33 1/3 Series of books

The Zep is beautifully written. Can't go wrong with Erik Davis.

Dying to read the Pogues one. Anyone tackle that yet?

Geeta!

Yep, the Low & Court & Spark ones are really great as are the Throbbing Gristle and Minutemen books.

So far my least favourite ones have been OK Computer & Achtung Baby.

I'll third the Court & Spark recommendation, though it doesn't exactly fit your "non-traditional" criteria. Fairly straight analysis but very well done and nicely written.

The Joe Pernice book on Meat is Murder is a novella. Haven't read it so can't say if it was a success, but may be one to check if that's the kind of book you like.

Worst yet for me is the Jethro Tull. Followed by the Zepplin. Yawn.

Best is definitely the GnR (and I don't even own/like that album).

My favorites are the ones that are all "Here's what they were doing!! Here's how they made the album!!" So: Loveless, In the Aeroplane, and Doolittle.

I've read three: Zep IV and Sign 'o' The Times ruled, Forever Changes was boring. DYING to read Master Of Reality.

Anyone read the Big Star or Wire books yet?

The Joe Pernice is the only one I've read in this series that I'm not so crazy about. Gets points for pretty consistent and believable tone: this isn't too far what some stranger's 80's high school diary would read like, but nothing much happens (which helps with the believability factor but not so much with the reading pleasure), it's overly nostalgic about pre-modern means of getting/listening to/getting into music, and the characters aren't interesting. Nothing like the pretty much unqualified success of Master of Reality. The PJ Harvey one's also "non-traditional" I gather.

the Zep one is definitely my favorite of the ones I've read. read the Illmatic one recently and it was kind of disappointing considering how few volumes there are about rap albums, so bland and clinical.

damn there's still so many of these I wanna read...Armed Forces, Use Your Illusion, Aja, The Who Sell Out expecially.

The Use Your Illusion books have juicy remarks about how overrated Izzy was. The song by song analysis is useful.

*book had

I need the Aquemini book to come out bad. Anybody know anything about the authors N1ck Weidenfeld and Michael Schmelling?

"armed forces" book is probably in my top five music books of all time.

where's the another green world one already? so hoping it's good

i didn't think much of the Aja one. lots of very dry description of chord progressions and harmonies and lyrics with very little commentary or insight. cool if you're a musician or theory-head i guess but for me it was too much 'how' with not enough 'why.' and if you're more than a casual fan of the band you'll have already heard all the anecdotes he includes too.

The Village Green Preservation Society one is like the greatest Mojo article ever. Other than that, I fully agree with the other faves Loveless, 20 Jazz Funk Greats, Sign O' The Times, Led Zeppelin IV

Only one that has been a slog was Murmur

the There's A Riot Going On book is fabulous, just wonderful. the Paul's Boutique book is dry but good for factual info. the Daydream Nation book is drivel. these are all I've read.

The Low one was illuminating.

amazon re: Another Green World:

Product Details

* Paperback: 128 pages
* Publisher: Continuum (September 15, 2009)

wtf?

Nothing WTF about it, it just means Geeta's book is published or about to be.

The one on Harvest is pretty good.

xp considering it took like a million years seemingly and there is no fanfare on the blog, it is a bit wtf actually.

Actually I guess it sez way down in one post in like July that it's coming in late September.

geeta said on another thread that it was coming out in september iirc

yeah, but it's still only available for pre-order is my point.

the world's gone mad

In my secret fantasy world I'm writing one of these on Secret Treaties.

The one on Harvest is pretty good.
You thought so? That was the worst one I've read, imo ... Didn't seem like the writer really cared about the album at all -- or even like it!

The one's I've read:

Let's Talk About Love - The guy seems a bit up himself even when doesn't try to be (hard not to do when talking about Celine Dion, I guess) but other than that, it's a very good read. A-
Paul's Boutique - Kind of dry. As much about rejecting why they moved away from the first album as how this one was made. Worth reading though, you'll learn a few things and a couple anacdotes will put a smile on yr face. B
Rid of Me - Indie music fan fiction. Not badly written but I think I would have preferred it if she didn't keep trying to push PJ references into the narrative and instead just take the influence and do her own thing. C-
In Utero - Pretty good! Paints everyone, even Courtney in a fair manner and just lets the story work on it's own. (Spoiler- doesn't end happily.) A
69 Love Songs - Interesting idea in theory, didn't work too well in reality in regards to the 69LS dictionary. The second half is much more interesting, taking straight quotes from band+friends+audiences+etc. about each song and just leaves you feeling there were more anacdotes. C+
Sign O' The Times - Really fucking good. Very much a 'My Personal History Through Listening To Prince' but covers his career and specifics of the album just perfectly. A+
Loveless - There is nothing to fault it on, it's well written and well informed, the band are interesting. A-
In An Aeroplane Over The Sea - See Loveless. Crazy auteur makes ridiculously overblown record, kinda disappears afterwards. Well written. A-
Daydream Nation - Pretty good coverage of the record and the scene but I can't remember it that well. B
If You're Feeling Sinister - See Daydream Nation. C

If Brett Easton Ellis wrote one in the style of Patrick Bateman, I wonder what the best album to write about would be?

It would have to be Fore wouldn't it?

Brothers In Arms?

"armed forces" book is probably in my top five music books of all time

seconded: given how entrenched my idea of costello was ('singer-songwriter', boring old man, wasn't he punk once lol) it's amazing how much this book forces you (well, forced me) to consider the actual project of what he's doing in his early songwriting/recording. like if there was one kind of music criticism i'd like to see more of on a regular basis it's this kind of deeply engaged analysis.

and i totally cannot remember the name of the dude who wrote it, though i have a vague feeling he was on a mountian gaots record once

Franklin Bruno, right?

Franklin Bruno, and yes he played on Tallahassee and Sunset Tree. Was never into Costello beyond My Aim Is True, but it sounds like this book may help that.

Tim's proposal to write up Living in the Material World was sadly rejected.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 16 September 2006 20:41

You know that's my least favorite George Harrison album. (I did not propose a book for this series.)
― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 16 September 2006 20:42 (3 years ago)

there's a more obvious Harrison LP awaiting a book in this series (and not All Things...). the series might end up rub if they don't consider it (much like Massanet is a humourless bastard for not writing a "Mass In A"...)

The Wilburys projects would make good books, yes.

"In my secret fantasy world I'm writing one of these on Secret Treaties."

Jon, I will read this!

yeah, armed forces book is great

the one that other guy from the mountain goats wrote was also great, actually

my brian eno 33 1/3 book is out this week! i know it says "pre-order" on amazon, but if you order it this week, i've been told that you'll get it in the mail next week. it'll also be in stores later this week.

Awesome. I'm ordering it. Has anyone read the recent Eno bio? Is it worthwhile?

yay.

Awesome news! Way to go Geeta! Stoked to read it.

i've never heard that album, maybe now would be a good time

I will order this posthaste!

I enjoyed the Eno bio greatly, lots of great info about his early years, one small criticism would be that it did skirt through the mid/late 80's onwards.

Although you can read about that in Eric Tamm's book, which is available on the internet. Like here for instance.
http://www.pdfhacks.com/eno/skinned_comments/pg_0006.toc.html