Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age
Dive into the dramatic rise and fall of the modern recording industry, from CDs to file sharing, with insider access to the key players who …
Words and Music: Our 60 Favorite Music Books
This list features 60 music-related books that explore the depth and breadth of our collective obsessions, from artist autobiographies to critical studies.
Hip: The History
Explore the vibrant evolution of American popular culture and its global influence in the 20th century.
The Freedom Principle: Jazz After 1958
Embark on a thrilling adventure that challenges the very essence of freedom and identity.
Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music
Explore the evolution of sound recording from Edison's perfect performances to today's digital illusions, uncovering the debates and innovat…
Ask: The Chatter of Pop
Dive into the lives and minds of iconic figures like Quentin Crisp, Boy George, and Sting in this captivating collection of interviews.
Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture
Dive into the pulsating heart of rave culture and techno music with an insider's perspective, celebrating the quest for the perfect beat and…
Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984
Dive into the revolutionary post-punk era that followed the punk explosion, a time of immense creativity and social change in music.
Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye
Dive into the tumultuous life of Marvin Gaye, from his abusive childhood to his rise and fall in the world of soul music, as told by his clo…
Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album
Discover the creative force behind the post-punk era with Factory Records, the label that launched icons like Joy Division and New Order, an…
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century
Dive into the revolutionary world of 20th-century classical music with Alex Ross's gripping history, winner of the Guardian First Book Award…
The Wu-Tang Manual
Dive into the philosophy and history of the Wu-Tang Clan with this comprehensive guide by RZA, packed with insights, warrior codes, and East…
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
Explore the profound impact of music on the human brain through compelling stories and scientific insights from renowned neurologist Oliver …
Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
A heartfelt memoir blending the author's love for music and the woman who changed his life, all told through the art of the perfect mix tape…
Unflinching artist autobiographies, early masters of rock criticism, and scene-defining oral histories—these books about bands could be your life. There’s no shortage of writing about music—or ways to write about it—and this is not a definitive be-all-end-all list as much as a starting point. All of these works lead to other worthy titles, undiscovered albums, and new ways of thinking about the sounds flowing into our headphones on a daily basis. There are chronicles of remarkable individual talents like Miles Davis, Neil Young, and Marvin Gaye, as well as histories of scenes and phenomena—the American 1980s indie rock underground, ’90s rave culture—that had musicians and fans banding together toward a common goal or sound. There are also more offbeat and untold stories, like Mountain Goats leader John Darnielle’s Black Sabbath–themed anti-coming-of-age novella Master of Reality or Dave Tompkins’ virtuosic recent history of the vocoder, How to Wreck a Nice Beach. And contextualizing criticism from originators Greil Marcus, Lester Bangs, Richard Meltzer, and Ellen Willis. (The great Robert Christgau is not included on this list because we feel his invaluable, 40-plus-year archive of album reviews and essays are best experienced through his highly searchable website.)
Source: https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/words-and-music-our-60-favorite-music-books/