Best books about popular music according to redditors
We found 227 Reddit comments discussing the best books about popular music. We ranked the 138 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 227 Reddit comments discussing the best books about popular music. We ranked the 138 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
A lot of times the story behind the albums make them better. My personal favorite is Marvin Gaye's 1978 album Here, My Dear. When I first heard this album I thought it was just okay, and just a little too long. Then I read his biography Divided Soul and learned that this album was actually used to pay his ex-wife after their divorce, I had to go listen to it again.
As part of their divorce, the album's profits would go to her. Marvin was just coming off a hit single, Got to Give It Up, his first hit in a few years. So instead of making a disco dance pop record that would most likely be a hit, he makes Here, My Dear. The title just reeks of bitter sarcasm. Mind you, his ex-wife is Berry (the founder of his label, Motown Records) Gordy's sister, who was 17 years older than him. And the album is just chock full of slight jabs and straight uppercuts. After reading the book, knowing their history, and his life up to this point, no album of his is as personal and carries such weight. So going in and listening to the album again, the lyrics resonate much deeper. I also started noticing the production of the album, which Marvin Gaye produced himself, and took notice of all the nuances and subtleties in it. Is That Enough is everything perfect within the album. The personal and biting lyrics, along with the fantastic production where instruments just creep in and out across the whole thing. Not to mention, it's just smooth and syrupy as fuck.
In 1978 the album was critically panned and a commercial flop. Over the years, it's grown to become a classic. And that's due to Marvin's tragic story. In this case, the story+time made people appreciate something that was easily dismissed when originally released. Everybody knows of Marvin Gaye, but not many Here, My Dear and the story behind it. If you're a fan of his, reading Divided Soul is a necessity.
Anthony Kiedis's "Scar Tissue" is really good.
If anyone hasn't read it I highly suggest reading his autobiography. I've read it a couple times, it's crazy interesting.
They weren't written on the same day, but Thom Yorke: Radiohead & Trading Solo claims that they were written in the same year.
There’s definitely a few books out there. The one I’m currently reading is fantastic! It’s called Prince: The Man and His Music. Although I disagree with his personal opinions at times, he does a pretty good job of sticking to the information. His opinions are brief and focuses more on the meat of the matter. I’ve actually discovered many songs I have not heard of before because of his book. It was worth it alone for that! I’m almost 20 chapters in and it’s very detailed and I’m not even halfway through. Great news is that the new updated version is only $9 new on amazon. This would be my recommendation.
I havent read this one, but “Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984” is supposedly the absolute best one you can buy if your only interested in those years in great great detail. This is next on my list.
Then there is the end all be all (as I’ve heard it called because I’ve never read it!) “Dance, Music, Sex, Romance: The First Decade” by Per Nilsen. This is apparently the absolute best book you can buy but it’s so ridiculously expensive I’m not gonna even link it. If you can find it tho, make me a PDF! Haha
Life: Keith Richards
'Taylor Swift - This Is Our Song'
A huge, coffee table book loaded with interviews, articles, reviews, fan-opinions, and generally, lots of stuff related to her.
A biography from her early days in Nashville, all the way through to '1989'.
Its full OP/EDs, thinkpieces, articles, and interviews from all around.
If you can get past the price (Hefty Book, equally hefty price), I'd recommend it for all fans. It's a treasure trove of Swifty-Goodness.
___
https://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Swift-This-Our-Song/dp/1501143468
This. Although it is good, it really barely scratches the surface if anyone was really looking for a detailed look at the band. I would strongly, strongly recommend reading either Break on Through or Jim Morrison; Life, Death, Legend
If interested in the recording and event side of things Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 by Duane Tudahl and The Vault by Uptown and Per Nilsen are great resources. Acquiring a physical copy of The Vault is pretty pricey so finding a PDF online would be your best bet.
Duff McKagans book, "It's so easy and other lies" has a good chapter about the time STP were breaking up and Velvet Revolver were forming and the steps a few of them took to help Scott get clean - and then skirts around the edges of his eventual relapse and his leaving VR.
Sad to say, but even the way Duff kind of signs off the part about Scott, makes it seem like Duff considered this outcome an eventuality, rather than merely a possibility.
The whole book is worth a read if you are into GnR and the early 90's Seattle scene - just don't expect it to be the best work of prose ever.
http://www.amazon.com/Its-So-Easy-other-lies/dp/1451606648/
I'd steer away from Norman.
Regardless of age, it's hard to beat Miles' biography of Paul - because we all know it's authorised.
https://www.amazon.com/Paul-McCartney-Many-Years-Now/dp/0805052496
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As for George there was a thread today: https://www.reddit.com/r/georgeharrison/comments/cjy3hf/best_biographies/
You might also take a look at this: https://www.amazon.com/George-Harrison-Soul-Man-Vol-ebook/dp/B07N11T8W9/ and volume 2, but this one I haven't read.
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\> What are the best books on them as a band
I think that mean's Hunter Davies original biography: https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Updated-Hunter-Davies/dp/0393338746
And it has to mean the Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Anthology/dp/0811826848
And it definitely has to mean Tune In: https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-These-Years-Extended-Special/dp/1408704781
Worth a look:
https://www.amazon.com/As-Time-Goes-Derek-Taylor/dp/0706700279
https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mystery-Tours-Life-Beatles/dp/0312330448
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Me-Do-Beatles-Progress/dp/0140022783
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For John, I really enjoyed the 'Letters' book that Hunter edited - but I prefer first person material.
https://www.amazon.com/John-Lennon-Letters/dp/0316200808/
Also, you might look at https://www.johnlennonseries.com/ I've heard her speak and she knows her stuff - but its a long road she is hoeing.
https://www.amazon.com/Lennon-Remembers-Jann-S-Wenner/dp/185984376X
https://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Come-Home-Lennon-Father/dp/0207169969
Nikki Sixx - Heroin Diaries -- Its not Shakespeare but it comes from the diaries of a rock star clearly fucking up. I love tales of excess and this has it all despite actually liking the band ...which I did after reading this.
I picked up both volumes at an estate sale a while back. Another good book is Songs in the Key of Z, the Amazon page for which predictably shows the REsearch books as similar items.
The Heroine Diaries by Nikki Sixx
i'm a huge zappa fan and i just got an MT-68, so i was pretty excited to see this, so you'll understand how funny i found it when he fired that thing up and played the preset accompaniment and not "G-Spot Tornado." i miss frank a lot. his autobiography is one of the best books you'll ever read, even if you don't like his music, i highly recommend it
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Frank-Zappa-Book/dp/0671705725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421169586&sr=8-1
Keith Richards - Life
Patti Smith Just Kids
Elvis Costello Unfaithful Music & Dissapearing Ink
Bob mould See a Little Light
Pete Townsend Who I Am
The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Heroin-Diaries-Year-Shattered/dp/1416511946/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333461101&sr=1-3
And
The Dark Side of Disney by Leonard Kinsey: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Side-Disney-ebook/dp/B005FXZOMG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333461197&sr=1-1
You won't regret it.
If you don't already have it, you should definitely check out this book
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0671705725?pc_redir=1404220645&robot_redir=1
For an update on that course by the same professor (Craig Wright), check out the Coursera page for it: https://www.coursera.org/learn/introclassicalmusic Still free (unless you want to take tests/quizzes and get a (of questionable use) certificate). In my opinion, it's 90% the same content as the OpenCourseWare videos, but more closely focused on the online student experience; e.g. better use of video, graphics, links.
As you'll hear from both the OpenCourseWare and Coursera's courses, Professor Wright recommends the textbooks to supplement the lectures. As a student of this course myself, I definitely agree. The textbook goes into much greater depth and is easier to reference than a video. The lectures are good summaries and affirm what you've read, but I find that I'm really learning from the textbook.
I don't think you need to buy the latest edition though. Professor Wright has been teaching this course for years and has many different books with different titles and numerous editions. I bought Listening to Music, 7th edition by the professor, used for $17. It's a couple years old. But the content is still applicable to the Coursera course. I was also lucky to have it come with the audio CD to use with the audio exercises (one of the best aspects of the book in my opinion), which can be a crapshoot with the secondary textbook market.
Good luck!
I am on a really big Frank Zappa kick right now. I just finished his autobiography and was enraptured with how he viewed the world and music and I started to really get into his music.
You might be interested to know about Craig Wright he teaches music and he has a course at Yale on listening to music very much like what you teach :)
Yep, it's really good too:
http://www.amazon.com/Its-So-Easy-other-lies/dp/1451606648
He seems like the only rounded human being from guns n roses, the rest just seem a bit like fuck ups or only focused on guitars.
I have a book called A Hard Day's Write which is pretty interesting to say the least. I'm not sure when it was published, but nevertheless it's still a good read.
The following is a list of books that all catalogue some of the most important songs, albums and artists in the history of American popular music. All of them offer biographical details, historical context, discographies and critical evaluation of the music that they cover. As no one volume can be truly exhaustive, it's a good idea to get a least a couple of them so that you have a fuller picture of the entirety of pop music history. Thankfully, most of them are really cheap, and can be had used for less than ten (or even five) bucks.
All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide To Popular Music, 4th Edition
The Mojo Collection: The Greatest Albums of All Time... and How They Happened - Irvin/McLear
Mojo Collection (newer edition) - Irvin/McLear
101 Albums that Changed Popular Music - Chris Smith
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - Robert Dimery
1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download - Robert Dimery
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide - Brackett/Hoard
The Rough Guide Book of Playlists, 2nd edition (Rough Guide Reference)
The Trouser Press Record Guide
1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them - Toby Creswell
Time Out 1000 Songs to Change Your Life
The Art of the LP: Classic Album Covers 1955-1995 - Morgan/Wardle
here you go!
I’ll go and see what I have saved up on my amazon wishlist/ recent purchases.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B006UV7SB2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_m3c3DbE8RGYYA
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001F5V8TQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_N5c3DbYZT1GJQ
http://www.vinylcubes.com/
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0762463473/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_V-c3DbMT7E3MZ
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1844038904/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Iad3DbGQ5VH0A
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CVVYP39/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Vcd3Db8HBY9H9
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0525610588/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7dd3DbWRK0TJ8
Hopefully these ideas spark some sort of inspiration!
You can learn more about these types of things in this book. Like how high and dry was one of the first songs thom ever wrote etc. Im not sure how valid it is but when i read it i didnt find any faults with the info i already knew
here's a link to it https://www.amazon.com/1975-Love-Sex-Chocolate/dp/1786062593/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501477385&sr=8-1&keywords=The+1975%3A+Love%2C+Sex+and+Chocolate
the cover is terrible though.
I'd recommend reading this after, to balance it out
The actions of band members can definitely make your listening experience more positive. Even though I find his lyrics really silly at times, reading Anthony Keidis' autobiography made me fall in love with the Red Hot Chili Peppers a lot more.
For example, this looks like a great home recording book:
http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Home-Recording-Studio-Matter/dp/0879308346
And you can get it for a little over $8 at biblio.com:
http://www.biblio.com/books/242778368.html
The book Guerrilla Home Recording recommends setting a day aside and writing/recording 20 songs in that one day to get out of that type of rut. You probably won't hit the twenty but you will get used to moving forward quickly without second guessing yourself.
Remember: better finished than perfect.
We Jam Econo is truly awesome.
I would add:
afro punk
american hardcore
D.O.A. A Rite of Passage
Kill Your Idols
The Real Frank Zappa Book
Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs
No One Here Gets Out Alive
X: The Unheard Music
And, for fun:
Heavy Metal Parking Lot - I actually went to high school with some of the kids interviewed here.
I bought this book on a whim and it actually has been pretty helpful, though some of the information is dated: http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Home-Recording-Studio-Matter/dp/0879308346
WFMU out of Jersey City, NJ is a great freeform station that streams every show live and has a comments board. They're guaranteed to play stuff you've never heard before and they cover every genre you can imagine with tons of DJ's. Spin Age Blasters with Creamo Coyl is my favorite show. It's great for New Wave/Punk/Oddball stuff and he always plays a few 2017 cuts. Transpacific Sound Paradise is great for World Music, Sophisticated Boom Boom (on today at 3pm EST) is 3 hours a week of Girl Pop and it's incredible, and DJ Irwin Chusid literally wrote a book about Outsider music. All the DJ's are super cool and knowledgeable and there's even a couple talk shows (Goddamn Dave Hill Show/Frangry and Michele/7 Second Delay) that are hilarious for when you just wanna hear some conversation.
This page shows you the program schedule and all the DJ's. You can click on their names for more info and to see what songs they've played in past shows. For what you're looking for I'd suggest Three Chord Monty on Mondays and Samantha on Saturdays. You really can't go wrong though and you'll quickly find that WFMU is much more than a radio station, it's a culture. People from all over the world call in when they do call-in shows and it's a nice little community. Hope you get involved!!
Try [Rivers Edge] (http://www.amazon.com/Rivers-Edge-The-Weezer-Story/dp/1550226193), read it before, super interesting, sounds like it's exactly what you're looking for.
I have it and I love it! It's fanmade but it's got a lot of older articles, interviews, pictures, etc. It's a big book, I haven't even finished mine yet.
Here it is on Amazon.
You gotta read The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx. Makes Slash look like an amateur (He's involved too, though).
http://www.amazon.com/Divided-Soul-Life-Marvin-Gaye/dp/030681191X
This book is great. I just read it. He had a strange relationship with his father, which ultimately lead to Marvin's death. Marvin was also addicted to cocaine for a long time. I think his kids had a very strange childhood. All this fucked upness seems to be passed on down.
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Keith-Richards/dp/031603441X
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/books/review/Phair-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://www.forbes.com/sites/zinamoukheiber/2010/12/24/merck-cocaine-behind-some-of-those-fabulous-rolling-stones-songs/
Totally agree with you then. The "Gershwin-y" aspect of the piece is why I like it. It's more romantic-sounding and less mechanical than most ragtime. I don't mean capital-R "Romantic period" music, just an overall nostalgic, romantic sound. You can play the piece with quite a bit of rubato, which is certainly not true of most ragtime.
Edit: Speaking of American Songbook have you gotten your hands on a copy of Beck's Song Reader? Really neat publication. I have a feeling you'd enjoy it.
Fans, and even non-fans will also enjoy The Real Frank Zappa Book by FZ/Peter Occhiogrosso. Published in 1990. Good stuff.
The Amazon writeup has even more information. What a cool idea.
Oddly enough, I've been reading a Paul McCartney biography this past week and according to him, most of those early singles were co-written by the two of them as teenagers while sitting in his dad's living room. I always thought of things as being very black and white with the Beatles (I always sided with John over Paul, but favored George Harrison overall) but now I know they worked together a lot more than I thought.
On "Love Me Do" - "Love me do was completely co-written. It might have been my original idea but some of them really were 50-50s, and I think that one was."
On "From Me to You" - "Our songwriting lifted a little with that song. It was very much co-written."
On "She Loves You" - "...was written when the Beatles were in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to play the Majestic Ballroom... John and Paul sat facing each other on twin beds in their shared room at the Turk's Hotel."
On "I Want to Hold Your Hand" - "'Eyeball to eyeball' is a very good description of it. That's exactly how it was. [It] was very co-written. It was our big number one."
They switched off singing and sometimes, while recording, George Martin had them change who sang what to help the structure along... so it's hard to go on who sang lead on what, at least at first. Later on you can totally tell who is responsible for what, even in the middle of songs (A Day in the Life).
this and this are just some examples.
Im not a professional, so Im not gonna attempt to compare two bands, for all I know both are great.
Of course a cover might not mean that much, but it at least show that the beatles have been in the life of most musicians since quite long time being away. Now if you can explain to me, what do you consider influence, and how these bands have a higher impact than the beatles, that would be very interesting to me.
The Stephen Davis book on Jim is very good.
Responding to a Zappa quote with another Zappa quote. You should read his book, he was a tremendously fascinating man.
Start with this, a full on telling of what really happens in the business. Here is the end.
https://i.imgur.com/BiUU27K.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/Real-Frank-Zappa-Book/dp/0671705725
Can't say I remember with a whole lot of accuracy, it was a while ago. I know I used [this book] (http://www.amazon.ca/Divided-Soul-Life-Marvin-Gaye/dp/030681191X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452907033&sr=8-1&keywords=divided+soul) as one of my sources and I highly recommend it. It's a good read, not just for educational purposes
To those who have only heard his wacky stuff: give this a listen. Watermelon in Easter Hay. The first song I had a real emotional connection with. I teared up listening to it the first time, and almost still do. In part bdue to the context on the album Joe's Garage, but even out of context the song is just beautiful.
If you are a Zappa fan I highly recommend reading The Real Frank Zappa Book, his autobiography, if you haven't already. Gives some insight into his though processes and what he went through to do what he did.
Zappa's autobiography is pretty good.
I own Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion and would consider it to be pretty comprehensive, and a huge book. It's 12 years old now, though, but came about when that stuff was just starting to take off.
The only book I ever got caught up in. The Heroin Diaries
Both!
It gives you a really eye-opening insight into Rivers' life and he literally commanded the band.
It also gives you awesome backstories regarding the songs. Totally changes the songs when you realize the true meaning behind the lyrics and Rivers' songwriting process!
I definitely recommend it!
http://www.amazon.com/Rivers-Edge-The-Weezer-Story/dp/1550226193
(p.s. the author isn't the best writer)
Due to the size, it looks like it is cut out of "The Art of Modern Rock". Combine the size and the sentiments of the vendor and I think you will realize the sum is basically nothing.
At least you didn't have to cut up the book, and it'll look great in the bathroom.
I don't really care bout proving an internet stranger right or wrong. those dates are from wikipedia. and if you care enough about Weezer, like I do, you'd know these little facts. I am not a random fan.
also you can learn a lot in this book. https://www.amazon.com/Rivers-Edge-Weezer-John-Luerssen/dp/1550226193
http://www.amazon.com/Scar-Tissue-Anthony-Kiedis/dp/1401301010