Music books

[Chorlton]

I read that a few years ago and seem to remember that I quite enjoyed it.

i found it full of 'these plucky working class people with nothing but the dirt under their toenails, made it up to become the biggest band in wythenshawe' - gushing nonsense

 

[Negativland]

sadly, the book itself is meta-theoretical bollocks.

I'm probably more tolerant of over-theorised than under-theorised music writing, but I can imagine how this might go wrong

Pleeease someone release an Ian Penman anthology!

 

[Blagsta]

i found it full of 'these plucky working class people with nothing but the dirt under their toenails, made it up to become the biggest band in wythenshawe' - gushing nonsense

Really? I missed that then.

 

[northernhord]

Rude Boy - Salewicz
Sensless Acts of Beauty - (not strictly about music but good anyway from my mate Prof McKay)

Dont really read many books about Music on the whole I am more interested in making it at the moment, no doubt I will when I'm in oldbloke world which probably aint that far off

 

[Dr. Furface]

Yes, I've got that, it's called "Kraftwerk: Man, machine and music". I can't recall much about it tbh, other than it was a bit dull.

Get hold of Wolfgang Flur's 'I was a Robot' - a great account of life with Ralf & Florian from one of the 'other two'

 

[sojourner]

Is that it - Bob Geldof

High-Fidelity is one of the shitest books i have read.

I read an earlier autobiog of Bob Geldof's but fucked if I can remember/find the title. Was interesting. edit to add, actually it was this one, it's just that the re-publication date and new piccy confuuuuused me.

High Fidelity was ace - all those anorak moments, the comp tapes etc, really struck a chord with me. And I've always wanted to own a record shop

 

[Pugwall7]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1566397650/202-6706789-4883068?v=glance&n=266239



This looks good. Dont know if anyones read it Fela: The Life and Times of an African Musical Icon-Michael E. Veal
I was just looking at it thinking how much i would like to buy it

 

[Sweet FA]

Andrew Loog Oldham's Stoned is a cracking read

My brother met him a while ago - said he seemed like a decent bloke (ALO, not my brother, who can be a right little bleeder).

The Dark Stuff by Nick Kent, and for fiction, I really enjoyed Espedair Street by Iain Banks (is the band in it based on Fleetwood Mac..?).

 

[DeadManWalking]

This is quite good...

http://www.marionboyars.co.uk/Amy individual book info/DIY.html

 

[knopf]

Victor Bockris' Uptight: the Velvet Underground story is superb. Or so it seemed to my teenaged self. Haven't read it since.

 

[Jambooboo]

Danny Sugarman - No-One Get's Out Alive (which surely everyone has read)

Tom Wolfe - The Electric Cool Aid Acid Test (not strictly a music book)


The Matthew Collin and the Harry Shapiro book mentioned are both good reads.

 

[dweller]

Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys
by Steven Gaines

 

[Hollis]

Any mention of Dylan's Chronicles ?

 

[Blagsta]

You reminded me Hollis. Not a book, but I can thoroughly recommend Scorsese's Dylan documentary "No Direction Home". Fascinating stuff.

 

[saucisson]

Englands dreaming, altered states, rip it up and start again as mentioned, dirt for scary comedy. also would add in:

Fargo Rock city - Chuck Klosterman (As twisted mentions earlier) is one of the funniest rock books i have ever read if you have ever liked heavy metal from the 80s read it and weep with laughter as he reminices and is a fantastic list maker his reviews of some of the hair metal videos and what they say about he bands sexual proclivites had me in stitches.

The history of creation records: My magpies eyes have stolen the prize by David Kavanagh is great and gives you a micro detailed history from postcard records to oasis overload etc

Have gun will travel the spectacular rise and fall of death row records - ronin ro is good if not really my cup of tea musically.

and I should mention Ginger Geezer, recent and very good biog of viv stanshall (as one of my mates co-wrote it)

Oh and revolution in the head - Ian macdonald....if you are a beatles nut and you want to know what snare sound was used on paperback writer...it;ll be in here if its anywhere.

Black vinyl white powder - simnon napier bell is quite a good romp.

 

[Sunspots]

*bump*

I found Robert Gordon's 'It Came From Memphis' in a charity shop last week, and so far it's been a cracking good read.

Full of great rock 'n' roll anecdotes from/about the likes of Alex Chilton, Tav Falco, (the ridiculously ubiquitous) Jim Dickinson, and many more of Memphis' less-celebrated, but equally wild and eccentric, hipsters.