Listmania!
my fave music books
Mystery TrainMystery Train by Greil Marcus
Buy new: £6.49 / Used from: £0.61
Marcus on Robert Johnson, Elvis, The Band, Sly Stone... A classic.
Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement TapesInvisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes by Greil Marcus
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.01
Dylan´s Basement Tapes meet Harry Smith and his Anthology.
The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Hits Ever MadeThe Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Hits Ever Made by Dave Marsh
Buy new: £13.59 / Used from: £7.74
A tasteful list of the best singles ever made.
England's DreamingEngland's Dreaming by Jon Savage
Buy new: £7.79 / Used from: £6.93
The history of punk. Essential.
Please Kill Me: Uncensored Oral History of PunkPlease Kill Me: Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil
Buy new: £7.66 / Used from: £4.41
The oral history of punk. Also essential...
Song and Dance Man III: The Art of Bob DylanSong and Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan by Michael Gray
Buy new: £16.99 / Used from: £8.99
Extensive Dylan study.
DJ Shadow "Endtroducing" (33 1/3) (33 1/3)DJ Shadow "Endtroducing" (33 1/3) (33 1/3) by Eliot Wilder
Buy new: £4.47 / Used from: £1.88
33 1/3 is a great series on classic albums. This one´s a good example.
On The Road with Bob DylanOn The Road with Bob Dylan by Larry Ratso Sloman
Buy new: £11.69 / Used from: £3.85
On the road with Bob in ´75. Great stuff.
Last Train to Memphis: Rise of Elvis PresleyLast Train to Memphis: Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick
Buy new: £9.12 / Used from: £0.45
On Elvis in the beginning. Part 2 (Careless Love) is also excellent.
Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis StoryHellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story by Nick Tosches
Buy used from: £4.34
The Jerry Lee Lewis Story. Tosches rules.
The Dark Stuff: Selected Writings on Rock Music: 1972-1995The Dark Stuff: Selected Writings on Rock Music: 1972-1995 by Nick Kent
Buy used from: £18.38
Nick Kent was one of the best rock hacks of the seventies.
Ball the Wall: Nik Cohn in the Age of Rock (Picador Books)Ball the Wall: Nik Cohn in the Age of Rock (Picador Books) by Nik Cohn
Buy used from: £0.01
Nik Cohn was a pioneer... A best of collection.
Shots from the Hip (Penguin originals)Shots from the Hip (Penguin originals) by Charles Shaar Murray
Buy used from: £2.41
Charles Shaar Murray in fine style. Great collection of magazine writings.
The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and RollThe Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll by Julie Burchill
Buy used from: £14.95
Burchill & Parsons: controversial but great.
Crosstown TrafficCrosstown Traffic by Charles Shaar Murray
Buy new: £6.47 / Used from: £1.07
Jimi Hendrix in depth. Voodoo chile!
Reggae Explosion: The Story of Jamaican MusicReggae Explosion: The Story of Jamaican Music by Chris Salewicz
Buy used from: £36.93
The reggae coffeetable book. Beautiful.
People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee 'Scratch' Perry (Revised Edition)People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee 'Scratch' Perry (Revised Edition) by David Katz
Buy new: £7.64 / Used from: £4.99
The Lee Perry story. A bit too much sometimes, but still worthwhile...
Our Band Could be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991Our Band Could be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad
Buy new: £8.26 / Used from: £7.17
A history of American alternative rock leading to Nirvana. Great read.
Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk, 1978-1984Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk, 1978-1984 by Simon Reynolds
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £1.95
Extensive, well informed study on postpunk.
Straight Life: The Story of Art PepperStraight Life: The Story of Art Pepper by Art Pepper
Buy used from: £15.49
The biography of altist supreme Art Pepper. An amazing read.
Head On/RepossessedHead On/Repossessed by Julian Cope
Buy new: £6.88 / Used from: £3.99
The story of the Teardrop Explodes. Julian can actually write.
From the Velvets to the Voidoids: The Birth of American Punk RockFrom the Velvets to the Voidoids: The Birth of American Punk Rock by Clinton Heylin
Buy new: £9.70 / Used from: £6.75
On punk rock and its predecessors in the US. Cool.
Get in the VanGet in the Van by Henry Rollins
Buy new: £10.79 / Used from: £9.73
Life on the road according to Rollins... Heavy stuff.
Written in My SoulWritten in My Soul by Bill Flanagan
Buy used from: £2.98
Songwriters about their profession. Very insightful.
Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung (Five Star)Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung (Five Star) by Lester Bangs
Buy new: £6.96 / Used from: £3.88
The king of gonzo rock journalism. Do the Godz speak Esperanto?