If I am finally too old to rock and roll (at least without
risking major joint replacement), I can still celebrate the glories of musical
yester-years thanks to the printed word. If 2015 is not the year of the book in
music, it comes close. It might be easier to list the aging rocker who has not
had a biography published than it is to itemize the new ones.
Recent arrivals have come from Tom Jones, Carrie Brownstein,
Chrissie Hynde, Carly Simon, Tom Petty, Kim Gordon and Elvis Costello. Patti
Smith has three volumes in rotation: Her award-winning memoir, “Just Kids,” a
book of collected lyrics and a new personal history, “M Train.”
Dylan gets this year’s prize for the biggest volume. “Bob
Dylan: All The Songs” by Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guersdon may be the
definitive encyclopedia (the story behind every song) but you will need to
build a bigger coffee table to support it.
It follows
others this year, “Dylan goes Electric,” “61 Highways Revisited” (the albums),
“Dylan Disc by Disc” and “Time Out of Mind.”
If you are a
fan, there is a book for you that adds some history and certainly extends the
brand, if not the musical repertoire. I have a couple on my to-read list for
the New Year. One is Mark Ribowsky’s biography of Otis Redding, “Dreams To Remember”
with a chewy subtitle: Otis Redding, Stax Records and the Transformation of
Southern Soul . Next is a holdover from last year, the strange saga of “Jerry
Lee Lewis: His Own Story” by Rick Bragg.
Topping the list is Peter Guarlnick’s latest with what may
be the most presumptuous title ever. “Sam Philips: The Man Who Invented Rock
and Roll.” But wait, there is more: “And how he discovered Howlin’ Wolf, Ike
Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and how his tiny label,
Sun Records of Memphis, revolutionized the world.” Not many besides Guarlnick
can make that stick but from what I have heard (NPR’s Fresh Air) and read (The
New Yorker), he has the interviews and anecdotes to back it up. What’s even
better is the book comes with a companion CD so he’s put his spin on which of
these classic songs were lighting the fires of music revolution.
Finally the other eminent historian of this genre, Greil
Marcus, issued a two-pack this year: On the 40th anniversary of the
classic “Mystery Train,” he has a new edition. That was followed by the
paperback release of “The History of Rock & Roll in Ten Songs.”
It’s nice to have a New Year’s Dilemma: Do I read? Or listen?
