Sam Phillips jump to mind immediately, but there are many others). Someone who is more adept at this should really be engaged to perform a book with vocalizations by so many well known figures.

I would not recommend the book unless you're really interested in music trivia, and then I would recommend the print edition so that you can hear the characters speak in your own head, as they really sound.