September 2007 Staff Picks--Our guitar-playing page, Mike, has a huge interest in books about rock music. These are a few of his favorites.
Listen to The Bart Experience: The Top 100 Guitarists from Rolling Stone Magazine.
Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis
From the early days when Led Zeppelin was still the disintegrating Yardbirds, playing supercharged blues songs in London Clubs to the pioneering of heavy metal stadium rock across the states, Stephen Davis takes us into all the highs, lows and magical moments of Led Zeppelin. Based on interviews and behind-the-scene stories, here is the truth behind the genius of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and the late John Bonham.
Hey Ho Let's Go: the story of The Ramones by Everett True
Seen through the eyes of the people who were there at the time, including musicians, managers, producers, publicists and New York punk scenesters, this book shows the heroic Ramones staying faithful to their own unique musical vision right to the bitter end. This updated paperback edition now climaxes with the sad death of guitarist Johnny Ramone.
Jimmy Page--Magus, Musician, Man: an unauthorized biography by George Case
This biography--the first ever written about Jimmy Page--portrays all his spiritual, artistic, and personal dimensions. Swinging London, the Sunset Strip, Bron-yr-Aur, Kashmir, and Clarksdale: Magus, Musician, Man traverses through all of Page's hallowed stomping grounds and tells, at last, the complete story of one of rock 'n' roll's most enigmatic and influential talents.
Alice Cooper, Golf Monster : a rock 'n' roller's 12 steps to becoming a golf addict by Alice Cooper & Kent Zimmerman
The man who invented shock rock tells the amazing and, yeah, shocking story of how he slayed his thirsty demons--with a golf club. With everything from insider stories about famous bands, golf tips, and even an explanation of the "chicken incident", this book is perfect for everyone who was ever in school, eighteen or touched a golf club.
...and Mike won a pair of Alice Cooper's pants in a trivia contest...
Before I Get Old : the story of The Who by Dave Marsh
Written by a diehard Who fan who also happens to be one of the most respected rock writers of his generation, Before I Get Old is a warts-and-all study of one of the 1960s' seminal rock bands. Marsh's opinionated stance on The Who's music through its career is absorbing and thought-provoking, and his individual character studies of its members--and their often tempestuous interactions with each other--provide some of the major highlights of this essential book.
Black Sabbath: Doom Let Loose: an illustrated history by Martin Popoff
Through rare and previously unpublished interviews, documents, and artifacts spanning the band's entire career, readers get an all-access pass to Sabbath's manic history, from bat-biting to rehab. The book contains new and never-before-seen photos and conversations that shed more light on metal's dark forefathers.
No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins & Danny Sugerman
The story of Jim Morrison, the charismatic and sometimes obsessed genius behind The Doors. The book reveals all sides of the complicated individual: singer, delinquent, poet and thinker. It takes us from his days as an odd child growing up in Florida, to The Doors beginnings in the Whiskey a Go-Go to their nationwide successes and problems with alcohol. From Jim's constant flaunting of the laws and rules until he eventually fled to Paris where he died at age 27.
Living With the Dead: twenty years on the bus with Garcia and the Grateful Dead by Rock Scully with David Dalton
For nearly two decades, Rock Scully was part of the Dead's innermost circle, from their earliest acid-drenched experiments through the endless tours of the 70's and 80's. His story is a rogue's tale that only an insider could tell, full of acid madness, musical genius and mayhem on the road; the true secret history of the Dead.