Indie-rock kings, Chicago blues queens, punk-rock jesters, the one and only Prince — and plenty of guitars getting the royal treatment. They’re all here for your perusal this week. Read all about it:
Zeppelin Over Dayton: Guided By Voices Album By Album
By Jeff Gomez
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Led by indefatigable singer and songwriter Robert Pollard, GBV are one of the most important rock groups of the past 30 years. After toiling for a decade in obscurity, they broke onto the scene in the early ’90s by delivering generation- and genre-defining records such as 1994’s Bee Thousand and 1995’s Alien Lanes. Pollard and a rotating cast of musicians have kept at it ever since, releasing LP after LP of stadium-worthy rock ’n’ roll. Zeppelin Over Dayton: Guided By Voices Album By Album is the first serious and comprehensive look at the band’s work. Based on the popular GBV podcast Self-Inflicted Aural Nostalgia, it takes an in-depth look at each one of the group’s records, looking at who was in the band at the time and how the LP fits into the band’s discography, and providing commentary and analysis of every song. Drawing on new interviews and extensive research, Zeppelin Over Dayton offers an honest and thorough assessment of GBV’s amazingly sprawling discography, providing ardent admirers with tons of fresh anecdotes and insight, and new fans a way to successfully navigate the group’s dozens of LPs.”
Always the Queen: The Denise LaSalle Story
By Denise LaSalle & David Whiteis
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Denise LaSalle’s journey took her from rural Mississippi to an unquestioned reign as the queen of soul-blues. From her early R&B classics to bold and bawdy demands for satisfaction, LaSalle updated the classic blueswoman’s stance of powerful independence while her earthy lyrics about relationships connected with generations of female fans. Off-stage, she enjoyed ongoing success as a record label owner, entrepreneur, and genre-crossing songwriter. As honest and no-nonsense as the artist herself, Always the Queen is LaSalle’s in-her-own-words story of a lifetime in music. Moving to Chicago as a teen, LaSalle launched a career in gospel and blues that eventually led to the chart-topping 1971 smash Trapped by a Thing Called Love and a string of R&B hits. She reinvented herself as a soul-blues artist as tastes changed and became a headliner on the revitalized southern soul circuit and at festivals nationwide and overseas. Revered for a tireless dedication to her music and fans, LaSalle continued to tour and record until shortly before her death.”
Cheap Shots: A Photographic Look at Underground Bands Through the 80s and Beyond
By Chris Barrows
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Since 1981, Chris Barrows has taken pictures of bands at their concerts, backstage, and behind the scenes. From U2 during their first tour in 1982 to Captain Sensible of The Damned on his knees in an alley licking a dominatrix’s thigh high vinyl boots, or Lee Ving standing on railroad tracks at night, Barrows’ intimate and stirring portraits of bands stripped down and unguarded will be a wonderful addition to any music fan’s collection. Featuring never-before-seen photographs of U2, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Danzig, The Descendants, Fugazi, The Damned, The U.K. Subs, and many, many more.”
Mortal and Immortal Guitars
By Lisa S. Johnson
THE PRESS RELEASE: “In the music world, there are dozens of talented photographers known for their images of flesh-and-blood rockers doing their thing for the audiences that love them. But there is only one Lisa S. Johnson. She is the Annie Lebowitz of the musical ax, whose nuanced approach to still instrument photography has placed the veteran photographer in a league of her own. Armed with a macro lens, laser-focused eye for detail, and a unique, singular vision, Johnson’s guitar art has become imbedded in pop culture’s six-string consciousness. The follow-up to her 2013 debut book, 108 Rock Star Guitars, Johnson continues her journey photographing guitars that have rocked the world with Mortal and Immortal Guitars. Johnson’s intimate guitar portraits illustrate the wear-and-tear details of America’s greatest musical icon belonging to the worlds’ most famous players. Mortal and Immortal Guitars presents a who’s who of instrumental avatars both living and passed, including: Billy Sheehan, Dave Grohl, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Geezer Butler, Joe Perry, B.B. King, Albert Lee, Robin Trower, Vernon Reid, Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson, Susan Tedeschi, Steve Stevens, George Thorogood, Chris Squire, Dave Davies, Rick Springfield, Steve Hackett, Buddy Guy, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, Michael Anthony, Lita Ford, Nita Strauss, Mike Bloomfield, Nuno Bettencourt, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Elvis, Prince, and Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris, Dave Murray, and Adrian Smith, to name a few.”
Prince FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Purple Reign
By Arthur Lizie
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Here is the first comprehensive book that covers Prince’s 40-plus personal and professional years in and out of the public spotlight. Firmly grounded in a detailed chronological overview of Prince’s prodigious released and unreleased recorded musical output and epic live performances, Prince FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Purple Reign digs deep into Purple fact and legend as it explores the multiple number-one singles, the movie hits and flops, the exclusive and adventurous after shows, and the provocative TV appearances. But more than just a look at the music and moving images, this volume also highlights Prince’s relationship with those in the Purple Court — The Revolution, New Power Generation, Third Eye Girl and other band members, his musical influences (from Santana to Stevie to the Stones), the countless individual (Christopher Tracy) and group aliases (Madhouse), protégés (Carmen Electra), the cover artists (The Bangles) and recovery projects (Mavis Staples), and the wives, lovers, and multiple ingénues. And then there are the controversies — the rivalries with Rick James and Michael Jackson, the USA for Africa snub, the questions surrounding his untimely death, the fate of countless unreleased audio and video projects, and, of course, his battle against Warner Bros. and the music industry that caused him to change his name to an unpronounceable symbol. Accompanied by dozens of rare images, Prince FAQ is the go-to volume for all things Prince.”
