which are the best music books of the past year?

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since, say, simon reynolds book from spring last year?

we haven't had a 'good rock/ music biogs/ reference guides/text books you have recently read' thread for a while. so tell all muso bookworm types!

― piscesboy, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 12:45 (nineteen years ago)

I enjoyed http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0571219225.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg Although it could have been better.

― JoB (JoB), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 13:21 (nineteen years ago)

ooh that might be nice.
i was disappointed by 'chic and the ploitics of disco' despite the generally very positive reviews.

― piscesboy, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 13:29 (nineteen years ago)

Sorry, couldn't resist:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1416907238.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:12 (nineteen years ago)

Really, though, Can't Stop, Won't Stop might be the best book about hip-hop I've ever read. And Bob Spitz's Beatles is ridiculous with info. My friend swears by the Sam Cooke book that came out around the same time.

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:15 (nineteen years ago)

I really loved "Lovers Buggers & Thieves: Garage Rock, Monster Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock." It's worth a read just for the essay on fake Beatles outakes, and the argument that Iron Butterfly was a better group than Led Zeppelin. Also includes good stuff on Skip Spence, the Monks, the Stooges, Screaming Lord Sutch, outsider music, etc. A collection of random pieces for obsessive collectors of a certain strain of record collector, in other words.

― James, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

that's too bad about the Chic book, I was really looking forward to it. what's the problem? and I love Shapiro's book, and can't hardly see how it could be improved upon as a first book on disco...

I have to plug my friend Bill Friskics-Warren's book, "I'll Take You There," which Continuum published. really sharp look at spirituality in pop music with lotsa great examples from everyone: Al Green, Prince, PJ Harvey, PM Dawn...and his writing is free of cant, empathetic, warm. and track down his No Depression profile of Bettye LaVette from last year--it can hardly be improved upon.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

what's the problem?

well to be fair i skim read it, but i could still tell you it it was dead boring and was tattily presnted with sh itty photos on horrible paper.

― piscesboy, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

I loved Joshua Gamson's The Fabulous Sylvester (out in paperback now!)

― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:48 (nineteen years ago)

too bad about the Chic book. they deserve a great one, and the stuff in Shapiro's disco book on them is just superb.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 20:14 (nineteen years ago)

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