Punk Hybrids, Part One:Â Back in the Garage
Punk's idea(l)s may have been fostered in Art schools, but its musical foundations were cultivated in garages.
13 Jan 2020
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The Curmudgeonly King of Noir Chronicled in 'Notes From the Velvet Underground: The Life of Lou Reed'
Howard Sounes' Notes From the Velvet Underground is a beautifully considered book, with enough detail about the life and career of Lou Reed for the geeks, enough context for the historians, and just enough juicy stuff for everyone else.
11 Dec 2019
Music History, the Conspiracy Theory: On Ted Gioia's Music: A Subversive History
Although enjoyable in that sweeping big picture kind of way, there is nothing subversive to be found in Ted Gioia's Music: A Subversive History.
10 Dec 2019
'God Save the Queens' Addresses the Gender Imbalance in the Story of Rap
Kathy Iandoli's personable history, God Save the Queens, shows how women in rap face up to the battles.
02 Dec 2019
Irving Berlin: New York Genius (By the Book)
Exploring the interplay of Irving Berlin's life with the life of New York City, noted biographer James Kaplan offers a visceral narrative of Berlin as self-made man and witty, wily, tough Jewish immigrant. Enjoy this excerpt of Kaplan's book, Irving Berlin: New York Genius.
James Kaplan
Books
05 Nov 2019
The Spitfire Rumble of the Rolling Stones: Director Oliver Murray on 'The Quiet One'
For director Oliver Murray, music exists in the air, but the emotional archives of former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman gives viewers a tactile experience of this band's story in The Quiet One.
08 Jul 2019
By the Book: 'Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles'
In Solid State, acclaimed Beatles historian Kenneth Womack offers the most definitive account yet of the writing, recording, mixing, and reception of Abbey Road. (excerpt)
26 Jun 2019
The Kid Is Alright: Andrew Slater's 'Echo in the Canyon'
Music documentary Echo in the Canyon beautifully captures Jakob Dylan's search for the best lessons in collaboration from pioneering California Sound supergroups.
05 Jun 2019
Vivien Goldman's 'Revenge of the She-Punks' Doesn't Gloss the Reasons We Still Have to Rage
In her history of women in punk music, Revenge of the She-Punks, Vivien Goldman hefts the scene's virtues and the vices into one heap and concludes that some of it was necessary, some of it was fun, and some of it was evil.
21 May 2019
'Pick Up the Pieces' Is a Primer in Music as Cultural Memory
John Corbett's writing is often poetic in Pick Up the Pieces: Excursions in Seventies Music, with each essay being a resonant reflection on the music, artists, scenes, and memories seemingly etched deeply in his being.
30 Apr 2019
By the Book: Pick up the Pieces: Excursions in Seventies Music
In this excerpt of '70s music, Pick up the Pieces, John Corbett puts his critique of Kraftwerk's Autobahn to poetry and pogos with his conflict for the Clash and their album, The Clash.
29 Mar 2019
By the Book: 'A Hidden Landscape Once a Week'
In this excerpt of a history of the UK music press, A Hidden Landscape Once a Week, Tony Stewart recalls his time as writer and deputy editor at NME (1971-85) — the strengths and pleasures of teamwork and the vital role of the visual in the energies of a rock paper.
22 Mar 2019
'Half a Million Strong' Studies the Intersection of Crowds and Power at Rock Festivals
Gina Arnold's research into rock festivals in the US, Half a Million Strong, reveals that it's about the music, yes, but it's also very much about you.
20 Feb 2019
New Wave: Turning Rebellion into Money
If 1977 was New Wave's breakout year, by 1979 it had become an industry force, all but replacing punk as a viable vehicle or term of currency.
14 Feb 2019
You Can Feel the Venue's Heartbeat on Every Page of 'Showtime at the Apollo'
How do we measure the status of a performer's Holy Grail like the Apollo Theater in 2019? Ted Fox and James Otis Smith's beautifully realized, updated graphic history brings this rich history to life.
12 Feb 2019
'Smash!: Green Day, The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, + the '90s Punk Explosion'
Ian Winwood's story of how punk rock music came to be so popular in the '90s is sewn together like a patchwork quilt of unlikely rises to fame and the ordinary people whose dedication made it possible.
07 Nov 2018
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