Books — Recently Added

One of the few English language looks we've ever seen at the music of Serge Gainsbourg – a well-penned biography that covers all of his classic years in a fair bit of detail! Author Alan Clayson does a good job of paying as much attention to the music as he does to Serge's celebrity – ... Book

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 – ... Book

Ever think about what makes a great record so great? It's partly the music, partly the production – but it's also often the overall presentation too – the way the whole thing comes together and feels in your hands, or the way it looks when it's next to the turntable – or stands ... Book

Fantastic film posters from the legendary Saul Bass – a book that features each image on oversized pages – each of which is heavy cardboard, so that the whole thing's like a special folio of 20 different posters! You might know the image on the cover – Bass' famous poster for The ... Book

A surprisingly insightful Richard Pryor biography from interesting pair of biographers – brothrers David and Joe Henry! David Henry is a screenwriter, his brother Joe Henry is from the music world – known for his own artful singer-songwriter work, and especially his production work, ... Book

A very detailed look at Arsenio Rodriguez – the Cuban legend who was a key part of the development of Latin music in both Havana and New York! The volume is quite well-researched, and looks at Arsenio with a lot more information than we've ever seen – in chapters that almost feel like ... Book

We're ultra-proud to be Chicagoans – and one of the many things that makes is proud is The Chicago Defender – our city's famous African-American newspaper, easily one of the best and most important in a long legacy of progressive 20th Century publications! This very hefty book tells ... Book

The story of Charlie Parker is often draped in hyperbole and exaggeration – which is why it's extra great that this biography is handled by Stanley Crouch – one of the few writers we could trust to get past the hype and really find a way to link Parker's life and music! As you might ... Book

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 – ... Book

Coney Island is a hell of a place – a refuge for New Yorkers for over 100 years, and still pretty amazing today – with a surprisingly strong legacy that also includes the park's influence on more serious artists over the decades, a legacy that's presented beautifully in this oversize ... Book

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 ... Book

The music of Leonard Cohen is often so personal, it feels like we know the man himself very intimately – but behind the songs, there's a lot more to Cohen's life and creative process – a good deal of which is presented in this book! Author Liel Leibovitz does a good job of getting past ... Book

Author David Hajdu has given us some great books on Bob Dylan and Billy Strayhorn – and written some excellent work on comics, too – and here, he takes on the development of pop music in the 20th Century, with a nicely wide-ranging ear that follows changes from early blues, through the ... Book

The title's a great one for this creepy horror comic of the 50s – as the stories have this stark, spooky feel that definitely helps you take a journey into fear! The publication was maybe a bit more low-budget than some of its contemporaries – but that also makes some of these stories ... Book

Weird and terror come together in this wonderful horror comic from the early 50s – the kind of pre-code publication that was feared by parents, and was the stuff of nightmares for many kids in the postwar generation! Weird Terror is awash in all the best stuff we love from this period of ... Book

A very cool project from the Red Bull Music Academy – a surprisingly strong force in recent years for bringing together a range of different musical strands! The book features pairings of two different artists or musicians – each talking with the other about their music, the process of ... Book

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 ... Book

Pat Martino tells his story – a wonderfully long run of jazz experience that starts in the heady days of the 60s soul jazz scene, moves into key psychedelic modes, suffers a bit of tragedy in later years, then springs wonderfully back more recently! Pat's got help from a co-writer on the ... Book

John Szwed has given us pivotal books on Miles Davis and Sun Ra – and this time around, he's turning his eye to the life and music of Billie Holiday – offering up a very fresh vision of the oft-told tale of the singer and her career! As the title might imply, Szwed gets past the myth ... Book

A very cool book on Brazilian music – one that serves up a well-chosen array of very hip records, all laid out in decade-by-decade chapters – along with color images of the album cover art, label, date, and style information in regular text – and a review of the record in Japanese! ... Book

A beautiful document of the genius of Robert Indiana – an artist that most folks know for creating the LOVE logo in the 60s – but one whose career has so much more to offer! Indiana was a contemporary of Andy Warhol – and like Warhol, could effortlessly skirt the worlds of art ... Book

A very cool book – and way different than you might expect from the title – as the discography doesn't only focus on contemporary ambient albums, but instead traces a history of moody sounds from the late 50s onwards! The publication is one of the most interesting Japanese ... Book

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 ... Book

An excellent dig through the world of rare samba records from Brazil – a Japanese book that's put together in the same style as some of the boss and jazz discographies from that scene! The mission here is simple and clear – a way of presenting key samba records and rare gems – ... Book

The glory days of Marvel Comics – presented here in a stunning set of full color images from the vault! The book follows the Taschen treatment of DC Comics – and features page after page of legendary covers, pages, and panels – plus lots of other unusual images too – ... Book

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 ... Book

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! ... Book

One of the funkiest coffee table books you'll ever hope to own – a massive collection of rare funk and soul album covers – beautifully put together, and with a wealth of information too! The set's way more than just a stash of cool-looking images – as the folks at Taschen have ... Book

One of the most essential discographies we've ever seen – mostly because we own almost none of the records in the book, which makes it an essential volume to use for digging in the crates! This time around, the folks at Rittor – who've given us other great record books over the years ... Book

An incredible look at the explosion of event-based art on the New York scene at the end of the 50s – the emergence of the "happening" – a combination of performance, installation, music, theater, and other media – depending on the situation – and a strong precursor ... Book