Posts Tagged Book Review
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March 24, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
50 Licks: Myths and Stories from Half A Century of The Rolling Stones
50 Licks: Myths and Stories from Half a Century of The Rolling Stones Pete Fornatale Bloomsbury USA Pete Fornatale died in April 2012. This is his final book, a gushing oral history comprised of interviews Fornatale conducted in his role as a DJ at WNEW in New York – and he’s taken from the books that [...]Archive
March 18, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
Fear of Music: 33 1/3
Talking Heads: Fear Of Music (33 1/3) Jonathan Lethem 33 1/3 At this stage the most recent in the popular 33 1/3 series of mini-books for classic album obsessives, Jonathan Lethem’s account of Talking Heads’ Fear Of Music is not quite music criticism, not quite memoir and not quite the fan detail-trove – in the [...]Archive
March 14, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
The Million Sellers: The UK’s Greatest Hits
The Million Sellers: The UK’s Greatest Hits The Official Chart Company Omnibus Press Published to mark the 60th anniversary of the official UK singles charts this book – a list of the million selling singles, over 100 entries – will either fascinate or depress you. There’s a good chance it’s a bit of both actually; [...]Archive
March 7, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
The Drum: A History
The Drum: A History Matt Dean Scarecrow Press Matt Dean is a drummer, drum teacher and blogger. He is now also the writer of what is surely the world’s most boring non-fiction text. Ok, I have not read every non-fiction text in the world but I’m still betting on this as the dullest, driest and [...]Archive
March 6, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
Carole King: A Natural Woman – A Memoir
A Natural Woman: A Memoir Carole King Grand Central Publishing I loved this book. It’s honest and thoughtful and King has had an interesting life; she’s candid about failed marriages and the damage that was done – from one marriage in particular. She clearly loves music – might seem an obvious thing to say, but [...]Archive
March 5, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
Blues Philosophy For Everyone: Thinking Deep About Feeling Low
Blues Philosophy For Everyone Jesse R. Steinberg/Abrol Fairweather (eds) Wile-Blackwell I once read a book about the TV series House and the links to philosophy and it was not bad, once you got over the absurdity of the book existing. The same cannot be said for this which desperately straw-clutches as it tries to compare [...]Archive
February 1, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
Radiohead: The Stories Behind Every Song
Radiohead: The Stories Behind Every Song James Doheny Carlton Books It’s my own fault here – I’m a sucker for such books. I’ll behind-the-album/inside-the-songs accounts whenever I can find them, wherever I see them. I have a shelf full of classic album-related books that I haven’t even got to yet. So I bit. I read [...]Archive
January 20, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
The Future Is The Beginning: The Words and Wisdom of Bob Marley
The Future Is The Beginning: The Words and Wisdom of Bob Marley Gerald Hausman (ed) Tuff Gong Books/Harmony Books Bob bin gohn fer ova terty years now, mon. Best bee puttin ah-notha wahn of dem books out, a-right-now? Some furst year stuudants will buy the t’ing an smoke da herb and reed from it ah-loud-now. [...]Archive
January 10, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
Will You Take Me As I Am: Joni Mitchell’s Blue Period
Will You Take Me As I Am: Joni Mitchell’s Blue Period Michelle Mercer Backbeat Presumably the title Will You Take This For What It Is: I Got To Speak To Joni, Yo was already taken. A shame as that would be far more suitable. What should be a great subject – looking at a golden [...]Archive
January 9, 2013 by Simon Sweetman
Beth Ditto: Coal To Diamonds – A Memoir
Beth Ditto Coal To Diamonds – A Memoir Simon & Schuster I should start this review by saying I have no real interest in Beth Ditto’s band, Gossip. I don’t really have an opinion on them, I’ve heard enough to know she can sing and they have a few tunes, but I haven’t heard enough [...]Archive
January 3, 2013 by Simon Sweetman