Good books about music

Rob Sheffield's 50 best rock memoirs:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/books-greatest-rock-memoirs-of-all-time-161198/

I've only read #1--my pronounced preference for biographies over autobiographies extends to music, baseball, everything.

jeez, I've only read 5 of these, and I thought I played a pretty good rock memoir game.

I've read seven, and there's one or two others on that list I might want to read. Slash's book was one of the dullest things I've ever read; 400 pages of lorem ipsum would have been more diverting.

The Peter Hook blurb mentions the Bernard Sumner book, but not the recent one from Stephen Morris, which I found to be a decent read (also author seems like a genuinely good guy).

Good revive, I could use a good rock memoir right now

Don't know why I picked Don Felder's Between Heaven and Hell for latest victim of my totally unfair Random Read Test, but it passed and I spent the day at the library going through the whole thing, which never happens. No regerts---detailed rave here:
A Good Day In Hell - The Official ILM Track-By-Track EAGLES Listening Thread

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81x1VKPA2mL.jpg

We might should have more cover art on this thread---or would it be distracting. irrelevant?

Groupie memoirs are a booming industry, from Pamela Des Barres’ classic I’m With the Band to Pattie Boyd’s fab Wonderful Tonight. But the tiara goes to hair-metal video vixen Bobbie Brown, who contributed precisely zero to music history, yet became a star by shaking what mama gave her in Warrant and Great White clips.

yuck

The top 3 wouldn't load for me, if anyone can paste?

Top 3 memoirs on Rolling Stone list? Is that what you mean?
Dylan, Springsteen, Patti Smith

I've only read the Patti Smith one. I'm not big on bios in general; prefer critical readings of an artist, which is while I'll probably read at least a dozen more 33 1/3's before I ever get to that copy of Chronicles, Volume 1 that I've had sitting, unread, on my shelf for years.

Let me be the first to say that nothing about Chronicles, Volume is like a typical rock bio though.

I haven't read it, but I just received John Corbett's Pick Up the Pieces: Excursions in Seventies Music today (one of the books I bought last week while trying to support one of my favorite indie bookstores). I've heard lots of good things about it.

Chronicles is one of the weirdest books I've ever read. Gorgeous George, meticulous making-of chapter on one of those '80s albums vs. hardly a word (from what I remember) on '65/66...and I realize its perverseness is why people love it, and that there's a mountain of writing on '65/66 already.

Top 3 memoirs on Rolling Stone list? Is that what you mean?

yes, ta - I got a SHOW MORE link after Questlove, that when clicked erased all the previous 47 and loaded comments instead (the first of which was raging that the list was invalid because there were books by rappers on it)

Including audiobooks, I've read (or "read") 8 from the Rolling Stone list: 6 of the top 7, plus Kristin Hersh and Kim Gordon. (I'll get to you, Questlove.) Especially recommend seeking out Viv Albertine (print) and Patti Smith (audio).

I haven't read it, but I just received John Corbett's Pick Up the Pieces: Excursions in Seventies Music today (one of the books I bought last week while trying to support one of my favorite indie bookstores). I've heard lots of good things about it.

It's a good one. Corbett's one of my heroes. I interviewed him last year when it came out (warning: podcast - you will hear my speaking voice).

I note that David Lee Roth’s book makes the list, but Sammy Hagar‘s — which I have actually read, for some reason — does not.

David Lee Roth's book is v good.

There’s a great NewsRadio episode (“Chock”) in which Bill McNeal (Phil Hartman’s character) reads Crazy From the Heat... he keeps bringing it up, recounting anecdotes, etc.; then it turns out he has no idea who David Lee Roth is (“I think he was a singer before he turned to writing”).

ha :)

I can imagine someone reading only DLR’s book, I can imagine someone reading both DLR’s book and Sammy’s, I cannot imagine someone only reading Sammy’s

I'm not a big Dylan guy, but I read Chronicles and finished it feeling like it's pretty bad as like, A Dylan Biography. I enjoyed reading it, but it felt like I was missing a lot of knowledge that it assumed I had. What's the best Dylan bio out there?

going into that sheffield list i was anticipating responding 'no rod stewart, no credibility' but there rod is, high up there, at that. his eloquence is so surprising you can't help but admire him

Dean Wareham's book is really good, he's v frank about Damon & Naomi but doesn't let himself off the hook.

(xpost) The only one I know I've read for sure is Anthony Scaduto's, the first and most ancient--came out in the early '70s. I read it 40 years ago, so I don't remember a thing; I don't think it was all that well received, by Dylan especially. The most famous is Robert Shelton's, which was anticipated for years--it's his Times review on reproduced on the first album. I think I read that when it came out. But I'm not sure--I might have just skipped to the end, where he interviews Dylan. I think he does, anyway. My memory's terrible, as you can see.

Kristin Hersh and Viv Albertine’s books are fantastic. I’d have included Playing the Bass With Three Left Hands by Will Carruthers. And its not technically a rock memoir, but Really the Blues by Mezz Mezzrow (especially since Dylan took bits and pieces of it for his own memoir).

i liked the kristin hersh book about vic chesnutt too (depressing obviously)

Loved the Hersh autobiog (predictably). Have bought her Chesnutt one as well, but am stalling at diving in, possibly for reasons expressed by na there.

Dylan's Chronicles I is fantastic. It is not really an autobio though.

I want to take a minute to Stan for a very obvious choice, one that most here will have probably already read, or at least been aware of - Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business. It's the most entertaining book on the pop-music business that I ever read, and I've read it 20-odd-some years ago. There are a million other books, most of which are mentioned in this treasure of a thread, but this book explains 70s-90s major label business more than any other book. 

I read a book a few years back written by Jacob Slichter (drummer for Semisonic) on a recommendation by a friend, it's a great read and Jacob is a really engaging writer, it's the boom and bust tale of Semisonic (and a bit about Trip Shakespeare) but very good nonetheless.

^ So You Wanna Be A Rockstar? It's a great one.

Yep, that's the one!

Y'all really made me just order a book by the drummer from Semisonic, and that's why I love this place.

My 2 fave rock memoirs are Crazy From the Heat and Chronicles Vol 1, maybe not in that order.

i enjoyed "cool town" by grace elizabeth hale about the athens, GA, scene of the '70s and '80s. she's an academic, so she does a good job of discussing the broader sociological context of the scene and bands, but she was also part of the scene (ran a beloved restaurant and was in a local band) so has a good personal connection too.

Enjoying the Michael Barnes book on Prog It Was A New Day yesterday. Got as far as the Canterbury scene. Just read the first chapter on that this morning

I was wondering this morning if there's a band in which every single member has written a memoir yet.

Got a slight update on a Kid congo one recently. So hope taht means its coming before too long. Which would mean 3 members out of 4 on a coupl eof occasions.
but Rob ritter is dead and not sure if Patricia Morrison is going to write one.
Enjoyed the Terry graham one though.

Patricia Morrison is legally not allowed to talk about her time in SIsters of Mercy, so that would make for a weird book.

I was wondering this morning if there's a band in which every single member has written a memoir yet.

― Maresn3st, Monday, April 27, 2020 3:46 PM (nineteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Motley Crue, if you count Mick Mars' contributions to The Dirt.

Has anyone read The Beautiful Ones?

The Police also

xpost - yes! It’s really good but incomplete for obvious reasons.

All the surviving members of Joy Division plus Ian curtis widow have done memoirs.
& is that Jon Savage thing an oral history that contains more material by each band member too

Finally getting around to Jeff Tweedy's book, I like it quite as bit - funny and very conversational.

Duke University Press is doing a half-price sale on their books till May 25--- Tony Allen one, some reggaeton ones, more

https://www.dukeupress.edu/explore-subjects/browse?subjectid=110&sortid=3

mark lanegan's new memoir!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

seeing backlashes against Lanegan from the Connor brothers and an attempted one from LIam Gallagher.
THink I want to read the book anyway cos he's lead an interesting life, i mean quite apart from the responses so far, like.