Good Books About Music or Bands

dazedcola · 06.09.2007, 04:52 PM

I read a lot of books about music and think if its done properly it can make you think/respect the music in a whole new way.What are some of your favorite books in this vein or what were some really bad ones people should avoid?

Some of My Favorites:
Our Band Could Be your Life- Michael Azerrad (my fucking bible, so well written)
Secret History Of Rock- Roni Sarig
Lost In The Woods:Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd- Julian Palacios (best book on him)
Confusion Is Next- Alec Foege (I think he did a good job would have liked it more if it went up to and thru washing machine though)
Shakey: Neil Young Biography- Jimmy McDonough (best and only one? on him)
The Beatles- Bob Spitz (best book on them)

great ones from from 33 and 1/3 series:
Piper at The Gates of Dawn
Loveless

demonrail666 · 06.09.2007, 05:27 PM

My favourite is still Greil Marcus' Mystery Train. Jon Savage's England's Dreaming is also great.

Simon Reynolds books are always interesting, if at times infuriatingly single minded in the way they treat their subjects.

Lester Bangs' Psychotic Reactions is a great fun read but one that I find increasingly annoying as time goes on. This isn't so much a fault of the book as much as the way in which it's become something of a bible for so many lazy-minded gutter-romantics.

Books dealing specifically with a single band tend to be less interesting, although I did enjoy Paul Stenning's Guns 'n' Roses: The Band that Time Forgot. I know this tends to divide people here but I also enjoyed Alec Foege's SY book, Confusion is Next.

CHOUT · 06.09.2007, 05:49 PM

My name is on the acknowlegements page in Our Band Could Be Your Life.
I got my first edition copy signed by Michael Azerrad too.

If you like REM, It Crawled From The South is really in depth.

demonrail666 · 06.09.2007, 05:52 PM

Nothing against their music, but REM have never struck me as a particularly interesting band from a behind-the-scenes perspective.

Dead-Air · 06.09.2007, 06:41 PM

Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life by John Litweiler was quite good.

So was Space is the Place: The Life and Times of Sun Ra by John F. Szwed.

I loved The Carpenters by Ray Coleman, though of course it's tragically sad.

Angie Bowie's revenge shot at her ex-husband Backstage Pass: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie is just plain awesome trashy fun.

Hip Hop America by George Nelson does the early days proud.

Of course most on here have probably read Confusion is Next by Alec Foege but he deserves credit for doing a decent SY biography, though of course it's time for several more chapters. We'll see what Everett True does in his Youth book.

terminal pharmacy · 06.09.2007, 11:46 PM

Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society a conversation between Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim

Noise Water Meat by Douglas Kahn

Four Musical Minimalists by Keith Potter

SonicSam · 06.10.2007, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dazedcola

Some of My Favorites:
Our Band Could Be your Life- Michael Azerrad (my fucking bible, so well

Best music book i've read by miles! It really is well written, I couldnt stop reading it, even for the bands I never listen to sections.

gmku · 06.10.2007, 09:15 AM

gmku · 06.10.2007, 09:15 AM

_tunic_ · 06.10.2007, 11:18 AM

Johnny Cash's autobiography
Nick Cave's And The Ass Saw The Angel

finding nobody · 06.10.2007, 12:25 PM

Bob Dylan's Chronicles
Pink Floyd: Inside Out by Nick Mason

Everyneurotic · 06.10.2007, 12:53 PM

american hardcore
choosing death
lexicon devil
nothing feels good
the dirt
lords of chaos
psychotic reactions and carburator dung
mainlines, blood feasts and bad taste

king_buzzo · 06.10.2007, 12:59 PM

sonicl · 06.10.2007, 02:36 PM

I learned more about the Ramones from this book than from all the others I've read added together.

A pretty cool history of NY punk.

An even cooler history of DC punk.

I found "Our Band Could Be Your Life" to be a bit derivative in places. The SY section quite frequently quotes verbatim from other SY books.

SonicSam · 06.10.2007, 06:12 PM

I need to get dance of days

iskandertime · 06.10.2007, 06:19 PM

The best book about Rock is, paradoxicly about country music: Country, the Twisted Roots of Rock & Roll by Nick Toches. Also Rock and the Pop Narcotic By Joe Carducci, the works of Peter Guralnick, We Are Devo by Dellinger & Giffels...I liked Our Band Could Be Your Life. I don't like Dinosaur JR.

CHOUT · 06.10.2007, 06:32 PM

I've wanted to read Carducci's book...never see it around here...oh, yeah there's such thing as the internets...

CHOUT · 06.10.2007, 06:33 PM

Lunar Notes by Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) is good if you like Beefheart.

terminal pharmacy · 06.10.2007, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _tunic_

Nick Cave's And The Ass Saw The Angel

not really a book about music or bands but very good

Dead-Air · 06.10.2007, 07:18 PM

Seconded Please Kill Me, though a lot of it is BS. Punk magazine did not name punk rock as they claim in the book. I watched a video of the NY Dolls in '72 and they were Johansen referred to them in it as a "punk band". I'm sure he was just using a term that had been around for a while too!

06.09.2007, 04:52 PM	#1
dazedcola the end of the ugly Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,075	I read a lot of books about music and think if its done properly it can make you think/respect the music in a whole new way.What are some of your favorite books in this vein or what were some really bad ones people should avoid? Some of My Favorites: Our Band Could Be your Life- Michael Azerrad (my fucking bible, so well written) Secret History Of Rock- Roni Sarig Lost In The Woods:Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd- Julian Palacios (best book on him) Confusion Is Next- Alec Foege (I think he did a good job would have liked it more if it went up to and thru washing machine though) Shakey: Neil Young Biography- Jimmy McDonough (best and only one? on him) The Beatles- Bob Spitz (best book on them) great ones from from 33 and 1/3 series: Piper at The Gates of Dawn Loveless __________________ "I said I didnt mean to take up all your sweet time Ill give it right back one of these days If I dont meet you no more in this world then uh Ill meet ya on the next one And dont be late " -Jimi Hendrix ...And me just another dream theory, lost inside your eye "when my mind's uncertain my body decides what it will do to get through the hell of the night as I trip on the ocean that leads through your eyes well my eyes can't wait til they finally see through you"
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06.09.2007, 05:27 PM	#2
demonrail666 invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18,509	My favourite is still Greil Marcus' Mystery Train. Jon Savage's England's Dreaming is also great. Simon Reynolds books are always interesting, if at times infuriatingly single minded in the way they treat their subjects. Lester Bangs' Psychotic Reactions is a great fun read but one that I find increasingly annoying as time goes on. This isn't so much a fault of the book as much as the way in which it's become something of a bible for so many lazy-minded gutter-romantics. Books dealing specifically with a single band tend to be less interesting, although I did enjoy Paul Stenning's Guns 'n' Roses: The Band that Time Forgot. I know this tends to divide people here but I also enjoyed Alec Foege's SY book, Confusion is Next.
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06.09.2007, 05:49 PM	#3
CHOUT invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minneapolis MN Posts: 3,128	My name is on the acknowlegements page in Our Band Could Be Your Life. I got my first edition copy signed by Michael Azerrad too. If you like REM, It Crawled From The South is really in depth. __________________ Chout's rare Sonic Youth vids: http://youtube.com/SONICchout
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06.09.2007, 05:52 PM	#4
demonrail666 invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18,509	Nothing against their music, but REM have never struck me as a particularly interesting band from a behind-the-scenes perspective.
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06.09.2007, 06:41 PM	#5
Dead-Air invito al cielo Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Portland OR Posts: 4,300	Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life by John Litweiler was quite good. So was Space is the Place: The Life and Times of Sun Ra by John F. Szwed. I loved The Carpenters by Ray Coleman, though of course it's tragically sad. Angie Bowie's revenge shot at her ex-husband Backstage Pass: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie is just plain awesome trashy fun. Hip Hop America by George Nelson does the early days proud. Of course most on here have probably read Confusion is Next by Alec Foege but he deserves credit for doing a decent SY biography, though of course it's time for several more chapters. We'll see what Everett True does in his Youth book. __________________ FuckBook; My Band; My Radio Show; My Flickr Page; Science Fiction Message Board
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06.09.2007, 11:46 PM	#6
terminal pharmacy invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 3,358	Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society a conversation between Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim Noise Water Meat by Douglas Kahn Four Musical Minimalists by Keith Potter
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06.10.2007, 09:15 AM	#8
gmku invito al cielo Join Date: May 2006 Location: Oxford, England Posts: 15,225	__________________ Ever notice how this place just basically, well, sucks.
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06.10.2007, 11:18 AM	#10
_tunic_ invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: I could live in eurHope Posts: 3,911	Johnny Cash's autobiography Nick Cave's And The Ass Saw The Angel __________________ what comes first, the music or the words?
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06.10.2007, 12:25 PM	#11
finding nobody invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 7,275	Bob Dylan's Chronicles Pink Floyd: Inside Out by Nick Mason
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06.10.2007, 12:53 PM	#12
Everyneurotic invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mexico Posts: 15,713	american hardcore choosing death lexicon devil nothing feels good the dirt lords of chaos psychotic reactions and carburator dung mainlines, blood feasts and bad taste __________________ Richard Clayderman found alive and still bland! Repo Man has all night! Photographic evidence of Monosodic's existance! New Kiddieriot shit after all! Never too late to share fave rex from the year before! David Keenan is a douchebag! Ron Asheton missed!
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06.10.2007, 12:59 PM	#13
king_buzzo invito al cielo Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 11,110
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06.10.2007, 02:36 PM	#14
sonicl invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 9,527	I learned more about the Ramones from this book than from all the others I've read added together. A pretty cool history of NY punk. An even cooler history of DC punk. I found "Our Band Could Be Your Life" to be a bit derivative in places. The SY section quite frequently quotes verbatim from other SY books.
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06.10.2007, 06:12 PM	#15
SonicSam children of satan Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: UK Posts: 269	I need to get dance of days __________________
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06.10.2007, 06:19 PM	#16
iskandertime little trouble girl Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: portland, maine Posts: 41	The best book about Rock is, paradoxicly about country music: Country, the Twisted Roots of Rock & Roll by Nick Toches. Also Rock and the Pop Narcotic By Joe Carducci, the works of Peter Guralnick, We Are Devo by Dellinger & Giffels...I liked Our Band Could Be Your Life. I don't like Dinosaur JR.
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06.10.2007, 06:32 PM	#17
CHOUT invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minneapolis MN Posts: 3,128	I've wanted to read Carducci's book...never see it around here...oh, yeah there's such thing as the internets... __________________ Chout's rare Sonic Youth vids: http://youtube.com/SONICchout
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06.10.2007, 06:33 PM	#18
CHOUT invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Minneapolis MN Posts: 3,128	Lunar Notes by Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) is good if you like Beefheart. __________________ Chout's rare Sonic Youth vids: http://youtube.com/SONICchout
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06.10.2007, 07:18 PM	#20
Dead-Air invito al cielo Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Portland OR Posts: 4,300	Seconded Please Kill Me, though a lot of it is BS. Punk magazine did not name punk rock as they claim in the book. I watched a video of the NY Dolls in '72 and they were Johansen referred to them in it as a "punk band". I'm sure he was just using a term that had been around for a while too! __________________ FuckBook; My Band; My Radio Show; My Flickr Page; Science Fiction Message Board
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