The Bizarre Book News Archive
Through 1999

    Lunar Notes has now gone into a second pressing! Also a Japanese version of the book is imminent. Glass Onyon Mailorder Muck will have limited copies for sale for all you fanatics!

    Lunar Notes - Zoot Horn Rollo's Captain Beefheart Experience by Bill Harkleroad with Billy James is now available! The book is doing very well and is currently #6 on the Best Sellers list in Europe. Lunar Notes is available from Glass Onyon Distribution for $19.99 PPD USA and $22.00 PPD outside USA.

    Peter Banks and Billy James are currently working on a new book about the early years of Yes, tentatively entitled Astral Traveler. The Peter Banks/Yes book is in high gear, as its text is currently being finished. This book will be a must for YES fans and fans of prog-rock. Release is expected in early 2000.

    Billy James has also been working with legendary drummer Don Brewer on a book project called An American Band - The Story Of Grand Funk Railroad. (Previous Information) Brewer and James hooked up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (of all places) in June 1998 and worked on the book for over six hours! Also Grand Funk has approved the book's manuscript as the main source of information for the group's upcoming VH1 special. An American Band will be released on SAF Publishing UK - Summer '99.

Zoot Horn Rollo Book

    The new book written by Bill Harkleroad with Billy James, now called Lunar Notes - Zoot Horn Rollo's Capt. Beefheart Experience, has been released on SAF Publishing! It is an intriguing and sometimes "eye-opening" account of Bill's life working with Don Van Vliet. Along with some very rare photos donated to us from Art Tripp's mother, Bill discusses each Beefheart composition he performed on from a musical standpoint, enlightening the reader how these intricate Magic Band numbers were really written. Lunar Notes is available through Glass Onyon Distribution.

    The Grand Funk Railroad book An American Band, is nearing completion. It will be released also on SAF Publishing UK. hopefully early fall. Billy James recently met up with Grand Funk's Don Brewer and Mark Farner backstage at their concert in Charlotte NC. James briefly discussed the book with them, and as soon as the main manuscript is completed, he will submit copies to Mark, Don and Mel for corrections, opinions, approval etc. At this point, James is hoping Don Brewer will get more involved with the project. Another legendary artist that has helped with the book is guitarist/songwriter Dick Wagner. Dick as you know worked with the likes of Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Mark Farner and countless others, while also writing some very popular songs like "Only Woman Bleed" and "I'll Never Cry." Wagner has a website up with all the latest info on his projects (http://www.wagnermusic.com) A special thanks to all of you who have contributed to the Grand Funk book, THANK YOU, couldn't have done it without your help!!!

    Michael Bruce's book is still doing well and hopefully a US counterpart will be published soon, with different cover and photos as well as updates. Billy James is currently negotiating a book on that true wizard Todd Rundgren.

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     Lately, Billy James has been writing books with his teenage heroes and fellow musicians. The Michael Bruce/Billy James book, No More Mr. Nice Guy is still doing very well world-wide. Released in the UK by SAF Publishing, it has received rave reviews in magazines like Record Collector and Mojo. Also #4 on the best sellers list in the UK!!!

    Plans for a revised edition with different photographs and text is in the planning.

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    The book on Capt. Beefheart & the Magic Band is currently being completed by Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo) and Billy James. The current title for the book is Sun Zoom Spark and will feature rare photos, articles and told to you by Zoot Horn Rollo himself!!! Thanks to Jos Schoone and Home Page Replica for their help on the project. Also the legendary Mothers/Beefheart recording engineer extraordinare Richard Kunc has contributed material for both Beefheart and Grandmothers books. Sun Zoom Spark will be released on SAF Publishing UK early '98.

    SAF has now sorted out the legal problems with the Mothers of Invention book and is now being worked on with Bunk, Don and Jimmy. Both the Captain Beefheart and Mothers of Invention books should be released by late 1997. Also Billy James has been negotiating with the legendary Don Brewer of "gfrofficial" Grand Funk Railroad about working together on the GFR book. (Did you know Don Brewer plays bongos on Frank Zappa's song - "Let Me Take You To The Beach"?) Thanks to William Parrette's "gfrwp"GFR homage page and Wayne Langston for their help.

    Billy James' own Dictionary of Rhythm book is the most comprehensive textbook on rhythm ever written. The book has been endorsed by Frank Zappa, Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Pip Pyle, Don Preston, Peter Banks and Jan Akkerman . The Dictionary of Rhythm remains unpublished but a limited photo-copied and signed edition is available. See Mailorder Muck for details.

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This Page Last Updated: 2005-02-09 04:04 PM by: Gerry Noblot