Dave Mason and The Doors. Arthur Lee and Agnostic Front. Punks and pics. Taylor and travelogues. Politics and philosophy. And the usual discographical deep dives. Suffice to say that there’s a lot of rock ’n’ roll to read about next week. Let’s crack the covers:
Only You Know & I Know
By Dave Mason & Chris Epting
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Roll And Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason found early success with the band Traffic, establishing himself as a skilled guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter who penned the classic Feelin’ Alright? Departing for a solo career, Mason earned three gold albums — Alone Together, Dave Mason and Mariposa De Oro — and a platinum album, Let it Flow, which included the hit We Just Disagree. In addition to his solo work, Dave has been a member of Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, the original Derek & The Dominos, a duo with Mama Cass Elliott, an ill-fated version of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, and the legendary Fleetwood Mac. Along the way, he appeared on The Spencer Davis Group’s Gimme Some Lovin,’ George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, The Rolling Stones’ Street Fighting Man, and Jimi Hendrix’s All Along the Watchtower. He also recorded with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, David Crosby, Leon Russell and Paul McCartney. But the successes didn’t come without challenges. Bad business deals, cocaine, and a seemingly endless touring schedule began to take their toll. Here, for the first time, Dave shares some of the great untold tales in rock — his relationship with Traffic, his battle with addiction and the loss of a child, and more. The cast of characters includes Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Gram Parsons, Eric Clapton and many others.”
The Most Interesting Man In The World
By Vinnie Stigma
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The godfather of New York City hardcore and founding member of Agnostic Front invites you into his Lower East Side pad to regale you with tales from his extraordinary life among mobsters, punks, and a bevy of iconic artists and personalities — none as interesting or fascinating as the inimitable Vinnie Stigma! Born Vincent Capuccio in 1955, Stigma — as countless friends and fans lovingly refer to him — is the guitarist of New York City’s legendary Agnostic Front. He was also one of the Big Apple’s first punks, having frequented such eclectic downtown haunts as Max’s Kansas City, The Electric Circus, and of course, CBGB while it was still known as Hilly’s On The Bowery during the early 1970s. The Most Interesting Man In The World stretches from Vinnie’s upbringing in Little Italy among tight-knit Italian families (and some prominent wiseguys) to teaming up with Cuban-born vocalist Roger Miret to carry punk’s angrier successor across the globe; from no-show jobs in his youth obtained by people who “protected” him to lighting up some of the world’s biggest stages. However, Stigma is not your run-of-the-mill rocker. He has dabbled in cooking, pro wrestling, acting, martial arts, yoga, and other disciplines. He is a father and a cancer survivor who helped pioneer skinhead and tattoo culture in America, and has mentored hundreds of fledgling musicians. Featuring vintage photos, a handful of Italian recipes, even a four-page comic book and crossword puzzle, The Most Interesting Man In The World is a journey through a life unlike any other. No one sees or experiences the world quite like Stigma.”
Forever Changes: The Authorized Biography Of Arthur Lee And Love, Updated Edition
By John Einarson
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Widely hailed as a genius, Arthur Lee was a character every bit as colorful and unique as his music. In 1966, he was prince of the Sunset Strip, busy with his pioneering racially mixed band Love, and accelerating the evolution of California folk-rock by infusing it with jazz and orchestral influences, a process that would climax in a timeless masterpiece, the album Forever Changes. Shaped by a Memphis childhood and a South Los Angeles youth, Lee always craved fame. He would achieve his ambition with a mixture of vaulting talent and colossal chutzpah. Drug use and a reticence to tour were his Achilles heels, and he succumbed to a dissolute lifestyle just as superstardom was beckoning. Despite endorsements from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, Lee’s subsequent career was erratic and haunted by the shadow of Forever Changes, reaching a nadir with his imprisonment in 1996 for a firearms offence. Redemption followed, culminating in an astonishing postmillennial comeback that found him playing Forever Changes to adoring, multi-generational fans around the world. This upswing was only interrupted by his untimely death from leukemia in 2006. Forever Changes is a meticulously researched biography that includes lengthy extracts from Arthur’s vivid, comic, and poignant memoirs. This updated edition adds a foreword by Love’s co-founder and guitarist Johnny Echols.”
Jim Morrison, Secret Teacher of the Occult: A Journey to the Other Side
By Paul Wyld
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The groundbreaking 1960s band The Doors, named for Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, achieved incredible acclaim and influence, ultimately serving as a key group in the development of psychedelic and progressive rock. At the center of it all was front man Jim Morrison, who died in 1971 at age 27. Yet, as author Paul Wyld reveals, despite Morrison’s reputation as a lewd, drunken performer, he was a mystical, shamanic figure, a secret teacher of the occult who was not merely central to the development of rock, but also to the growth of the Western esoteric tradition as a whole. Wyld looks at the mystical works that inspired Morrison, including Kurt Seligmann’s The Mirror of Magic, Colin Wilson’s The Outsider, and the writings of Nietzsche and Jack Kerouac. Drawing on Morrison’s lyrics and poems, his intimate writings, and the recollections of friends like photographer Paul Ferrara and Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, the author makes the case that Morrison was not simply a superficial dabbler in the occult but a secret teacher transmitting knowledge through the golden thread stretching back to Egypt and Thoth-Hermes. Wyld shows how praxis was at the heart of Morrison’s approach, revealed in his journey through the arduous ordeals of shamanic initiation. He was a shaman, mystic and sage — and an essential part of a great spiritual awakening to which he gave himself over fully.”
Mango Tree Musician: The Carlos Garnett Autobiography
By Carlos Garnett & Jaime J Ortiz
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Saxophonist Carlos Garnett, despite being blind in his later years, was an integral part of Miles Davis’s nonet. His pivotal roles extended beyond live performances to studio work during the On The Corner era in 1972. Though he was born in a community of laborers who worked for the Panama Canal Co., his talent and work ethic led him to perform with some of the world’s most notable musicians. Garnett’s upbringing had influences from various cultures, including Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados, which informed his musical fusions. This autobiography traces Garnett’s journey from the segregated town of Red Tank, erased from modern maps. After establishing himself as a musician in his homeland, Garnett left for Brooklyn. There, he worked with Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus, Andrew Hill, Mtume James, Norman Connors and of course, Davis. His own albums for Muse Records showcased his musical fusions, highlighting his talents as a composer, arranger, and instrumentalist.”
The Book of Taylor: 50 Reasons Taylor Swift Rules The World
By Billie Oliver
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Everything you need to know about the queen of the charts and our hearts. From her signature red lip to her endless list of chart-topping hits, Taylor Swift is a force to be reckoned with. Every blank space in The Book of Taylor has been filled with colorful collages of our fave cat-loving, Grammy-winning country and pop queen, alongside 50 T-Swiz facts, including her biggest fears, her unpublished manuscript, her go-to drive-through order, and more. Go beyond friendship bracelets and get to know your dream BFF on a whole other level.”
Band People: Life And Work In Popular Music
By Franz Nicolay
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Secret (and not-so-secret) weapons, side-of-the-stagers, rhythm and horn sections, backup singers, accompanists-these and other ‘band people’ are the anonymous but irreplaceable character actors of popular music. Through interviews and incisive cultural critique, writer and Hold Steady keyboardist Franz Nicolay provides a portrait of the musical middle class. Artists talk frankly about their careers and attitudes toward their craft, work environment, and group dynamics, and shed light on how support musicians make sense of the weird combination of friend group, gang, small business consortium, long-term creative collaboration, and chosen family that constitutes a band. Is it more important to be a good hang or a virtuoso player? Do bands work best as democracies or autocracies? How do musicians with children balance their personal and professional lives? How much money is too little? And how does it feel to play on hundreds of records, with none released under your name? In exploring these and other questions, Band People gives voice to those who collaborate to create and dissects what it means to be a laborer in the culture industry.”
Music Cities: Capitals and Places of Musical Geography
By Guia Cortassa
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “There are cities that have made an indelible mark on music as incubators of genres that changed, and are changing, history. These are their stories. From London told by Blur at the height of Brit-pop, to evenings in Lagos punctuated by Afrobeats, and the underground sound of Seattle shaped by Sub Pop. The pages of this book map an atlas of cities (from Rio de Janeiro to Seoul) that have made a notable and significant contribution to music, and bring them to life through the stories of their most important experiences. The book is enriched by in-depth “bonus tracks” on the most famous and unforgettable musicians, such as Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Mahalia Jackson, The Rolling Stones and Green Day.”
Austin Music Is A Scene Not A Sound
By Michael Corcoran
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Michael Corcoran culminates 40 years of writing about Austin music with a history of the scene, going back to the German singing societies of the late 1800s and ending with the ascent of South by Southwest, whose registration line would become the Ellis Island of new Austin. Over 50 legendary Austin live music venues, starting with the Skyline and Victory Grill in the wake of WWII, are profiled in a rolling Clubland Paradise section. Austin Music Is A Scene Not A Sound includes the stories of Willie Nelson and the Armadillo, nascent Black radio DJs Lavada Durst and Tony Von, the making of Stevie Ray Vaughan, the significance of Sixth and Red River Streets, and how Aquafest went from Austin’s biggest annual event to belly-up in five years. Illustrated with photos, this history and guide showcases interesting stories, venues, and context from the Live Music Capital of the World.”
Listen: The Stages and Studios That Shaped American Music
By Rhona Bitner
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “An extraordinary archive of the most iconic sites on the American musical landscape. Prompted by the closing of New York’s famed CBGB, Rhona Bitner embarked on a 13-year journey to photograph 403 venues across 26 states and 89 cities — the studios, concert halls, arenas, high schools, bars, ballrooms, prisons and fields where the most memorable songs were inspired, recorded, performed, and listened to. Close to 300 of those photographs are included in this book. Featuring Jimi Hendrix’s recording studio, Elvis Presley’s Graceland music room, Aretha Franklin’s family church, the Georgia auditorium where 14-year-old Little Richard was discovered and where Ray Charles, Otis Redding, James Brown and Sam Cooke took the stage, and the high school where a young Bob Dylan first performed, this book showcases each locale that played a seminal role in the soundtracks of generations. With informative texts on each location and archival images of performers recording or playing in the venues, this encyclopedic collection is a must-have addition to the libraries of music aficionados everywhere.”
Hail Murray!: The Punk Photography Of Murray Bowles, 1982-1995
By Murray Bowles
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Murray Bowles was the most influential and beloved photographer of the Bay Area punk scene. For more than four decades he captured the excitement, energy, creativity, and tenderness of a thriving community. Collected here for the first time are Bowles’ classic images shot in basements, warehouses, and nightclubs where people of all ages gathered to celebrate community. Featuring hundreds of images of bands such as Green Day, Operation Ivy, Neurosis, Crimpshrine, Dead Kennedys, MDC, Special Forces, Social Unrest, Spit Boy, Melvins, Gwar, Soundgarden, NOFX, Offspring and many, many more. Epic crowd shots from shows at venues such as Mabuhay Gardens, On Broadway, 924 Gilman, Tool & Die, Ruthie’s Inn, as well as warehouses, parks, backyards, and basements throughout the Bay Area. This collection of photographs documents and celebrates the punk scene from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s.”
Spirit Behind The Lens: The Making Of A Hip-Hop Photographer
By Eddie Otchere
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Spirit Behind The Lens takes the reader into the visual world of one of hip-hop’s most enigmatic photographers: Eddie Otchere. Hailing from the epicentre of London’s jungle scene, this book documents how Otchere crafted the visual identities of house, garage, jungle, drum n bass and hip-hop, working with artists including Biggie Smalls, Wu-Tang Clan, Lil Louis, So Solid Crew, Kemet Crew, Goldie and Black Star. Accompanied by a written memoir in which Otchere outlines his practice, influence and personal history, Spirit Behind The Lens is not only a history of Black culture told through the work of its greatest and most influential photographer, but a manual on how to navigate the emotional aspects of being creative and an exploration of the romance of photography itself.”
Hit Me With Music: Roots Rock Reggae
By Lee Jaffe
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In his new book, Lee Jaffe reveals the world of The Wailers during their early years as an international act from 1973 to 1975, a socially and politically transformative period in Jamaican history. He also explores the start of Peter Tosh’s solo career in 1976 with the revolutionary album, Legalize It. Lee Jaffe is a cross-disciplinary visual artist, musician and poet whose photographs highlight The Wailers featuring Bob Marley, Tosh and Bunny Wailer during the last three years that they performed together. Jaffe and Marley first met in the New York hotel room of Traffic’s Jim Capaldi, starting a close creative partnership and friendship. He lived with Marley in Jamaica for three years, and was a participant in the international emergence of reggae music. He became a member of the band, performing on stage and in the studio with Marley, as well as working with Tosh, producing Legalize It. He later produced records for Joe Higgs, Wailing Souls, Barrington Levy and Morgan Heritage. Jaffe’s portraits of these legendary performers are set against the backdrop of a politically and socioeconomically turbulent Jamaica. His detailed accounts and stories are accompanied by his photographs, providing music fans with key moments that inspired some of Marley’s most beloved lyrics and songs.”
Iron Maiden: Album By Album, Updated Edition
By Martin Popoff
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Required reading for any metalhead, this updated compendium of in-depth, entertaining, and profusely illustrated conversations spanning all of Iron Maiden’s studio albums includes 2021’s Senjutsu. In this new edition of Iron Maiden: Album By Album, prolific rock journalist Martin Popoff pays tribute to Iron Maiden’s discography through a series of in-depth, frank, and fascinating conversations about all of the legendary heavy metal band’s studio albums. Inside, Popoff gathers together metal journalists, authors, and musicians, who offer insights, opinions, and anecdotes about every release. Richly illustrated with thoughtfully curated performance and offstage photography, as well as rare memorabilia, the conversations comprise a unique historical overview of the band, covering: Early albums with original lead singer Paul Di’Anno; the songwriting of founder and bassist Steve Harris; the impeccable talents of drummer Nicko McBrain and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers; mega-tours undertaken in support of the LPs; fights within the band and much more — even their iconic mascot Eddie is sure to make an appearance or two. Popoff also includes loads of sidebars that provide complete track listings, details on album personnel, and information on where and when the albums were recorded. Reignite your passion for the masters of metal with this captivating album-by-album exploration. Up the Irons!”
David Bowie 1964 to 1982: Every Album, Every Song
By Carl Ewens
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “When David Bowie died in 2016 some people say the world went to hell in a handcart. It seems that while Bowie was alive, his songs and their strange commentaries on modern life had some kind of deep significance that made sense of it all for many people. His music evokes something futuristic and prophetic to his fans. In this book, there is light shed on Bowie’s songwriting in the early, most-lauded part of his career, his much-vaunted sense of alienation and his desperate search to make music that was art. Art-rock is an odd sort of genre to be associated with, but it fits Bowie to a T. Everything he did was infused with a kind of indescribable oddness, like his two mismatched eyes, the result of a teenage spat with a school friend over a girl. He had a lifelong interest in ideas about life on other worlds, and yet one of his many songs associated with this theme, Life On Mars, is more concerned with the failings of this planet. When he sang Starman on Top Of The Pops in 1972, his arm draped around the shoulders of his talented lead guitarist and arranger Mick Ronson, he lit up a million teenage hearts. This is a complete examination of all the songs from Bowie’s golden years, which extends from his days as a mod saxophonist through to his astonishing 1980 hit album, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps). His songs run the gamut from extraordinary to esoteric but were always written from the heart.”
Ultravox: Every Album, Every Song
By Brian J. Robb
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ultravox made an indelible mark on the popular music of the 1980s despite never reaching No. 1 at any point: famously, Vienna stalled at No. 2, while their only other top five single was the zeitgeist-capturing Dancing With Tears in My Eyes, reaching No. 3 in May 1984. Between 1981’s Vienna and 1984’s Love’s Great Adventure, Ultravox scored 12 Top 30 hit singles (17 reached the Top 40), and seven Top 10 album releases. Fronted first by John Foxx, then Midge Ure, Ultravox went from being an acclaimed but hitless art rock outfit to a Blitz-era chart-storming quartet. They also proved to be a formidable live band, mixing in-vogue electronic synthesisers with drums and guitar and Billy Currie’s trademark classical violin. The band became one of the most successful acts of the era, capped by their 1985 appearance at the Live Aid concert. They also made their mark with arty, distinctive, and influential music videos. Having split following 1986’s controversial U-Vox album, the 1980s Ultravox lineup regrouped in 2009, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Vienna with a series of tours. That led to a new album: 2012’s Brilliant.”
Wendy Carlos: Every Album, Every Song
By Mark Marrington
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Wendy Carlos is one of the most influential electronic musicians of the 20th century, whose groundbreaking LP Switched-On Bach was pivotal in elevating the Moog synthesizer to iconic status. At the same time, her highly evocative score for Stanley Kubrick’s film A Clockwork Orange redefined the sound of electronic music for a generation of popular musicians. Known in particular for her adventurous sonic reimaginings of the music of classical composers from Bach to Beethoven, it is often forgotten that Carlos was also an accomplished composer in her own right, whose original work on albums such as Sonic Seasonings, Digital Moonscapes and Beauty In The Beast deserves equal recognition for its progressive compositional innovations and sound design techniques. With the aim of addressing this imbalance, this book offers a detailed track-by-track survey of all Carlos’s unique album releases from Switched-On Bach to Tales of Heaven And Hell, placing each recording in context in relation to musical influences, technology and thematic concepts, as well as providing many analytical pointers to assist the listener in navigating her classically influenced musical aesthetic. To provide a fully rounded picture, the last section of the book considers a number of Carlos’s miscellaneous one-off projects and evaluates the remastered editions of her earlier LPs released during the early 2000s.”
Yes 90125: Rock Classics
By Stephen Lambe
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Against the odds, 90125, released towards the end of 1983, was Yes‘s best-selling album. Yet it was never intended to be a recording by one of the 1970s rock dinosaurs. A combination of commercial expediency and luck saw a new band called Cinema — featuring Yes stalwarts Chris Squire, Alan White and Tony Kaye alongside talented multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rabin — become Yes following the last-minute recruitment of vocalist Jon Anderson. The U.S. No. 1 hit Owner Of A Lonely Heart led to a triple-platinum record and a massive world tour, giving this band a new lease of life in the 1980s. Featuring new interviews with several of the main protagonists, including Anderson and Rabin, this book traces the story of the album from its rudimentary demos in 1981, right up to the end of the world tour in early 1985. 90125 is reviewed in full, and the book also includes a detailed look at the somewhat complex and contrived process that created it, followed by an examination of the album’s legacy and remarkable afterlife. The 90125 story is possibly the most astonishing in this legendary group’s nearly six-decade history. This is how it happened.”
We Take Care Of Our Own: Faith, Class, And Politics In The Art Of Bruce Springsteen
By June Skinner Sawyers
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “We Take Care Of Our Own traces the evolution of Bruce Springsteen’s beliefs, beginning with his New Jersey childhood and ending with his most recent works from Springsteen on Broadway and Letter to You. The author follows the singer’s life, examining his albums and a variety of influences (both musical and non-musical), especially his Catholic upbringing and his family life, to show how he became an outspoken icon for working-class America — indeed for working class life throughout the world. In this way, the author emphasizes the universality of Springsteen’s canon and depicts how a working-class sensibility can apply to anyone anywhere who believes in fairness and respect. In addition, the author places Springsteen in the historical context not only of literature (especially John Steinbeck) but also in the art world (specifically the work of Thomas Hart Benton and Edward Hopper). Among the themes explored in the book include community, a sense of place, America as the promised land, the myth of the West, and, ultimately, mortality.”
