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Give the gift of music ... books |
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Written by Jon Bream, McClatchy-Tribune
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Saturday, 16 December 2006 |
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On the radio the other day, some announcer was explaining that two out of three men save their holiday shopping till the end. Not that I'm one of them. I'm just late with this guide to books that would make good, uh, last-minute gifts for the music lovers on your list.
I did not include any books about Elvis Presley, the Beatles or Bob Dylan, each of whom is the subject of innumerable titles new and old. Let's move on, shall we? Like to U2.
"U2 by U2" (Harper Collins, $39.95) celebrates the bad hairdos, the big ideas and the boffo success of Ireland's great rock quartet. This is not just Bono pontificating as usual, but all four members offering expansive commentaries on their lives and careers. Still, it's the family photos and offstage images that make this coffee-table tome a must-have for U2 fans.
The Bruce Springsteen library expands with two titles for true fans. Robert Santelli's "Greetings From E Street" (Chronicle, $35) is a scrapbook with intriguing old photos (Bruce with shoulder-length hair), photocopies of vintage Boss tickets, posters, set lists (in his handwriting) and other memorabilia plus new interviews with E Street Band members. If "Born to Run" sold you on Springsteen, then run out and buy "Born to Run: The Unseen Photos" (Insight, $39.95) by Eric Meola. It's 88 pages of outtakes from the iconic cover shoot.
James Henke takes the memento-filled scrapbook approach with the photo-dominated "Marley Legend" (Chronicle, $35). There aren't as many cool Bob Marley repros (press releases, handwritten lyrics, backstage passes) as in the aforementioned Springsteen book, but this one has an invaluable 50-minute interview with the reggae king on CD.
The ultimate in music scrapbooks and rock narcissism is "Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love" (Faber and Faber, $35). Love craves what her late husband, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, hated - attention. This glossy book reprints her poetry, lyrics, letters, lists, musings, grade-school report cards and other ephemera, including an e-mail exchange with Lindsay Lohan - really. The photos - both professional and family shots - probably say more than the voluminous words in this personal, painful and, for some, provocative purging.
If you want an easier-to-digest book, try "Mamma Mia! How Can I Resist You?" (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, $29.95) by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Judy Craymer. ABBA's Benny and Bjorn discuss 23 of the Swedish pop group's biggest songs; then, along with producer Craymer and others, they give an oral history of the musical "Mamma Mia." ABBA's Agnetha and Frida aren't heard from here, but are seen in many photos wearing some hopelessly `70s outfits.
The 1970s and `80s weren't kind to Gretchen Wilson, she explains in her autobiography, "Redneck Woman: Stories From My Life" (Warner, $23.99). The unvarnished tales of her early hardscrabble years (Grandma tried to kill her husband by putting motor oil in his soup; teenage Gretchen was a "functioning alcoholic" singing in bars) help explain why she's able to pour her redneck soul into some of the best country songs of the `00s. But once she becomes a star, she tells starstruck stories that are as slick as the caption of the photo of her and President Bush: GW and G-Dub.
Other country fans may appreciate "Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Country Music in America" (DK, $40), which comes across as all-inclusive catalog from Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame, a partner in its publishing. The book contains a wealth of splendid photos, short but insightful text, lots of lists (Willie Nelson's duet partners, etc.), mini-profiles of important stars and stories behind key hits. This lavishly illustrated history would be a treasured resource in any library.
Another terrific resource is "The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings" (Penguin, $30). You know the British writers who compiled this 923-page encyclopedia are thorough when they include the Twin Cities' own Lamont Cranston Band and cover Jonny Lang's obscure indie debut "Smokin'" — along with, of course, nine pages devoted to B.B. King and 71 of his albums. | Only registered users can write comments.
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