The Screaming Trees chart their rise and fall, Willie Nelson tells tales, Alex Harvey and Talk Talk go under the microscope, prog comes back, black punk and oi get turned up and more titles for your to-do list. Read all about ’em:
The Greatest Band That Ever Wasn’t: The Story Of The Roughest, Toughest, Most Hell-Raising Band To Ever Come out Of The Pacific Northwest, The Screaming Trees
By Barrett Martin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In 1992, The Screaming Trees were expected to become the next big band to come out of the Seattle music scene during the heyday of grunge. Except it never happened. It wasn’t because the band didn’t have great songs-indeed, the Trees were revered for their ability to write a great song that was both artistically original and commercially viable, which is no easy task. Other Seattle bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were fans of The Screaming Trees, playing shows with them and collaborating on albums, long before their own bands broke through into the mainstream. That kind of success eluded the Screaming Trees, and it seemed as if there were more demons than angels in the band’s corner when it came time for the Trees to make their mark. Their songwriting skills, however, remain as their greatest legacy. Written by the band’s long-serving drummer Barrett Martin, The Greatest Band That Ever Wasn’t reads like a Greek comedy or tragedy, depending on your viewpoint. Each of the three acts contained in this book features 11 short stories, for a combined total of 33 stories. These tales will make you laugh and perhaps even cry, which is why the saga of The Screaming Trees reads more like a great myth-one that is incredible, at times unbelievable, yet still contains volumes of humor and wisdom.”
Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs
By Willie Nelson, David Ritz & Mickey Raphael
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “From his earliest work in the 1950s to today, Willie Nelson looks back at the songs that have defined his career, from his days of earning $50 each to his biggest hits, from his less well-known songs (but incredibly meaningful to him) to his concept albums. Along the way, he also shares the stories of his guitar Trigger, his family and “family,” as well as the artists he collaborated with, including Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Dolly Parton and many others. Willie is disarmingly honest — what do you have to lose when you’re about to turn 90? — meditating on the nature of songwriting and finding his voice, and the themes he’s explored his whole life —relationships, infidelity, love, loss, friendship, life on the road, and particularly poignant at this juncture of his life: mortality. Revealing, funny, whimsical, and wise, this book is an enduring tribute to Nelson’s legacy.”
The Journal of Beatles Studies (Vol. 2, Issues 1 and 2)
By Holly Tessler & Paul Long
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Journal of Beatles Studies is the first journal to establish The Beatles as an object of academic research, and will publish original, rigorously researched essays, notes, as well as book and media reviews. The journal aims are; to provide a voice to new and emerging research locating The Beatles in new contexts, groups and communities from within and beyond academic institutions; to inaugurate, innovate, interrogate and challenge narrative, cultural historical and musicological tropes about the band as both subject and object of study; to publish original and critical research from scholars around the globe and across disciplines. The Journal of Beatles Studies establishes a scholarly focal point for critique, dialogue and exchange on the nature, scope and value of The Beatles as an object of academic enquiry and seeks to examine and assess the continued economic value and cultural values generated by and around the band, for policy makers, creative industries and consumers. The journal also seeks to approach The Beatles as a prism for accessing insight into wider historical, social and cultural issues.”
Mac Dre: A Crime That Was Never Committed
By Donald Morrison
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Andre “Mac Dre” Hicks always found a way to tell his story. He was one of the first rappers to record songs through a prison phone in the early ’90s (much to the dismay of his jailors). His untimely death in 2004 left a wound in the Bay Area hip-hop scene that’s never quite healed. This is the complete story of how Mac Dre became one of the most important rap stars on the West Coast, told through the eyes and voices of those who witnessed his meteoric rise from the streets of Vallejo all the way to regional rap stardom. Exclusive interviews with his mother, Mac Wanda, illuminate a rich family history going back to the Deep South at the turn of the 20th century. We hear from close confidant Kilo Curt, who was among those arrested with Mac Dre for attempted bank robbery and spent time with him in FCI Lompoc afterward. Numerous close collaborators share their memories of the rise of Hyphy music in the Bay Area and help contextualize Mac Dre’s role in the subgenre, which would eventually influence artists like Drake and capture the ears of the nation. The story of Mac Dre is the story of rap in America, from the authorities’ attempts to block his success to his tragic, unsolved death in Kansas City. It’s an arc that’s followed by many of the genre’s greatest artists, from Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls to more recent stars Drakeo The Ruler and Pop Smoke. The story of Mac Dre is the story of a rapper who lifted an entire community through artistic determination and refusing to bow to the oppressive forces seeking to silence those around him.”
Rise Up!: Indigenous Music in North America
By Craig Harris
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Music historian Craig Harris explores more than 500 years of Indigenous history, religion, and cultural evolution in Rise Up! Indigenous Music in North America. More than powwow drums and wooden flutes, Indigenous music intersects with rock, blues, jazz, folk music, reggae, hip-hop, classical music, and more. Combining deep research with personal stories by nearly four dozen award-winning Indigenous musicians, Harris offers an eye-opening look at the growth of Indigenous music. Among a host of North America’s most vital Indigenous musicians, the biographical narratives include new and well-established figures such as Mildred Bailey, Louis W. Ballard, Cody Blackbird, Donna Coane (Spirit of Thunderheart), Theresa “Bear” Fox, Robbie Robertson, Joanne Shenandoah, DJ Shub (Dan General), Maria Tallchief, John Trudell and Fawn Wood.”
What Have We Got?: The Turbulent Story of Oi
By Simon Spence
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “What Have We Got?: The Turbulent Story of Oi! is celebrated author Simon Spence’s study of the Oi! punk movement. The only book to consider Oi! punk as a distinct genre within punk rock, What Have We Got? regards the form’s complicated history and asks what kind of legacy it has left. Spence interviews key figures from the scene and investigates the flashpoint between both the far-left and far-right factions that claimed the movement as their own. Spence looks at the terrible racism apparent in some of the bands and asks how a genre which initially aligned itself with the Rock Against Racism movement could turn so ugly. The book also considers the social and political situation of the U.K. in the ’70s and ’80s.”
Black Punk Now
By Chris L. Terry & James Spooner Spooner
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Black Punk Now is an anthology of contemporary nonfiction, fiction, illustrations, and comics that collectively describe punk today and give punks — especially the Black ones — a wider frame of reference. It shows all of the strains, styles, and identities of Black punk that are thriving, and gives newcomers to the scene more chances to see themselves. Curated from the perspective of Black writers with connections to the world of punk, the collection mixes media as well as generations, creating a new reference point for music-lovers, readers, and historians by capturing the present and looking towards the future. With strong visual elements integrated throughout, this smart, intimate collection is demonstrative of punk by being punk itself: underground, rebellious, aesthetic but not static — working to decenter whiteness by prioritizing other perspectives. Edited by graphic novelist and filmmaker James Spooner and author Chris L. Terry, contributors to the collection include critic Hanif Abdurraqib and Mars Dixon, conversations with Brontez Purnell, and a roundtable of all femme festival organizers.”
1972: When Progressive Rock Ruled the World
By Kevan Furbank
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “1972 was the year progressive rock came of age, when bands and artists still revered today produced some of their most ground-breaking, inventive, and enduring musical creations. In this fascinating and absorbing book, Kevan Furbank looks at some of the artists and albums that made 1972 such a watershed in musical achievement. He follows their development from the first tentative notes and chords to the full-blown recordings that, more than 50 years later, are still seen as the masterpieces of the genre, and the gold standard by which all progressive rock is judged. Travel Close To The Edge with Yes, dance a Foxtrot with Genesis, tussle with Gentle Giant’s Octopus and discover you don’t have to be Thick As A Brick to enjoy Jethro Tull’s 40-minute opus. There’s a Trilogy by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, some Demons And Wizards from Uriah Heep, and a Grave New World courtesy of The Strawbs. The author also Focuses on manic yodelling, the End Of The World, an island Obscured By Clouds and a cult album that could be hobbit-forming. Written with passion and wit, the book is a must-have book for every music-lover with an open mind and open ears.”
Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Every Album, Every Song
By Peter Gallagher
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Alex Harvey was active in the music industry from the very birth of British rock ’n’ roll. A Zelig-like figure, he won a contest to become Scotland’s Tommy Steele in the 1950s, followed The Beatles to Hamburg in the early 1960s, dabbled in psychedelic rock during the Summer of Love, and joined the house band of counterculture musical Hair at the close of the decade. By the time 1972 rolled around, he had been there and done that, but had never made it big. He was 37 years old, and thinking of calling it a day. Also thinking of calling it a day were Scottish hard rockers Tear Gas. They had released two albums, each with a different lineup, none of which set the world alight, and now their singer wanted out. In a last-ditch effort to salvage something, Alex Harvey and Tear Gas’s respective managers decided to unite their respective acts. The result was sensational. This book examines not only the eight albums by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, but also Harvey’s earlier work with his Soul Band and solo, and his post-SAHB releases. It also reviews those two Tear Gas albums as well as Fourplay, the album SAHB released without Alex.”
Talk Talk: Every Album, Every Song
By Gary Steel
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In this era of lavish box sets and extravagant vinyl reissues, the sheer economy of Talk Talk’s output feels terrific, refreshing and just right. During the group’s 10-year lifespan, they released just five studio albums, but in the process, redefined contemporary music and spawned a whole new movement that would come to be known as ‘post rock’, influencing legions of bands in their wake, including the likes of Elbow, Mogwai and Sigur Rós. Leader Mark Hollis’s determination to carry out his musical vision would see the group mutate from a synth-pop/new romantic outfit moulded in the shadow of Duran Duran, into the most determinedly unique and unclassifiable art pop act of the late 20th century. More than 30 years later, the group’s astonishing last three albums are still blowing minds and being studiously examined by those who seek to break their mysterious code. This book examines the whole of Talk Talk’s oeuvre song by song, telling their bizarre and somewhat unlikely story along the way as we cast light on the essence of the group through their work. While a book on this compelling band necessarily discusses the tortured genius of singer, guitarist and songwriter Hollis, it also casts light on the surprising après-Talk Talk careers of foundational members Lee Harris and Paul Webb as well as that of producer/keyboardist Tim Friese-Greene.”
In the Groove: The Vinyl Record and Turntable Revolution
By Various Artists
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vinyl records continue to be hot commodities among everyone from obsessive audiophiles to newbie collectors getting their toes wet. In the Groove: The Vinyl Record and Turntable Revolution is the book for both — and everyone in between. Published to mark the 75th year since the introduction of the commercial LP, In the Groove is written by a roster of well-known music journalists, vinyl junkies, and stereophiles teaming up to present a gorgeous tribute to the vinyl LP and the culture it has spawned: In the Groove is illustrated throughout with images of gear, listening spaces, record stores, sleeve art, and celebrities and musicians enjoying the vinyl hobby through the decades. Brief, entertaining sidebars cover topics like famous labels from Stax to Sub Pop, famous EPs, well-known record stores, milestone LP covers, a beginner’s guide to grading, and formats that have challenged the supremacy of the LP, including 8-track, reel-to-reel, and cassette.”
