Musoscribe’s Best of 2010: Books
2010 has been an impressive year for music fans. Well, certainly for ones with tastes similar to mine. Over the next few days I’ll be taking a look back at some of the year’s highlights in seven categories: books about music; reissue CDs; music-related DVDs; new CD releases; notable interviews; concerts; and a catch-all category that covers compilations, archival releases and previously-unissued recordings from the vaults. As with any list of this kind, these are completely subjective and reflect my personal tastes and biases.
Best of 2010: Books
Five books deserve special mention this year. Two are wistful looks at the age of the record store. James Goss’ Vinyl Lives and Record Store Days by Gary Calamar and Phil Gallo explore the rise and fall (and survival?) of the neighborhood record store from different angles. Goss’ book centers on lengthy essays with store owners, and the beautifully-designed Calamar/Gallo book includes history, interviews and more.
Chicago-based music experts Jim DeRogatis and Gary Kot wade into the debate of the ages with their coffee-table-book-with-actual-content, The Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones. Paul Myers takes a detailed and fascinating look at several elpees worth of tunes in A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio. It’s exhaustive and essential all at once, whether one is a Todd fan or (inexplicably) not. Finally, Daniel Durchholz and Gary Graff present Long May You Run: The Illustrated History. It surveys the irascible, inscrutable and iconoclastic career of Neil Young.
In my next blog post I’ll take a look at my favorite interviews of 2010.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.