For Your Reading Hour

Hi – It’s Dave here at Mumubl.com, last year we had a full on Christmas gift guide, (it’s here https://mumubl.com/blog/for-your-stocking-a-mumubl-music-gift-guide/ and still full of great recommendations if you need some) This year – it’s a paper based gift guide, or electronic if an ebook is your thing, but who buys an ebook as a gift?

I last did a reading focused Christmas list back in 2021 – https://mumubl.com/blog/the-christmas-reading-list/ – so whilst I might call back to some of those this will try and focus on books I’ve read since then, not necessarily published since then. But dive into both this list and the old one and hopefully you can find something for the music lover in your life – or just for yourself! (As ever it’s affiliate links in the article, feel free to head off to your favourite book store instead)

This is a little later than planned having lost a near complete draft to some editing software glitch so if you’ve any problems with the list then trust me it was no doubt better in that first draft!

I’ll be following up soon enough with my albums of the year as well so if you haven’t done already make sure you’re subscribed to the newsletter at https://mumubl.com/subscribe and any last minute recommendations on what to listen to are more than welcome.

If there’s any things you think I should be listening to, reading or watching then let me know, shout out on the Mumubl.com social media wherever you reside.

As always – tell all your friends – every little share helps

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Currently checking out – GNX by Kendrick Lamar

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In this edition

The end of the music industry / Liverpool / David Hepworth / What happened to… / Biographies / How it all works / Apple Music

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The end of the music industry

There are many great things about “1999“, not least the fact that it’s thick and heavy so feels like a really valuable gift, it is also a great read. A pretty in depth look at the shift that occurred as the internet blew the traditional models of the music industry apart.

Dispelling the myth that absolutely nothing was being done it looks at what was happening in record labels and the missteps that took place along the way. Eamonn Forde has a great ability to turn even the most boring bits into a compelling story and makes this book a great look at the whole subject.

If you enjoy Eamonn Forde’s writing, which you should, then why not pick up “Selling the pig“, the story of the demise of EMI, where even the dull boardroom dealings are dealt a compelling narrative. Or if the change of direction in the modern music industry is your thing then try “How music got free” by Steven Witt, a great look at the rise of internet piracy.

Liverpool – Wondrous Place

This is quite a bit of an older book but it’s a really interesting look at the history of the Liverpool music scene. It stops 20 years ago and would definitely be interesting to read an update that covers that period. It would also be interesting to see if Paul Du Noyer still holds Atomic Kitten in such high regard two decades on as well.

A great accompaniment to Wonderous Place is Ian Broudie’s “Tomorrow’s here today” covering a lot of the same time period but from the perspective of Ian’s growth in the scene and the music industry as a whole.

If we’re talking about the North West and slightly older books then I’ll also throw in “Cider With Roadies“, a kind of classic of the music book genre if such a thing exists. Slightly up the road from Liverpool we find ourselves in the Wigan stomping ground of Stuart Maconie as his obessision with pop music grows into a career as a broadcaster and journalist – full of great anecdotes and a humourus touch.

David Hepworth

A man that has embraced the orange book jacket is David Hepworth who first found his way onto my reading list last year with “Nothing is real” a brilliant, amusing, collection of his writings and essays on music. It sits slightly ahead of his book on what he calls the best year in music, “1971“. Whilst I’m not quite convinced of 1971 being the best year quite yet it does make a great history of the year and it’s releases. But definitely start with Nothing is real.

Whatever happened to…

If you fancy a look at what happens to rockstars after they finish rocking and popstars after they finish, erm, popping, then pick up “Exit stage left” by Nick Duerden. It’s one of those books that piques your interest in artists you didn’t think you really cared about and cast light on the variety of life that lies after music stardom.

On a similar note I was a bit young for the NME’s legendary C86 tape but the book looking at the acts that appeared on it, “What happened to the C86 kids“, had me caring about acts I’d never even heard of.

A good biography

There’s no shortage of decent music biographies out there, Ian Broudie’s already gets a mention above. I particularly enjoyed the Bono book “Surrender“, displaying a level of self awareness about his image I wasn’t sure Bono had. It plots the rise of U2 and casts a light on their often forgotten exploits as a band in a less settled Ireland. It can feel a bit long at times but worth a read.

The Dave Grohl book “The Storyteller” is a great look at his career from his own perspective and if you’re in that era then why not check out the fantastic Kurt Cobain biography “Heavier than Heaven” or the Chilli Peppers Anthony Keidis’ book “Scar Tissue“, still one of the reasons I’d be wary of sleeping in a jungle.

For a Ben Folds fan his book “A Dream about Lightning Bugs” is worth getting though I think anyone not a fan won’t find too much to propel them along – but you should be a fan, so there. For a slightly more left field suggestion Allie Bailey’s book “There is no wall” is a book about running, but not really, it’s about addiction and is a candid, honest look at a life lived with it. It’s also got it’s own accompanying playlist.

The Jimi Hendrix book “Wild Thing” provides a great look at the life and career of one of the greatest guitarists ever and if exhaustive histories and R.E.M. are your thing you’re in luck with “Maps & Legends”, a thoroughly well researched and put together book, getting hold of a copy might be your biggest problem.

How it all works

If you want more of a cerebral look at the industry then pick up the “Switched on Pop” book, a great look at how the popular music works and why it’s important. It looks at techniques and theories that underpin modern music and sports some of the best diagrams I’ve seen. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco takes a look at the creative process in his book “How to write one song“, a great read to look at the way ideas are incubated and sure to get some creative juices flowing.

“The Song Machine” by John Seabrook takes a further look behind the industry and how songs are put together, casting light on a number of song writers whose touch lands on more songs than you might imagine – maybe not one for the more cynical music fans amongst you.

David Byrne takes a look at the history, and future, of music and explores various aspects and influences in his wide ranging book “How music works” and if you want a more A to Z of the foundations of modern music then Bob Stanley’s “Yeah yeah yeah” would likely fit the bill. If you’re of a more technical disposition then digging into “Perfecting sound forever” by Greg Milner is a great journey from Thomas Edison’s wax cylinders all the way to the MP3 format!

Apple Music’s top 100

If you enjoyed Apple music’s slightly eclectic top 100 albums, can wait till after Christmas and have $450 to splash out then Apple have a hefty coffee table version of the list available for pre order which is dropping in January, hopefully not literally given the size of the thing.