book Archive
29 Sep 2010
Book Review: A Wizard, A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio
Here’s the thing: I occasionally review books, but I certainly never sit down to write a review before I’ve actually finished reading that book. It only makes sense. Rules are made to be broken. And Paul Myers’ A Wizard, A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio is so friggin’ awesome that I simply couldn’t
16 Jun 2010
Book Review: Neil Young – Long May You Run: The Illustrated History
If you’ve ever followed — or tried to follow the career of Neil Young, you know that his muse has led him down a circuitous path, one whose outline is, it would seem, clear only to him. Ever since Young came on the national scene with the Buffalo Springfield, he’s developed a reputation as a
08 Jun 2010
Book Review: Vinyl Lives
Vinyl Lives, the new book from James P. Goss, is one long mash note to the idea of the community record store. By means of a series of twenty-five profiles, Goss makes clear his love of this type of retail establishment. While popular perception is that record stores are a thing of the past, Goss
14 Apr 2010
Book Review: Record Store Days
Viewed through one particular prism, Record Store Days is one long mash note to the bygone era of brick-and-mortar retail record shops. The book by a pair of serious musos — Gary Calamar and Phil Gallo — is chock full of heartfelt reminiscences of those bygone days. But Record Store Days is much more than
01 Feb 2010
Book Review: A Dream Goes On Forever – The Continuing Story of Todd Rundgren, Vol. 2
Covering the life and career of Todd Rundgren is a serious, sprawling undertaking (trust me!). The prolific multi-instrumentalist has recorded and released several dozens albums, first as a member of proto-powerpop sixties group Nazz, then as both a solo artist and member of Utopia. He’s been at the forefront of technology (sometimes too far out
15 Dec 2009
Book Review: Bomp 2 – Born in the Garage
The printed fanzine phenomenon was the precursor of today’s blog. While the form got its beginning covering science fiction, by 1970 one of the medium’s most (ultimately) influential outlets was Who Put the Bomp by Greg Shaw. From 1970 to 1981 Shaw wrote and/or edited many issues of WPTB (eventually shortened to Bomp). While early