Though sometimes touching on non-jazz artists (like Bobby Darin) and violence unrelated to the mob (e.g., a beating of Miles Davis), English’s book adroitly chronicles jazz music’s iron-clad, often-unspoken ties to the mob.
Though sometimes obsessed with Scott’s debauchery, Fink delivers a page-turning account of the complicated character and significant contributions of Bon Scott that metalheads will devour.
Though they’re sometimes repetitive, Johnston and Simmons ably and vividly recount the Doobie Brothers’ hard-working, highly successful 50-year career. Their account will appeal to fans of ’70s rock.
Supplementing previous works, such as Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life and Steven Blush’s American Hardcore, with new in-depth interviews, Ruland expertly conveys the importance of SST to the rise of hardcore and indie rock and the challenges faced by a small label in the cutthroat corporate music industry. Rock fans will be fascinated.
Though mired in minutiae and scholarly lingo, Reali’s work successfully shatters misconceptions about soul music and an identifiable Shoals sound and will appeal to academics and music aficionados.
Mosesson’s poignant demonstration of the tragic costs of superstardom for an introverted, highly creative, anxiety-ridden young man will resonate with anyone interested in popular culture. Highly recommended.
Fernando brilliantly reconstructs the Wu-Tang story and, in the process, sketches a concise history of hip-hop and illuminates the challenges the group members encountered growing up. Whether readers are long-time Wu-Tang Clan fans or have never listened, they’ll be captivated.