If you plan to spend your long weekend relaxing with a good new book, you’ve got a few interesting new options. Read all about ’em:
Please Please Tell Me Now: The Duran Duran Story
By Stephen Davis
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bestselling rock biographer Stephen Davis (Gold Dust Woman, Hammer of the Gods) tells the story of the quintessential band of the 1980s. Their pretty-boy looks made Duran Duran the stars of fledgling MTV, but it was their brilliant musicianship that led to a string of No. 1 hits. By the end of the decade, they had sold 60 million albums. Davis traces their roots to the austere 1970s British malaise that spawned both The Sex Pistols and Duran Duran — two seemingly opposite music extremes. Handsome, British, and young, the band moved in the most glamorous circles: Nick Rhodes became close with Andy Warhol, Simon LeBon with Princess Diana, and John Taylor dated quintessential British bad girl Amanda De Cadanet. With timeless hits like Hungry Like The Wolf, Girls On Film, Rio, Save A Prayer, and the James Bond theme A View to Kill, Duran Duran cemented their legacy in the pop pantheon — and with a new album and a worldwide tour on the way, they show no signs of slowing down. Featuring exclusive interviews with the band and photos from personal archives, Please Please Tell Me Now is a treat for diehard fans.”
Willie Nelson’s Letters To America
By Willie Nelson and Turk Pipkin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following his bestselling memoir It’s a Long Story, Willie Nelson delivers his most intimate thoughts and stories in Willie Nelson’s Letters to America. In a series of letters straight from the heart, Willie sends his thanks and his thoughts to Americans of the past, present, and future; his family and his personal heroes. Willie’s letters are rounded out with the lyrics to some of his most famous songs, including Let Me Be A Man, Family Bible, Summer Of Roses, Me And Paul and Yesterday’s Wine.”
Leonard, Marianne, And Me: Magical Summers On Hydra
By Judy Scott
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A look back at 40 years of Judy Scott’s frequent summers on the Greek island of Hydra with a diverse artistic community, and her friendship with late singer-songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen and his muse Marianne Ihlen. In her memoir, Scott recalls that she “was more attracted to Marianne than I was to (Leonard), though I came to love him too in the end.” The book also describes Hydra in the early 1970s as a unique place filled with astonishing physical beauty and an atmosphere of serenity and peaceful energy. The island contained a small foreign community of like-minded creative souls, artists, musicians, writers, and their supporters and admirers. It contains several portraits of close friends (and occasional lovers) of Leonard and Marianne, all uniquely interesting in their own right. Leonard, Marianne and Me is a story of a special time, place, and cast of characters — a travelogue of an enchanted island backlit by the glow of Leonard and Marianne.”
Timekeeper
By Howard Grimes & Preston Lauterbach
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A first-person insider account of the birth of the Memphis Sound, as told by Howard Grimes, the celebrated house drummer from the early days at two iconic Memphis soul studios, Stax Records and Hi Records. Grimes backed Rufus and Carla Thomas, William Bell, Willie Mitchell, Ann Peebles, Al Green and countless others. He shares his story of artistic and personal tragedies and triumphs in his raw and authentic voice. His co-author, Preston Lauterbach, is the author of The Chitlin’ Circuit, Beale Street Dynasty and Brother Robert (a bio of bluesman Robert Johnson). With his help, Timekeeper is more than a waltz through the past — it’s a rollicking, boots-on-the-ground look at the rise and ultimate fall of the Memphis soul era.”
Love Factory: The History of Holland Dozier Holland
By Howard Priestley
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that Berry Gordy Jr. and his Motown empire put Detroit on the international musical map, but it was the creative genius of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland who would take the sound into uncharted territory. This book explores in depth the story of the three friends, their meteoric rise to fame and their fall from the heights. How they helped to put Detroit Soul on the map. Author Howard Priestley writes in an entertaining and analytical way that reminds us just how many songs the trio composed that became part of the soundtrack to our lives.”
Punk Women: 40 Years of Musicians Who Built Punk Rock
Edited by David A. Ensminger
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This anthology delves underground to explore the oft-overlooked community of badass women who shaped the punk scene. There is a common thread of women being excluded and gatekept from the hardcore music scene but this anthology challenges that notion and shows that women have still been able to overcome, kick ass, and shred alongside the best of them. Biographies, interviews, band anecdotes, and photos showcase the talent and artistry of bands like Bikini Kill, The Guttersluts, Bratmobile, Spitboy, The Germs, The Slits and dozens more. An essential resource for anyone looking to discover, rediscover, and cherish punk history, the book includes a foreword by Katy Otto of Trophy Wife.”
The Essential Beatles Book
By Paul Charles
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Paperback writer Paul Charles’ 128-page bio looks back at how, on March 22, 1963 the album Please Please Me was released, sparking a worldwide, multi-cultured phenomenon — Beatlemania. The album was only the first in a long line of record-breaking hits from a collaboration that was responsible for completely re-writing the music-business rule book. The Beatles, George Martin and Brian Epstein were destined to become the most successful entity in the history of the entertainment business. Over the course of 10 years they broke every performance and sales record in the book. In March 1964. the top five singles on Billboard’s Top 100 sales chart were Twist and Shout, Can’t Buy Me Love, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand and Please Please Me. In addition to those five singles (four of which were original Lennon & McCartney songs) they also had seven other Top 100 singles. No other artist has even come close to that feat. Nearly 60 years later, The Beatles remain the most recognizable group on the planet. In this fact-packed book, Charles endeavours to explain the mystery and magic of the Beatles art and their unique artistic and commercial success. Charles has been working in the music business since he was 15, as a manager, agent, promoter, publicist, journalist and lyricist. In The Essential Beatles Book he celebrates a truly unique career that produced some of the best albums ever released.”
Metallica FAQ
By Ben Apatoff
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “An in-depth look at Metallica’s cultural significance, with chapters devoted to each member, each album, touring, fashion, books, film, influences, fandom, and more. Four decades into their career, with over 125 million records sold worldwide, Metallica is the biggest metal band of all time. Yet for all their popularity, Metallica can seem impenetrable. They’ve built the unexpected into their music and career, raising more questions and inspiring more discourse as their mythos grows. Frequently asked questions about Metallica merit a whole book. What kinda book? Glad you asked.”
Radiohead And The Journey Beyond Genre: Analysing Stylistic Debates and Transgressions
By Julia Ehmann
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Radiohead’s work combines traditional rock sounds with a unique and experimental approach towards genre that sets the band apart from the contemporary mainstream. A play with diverse styles and audience expectations has shaped Radiohead’s musical output and opened up debates about genre among critics, fans, and academics alike. Applying both music- and discourse-analytical methods, author Julia Ehmann looks at how genre manifests in Radiohead’s work and how it is interpreted by different audience groups. Offering new perspectives on popular music genre, transgression, and the music and reception of Radiohead, the book will appeal to academics, students, and those who are really, seriously, intensely interested in Radiohead and matters of genre.”
