In the past year or so I bought three Kinks/Ray Davies related books, so I figured it was time to read them. I started with this one. People online (some of them) had suggested that it was a decent history of the band, and I did learn a few things. However, I found the book overall to be short on details and insights. What it did have, unfortunately, was an author who had a few flaws himself. [continued]
The Book I Read: Sellevision By Augusten Burroughs
This book is a short and breezy novel by the author of “Running With Scissors” and “Dry”, among other works. He has a dark sense of humor and wit, which led me to hope for great things from this book. But it wasn’t great. It was mildly entertaining and had it’s moments. [continued]
The Book I Read: Hotel California By Barney Hoskyns
It was Southern California in the 60s and 70s. It was a great time and place for music. Until it wasn’t anymore. So many great artists came out of this fertile slice of space and time. Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Warren Zevon, Buffalo Springfield, Tom Waits, JD Souther, Judee Sill, Lowell George (Little Feat), Gram Parsons, The Mamas and The Papas, and more. It was a hotbed for artistic expression and creativity, though it was eventually headed for a very sobering meet up with commercialism, drugs, ego, greed, and corporate rock. This is a very interesting history, meticulously researched, and filled with hundreds of candid quotes and insights. I like a lot of the music, and I thought I knew about it, but I learned a lot from this book. [continued]
The Book I Read: Paul Simon – A Life, By Marc Eliot
I’ve been a fan of Paul Simon (with and without Garfunkel) for a long long time. He’s a great songwriter and artist. That said, I did learn a few things from this book. But with THAT said, I wish I had learned a lot more. This book is a quick and easy read, and its worth reading for what it is. However, it’s quick because it’s short and sometimes light on substance. I learned some new facts and information, but throughout the book I kept wishing that the author would dig deeper and provide more.
Our Latest 16 Music Items
Here is the latest music update. Some were new, some were used, most were cheap, a couple were free, and of course some were for the wife. The CDs are first, then the vinyl. Click on the “read more” link to see the whole list. Do you love any of these? Hate any of them? Or are you just confused?
Read all the way to the end and then leave me a comment!
ARTIST TITLE FORMAT SIZE COUNTRY COMMENTS
Hart, Beth & Joe Bonamassa Seesaw CD 5 US
Hart, Beth War In My Mind CD 5 US Amazon limited box with two bonus tracks
Pretenders, The Hate For Sale CD 5 US
Mullins, Shawn Soul’s Core Revival CD 5 US
Prince Transmission Impossible CD 5 US 3-CD Bootleg
Browne, Jaskson The Broadcast Archive CD 5 US 4-CD Bootleg
Jethro Tull Skating On Thin Ice CD 5 US 2-CD Bootleg
V/A Garden Of Earthly Delights – An XTC Celebration CD 5 US Tribute to XTC
The Book I Read: “Breathing The Same Air” By Andrew Stafford
It was the spring of 1984. The author had been diagnosed with a lifelong illness. But then things got better. A lot better. Through a combination of luck, perseverance, and XTC fanaticism, Mr. Stafford was able to sit in on a series of recording sessions for XTC, one of the best, most clever, most unique, and most interesting bands in the world. The book recounts how he was there during a couple months while they were recording their album The Big Express. There are some tangents in the writing, mostly interesting though, and his memory is fuzzy about some things. He fully admits it though. [continued]
The Book I Read: Apropos Of Nothing By Woody Allen
“At five or so, I became aware of mortality and figured, uh-oh, this is not what I signed on for. I had never agreed to be finite.” – from Apropos Of Nothing
I love Woody Allen. Ever since the seventies when I saw his “early, funny films”. And through out the years (and films) until today and after that I’m sure. I’ve seen all the films save for one of two, many of them multiple times, and I feel strongly that he is the best, most interesting, and most entertaining director and writer in films today. If you agree you can leave a comment below this review. If not, you can leave a comment on that old mailbox outside your door and down the street. Oh, wait, they took that out. Too bad. Now read the rest of the review…
The Book I Read: Reckless By Chrissie Hynde
Chrissie is a badass woman. And I mean that in the best possible way. This book chronicles her life, as told by herself. She doesn’t mince words and includes some less flattering parts too. But she remains a unique woman in modern rock. Her attitude and reluctance to compromise set her apart from many others in the business. [continued]
