Rock and Roll Book Club: Emily Gould's 'Perfect Tunes' April 1, 2020 In the novel 'Perfect Tunes,' Emily Gould images the journey of a fictional singer-songwriter whose career seems to be taking off until...well, life gets in the way.
Ten great reads for music fans on the Internet Archive of free books March 30, 2020 In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internet Archive has made its online library of 1.4 million books available for free access 'to serve the nation's displaced learners.' Whether you're one of those displaced learners or just a music fan looking for a great read, here are ten books to jump into.
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'The 33⅓ B-Sides' celebrates 'Beloved and Underrated Albums' March 25, 2020 In a new compilation, authors of books in the '33 1/3' series pay tribute to LPs that make them want to play both sides.
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'Loud Fast Words: Soul Asylum Collected Lyrics' March 18, 2020 Even Dave Pirner doesn't know what some of his lyrics mean, or even - in one case - exactly what they are. Still, 'Loud Fast Words' collects the Soul Asylum songbook for posterity. Pirner seems happy to let posterity make what it will of his 'Loud Fast Words.'
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture' March 11, 2020 In 'Cool Town,' Grace Elizabeth Hale chronicles the history of Athens, Georgia as ground zero for the explosion of what we now call "alternative music."
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'Closing Time: Saloons, Taverns, Dives, and Watering Holes of the Twin Cities' March 4, 2020 A new history chronicles the Twin Cities establishments that don't make a lot of postcards or get placed on historical registers (usually), but that have been the hubs of countless scenes from Polish union workers to barfly folksingers.
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop' February 26, 2020 If hip-hop looks likes a man's world, it's because you're wearing blinders. In a new history, Kathy Iandoli spotlights rap legends from Roxanne Shante to Megan Thee Stallion.
Rock and Roll Book Club: 'London, Reign Over Me: How England's Capital Built Classic Rock' February 19, 2020 How did so much game-changing music come out of London in the 1960s? Stephen Tow doesn't have a tidy answer, but his new history tracks the sweep of the classic rock sound.
Rock and Roll Book Club: Booker T. Jones's 'Time is Tight: My Life, Note by Note' February 12, 2020 If you're musically inclined, you can play along with 'Time is Tight': Jones has written brief instrumental passages that appear in the back of the book, with a numerical key to tell you when to play each passage.
Rock and Roll Book Club: Peter Asher's 'Beatles from A to Zed' February 5, 2020 There are few Beatles experts better-qualified than Peter Asher, a British Invasion peer who now hosts a radio show dedicated to the band.