(Part 3) Top products from r/popheads

The following is a list of good reference books that all feature a compilation of some of the most important albums, songs, artists and album art in the history of popular music. All of the books offer biographical information, discographies, critical analysis, historical context and trivia on the albums, songs and artists that they cover. As no single tome can be truly comprehensive, it's a good idea to invest in at least a couple of these books so that you'll be able to get a better picture of the most influential music of the past. Thankfully, most of the books can be found very cheaply, usually for under ten bucks for a used copy - and they're fun for any Pophead to browse to learn more about pop music.

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

this book is super interesting in regards to his beginnings (esp. re: Denniz Pop) - Katy Perry era, it was a super fun & easy read too

I'd like to throw in a recommendation for Simon Cowell's "I Don't Mean To Be Rude, But...". It was promoted at the time (2003) as being about "American Idol," and in part it is, which I suppose is still fitting because it's hard to deny the show's ties to pop music, whatever your opinion of it may be. As a (former) Idol fan, the show is the reason someone gave me this book and the reason I read it. But, I'm mentioning it here because Simon's book is so much more than just Idol gossip. Obviously parts are purely personal biography, as well, but mostly it's about his time in the music industry -- stories about how he got his start, what his jobs actually entail, observations about the industry and music, etc. It's an interesting and entertaining read. It's pretty cheap these days if you buy used, and libraries probably still have it from the days of Idol's peak popularity.

"I Don't Mean To Be Rude, But..." by Simon Cowell

Such a fascinating read. A few things that stood out to me:

> "People got very excited about [the thought of Lady Gaga and myself as] enemies, when we never were enemies,” she sighs of society’s tendency to pit women against each other.

Let me start off by saying that Madonna has never insulted Gaga. She was actually complementing her with the whole "reductive" comment. That's just her sense of humor. But, of fucking course, the media twisted her words to make her seem like an jealous hag.

I feel like Madonna has always respected Gaga's hustle. Hell, she even wanted to co-star with Gaga in a movie according to Jean Pierre Mocky (a French director).

It sucks that people are STILL in their feelings 10 years later. I swear that pop stans hold grudges forever.

> That said, Madonna has not felt particularly supported by women throughout her career. She is grateful for the artists who worked against all odds and defied convention before her, such as Frida Kahlo. “There are no living role models for me,” she concedes. “Because nobody does what I do. And that’s kind of scary."

Madonna isn't called the Queen of Pop for no reason. She literally laid the blueprint that every female artist still follows to this day. But I'm sure that she's pissed off quite a few people to get there, which left her with a reputation.

I just got finished reading Madonna: An Intimate Biography (amazing read from the legendary J. Randy Taraborrelli), and it tells of all the people she's stepped over. I'm not trying to call her a bully, but that book contains a lot of stories that give you an understanding of how intimidating she was in her heyday. For example, their's a story about her flirting with The President of Argentina... in front of his wife!

> When most families expand, the parents tend to relax their rules, but Madonna says she feels the need to protect her children more than ever. She hasn’t allowed her 13-year-old son David to have a phone yet.

I've always heard that she's very strict when it comes to her kids. You would think she would be one of those fun moms, but it's nice to know that her children have structure in their lives. It must be hard having one of the most famous (and controversial) women of all-time as a parent.

EDIT: Changed "redundant" to "reductive". Damn you autocorrect.

I would strongly urge you to pick up some historical books if you really want to educate yourself on this subject. Unfortunately, you're not going to find an "unbiased" source. There's no such thing as scholarship or an opinion with no bias - the best thing you can do is read educated, well-researched works from both sides, and decide for yourself what makes the most sense.

The best book I've read (I'm a history major who is Israeli, I've taken middle east studies courses from a Palestinian and I'm very in favor of people educating themselves on this subject regardless of their political opinion) is by James Gelvin (https://www.amazon.com/Israel-Palestine-Conflict-One-Hundred-Years/dp/110761354X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YY6VG7Z1VMDNNPYTC9JM) link to the book there. He tries really hard to just objectively explain the events that have led us to where we are now but I have to stress, even he is biased. He tries very hard not to incriminate Israel by not presenting Palestinian perspectives. If you're looking for books from an Israeli perspective, you can try Benny Morris - he's critical of Israel but defends it and Zionism. The best Palestinian source is Rashid Khalidi (Palestinian Identity, Iron Cage). He will present to you a firmly Palestinian perspective (he is descended from higher-ups in Palestinian society) that is firmly critical of Israel.

Hope that helps a little. Nothing you find on the internet will be helpful or unbiased, IMO - these books at least are all written by trained, professional Historians who has spent their lives pouring through Israeli and British archives and trying to track down Palestinian perspectives (often through oral history). I think no one should ever blindly trust their parent's political opinions - you should learn this for yourself and decide for yourself (but that doesn't mean you need to argue with them).

Love For Sale - David Hadju


A condensed look at modern music starting with the origins of Jazz to how sampling changed music. (I haven't read this in months, but I loved it)

i honestly can't remember most of what this book was about but i thought it was helpful two years ago

The Encyclopedia Madonnica... everything you wanted to know about Madonna, all in one giant compedium

y'all think you are a stan? you are not a stan of anyone because you did not create, compile and publish a 600 page Encylopedia of your fave, and then also update it 20 years later

I highly recommend "How Music Got Free" by Stephen Witt. It explains the switch from recorded to streaming media via piracy from the perspective of someone who grew up on mp3s.

It's the record label guys, Read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Hit-Men-Brokers-Inside-Business/dp/0679730613