All Categories — Books  

A totally great book for 7" collectors – especially if you dig unusual picture sleeves! The book was put together by DJ Muro – an artist we've come to love for his work on mixes and compilations, but who's also well-known for his massive record collection, too – one that's certainly informed his music, but which stands well enough on its own – as you'll see in the book! For the volume, Muro brought together rare 7" picture sleeve images – all in a full-color, 7" package that's just the size of a vintage 45 – so that flipping the pages is almost like sifting through a stack of singles. Most of the images are from rare Japanese and Asian pressings – which means that you'll see unusual covers for funk, soul, soundtrack, and other groovy music styles of the 70s and 80s. Some of the images are odd variations on the American LP covers, and others are completely unique – and together, they provide a fascinating visual document that's sure to please any collector of rare singles. Almost 250 pages, full color!

A beautiful book on the development of highlife music in Ghana – and one that's way more compelling than the usual historical tome on African music – given the highly visual style of the volume! The book's put together almost like an album cover art collection – as it's overflowing with vintage images of older record covers, 78 rpm labels, and rare photos too! Yet it also contains a huge amount of top-shelf writing, too – information on the growth of the genre from the 50s through the 80s – with detailed sections on longtime Dusty Groove favorites like Ebo Taylor, Osibisa, African Brothers, Joe Mensah, K Frimpong, and many others. Equally cool is the fact that the book features both French and English text – the full amount of each – making it a wicked bi-lingual package. Full color throughout, and a nice oversized package!