Good books about music

Have you tried John Corbett's A Listener's Guide to Free Improvisation?

No but the reviews are promising. Thank you!

I also found Brian Eno's review of Alan Lomax's Folk Song Style and Culture via the Guardian link upthread and may give that a go.

Huh, was about to suggest Every Song Ever since that was the one that got me to really explore black metal as well as the modern jazz quartet, but apparently YMMV.

seconding the free improvisation book

The "History of Rock and Roll Volume 1" by Ed Ward got me to listen to a lot of '40s and '50s rock, country, doo-wop, and R&B sides that I hadn't heard before. Definitely gave me a new appreciation for that era of popular music.

Robert Palmer’s writing is probably the best at doing that. His box set liner notes (Bo Diddley’s Chess recordings, Ornette Coleman’s Atlantic recordings, etc.) are some of the best ever, but with regards to books, “Deep Blues” is the first to come to mind.

I really enjoyed Debbie Harry's autobiography, Face It.

Xgau on new Lenny Kaye book, some vids in here too (this isn't paywalled)
https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/hippy-punk-guitarist-historian?r=6pvn1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

FWIW, Lenny Kaye posted this on Instagram late last month and the offer is still good:

"In response to many queries, if you would like a personally inscribed Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments In Rock And Roll, I have arranged with my favorite independent bookshop to be the go-to destination. Order your copy from Carroll and Carroll, 740 Main St., Stroudsburg, PA 18360, phone (570) 420-1516, email d2qv5k AT verizon DOT net. I will then go there to sign to you or your loved one and they will mail the book wherever you like. Easy!! Thank you George and Lisa."

I'm two pages from the end of You're History, the Lesley Chow book mentioned above.
Here's her explanation of how she chose the book's subjects:

...they are all anomalies: pioneers in the making, whose output has been too strange for the culture to fully digest... In particular, I want to advocate for urgency , so my focus is on performers whose effect on the body is hot, explosive and immediate, rather than those who adhere to typical standards of refinement and class, such as Grimes and Joanna Newsom...

The tone is sort of a hybrid of poptimism and MFA thesis (sans footnotes). Her insights are epigrammatic and detailed, but not especially fascinating to me, though I can imagine some readers here really liking this.
ILM historians should note that she nods to "the fine critic Marcello Carlin" as "one of the few writers willing to get to the bottom of an 'ooh, aah'", but doesn't consider Nitsuh Abebe's evaluation of Rihanna otm.

Grimes “adheres to typical standards of refinement and class”?

By comparison, I guess

With… Sade and Shakespears Sister? (Maybe it’s a good book, but that’s a head scratcher)

https://www.amazon.com/DC-Go-Go-Backstage-American-Heritage/dp/1467150533

Chip Py took some great photos of DC go-go shows in the 2000s. His writing is just ok (I like his first person story of being on a tour bus with Chuck Brown better than some of his objective wiki like bios of go-go musicians and history of the genre). Photos unfortunately don't have dates listed in captions so you have to guess the year

This book is incredible. The amount of info and connections @ericdharvey makes in it is just mind-blowing. If you have any interest in 90s political rap, it’s a 100% must-read. pic.twitter.com/C649KhZuZ7

— Marc Masters 🌵 (@Marcissist) March 7, 2022

Anybody read this?

Yeah, it’s great. Highest possible recommendation.

Perhaps of limited interest outside the UK, but the AZ Record Shop Bags is a lovely thing. Surely big scope for an international edition as a followup.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CciplU6Mwfa/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

(I am still amused, BTW, that the original poster on this thread is one and the same as this well known figure when it comes to reporting on Q. I checked a few months back and asked, and it's him!)

https://twitter.com/willsommer

Felt sure the revive was going to be about the Bob Stanley book and the accompanying CD if bought from the St Etienne website.

Withput doxing myself, I also write about Q and right wing extremism by day. The Ilxor pipeline is real.

Astounding!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42KQCWYDIbU

Oh yeah, that’s an interesting book!

The Light Pours Out of Me: The Authorised Biography of John McGeoch
Rory Sullivan-Burke

John McGeoch was the unsung hero of the post-punk era. Blazing a trail with some of Britain’s biggest bands and most revered artists – Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Armoury Show and Public Image Ltd. – John left an undeniable and indelible mark on music.

The Light Pours Out of Me examines John’s life and legacy, drawing on original interviews with the likes of Siouxsie Sioux, Howard Devoto, Johnny Marr, Billy Idol, John Frusciante, Keith Levene, Jonny Greenwood, Nick Launay, Ed O’Brien, Peter ‘Hooky’ Hook and many others.

I think this is available in the UK now, but not in the US till June 23. McGeoch died in his late 40s

How was that guy's name pronounced? It's probably "McGee" but I keep thinking "McGuck" because that idea makes me laugh.

Only ever heard it pronounced Mah-Gee-Ock.

I just asked stirmonster, maybe he'll know.

Mah-Gee-Ock is ok but Muh-Gee-Och is closer, with the Och bit being the same as if you are saying Loch, as in Loch Ness. in Scotland the "och" bit would be said with such emphasis and ferocity that it would possibly result in many Englishmen running for the border.

so, actually Muh-Gee-OcCCCHHHH.

I heard Mcgeoch pronounced by I think Budgie last week and need to relisten. Cos it wasn't what I had it as. I think it had 3 syllables when I had just thought it was Magock or something similar.
I've been listening to Curious Creatures the Budgie/Lol Tolhurst podcast. Think I may have come across it while looking for appearances by Will Sergeant tied in to his memoir,.
That's a book that is worth reading too. I hadn't realised that all of the Bunnymen, with teh exception of Pete De Freitas had pretty much learnt from scratch in the band or in the pre-band rehearsal formative bit. Les Patterson had never played before it was said that Sergeant and Macul needed a bassist for an upcoming debut gig supporting Teardrop Explodes. & Macul turned up to Will Sergeant's place with an acoustic he'd almost never played before. They seem to have spent some months rehearsing together but that was basically from scratch.
Otherwise mainly covers Sergeant growing up in the area outside of Liverpool. Quite good asa childhood/coming of age memoir and then into Punk.

I need to get into the Sue Steward book on Salsa that I got out after reading David toop's book Flutter Echo which was also pretty good.
& this Miles, Ornette, Cecil : how Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor revolutionized the world of jazz
by Howard Mandel looks good but I've only read the introduction so far.

Also just finished transcribing the bibliography and discography of Mande Music by Eric Charry which cover the music from Nort West Africa in great depth but is by an ethnomusicologist so isn't exactly light. Very interesting though.

Anyone read this new Elephant 6 book? I got a wave of 90s nostalgia listening to the author talk about it on a recent Sound Opinions; strange because I was never all that much into most of that stuff beyond In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

started the bruce dickinson autobiog a few days ago.
i have no iron maiden in the archive, and it's not my thing, but damn, he can tell a tale.

got my eye on the recent SST Records book, anyone care to dissuade me?

Have mainly heard good about it. Don't think Ginn comes out looking great by the end. It's definitely one I want to read

I am a casual SST knower, but I have never heard a single version where Ginn comes out looking good in the end

JUst heard Budgie pronounce McGeoch again and yeah it's MakGee-ok.

I've been getting further into that book on Salsa and it is really good. Also been transcribing the discography to RYM for future reference.
& looking up artists on Spotify so getting to hear bits of that stuff. But there is a lot listed so it will be a longterm project to familiarise myself with this and the Mande stuff but definitely enjoying what I've heard so far.
Finding it odd that things cited in the 2 books have had low scores on RYM with some frequency. So wondering what the disparity is if there was less choice fro the same artists when the books were written around the turn of the millenium and now there is more available so comparison makes those recordings look bad. I am seeing higher gradings for other sets by the same band/artist on the website. & I'm just coming across the artist so have no grounding for comparison.

Budgie is wrong. :)

so, actually Muh-Gee-OcCCCHHHH.

^^^^ this

You can hear the correct pronuciation in this video (don't worry you don't have to listen to all 54 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlyBBc8-KP8

... worth watching for that goal at the start though!

Picked this up today

https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/0GfkvAbHCHfdYYlHaXsNXdgtvRTO6_8Qjc8pbfTe1mKap-HnBju7qlCZfwm68GKf5IYddg8tBbNsTL3m0emkc7c65ooXvoEaq55vJ6QJzmASbIETQhu2_dvkYHBA4XOUdIZwS4GM2l7ldN082mT-h4NIGMnlZLtBgnvV8sTaq8MojoYj9A47WHdR_pOTP3my17H4xM5JEMHGKu5IXRg4XzFgIlctkmBbMLcYsUquVOL0UAY_x7aLRHSQXlibfGn0spI5-wrtRKH0X7Alo5butyzB1y1WiUm1hZW1zMZOqq9ZxQ2C6E1N58xiQa0TAg8ytIvJ2l2Q720_2aZWVANI9hjR=s0-d-e1-ft#https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_2420,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F27f34777-f090-4092-bb10-f31d458f4232_1210x938.png

That looks like a worthy read!

that url has at least 3 domain names in it.

Marissa Moss, Her Country

anyone wanna recommend a book (or books) available here? 40% off sale rn:

https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/search-by-category/categories/music

skip the "this one's OK" ... tell me if there's one here you really love!

The DJ Screw book is really good but Who Got The Camera? is incredible, one of the best music books I've read in years. A must-read.

I found the Chris Stamey book very interesting and wide-ranging; he originally planned to publish a songbook where he would discuss the structures and theory behind his songs, with some anecdotes and stories interspersed, but in the course of writing, the latter took over.
The variety of people and situations he's been involved with, and his insights into songwriting, production, culture and rock band dynamics might give this book some appeal even to someone who isn't familiar with Stamey's own music.

Deusner's Drive By Truckers book is great.

i haven't read it yet so obviously i would defer to someone who has, but the malone/neal country music u.s.a. book has basically been considered a definitive reference on the subject for decades afaik

xpost do you need to be a DBTs fan to enjoy it, ya think? i've tried, but never been able to connect with them ... or maybe the book would help with that.

i do, however, love the South