What's the LATEST Book You've Read? MUSIC-RELATED ONLY!

[jefe1]

Currently reading this book up to the late 80s now
Describes all the personnel changes the recordings and all the gigs they played. Contains interviews with different members and scattered photos.
Even has quotes from Stacia.
Im learning a lot about their music esp after the space rock period. Enjoyed reading about Robert Calvert and his contributions.
There are other Hawkwind books out there I am reading the Kindle version

Thanks @Uncle Obscure for the Frame book. Ive seen those diagrams before gonna have to get a copy. I see there was a follow up book by him More Family Trees.

 

[Uncle Obscure]

Far and away the best and most comprehensive book about the legend of SMiLE. From soaring inspiration to the depths of despair, it's all in there. A must read.

 

[Uncle Obscure]

From 1972...The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics!

 

[Uncle Obscure]

If you are familiar with the "Who Is Harry Nilsson...." documentary, then this biography by Alyn Shipton will blow you away! NILSSON the Life of a Singer-Songwriter is everything an outstanding biography should be. It is intimate, engaging, honest, and authoritative. It is a compelling portrait of an enigmatic, complicated musical genius, and it is the perfect companion for listening to the CD Boxset, NILSSON The RCA Albums Collection. Absolutely recommended reading!

 

[humprof]

Michael McDonald has a memoir coming out soon--co-written with his neighbor & friend Paul Reiser(!).

Gfit version of a feature in last Sunday's New York Times.

"[McDonald and Amy] Holland were married in 1983, with David Pack, the lead singer of Ambrosia performing 'Biggest Part of Me' at the reception."

But of course.

 

[humprof]

Steven Hyden, This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's Kid A and the Beginning of the 21st Century (Hachette, 2020).

Scored a remaindered copy of the 2021 paperback edition at Powell's Books in Portland a couple of weeks ago. Hyden is no musicologist, and the cultural analysis finally isn't all that penetrating, either. But this is still a fairly good, quick read by a sympathetic fan. As a prose stylist, Hyden is uneven. I don't know if the book deserves the extravagant praise that it got when it appeared--it probably would have been better as a long-form essay--but if you're a Radiohead fan, then you should probably give it a try.
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/steven-hyden/this-isnt-happening/9780306845680/

 

[Willie Wilson]

I have a few of those too. Good stuff!

View attachment 98306

I have a few of those too. Good stuff!

View attachment 98306

Fans of Duran Duran are encouraged to pick up the one written about Rio. The author is a friend, Annie Zaleski, who is a nationally-recognized music journalist. She is brilliant and so is her writing. I love the 33 1/3 series.

 

[Willie Wilson]

I loved this book. I’m a big Journey fan and this went into a lot of detail about things not normally given much attention.

I read the Kindle version, but the print version is apparently over 1,100 pages, so it’s not for a casual-fan audience. Stories about people/bands like Pat Marrow and Frumious Bandersnatch aren’t going to be of much interest to people who only care about Steve Perry or the Escape/Frontiers era. But I enjoyed every bit of it.

It covers all the other projects for members (what they were doing before, during and after Journey), and is about as up-to-date with all the recent drama that as it can be being published this month.

The author is pulling quotes from all sorts of sources, so it feels like you’re hearing the story directly from all the main and behind-the-scenes players, as well as artists who were in the Journey orbit throughout the years.

A great book to end my 2023 music reading.

You can read more by Nick Deriso at the Ultimate Classic Rock website:
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/author/nickderiso/

 

[Simon A]

"[McDonald and Amy] Holland were married in 1983, with David Pack

Isn't this technically what we'd call polygamy?

 

[cbmmm3]

finished this one last night. brings you up to Hold Your Fire in timeline

 

[marpow]

Paul Hornsby-The engineer behind The Marshall Tucker Band and Capricorn recording, I enjoyed it.

 

[SyrinxTemple]

finished this one last night. brings you up to Hold Your Fire in timeline
View attachment 106122

Apparently the band and the author had a falling out over this book.

 

[cbmmm3]

Apparently the band and the author had a falling out over this book.

oh wow ! I did not know this. Reasons as to why ? The book indicated they were major friends

 

[SyrinxTemple]

oh wow ! I did not know this. Reasons as to why ? The book indicated they were major friends

They didn't give him approval to write the book, but he did anyway, basically. There was an interview with Geddy on a radio station in Philly, and B-man was in the audience. Geddy answered his question, but didn't acknowledge he knew him in any way. I think I have the interview on my hard drive.

 

[cbmmm3]

They didn't give him approval to write the book, but he did anyway, basically. There was an interview with Geddy on a radio station in Philly, and B-man was in the audience. Geddy answered his question, but didn't acknowledge he knew him in any way. I think I have the interview on my hard drive.

oh wow. thanks for clarity. B-Man made it sound that he and the band were besties.

 

[Kenneth Burns]

More music books! This is what I've read music-wise since I last posted in ... woah, July.

• Chris Frantz, "Remain In Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina"
• Maurice White with Herb Powell, "My Life With Earth, Wind & Fire"
• Tony Bennett, "The Good Life"
• Paul Shaffer with David Ritz, "We'll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Showbiz Saga"
• Geddy Lee, "My Effin' Life"
• Philip Bailey with Keith and Kent Zimmerman: "Shining Star: Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind & Fire"

 

[humprof]

Christgau recommends Stephen Deusner's Where the Devil Don't Stay, a band bio of Drive-By Truckers:
https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/a-lifelong-southern-rock-opera

 

[humprof]

University of Texas Press is having its annual e-book sale through August 31st. 50% with code UTXSUMMER. They have a lot of great music books--97 titles and counting. Music history, biography, criticism....

https://utpress.utexas.edu/search-grid/?category=UTPMUS

 

[humprof]

Dang it!--why do people have to keep writing interesting-looking books?! I've got way too many unread ones sitting on my shelves (and my bedroom floor, and a dozen other available but inappropriate surfaces in my house) already. Here's the latest, which I discovered at my local independent bookstore this afternoon, on my way home from a pint at my favorite beer bar:

Daniel Rachel, Too Much Too Young, the 2 Tone Records Story: Rude Boys, Racism, and the Soundtrack of a Generation

https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/too-much-too-young-the-2-tone-record-story/

 

[humprof]

My next purchase? (Although I might wait a year for the paperback edition.) Love Ann Powers, love Joni--what's not to like? You can read the preface for free on the publisher's website:
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/traveling-ann-powers