Archive for Items Categorized 'Music', only excerpts shown, click title for full entry.

That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound

by Daryl Sanders

Bob Dylan’s first album was released in 1962. Since then he has recorded over three dozen studio albums. He is still actively recording and performing. With all that material, it would be difficult to pick a favorite, but there seems to be a general agreement that his 1966 Blonde On Blonde is the best of the best. Sander’s book tells a very detailed, very lively tale of its making.

Decoding Dylan

by Jim Curtis

The most elusive, enigmatic, inscrutable and problematic songwriter of the Rock era—is it really possible to decode Bob Dylan’s songs? Is Jim Curtis, an academic, up to the task? Read our review and decide for yourself. Decoding Dylan is like untangling a closet full of clothes hangers.

Want To Hold Your Hand / This Boy

The Beatles

All right, so it’s a record.. . . There’s more to life than car books, dontchaknow, and we are, after all, inquisitive folk. So read this. Or don’t.

Take Five, the Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond

by Doug Ramsey

A serious, thoughtful biography of a jazz saxophonist by a jazz critic and musician who knew his subject personally. This spells real insight, and, in fact, this book ought to be a model to all biographers.

Sticky Fingers

by Joe Hagan

At the best of times, Rolling Stone magazine was, and once more is, so much more than merely a chronicle of the music industry or popular culture. It showcased heavy-hitting political reporting and writers who would become literary luminaries. This masterful biography offers a look behind the curtain.

Maximum Volume, The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin

by Kenneth Womack

Still can’t enough of Beatles material? This book shows how important Martin’s contributions and collaborations were to the Beatles’ recorded music, and it shows his profound concern for both the music and for the band.

Collector’s Choice Music Catalogue, August 2017

by Joe Van Horn

Speedreaders is often unique in the material we review—and proud of it. Here is a music catalogue that may periodically come to your house. But we sometimes do more than a mere review; this essay is both informational and illuminating.

Do Not Sell at Any Price

by Amanda Petrusich

The title comes from a sticker that was affixed by their original or early subsequent owner to some 78 rpm records eventually acquired by hardcore collectors: Do not sell at any price. This becomes a ready symbol for the fervor and obsession of the collectors found in the book.

Vinyl Freak, Love Letters to a Dying Medium

by John Corbett

Although most music consumers today stream their favorites, there has been an uptick in the interest in vinyl. There too is a tremendous backlog of out-of-print vinyl, and not everything, believe it or not, is available on CD or streaming. This book takes a long look at this phenomenon.

Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy

by Mike Love and James S. Hirsch

Enough about Brian Wilson already! I am a Beach Boy too, a founding member! Attention must be paid! I am a wonderful person! Look at Me, Ma!

The Dylanologists, Adventures in the Land of Bob

by David Kinney

Now that Bob Dylan has won the Nobel Prize for Literature, the fans and enthusiasts portrayed in this book, many of them obsessive, are vindicated. David Kinney describes these folks with respect and sympathy.

Price Guide For The Beatles American Records

by Perry Cox and Frank Daniels

John Lennon, 1966: “We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first—rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity.” Fifty years later and considering the scope of this book, it just might go either way. Even if you don’t collect/trade Beatles records, you can still enjoy the book.

« Older Entries