Favorite books about music

[DroppinScience]

Anyone have any recommended reads about music? Be it about bands or of music from a certain era or scene?

Myself, I just finished reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From The American Indie Underground 1981-1991" by Michael Azerrad (mrbrodie linked the cover on the Dead Kennedys thread) and man, that is just a revelatory read.

If you're into Black Flag, Sonic Youth, Big Black, Fugazi, Husker Du, Minutemen, etc. etc., this is a must. Or if you want to get into this era, this is also essential.

And I just started on "Milk It! Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the '90s" by Jim DeRogatis. This certainly serves as a good sequel to "Our Band Could Be Your Life."

So yeah, plug away!

[TAL]

I enjoyed LL Cool J's "I Make My Own Rules". And it's available in a censored version for you kids out there.


Oh yeah!! Mötley Crüe's "The Dirt" (y) (y)

[Documad]

It's always amazed me that there are so few decent books about pop/rock music. I've skimmed a million of them.

When I read it 20 years ago I liked Stanley Booth's book on the Rolling Stones' 1969 tour. I think it was called Dancing with the Devil.

I also remember kind of liking the paperback written by the Beatles' house hippie.

The most memorable wasn't really about music: And I Don't Want To Live This Life -- written about Nancy Spungen by her mom. It barely mentions Sid. Again, I read it about 20 years ago, and about once every five years I meet someone else who read it and we have a major bond.

[laserx54]

Anyone have any recommended reads about music? Be it about bands or of music from a certain era or scene?

Myself, I just finished reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From The American Indie Underground 1981-1991" by Michael Azerrad (mrbrodie linked the cover on the Dead Kennedys thread) and man, that is just a revelatory read.

If you're into Black Flag, Sonic Youth, Big Black, Fugazi, Husker Du, Minutemen, etc. etc., this is a must. Or if you want to get into this era, this is also essential.



I also enjoyed this book despite the glaring omission of the Pixies

[Documad]

Hey, you people who read that book: I've only read a few chapters.

What I've been wondering is why anyone else would want to read about the history of Husker Du? It was interesting to me because they were a local band. Do you care about the interpersonal drama of a Minneapolis band that didn't sell many records and broke up ages ago? Serious question.

[DroppinScience]

I also enjoyed this book despite the glaring omission of the Pixies

For which? "Milk It!" or "Our Band Could Be Your Life"?

[DroppinScience]

What I've been wondering is why anyone else would want to read about the history of Husker Du? It was interesting to me because they were a local band. Do you care about the interpersonal drama of a Minneapolis band that didn't sell many records and broke up ages ago? Serious question.

I found Husker Du's chapter to be interesting (didn't know that two of them were gay). They put out some great records and were very influential, so of course I'd be interested.

What I liked about the book overall was that everyone of those bands seemed to depict these people as exceedingly regular guys (well, the Butthole Surfers guys seemed a tad weird, but that's another story). I'm not sure I'd want to hang out with a lot of them, but I had to admire their determination to continue on even though they were far from popular at the time.

P.S. - Bob Mould will be coming to town playing acoustic versions of Husker Du and Sugar songs in March. I gotta get me those tickets...

[Documad]

P.S. - Bob Mould will be coming to town playing acoustic versions of Husker Du and Sugar songs in March. I gotta get me those tickets...
I kind of like his latest release.

If you're interested in hearing him play and talk on local radio, click the audio link in the upper right hand corner of this page (http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/07/06_newsroom_mould/). I think it's still working.

[abcdefz]

I kind of like his latest release.





It's pretty good.

The company was pushing it quite a bit, so I just waited a couple of months aand used copies were hitting the bargain bin at $3.95 each.

I still say "Brasilia Crossed with Trenton" is one of the greatest songs ever. Sheer poetry. (y)

[abcdefz]

Anyone have any recommended reads about music? Be it about bands or of music from a certain era or scene?

Myself, I just finished reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From The American Indie Underground 1981-1991" by Michael Azerrad (mrbrodie linked the cover on the Dead Kennedys thread) and man, that is just a revelatory read.

If you're into Black Flag, Sonic Youth, Big Black, Fugazi, Husker Du, Minutemen, etc. etc., this is a must. Or if you want to get into this era, this is also essential.

And I just started on "Milk It! Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the '90s" by Jim DeRogatis. This certainly serves as a good sequel to "Our Band Could Be Your Life."

So yeah, plug away!




Greil Marcus' Mystery Train (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452278368/sr=8-1/qid=1139847537/ref=sr_1_1/103-4425811-7550265?%5Fencoding=UTF8) is pretty terrific. His later books kind of went schizo, but this one still holds together.

Traces American dream and myth (of sorts) through Robert Johnson, Sly Stone, Elvis Presley, Harmonica Frank, The Band, and Randy Newman. Pretty essential rock writing.

[ms.peachy]

What I've been wondering is why anyone else would want to read about the history of Husker Du? It was interesting to me because they were a local band. Do you care about the interpersonal drama of a Minneapolis band that didn't sell many records and broke up ages ago? Serious question.

I think you underestimate how influential they were, both at the time and in the period immediately following their break up. People who like Husker Du really really like Husker Du, you know?

[ms.peachy]

She's a Rebel: (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878067087/103-2069846-5181451?v=glance&n=283155) The History of Women in Rock and Roll by Gillian Gaar is essential reading for any girl whose ever bleached her hair and wished she was Debbie Harry (or any boy who has dated a girl who has bleached her hair and wished she was Debbie Harry)

[abcdefz]

She's a Rebel: (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1878067087/103-2069846-5181451?v=glance&n=283155) The History of Women in Rock and Roll by Gillian Gaar is essential reading for any girl whose ever bleached her hair and wished she was Debbie Harry (or any boy who has dated a girl who has bleached her hair and wished she was Debbie Harry)


-- or any boy who has ever wanted to be James Woods watching any girl extinguish her cigarette on her breast like Deborah Harry...

[b-grrrlie]

I haven't read that many books about music in general, my favourites are biographies or stuff like that. Piece of my Heart about Janis Joplin, White line fever by Lemmy and other stuff (http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/7711/dsc034312dw.jpg).

[Funky Pepp]

I've got a good one - it's called PopSplits.
But, unfortunately (for most of you guys),
it's in German. There are many little storys
about bands and songs of all kinds of music
or the stories behind the music. It's very
interesting...

[BangkokB]

I'm waiting for the popup books

Read- Hammer of the Gods...way back Nice it was

[Deep_Sea_Rain]

"Ego Trip's Book Of Rap Lists" is a funny, informative, and honest book perfect for the student of hip hop. Plus, since its all pre-'98 information, no 50 Cent!

[B4BY 4NN]

Let Fury Have the Hour: The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer :cool:

[Drederick Tatum]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned it yet because Nik Cohn's Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802138306/sr=8-2/qid=1140402272/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-1247001-6515069?%5Fencoding=UTF8) is essential. Arguably the birth of serious rock criticism.

[The Notorious LOL]

reading a book about music seems kind of retarded.

[EN[i]GMA]

reading a book about music seems kind of retarded.

Yeah, you should a book on tape or, if you're cool, on vinyl.

[jennyb]

I recently read Confusion Is Next - The Sonic Youth story. Which is nuts considering I don't read many books. It was pretty good. At points, insightful.

[HEIRESS]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0771014562/002-6887578-2156846?v=glance&n=283155

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060594551/qid=1140580679/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-6887578-2156846?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451411536/qid=1140580713/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6887578-2156846?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316803529/ref=pd_ys_pym_all_10/002-6887578-2156846?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

[Documad]

I learned something new from that Ronnie Spector book.

[Guy Incognito]

Stuart Maconie's Cider with roadies (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091891159/203-9137852-7543963) is top, read it last year. Its about how he got into music and became an NME journalist and what he did there, its reallly funny.
Just read two of those Vinyl Frontier books as well. One on the Stone roses which wasnt great - it was all about before they made it and had no real interviews with the four proper members of the band.
And one on the White Album which was good - talked about each track and how it was made and had lots of really good stuff about the split and the cultural impact of the Beatles and that album in particular.

[b-grrrlie]

Has anyone read Henry Rollins' Get in the Van?

[abcdefz]

Mingus' Beneath the Underdog is kind of a mess.

Ellington's Music is My Mistress is better.

[monkey]

The most memorable wasn't really about music: And I Don't Want To Live This Life -- written about Nancy Spungen by her mom. It barely mentions Sid. Again, I read it about 20 years ago, and about once every five years I meet someone else who read it and we have a major bond.

yes. that book was a fantastic read. i just read it like 8 months ago. it was.. wow.

[ms.peachy]

Has anyone read Henry Rollins' Get in the Van?
Yes (y)

Also, has anyone mentioned Please Kill Me (http://www.nyrock.com/killme.htm) yet? I did a quick scan of the thread but didn't see it immediately.

[b-grrrlie]

Not here but in another thread (http://www.beastieboys.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=48526) and in my bookshelf. (http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/7711/dsc034312dw.jpg)