Alphabetical List

Africa O-Ye! A Celebration of African Music
Graeme Ewens
Da Capo, 1992. ISBN#: 0-306-80461-1
paperbound, 224 pages, color illus. $25.
What shelf?: Africa / History
Decorative and well written general introduction to sub Saharan African music. Color illustrations are unparalleled, the many LP and 45 label illustrations are a nice touch. First published by Guinness, UK, 1991.

African Pop: Goodtime Kings
Billy Bergman
Quarto Books, 1985. ISBN#: 0-7137-1551-0
paperbound, 143 pages, OP.
What shelf?: Africa / History
The first general interest book on African popular music published in the USA (Blanford Press, UK). These facts and histories appear over and over in subsequent books on the subject. B. George helped Billy with contacts for his African trip and wrote a brief section on traveling with Ebeneser Obey's band in Nigeria.

African Rock
Chris Stapleton, Chris May
Obelisk / Dutton , 1990. ISBN#: 0-525-48554-6
paperbound, 373 pages, illus. some drawings, $15.
What shelf?: Africa / History
Fave. One of the most literate endeavors written by two long time fans, and radio hosts from the UK. Like most ñAfricanî books, only concerned w/ Black, Sub-Saharan Africa. Best overview, best index in the biz. Subtitled, The Pop Music of a Continent. Titled, African All-Stars, in the UK, Quartet Books, Ltd., 1987, ISBN: 0-7043-2504-7.

African Stars: Studies in Black South African Performance
Veit Erlmann
University of Chicago Press, 1991. ISBN#: 0-226-21724-8
paperbound, 213 pages, B&W illus., $16.
What shelf?: Africa / History
History of Black South African music, 1890 to the 70s..

All Music Guide
Michael Erlewine, Scott Bultman
Miller Freeman, 1992. ISBN#: 0-87930-264-x
paperbound, 1176 pages, $20.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Broad guide arranged by genre. OK overview, if mostly listless reviews. NOT to be taken as gospel. Recommend the on-line version, thatÍs on a par with Music Central on-line.

American Musical Theater
Gerald Bordman
Oxford University Press, 1992. ISBN#: 0-19-507242-1
hardbound, 832 pages, $65.
What shelf? : Broadway, Film & TV / Reference
Broadway and beyond, one of the better all purpose references.

The American Record Label Book (The Roots of Jazz)
Brian A.L. Rust
DaCapo, 1984. ISBN#: 0306762110
hardbound, 336 pages, $66.
What shelf? : Jazz / Discography
By label, good for the price.

ASCAP Biographical Dictionary of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. 3rd ed.
Bowker, 1980. ISBN#: 0-8352-1283-1
hardbound, 589 pages, OP.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Bios of every ASCAP registered writer up to '80. Ours is 4th edition, and as far as we can tell, last ever published version of this indispensable reference work. The big beige book, grab one when you see it.

The Big Bands
George T. Simon
Macmillan, 1967. ISBN#: no ISBN #
hardbound, 537 pages, B&W illus., used 75¢
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Overview structured around 400 biographies. A good companion volume is Simons' Simon Says (Arlington House, 1971), his annotated articles written for Metronome Magazine.

Big Sounds from Small Peoples
Roger Wallis and Krister Malm
Constable (UK), 1984. ISBN#: 0-09-465360-7
paperbound, 419 pages, B&W illus., £6.
What shelf? : Music Business & Contacts / History
Multinationals dig talons into the local music scenes of 12 small countries, and the result is...? A great read.

The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups
Jay Warner
Billboard Books, 1992. ISBN#: 0-8230-8264-4
paperbound, 542 pages, $22.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Covers 1940 - 1990, pretty good, but I just looked up the Marathons on Arvee and NOT listed.

Billboard International Buyers Guide
Billboard Books, annual.
paperbound, 250+ pages, $113.
What shelf? : Music Business & Contacts / Reference
We use it most for record companies and publishers. There's still no web site as useful or complete. Published annually in Dec. They also publish other titles, one of record stores and the other of radio stations.

Billboard Talent and Touring Guide Directory (US)
Billboard Books, annual.
paperbound, 300+ pages, $105.
Reference. Best place to locate managers and booking agents, and therefore artists. Publishes annually, in Oct. Performance Magazine also puts out a very good Talent Guide.

Black Music of Two Worlds
John Storm Roberts
Praeger, 1972. ISBN#: 0-688-05278-9
paperbound, $12.95
What shelf? : Ethnic & World Music Overviews / History
Fave. The classic text of influences of Africa on the New World. Roberts runs Original Music, a label and distribution center for African music.

Blues from the Delta
William Ferris
Anchor Press, 1978. ISBN#: 0-385-09918-5
hardbound, 226 pages, B&W illus., $9.
What shelf? : Blues / History
Tad self- serving, but nothing as smarmy as the Lomax book, The Land Where the Blues Began (Pantheon, 1993). By the future head of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, with a homey feel and gentle touch. Concentrates on Mississippi Delta blues

The Brazilian Sound
Chris McGowan, Ricardo Pessanha
Billboard Books / Watson Guptill, 1991. ISBN#: 0-8230-7673-3
paperbound, 215 pages, B&W illus., $19.
What shelf? : Caribbean, Latin & South America / History
Fave. By a nose, the best one to buy. There are also two prose books to have a look at - Samba (Alma Guillermoprieto, Vintage, 1993), the most readable book on Carnival and samba - good fun and a serious socio-political tract! Also, Why Is This Country Dancing (John Krich, Touchstone, 1993), a talky walkabout by a snotty NY guy who is funny a third of the time.

Breakout: Profiles in Africa Rhythm
Gary Stewart
University of Chicago Press, 1992. ISBN#: 0-226-77406-6
paperbound, 157 pages, B&W illus.
What shelf?: Africa / History
Personal encounters and interviews. Portraits of Kanda Bongo Man, Nico, Franco, Remmy Ongala, S. E. Rogie, Big Fayla, Francis Fuster, Nana Ampadu, Hedzoleh Soundz, Olatunji, Orlando Julius Ekemode, Joni Haastrup, Fela, and Sonny Okosuns.

Broadway Musicals Show by Show
Stanley Green
Hal Leonard Books, 1985. ISBN#: 0-88188-375-1
hardbound, 361 pages, $18.
What shelf? : Broadway, Film & TV / Reference
Arranged by year, but a good index, literally Show by Show. Not complete, but a very good, well priced one volume reference, with casts, song titles, pretty complete production credits, with a brief show summery, and odd/essential bits of historic errata.

Broken Music
eds., Ursula Block, Michael Glasmeier
Gelbe / Berliner Kunstlerprogramm des DAAD (Germany), 1989. ISBN#: 3-89357-013-6
paperbound, 279 pages.
What shelf? : Avant Garde / History,Discography
Fave. The most complete discography of recordings by visual artists and experimental audioworks available, by the good folks at Gelbe (Yellow) music store in Berlin. With flexidisk. Greatly expands the worth looking for Celant book, The Record As Artwork - From Futurism to Conceptual Art (Fort Worth Art Museum, 1977).

Cajun Music, A Reflection of a People. Vol.1
Ann Allen Savoy
Bluebird Press, 1984. ISBN#: 0-930169-00-x
paperbound, 422 pages, B&W illus., $36.
What shelf? : Folk & Country / History
Vocalist and guitarist who often performs with her husband Marc Savoy and has done a fine job chronicling the music she knows and loves.

The Complete Rock Family Trees
Pete Frame
Omnibus, 1995. ISBN#: 0-711-90465-0
paperbound, 132 pages, $20.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Pete is one of the real unsung heroes of Rock & Roll - his books are too good to be true, by a true scholar. All of the older ones are worth seeking out, this is the latest collection, plus there is a new specific one, Beatles and some other guys - Rock Family Trees of the Early Sixties (Omnibus, 1997, $20.).

Country
Nick Tosches
Scribner, 1985. ISBN#: 0-684-18345-5
paperbound, 260 pages, $10.
What shelf? : Folk & Country / History
Very personal history! A great read and so much better than his Unsung Heroes of Rock'n'Roll. Detailed history of the oddest of the odd, unencumbered by footnotes or bibliography.

The Da Capo Companion to 20th Century Music
Phil Hardy, Dave Laing
Da Capo, 1995. ISBN#: 0-306-80640-1
hardbound, 121 pages, $30.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
The next best, after the Penguin, general purpose, one volume pop encyclopedia.

The Directory of American 45 RPM Records
Ken Clee
Stak-O-Wax, 1997. ISBN#: no ISBN#
ringbound, 4000+ pages, $195.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Discography
One million releases, weighs more than a bowling ball, organized in 3 loose-leaf volumes by label, a 4th volume by artist. Updated, in this it's 20 year. Yikes, no index! Between this and the Music Master, the singles subject is pretty well covered. We can't afford, so we use a friends. Stak-O-Wax : P.O. Box 11412, Philadelphia, PA, 19111. Ph: 215-722-1979.

Doo-Wop
Dr. Anthony J. Gribin, Dr. Mathew M. Schiff
Krause Publications / Goldmine, 1992. ISBN#: 0-87341-197-8
paperbound, 616 pages, $20.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Practically the only general book on the music, with more than 25,000 song titles frfrenced. Also have a look at Doo-Wop, The Chicago Scene (Robert Pruter, U. Illinois Press, 1996).

Encyclopedia of British Beat Groups & Solo Artists of the Sixties
Colin Cross, with Paul Kendall, Mick Farren
Omnibus, 1980. ISBN#: 0-86001-638-2
paperbound, 95 pages, B&W illus., OP?
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Fave. In general I'm not an Omnibus book fan, but this slim volume gives a good overview of all the groups eclipsed by the Beatles.

Encyclopedia of Folk, Country and Western Music
Irwin Stambler, Grelun Landon.
St. Martin's Press, 1969. no ISBN#.
hardbound, 396 pages, $14. used.
What shelf? : Folk & Country / Reference
Looks, feels and IS old fashioned. We canÍt really recommend any book on country, but this is the no-nonsense one we use. There was a 1984 version available, also OP.

The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties
Leonard Feather
DaCapo, 1988. ISBN#: 0306802635
paperbound, 312 pages, B&W illus., $17.
What shelf? : Jazz / Reference
The dean of American jazz writers. 1100 Short bios - with the artists' addresses at the time! These are constantly be tossed out by libraries and they should be ashamed. Our copy the original 1966, Horizon Press edition, the one detailed here is an exact reprint.

The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies
Leonard Feather
DaCapo, 1988, ISBN # : 0306802902
paperbound, 393 pages, B&W illus., $18.
What shelf? : Jazz / Reference
Mr. Feather extends his classic work about a decade. Our copy is the original hardbound edition from '76 on Horizon Press, the above is more readily available and the same book.

Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound in the United States
ed., Guy Marco, Frank Andrews
Garland, 1993. ISBN#: 0824047826
hardbound, $125.
What shelf? : Music Business & Contacts / Reference
Part of the Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, Vol. 936. Entries on this and that centered around audio inventions and innovation, label histories, and big loud ideas. Best for the early years of cylinders and 78s.

Essays on Cuban Music
Manuel, Peter
University Press of America, 1991. ISBN#: 0-8191-8430-6
hardbound.
What shelf? : Caribbean, Latin & South America / History
Peter does good work - one of the few books in English on folk and popular music from Cuba. Both Cuban and American writers.

Ethnic Music on Records: A Discography of Ethnic Recordings Produced in the United States, 1893 to 1942
Richard K. Spottswood
Univ. of Illinois Press, 1990.
What shelf? : Ethnic & World Music Overviews / Discography
Perfect for the budding ethnomusicologist on your shopping list. The wide diversity of styles and genres gracing American 78s. Too expensive for us to own, so we use it at the library at Lincoln Center.

Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music
Mary A. Bufwack, Robert K. Oermann
Crown, 1993. ISBN#: 0-517-58114-0
hardbound, B&W illus., $32.50
What shelf? : Folk & Country / History
Fave. Extensive and accessible History build around the author's long time interests and car trip to visit their heroes. Likable with good Illustrations. There's also a Woman's shelf at the ARChive.

The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Vol. 1 : Africa
ed, Ruth M. Stone
Garland, 1998. ISBN#: 9-780824 060350
hardbound, minimal B&W illus., 851 pages, about 100 bucks.
What shelf? : Africa / history
A milestone of research, this is a massive overview of the continent's music, with emphasis on traditional music. Shortcomings include the non encyclopedic organization despite its title, that many African countries/cultures/and modern pop (esp. North Africa) are only touched upon or ignored.. To be applauded is the large overview sections at the beginning of the book that attempts to give an overview of an entire continent (numerous articles, 451 pages). When a country of culture is focused on, the results are amazingly complete. Academic text, but not dense (just tiny) - if you donÕt know words like orthography and idiophone, not for you. Includes short discographies and a CD.

Go Cat Go! : Rockabilly Music and Its Makers (Music in American Life)
Craig Morrison
University of Illinois Press, Published 1996. ISBN#: 0-252-02207-6
hardbound, minimal B&W illus., 326 pages, $28.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Not a Fave, but just about all there is. Overview, brief histories and better than most discography.

Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
Colin Escott, with Martin Hawkins
St. MartinÍs, 1991. ISBN#: 0-312-05439-4
hardbound, 276 pages, B&W illus., $20.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Fave. Well illustrated document of Sun Studios and Records. Colin writes for Goldmine and Bear family projects. navigating the territory between a pop writer and a scholar. This greatly expands his earlier pamphlet on Sun. A very nice piece of work.

The Great Rock Discography
Martin Strong
Omnibus, 1996. ISBN#: 0-86241-541-1
paperbound, 946 pages, $35.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Discography
Probably the best one volume rock album discography, with track listings and singles for 100 artists. In no way complete, as they claim, but pretty good. 3d ed. Hardbound avail for $5 more.

The Green Book
Jeff Green
Professional Desk Reference, 1982. no ISBN #
paperbound, 289 pages, OP.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Fave. Pop and rock songs are sorted by words in title, or related theme or content, then grouped by the appropriate catagory, like, 'doctors', 'dogs', 'dreams', etc... JeffÍs pioneering work has led to any collection of related songs being called, a green book. Another attempt was, The Rock Music Source (Anchor, 1980).

A Guide to the Blues
Austin Sonnier, Jr.
Greenwood, 1994. ISBN#:0-313-28724-4
hardbound, 287 pages, B&W illus.
What shelf? : Blues / Reference
Brief historic overview, followed by a whoÍs who comprised of good, short biographies, with cursory discographies. We use frequently.

Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 2d ed.
Colin Larkin, ed.
Guinness / Stockton, 1995. ISBN#: 1-56159-176-9
hardbound, 6 vol., 832 pages per. vol., $495.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Probably the best, multi-volumed, general purpose pop encyclopedia for a library when just the idea of the Groves gives you a budgetary headache. Provisos: no soul or opinions. Seldom talks about what the music being described sounds like. No genres. Some world music. Discographies selected and OK, but just title and year. First released 1992.

Guinness Who's Who of Reggae
Colin Larkin
Guinness (UK), 1994. ISBN#: 0-85112-734-7
paperbound, 315 pages, £ 14.
What shelf? : Caribbean, Latin & South America / Reference
Just about all there is, organized by artists. Not easy to use for factchecking, but good histories are; the re-published Reggae Bloodlines: In Search of the Music and Culture of Jamaica (Stephen Davis, Peter Simon, Da Capo Press, 1992) and the OP, Jah Music (Sebastian Clarke, HEB, UK, 1981).

Hawaiian Music and Musicians
ed, George S. Kanahele
University of Hawaii Press, 1979. ISBN#: 0-8248-0578-X
hardbound, 543 pages, $ 25.
What shelf? : Pop / Folk, history
Just about all there is on the subject - worth the price on the origin of the peddle-steel guitar alone.

Headbangers: The Worldwide Mega-Book of Heavy Metal Bands (Rock & Roll Reference Series, No 37)
Mark Hale
Popular Culture Ink, 1993. ISBN#: 1-560-75029-4
hardbound, $75.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Have not seen, but based on the so-so quality of the other Heavy Metal books in our collection, AND the general high quality of PCI publications, this is recommended. Ones I'm not so thrilled with, but use : Heavy Metal Thunder(Philip Bashe, Dolphin / Doubleday, 1985) and The International Encyclopedia of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal (Tony Jasper & Derek Oliver, Facts on File, 1983).

Heat Wave, The Motown Factbook
David Bianco
Popular Culture Inc. , 1988. ISBN#: 0-87650-204-4
hardbound, 523 pages, $55.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference & Discography
Probably the best one volume to get if you want to keep track of your collection, and glean those bits of knowledge you won't learn at the Motown Cafe. Band and artists histories, plus both a US & UK discography of both LPs a singles.

The Illustrated Discography of Hot Rod Music, 1961-1965
John Blair, Stephen J. McParland
Popular Culture, Ink., 1990. ISBN#:1-56075-002-2
hardbound, 166 pages, $34.50.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Discography
Companion to the surf discogs.

The Illustrated Discography of Surf Music 1961-1965
John Blair
Popular Culture, Ink., 1985. ISBN#:0-87650-174-9
hardbound, 166 pages $45.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Discography
Pretty good - both 45s and LPs. As a ho-dad, I was stoked by the Surfing Dictionary section.

In Township Tonight!
David B. Coplan
Longman, Inc., 1985. ISBN#: 0-582-64400-3
paperbound, 278 pages, $15-ish.
What shelf?: Africa / History
Subtitled, South Africa's Black City Music and Theatre. Better than the Erlmann book by a nose.

Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums 1955-1996
Joel Whitburn
Record Research, 1996. ISBN#: 0-89820-117-9
hardbound, 1056 pages, $90.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
ItÍs not a matter of Fave, really, this is the only game in town, and Joel does a good job with his monopoly. Billboard chart reference.

Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1996
Joel Whitburn
Record Research, 1996.
paperbound, 900+ pages, $70.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
8th ed. Invaluable.

Joel Whitburn's Top R&B Singles 1942-1995
Joel Whitburn
Record Research, 1996.
hardbound, 704 pages, $65.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Invaluable listing of the Billboard R&B charts.

Kaiso! The Trinidad Calypso
Keith Q. Warner
Three Continents Press (UK), 1982. ISBN#: 0-435-98790-9
paperbound, 152 pages, B&W illus., £4.
What shelf? : Caribbean, Latin & South America / History
Fave. One of the first books out on Calypso - a rambling heap oÍinfo, no index, lots of lyrics. Intro. by Slinger Francisco (the Mighty Sparrow). In the '90's a spate of similar books appeared, all shunning soca and concentrating on the historical, early calypso. All are about equal: Calypso Calaloo: Early Carnival Music in Trinidad (Donald R. Hill, University Press of Florida, 1993), Calypso & Society in Pre-Independence Trinidad (Gordon Rohlelr, self published, 1990) and Carnival Canboulay and Calypso (John Cowley, Cambridge U. Press, 1996).

Latin Tinge
John Storm Roberts
Original Music, 1985. ISBN#: 0-9614458-1-5
paperbound, 246 pages, $12-ish.
What shelf? : Caribbean, Latin & South America / History
Fave. A Classic. The Impact of Latin American Music On the US.

The Motown Story
Don Waller
Scribner's, 1985. ISBN#: 0-684-18347-1
paperbound, 256 pages, illus., $13.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
OK history of the label & groups. If you want the coffee table version, get The Motown Album on St. Martins.

Movie Song Catalog
Ruth Benjamin, Arthur Rosenblatt
McFarland, 1993. ISBN#: 0-89950-764-6
hardbound, 368 pages, $45.
What shelf? : Broadway, Film & TV / Reference
Fave. Subtitled, Performers and Supporting Crew for the Songs Sung in 1460 Musical and Nonmusical Films, 1928-1988. Lists the songs performed, performer and writers of the composition for both American and British films, with good indexes. The one we trust the most (and the authors used the ARC's collection of soundtracks to unravel many mysteries!).

Music Central 97
Microsoft, 1996.
CD-ROM, $25.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
About the least expensive way to get a pretty good, broad based illustrated pop music reference book. Info on 80,000 albums, including artist bios, discographies, photos, some videos and audio clips, and record reviews. Q Mag (UK) provides the snappy valueless reviews, and we, the ARChive, provided the 5,000 record covers illustrated on this ROM. For updates, download electronically from the site of the same name. The only competition is Rock'n'Rom, from the UK, at $1,500.00.

Music Master (US)
Paul Mawhinney
Music Master, 1983.
paperbound, 4 vol., all for $150-ish.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Discography
Fave. These massive jonquil tomes are the real yellow pages - claims to be every single ever released in the US, 1947 - 1982. First ed., 1983, 2 vol., plus a two vol. update = 4 volumes. One of the better reference books there is, alpha by artist and title. AND you can order many (most?) of the singles from their store in Pittsburgh, PA. Mail order only: Record-Rama Sound Archives / Music Master, P.O. Box 150 Allison Park, PA 15101. (412) 367-7330.

The Music of Black Americans
Eileen Southern
Norton, 1983. ISBN#: 0-393-95279-7
paperbound, 602 pages, B&W illus., $20
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
We have the Second Edition - there's a new one (3d) for '97 with 40 or so more pages (ISBN 0-393-03843-2). Vast overview - both itÍs strength and greatest problem - so much is referenced that the fascinating details are dropped in favor of scope. Puts it all in perspective, esp. the pre-pop eras - from Africa to the New World (1619) to the advent of recordings in the 1920s. Nice social and political timeline preceding each chapter to place the music in a larger context.

Music Publishing: A Songwriter's Guide
Randy Poe
Writer's Digest Books, 1990. ISBN#: 0-89879-415-3
paperbound, 136 pages, $19.
What shelf? : Music Business & Contacts / Reference
Fave. Textbook-like guide to music publishing, probably the best beginners guide to understanding the most profitable part of the recording industry. Randy manages Trio Music, Leiber & Stoller's publishing.

Musica Brasileira
Claus Schreiner
Marion Boyars Publishing, 1993. ISBN#: 0-7145-2946
hardbound, 306 pages, $35.
What shelf? : Caribbean, Latin & South America / History
Translated from German so a bit awkward. More human, lotsa lyrics, in tandem with Brazilian Sound gives a good overview.

Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans
Grace Lichtenstein, Laura Dankner
Norton, 1993. ISBN#: 0-393-03468-2
hardbound, 367 pages, B&W illus., $25.
What shelf? : Folk & Country / History
OK, so this is as much R&B, as jazz, as cajun folk. Light overview of all the cities musics.

Musical Instruments
Sibyl Marcuse
Norton, 1975. ISBN#: 0-393-00758-8
paperbound, 607 pages, $7. used, OP?
What shelf? : Musical Instruments / Reference
Fave. Seems to be the last edition available, and may be out of print. A classic, no nonsense, inexpensive, jam packed, invaluable little volume.

Musiciens Cadiens et CrÚoles / The Makers of Cajun Music
Barry Jean Ancelet, photos: Philip Gould
University of Texas Press, 1984. ISBN#: 0-292-75078-x
paperbound, 160 pages, color illus., $27.
What shelf? : Folk & Country / History
Focus on musicians alive at time of publication trying to preserve the traditional music of Southwest Louisiana. Almost all the interviews are of white musicians from the plains. Excellent photos, printed in Japan.

Mystery Train
Greil Marcus
Dutton / Obelisk, 1990. ISBN#: 0-525-48556-2
paperbound, 281 pages, $13.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Critically acclaimed link between rock nÍ roll and American popular culture. Orig. from '75. A classic.

The New Grove Dictionary of American Music
H. Wiley Hitchcock, Stanley Sadie, eds.,
Macmillan, 1986. ISBN#: 0-943818-36-2
hardbound, 4 vol., 2,600 pages, 700+ B&W illus., $750.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Like the New Grove above, but with greater coverage on American music and musicians, including popular and jazz. Dry, multi-volumed. work - but, trustworthy, BUT expensive. The larger, original 20 vol. overview, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, has just been published in a paper binding at $500, but while a good deal, like the American Grove's, Classical music oriented. For a real pare-down there's The Norton/Grove Concise Encyclopedia of Music, Revised and Enlarged at $42,50.

The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz
ed., Barry Kernfeld
Macmillan, 1988. ISBN#: 0-312113-57-9
hardbound, 1,300 pages, 200 B&W illus., $35.
What shelf? : Jazz / Reference
Good dict. with over 4,500 entries, many article size. A bit outdated as first published in '88. Also available as a two vol. set.

The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments
ed., Stanley Sadie
Macmillan, 1984. ISBN#: 0-943818-05-2
hardbound, 3 vol., 2,700 pages, 1,600+ B&W illus., $550.
What shelf? : Musical Instruments / Reference
When ya gotta know, ya gotta know. Hefty price tag brings you over 14,000 entries, including plenty of non-Western and folk instruments.

The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll
Patricia Romanowski, Holly George-Warren, with Jon Pareles
Fireside / Simon & Schuster, 1995. ISBN#: 0-684-81044-1
paperbound, 1120 pages, B&W illus., $25.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Fave - by a begrudge. If you were going to buy one rock encyclopedia, this would be it, and inexpensive by todayÍs standards. We use in conjunction with the 1983 edition. Mainstream (no Robert Wyatt, Throbbing Gristle, Magma, Pearls Before Swine, etc..), strong on 60s & 80s, with all the flavors of the month included. Hey, they left Jerry Wexler out of this new edition! Woefully, no index.

New Sounds
John Schaefer
Harper & Row, 1987. ISBN#: 0-06-055054-6
hardbound, 297 pages, $23.
What shelf? : Avant Garde / History
A good general overview of avant garde, modern art music with Classical roots, and work by art world performers. Best for the related discographies of work that documented, influenced or informed the better known performers.

Nothing But the Blues: The Music and the Musicians
Lawrence Cohn
Abbeville, 1993. ISBN#: 1-55859-271-7
hardbound, 432 pages, B&W illus., $45.
What shelf? : Blues / History
Good first book to get if $45 is a reasonable number for you. While it borders on a coffee table book, the illustrations are swell, the writtinÍ easy going and accurate. Not definitive by any means, but provides a good overview. Short discography.

Off The Record, Vol. 1
Reginald J. Bartlette
Popular Culture Inc., 1991. ISBN#: 1-56075-004-9
hardbound, 508 pages, $60.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Discography
Fave. Subtitled, Motown by master numbers, 1959-1989. Just the facts, including all the related labels, with indexes by artist, song, date released and label #.

The Penguin Encyclopedia of Music
Donald Clark, editor
Viking / Penguin, 1989. ISBN#: 0-14-051147-4
paperbound, 1378 pages, $20.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Fave. Probably the best one volume, pop music (all forms) encyclopedia you can get. OP already?

The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette
Richard Cook & Brian Morton
Penguin, 1994. ISBN#: 0-14-017949-6
paperbound, 1514 pages, $23.
What shelf? : Jazz / Reference
Fave. Very good reviews, intelligently written, only essential recordings listed.

Performance
RoseLee Goldberg
Abrams, 1979. ISBN#: no ISBN#
paperbound, 128 pages, B&W illus., $7., OP?
What shelf? : Avant Garde / History
Subtitled: Live Art 1909 to the Present. The news of the latest dance/paint/act/write/sculpt/idea/speak amalgam in the post-Happening, post-hippie world - all the more interesting for being published before the trend became entrenched. There is a larger, later overview in German, FÄr Augen und Ohren, (Akademie der KÄnste, 1980) linking experimental music tradition and the visual arts, the catalog for the fascinating, massive exhibit in Berlin. Avoid all them books that confuse art school attendance and a predilection for handiwork, with any connection to art, i.e.; Art Into Pop (Frith, Horne) and Cross-overs (Walker).

Popular Music of the Non-Western World
Peter Manuel
Oxford, 1988. ISBN#: 0-19-505342-7
hardbound, 287 pages, $20.
What shelf? : Ethnic & World Music Overviews / Reference
Not as all-encompassing as the Rough Guide, but more accurate, scholarly, reliable (no gee-whiz pop/slop scholarship). PeterÍs only vaguely out of the loop, as to be expected from an academic over an enthusiast. Now avail. in paper, 0195063341.

Price Guides
Sometimes good to do quick checks on whether or not a recording exists. We have 'em from 3 different publishers, all citing wildly disparate prices; Goldmine/ Krause, Jerry Osborne, and Billboard.

Ra Ja Ro Index
K. M. Aase
self published.
paperbound, 4 vol. availability?
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Most complete modern rock magazine and fanzine index there is. Bad part are all the codes for mag names. Last ed. 1995. Postboks 6724, Rode Loekka, Oslo,N-0503, Norway. Usetabe on-line, but I couldn't find it 9/8/97.

RamblinÕ Rose
Johnny Whiteside
Vanderbilt U. Press, 1997.
hardcover, 299 pages
What shelf? : Folk, C&W / History, Discography. Standard chronological bio., clearly, competently written. Very nice, previously unpublished letter from Woody Guthrie begins the volume. Rose was the centerpiece for the Maddox Brothers and Rose, a postwar Western Swing dance combo who competed with Wills and Cooley. Rose was the best known female country artists before Kitty Wells, and was active for over 50 years, and has yet to see any significant record royalties. Her finest hour - the gal blows $100,000 in Vegas on a spree with Jerry Lee Lewis! Also an offhand history of 4 Star Records & the record business on the West Coast at the time. Discography set up a bit oddly -sessionography w/ master numbers for the earlier material, LP/CD by LP/CD for later material. LP/CD section does not address alternate takes, or if a song available is a reissue (which session composition taken from), or re-recorded version.

The Rap Attack
David Toop
Pluto Press (UK), 1984. ISBN#: 0-86104-777-X
paperbound, 168 pages, $8.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Some info on the Jamaican dee jay scene in the south Bronx as an influence in Rap. Also African rhyming games and challenges.

Rap Whoz Who - the World of Rap Music
Steven Stancell
Schirmer, 1996. ISBN#: 0-02-864520-0
paperbound, 322 pages, 150 B&W illus., $20.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Short bios on artists, producers and promoters. OK, but the scene changes so fast no book can keep up.

The Record Producers File
Bert Muirhead
Blandford / Sterling, 1984. ISBN#: 0-7137-1430-1
paperbound, 288 pages, OP.
What shelf? : Music Business & Contacts / Reference
Pounce when you see it. Lists the producers of pop and rock albums from 1962 - 1984. There are always rumors of an update, or someone else doing a book like this, but for now, this is it.

Reggae : The Rough Guide
Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton
The Rough Guides, 1997, ISBN#: 1-85828-247-0
paperbound, 394 pages, $20.
What shelf? : Reggae / History
Pretty good overview. Artist profiles are sketchy, but many bios. unavailable in any other books. Atmospheric. No table of contents, book moves chronologically and by dominant genre towards the current scene. One of the first books to acknowledge that ragga and dancehall ARE reggae, giving them equal weight to earlier, lyrical song-style reggae (Reggae Island, Jamaican Music in the Digital Age also covers this newer material, but is an interview only text). While a great many important compositions highlight the career of an artist, discographies are album lists of recommendations, concentrating on the readily available. Good following of the migration of tunes and rhythms from composition to composition. No real bibliography. Time line and glossary seem like filler. Like many UK publications the authors are extremely concerned with the recording industry itself- producers, DJs and soundsystems. Good to do as the producers are often on a par with the artists, a bad idea as the text often seems the guilty wanderings of young writers aware that only British business practices could have sufficiently inspired Marx.

Reggae Island: Jamaican Music In the Digital Age
Brian Jahn and Tom Weber
Da Capo Press, 1998, ISBN#: 0-306-80853-6
paperbound, 253 pages, $19.
What shelf? : Reggae / History
Re-issue of one the first book to cover the current, less melodic Jamaican material presented through interviews with the artists and producers.

RIAA Gold and Platinum Awards Program
RIAA, annual. no ISBN #
ringbound, 2 vol., not for sale.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
All the gold and platinum awards for American recordings and videos in two loose-leaf binders. Only available to professionals(?), but promises to be on-line one day. A nightmare to check through as awards are alphabetical by artist, by year, with no index.

The Rock Encyclopedia
Lillian Roxon
Grosset & Dunlap, 1969. ISBN#: no ISBN #
hardbound, 575-ish pages, min. illus., $15 used.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
One of the many secondary sources we go to - grudgingly recommended. Good for mainstream rock artists/bands who have not stood the test of time.

Rock On - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock 'n' Roll
Norm N. Nite
Harper & Row, 1982. ISBN#: ISBN # vol. 1, 0-06-181642-6; vol. 2, 0-06-181643-4; vol. 3, 0-06-181644-2.
hardbound, vol. 1, 722 pages; vol. 2, 747 pages; vol. 3, 444 pages. B&W illus., approx. $25. per vol.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
A hesitant Fave. 3 volumes. A very pop-y, uncritical appraisal of nearly every well known artist and group, esp. older, pre-60s groups that are ignored by most 'rock' encyclopedias. Vol. 1, The Solid Gold Years; vol. 2, The Years of Change 1964-1978; vol. 3, The Video Revolution, 1978 - Present.

Rock Record, 3d ed.
Terry Hounsome
Facts On File, 1987. ISBN#: 0-8160-1754-9
paperbound, 738 pages, $15.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Discography
Fave. Best for it's listing of the session musicians on each album, and one of the few books to list data on generally available recordings released on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rock She Wrote
Evelyn McDonnell, Ann Powers, eds.
Delta, 1995. ISBN#: 0-385-31250-4
paperbound, 477 pages, $16.
What shelf? : Women / History
Subtitled Women write about Rock, Pop and Rap. A wide ranging selection of texts by women writers and critics.

Rock Toons: A Cartoon History of the First 30 Years of Rock 'n' Roll
S. Dutfoy, D. Farran, M. Sadler
Harmony, 1986. ISBN#: 0-517-56325-8
paperbound, 103 pages, totally illus., $8.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Surprisingly good, hilarious cartoon history of rock music. Don't knock it, I got the gist of the Ramayana while traveling in India by reading the comic book!

Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-A-Rama
Scott Schinder
Delta / Rolling Stone, 1996. ISBN#: 0-385-31360-8
paperbound, 492 pages, $15.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
The NOW subject covered in a book trying hard to be witty and informative with little result.

Rolling Stone Index
Jeffrey N. Gatten
Popular Culture Ink, 1993. ISBN#: 1-56075-030-8
hardbound, 1096 pages, $125.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Subtitled, Twenty-Five Years of Popular Culture 1967-1991. Index to every cover, article, and review that ever appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine. Obsessive, excessive, exactly whatÍs needed in an index to a publication, but really, every letter to the editor indexed? An update volume covering 1992 -1996 is due out in Dec. '97, $75.

The Rough Guide to World Music
S. Broughton, M. Ellingham, D. Muddyman, R. Trillo (eds.)
Rough Guides, 1994. ISBN#: 1-85828-017-6
paperbound, 697 pages, B&W illus., $20.
What shelf? : Ethnic & World Music Overviews / Reference
Best one volume available. Good overview, inexpensive, touches on just about everything. Put together by the folks who publish holiday guides, and has the same kind of touristy feel (but not a smarmy as the TV show). Surprisingly, itÍs NOT that much better than the more compact Virgin guide. Garland Publishers massive multi-volumed overview of world music to be published any day now (about $125 per volume), and out book, The ARChive Guide to World Music on Pantheon should be out in late '98.

Salsiology
Vernon Boggs
Excelsior Music / Greenwood Press, 1992. ISBN#: 0-935016-63-5
paperbound, 379 pages, $24.
What shelf? : Caribbean, Latin & South America / History
Wonderful information, organizationally a bit jumbled with only OK writing. But, one of the few books on Latin music in the US. Max Salazar has a lot of input, while the late, great Vernon handles the unassuming and knowing interviews. Other books to look for covering related subject of Latin, and Latin transposed, are : Encyclopedia of Latin American Music in New York,(Frank M. Figueroa, Pillar Publications, 1994) and My Music Is My Flag (Ruth Glasser, University of California Press, 1995).

She Bop
Lucy O'Brien
Penguin, 1995. ISBN#: 0-14-025155-3
paperbound, 464 pages, $15.
What shelf? : Women / History
Subtitled The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop + Soul - let's just settle for a good beginning. Some chapters deal with eras, other with issues and two chapters with world music female artists. An improvement over an earlier survey, Rock-A-Bye, Baby (Aida Pavletich, Doubleday, 1980). Also look around for the OP Girl Groups (Delilah, 1982) by Alan Betrock.

Signed Sealed and Delivered
Sue Steward, Sheryl Garratt
South End Press, 1984. ISBN#: 0-89608-240-7
paperbound, 168 pages, B&W illus., $8. OP
What shelf? : Women / History
Fave. Nice, easy-going writing with a punk/post punk emphasis. First published by Pluto Press in the UK.

South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous
John Brovin
Pelican, 1983. ISBN#: 0-88289-608-3
paperbound, 368 pages, B&W illus., $15.
What shelf? : Folk & Country / History
Fave. The first generally available broad based survey. Re-issued in 87.

Spin Alternative Record Guide
Eric Weisbard
Vintage, 1995. ISBN#: 0-679-75574-8
paperbound, 468 pages, Color illus., $20.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Like the Rolling Stone book, casual overview of anything that qualifies as alternative.

Stern's Guide to Contemporary African Music
Ronnie Graham
Zwan (UK), 1988. ISBN#: 1-85305-000-8
hardbound, 315p. maps.
What shelf?: Africa / Reference & Discography
Fave. Good artist/band histories. In combination with the second volume, a pioneering work. US version issued by Da Capo and titled, Da Capo Guide to African Music. Country by country approach (sub Saharan only) by Retro Afric label founder Ronnie Graham. One of the first and only good discographies ever published in a general interest book, but lacking many label names, and the ones that are there force you to look-up a code. A groundbreaking bit of research with all the mistakes that such work entails.

Soul Music A-Z
Hugh Gregory
Da Capo, 1995. ISBN#: 0-306-80643-6
paperbound, 344 pages, $18.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Fave. No non-sense soul reference - a very nice job indeed.

The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll
Charlie Gillett
Da Capo, 1996. ISBN#: 0-306-80683-5
paperbound, 535 pages, $17.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
This is a reprint of the '83 revised edition from Pantheon, with new photos, introduction, recommended recfordings and bibliography. Original from 1970.

Surfin' Guitars: Instrumental Surf Bands of the Sixties
Robert J. Dalley
Popular Culture, Ink., 1995. ISBN#:1-56075-042-1
hardbound, 364 pages, 400+ B&W illus., $55.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Our copy was Dalley's self issued first version, but this is the latest available 2d ed., part of the Rock & roll remembrance series, no. 13. Band histories greatly increased from 9 to 45 bands.

Swamp Pop - Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues
Shane K. Bernard
U. of Mississippi, 1996. ISBN#: 0-87805-875-3
hardbound, 264 pages, $50.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Pricey, (there's a paperbound, avail) but the only overview of this music available, Includes CD. Begins with a good overview and second half interviews and profiles of the artists. This is the music that gave us the originals to many songs covered by mainstream pop artists, including Phil Phillips' Sea of Love, Cookie and the Cupcakes' Mathilda , Dale and Grace's I'm Leaving It Up to You, and Johnnie Allan's Lonely Days, Lonely Nights.

Sweet Mother: Modern African Music
Wolfgang Bender
University of Chicago Press, 1991. ISBN#: 0-226-04254-5
paperbound, 235 pages, B&W illus. $15.
] What shelf?: Africa / History
A bit nutsy, very informal and enthusiastic dig into Black sub-Saharan African music with a socialist perspective, and a greater emphasis on Francophone countries than most. NO index. Not well fact checked. Disjointed. Wacky B&W illustration choices. A great read.

Television Theme Recordings
Steve Gelfand
Popular Culture Ink, 1994. ISBN#: 1-56075-021-9
hardbound, 332 pages, B&W illus., $75. OP.
What shelf? : Broadway, Film & TV / Reference
Very nice indeed, with 100s of record covers to make you salivate. Subtitled, An Illustrated Discography, 1951-1994. ARSC winner. Only important missing info is the name of singer/performer of the theme as performed on the actual TV show - like Joe Cocker for The Wonder Years.

The Texas-Mexican Conjunto: History of a Working-Class Music
Manuel Pena
U. of Texas Press, 1985. ISBN#: 0-292-78080-x
paperbound, 218 pages, $15.
What shelf? : Folk & Country / History
Tex-Mex accordion based musical tradition. Again, one of the few texts in English available.

Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation
Paul F. Berliner
Univ. of Chicago Press, 1994. ISBN#: 0-226-04381-9
paperbound, 883 pages.
What shelf? : Jazz / History
The abstract explained, or at least a carefully written and valuable attempt to deal with this elusive and essential element of Jazz.

Trouser Press Guide To 90Ís Rock
Ira Robbins, with David Sprague
Fireside, 1997. ISBN#: 0-684-81437-4
paperbound, 846 pages, $24.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Fave. As the latest blurb says, covers 8,500 records by 2,300 artists in 1,400 entries written by more than 50 critics. Serious? YouÍll need all four editions. Published, 85, 87, 91 & 97. Prefer Web-bound? These very same older editions of this book are magnanimously available, free, on-line, at www.trouserpress.com

The Virgin Directory of World Music
Philip Sweeney
Owl / Henry Holt, 1992. ISBN#: 0-8050-2305-4
paperbound, 262 pages, $15
What shelf? : Ethnic & World Music Overviews / Reference
Sweeney does a good job in a small space on a big subject. Together with the Rough Guide a good dated take on the world.

The Voice of Egypt
Virginia Danielson
University of Chicago Press, 1997
paperbound, 273 pages
What shelf? : Africa / History
Part of the Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology, Philip V. Bohlman and Bruno Nettl, editors. While most books cover a popular artists whoÕs popularity can, for a short period of time, typifies a nation, Umm Kulthum was, and to some extent remains, Egypt. This relationship between artist and audience, artist as representative of a NationÕs culture, the primary focus. Good artist biography, the first one in English of this neoclassical and popular singer. Also good overview of the times and popular music scene. Social and political history of less interest. No attempt at a sorely needed discography. Volume One: The International Discography of the New Wave

B. George, ed.
One Ten Records, 1981. ISBN#: 0-9605778-0-7
paperbound, no page numbers (about 250), B&W illustrations
What shelf? : Pop / Discography
Authored by the Director of the ARChive of Contemporary Music, this first edition, second printing (the pink one) is still available from the ARChive and for $15. including postage.

Volume Two: The International Discography of the New Wave
B. George & Martha DeFoe, eds.
One Ten Records / Omnibus Press (UK), 1982. ISBN#: 0-7119-0050-7
paperbound, 736 pages, B&W illustrations
What shelf? : Pop / Discography
The Bible is now OP with even a very worn copy will costing $50 - if you can find one. The definitive reference guide to this material - praised by the Village Voice, the NME, recommended in The Readers Catalog, and cited as inspirational in the history, England's Dreaming.

We Wanna Boogie. An Illustrated History of the American Rockabilly Movement.
Randy McNutt
HHP, 1988. ISBN#:0-940152-05-3
softbound, 286 pages, minimal B&W illus., $28.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / History
Goofy and thoroughly readable, incomplete, fan written book.

Who's New Wave in Music : An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1976-1982 (The First Wave)
David Bianco, ed.
Pierian Press, 1985. ISBN#: 0-87650-173-0
hardbound, 443 pages, $30.50.
What shelf? : Pop - including R&B, Rock, Rap / Reference
Listing by band name, briefest info, then odd discography w/o disc numbers. Still a good book to have. Pierian is now Popular Culture, Ink.

Who's Who of Jazz : Storyville to Swing Street
John Chilton
Da Capo, 1985. ISBN#: 0306802430
paperbound, 375 pages, $14.
What shelf? : Jazz / Reference
The latest version (4th revised edition) of a well rounded biographical listing. The original edition was published by Chilton in '72, and worth having because of the older artists left out of the revision.

The World of African Music
Ronnie Graham
Pluto (UK), 1992. ISBN#: 0-7453-0552-0
hardbound, 235 pages, maps. $40.
What shelf?: Africa / Reference & Discography
Fave. This is the Stern's Guide to Contemporary African Music, Volume. Updated and expanded, you'll need both. Supposedly a paperbound, version available in the States.

Zouk: World Music in the West Indies
J. Guilbault w/ G. Averill, E. Benoit, G. Rabess.
University of Chicago, 1993. ISBN#:
paperbound, B&W illus. $25.
What shelf? : Caribbean, Latin & South America / History
Just about the only book on the subject in English. CD included.

...and that very special lil' extra

General reference on our desk at all times

American Heritage Dictionary
(Houghton Mifflin). Our overly large one volume favorite.

Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion
(Leslie Halliwell, Scribner, 1980.) Just the best all around quick film reference there is. Officially they're up to 7th ed., ours is 4th., -- we're just wary of later editions of this book, new films reviewed by other people. And beware of anyone writing a book who reviews films on TV.

To find out about the ARSC Awards for Excellence go to ARSC

 

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