TOP 9 BOOKS
EVERY MUSIC LOVER SHOULD READ
Most of today’s musical knowledge is communicated via YouTube videos,
PDFs and Skype lessons. Although this is pretty handy and accessible, it’s
the old-fashioned books that still contain some of the best insights into
music, as we know it. Here’s a bunch of those very books, which created
an irreplaceable history and base for the truly passionate individuals.
Mo’ Meta Blues: The World
According To Questlove
(Ahmir “Questlove”
Thompson)
If anyone has ever heard or
interacted with virtuoso drummer
and bandleader Questlove, they
know how ridiculously passionate
and knowledgeable he is about
music. So it isn’t surprising that his
memoir be completely immersed
in musical expression, and while
doing so, critiquing every turn and
fold that life brings him to. We come across the black arts, hip hop and
pop culture in his time, his road right from childhood to Roots, his hip
hop band, and a lot of random snippets of music criticism and run ins
with artists.
“Thumbing through these pages is more like picking up an ongoing
conversation with the smartest, chattiest music nerd you know.” -
Rolling Stone Magazine
How Music Works
(David Byrne)
Front man for the Talking Heads,
Byrne provides unimaginably
diverse elements and analyses
of music and it’s evolution, with
chapters full of information,
autobiographical snippets and
even anthropological perspectives.
He shows us how music has always
been a response and an adaptation,
serving as an interaction on
different levels between human
beings. The versatility and yet wholesomeness with which the topic
presents itself, makes you look at music in a brand new fashion.
"A supremely intelligent, superbly written dissection of music as an art
form and way of life." – Kirkus Reviews
36
The
Score Magazine
www.thescoremagazine.com
Heavier Than Heaven: The
Biography of Kurt Cobain
(Charles R Cross)
Nirvana has been hailed as a
pioneer of the grunge movement,
and Kurt Cobain’s work resounds
through the ages. The connect
that every introverted, misguided
‘outcast’ has had with his music
makes this book as special to
readers as it is to his fans. The
popular word used to describe
this biography is ‘definitive’,
very aptly if I may add, since it’s not just a story of his life, but also
a collection of all the information, memories and facts including
suicide notes, journal snippets and quotes from his diary, that provide
a spectroscopic perspective of the artist’s mind and motivation, his
story and the meaning behind all of his masterfully contorted musical
expression.
“Cross uncovers plenty of news, mostly grim and gripping. It’s the
deepest book about pop’s darkest falling star.” – Tim Appelo
Miles: The Autobiography
Jazz musicians aren’t the only ones
who worship Miles Davis’ work.
Having influenced the genre more
severely than any other artist, he is
by far one of the greatest musicians
of all time. His autobiography takes
us through pretty much the entirety
of Davis’ professional and personal
life, including women, racism,
drug abuse, his music and the
legends he has played with, along
with his entire discography and a
large collection of photographs.
“Superior jazz writing that ranks with that of the best practitioners of
the art.” - Ishmael Reed