Music

Get Back

Staff Pick Badge
The Beatles: Get Back By The Beatles, Peter Jackson (Foreword by), Hanif Kureishi (Introduction by) Cover Image
By The Beatles, Peter Jackson (Foreword by), Hanif Kureishi (Introduction by)
$60.00
ISBN: 9780935112962
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Callaway Arts & Entertainment - October 12th, 2021

I try to choose staff picks of general interest, and I will freely admit that this book probably isn't - it is for readers who love the Beatles. You don't have to be a fanatic (I'm not), but if you love Let It Be (I do) then this book is not only appealing but probably mandatory. At a literal level, it is a textual and photographic transcript of the studio sessions preparing for their last concert, with the songs that became that album (and much of Abbey Road); but writ large it is really a narrative of the last phase of the band. They are talking, joking, playing, creating, arguing, reminiscing - far more than the story of a break-up, it is an exploration of a phenomenon. And the photos are magnificent.

David


The Story Orchestra: I Can Play

Staff Pick Badge
The Story Orchestra: I Can Play (vol 1): Learn 8 easy pieces of classical music! By Jessica Courtney Tickle (Illustrator), Katy Flint, Rowan Baker (Adapted by) Cover Image
By Jessica Courtney Tickle (Illustrator), Katy Flint, Rowan Baker (Adapted by)
$24.99
ISBN: 9780711264915
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Frances Lincoln Children's Books - October 4th, 2022

A gloriously illustrated music lesson for the littlest virtuosos in the making. The keyboard has color and shape coded instructions which make it a breeze to learn these 8-bar one-finger melodies. Beyond design, the true delight is the sound quality, which stands apart from other tinny sounding musicall toys.

Kendall


Shotgun Seamstress

Staff Pick Badge
Shotgun Seamstress: An Anthology By Osa Atoe Cover Image
$40.00
ISBN: 9781593767396
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Soft Skull - November 29th, 2022

A love letter and a call out to punk rock and underground music. A celebration of the communities outsiders build for themselves and of the DIY spirit that drives what those communities create. Shotgun Seamstress is a must for fans of punk rock and zines, of course, but also for anyone finding their way and defining themselves through the art and creation that speak to them.

Josh


None of this Rocks

Staff Pick Badge
None of This Rocks: A Memoir By Joe Trohman Cover Image
$29.00
ISBN: 9780306847356
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Hachette Books - September 13th, 2022

Trohman provides a deep look into the alternative music scene of the early 2000s as well as into his own life navigating within and beyond it. A comedic and important memoir, super enjoyable even if you're not a Fall Out Boy fan!

Hannah


Levon

Staff Pick Badge
Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of the Band and Beyond By Sandra B. Tooze Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781635769135
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Diversion Books - August 31st, 2021

I loved the way Tooze describes the sultry musical landscape of Levon Helm’s formative years in the Mississippi Delta and his life beyond The Band. A well-researched account of Helm’s musical style and personal journey for both new and die-hard fans.

Kate M


Odetta

Staff Pick Badge
Odetta: A Life in Music and Protest By Ian Zack Cover Image
$28.95
It's Complicated--Contact Us for More Information
ISBN: 9780807035320
Published: Beacon Press - April 14th, 2020

 

The folk revival of the 1950s and 60s didn't just stem from Pete Seeger or Peter, Paul, and Mary. It was built on the back of one of the most famous folk singers of the day who I'd never heard of Odetta. In this thorough biography tells her story, which is fascinating and unfortunately familiar. 

 

Meaghan


Go Ahead in the Rain

Staff Pick Badge
Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest (American Music Series) By Hanif Abdurraqib Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781477316481
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: University of Texas Press - February 1st, 2019

 

Abdurraqib catalogs musical history with a mythic, yet personal, reverence, sharing his heroes in a way that makes them accessible while canonizing them as larger-than-life icons. Whether you’re a longtime fan of A Tribe Called Quest or a total initiate, this book holds  something fresh for you; this is what all culture writing should aspire to.

Caleb


A is for Audra

Staff Pick Badge
A Is for Audra: Broadway's Leading Ladies from A to Z By John Robert Allman, Peter Emmerich (Illustrator) Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780525645405
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Doubleday Books for Young Readers - November 12th, 2019

 

With gorgeous illustrations and clever rhymes that (probably) would have even Sondheim chuckling, this book is the perfect gift for people of all ages for whom M is for Musicals!

Kate


Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Music