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 remembered as the home of more avant recordings by John & Yoko, and by George Harrison – but it also presented material by Allen Ginsberg, Charles Bukowski, Charles Olson, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and other key underground figures – a legacy that would have been enormous, had it continued. The book is put together by Zapple label manager Barry Miles – and includes loads of photos and images too – studio shots, ads, and a lot more elements that help bring this lost label to life once again! 272 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book

An amazing document of one of Peter Brotzmann's greatest albums from the time – a set that includes the album on CD, plus a book of photos taken during its creation! The record features spare duets between him and percussionist Han Bennink – recorded in the Black Forest, in a very nature-oriented setting that often has Bennink playing on rocks, sticks, and whatever else he could find – even some water, which sounds especially amazing! Han turns in some of his most inventive percussion ever – and proof that he's easily one of the most creative musicians on the European scene! There's a real focus on sound and feeling on the album – an organic sensibility that's quite different from other Brotzmann sessions, and which often comes across with a surprisingly gentle feel – and the album's a perfect example of the FMP formula at its best, when applied with the right sense of freedom. The whole thing comes in a softcover book with a fantastic presentation – loads of photos that were taken on the way to the forest where the set was recorded, then during the recording of the material too – really beautiful images that live up to the aesthetic of the cover art. The book also features an introductory essay – and the whole thing is 120 pages, with the CD inside the cover – black and white images throughout. (Jazz, Books) CD

A really cool book of rare jazz posters – most of them from the 70s, with images of posters from the US, EU, and Japan! The collection within is great – and there's so many unusual images that differ nicely from more iconic album covers – which are then mixed with more familiar shots, but restructured for use in posters – some with special information about new release records, concerts, and other events – some presented with spare images on their own! There's promo posters from labels like ECM or Three Blind Mice – and the book also has sections on spiritual jazz, free jazz, Japanese jazz, Brazilian jazz, jazz funk, and other topics related to jazz – including New York, movies, and concerts. The softcover book is 375 pages, and mostly images – presented in their original colors, or black and white if applicable – and there's a few short essays in both English and Japanese. Book

A really great idea for a book on records – and one that's completely different than most that we've seen before! Unlike other books of this nature, which are filled with "essential" or "classic" records – this book is full of flops, or records that never really hit the heights, but which are pretty darn great overall! In the eyes of the authors – and our eyes too – all of these records are under-acknowledged gems – some by big names, others by more obscure artists – lots of which never got their full due at the time. The book is filled with some of our favorite records of all time – which is a big hats off to the long list of contributors, who include Miriam Linna, Steve Shelly, Peter Holsapple, Russ Titelman, Marshall Crenshaw, Bob Irwin, Lenny Kaye, and many others – who've come up with a set of essays on titles that include The Living Legend by Baby Huey, Gene Clark & The Gosdin Brothers, Continued by Tony Joe White, Delta Sweete by Bobby Gentry, Entertainment by Family, Desertshore by Nico, Young Mod's Forgotten Story by The Impressions, Roots by The Everly Brothers, Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt, and lots lots more! The book is filled with records that we love, and that we'd now call classic – served up in a hefty softcover edition that's almost 400 pages in length, with black and white images throughout. Book

Not just a book on Motown – despite the image of The Supremes on the cover – but a story of Detroit itself – told as a series of intersecting paths that include the famous soul music label, as well as all the manufacturers, cultures, communities, and political forces that were shaping the city in the early 60s. The decline of Detroit has been a story for decades now – but David Maraniss looks at the city in the years before the fall – focusing on 1963, where he shows that tensions were already strong in some sectors, and the ground upon which so much was being built could easily shift and allow the whole thing to topple. The book is one of the most fascinating city portraits we've ever read – with lessons that are still completely essential to the 21st Century urban environment – and the whole thing is 441 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images. Book