book Archive
06 Jul 2026
Book Review: With a Little Help From Their Friends
In his introduction to With a Little Help From Their Friends, author Stuart Maconie raises a not-so-rhetorical question: Does the world need another book about the Beatles? To paraphrase his […]
12 Jun 2026
Book Review: Listening to Prestige
One potential function of a book-length treatment of a subject is as a springboard to initiate a wider discussion. In the hands of a skilled writer, a book about a […]
10 Jun 2026
Book Review: Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground
I count myself as a serious fan of the writing and scholarship of Richie Unterberger. One of his earliest books, 1998’s Unknown Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll ranks among my […]
30 Apr 2026
WAIL: The Visual Language of Prestige Records (Part 3 of 3)
Continued from Part Two… Mark Havens: Right, because the first run always seemed to be printed in very small numbers. And then, as is mentioned in the book, Weinstock would […]
29 Apr 2026
WAIL: The Visual Language of Prestige Records (Part 2 of 3)
Continued from Part One… Chris Entwistle: Everything that Mark said is absolutely true. And on a personal note, as [the project] started to get close to 20 years, Mark would […]
28 Apr 2026
WAIL: The Visual Language of Prestige Records (Part 1 of 3)
Almost from its very beginning, Prestige Records was a landmark record label, a giant in the world of jazz. Artists including Dorothy Ashby, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Thelonious […]
23 Feb 2026
Book Review: Land of a Thousand Sessions
My first knowing encounter with the writing of Rob Bowman came when I bought a used paperback copy of his 1997 book Soulsville USA. That book was and remains a […]
20 Feb 2026
Book Review: Derek Shulman – Giant Steps
I’ve known for a very long time that Derek Shulman is a remarkable musical force. His work co-leading Gentle Giant represents an exemplar of what we like to call progressive […]
13 Feb 2026
Book Review: Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind
On the face of it, an entire book dealing with the first album by Graham Parker and the Rumour might seem a bit excessive. While Howlin’ Wind is an important […]
03 Feb 2026
Book Review: Carole King: She Made the Earth Move
Carole King is a towering figure in popular music. Even had she never embarked on a solo recording career, her work as a songwriter in the early 1960s would have […]