Your favorite Rock Books?

42
Domagoj wrote:I also need a recommendation for a decent book about soul/FUNK/disco.

I haven't read it yet, but Love Saves The Day: American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979 is reputed to be THE book on that.

There's a new Sonic Youth book out called Goodbye 20th Century. I haven't got it yet, but the excerpt I read was miles better than the crappy Alec Foege one.

I'd like to read Wreckers of Civilization, about Throbbing Gristle. Also interested in England's Hidden Reverse, about Nurse With Wound, Coil, and Current 93.

Simon Reynolds' other books -- Blissed Out, about late 80s/early 90s rock; Energy Flash (called Generation Ecstasy in the US), about techno & rave; and The Sex Revolts, about gender & rock music -- are worthwhile too.
Last edited by ctrl-s_Archive on Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Your favorite Rock Books?

44
I owe a lot to The Secret History of Rock by Roni Sarig for getting me interested in many bands that I still enjoy. If I were to pick it up now, I would put it right back down. Was very good for 14 year old me though.

Has anybody read No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York 1976-1980 by Thurston Moore and Byron Coley? Worth picking up? I can't stand their articles in Arthur (Bull Tongue?), but am still interested in this one.

Your favorite Rock Books?

45
owen wrote:
ERawk wrote:Oh yeah, more regarding blues than rock, Blues People by LeRoi Jones.



the playwright/poet Amiri Baraka?


The one and the same. There's also this pretty good Skip James book, for those who want to get really into the Blues:

Image



As for soul, this book is great - the photos included are fantastic too:

Image
Dr. McNinja wrote:I just surfed a robo dracula from the Moon, so all y'alls can just take it.

Your favorite Rock Books?

46
chrisc wrote:Has anybody read No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York 1976-1980 by Thurston Moore and Byron Coley? Worth picking up? I can't stand their articles in Arthur (Bull Tongue?), but am still interested in this one.


The Wire (UK mag) gave it a pretty good review (re: they didn't find too many faults with it). I haven't read it myself but it looks pretty great.

As for their Bull Tongue articles... yeah. Makes you wonder what the hell they're doing while listening to all those records.
Dr. McNinja wrote:I just surfed a robo dracula from the Moon, so all y'alls can just take it.

Your favorite Rock Books?

47
Robert G wrote:There's also this pretty good Skip James book, for those who want to get really into the Blues:


Is this one of those that is a biography, but parts or all of it are possibly untrue? I guess all biography's could of course be untrue. There was a Leadbelly book I read that said that most of it was probably false. Couldn't finish it.

But shit....Skip James. I'll almost definitely have to find this one.

Your favorite Rock Books?

49
Christopher J. McGarvey wrote:Are those 33 1/3 books worth reading or are they just some fucking tool slobbering on and on about records they've jerked off to?


Tori Amos on Slayer? I'm not sure if I get it.

I have heard good things about the series though. Probably from here.

EDIT: Oh god. Kat Von D was interviewed for Slayer too. I haz a sik.

Your favorite Rock Books?

50
chrisc wrote:
Robert G wrote:There's also this pretty good Skip James book, for those who want to get really into the Blues:


Is this one of those that is a biography, but parts or all of it are possibly untrue? I guess all biography's could of course be untrue. There was a Leadbelly book I read that said that most of it was probably false. Couldn't finish it.

But shit....Skip James. I'll almost definitely have to find this one.


I originally heard of the book reading John Fahey's How Blue Grass Destroyed My Life. Fahey mentions that Stephen Calt gets it "almost right" when it comes to writing about James and the Blues. That's a pretty high compliment considering Fahey was there when they found James alive in a hospital.

Having read it myself after reading about it, I found it to be pretty good and Calt definitely tries to stick with the truth on James.
Dr. McNinja wrote:I just surfed a robo dracula from the Moon, so all y'alls can just take it.

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