England and L.A. Texas and Brazil. Festival guides and concert chronicles. The latest crop of new books are all over the map and on the move. Read all about ’em:
Iggy and the Stooges On Stage 1967-74
By Per Nilsen
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Stooges were formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, outside Detroit. They created three classic albums between 1969 and 1973: The Stooges, Fun House and Raw Power. Despite a lack of commercial success, they attracted a devoted following and laid a musical foundation that would influence generations of artists. The Stooges’ music was raw, primal and exciting but it was the dynamic stage presence of singer Iggy Pop that made them legendary. He was passionate, fearless and, at times, genuinely frightening, performing self-mutilation, stage dives, crowd surfing and rushing into the audience to confront hecklers. Iggy tore down the barriers that traditionally existed between audience and performer, but by 1974, he was locked into an orbit of self-annihilation and drug abuse. This book explores The Stooges’ concerts — through eyewitness accounts, press reports and other source materials — from the band’s inception to its demise.”
Focus in the 1970s: The Music of Jan Akkerman and Thijs Van Leer
By Stephen Lambe
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For a few short years in the 1970s, the music of Focus entertained the world. Built around the prodigious instrumental talents of Dutch masters Jan Akkerman (guitar) and Thijs Van Leer (keyboards and flute), the band produced three albums in quick succession, and scored two international hits with Sylvia and Hocus Pocus. The latter is as ubiquitous as tunes from the ’70s get, distinctive for Akkerman’s famous riff and Van Leer’s yodeling. Musical and personal tensions between the two led to a split, but the 1970s also saw seven solo albums each from these talented musicians, with Akkerman moving into jazzier territory while Van Leer had huge success with his Introspection series of light, classical flute-based albums. Stephen Lambe guides readers through the band’s early history year by year, dealing with all eight Focus albums song by song, while also giving the same treatment to Akkerman and Van Leer’s lesser-known solo work between 1970 and 1979.”
Listen to This If You Love Great Music: A Critical Curation of 100 Essential Albums
By Robin Murray
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Featuring 100 of the best albums from the last four decades, Robin Murray shares his passion for exceptional music and offers insightful takes on what elevates these records above the competition. Murray steers clear of the usual classics — The Beatles and The Clash, for example — and instead goes deep into his record collection to pull out the albums he considers the greatest ever. He makes a case that each represents a watershed moment in music history. Whether it’s bass-heavy hip-hop from Nas or experimental indie dance from LCD Soundsystem, this is an essential rundown of the albums that really matter, at least to Murray.”
Festivals: A Music Lover’s Guide to the Festivals You Need To Know
By Oliver Keens
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This guide showcases 50 bucket-list festivals, with photographs, posters, facts and figures. Highlighting festival giants and jazz classics, pop powerhouses and indie favourites to dance scene darlings and punk-rock adventures, we travel from Woodstock, Glastonbury, Coachella and Roskilde to Fuji Rock, Tomorrowland, Burning Man and Afro Punk.”
Searching for Harry Chapin’s America: Remember When the Music
By Pat Fenton
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Best known for his Grammy Hall of Fame song Cat’s In The Cradle, Harry Chapin was just 39 when he died in a car crash in 1981. Marking the 40th anniversary of his death, journalist Pat Fenton recalls road trips to see the towns and people that inspired Chapin. He includes exclusive interviews with Chapin’s family and associates, and an excerpt from Chapin’s unpublished writings.”
Who Killed Cock Robin?: British Folk Songs of Crime and Punishment
By Stephen Sedley and Martin Carthy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “At the heart of traditional song rest the concerns of ordinary people — the folk. And folk throughout the centuries have found themselves entangled with the law. Who Killed Cock Robin? is an anthology of just such songs compiled by one of Britain’s senior judges, Stephen Sedley, and most respected and best-loved folk singers, Martin Carthy. The songs are drawn from manuscripts, broadsides and oral tradition, and grouped according to the various categories of crime and punishment, from Poaching to The Gallows. Each section contains a historical introduction, and every song is presented with a melody, its lyrics and an illuminating commentary that explores its origins and sources. Together, they present a unique, sometimes comic, often tragic insight into the past, while preserving an important body of song for future generations.”
Jimmy Page in Brazil
By Leandro Souto Maior & Marcos Hermes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jimmy Page is one of the most influential guitarists of all time and one of the rock’s most important composers. Everybody knows that. What you might not know is that he has had a longstanding relationship with Brazil and its people. The Led Zeppelin guitarist even inaugurated Casa Jimmy to house homeless youth in Rio — which earned him the title of honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro.”
Razabilly: Transforming Sights, Sounds, and History in the Los Angeles Latina/o Rockabilly Scene
By Nicholas F. Centino
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vocals tinged with pain and desperation. The deep thuds of an upright bass. Women with short bangs and men in cuffed jeans. These are unmistakable signatures of rockabilly, a musical genre normally associated with white male musicians of the 1950s. But in Los Angeles today, rockabilly’s primary producers and consumers are Latinos and Latinas. Why are these “Razabillies” partaking in a visibly “un-Latino” subculture that’s thought of as a white person’s fixation everywhere else? Rockabilly insider Nicholas F. Centino explains all.”
Czech Songs in Texas
By Frances Barton and John K. Novak
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On any weekend in Texas, Czech polka music enlivens dance halls and drinking establishments as well as outdoor church picnics and festivals. The songs are the living music of a community created by immigrants who started arriving in central Texas in the mid-19th century from what is now the Czech Republic. Today, the members of this community speak English but their songs are still sung in Czech. Czech Songs in Texas includes 61 songs, each accompanied byCzech lyrics, English translation and an essay that explores the song’s European roots, its American evolution, and notable performances and recordings.”
Elvis: The Graphic Novel
by Chris Miskiewicz
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Legends have to start somewhere. Witness the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s humble beginnings in Memphis as a young artist struggling to break into the music industry. From Sun Studio to television sets across the nation, the trials and tribulations of Elvis Aaron Presley are explored in graphic detail by authors Chris Miskiewicz (Grateful Dead: Origins) and Marvel Comics artist Michael Shelfer.”
