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The best books on music

This Fathers Day I received two of the best music related presents a Dad could get. My wife bought me an updated copy of "Reelin' In The Years" by Brain Sweet and my daughter gave me "Shakey" by Jimmy McDonough.

"Reelin' In The Years" is a must read for any Steely Dan fan. The mysterious duo and their wonderful tunes are covered in depth by a writing style that peels away layer upon layer of myth to finally expose the reader to the essence of The Dan. It's doubtful that any other artists have taken a similar route to fame.

The numerous examples regarding studio time is worth the price of this book. Reading about the reactions of studio musicians being invited to participate on a project is a hoot. Their attention to detail, once fully explained, makes listening to their old recordings a new experience. I respected the music before reading this book but now respect the men.

"Shakey" has a number of surprises for the reader even if you have been a Neil Young fanatic as I have since my teen years in the 60's. The man with almost 50 albums to his credit has more unreleased music than what has previously been made available. He promises to release one, huge complete set of his work someday.

The author enjoyed access to Young and the subject is quoted thoroughly throughout the book. If you think you know what Neil Young is all about, think again.

Okay, share with us the books on music that have enriched your lives. We want to know what books you liked and why.
lugnut
spindrifter
105 posts
 
The Miles Davis biography is a killer, he was a wild and crazy guy,and the most interesting bio. of an music figure that I have read.. "This Wheel's On Fire", the Levon Helm and The Band story is a fun book. Also "Written In My Soul" conversations with rock's great songwriters by Bill Flanagan is excellent as well. Happy reading!!!
zowie
68 posts
 
Some of my favorites are The Sinatra Reader; Friedlander's The Song is You; Hajdu's book on Baezes, Dylan, Farina; and E. Von Schmidt's Baby Let Me Carry You Down.
tweakgeek
76 posts
 
There is no music writer in the same league as the (barely) still-alive Nick Tosches. His thorough research & disdain for conventional wisdom are sufficient to make his books essential. The fact that he is now our nation's greatest writer, in any genre, will probably not be widely acknowledged until long after booze (or diabetes) finally takes him from the world of the living. Check out "The Unsung Heroes of Rock and Roll", "Country", "Where Dead Voices Gather", "Hellfire" (his bio of Jerry Lee Lewis) or his spectacular biography of Dean Martin.

So there you have it. There's my list of the five best books on popular music.
spindrifter
105 posts
 
 I must throw"Life" by Keith Richards into the mix. Interesting, wild and really funny in parts. Richards, the riff master,  is smart, articulate and well read man with a Rock N' Roll resume like no other. A DVD  called "Under The Influence" which is a very deceiving title. Both the DVD and the book are very, very worth the look.

   Cheers 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

I too highly recommend anything by Nick Tosches, but Greil Marcus is a little too academic and intentionally intellectualizing for me. Ben Campbell mentioned Paul Williams, who was the editor at the great Crawdaddy magazine, the first "adult" Rock ’n’ Roll periodical (preceding Rolling Stone). I too have reservations about him, but his reporting on the Smile album recording sessions, written at the time of their occurrence, is the best thing ever written on that legendary album. Two chapters in his book "Outlaw Blues" is a reprint of that reporting. Fantastic!

Rodney Crowell wrote a book entitled "Chinaberry Sidewalks" that I very much enjoyed. Now I have to get "Are You Ready For The Country", as I am a fan of both Alt-Country and Peter Doggett.

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