Are you in the mood for a little light reading? Good — ’cause if there’s one word that describes next week’s lineup of new books, it’s light (though at least one title is fairly heavy). Read all about ’em:
The Lives of Brian: A Memoir
By Brian Johnson
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Brian Johnson was born to a steelworker and WWII veteran father and an Italian mother, growing up in New Castle Upon Tyne, England, a working-class town. He was musically inclined and sang with the church choir. By the early ’70s he performed with the glam-rock band Geordie, and they had a couple of hits, but it was tough going. So tough that by 1976, they disbanded and Brian turned to a blue-collar life. Then 1980 changed everything. Bon Scott, the lead singer and lyricist of the Australian rock band AC/DC, died at 33. The band auditioned singers, among them Johnson, whom Scott himself had seen perform and raved about. Within days, Johnson was in a studio with the band, working with founding members Angus and Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd, along with producer Mutt Lange. When the album Back in Black was released in July — a mere three months after Johnson had joined the band — it exploded, going on to sell 50 million copies worldwide. It has been declared “the biggest-selling hard-rock album ever made” and “the best-selling heavy-metal album in history.” The band toured the world for a full year to support the album, changing the face of rock music — and Johnson’s life — forever.”
The Cure | Pictures of You: Foreword by Robert Smith
By Tom Sheehan
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The definitive collection of renowned photographer Tom Sheehan’s images of The Cure — with photographs seen here for the very first time. Spanning three decades, more than 20 sessions and hundreds of images, Tom Sheehan‘s photographs of The Cure are a breathtaking visual chronicle of the most important alternative rock band in the world. Encompassing early portraits, epic live shows, studio sessions and snatched moments on tour around the world, Sheehan’s photographs capture the band’s journey from cult heroes to global rock stars. Many of the images published in this brand new book have never been seen anywhere before now. Beautifully presented in a cloth-bound hardback and featuring a new, original four-part biography by acclaimed author Simon Goddard, this is the ultimate collection of Sheehan’s work, indispensable to any fan of The Cure.”
Anthems We Love: 29 Iconic Artists on the Hit Songs That Shaped Our Lives
By Steve Baltin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Which Beach Boys song brings Paul McCartney to tears? What makes Light My Fire a rite-of-passage song for teens in every generation, according to Doors guitarist Robby Krieger? What is it about music that brings back so vividly the passion of our early loves, our deepest losses, our richest memories? Acclaimed music journalist Steve Baltin examines 29 iconic songs of modern music to ultimately answer: what transforms a song into an anthem? How did these songs become such a part of our culture? Featuring original interviews with superstar musicians like The Beach Boys, Shania Twain and Earth, Wind and Fire, this book offers a detailed celebration of songwriting, fan connections, memorable live performances, and more. A must-have anthology for music fans, Anthems We Love showcases the most beloved and popular songs of all time, including Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, The Jackson 5’s ABC, Aerosmith’s Walk This Way, and Toto’s Africa. More so, it centers the artists behind these songs — and the songs that formed the soundtracks of their lives — as they share stories, for the first time, about how writing an anthem has changed their lives, those of their fans, and our world.”
The Art of Punk: Posters + Flyers + Fanzines + Record Sleeves
By Russ Bestley, Alex Ogg, Zoë Howe
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Celebrating a wide range of punk design in vinyl cover art, posters, flyers, fanzines, and other ephemera, The Art of Punk highlights the movement primarily within graphic design and print, while also considering its impact on wider popular culture. Punk was based on immediacy — an often-inspired amateurism and underground, close-knit communities that burned brightly but were not intended to extend beyond the gig, the event, the scene, the moment. Punk songs by such legendary bands as The Sex Pistols, Ramones, Damned, New York Dolls, Germs and Clash tended to be short, fast, and aggressive, and the oft-repeated credo “If it can’t be said in three minutes, it’s not worth saying” was adopted as standard practice, extending in turn to an entire ethos for the whole subculture. The book is arranged chronologically, and by genre, and features more than 900 visual examples both by uncredited artists and internationally renowned designers and design groups, alongside interviews with, and commentary by, many of the artists concerned.”
The Cambridge Companion to Krautrock
By Uwe Schütte
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This companion is the first academic introduction to the 1960s/’70s Krautrock movement of German experimental music that has long attracted the attention of the music press and fans in Britain and abroad. It offers a structured approach to this exceptionally heterogeneous and decentralized movement, combining overviews with detailed analysis and close readings. The volume first analyzes the cultural, historical and economic contexts of Krautrock’s emergence. It then features expert chapters discussing all the key bands of the era including Can, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Faust, Ash Ra Tempel, Cluster and Amon Düül II. The volume concludes with essays that trace the varied, wide-ranging legacy of Krautrock from a variety of perspectives, exploring in particular the impact of German experimental music in the Anglosphere, including British post-punk and Detroit techno. A final chapter examining the current bands that continue the Krautrock sound closes this comprehensive overview of the Krautrock phenomenon.”
Reverberation: Do Everything Better with Music
By Keith Blanchard
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “It turns out music isn’t just about entertainment — it’s a deeply embedded, subtly powerful means of communication. Songs resonate with your brain wave patterns and drive changes in your brain: creating your moods, consolidating your memories, strengthening your habits (the good ones and the bad ones alike) … even making you fall in or out of love. Your music is molding you, at a subconscious level, all day long. And now, for the first time ever, you can take charge. From executive editor Peter Gabriel and the minds behind It’s All In Your Head (the ultimate user’s guide for your brain), Reverberation unlocks a world where you can actively leverage the power of music to improve and enhance every aspect of your life. You’ll learn specific songs and techniques to help you sleep better, induce creative breakthroughs, be more productive, have better sex, and a whole lot more. You’ll discover the amazing work happening at the intersection of music, science, technology, and medicine. The authors spoke to dozens of neuroscientists making exciting breakthroughs, as well as top recording artists like David Byrne, Branford Marsalis, Hans Zimmer, Mick Fleetwood and Sheila E. to gain the music maker’s perspective. And you’ll learn how music is already being strategically applied to break addiction and reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s, build more productive and creative teams, develop intuitive personalized technology, and is otherwise changing … well, everything.”
