“Peter Ames Carlin's rollicking SONIC BOOM is an endlessly juicy and entertaining account of a time when excess and indulgence (chimps on tricycles!) went hand in hand with artistic freedom and hands-off corporate support. It will make you mourn a Wild West industry that no longer exists -- but inspire you to reach for classic Warner Bros. albums by Randy Newman, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young to celebrate that extraordinary time and company.”

— DAVID BROWNE, author of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: The Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock's Greatest Supergroup

“(SONIC BOOM is)...essential reading on the business and history of popular music.”

— PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY

“Breezy and irreverent...an entertainingly informative read”

— BOOKLIST (Starred Review)

“A sweeping and vital music history that stretches from Hendrix and the Kinks to Prince, Madonna, and R.E.M., written by a rock geek with an eye for storytelling...Carlin writes with authority, joy, and detail. SONIC BOOM will make you pine for a time when true artists were supported, whether they sold 50 albums or 5 million”

— GEOFF EDGERS, The Washington Post

“"Having already penned definitive biographies of America's musical titans, from Springsteen to Simon, Peter Ames Carlin turns his keen eye to the history of the country's preeminent record executive and label in SONIC BOOM, the story of Mo Ostin and warner Bros Records. With this compellingly shaped, finely etched portrait of a company and a culture that would produce some of the most crucial music of our times, Carlin again shows why he's the absolute master of his craft."”

— BOB MEHR, author of the New York Times bestseller
Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements.