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Blank Forms, 2023. New Copy Book ... $22.99 29.95
Trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah has made some great music of his own, but over the years he was also a key player in the legendary Arkestra of Sun Ra – and this unique volume is maybe one of the first books ever to really get at what life was like as a member of that legendary ensemble! The book is ... (Books) read more Book
Tankobon (Japan), 2020. New Copy ... $28.99 36.99
A great way to dive into the world of city pop music from Japan – that big flowering of new sounds and fresh ideas that really marked a key creative moment on the scene from the early 70s onward – a huge legacy that's only getting appreciation in recent years by English-speaking ... (Books) read more Book
Viv Albertine —
Clothes Music Boys (hardcover) ... Book Thomas Dunne, 2014. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
You might know Viv Albertine as a member of The Slits – and that role enough would be more than enough to make this book exciting – but Albertine also gives us a surprisingly rich, surprisingly long tapestry of her life in music – one that begins years before The Slits came ... (Books) read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Rogue Art (France), 2023. New Copy ... $21.99 27.99
A really beautiful book, and one that's quite different than most other jazz books we can think of – in that it approaches its main subject matter from many different directions, in a way that actually proves to be more illuminating overall! As the title implies, the book looks at the huge ... (Books) read more Book
Kehrer Verlag, 2024. New Copy ... $39.99 54.00
A fantastic look at the underground world of jazz record bars in Tokyo – served up here in a stunning array of full color photographs that showcase dozens of spots! The book is a great document of the "jazz kissa" – small bars where the owner is a lover of music, has a huge ... (Books) read more Book
Feral House, 2019. New Copy ... $12.99 17.95
Black Dog & Leventhal, 2019. New Copy ... $6.99 24.99
A really cool project, and one that's even cooler than you might guess from the title – as the graphic novel is a very well-done exploration of key strands of electronic music – starting with the early years, moving through disco, Chicago House, Detroit Techno, and beyond – all ... (Books) read more Book
Duke University Press, 2021. New Copy ... $21.99 30.95
A huge book on the equally-huge creative legacy of bassist William Parker – a musician who first arose in the loft jazz scene in New York during the 70s, but who's gone on to be one of its greatest surviving players, and one who's transformed the inspirations of that world into so many ... (Books) read more Book
New Press, 2008. New Copy ... $5.99 29.95
A rich overview of the role of Jewish creators in American comics – from the early days of the art form, through important 60s and 70s underground years, to some of today's best indie moments! The book features plenty of images – from the likes of Art Spiegelman, Will Eisner, Robert ... (Books) read more Book
Thames & Hudson, 2017. New Copy ... $34.99 50.00
A beautiful book of images – not just for record lovers, but for all fans of sonic delights – as the author starts from the earliest days of recorded sound, then moves up through decades of representation – following images of record players, radios, cassette tapes, albums, 78 ... (Books) read more Book
Thames & Hudson, 2017. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
Mute Records was one of the most striking British labels of the post-punk years – second maybe only to Factory Records for the way it mixed art and design to package modern music – a legacy that began with the label's very first 45, and continued through countless great albums and ... (Books) read more Book
Bloomsbury, 2020. New Copy ... $4.99 24.00
Many years back, we always thought that David Byrne should have written a children's book – a volume to convey the best themes of some of the Talking Heads tunes to a younger, impressionable generation. And while that never actually happened, this beautiful edition of work released in ... (Books) read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Louisiana State University, 2022. New Copy ... $27.99 39.99
A book that's as lively as the image on the cover – one that traces the role of drums and percussion in the music of New Orleans – following a legacy that runs from the 19th century all the way up to contemporary sounds as well! If you know the sounds of Nola, you know that the drum is ... (Books) read more Book
Dey St, 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 15.99
Robert Christgau is one of the coolest music writers of all time – a hugely important force for decades, through his work in the Village Voice – where he helped shape acceptance and understanding of generations of new sounds – and a contributor to other publications and broadcast ... (Books) read more Book
(Spine has a remainder mark.)
Da Capo, 2020. New Copy ... $6.99 30.00
Journalist Philip Clark spent a good deal of time with piano legend Dave Brubeck in his later years – then did a really wonderful job of going backwards, and putting together all the many pieces of Dave's musical puzzle! There's no doubt that Brubeck was one of the most important jazz ... (Books) read more Book
Daniel Clowes —
Mister Wonderful – A Love Story (hardcover) ... Book Pantheon Books, 2011. New Copy ... $5.99 19.98
One of the most heartbreaking stories we've ever read from Daniel Clowes – penned with a sense of pathos we never would have expected during his Ghost World years! The book has a great format – long sideways, like a newspaper comic strip – and Clowes' pages alternate between ... (Books) read more Book
University Of Chicago, 2019. New Copy ... $25.99 30.00
Writer John Corbett has given us words on a huge variety of musical styles over the years – a fair bit of them left field and avant – but this time around, he's tackling the full range of 70s rock, pop, and soul music – in a huge book that's unlike anything he's ever written ... (Books) read more Book
University Of Chicago, 2017. New Copy ... $29.99 35.00
Way more than just another book of album cover art – as this impressive volume presents countless images from the evolution of blues music in the 20th Century, alongside detailed writings that also try to explore visual trends, tropes of representation, and the larger role of the music in an ... (Books) read more Book
Robert Darden —
Nothing But Love In God's Water – Black Sacred Music From The Civil War To The Civil Rights Movement (hardcover) ... Book Pennsylvania State University, 2014. New Copy ... $4.99 10.99
Part one of a massive two volume set that looks at the growth and change in African American sacred music from the Civil War onwards – shifts that occurred for years before the music became to be known as gospel, but with an ear towards all those elements that would really come to the ... (Books) read more Book
Gene Deitch —
Cat On A Hot Thin Groove – 78rpm Artwork From Record Changer Magazine (softcover) ... Book Fantagraphics, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 35.00
An amazing collection of 40s and 50s jazz drawings by Gene Deitch – the complete anthology of his work for legendary jazz magazine Record Changer! Gene was an amazing artist and cartoonist, whose work helped solidify the legacies of some of the most famous cartoon characters in the American ... (Books) read more Book
Renee Hytry Derrington —
Formica Forever ... Book Metropolis, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 39.99
Formica may seem like an everyday surface to some – but at the time of its creation, it was a pretty revolutionary development – one that allowed household and business spaces to step free from longer-term care – giving the workers and residents lots more time to pursue their ... (Books) read more Book
Daniel DeVise —
King Of The Blues – The Rise & Reign Of BB King ... Book Grove Music, 2021. New Copy ... $8.99 20.99
BB King is a blues musician with a much richer story than most – one that's captured here in very vivid detail by the author, as he mixes together a wealth of historical research with quotations from interviews and other materials too – all of which really makes the long journey of BB ... (Books) read more Book
Gollancz (UK), 2017. New Copy ... $6.99 11.99
Fantastic fiction from one of the all-time greats – a special selection of short stories by the legendary Philip K Dick, brought together in conjunction with the anthology series inspired by these tales! Each of these stories is the basis for a different episode of the show Electric Dreams ... (Books) read more Book
Steidl (Germany), 2004. New Copy ... $15.99 50.00
A book that's a piece of art in an of itself – as it's the only way these different strands of creative activity from artist Jim Dine could have come together! The approach is unusual – the book is something of a poem, but created from words that Dine wrote on various surfaces in ... (Books) read more Book
Disco Beats (Japan), 2023. New Copy ... $14.99 23.99
One of the coolest, most unusual books we've ever had on rare records – a set that's shaped like a pic sleeve 7" single, and which offers up page after page of listings of rare Japanese disco singles! As the title promises, the book has a strong focus on the b-sides – cuts that ... (Books) read more Book
Soul Jazz (UK), 2014. New Copy ... $18.99 49.95
Way way way more than just another book of album cover images – and instead, a stunningly huge volume that offers up key images from the disco generation, plus a wealth of knowledge and information too! The book really lives up to the "encyclopedic" promise of its title – as ... (Books) read more Book
Thames & Hudson, 2022. New Copy ... $31.99 45.00
One of the most lavish, loving books on hip hop that we've ever seen – a huge volume that manages to be a history of rap music, a photo book, a guide to key albums, and also a personal journey as well – all served up with a vivid, non-stop array of images that make the whole thing even ... (Books) read more Book
Abrams, 2022. New Copy ... $6.99 30.00
One of the best books we've ever read on any sort of creative scene and cultural moment – a superbly-penned account of the rise of underground comix in the 60s, and the growth and changes of the movement in the decades that followed! Author Brian Doherty makes the scene come alive in ways ... (Books) read more Book
Duke University Press, 2024. New Copy ... $18.99 26.95
A great look at a format that was very near and dear to our hearts back in the day – especially in the pre-digital world, when the cassette tape was the easiest way to circulate music! As you can guess from the title, the author takes this topic and really runs with it – showing how ... (Books) read more Book
Redstone Press (UK), 2022. New Copy Book ... $24.99 35.00
A fantastic slice of work from WEB Dubois – materials showcased at the Paris Exposition of 1900, in a special exhibit in which Dubois tried to convey the reality of black life in America to a larger international audience! The materials include a number of handmade charts, graphs, and maps ... (Books) read more Book
Norton, 2009. New Copy ... $7.99 18.95
A huge testament to the power of New York City in American music – especially during those 20th Century years when the city was able to foster scene after scene, style after style – serving as a launchpad for sounds that would forever transform the world! The book looks at Latin, bebop ... (Books) read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Third Man, 2022. New Copy ... $27.99 39.99
A hugely detailed look at one of the hippest rock labels of the 80s – New Zeland's Flying Nun Records, an imprint that also had a huge impact on the rest of the world at the time! Flying Nun were key in helping guitar-based sounds get past the modes of the punk and post-punk years – ... (Books) read more Book
Thames & Hudson, 2022. New Copy ... $31.99 45.00
You may not know the name of Barney Bubbles, but you're likely to have seen his artwork – important images that graced key records in the post-punk years – vinyl from Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Devo, Hawkwind, and dozens of others – all presented here in very vivid color! Bubbles ... (Books) read more Book
James Greer —
Guided By Voices – A Brief History – Twenty-One Years Of Hunting Accidents In The Forest Of Rock & Roll ... Book Black Cat, 2005. New Copy ... $6.99 16.00
The story of Guided By Voices – a group who labored in the American underground for quite some time before finding big fame – a story that makes the group's success far more interesting than most! The book details all the work and time that Robert Pollard put into getting the group ... (Books) read more Book
Stephen Guarnori (UK), 2023. New Copy ... $74.99 89.99
An insanely fantastic book on one of our favorite record labels of all time – the All Platinum family of labels from the New Jersey scene of the late 60s/early 70s – a precursor to the later Sugar Hill hip hop empire, and home to The Moments, Whatnauts, and countless other great groups! ... (Books) read more Book
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, 2012. New Copy ... $6.99 19.95
A fascinating look at the world of Mexican music in the 20th Century – put together in collaboration with Arhoolie Records, the label that's done plenty to reissue the music over the years! The book begins with the huge archive of recordings by the label's founder, Chris Strachwitz – ... (Books) read more Book
Pegasus, 2023. New Copy ... $8.99 29.99
A fascinating criss-cross of cultural moments in the UK – as the writer begins with the fact that the first James Bond film and the first Beatles single were issued on the same day in 1962 – and looks at the way both cultural juggernauts shaped identity in the years to come! John Higgs ... (Books) read more Book
Chan Ho Kei —
Borrowed ... Book Black Cat, 2014. New Copy ... $6.99 16.00
Chinese detective fiction, but with a fascinating twist – a series of separate, but related crime stories – all involving a single detective – presented in reverse order from the present to the past! Written that way, the story takes on a completely different perspective than in ... (Books) read more Book
Duke University Press, 2023. New Copy ... $22.99 29.95
A much-needed look at the amazing underground jazz scene in LA – the richly creative spiritual and avant underground that flourished strongly in the 60s, 70s, and 80s! Although the city's best known for its cool jazz of the 50s, there's an even greater amount of left-field jazz that's come ... (Books) read more Book
Lansdowne (UK), 2024. New Copy ... $114.99 124.99
A stunning book – even more amazing than we were expecting, and we were really expecting a lot! This is a heavy, hardcover, full color volume that takes a deep dig into the world of British jazz during some crucial modern years – presented with oversized images throughout, in the ... (Books) read more Book
Blank Forms, 1977. New Copy ... $16.99 20.00
A fantastic side of the many talents of Joseph Jarman – best known as a key member of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, and a saxophonist whose talents were crucial to the formation of the AACM – but also a very strong writer, as you'll discover in this book! This version is the full 1977 ... (Books) read more Book
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2018. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
A really cool issue of this always-great magazine – one that offers up a special look at European jazz singers from the postwar years onwards – with key recordings for dozens of artists, laid out in Japanese discography style! That means that the core text is Japanese, but you'll find ... (Books) read more Book
(Note that most text is Japanese – but using Google Translate or other programs via the camera on your phone, you should be able to make your way through the contents.)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2018. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
An issue that definitely delivers on its promise of great hard bop records – as it offers up a visual discography of classic albums in the format – plenty of Blue Note gems, plus some overlooked records too – all with images of the covers in black and white, details in English, ... (Books) read more Book
(Note that most text is Japanese – but using Google Translate or other programs via the camera on your phone, you should be able to make your way through the contents.)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2019. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
There's a big discography of postwar jazz from the west coast scene inside – including classic records like the Gerry Mulligan 10" LP pictured on the cover, and lots more unusual and obscure albums too! The issue serves things up in Japanese "disc guide" format – with a ... (Books) read more Book
(Note that most text is Japanese – but using Google Translate or other programs via the camera on your phone, you should be able to make your way through the contents.)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2020. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
This special issue of Jazz Critique looks at two key tenor players of the postwar years – Blue Note legend Hank Mobley, and the great Dexter Gordon, who moved from early fame on the LA scene to a key career stretch overseas! The issue offers up discographies of both players – with ... (Books) read more Book
(Note that most text is Japanese – but using Google Translate or other programs via the camera on your phone, you should be able to make your way through the contents.)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2021. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
That's the great bassist Charles Mingus on the cover – and this issue of Jazz Critique acts as a mini-discography of some of his greatest recording sessions – with listings of dozens of key albums, including sideman sessions, rare live material, and other gems that work together to ... (Books) read more Book
(Note that most text is Japanese – but using Google Translate or other programs via the camera on your phone, you should be able to make your way through the contents.)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2021. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
The cover image features a classic quartet date from trumpeter Blue Mitchell – and the issue looks at important records in a similar format – all of which feature either a saxophonist, trumpeter, or trombonist with a rhythm trio for backing! The issue follows the Jazz Critique mode and ... (Books) read more Book
(Note that most text is Japanese – but using Google Translate or other programs via the camera on your phone, you should be able to make your way through the contents.)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2021. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
This issue looks at jazz singers from the postwar years onwards – starting with the generation of Jennie Smith, who's pictured on the cover – and running up through key hip vocalists well into the 21st Century! The issue follows previous ones in that it has a discography of the artists ... (Books) read more Book
(Note that most text is Japanese – but using Google Translate or other programs via the camera on your phone, you should be able to make your way through the contents.)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2023. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
A very unusual issue of this long-running jazz magazine – one that offers up a special selection of 100 key albums that boast a two-horn quintet – that is, a five piece group with a trumpet and a sax player in the lineup! As with other issues, this one begins with a full color section ... (Books) read more Book
(Note that most text is Japanese – but using Google Translate or other programs via the camera on your phone, you should be able to make your way through the contents.)
Jazz Critique (Japan), 2024. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
This issue's got a special feature on unusual and noteworthy jazz record covers – served up by a host of different critics, who each pick three different records that are represented by small black and white images, along with label, artist, and title in English – and a longer essay in ... (Books) read more Book
University Of North Carolina Press, 2023. New Copy ... $22.99 29.95
Dusty Groove owes plenty to the world of college radio – and in fact, our store grew out of long years of experience on a college station on the south side of Chicago – so we're extra-pleased not just to see a really comprehensive book on the glory days of college radio, but also one ... (Books) read more Book
Booker T. Jones —
Time Is Tight – My Life, Note By Note (hardcover) ... Book Little Brown, 2019. New Copy ... $6.99 30.00
The title's a reference to one of the greatest hits of Booker T & The MGs, the legendary Memphis group that featured Booker T himself on organ – a hell of a player, and an individual with a much longer legacy than just his early recordings for Stax Records! Booker has roots that go way ... (Books) read more Book
Faber, 2021. New Copy ... $4.99 17.99
An insanely deep look at the rise of the "new romantics" on the British music scene at the end of the 70s – a book that's bigger than most we've seen on more "classic" rock figures and moments – and which really takes its project seriously! The book starts way ... (Books) read more Book
(Tidy new softcover edition with an exclusive new chapter!)
Reel Art, 2021. New Copy ... $37.99 49.95
A great look at a really unique moment in fashion – a time when the mainstream trappings of ivy league styles were taken up by African-American cultural figures – a moment of cooption that led was key to a rising sense of pride and power in the postwar years! You'll instantly recognize ... (Books) read more Book
Duke University Press, 2023. New Copy ... $20.99 28.99
As any fan of the live Grateful Dead experience will tell you, improvisation is the key to the way the group puts their music over on stage – long jams that are filled with musicianship that just got better and better over the years, and which can lead to a very heavenly experience for ... (Books) read more Book
Neal Karlen —
This Thing Called Life – Prince's Odyssey On & Off The Record (hardcover) ... Book St Martins, 2020. New Copy ... $8.99 29.99
There have been plenty of Prince books written over the years, but Neal Karlen was the journalist that the singer first let get really close to him in his early days – a status that really comes through here in the details of the book! As the title indicates, the volume is more about the ... (Books) read more Book
Reel Art, 2018. New Copy ... $34.99 45.00
Beautiful posters from a huge legacy in film – 100 years' worth of images that were used to promote black cinema – with entries that run from the early silent era, through unusual mid-century material, 70s blacksploitation movies, and both mainstream and indie films from later decades! ... (Books) read more Book
Galerie 213/RM (France), 2012. New Copy Book ... $46.99 55.00
Amazing images from the painter of the Bitches Brew album cover – the legendary Mati Klarwein – an artist with a very colorful style of painting nude bodies! Mati's artwork has graced many albums over the years – not just work from Miles Davis, but records by Buddy Miles, Jerry ... (Books) read more Book
Du Books (Japan), 2023. New Copy ... $28.99 34.99
A pretty amazingly deep dive into the world of avant garde music in Japan – not just jazz or experimental sounds, but a range of different recordings – all presented in a style that's similar to other Japanese disc guides on music! The approach has each page listing one or two records ... (Books) read more Book
Feral House, 2021. New Copy ... $19.99 24.95
About 30 years back, Joseph Lanza first turned us on to an amazing array of 60s easy listening records that we'd never fully given their due – and here, he continues the journey, but with a key shift into the world of psychedelia too! The book is a wonderful look at the way that easy ... (Books) read more Book
Duke University Press, 2023. New Copy ... $18.99 25.95
A very different sort of book on bebop – one that looks at the music during its key years of midcentury, but through a very different prism than the sorts of all-star players who usually get most coverage by jazz writers! Author Jonathan Leal digs very deep to uncover three obscure players ... (Books) read more Book
Elmore Leonard —
Charlie Martz & Other Stories – The Unpublished Stories ... Book Harper, 2015. New Copy ... $3.99 25.99
Some of the earliest work ever written by Elmore Leonard – a range of short stories from the 50s, some of which were even created while Leonard was working in the advertising business! The later Leonard style is definitely in effect here, but the stories are also shorter, more focused, and ... (Books) read more Book
Soul Jazz (UK), 2008. New Copy ... $34.99 49.95
A beautiful book on the dancehall scene in Jamaica – one that's done in a different style than some of the other Soul Jazz books – which are often focused more on album cover art! This book's got a very different approach – and is more an art book with photos of the dancehall ... (Books) read more Book
Princeton Architectural Press, 2002. New Copy ... $4.99 24.99
A treasure trove of images from pre-Revolutionary Cuba – posters, flyers, advertisements, and images of other ephemera from a time when US citizens used to pop down for a weekend in Havana! The book is filled with photos of rare objects from famous hotels and nite spots too – glassware ... (Books) read more Book
Du Books (Japan), 2023. New Copy ... $24.99 34.99
A great guide for digging into the world of Japanese music from the mid 80s onward – and a book that's different than some of the more vinyl-centric disc guide, in that it focuses strongly on city pop titles that were only issued on CD! The Japanese city pop movement really got going at the ... (Books) read more Book
Duke University Press, 2020. New Copy ... $18.99 25.95
A beautiful treatise on the lasting power of classic soul music – yet a book that also goes way beyond the simple readings and overdone cliches that are often attached to accounts of the music! Instead, author Emily J Lordi looks at not just the source recordings, but also the evolving ... (Books) read more Book
Almighty & Insane Books, 2020. New Copy ... $16.99 20.00
The secret history of Chicago house music – a side of the scene that's even more obscure than its many rare records or long-departed clubs! The book is a fantastic follow up to the first volume – and like that one, features rare flyers, posters, and ads for some of the underground ... (Books) read more Book
(Back in print!)
John Lurie —
History Of Bones – A Memoir (hardcover) ... Book Random House, 2021. New Copy ... $5.99 27.99
John Lurie rose to fame from the New York scene of the late 70s – soon to become a world-class musician, actor, and even TV personality – but definitely someone who spent time in the trenches, and earned his stripes along the way! The book is written in very honest, down to earth ... (Books) read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Random House, 2018. New Copy ... $6.99 32.00
From our perspective in the 21st Century, the film career of director David Lynch is the stuff of legend – long and loudly hailed – yet for the man himself, the road to success was a long one – and even along the way, Lynch struggled with countless creative difficulties and ... (Books) read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Kit Mackintosh —
Neon Screams – How Drill, Trap & Bashment Made Music New Again (softcover) ... Book Repeat, 2021. New Copy ... $3.99 14.99
Witer Kit Mackintosh begins with the use of auto-tune in the first decade of this century, the uses that as a springboard to look at a the underground genres listed in the title! Kit's trying very hard to be current, and add in a chapter of musical history that's sometimes overlooked by more rock ... (Books) read more Book
Yale University Press, 2014. New Copy ... $3.99 18.99
A groundbreaking book from Greil Marcus – one that gets past some of the overblown histories of rock music, to look at the medium in a completely different way! Marcus eschews all the big name performers and movements – and instead looks at the music through ten different songs – ... (Books) read more Book
MIT Press, 2007. New Copy ... $8.99 29.95
A career-spanning retrospective of the photographic side of Chris Marker – an artist who's probably better-known for his work in film, such as the seminal La Jetee – a movie that is really just a set of photographs too! The title gives away part of the approach here – as a good ... (Books) read more Book
University Of North Carolina Press, 2024. New Copy ... $22.99 29.95
The mighty Sun Ra is on the cover, and also famously named a record Magic City – which was also the nickname of his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama – a city that gets plenty of coverage here for its long musical legacy! Birmingham was given the "magic city" nickname late in ... (Books) read more Book
P-Vine (Japan), 2019. New Copy ... $24.99 32.99
One of the most unusual disc guides we've ever seen – a book that coins its own genre of music, Walearic – then finds a whole host of vintage records that fall under that new category! The book is filled with listings of rare records from Japan – music in many styles, and which ... (Books) read more Book
Ele-King (Japan), 2021. New Copy ... $22.99 29.99
A really deep dig into the Japanese scene of the 90s – a unique discography that brings together key records in a variety of different styles – from tuneful to noisy, soulful to electronic! The book's a more contemporary variation of the sort of Japanese discographies we normally stock ... (Books) read more Book
Dan Mazur & Alexander Danner —
Comics – A Global History – 1968 To The Present ... Book Thames & Hudson, 2014. New Copy ... $12.99 39.95
A nicely global look at the history of comics over the past 50 years – one that assumes from the start that the graphic medium is a worldwide one, which allows the authors to quickly move past overdone coverage of American giants from the time! The book begins in 1968 – a time when ... (Books) read more Book
Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 19.99
A great contrast to some of the more straight-ahead James Brown biographies on the market – as writer James McBride takes a circuitous path to look at the genius of The Godfather – not the shining stars of the bigger highlights in his career, but the lost corners and more distant ... (Books) read more Book
Pioneer Works, 2023. New Copy ... $14.99 35.00
A book that documents a compelling intersection of creative activity – the ephemeral light sculptures of Anthony McCall, and a set of improvising soloists who accompanied their exhibition – all presented here in a well-done volume that may well be the only physical trace of the project! ... (Books) read more Book
University Of North Carolina Press, 2023. New Copy ... $19.99 27.99
The full story of one of the most important indie labels in the world of folk, roots, and acoustic music – an imprint who are maybe only second to Folkways Records fo the way they've not only preserved the past, but helped foster a new future as well! Rounder Records was begun as a labor of ... (Books) read more Book
Peter Owens (UK), 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 26.95
A really cool look at a label that was maybe one of the hippest things the Beatles ever did – the short-lived Zapple imprint – which was part of their main Apple label, but dedicated to more experimental work from a variety of musicians and writers! The imprint is perhaps best ... (Books) read more Book
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2023. New Copy ... $36.99 40.99
A long-overdue document of the artistic activity of Roscoe Mitchell – best known to most as a key member of both the AACM and Art Ensemble Of Chicago as a jazz musician, but a surprisingly accomplished painter too! Mitchell's artistic career is captured here in both distant chapters – ... (Books) read more Book
Texas Tech University Press, 2007. New Copy ... $24.99 34.95
A tremendous look at an under-documented genre – the huge wave of Chicano soul that sprung up from LA, Texas, and other southern spots in the 50s and 60s – then went onto have a huge impact on wider culture in the mainstream! Although issued on an indie press, this book is top-shelf ... (Books) read more Book
Paul Morley —
From Manchester With Love – The Life & Opinions Of Tony Wilson (hardcover) ... Book Faber, 2021. New Copy ... $5.99 27.99
Paul Morley wrote famously for the NME during the key years of punk, post-punk, and new wave – which makes him very able to draw a rich portrait here of contemporary and scenemate Tony Wilson – the man behind Factory Records, The Hacienda club, and a huge legacy of music in the 80s and ... (Books) read more Book
Tate (UK), 2020. New Copy ... $8.99 31.00
Way more than just another art book on the creations of Andy Warhol – although there are plenty of those inside, too – as the large volume is part of an exhibition at the Tate in London, which looked not just as Warhol's artwork, but also his past, his ties to the larger scene, and some ... (Books) read more Book
Du Books (Japan), 2023. New Copy ... $22.99 29.99
A Japanese book, but one with a very deep dive into urban soul from the 70s onward – mostly American and European records that together represent a whole new wave of cool, sophisticated R&B! This isn't the deep soul of the 60s – although many of the singers still have a wonderful ... (Books) read more Book
Centering/Aum Fidelity, 2023. New Copy ... $25.99 30.99
A fantastic volume put together by bassist William Parker, and one that shows his larger connection to cultural activity in general – as it features Parker interviewing four key artists, most of whom are represented here in ways that go far beyond music! The subjects within include ... (Books) read more Book
Albert D Patterson —
Beats To The Rhyme – A Collection Of Instrumental Hip Hop Records For The Beat Connoisseur (hardcover – with bonus CD) ... Book Gingko Press, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 24.95
Think you know hip hop records? Think again – because if you only know the commercially released and vocal versions of the material, then you only know half the story – because among true collectors, the instrumental wax can be even more in-demand! This book opens up that secret world ... (Books) read more Book
(Includes bonus CD mixed by DJ Spair!)
Duke University Press, 2024. New Copy ... $18.99 26.99
A really no-holds-barred look at contemporary hip hop – one that focuses on the way the music continually deals with topics of death, and in a way that's very different than more mainstream concepts that would be found in white America. The author uses Afropessimism and black moralism to ... (Books) read more Book
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021. New Copy ... $42.99 50.00
An incredible package – one that brings together four rare publications by Sun Ra – printed words that are every bit as groundbreaking as his music – and which together represent the farther-flung corners of his vast cultural enterprise! The set represents each of the texts in ... (Books) read more Book
Fantagraphics, 2012. New Copy ... $4.99 19.99
A beautiful graphic novel from the brush of Lorenzo Mattotti – an artist we first fell in love with for his groundbreaking Fires book back in the 80s, still very much at the top of his game here! The text is penned by Jorge Zentner, and the book marks the first English translation of any of ... (Books) read more Book
Faber & Faber (UK), 2019. New Copy ... $11.99 30.95
A mighty hefty book – but that's maybe no surprise, as it contains the collected lyrics of the great Lou Reed – from his early years with The Velvet Underground, through his decades of standout solo material! Reed picked up some unique diction during his solo career, but the book is ... (Books) read more Book
Pantheon, 2011. New Copy ... $6.99 17.99
A really great look at the later years of Louis Armstrong's life – that time when he'd moved from being an underground jazz musician to a surprising star of both radio and screen – using his undeniable charisma in ways that really cemented his legend! And sure, there's some folks out ... (Books) read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Hilton Ariel Ruiz & Beatriz Ruiz (editors) —
Forty Deuce – The Times Square Photographs Of Bill Butterworth 1983 to 1984 (hardcover) ... Book Powerhouse Books, 2012. New Copy ... $8.99 39.95
A fantastic collection of images from Times Square, pulled from the years before Disney took over – at a time when the action moved 24 hours a day, and at a non-stop pace! Bill Butterworth was right on the streets during the early 80s – and presents stunning full color shots of a range ... (Books) read more Book
Hachette, 2021. New Copy ... $6.99 29.00
A wonderfully down to earth book from the great Bobby Rush – southern bluesman by birth, and a key figure on the Chicago scene in the 60s and 70s – with a mighty long story that's told here in words that are very much his own! Co-author Herb Powell helps polish things up a bit, but ... (Books) read more Book
Prestel, 2011. New Copy ... $3.99 60.00
A pretty amazing survey of the Cali art scene of the late 70s – served up here in a book that's half essay, half images – with work from dozens of important artists who include Edward Ruscha, Jim Melchert, Charles Gaines, Joe Goode, Patrick Hogan, The Kipper Kids, Hal Fischer, Judy ... (Books) read more Book
Tom Scioli —
Jack Kirby – The Epic Life Of The King Of Comics (hardcover) ... Book Ten Speed Press, 2020. New Copy ... $4.99 18.99
A biography of one of the key creators in comics in the 20th Century – done in the format that he helped pioneer! The book is written in the first person – so more of an autobiography – although writer Tom Scioli provides all the words, and traces Kirby's evolution from a young ... (Books) read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Teresa Sdralevich —
Poster Power – Great Posters & How To Make Them ... Book Cicada, 2017. New Copy ... $4.99 16.95
Chris Searle —
Talking The Groove – Jazz Words From The Morning Star (plus bonus CDs) ... Book Jazz In Britain (UK), 2024. New Copy ... $26.99 32.99
A huge book of jazz reviews from the UK – all penned by journalist Chris Searle from the Morning Star – and presented here with a bonus 2CD set of rare material from the UK scene! The CD is really incredible – and is almost worth the price of the package alone – as it ... (Books) read more Book
(Includes bonus CDs.)
Steidl (Germany), 2023. New Copy ... $34.99 50.00
The biggest book we've ever seen to focus on the photography of Jamel Shabazz – a Brooklyn photographer who was out on the streets in the glory days of the old school – famous for his work capturing key sides of the early hip hop scene, and plenty of other New York culture as well! The ... (Books) read more Book
Secret History, 2023. New Copy ... $20.99 29.99
The lovely Jane Birkin is maybe most famous for her late 60s duets with Serge Gainsbourg, but the singer's also got a huge legacy of great music as well – both with Serge and on her own! Author Gary Simons digs deep into the long legacy of Jane Birkin's recordings – from those late ... (Books) read more Book
