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IUflaCPOLE ve?cew&eyi r r, r?96
New Books
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T8IVU. INI CBITIQIEI ON ilTEINiWE IUI
BY SGQTT SCHIHDER
ft THE EVITIBS IF IILUIS STONE fllESS
Read
Bought all your Christmas pre
sents? Well if you haven’t, here are
a few ideas It's amazing the num
ber of music-related bocks pub
lished in 1996 I have read too many
books on music for more than a brief
mention, but my tastes are so eclec
tic and wide-ranging that there's
pretty' much something fa everyone
in this listing.
I’ll quickly insert a brief disclaimer. I read most of these books. How
ever. some of the photo books a reference books I may only have browsed
or consulted when needed: some books I chose not to buy because of
price or other reasons but gave them a good going over in a bookstore
or library: and I happen to enjoy reading scholarly treatises and histori
cal books related to music and society.
This top-ten list of favorite music books published in the year of 1996
makes an odd lot. I refuse to rank them, but I recommend any of them.
• Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-A-Rama An Outrageous Compendium of
Facts, Fiction, Trivia, and Critiques on Alternative Rock, by Cuott Schinder
& the editors of Rolling Stone Pra is is one of those books I’ve al
most read cover-to-cover but pick up frequently for en'ertainment and
occasionally for reference. It includes such trivia as how bands got their
names, 85 songs covered by R.E.M, Jack Logan and Kelly Keneipp’s
Home Recording Tips, Chris Mars’ Ten Favorite Drummer Jokes, and the
five worst rock club bathrooms in America. Contributas include not only
music journalists but many musicians including Joey Ramone, Eric Amble,
Matthew Sweet. Kristin Hersh, Robyn Hitchcock and Graham Parker. Peter
Holsapple’s essay, “The dB’s: What Happened?,' is worth the price of
this 473-page book.
• Imagine: A Celebration of John Lennon, by John Lennon, Pub
lished by Penguin USA. $14.95. Not to be confused
with a larger book that came out several years ago,
this is a small, beautiful pictorial celebration of John
Lennon and his song.
The majaity of the photography was done by
Tom Hanley (additional photographs provided by
Dan Einzig) in August, 1971, during a long, intimate
session where Lennon played all the songs he and
Paul McCartney hcd written together. Then John
played ’‘Imagine." Each page of this book is beauti
ful whether it contains a photograph a a line from
the song. Published to coincide with the 15th anni
versary of Lennon's death, this is a treasure
fa any fan.
• Goin' Back to Memphis: A Century of
Blues, Rock'NRoll, and Glorious Soul, by
James Dickerson, published
oy Simon and Schuster, $29
This book was touted as the
%st comprehensive history of
Memphis music making I
wonder if the author read last
/ear’s It Came from Memphis
oy Robert Gordon? (oiill one
of my favaites.) Nonetheless,
.his book covers a-broader
:ime span (100 years) and
contains interviews with per
formers, producers and
songwriters. Not quite as
much fun as Gordon's book
out the history and criticism
contained within provide
good reading. Lots of photographs
• He s Got the Whole World in His
Pants: And More Misheard Lyrics, by Gavin Edwards published by Fire
side Press, $9.95. This one is a little more on the humaous side, but I
can't help but love it. Reading through this paperback brought laughter
and tears to my eyes as I remembered some of the lyrics that I had
bungled as a youth, like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “There’s a bath
room on the right" (There's a bad moon on the rise) to Jimmy Hendrix’s
"Excuse me while I kiss this guy" (Excuse me while I kiss the sky). At this
price it’s a great stocking stuffer, and it'll make you want to write your own
book on misinterpreted R.E.M. lyrics alone.
• Song: in the Rough: From “Heartbreak Hotel" to “Higher Love:’
Rock's Greyest Songs in Rough Draft Form, by Stephen Bishop, pub
lished by St. Martins Press, $27.94.
This book is a gem for both fans and probably aspiring songwriters
as well Bishop spent over four years tracking down rough drafts of songs
written on napkins or whatever scraps of paper available when the muse
hit. The author interviewed over 40 songwriters and includes reproduc
A CiELX OK AT ION or
John Lennon
tions of the rough drafts of songs from writers like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell,
Springsteen, Lennon/McCartney, Hendrix and others. To the music his
torian a avid fan this book would be like an author a book collecta
having a first draft of one of
Faulkner’s novels (Well, uh,
sorta).
• Please Kill Me: The Un
censored Oral History of Punk
by Legs McNeil and Gillian
McCain (editas), published by
Grove/Atlantic, $25. A great
book to read on the plane. (It
keeps folks from talking to you,
especially if you're also
plugged into your CD player.)
Though the book touts itself as
a history of punk, it focuses pri
marily on the punk scene of
New York City, featuring bands
like the Velvet Underground,
Iggy and the Stooges, Blondie,
the Ramones, and the New Yak
Dolls. Though their book is fascinating to
read, the authors are negligent in not cov
ering the L.A. and other punk scenes that
gave us X, The Minutemen, Flesh Eaters,
DOA and others. Still, it includes lots of in
terviews and is a fun arid informative read
for those who lived it and for the teenagers
now getting into the Velvet Underground
and Patti Smith.
• Angry Women in Rock by Andrea
Jono and V. Vale (editors), Juno Books,
$19.95. No, this is not Alanis’s autobiogra
phy but interviews with some of the women
who paved the way fa today’s crop of fe
male musicians. Some of the best interviews
are with Chrissie Hynde, Joan Jett, Kathleen
Hanna (Bikini Kill) and June Millington of the band Fanny — called here
the “Godmothem of Womyn's Rock." This is an interesting read not just
for music fans but for anyone interested in recent history, women's stud
ies, feminism and sociology. This book may be difficult to find, but any
bookstae should be able to order it.
This may turn into a series, since the title page indicates this ; s Vol
ume 1 — guess they’ll eventually get to Ms. Morrisette.
• Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island by Greil Marcus (edi-
ta) and an introduction by Robert Christgau, published by Da Capo Press.
$14.95. Here's another fun book. If you were stuck on a desert island,
consider what albums you'd like to have with you. Of course, this is hy
pothetical, but also consider that you'll need the CD a cassette player,
either tots of batteries or a small generator for electricity. Find out what
music your favaite bands and musicians would make sure they had
Another good stocking stuffer.
• Fodor's Rock & Roll Traveler USA The Ultimate Guide to Juke Joints,
Never Pay Retail
40 % off all hardback
NYT Bestsellers
Chapter 11
• The Discount Bookstore.
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