Read any good music books lately? Or some all-time favorites?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Tim Wilson, Sep 2, 2014.

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  1. Aghast of Ithaca

    Aghast of Ithaca Forum Resident

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    Angleterre
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  2. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

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    CT
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  3. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    I guess you missed Nick Mason's book Inside Out.
     
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  4. majorlance

    majorlance Forum Resident

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    Given your avatar, I think you'll enjoy this book — though I found that it lost some steam after the Sun Records years. I did find Phillips' relationships with his wife & other women fascinating — and not in the usual salacious kiss-and-tell way.

    Currently reading (and enjoying) James McBride's Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown.
     
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  5. Tony Cruse

    Tony Cruse Tc

    Location:
    Essex, UK.
    Has anyone read Adam Ant's autobiography? I've have it lined up but keep passing it by.
     
  6. screechmartin

    screechmartin Senior Member

    Location:
    British Columbia
    Another book about Woodstock that I loved is "Woodstock: An Inside Look at the Movie that Shook Up the World and Defined a Generation," edited by Dale Bell. It is about the making of the movie from start to finish: from the mechanics of getting enough filmakers and film stock up to the site in time and filming sometimes hostile rock musicians with flipping huge ungainly cameras that ate enormous amounts of film stock to the editing of the film and fights with the studio about what it should look like. It's a miracle that the film got made at all.
     
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  7. Tony Cruse

    Tony Cruse Tc

    Location:
    Essex, UK.
    Ok. Forgive me for being obvious.
    But I want to read a good biog on Prince. Warts n all.
    Anyone?
     
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  8. DrBeatle

    DrBeatle The Rock and Roll Chemist

    Location:
    Midwest via Boston
    I'll second that...fantastic book. Here's my write-up, if anyone is interested --> The Rock and Roll Chemist: BOOK REVIEW: Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd » (different title for the US and UK versions, same book thought)

    As for me, Alice Echols' Janis Joplin bio is one I recently read and thought was great, again here's my write-up for anyone interested in learning more about it --> The Rock and Roll Chemist: BOOK REVIEW: Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin »
     
  9. PhilBorder

    PhilBorder Senior Member

    Location:
    Sheboygan, WI
    speaking of Woodstock, Barney Hoskyns "Small Town Talk"'s premise is that Albert Grossman was instrumental in Woodstock (the town) becoming the counter cultural bastion of its time. spends a lot of pages on the dynamic between Mr. Zimmerman and his manager (reinforcing the belief that Dylan laying low in the early 70's was largely due to letting his contract run out), also The Band (some interesting insights into Leven Helm's anger with Robbie Robertson over song publishing), and other characters who drift though like Todd Rundgren, Tim Hardin, John Martyn, Geoff and MariA Muldaur, Paul Butterfield and Van Morrison. If you like any or some of those artists you'd probably enjoy the book.
     
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  10. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident

    Location:
    Evanston
    Not strictly a music book, but definitely tied into music, I just finished Jesse Jarnow's Heads: A Biography of Psychedelic America and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Jarnow is a WFMU DJ, a huge Deadhead, and wrote a great book about Yo La Tengo a few years ago. Heads traces the history of LSD and psychedelics in America from the middle of last century until now, framed around the lifespan of the Grateful Dead. It's an amazingly researched book that ties in everything from Stewart Brand's Whole Earth to Phish to Apple to NYC '70s graffiti scene to numerous other events. Essential reading for Deadheads, and entertaining for anyone as an alternate scope of the last 50 years.
     
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  11. Claxton

    Claxton I like chicks and cars and partyin’ hard

    Location:
    The 817, TX
    Currently reading Heads now. So far, it's a great read.
     
  12. dennis1077

    dennis1077 Forum Resident

    Just broke out Dave Mustaine's biography. It's just as good the second time around.
     
  13. Veech

    Veech Space In Sounds

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Just read You Never Give Me Your Money followed by The Longest Cocktail Party. Two great books that provide a fascinating insight to the end of the Beatles and the demise of Apple Corps. Illuminating and a bit depressing but still both are fantastic reads.
     
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  14. vivatones

    vivatones Forum Resident

    Anything by Peter Guralnick, particularly his 2-volume biography of Elvis Presley.
     
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  15. gillcup

    gillcup Senior Member

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC, USA
    I just finished the Allen Klein biography by Fred Goodman and thought it was very interesting.
     
  16. BobFan115

    BobFan115 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kentucky
    While I have not reach much by Charles Shaar Murray, I really like Crosstown Traffic (on Hendrix) and Shots From the Hip (a collection of short pieces). I recently noticed that there is a new edition of Shots From the Hip, but I have not investigated what makes it "new."
     
  17. Lloyd

    Lloyd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, OH
    Recently read Bob Mehr's "Touble Boys" about The Replacements and Will Friswald's "Sinatra: The Song Is You." Both five stars, although Trouble Boys left me a bit depressed, while Friswald purposely stuck to the Sinatra recording sessions so was a bit lighter in tone. Couldn't put either down.
     
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  18. rstamberg

    rstamberg Senior Member

    Location:
    Riverside, CT
    Although it's essentially a photo book with a few sections of "remembrances" by those involved, I spent the afternoon listening to the final show from last year's FARE THE WELL concert series and reading the accompanying hardcover book that was published at the end of the year. Really nice bunch of photos, beautiful layout, and several well thought out and quite personal written salutations and the like from some of my the folks involved. Nicely done, and a fun read.
     
  19. ellingtonic

    ellingtonic Forum Resident

    I just finished Conversations With Tom Petty and really enjoyed it.
     
  20. Tanx

    Tanx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I read large chunks of "Trouble Boys" in the bookstore and was depressed enough that I decided I wouldn't buy it immediately (though I will soon). It does answer many questions I had about the dissolution of the band. I venture that it's rare an author with that much access can be so brutally honest about his subjects.
     
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  21. tremspeed

    tremspeed Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    I've long wanted to but haven't yet, I think the Alan Light book is probably your best bet based on reviews. It's been on my wish list for a while. There will probably be some more coming down the pipe, I'd think.

    Edit: I guess I missed at some point that this book is based around Purple Rain. I'm sure it tackles more than that, and it would probably still be my choice for something I would read, based on where I'm at as a Prince listener, but just thought I'd make a note of that.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2016
  22. tremspeed

    tremspeed Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    It is depressing but it also has some of the funniest antics I've ever read in a music book. I was literally LOL'ing through some of their jokey moments. I would completely, utterly recommend that book.
     
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  23. tremspeed

    tremspeed Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Everything the man (and his charges) have written is pure gold. If you like the kind of records he usually tackles.
     
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  24. Tanx

    Tanx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I just dug out my copy of Lester Bangs' "Psychedelic Reactions and Carburetor Dung" recently. I got it as a gift when it came out, and I wasn't a Bangs fan, so I put it aside and only skimmed it now and then. It's a lot more interesting to me now, what with so much hindsight on the subjects.

    Also, I'm not sure "rock critics" necessarily exist anymore. But even when they did, I'll bet there were few whose idea of an interview was baiting Lou Reed and publishing their screaming matches as interviews.
     
  25. tremspeed

    tremspeed Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Yeah well, "rock journalism" is completely sanitized now. Pitchfork once published a record review that consisted entirely of a video of a monkey peeing into its own mouth. Now they're part of Conde Nast? OK.
     
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