So many music books, so little time. Depending on what the sounds that person in your life loves, there’s a ton of great books out there to choose from this Holiday Season. Here are a few of our favourite selections:
Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jan Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine – Writer Joe Hagan had unprecedented access to the founder and publisher of Rolling Stone Magazine, and the end result didn’t please Jann Wenner at all. Lots of sex, drugs and rock and roll, and comments from the rock stars that Wenner himself loved to hang around with. It’s all happening in this book.
Bon: The Last Highway: The Untold Story of Bon Scott and AC/DC’s Back in Black – With the passing of AC/DC founding member and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young just a few weeks ago, reading about the band’s original lead singer Bon Scott has become even more fitting. Jesse Fink delves deep into the lore of the Thunder from Down Under, Bon’s influence on the band, and his tragic passing at the age of 33.
Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers: The Rise of Motörhead – Metal writer extraordinaire Martin Popoff offers up the first book to chronicle the rise of the classic Motörhead line-up of Lemmy Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. Since his passing in 2015 at the age of 70, the myth and love of Lemmy has continued to grow, and Popoff’s book, which he was already working prior to Lemmy’s death, helps explain just how and why the band has been such an important and influential part of metal.
Rush: Album by Album: The prolific Martin Popoff has a second book on our list, a gorgeous hardcover trip through the catalogue of Canada’s favourite power trio. With commentary from musicians and experts, including Mike Portnoy, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, and others, Popoff’s book is the perfect way to absorb a phenomenal catalogue of music.
Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains – This year saw a massive exhibition of Pink Floyd artifacts take place at the V & A in London, England. Taken its titled from said exhibition, Their Mortal Remains is a lavish hardcover that details the experience, featuring rare and previously unseen photographs, a discography, revealing essay and much more. Not only the book serve as a companion to the exhibit, it also can be nicely absorbed while combing through the Pink Floyd: The Early Years box set that was released around this time last year.
