The 33 ⅓ series is like Goosebumps for music geeks - there's hundreds of entries, each with a different colored spine, and they're so addictive that most of their readers attempt to collect them all. For over a decade now, publisher Continuum has been releasing these little novellas about classic albums; every writer is free to use whatever literary approach they choose. Some of these are better than others, though (read the Amazon reviews for the OK Computer entry) - every once in a while an author will slip up. For the most part, though, these books are very much worth reading. I listed, in no particular order, the ones I've enjoyed the most and feel are most worthy of your attention.
Shawn Taylor, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Everybody knows People's Instinctive Travels isn't the most obvious choice for best Tribe album - that title, undeniably, goes to The Low End Theory. Shawn Taylor is well aware of this, and defends his less popular choice with such conviction and zeal that by the end of his book, you side with him (even if only for a while). He speaks of the album with fervor (and a deep, deep respect for the members of Tribe), recounting and comparing his reactions at age sixteen upon initial listen, and present day - how he digested its lyrics, how he felt its beats, how he perceived its impact and context among contemporary hip-hop. For an album overflowing with wordplay and rhetorical genius, it's the perfect approach.
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Kim Cooper, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
The best thing about Kim Cooper's take on the classic indie folk album/internet punchline is the amount of time she spends talking about the Elephant 6 collective from which Neutral Milk Hotel was born. So many names are dropped, so many stories are told, she leaves one wanting to be a part of it all. As one would expect, a great deal is also spent scrutinizing Jeff Mangum's often cryptic lyrics, providing some context and revealing the meanings of opaque lines like “Now she's a little boy in Spain playin' pianos filled with flames."
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John Darnielle, Master of Reality
How could I leave this one out? Everyone who knows of and has read a few of these books cites this one as one of the best, probably (but not only) because it's far and away the most distinguishable - unlike the series' typical nonfiction history-of-the-band approach, Darnielle (frontman of the Mountain Goats) writes from the point of view of a mentally ill patient infatuated with Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. The resulting story finds a surprising amount of pathos in Ozzy Osbourne's stoner-favorite lyrics and Tony Iommi's sludge metal riffs. It's an unusual album to find tenderness in, but Darnielle pulls it off with aplomb. Just like his best lyrics with the Mountain Goats, it's poignant, sad, beautiful, and memorable.
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Joe Pernice, Meat is Murder
Another example of fiction within the series, indie rock musician Joe Pernice's semi-autobiographical novella detailing the impact of the Smiths' classic is very much worth reading. The very concept of a coming-of-age story centered around a Smiths album is ingenious in and of itself; the way Pernice handles it, with sweet John Hughes-esque touches (he really revels in the story's 1980's setting) and a keen awareness of what makes the album so special, elevates it above standard teen fiction.
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Jonathan Lethem, Fear of Music
Lethem's book, and I don't say this lightly, completely changed the way I heard the songs on Talking Heads' Fear of Music. Whenever I listen to “Cities," I hear a frantic concert performance on wheels - a “disco ambulance" as he calls it. Whenever I listen to “Memories Can't Wait," I see an iron titan lumbering up a hill. In lieu of visually describing, say, the studio space in which the album was recorded, as most authors would, Lethem attaches these abstract, yet completely fitting images and scenarios to the songs, rendering them wholly new in the minds of listeners. He picks apart each song, tiny element by tiny element, with such meticulous detail it renders any argument against the merits of music criticism false. This book is incredible, and always comes to my mind first when I think of the best music books - not just in the 33 series - that I've read.
Buy it on Amazon.
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