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A special selection of disc guides and discographies, music history, record art books, graphic novels, and some nicely-priced remainders!
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(Items 1 – 73 of 73)
Poeira Zine (Brazil), 2018. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
A fantastic second volume in this series – and every bit as ear-opening as the first! As you'd guess from the title, the book offers up a look at groundbreaking records from Brazil – and starts in the mid 70s, to run through the 80s – a period in Brazilian music that sometimes ... read more Book
Duke University Press, 2011. New Copy Book ... $5.99 24.95
The best (truly – they got this book right) of Roctober gets a classy rock 'n' soul book compilation from Duke University Press – an incredible collection of interviews that were featured over the years in the great DIY magazine over the years! Interviews with musical legends who ... read more Book
Chicago Review Press, 2012. New Copy ... $8.99 29.95
A stunning look at the great Mary Wells – one of Motown's first female acts of the 60s, and one of the decade's most important early soul figures as well! Mary's work on record is very well-known, but the story behind the music is completely different, and surprisingly dark at times – ... read more Book
Taschen, 2017. New Copy ... $24.99 39.99
The rowdy road antics of the legendary Fab Four – captured here in a wealth of candid shots during their last two years of global touring – and presented here in glorious black and white! Photographer Harry Benson had unfettered access to the group during these years – and the ... read more Book
Smak/Prestel (Germany), 2009. New Copy ... $4.99 60.00
Dara Birnbaum is a video artist, which means that her artwork is often not as easy to see as that of painters or photographers – who can be easily distilled into book, poster, or postcard format – yet this book does a pretty great job of providing an overview of Birnbaum's massive ... read more Book
St Martins, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 34.99
That's quite a cover photo on the book – and the interweaving of key talents in the image really gets at the style of the narrative within! Author Steven Blush delivers a decidedly one-sided document of the New York scene from the late 60s onward – a picture of countless creative ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Harper (UK), 2014. New Copy ... $6.99 18.00
Lou Reed gave us some mighty fascinating music over his many years of recording – and the man himself also led an equally fascinating life – one that's covered here in very great detail, in a hefty biography that begins with Reed's troubled life as a child, to his early years moving ... read more Book
Riverhead Books, 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 27.95
You know her from Sleater-Kinney, you love her on Portlandia, and you'll soon discover that Carrie Brownstein is a hell of a writer, too – able to tell her tale with all the wit she's brought to recent TV work, but also with the kind of openly powerful words that she first gave us with her ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Grove Press, 1962. New Copy ... $5.99 16.00
60s brilliance from William S Burroughs – not only a key book in the development of his cut-up writing technique, but also a hell of a rollicking read from start to finish! As you'd guess from the cut-up, the writing is a bit fragmented – but that also serves to really abstract the sci ... read more Book
Princeton University, 2014. New Copy ... $6.99 50.00
American cities were going through tremendous changes in the 60s and 70s – changes that not only had an impact on local citizens, businesses, and municipal forces – but also on the art community as well! This book showcases a tremendous response to urban upheaval by artists in New York ... read more Book
Faber & Faber (UK), 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 36.00
An incredibly dense book on the psychedelic scene of the 60s – a huge volume that not only looks at an impressive array of music, but also the wider trippy culture, too – but all with a level of text that goes far beyond most of the thinner volumes on the period! Many of the chapter ... read more Book
Yale University Press, 2014. New Copy ... $12.99 65.00
A heady look at the life and work of Nam June Paik – the man who virtually invented video art at the end of the 60s, and went on to work in a range of other amazing media too! The core of the book features images from a large retrospective of Paik's career – stills from videos, ... read more Book
Dey St, 2015. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
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 ... read more Book
(Spine has a remainder mark.)
Atria, 2014. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
George Clinton tells his own story – the stuff of musical legend, from his early years in doo wop, through his mega-funk stardom in the 70s at the helm of the P-Funk universe, to his later years embroiled in legal battles and other issues that kept him away from creativity! Clinton's voice ... read more Book
Polygon (UK), 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 14.99
Stuart Cosgrove has turned us on to plenty of music over the years – we first began reading his NME articles many years back – and this time around, he delivers a wonderfully detailed history about his youth as a fanatic for American soul music on the UK scene! Cosgrove was lucky ... read more Book
Back Beat, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 24.99
One of the greatest soul music TV shows ever (and one that originated in Chicago, too!) – presented here in deep detail with loads of interesting stories and anecdotes too! The book's almost a more personal history of the show than a technical one – but that's OK with us, because it ... read more Book
Lyons, 2014. New Copy ... $5.99 25.95
The saucy story of one of the wildest figures in the music industry during the 70s – the legendary Neil Bogart and his Casablanca Records – home to both Kiss and Donna Summer, and a whole host of questionable practices as well! Bogart passed away just about the time that disco faded ... read more Book
Back Bay, 2004. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
The story of Hank Williams – written by Colin Escott, the man whose words we've loved in countless liner notes over the years – and who's an even better writer when he stretches things out in a full length format! Forget the cover image – which is designed to cash in on the 2015 ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Shepard Fairey (aka Obey) —
Obey – Earth Crisis ... Book Albin Michel (France), 2016. New Copy ... $22.99 120.00
Artist Obey created an amazing installation to draw awareness to climate change – a huge globe suspended in the middle of the Eiffel Tower, emblazoned with images to call attention to the worldwide crisis! This huge book not only replicates the artwork on the globe, but also offers up some ... read more Book
Indiana University Press, 2014. New Copy ... $6.99 50.00
There's no jukebox in the book – but instead, the hefty volume is overflowing with portraits of music legends from the past few decades – all shot in glorious black and white by photographer Christopher Felver, who seems to have a strong sense of sympathy for musicians in just about ... read more Book
Garota FM (Brazil), 2018. New Copy ... $32.99 40.00
A very cool idea for a book – a "discobiografia" – a volume that's both a discography of the legendary Brazilian band Os Mutantes, and a biography of the group and all of its members, told through its music! The book's written by Chris Fuscaldo – a Brazilian musician ... read more Book
(Comes with a bonus CD – Mundo Ficcao by author Chris Fuscaldo – herself an accomplished Brazilian singer & songwriter!)
Michael Gillette —
Drawn In Stereo (hardcover) ... Book AMMO, 2015. New Copy ... $8.99 29.95
Rock and roll artwork from Michael Gillette – an artist you might know from album covers or other work for groups and singers over the past 20 years – and one who's also really kept up the theme in the rest of his creations too! Gilette kind of reworks an older aesthetic with all sorts ... read more Book
Robert Gordon —
Memphis Rent Party – The Blues, Rock & Soul In Music's Hometown (hardcover) ... Book Bloomsbury, 2018. New Copy ... $6.99 28.00
One of the best writers on Memphis gives us a journey through his musical hometown – portrayed through chapters that focus on some of the city's most legendary figures – including James Carr, Sam Phillips, Jim Dickenson, Robert Johnson, Charlie Feathers, Jeff Buckley, Tav Falco, Bobby ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
New York Review Of Books, 1939. New Copy ... $5.99 14.00
A late 30s London novel about a party that never gets going – or a party-going that never gets to its destination – at least at a spiritual level! The short book details the efforts of a young group of higher-society Londoners, waiting to make it across the Channel for a party – ... read more Book
(Spine has a remainder mark.)
Rittor (Japan), 2017. New Copy ... $18.99
A beautiful book on the decades of recorded output from one of our favorite composers ever – the legendary Michel Legrand – an artist known to most folks for his famous soundtracks of the 60s and 70s – but also a jazz musician, singer, and even a very groovy instrumental arranger! ... read more Book
Flatiron Books, 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 19.99
Way more than just a simple book of record cover images – and instead a love letter to the sound and style of the disco generation – put together from classic album artwork, and augmented by thoughtful musings by the author! The book features full color reproductions of over 250 album ... read more Book
(The spine has a small remainder mark.)
Santa Monica Press, 2016. New Copy ... $4.99 24.95
Drummer Stan Levey shone most brightly during his west coast work of the 50s – where he was a key figure in both large and small group jazz performances – but he also had a much longer history, which included plenty of time away from the limelight – a rich story that's captured in ... read more Book
Duke, 2013. New Copy ... $5.99 26.95
The future of jazz is now, even if it's in the past – as the editors here bring together a selection of essays that document the forward-thinking movements in jazz from the mid 60s onwards – some of which are only getting full appreciation all these many years later! There's a nice ... read more Book
Black Cat, 2014. New Copy ... $5.99 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 ... read more Book
Barney Hoskyns, ed —
Joni – The Anthology (hardcover) ... Book Picador, 2017. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
Barney Hoskyns is normally the writer – but this time around, he acts as editor – to pull together a wealth of writing on the lovely Joni Mitchell – from early press at the start of her career, to reviews of her records from major press outlets of the 70s, to important reflections ... read more Book
(Small remainder mark on spine.)
Faber & Faber (UK), 2015. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
The full story of Sandy Denny – one of the most important female voices to rise from the British scene at the end of the 60s – and a singer who left this planet all too soon! Author Mich Houghton previously gave us a fantastic look at Elektra Records, and this time around his writing ... read more Book
Vintage, 2015. New Copy ... $5.99 16.00
A fascinating memoir from Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Margo Jefferson – her story of growing up black on the Chicago south side of the 50s and 60s – a world that's far richer and more complicated than most stereotypes of the city usually represent! Jefferson's father was a doctor, ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Old House (UK), 1967/2013. New Copy ... $4.99 9.95
Take a trip back to 1967 – the glory days of the London fashion scene, when Carnaby Street styles were all the rage, and the city was having a huge impact on the world of style! A big part of London's impact was its selection of small shops and exclusive boutiques – and this book, ... read more Book
LeAlan Jones & Lloyd Newman —
Our America – Life & Death On The South Side Of Chicago ... Book Pocket Books, 1997. New Copy ... $5.99 16.00
A well-done look at the challenges that face the residents of Chicago's south side on a daily basis – initially done as a documentary series for National Public Radio, now expanded here in book format – along with photographs by David Isay, a young photographer from the city's housing ... read more Book
(Small remainder mark on spine.)
Equinox (UK), 2018. New Copy ... $24.99 29.99
The story of Mark Murphy – one of our favorite jazz singers of all time – written by Peter Jones, also a jazz singer himself! Jones is London-based, and as such, does a really great job of capturing the ongoing enthusiasm and excitement about Murphy's career that was always a big part ... read more Book
Aurum (UK), 2013. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
A behind-the-scenes look at The Kinks – a group you'll know for their fantastic music of the 60s and 70s, but who also have a much larger tale behind their songs! The book certainly offers up plenty of history on the group, and strong appreciation of their music – but it also opens up ... read more Book
David Lykes Keenan —
Fair Witness – Street Photography For The 21st Century (hardcover) ... Book Damiani (Italy), 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 45.00
A great reworking of the classic street photography mode – served up here in a host of contemporary images by David Lykes Keenan, but with an approach that really links him back to a longer tradition in the genre! Keenan's images here are all black and white – but more than that, they ... read more Book
Indiana University Press, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 25.00
A great look at the legendary Gennett Records – an important early force in the world of 78rpm recordings – and home to a great number of early jazz recordings too! Gennett was the offshoot of an Indiana piano factory – and like Paramount, a similarly far-flung company initially ... read more Book
Lawrence Hill Books, 2010. New Copy ... $4.99 24.95
A Chicago legend finally gets his due – the legendary Herb Kent, who was known as the "Cool Gent" on radio – and also ended up working on TV, and also playing a big part in the city's steppers scene in the 90s! Herb was a real trailblazer – part of a Chicago generation ... read more Book
Dey St, 2016. New Copy ... $5.99 27.99
George Jones is one of the most amazing talents in country music – and he was also one of the most messed-up cats on the Nashville scene – with a lifestyle and legend that maybe tops the decadence of some of the bigger rock stars of the 70s! Writer Rich Kienzle clearly loves Jones' ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Rizzoli, 2016. New Copy ... $20.99 65.00
A lavish art book on the Sex Pistols – the kind that Johnny Rotten would have gobbed at back in 1976 – but which we're more than happy to have all these many years later! Jon Savage provides a very detailed timeline of the group and their activities throughout the book – ... read more Book
(Please note: These copies have some light wear, but are fine overall.)
WW Norton, 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 26.95
A very well-written account of one of the most important musical streets in America – and one that get way past all the tourist hype and trappings of contemporary Beale Street in Memphis today! Instead, the author really goes back – to some of the much earlier years of the city, and ... read more Book
Soul Jazz (UK), 2008. New Copy ... $19.99 34.98
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 ... read more Book
Doubleday, 2011. New Copy ... $5.99 27.95
Jonathan Lethem is a writer that we totally love – an author who's given us great novels and short stories over the years – and who, somehow between that ever-growing creative output, manages to write a good deal of essays and other articles too! We're not sure when Lethem ever finds ... read more Book
Vintage, 2003. New Copy ... $5.99 15.95
A fantastic novel from Jonathan Lethem – and a book that's filled with so much that resonates with Dusty Groove – 70s soul, graffiti art, Brooklyn, and even superheroes – all tied together in a narrative that's completely engaging! Lethem does a great job of grabbing the spirit ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Vintage, 1999. New Copy ... $5.99 15.95
A mindblowing book from Jonathan Lethem – one that follows from his early work in a sci fi mode, but which has a much stronger realist sensibility overall! The story tells the tale of a Brooklyn mobster, but one cursed with Tourette's Syndrome – a disease that's mostly understood from ... read more Book
(Spine has a remainder mark.)
It Books, 2012. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
Louvin Brother Charlie tells the tale of his famous duo with brother Ira – a match that was almost a Cain and Abel of country music – given that Charlie and Ira Louvin sometimes sat at opposite moral poles on the spectrum! The story's as tragic as any of the best early songs by the ... read more Book
Almighty & Insane Books, 2018. New Copy ... $16.99 20.00
Chicago house music was underground right from the start – mostly hosted in secret urban spaces, long before the nightclubs were willing to take a chance on the revolutionary new music! As such, street-level communication was the way that most folks found out about the DJs and events tied to ... read more Book
Reel Art, 2017. New Copy ... $39.99 75.00
A stunning selection of rare jazz photographs, most of which have never been seen before – all shot at the Newport and Monterey Jazz Festivals during the 1960s, with a span across the decade that really shows a shift in sound and style! The book has way more than just shots of big name ... read more Book
Thames & Hudson, 2014. New Copy ... $10.99 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 ... read more Book
Princeton Architectural Press, 2007. New Copy ... $7.99 24.95
An incredible document of the legendary Mingering Mike – the self-styled 70s soul superstar who never recorded any music, but created a huge body of work on hand-drawn record sleeves and 45s! Mike's story has been told briefly before in Wax Poetics, but this book really gets to the full ... read more Book
Blurb/Etc, 2018. New Copy ... $16.99
A beautiful little DIY black & white photography book by Ramon Norwood, aka Radius Etc, the multi-talented Chicago abstract hip hop producer, beatmaker and artist! We don't fancy ourselves art critics here at Dusty Groove, but we know Radius's sound, and for us it's pretty nice to see how his ... read more Book
Ele-King (Japan), 2015. New Copy Book ... $19.99
A comprehensive guide to the club jazz sound of the past 25 years or so – that sweet blend of jazzy roots and contemporary rhythms that first sprung to life in London at the end of the 80s – then grew through dancefloors on the German, Italian, and Japanese scenes of the next decade ... read more Book
AMMO, 2014. New Copy ... $11.99 45.00
Todd Oldham takes a deep look at the colorful talents of the great Ed Emberley – a 60s/70s illustrator whose work deserves just as much attention as the illustrations of Charley Harper that have gained so much interest in recent years! Emberley has a style that's different than Harper, but ... read more Book
Soul Jazz (UK), 2009. New Copy ... $26.99 34.95
An incredible collection of revolutionary jazz album cover art from the 60s & 70s – bold, vivid and unforgettable art for bold, vivid and unforgettable jazz – compiled and edited by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker! It's a snapshot of an era in jazz music when cultural and ... read more Book
Tate (UK), 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 40.00
A fantastic look at the artwork and style of glam – the movement that's usually known best through its big musical proponents – who include David Bowie, Roxy Music, and T Rex! Yet glam was way more than just a few fuzzy hit records in the early 70s – as the book traces a legacy ... read more Book
Indiana University Press, 2012. New Copy ... $6.99 80.00
A mighty deep look at the sound of highlife music in west Africa – one that not only deals with the sounds of the style, but also looks at the larger context of change in Ghana – especially as the nation's cities were on the rise in the postwar years! The book is incredibly well-researc ... read more Book
New York Review Of Books, 1967. New Copy ... $6.99 17.95
A landmark autobiography from Norman Podhoretz – a key figure in the New York literary scene of the postwar years, which he manages to completely dismantle by the end of this book! Podhoretz grew up poor in Brooklyn, managed to make his way up the ladder through various academic achievements ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Ben Ratliff —
Every Song Ever – Twenty Ways To Listen In An Age Of Musical Plenty (hardcover) ... Book Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 26.00
One of the greatest contemporary writers on music – pondering the changing ways we listen to songs in a digital world of unlimited access! Ben Ratliff has been opening up our ears for over 20 years – thanks to his books, and his work in the New York Times – but here, he calls ... read more Book
Liveright, 2015. New Copy ... $8.99 27.95
A hefty book on the great Otis Redding – one of the best soul singers of all time, even though he left this planet all too soon! Redding's career on record was less than a decade long, but marked by a huge amount of work – not just time in the studio, with the legendary Stax Records ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Sanei Syobou (Japan), 2018. New Copy ... $28.99
Japanese record scholar Sanei Syobou is looking pretty darn thoughtful on the cover – as he must, given the care and consideration that went into this project! As you might guess from the title, the book is a discography that focuses on albums with cars involved in their cover art – ... read more Book
Rizzoli, 2014. New Copy ... $20.99 65.00
A very cool book on the wide range of Hello Kitty collaborations in the world of print and fashion – products and projects that go far beyond the usual Hello Kitty merchandise – and which almost stand as artistic statements on the nature of Japanese marketing and toys! The book only ... read more Book
(Please note: these copies have some light wear, but are in fine shape overall.)
Equinox (UK), 2008. New Copy ... $20.99 25.00
Trumpeter Ian Carr has a legacy that's larger than most – early work in both bop and beat group fields, then a tremendous period of experimentation in the 70s – where his performance and conception helped shape a whole generation of British musicians! Writer Alyn Shipton covers all ... read more Book
Alain Silver & James Ursini —
LA Noir – The City As A Character ... Book Santa Monica Press, 2005. New Copy ... $6.99 19.95
A vivid look at the role of Los Angeles on film – one that starts in the film noir generation, when the city was often a supporting character in key movies – then moves on to later generations, particularly films that follow the older use of the city space in their format! The book is ... read more Book
Taschen, New Copy Book ... $30.99 40.00
The world of vice never looked so beautiful before – spun out over hundreds of pages filled with vintage images from advertisements for cigarettes and booze! The book is as lovely inside as it is on the cover – filled with a huge array of well-chosen images, all in color throughout ... read more Book
P & C Secret History Books, 2018. New Copy ... $16.99
A very cool idea for a musical book – one that brings together a wide range of different styles from different decades – all to offer up an unusual take on both the alphabet book, and traditional record discographies! The book is super-handsome – hardback, in full color, and with ... read more Book
Llew & Pam Smith —
Glad Tidings Of Struggle & Strife – A History Of Protest Christmas Cards ... Book Fonthill Media (UK), 2012. New Copy ... $6.99 24.95
One of the strangest art forms we've ever come across – British Christmas cards that feature a protest message or a statement of social consciousness – collected by the authors over the span of 40 years! The topics here are very wide-ranging, and represent a shifting leftist politics ... read more Book
Equinox (UK), 2017. New Copy ... $29.99 36.00
Tubby Hayes was one of the greatest tenor saxophonists in jazz during the 50s and 60s – even though his music only touched our American scene a bit, and mostly had its biggest impact on the London scene that Tubby called home! Yet that doesn't change things a bit – as to our ears, ... read more Book
Rittor (Japan), 2006. New Copy ... $28.99
It's no secret to crate diggers that Japanese record buyers really take their job seriously – and now here's a book to finally prove it! Record Buyer's Diary was put together by two Japanese record buyers as they travel the globe in search of the music they love – and it features ... read more Book
Hans Georg Hiller Von Gaertringen —
Pop, Politics, & Propaganda – Amerika Haus Berlin Through The Ages (hardcover) ... Book Hatje Cantz (Germany), 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 45.00
A beautiful look at a near-lost legacy from the Cold War years – the cultural embassy named Amerika Haus – first built in Berlin during the immediate post-war years, then an even more important outpost once the wall went up! The space itself was a work of art – strongly in the ... read more Book
Verso, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 26.95
An incredibly deep book on the life and music of Derek Bailey – the British guitarist who really helped push the sound of free improvisation forward in the 60s and 70s, then continued with a legacy of creative music for decades more! Ben Watson knocks it out of the park with this one – ... read more Book
Roberts & Tilton, 2009. New Copy ... $24.99 40.00
Kehinde Wiley takes his World Stage format to Brazil – serving up a host of stunning portraits that were painted during a time he had residency overseas! As with other entries in the project, the approach here is beautiful – a mixture of older European portraiture and contemporary ... read more Book
Anthology Editions, 2016. New Copy ... $19.99 40.00
A fantastic book on books about UFOs – one that's put together with all the verve and vibrant imagery you'd expect from the cover! Jack Womack has been collecting materials on UFOs for decades – and this lavish, full-color book provides an amazing overview of publications from the ... read more Book
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