[Jimmy Dread]

Apologies if one of these has been started in the past, but as a keen fan of pop music history and as an English Lit graduate who has been put off reading novels for life, I thought I'd get some insight into what music books (if any) other members would recommend as good reading material for those boring Winter days stuck indoors with the stereo on.

My wife never knows what music-related oddity to buy me for Xmas so every year I scour Amazon and the like in the vain hope of being hit by inspiration (luckily I found "Our Band Could Be Your Life" in my stocking this year). Just so you know where I'm coming from, I'd rate these as my current 'Top 5':

ENGLAND'S DREAMING - Jon Savage

THE ultimate punk handbook - great insight into the '77 scene in the UK and beyond, with a very handy discography at the back which has served as an essential resource to discovering some of the lesser lights of the genre.

PSYCHOTIC REACTIONS & CARBURETOR DUNG - Lester Bangs

His review of Metal Machine Music is hilarious, as is the story of his acquistion of the Count Five's debut LP.

CIDER WITH ROADIES - Stuart Maconie

From Northern Soul to Napalm Death, one NME hack's oft laugh-out-loud account of his life and loves.

REVOLUTION IN THE HEAD - Ian Macdonald

You'll never listen to the Beatles' music in the same way again. I for one never realised about the unedited expletive left in "Hey Jude"...

SEASONS THEY CHANGE - Jeanette Leach

From Mellow Candle to Joanna Newsom, a labour of love dedicated to folk and psych oddities from the 60s to the present day. Essential reading for people who like daisy chains and the smell of jossticks.

There's a hatful of others I could mention, but I'd be interested to see what others have read and enjoyed...
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'Reggae' & t'ing
Folk 'n Stuff
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[Norman Bates]

I'd add those :

Sweet soul music by Peter Goralnick, title says it all. Only southern soul though, but encyclopedic.
Can't stop, won't stop by Jeff Chang (best book I've read about rap)
Rip it up and start again, by Simon Reynolds (about postpunk)
White bicycles by Joe Boyd (legendary Nick Drake producer talks about the pop & folk underground scenes in mid-60s to early-7s)
and Billie Holiday's autobiography.

[Norman Bates]

There's also a great collection of French books by "Le Mot et le Reste" book company. But these books are in French of course. If you can read it, by all means check them out, they're all good.

For instance :

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[Jimmy Dread]

Rip It Up and Start Again and White Bicycles are both great choices - I remember reading the former whilst on a sun lounger in Portugal, then leaving it out in the rain during a freak shower and all the pages got soggy and stuck together.
_________________
'Reggae' & t'ing
Folk 'n Stuff
SHAMELESS RECORD DEALER PLUG

[Xavygravy]

Don't really know any, but I'm reading The Pinkerton Diaries at the moment, if that counts.

[pearljammer13]

Obviously this is only for the Pearl Jam fan, but Five Against One by Kim Neely is a great look at the band (through 1998). Also very unbiased, sometimes even slanted a little against Eddie Vedder.

[paladisiac]

A little outdated, but still a good read, i blew through this last summer:

'Appetite For Self-Destruction'

by Steve Knopper

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fav artists NOW | ALL-TIME favs | i listen 2 more music than u so u don't have 2!

[alelsupreme]

The Rolling Stone encyclopedia is a great refrence book (though the omission of Neu is inexcusable)
Another great music book is the Beatles biography Shout.

[Applerill]

The Drumming Bible
Welcome to the Machine: OK Computer and the End of the Album
Ozzy Osbourne's Autobiography (for someone who can't even read, it's amazing)
Kurt Cobain's Biography
Digital Audio Production on the Mac

Those are my favorites

[pearljammer13]