These Albums Merit An Entire Book Written About Them! Name Your Picks.

I would like to read about the making of Parallel Lines (Blondie), Dreamboat Annie (Heart) and Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Eurythmics).

 

I was disappointed to hear so many bad things about that 33 and a third Smile deal. There's definitely a great book waiting to be written about that albums unusual arc--not just the original sessions but it's protracted emergence over the years, the way the band revisited tracks like "Cool, Cool Water" and "Surf's Up" later on and then finally Brian returned to it in 2003. A one of a kind story.

 

If a book showed up with all details about each and every act issued on the UK Decca/Deram Nova label that would be an instant buy for me. There's so much more I wanna know about those - for exemple Ashkan...

 

Yes "Death Of A Ladies Man"....wanna know more. (You do mean the Cohen album?)

 

I would tend to agree but then I wonder if most people would want to geek out on the technical details of recording as much as I do. I always get disappointed though when the focus is more on who got f'd up and threw up all over the mixing console than how they got a particular drum sound. Except of course for the Al Jourgensen book, where I expected it to be about throwing up on people, things, etc.

I think my favorites of the genre so far are the new Beefheart book by John French, which manages to be both unbelievably dense and thoroughly entertaining (and strains my old eyes) and the 'Wreckers of Civilization' book, which is more of a bio of Throbbing Gristle than it is about one album but it doesn't shy away from the details of creation, which is why I read these books in the first place.

I also think the new Beatles bios are off to a good start. I hope they maintain the level of detail on recording sessions for volume two. I just hope it comes out before I die of old age...

 

So many things l'd love to have an insiders view of - Kate recording the mule "heehaws" in Get Out of My House; chopping up "we let the weirdness in"; singing "I love life" in Pull Out The Pin...

 

For intensity , personality and quality, these:

Sinatra - Wee Small Hours of the Morning

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?

John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band

Stevie Wonder- Innervisions

Joni Mitchell - Blue

Rolling Stones- Let It Bleed

 

The story is pretty much told in the book about Todd's productions, "A Wizard, A True Star." The author is very fair to both sides of the story. The surprising part for me is that as harshly as he apparently treated them, Todd truly admired XTC and seemed to have more of his heart in Skylarking than many of his productions.

 

True, but he didn't spend as much time on it as that album deserves.

I don't think Todd treated them particularly harshly, so much as it was a "perfect storm" of conflicts. Todd's lack of patience with people wanting to write in the studio; Andy not wanting anyone as a producer; pressure from the record company with the threat of being dropped; Andy being annoyed that Todd, an American, was so much better at sarcasm...

The proof is in the pudding. Despite their reluctance and mutual annoyance, Todd and the band managed to create an album for the ages.

 

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

 

The Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow

 

The era of Nilsson's career from Nilsson Schmilsson to ***** Cats. The Hollywood Vampires era, which casts a wide net over Nilsson's projects, along with Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll - the so-called "Lost Weekend," Mick Jagger's "Too Many Cooks" recording, etc... Consider the never-to-be-repeated cast of characters who could appear: Nilsson himself, Alice Cooper, Mickey Dolenz, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Phil Spector, Ringo, Lennon, George Harrison, Jagger, Jesse Ed Davis, Marc Bolan, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins, Bobby Keys, Jim Price, Keith Moon, Donovan, McCartney & Stevie Wonder (for one documented recording session at least), Danny Kortchmar, Sneaky Pete, Jim Gordon, Steve Cropper, Hal Blaine, Richard Perry, Peter Frampton, Lowell George, Klaus Voorman, Jack Bruce, Al Kooper, Bill Wyman, Red Rhodes, Herbie Flowers, whoever else may have been passing through the Rainbow in '73. Even Willie "The Lion" Smith is supposed to have played organ on a Nilsson album from this period, at least according to the Wikipedia. The Son of Schmilsson recording sessions were extensively filmed - these could be among the most interesting home movies ever made. Very little of it has ever seen the light of day, as far as I know. Of course, it's entirely possible that nobody still living remembers the era well enough to provide recollections for any book, and maybe they wouldn't particularly care to, but... still, one can dream.

 

Does The Ramones' Phil Spector produced End of the Century have one?

 

Ok. You win. (But if a book did get written about this Dolenz would probably be edited out of the story and photoshopped out of the pics. Also: wasn't David Cassidy part of the highjinx too? Strange.)

 

I haven't read it. I understand it's principally a track-by-track analysis with a close reading and interpretation of the lyrics. the author, Ann Powers, was Tori Amos' ghostwriter/collaborator for Amos' book piece by piece.

 

George Harrison's All Things Must Pass would make a monster book, over a dozen notable musicians- including Ringo, Eric Clapton and Dave Mason.
The whole post -Beatles era and George's epic blossoming.

Add his great songs and contributions from McCartney and The Band and - boffo - I want to read this book!

 

WHOOPS! I was thinking of the R I N G O album when I wrote the second paragraph, but ATMP would be a great book.

 

Actually there IS a good book on Revolver by Robert Rodriguez.

 

deja vu - CSNY - 1000 hours in the studio

 

Actually, I think Läther would make for a much more interesting read. It would have to include:

• The dissolution of Frank's relationship with Herb Cohen and Discreet Records.
  
• The censorship that Frank faced for Zappa In New York.
• Frank delivering the remainder of the albums on his contract all at once, catching Warner Bros. with their pants down.
  
• Frank's attempt to release Läther on Polygram and Warner Bros.' successful injuction to stop it.
• Frank broadcasting the entirety of Läther on the radio.
  
• Warner Bros. scrounging to release the records that Frank delivered in the first place as a means of damage control.

The court filings alone could make for a very hefty appendix.

 

Frequency Unknown by Queensryche (or Geoff Tate if youd rather) . Hardly merits a book but theres certainly enough been written about this album already to fill a book or two, albeit a scarey book

 

Just being silly

 

Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main St.

Any Beatles album.

 

Until then, this covers a lot of the topic and is a very enjoyable read.

http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Mind-Erickson-Elevators-Psychedelic/dp/0976082268