Good books about music

actually surprised someone hasn't written an entire book about that one show (maybe someone has?)

the big new Two Tone book is in the amazon monthly deal (uk) this month (which surprises me as it is kinda new. maybe it sold better than expected in hardback)

I picked up the Hungry Beat oral history on Scottish indie cos I saw it in a charity shop. Very interesting, also that a load of English bands got picked up by small labels up there. Didn't know Gareth Sager was originally Scottish. running through my head that I've seen him in a kilt but wouldn't have made that connection.
book is by Grant McPhee and Douglas MacIntyre with Neil Cooper.

I'm reading Paul Becker's HOW WE MADE THE KICK INSIDE by Paul Becker. It's kind of a freaky, free-jazz fantasisa on the Guardian's How We Made format, with an imaginary Kate quoting Claire Lispector, describing how she wove a nest out of electrical cables, and recounting how she feel into and got trapped inside a 70 foot tall Wicker Man style effigy of herself in her back garden. Not sure it illuminates the music very much but an interesting essay on *creative process* (the writer is a fine artist).

It's by Paul Becker in case I didn't make that clear.

Fast Product is more than a small label, really one of the pioneering forces of UK indie.

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

I talked a little bit about this book on the McGeoch thread: John McGeoch

i almost never read books about music, but i loved kyle gann's article on robert ashley as a minimalist so reading his ashley book now. starting with the chapter on the tetralogy (since 'improvement' is my favorite of ashley's works), it's good but feels like he rushed it to completion or condensed it or something. it's more like the outline of a really good, in-depth book or article. he drops some good insights that i want him to explore further, then it's over.

Ah, felt sure the thread revive would be about the new (due 2024) Simon Reynolds book.

xxps

I think one of the most intriguing things Fast Product put out, in terms of how did that end up on there, was putting Out Of Vogue by the Middle Class on one of their Earcom compilations. I suppose they had a connection to the California scene because they also put out California Uber Alles by the Dead Kennedys.

is My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry For The Prize worth reading if your interest in Creation is largely restricted to pre-Oasis? it is now available again

It’s a pretty good primer for things you already know, CP, ie the uk indie scene 1979-83, then its a fairly faithful account afaict of the per-oasis years, i recall nothing of the later part of the story- it perhaps I stopped readers my it.

My gripe with it was that it didn’t seem to try any critical reappraisal, so the stuff which got the attention then (eg House of Love, Primal Scream) got good coverage and things I’d loved that I thought underexposed back then were barely touched on (eg Jasmine Minks, even Biff Bang Pow!). I accept this is primarily my problem.

It’s solid, interesting, no fireworks that I recall.

I read some complaints that they hadn't reappraised MBV at all so most of it was complaining about how much money they spent.

I would probably have similar gripes by the sounds of it. it's not expensive atm though so might be worth a go or something I can ask for as an xmas present maybe

Given all those stiff Thurston quotes---the more earnest he gets, the more awkward the phrasing, like he's sweating through his rental formalware----don't think I'll be seeking it out, but will take a look if library gets it, esp. that Public Image experience.

Noh Mercy on the earcom comp was also Bah area I think.

Anyone else read Michael Cragg’s Reach For The Stars? Can’t recommend it highly enough.

Anymore For Anymore: The Ronnie Lane Story by Caroline and David Stafford

Published by Omnibus Press (out now)

This is a fascinating account of a key player in the late 60’s British music explosion. There are many great stories here from his peak years with the Small Faces and the Rod Stewart-led Faces. Ronnie Lane was at the heart of the storm, playing bass, singing and writing. But it’s not all “happy days toy town” – it’s depressing to read of yet another young musician ripped off and exploited by the music biz sharks, and the last section of the book describing his lingering decline and death from MS, which makes for some grim reading.

The book doesn’t dwell too long on his East End childhood, so we’re spared the usual guff about jellied eels and Pearly Kings. Fortunately, his older brother Stan was well into music and Ronnie was playing in bands from a young age.

Just read the girl group oral history, But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?. I should have been warned by a couple of the comments upthread.

Frustrating. This book really needed to be edited with a heavier hand - to clean up grammar, to explain confusing quotes, to reconcile contradictory testimony, to add any kind of context. Dates! It needed far more dates.

For better or worse it gets quite gossipy. Some big names don't come off very well. Most of the new information the book left me with has to do with developments of the last 25 years, stuff not covered in Alan Betrock's Girl Groups: The Story of a Sound (1982) or John Clemente's Girl Groups: Fabulous Females that Rocked the World (2000). Was struck by one thing, which is the seemingly high rate of depression and mental issues associated with people who were involved in the girl group business.

Now I'm in the middle of Listen: On Music, Sound, and Us by Michel Faber, which seems mainly concerned with questioning assumptions we make about music that are tied up in our listening habits. So far so interesting.

The novelist?

Yep

Would read.

Especially since the main blurb seems to be from Gary Lucas!

Oh, I overlooked Robert Fripp, sorry

With regard to the other book: yeah I read a little and it also seemed to me to be super-disorganized, unedited and too gossipy even for me. Not surprised that many people ended up unhappy. Think I told you about the one guy I know– well, met a few times– who played guitar on some of those records and also produced a bit later on but really survived later on by writing and producing jingles.

Yeah, some people got rich from the girl group phenomenon but it wasn't the performers, outside of Diana Ross.

Ellie Greenwich ended up singing jingles.

One time I asked my guy about the whole Red Bird fiasco and he just stood there for a second standing next to his wife with his jaw dropped staring at me and said “you want to talk about THAT!?” so I changed the subject. At least I hope I did.

Now recalling some notorious Morris Levy quote about “they should pay ME!”

Which reminds me to ask, does Michel Faber weigh in on record man George Goldner?

Faber book has me hooked from the first footnote!

No Faber on Goldner. He seems more concerned with the listening end of music rather than production/business end.

No worries, figured, was really just tagging up

You still reading it?

Finished it. It gets a little scattershot as it goes along, but occasionally a point is made that would be a good start to a discussion. At times it seems as if the way he expresses his musical opinions, and his opinions of people who hold differing opinions, contradict his opening statement that particular tastes are beside the point of the book.

But it did make me dig out my Nana Mouskouri best of CD. Hadn’t listened to that in a while.

I sort of confirmed in passing one of his main points last night at karaoke

new book about the Village Voice The Freaks Came Out To Write, author Tricia Romano has a section about Christgau getting into hiphop and hiring writers to cover it.

This book seems really good to dip into.

The oral history quote after quote approach of the Village Voice book sounds like it is one that one would want to dip in and dip out of .

Ha, yeah, although I did read PLEASE KILL ME straight through from front to back, in non-hopscotch order.

I'm around page 300. You could skip around--the chapters are very short and often self-contained--but I think you'd want to read it in order; there's a story there.