Music Book Review: Whatever it Takes by Tom Morello

Whatever It Takes

by Tom Morello (Music 781.66 Morello)

 

Tom Morello is one of the most legendary rock guitarists of our time, having been a founding member of Rage Against the Machine, and then going on to play with Audioslave, Prophets of Rage, and his solo act, the Nightwatchman. Not only is he known for his inventive guitar playing, which includes very creative use of effects and extended techniques, but he’s among very few artists who carried the traditions of protest music forward into the 90s and beyond. In Whatever It Takes, Morello offers us a little bit of an autobiography, but done through the context of a photo book. There’s a section devoted to his childhood, then a string of early bands he played in before Rage Against the Machine, and then lots of cool ephemera related to the rise of Rage and his work in subsequent bands. There are fun anecdotes here that you’ll appreciate if you’re a guitar player, just a fan of any of the bands Morello has worked with, or if you’re a songwriter hoping to make a mark yourself.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Guitar Anthology by Rage Against the Machine, or Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock and Roll by Jason Kerr Dobney.]

[ publisher’s official Whatever it Takes web page ] | [ official Tom Morello web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott S.
Polley Music Library

 

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