Entertainment For Lively Minds
Best music book of 2011?
Posted by TreyRoque on 10 December 2011 - 1:31pm.
I may've missed it, but what were the best reads on music for 2011?
(Xmas lists being frantically passed around...).
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Off the T of my H...
Nile Rodgers - Le Freak
Shaun Ryder - Twisting My Melon
Pete Frame - Even More Rock Family Trees
Dorian Lynskey - A History Of Protest Songs
Mark Yarm - Everybody Loves Our Town
An honourable mention for How To Wreck A Nice Beach, the story of the Vocoder. Could have been a great overview of the design, uses and impact of the Vocoder across music, but it's focus on obscure hip-hop artists took the edge off it.
Not a vintage year for music books really.
the answer as ever is the Dame
Any Day Now: Bowie London Years 1947-74 (brilliant study of the pre fame Bowie with stacks of photos, memorabilia and crammed with facts and things. A must have Bowie book alongside Nicholas Pegg's "Complete" and......
The Man Who Sold The World: Bow In the 70's by P Doggett - like all good books like this that examine someones songs in minute detail its makes you go back to the music and hear new things.
Post Everything - Luke Haines 2nd memoir cover a less turbulent and iconic musical period but is equally funny and sardonic as Bad Vibes
Am about halfway thru Andy Neills 'The Faces : Had Me A Real Good Time' which is pretty much the definitive tome on the modish Rodish herberts
Retromania
by Simon Reynolds, I thought it was going to be a big long winge, but in fact it delves deeply into the history of 'retro' and it's an intriguing and inspiring read.
Just finishing that
good read
Retromania
My favourite book of the year too.
Nile Rodgers "Le Freak" next.
Looking forward to Roy Wilkinson's "Do It For Your Mum". Not that I know anything about British Sea Power, but reading about his 80something dad becoming a bit of an alternative rock expert sounds tremendous.
Endless Trip
by Richard Morton Jack. US based companion to the equally brilliant 'Galactic Ramble'.
Cheers!
I did read the Bowie one recently, and have to admit I was pretty underwhelmed. Seeing as it's being sold under the 'Bowie Revolution in the Head', it really doesn't come close.
I gather that the author didn't get clearance to quote
any lyrics. That must impact on the book considerably!
My recollection
of RITH was that it was replete with take numbers, blokes on the sesh and an OCD amount of detail. TMWSTW had very littel by way of that.
Anyway, Bowie lyrics can't be taken too seriously, can they. I guess no more than 99% of any popmeister's.
BTW - got "WHite Bicycles" and "Are We Still Rolling", and Keef's "Liff". That's my xmas in bed sorted.
Very Dissapointed
by "The Man Who Sold The World".
A Xmas present from Goatgirl, it was hotly anticipated as the Bowie RITH. However, its pretty dull, the cultural analysis is tedious and more often non existent and his conjectures dont seem to have any real research or apparent point behind them.
RITH made me like the Beatles more. MHSW makes me like Bowie a lot less.