Let's name all the books ever written about Heavy Metal

I'll start.

How Black Was Our Sabbath

A totally incomplete history of Sabbath which is an awesome read because it's written by their road crew/personal assistants. So many behind the scenes stories you've never heard before.

Because it had to be said:

Stairway to Hell: the 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe by Chuck Eddy

Basically a collection of 500 albums that Chuck Eddy likes that may or may not have anything to do with heavy metal, this not only frames the genre in an entirely different way than I was used to, but I found a whole lot of great records and bands through it.

Also, when I first discovered it and before I figured out what it was about, a lot of his selections and things he said pissed me off to no end. But in a good way.

"Fargo Rock City" by C. Klosterman

"Lords of Chaos"

Oh, whoops. Forgot my one liners.

"Fargo Rock City" - the book that kicked off Chuck's career, for better or for worse. I, for one, enjoyed it.

"Lord of Chaos" -- much more frowny account of Scandiweigan black metal phenom. Compelling, but it didn't really make me want to listen to Mayhem or Burzum or any of that stuff.

'Choosing Death' by Albert Mudrian.

A history of grindcore and death metal that is pretty well-written and informative, although I couldn't help thinking that I might have learned a bit more given that I don't consider myself especially knowledgeable about either of those genres. (A lot of the stuff about Earache Records was news to me and was thus an exception, though.)

"Sound of The Beast" by Ian Christe

Considering it's only 401 pages, an amazingly comprehensive history of metal bands and records from the '70s forward. Useful for its chronology and lists, it's also entertainingly written -- full of WTF passages that convey the over-the-topness of metal and maintain the momentum of the narrative.

"HEAVY METAL The Music And Its Culture" by Deena Weinstein

A sociological overview of heavy metal and its fans written by a female professor who is also a huge Manowar apologist.

(disclosure: I'm still reading this one...)

http://www.amazon.com/HIGH-GRADE-NOTCHED-Blocks-99-9%25/dp/B0013ZABJ6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1211848964&sr=8-3

if Chuck were snarkier than he is he'd post to this thread recommending "Ethan Frome" as one of the finest metal books ever written

get on it XhukX

Is Lovecraft metal? Surely.

Big problems with Choosing Death and Sound Of The Beast: the former reads like a Napalm Death bio with side trips into related bands; the latter does the same trick with Metallica.

Weinstein's book is outstanding.

Martin Popoff's books are all excellent reference guides. I'd name them all, but hockey's on. Gotta go.

White Line Fever, by Lemmy - his autobiography. Smart as you'd expect, and almost as funny as David Lee Roth's book.

Crazy From The Heat, by David Lee Roth - the pinnacle of Western literature.

The Dirt, by Mötley Crüe/Neil Strauss - takes 2-3 hours to read, during which you'll laugh, throw up a little in your mouth, and laugh a whole lot more. I vaguely remember Mick Mars being described as likely to have a million dollars buried in mayonnaise jars in his lawn, and that image has made me laugh every time I think of it since. (That description may not have actually been in The Dirt, though.)

Definitive:

http://www.amazon.com/International-Encyclopedia-Hard-Rock-Jasper/dp/0816011338

http://www.amazon.com/Collectors-Guide-Heavy-Metal/dp/1896522327

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collectors-Guide-Heavy-Metal-1/dp/1894959027

I have to give Martin Popoff some more love here:

BLACK SABBATH - Doom Let Loose

An illustrated history of the band that covers every single album in their career. Special bonus points for many of the rare memorabilia pics being from Leif Edling's personal collection.

"Are you Morbid?" - Thomas G. Fischer

Celtic Frost autobiography. Lots of information about the recordings and inspiration of the classic albums. Martin Ain is/was definitely the coolest guy in Frost. It seems Tom had a weird crush on Reed St. Mark.

this just came out:
http://www.eyeoftheblackbird.net/images/finalcoverlores.jpg

The Guiness Who's Who Of Heavy Metal (general editor : Colin Larkin). 1992 publication, not that dissimilar to the Jaspar & Oliver book with articles on many obscure AOR bands. Lots of NWOBHM also-rans too (Briar?). Here's a random selection of names the pages fall open at : Mike Rudd, Export, Heretic, Def Leppard, Queensryche, Motorhead, Uncle Sam, Jim Peterik, Dream Theater, Craaft.

That's funny that you brought that up Chaki. I was suckered into buying AKMB just yesterday because I cracked it open at Powell's and saw my band was listed in there.

I bet if they sold a copy to 1/3 of the bands listed in there, they'd be rich.

"Swedish Death Metal" - Daniel Ekeroth

The original edition is sold out but an American print of this was in the pipeline. A mighty tome I can't recommend enough.

"Running with the Devil: Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music" by Robert Walser is really good:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Running-Devil-Gender-Madness-Culture/dp/0819562602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211893127&sr=1-1

It's a sociological and musicological examination of metal. I must admit I'm not so up on the latter stuff, but the former was really interesting.

Donna Gaines' "Teenage Wasteland": great (the first?)sociological/ethnographic study of metal kids.

Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal-Daniel Bukszpan

Just what it says, A-Z listing of metal bands, describing them along with each band's lineup and discography. Awesome color pictures, and some of the entries are hilarious. His takedown of Insane Clown Posse is worth the price of the book.

Awesome -- I went to college with Dan Bukszpan but lost track of him. Is there a listing for his college band Mister Softee?

I can't remember off the top of my head. The book is great, he seems like a really funny guy.

YES, genius funny. One night Mister Softee played a set of songs that varied only by one word: "We're Gonna Drink Drink Drink Drink Drink Drink Tonight," "We're Gonna Fight Fight Fight Fight Fight Tonight," etc.

! Brilliant.

It's a sociological and musicological examination of metal.

Zinc-encrusted dud.

Highly recommended: Harris Berger's Metal, Rock & Jazz: Perception & The Phenomenology Of Musical Culture. He interviews Tim Owens pre-Judas Priest, and delves really deeply into the politics of the various scenes he covers. Good stuff.

"iron maiden: run to the hills, the authorized biography" by mick wall -- dry and stiff, like much of the band's catalog, but really well researched and full of an incredible amount of info about 'em.

"bang your head" by david konow -- an overall survey like ian christe's "sound of the beast" but much much worse. reads like a clip job, and loaded with mistakes.

I knew Dan Bukzpan from his days in Slowhorse. He was also an early haunter of the Stonerrock.com forums. Good guy. I was really happy for him when he published that book... though I have yet to buy a copy.

More hilarious ribbing on Amazon.

Look up The Book of Metal: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Metal Music Ever Created and some really funny guys just tear it apart.

"Title: "The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Metal Music Ever Created."

Pages: 256.

Enough said."

Just finished reading The Dirt on Phil's recommendation. Might be the best written, most entertaining book on this thread so far.

Fucking fantastic and mind-blowing. Those guys will be saints in hell.