Recent Rock Reads

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0684858681.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0946719497.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/1860743757.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

So, a couple of weeks back, I'm in Paris and sitting in Les Deux Magots, an allegedly storied French coffeehouse/bar where Hemingway used to hold court, just a bit down the road from Shakespeare & Co., where Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein used to consort with James "Ulysses" Joyce. So, amidst all this fabled literary atmosphere, what blindingly garish tome am I sitting there reading (much to the chagrin of my wife, who works in publishing)? Why Are We Not Men? We Are Devo: Deviants in the Post Modern World, the new Devo biography of course! Sorry, Mr.Hemingway!

As I may have mentioned on the another Devo thread, I initially found the book to go too far out of its way in documenting seemingly too trivial ephemera, but that was a bit of an unfair assessment. I ended up being quite happy with the book (despite the comparively skimpy attention to Devo's later, admittedly less-crucial recordings). I'm currently knee-deep in Lemmy "Motorhead" Kilmister's autobiography, White Line Fever, which I believe received a bit of a drubbing by critics. Personally, I find it pretty entertaining (Lemmy comes across in an engaging conversational manner). If even remotely a fan of Motorhead, I'd recommend it.

Next up is Siouxsie's "authorised bio" by Mark Paytress, which I have pretty high hopes for. Also couldn't help noticing that there's another "official" book about the origins of Kiss? Haven't we covered that (via two Gene Simmons books and the sprawling Kisstory coffee-table books?)

Any others out there you'd care to recommend or lambast?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I lurve the new Suede bio, as muttered in another thread. Lots of good info, unafraid to pull punches even from the perspective of a dedicated fan who ended up working for the band.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm curious what other people's impressions are of the first six books in the "33 1/3" series (n.b. Matos and I will both have books in later batches of them)...

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh! The Devo book! I have to read that!

― geeta (geeta), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

What are they, Douglas? Is this Matos' "Sign Of The Times" book?

― adaml (adaml), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, more information please!

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

James Brown's Live at the Apollo, by Douglas Wolk
Radiohead's OK Computer, by Dai Griffiths
Jeff Buckley's Grace, by Daphne Brooks
Jethro Tull's Aqualung, by Allan Moore
Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland, by John Perry
The Replacements' Let It Be, by Colin Meloy
The Beatles' Let It Be, by Steve Matteo
Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis, by Warren Zanes
Love's Forever Changes, by Andrew Hultkrans
The Smiths' Meat is Murder, by Joe Pernice
Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, by John Cavanagh
The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society, by Andy Miller
Neil Young's Harvest, by Sam Inglis
Abba's Abba Gold, by Elisabeth Vincentelli
Prince's Sign O' the Times, by Michaelangelo Matos
My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, by David Keenan
Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, by Chris Ott
Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico, by Joe Harvard

― geeta (geeta), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Jeff Buckley's Grace, by Daphne Brooks

I know nothing about the author, but this as an album to choose makes me feel funny. Keenan on MBV will be most interesting!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks Geeta! An interesting list...too bad about Posh Spice though.

― Nicolars (Nicole), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

The Replacements' Let It Be, by Colin Meloy

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who is this Meloy? Will this book be good????? Say it will!

― adaml (adaml), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

A Dream Goes On Forever - The Continuing Story Of Todd Rundgren (Volume 1)...notable as the first (in a series?) of books completely devoted to Todd's music and career. There's not a huge amount of private life information revealed, but the strength of the book is in the musical focus. Secret Sound, the site of recording for almost all of Todd's classics of the 70's, was built by Todd from scratch using consumer home audio components, in his New York City loft apartment he shared with Moogy Klingman. The story in this volume begins with Todd as a kid (a Cub Scout, even) and ends with the breakup of the first, fusion-oriented Utopia band. There are lots of quotes from many of Todd's bandmates over the years, especially Moogy.

― Bob Crain (bobcrain), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Abba's Abba Gold, by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Odd that they'd choose a "best of".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:17 (twenty-two years ago)

"Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, by Chris Ott"

So has anyone read this then?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:44 (twenty-two years ago)

'Midnight Lightning: Jimi Handrix and the Black Experience' by Greg Tate.
A very good read. Overwhelming (up to the two peculiar appendices at the end).

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:53 (twenty-two years ago)

''The Beatles' Let It Be, by Steve Matteo''

I wonder just why that beatles alb when there are other better ones surely.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:54 (twenty-two years ago)

That book Possessed about Prince is pretty recent, isn't it? I really enjoyed it a lot. Totally recommended to all Prince fans. He seems to have four girlfriends at all times, one ALWAYS being Sheila E.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:59 (twenty-two years ago)

There are six of those 33 1/3 books out already? I haven't seen one in store yet.

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I bought Camden Joy's 'Lost Joy' anthology a couple of weeks ago - I think it must have come out it in the US last year? - and found it.. patchy. The poster texts weren't as great as I had imagined they were gonna be, though the Al Green essay is pretty fantastic.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 30 October 2003 02:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Colin Meloy fronts Portland, OR band The Decemberists.

I haven't seen them either! I wonder if any indie distributors offer them because I'd like the record store where I work to sell them. And I really want to read that Kinks book!

― Kate Silver (Kate Silver), Thursday, 30 October 2003 02:40 (twenty-two years ago)

The first six just came out a couple of weeks ago. The only place I've seen them so far is at a Virgin Megastore, but then again I haven't been going out much because I've been finishing mine. Which I just turned in tonight. HOORAY!

They are _very_ free-form: we were told 25-28,000 words, and other than that we could do as we pleased. Joe Pernice's _Meat Is Murder_ is actually a novel. Mine's sort of an exploded microhistory.

Other than Matos on Prince obv, the one I think I'm most excited to read is Elisabeth Vincentelli on _ABBA Gold_--I love her writing, and I haven't really gotten to see her stretch out on anything before. And I think she'll have some serious insight into it.

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 30 October 2003 03:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Which I just turned in tonight.

hurrah for douglas!!!!

― geeta (geeta), Thursday, 30 October 2003 03:17 (twenty-two years ago)

cracking my rock critic knuckles

If I had my way, I'd do a book on D.I. Go Pop. Like they'd ever go for that.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 30 October 2003 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

He seems to have four girlfriends at all times, one ALWAYS being Sheila E.

Good God. Even NOW?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Thursday, 30 October 2003 03:23 (twenty-two years ago)

ok yeah he calmed down after the wife after mayte. allegedly.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 30 October 2003 03:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico, by Joe Harvard

wasn't this snoopy's academic rock crit nom de plume?

― scott seward, Thursday, 30 October 2003 03:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Joe Cool

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 30 October 2003 03:58 (twenty-two years ago)

no, ned, joe cool was snoopy's big man on campus persona. actually, joe harvard was the guy who wrote that book in the 60's explaining why peanuts was so important and groundbreaking. very heady stuff. and accompanied by specific and relevant strips. do you have that one? the cover is charlie brown consoling snoopy after his house burnt down.

― scott seward, Thursday, 30 October 2003 04:10 (twenty-two years ago)

a brit ex-coworker who lives in berkeley these days told me about how he met lemmy at a tea party his grandmother threw about 20 years ago...

lately i've heard he's making quite a scene around various metal rocker types in LA these days... a former nashville pal says he's played table top pacman a few times with him...

why do i bring these two weird examples to light?

because lemmy rules,
m.

― msp, Thursday, 30 October 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Douglas, I'm waiting on your Fall treatise, which I would hope comes in collage form, and unfolds into a map of Smithian logic the size of a football field.

Abba's cool, too.

― Ian Christe (Ian Christe), Thursday, 30 October 2003 19:39 (twenty-two years ago)

six months pass...

revive?

who has read the 33 1/3 books and which are worthwhile?

on a related note, shouldn't major libraries have/get copies ? I've yet to see that...

― Matt Sab (Matt Sab), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I've read Village Green Preservation Society and Piper at the Gates of Dawn. I also happen to work at the biggest library in Missouri, where we have received just about all of the ones that have come out.
I really liked the Piper at the Gates of Dawn book by John Cavanagh. I was surprised by a bit of information in the short author bio in the back of the book. It turns out that Cavanagh plays music in an act called Phosphene, who I'd heard on a Terrascope comp and liked very much. It's been a while since I read it, so I can't comment on it that concisely. Rock writing is pretty much instant gratification type reading for me, not something I ruminate on for extended periods of time.
The Abba Gold one looks good. I glanced at Ott's Unkown Pleasures, but I can't really stand listening to Joy Division lately, much less read 25,000 words about them.

― Sean Witzman (trip maker), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 13:22 (twenty-one years ago)

We've been receiving them on our Approval Plan, library heads.

― Sean Witzman (trip maker), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 13:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Which library is that, Sean? I'm in St. Louis and I'd make a road trip to go read these.

― stephen morris (stephen morris), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 13:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Ellis Library on the lovely University of Missouri campus.
Are you a student? Or a patron of any MU or SLU library?
You could request them at one of those libraries and they
would courier them over. There are some cool shows coming up that
may be worth the drive over for, though. Devendra Banhart/Joanna Newsome, Born Heller/White Magic, Nautical Almanac...I may not be speaking your language, though.

― Sean Witzman (trip maker), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll likely be out there for the Devendra show, so maybe I'll swing by the library. I'm not in college yet (graduate high school this Sunday) so the best I'll be able to do is just sit and look through the books, but that'll give me an idea of which to order.

― stephen morris (stephen morris), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.