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GOING INTO THE CITY - Robert Christgau: I like him. I do. But after five pages, I was waiting for the book to start. Ten pages in, I was officially bored. I skimmed around and was left wondering why this books even exists.
RECKLESS - Chrissie Hynde: Early chapters are personally interesting because she grew up near me, but this book also explains why there are only a handful of good Pretenders songs. Here's how she describes missing meeting Nick Lowe: "I went to find the producer, but Lowe, he was gone." Ha. Ha. This is as clever as she gets. I actually like her less because of this book.
DOWN THE HIGHWAY: The Life of Bob Dylan- Howard Sounes: Gossip. Anyone interested in what Dylan did with his dick may enjoy this. Otherwise useless.
TIME OUT OF MIND - Ian Bell: Part two of a Dylan bio. Probably the best written of the Dylan bios, although he is very snarky. But he's British, so it's often funny. I'll go back and read the first volume.
BOB DYLAN IN AMERICA - Sean Wilentz: A masterpiece and essential reading for anyone remotely interested in American music--it's roots, influences and offshoots. Chapter one deals exclusively with Aaron Copland, for example. Further chapters are snapshots of Dylan's career, so we move from the recording of Blond on Blond (lots of Blake) to a specific Rolling Thunder show (and a discussion of Carne's Children of Paradise) . Erudite without being pretentious. Exciting stuff.
ANGER IS AN ENERGY - John Lydon: The author is self-absorbed, full of crap and yet charming, brilliant and irresistibly lovable. Couldn't put it down.
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