In other essays where he combines memoir and criticism, Corbett considers the current vinyl boom, explains why vinyl is his preferred medium, profiles collector subcultures, and recounts his adventures assembling the Alton Abraham Sun Ra Archive, an event so all-consuming that he claims it cured his record-collecting addiction.
Discussing more than 200 rare and out-of-print LPs, Vinyl Freak is comprised in part of Corbett’s long-running Downbeat magazine column of the same name, which was devoted to records that had not appeared on CD. In Vinyl Freak, music writer, curator, and collector John Corbett burrows deep inside the record fiend’s mind, documenting and reflecting on his decades-long love affair with vinyl. Just as Mike Davis captured Los Angeles in his City of Quartz, Berlin Calling is a unique account of how Berlin became hip, and of why it continues to attract creative types from the world over.įrom scouring flea markets and eBay to maxing-out their credit cards, record collectors will do just about anything to score a long-sought-after album. In a story stocked with fascinating characters from Berlin’s highly politicized undergrounds–including playwright Heiner Muller, cult figure Blixa Bargeld of the industrial band Einsturzende Neubauten, the internationally known French Wall artist Thierry Noir, the American multimedia artist Danielle de Picciotto (founder of Love Parade), and David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust incarnation–Hockenos argues that the DIY energy and raw urban vibe of the early 1990s shaped the new Berlin and still pulses through the city today.
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It’s the story of a newly undivided Berlin when protest and punk rock, bohemia and direct democracy, techno and free theater were the order of the day.
their epic staging and performance impact will also be explored, along with the anti-authoritarianism that infuses their lyrics.The book is heavily illustrated throughout, emphasizing the essential role that visual material played in supporting the music and creating the lasting Pink Floyd phenomenon.īerlin Calling: A Story of Anarchy, Music, the Wall, and the Birth of the New Berlin by Paul Hockenos ()Īn exhilarating journey through the subcultures, occupied squats, and late-night scenes in the anarchic first few years of Berlin after the fall of the wall.īerlin Calling is a gripping account of the 1989 “peaceful revolution” in East Germany that upended communism and the tumultuous years of artistic ferment, political improvisation, and pirate utopias that followed. Authors including Jon Savage, Howard Goodall and Rob Young examine what makes the band truly special, from the mythology underpinning their output, through to their experimentation with technology to create new sounds. Five essays tackle different aspects of their far-reaching legacy in music and the visual arts. Published to accompany the V&A’s major summer exhibition, Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains, celebrates 50 years of one of the greatest bands of all time.
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The first book ever produced with full access the Pink Floyd archive. Next up on my list to read is #120 – Angelo Badalamenti’s Soundtrack from Twin Peaks – I’ll let ye know how I get on!] #54 – Throbbing Gristle’s 20 Jazz Funk Greats [However, I still love 33 1/3 and would recommend these: You can reserve a copy of this book at South Dublin Libraries’ catalogue here. Now, I understand that this is a difficult album to talk about BUT I didn’t decide to write a book about it. The expected interviews crop up but nothing in this book extended my reach of the album. However having such an in-depth, and some may say pointless argument heading the book left me a little exhausted. While it picked up later, the first lengthy chapter discusses other critics who maintain that the album is beatless despite Weidenbaum asserting that it isn’t, or is, honestly I’m not quite sure (for the record: it isn’t beatless, there are beats, and it is an ambient record, these things can co-exist!). It didn’t really illuminate for me one of my favourite records (and certainly my favourite going to sleep record), didn’t put forth any new tidbits really, bar an interview with the guy who named the famously unnamed tracks. This book, by Marc Weidenbaum, however fails to capture the record for me. The issue, however, with each album being a different beast, and each book by a different author that the quality can vary hugely, as can the format of the books – the PJ Harvey book, for example, was less a critical music book and instead viewed the album through short stories. The full list is very diverse ranging from Dusty Springfield to industrial legends Throbbing Gristle to the Super Mario Bros soundtrack. The premise is – each little pocket size book is about a single famous album.