Last night I did an event at A Great Good Place for Books in Oakland about my favorite music book reads of 2017, so people could start knocking some items off their shopping to-do list. Here’s my list of recommendations – some current and some classics – for your own holiday shopping. Tell me in the comments: what did I miss?

Nonfiction

“Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World,” by Rob Sheffield (Dey Street, April 2017.) Sheffield, a prolific writer at Rolling Stone, provides an incredibly well-researched and well-informed history of the band, yes, but with a focus on how the audience responded to the music. He’s always interested in what music feels like to us, the listeners, and in the Fab Four he has decades of material to mine. I’m not much of a Beatles fan, tbh *ducks punch* and I loved it, so if you are at all interested in the band you’ll dig it even more.

“Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music” by Ann Powers (Dey Street, August 2017.) Powers is one of the country’s leading music writers and NPR’s music critic. This book is expansive and thought-provoking, tracing the ways in which race, sexuality, power, and music intermingle – the ultimate mash up. I really liked the way that chronology of this complex topic was handled, with each chapter building in a way that made starting with a Methodist screed and ending with Beyoncé 349 pages made total sense. Supremely well researched, you’ll never listen to “Tutti Frutti” the same way again.

“Set the Boy Free: The Autobiography” by Johnny Marr (Dey Street, paperback Sept 2017.) GenX Alert. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is for Smiths fans only, but one of the fascinating things I was reminded in this memoir was that the Smiths were only around for five years. Marr’s played since with a ton of different acts including Bryan Ferry, Talking Heads, Pet Shop Boys, Billy Bragg, Nile Rodgers, The Pretenders, The The, Modest Mouse, and The Cribs. Compulsively readable and an interesting behind the scenes look at the life of a man who was born to be a rock star; I shudder to think what would have happened if he’d been born in any other era.

“Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001 – 2011” by Lizzy Goodman (Harper Collins, May 2017.) The Aughts were my infant and small-child-rearing years so I’ve always been a little fuzzy on the details of bands like The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and TV On the Radio. Thanks to this oral history by Goodman in which musicians, publicists, producers, and music writers share the many facets of the music industry that grew up in the 9/11 era, I could ace a test on the subject. That many of the people interviewed have allegedly demanded retractions by Goodman, herself part of the story, tells you how juicy the detail is (heyyyy, Ryan Adams.)

“Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music Changed Our Lives,” edited by Holly Gleason. (UTPress, September 2017) I’m including this because it’s on my own Christmas list! I’m a big fan of old school country (thanks, genetics) but totally mystified by the current sound, for the most part. So I’m looking forward to reading this collection of personal essays by a diverse group of female music writers and musicians including Caryn Rose, Taylor Swift (on Brenda Lee and written back in 2006,) and Roseanne Cash who write about the female country artists who inspired their life’s journey.

“Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time,” by Ray Padgett (Sterling, October 2017.) Cover songs: do you love ‘em or hate ‘em? Either way there’s something to contemplate in this book by Padgett, who writes the Cover Me blog. He took 19 of the most iconic cover songs ever (e.g. Elvis’s “Hound Dog,” Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends,” the Talking Heads’ “Take Me to the River”) and dives in deep, not just to the specific song but to the evolution of the cover song genre.

Young Adult Fiction

“Please Don’t Be Waiting For Me” by Todd Stadtman. Loved this ride in the time machine back to SF’s ’80s punk scene – it validated every assumption I had growing up in Upstate New York that there were far, far cooler things happening to other teenagers in other places. Loved the characters, loved the pacing, loved the nuances of the teenage tribal coexistence. Gritty and engaging. If you hung out at the Fab Mab or wished you did, this is for you (young adult or young-at-heart adult.)

“The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas (Balzer and Bray, Feb 2017) – I know it’s not a music book but it was one of my favorite reads of the year and the title comes from a Tupac song. So sue me. This is an important, timely read about teenage Starr Carter and how she negotiates the two worlds she moves between, after the death of a childhood friend. Fodder for important and meaningful family discussions. Winning tons of awards buzz.

Photo books

“Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen” by Bill Bentley (Smithsonian Books, October 2017. The Smithsonian had an idea: ask Americans to share photos and stories of their favorite moments in music. The deluge resulted in this sumptuous book, which shimmers with rock and roll moments captured by fans from sea to shining sea. Perfect for perusing during your holiday break.

“Prince: A Private View” – Afshin Shahidi (St. Martin’s Press, October 2017.) Maybe someday I won’t wake up feeling truly sad that Prince is gone, but today’s not that day. Books like this, which provide an intimate look at one of the most gifted artists of rock, make it a little easier to bear. Shahidi started photographing Prince in 1993 and was the only one capturing the action at most of Prince’s parties. Plus, foreword by Queen Bey.

“KISS: 1977-1980” – Lynn Goldsmith (Rizzoli, October 2017.) Do you love someone who is a member of the Kiss Army? Is her name Beth? (IS IT YOU?) No Kiss fan should be without this gigundo collection of photos compiled by renowned rock photographer Goldsmith, who also had cooperation from the band and fans to pull together this wonderful collection of a band to which the word “boring” has never applied.

Classics – some all-time music book favorites

In the Lizzy Goodman book “Meet Me in the Bathroom,” James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem was the character I found most fascinating. This song of his basically summarizes the whole era. Tbh I hate this video, which really is just him being slapped for four minutes, a lot. Just play the song and close your eyes.

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