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Gillian G. Gaar

Gillian G. Gaar

Gillian G. Gaar is the author of She's A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll (Seal Press 1992; Seal Press/Avalon 2002); Green Day: Rebels With A Cause (Omnibus, 2006); In Utero (Continuum, 2006); and The Rough Guide To Nirvana (Rough Guide, 2009); Return Of The King: Elvis Presley’s Great Comeback (Jawbone Press, 2011), Treasures of Nirvana (Carlton Books, 2011). Entertain Us: The Rise of Nirvana (Jawbone Press, 2012). Green Day Treasures (Carlton Books, 2012). Elvis Remembered (Carlton Books, 2012). 100 Things Beatles Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die (Triumph, 2013).

Some of the anthologies she has contributed to include Trouble Girls: The Rolling Stone Book Of Women In Rock; The Nirvana Companion: Two Decades of Commentary; Goldmine: The Beatles Digest (1st and 2nd editions); The Best of the Beatles Book; and Music: The Little Black Book.

Gillian has written liner notes for releases by Nirvana, Laurie Anderson, Judy Collins, and Heart, among others. She has also written for Mojo, Rolling Stone, Record Collector, Goldmine, and the Experience Music Project museum, among others. She was project consultant for Nirvana’s 2004 box set, With The Lights Out.

18 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

Michelle Shocked: Short Sharp Shocked (Mercury Records)

Review by Gillian G. Gaar, The Rocket, October 1988

MICHELLE SHOCKED is the latest example of this year's primary trend (three or more of anything in the music business constitutes a trend): the female ...

Laurie Anderson: The Nerve Of Her

Interview by Gillian G. Gaar, Rolling Stone, 16 June 1994

THE GENERAL PUBLIC MAY HAVE heard little from performance artist Laurie Anderson in recent years. But that's certain to change in 1994, a hectic year ...

Paul McCartney: Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest and Come Together: Motown Sings The Beatles

Review by Gillian G. Gaar, Rolling Stone, 30 June 1994

THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER, Paul McCartney has occasionally ventured into atypical musical genres anonymously or under an assumed name. In 1974, under the guise of the ...

The Beatles in Hamburg

Retrospective and Interview by Gillian G. Gaar, Goldmine, 25 November 1994

ON DECEMBER 27, 1960, the Beatles appeared at the Litherland Town Hall Ballroom in Liverpool in a performance widely regarded as being a turning point ...

Pearl Jam: Radio Free Vedder

Report by Gillian G. Gaar, Rolling Stone, 23 February 1995

"HEY... AM I on?" were the uncertain first words delivered by Pearl Jam singer-cum-DJ Eddie Vedder at the start of the band's latest frolic on ...

Simple Minds: Moore Theater, Seattle

Live Review by Gillian G. Gaar, Rolling Stone, 23 March 1995

IT COULD be coincidence that Simple Minds kicked off their first tour in three years in Seattle. Given the band's unveiling of a rougher-edged, guitar-based ...

The Prodigy: Prodigy: End Fest, Bremberton, Washington

Live Review by Gillian G. Gaar, Rolling Stone, 19 September 1996

ON THE one hand, it was hard to see why Prodigy were chosen to close End Fest; the annual daylong outdoor music festival is usually ...

Foo Fighters, Nirvana: Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana

Special Feature by Gillian G. Gaar, Goldmine, 14 February 1997

NEARLY THREE years after Kurt Cobain's death in April 1994, interest in his group, Nirvana, remains strong. ...

Fanny: First Time In A Long Time – The Reprise Records

Review by Gillian G. Gaar, MOJO, January 2003

First time on CD for all four studio albums in a set that finally heeds David Bowie's cry: "Revivify Fanny! And I will feel that ...

Elvis Presley: 2nd To None

Review by Gillian G. Gaar, Goldmine, 9 January 2004

THE UNDERLYING theme of 2nd To None, the 'sequel' to 2002's wildly successful 30 #1 Hits, is a bit hard to pin down. #1 Hits ...

Elvis Presley: How 1968 Bought Elvis a King Sized Comeback

Retrospective and Interview by Gillian G. Gaar, Goldmine, 9 January 2004

AS 1968 BEGAN, Elvis Presley's career was in trouble, the result of too many formulaic films and equally uninspired soundtracks. But by the year's end, ...

Nirvana's 'You Know You're Right'

Retrospective by Gillian G. Gaar, MOJO, May 2004

ON SATURDAY, September 21, 2002, Nirvana's 'You Know You're Right' was leaked on the internet. ...

Nirvana: Good Riffs, Good Drumming, Great Screaming!

Retrospective and Interview by Gillian G. Gaar, MOJO, January 2005

Good Riffs, Good Drumming, Great Screaming!... that's how producer Jack Endino recalls Nirvana's first proper studio stint. Three hours and 10 songs later, Kurt Cobain ...

Tommy James & the Shondells: Tommy James

Interview by Gillian G. Gaar, Goldmine, 16 March 2007

TOMMY JAMES' first job in show business was as child model, when he appeared in an ad in Life magazine in 1951, dressed as a ...

Blue Oyster Cult: Don't Fear the Blue Oyster Cult

Retrospective and Interview by Gillian G. Gaar, Goldmine, 14 September 2007

IN THE SUMMER of 1977, Blue Oyster Cult found themselves in one of the trickiest situations for a rock band: recording the follow-up to a ...

The Doors, Ray Manzarek: Ray Manzarek on the Doors' 1970 Boston concerts

Report and Interview by Gillian G. Gaar, Goldmine, 21 December 2007

ON FRIDAY, April 10, 1970, The Doors were scheduled for two shows at the Boston Arena. The 7 p.m. show was respectable enough, beginning with ...

Pink: Key Arena, Seattle

Live Review by Gillian G. Gaar, Rolling Stone, 16 September 2009

Pink's High-Flying Funhouse Spectacle Debuts in Seattle ...

Kate Bush: The Continuing Allure of Kate Bush

Comment by Gillian G. Gaar, Wondering Sound, 26 September 2014

IMMIGRATION AGENTS aren't known for their friendliness. But when my plane touched down at Heathrow Airport in early September, I felt I had a pretty ...

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