Fall Book Recommendations

By Chad Bowar

There are a ton of great music books that have been released in the past few months. Here are my recommendations of some of the best. If you're interested in purchasing any of the following books, or any books for that matter, I encourage you to use Suite 101.com's Amazon.com Link. All purchases made help keep Suite 101 a free site.

Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts Private Stories by Paul Myers

The official authorized biography of Barenaked Ladies is now available for the first time in the United States. As always, authorized biographies are fairly sanitized and present a positive view of the band, but there are some interesting stories of life on the road, in the studio, and band member Kevin Hearn's battle with leukemia. There are also some great photos of the band and a complete discography and project list.

Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts Private Stories does a great job in capturing the band's vibe and attitude. Everything they do is infused with humor and irony, and this book is the same. Paul Myers, the author, met the band back in 1990 when they opened for his band. Obviously the Barenaked Ladies went on to much more success, but Myers offers a good insiders viewpoint and perspective. Fans of BNL will definitely dig this book.

Jam Master Jay: The Heart Of Hip-Hop by David E. Thigpen

Run DMC was one of the pioneering rap groups, and Jam Master Jay was their heart and soul. From behind the turntables he helped create the sound of a generation that spread from the East Coast to the West Coast and everywhere in between.

The book chronicles the journey of Jason Mizell from the neighborhood to his success as Jam Master Jay of Run DMC and his tragic, violent death in 2002. The book features interviews from the surviving members of Run DMC, employees of his record label Def Jam, and friends from the early days. The author of the book, David E. Thigpen, is a writer for Time Magazine and has covered pop and hip-hop music for many years.

Jam Master Jay is a fitting tribute to an often underappreciated pioneer of hip-hop, and one that was taken from us much too soon.

The U2 Reader: A Quarter Century of Commentary, Criticism and Reviews by Hank Bordowitz

U2 are the best band of their generation, and many books have already been written about them and their career. The U2 Reader takes a different approach. It collects previous articles, interviews, commentaries, discographies and reviews into one volume. It starts at the very beginning of their career and goes through All That You Can't Leave Behind.

It's a diverse mixture of complete unknown writers, musicians like Billy Corgan, Bruce Hornsby and Moby, and legendary music writers such as Robert Christgau, Anthony DeCurtis and Dave Marsh.

It's the diversity of viewpoints that make The U2 Reader so compelling. It's always interesting to look back on a band's career and read what the critics were saying at the time compared to what the current viewpoint is. My only complaint is that the book is less than 300 pages long. With so much material available to choose from, I wish they could have made it a bit longer. I guess I'll just have to wait for part 2.

Article courtesy of http://www.suite101.com.