Following closely on the heels of our recent U2 and Belle & Sebastian books in the series, Amanda Petrusich's book on Nick Drake is now available.
The book gives a little backstory into Drake's life, charts the circumstances of the album's creation, and takes a long look at the ad campaign that brought the album to the attention of mainstream America a few years ago. Here's an extract from right at the start of the book:
***
Thirty-three years have passed since Nick Drake’s death, but it is still shamefully easy to romanticize his demise—to sniff and glaze, translating a pedestrian drug overdose into epic, ridiculous verse, twisting his story into one long, tortured poem about art and depression and youth and emptiness. Unfortunately, part of what makes Nick Drake so potent a figure is also what makes his legacy feel so contrived: Drake’s (presumed) suicide validated his music much as Kurt Cobain’s would two decades later, lending his songs credence and weight. Now, when we hear Drake sing about feeling anxious and alone and invisible, we trust his despair. When we listen to Pink Moon, it is impossible not to feel death, huge and looming, inevitable and infinite, close and closer.
Flipping off all the lights, propping open a creaky old window, and listening to Pink Moon is just about as close as anyone can get to Nick Drake now. Only the fortunate few who knew Drake personally can effectively evoke his body and voice. There is no confirmed footage of Drake performing, smoking cigarettes, smiling, reading, eating, sleeping, sighing, walking, or breathing, although if you paw through the amateur videos posted on YouTube for long enough, you’ll eventually uncover a mute, eleven-second, slow-motion video clip of a tall, lanky figure with long hair loping through a folk festival, wearing a maroon blazer and beige pants. The clip’s silence is chilling; below, in the website’s comments section, agitated fans debate whether or not the figure—it could be anyone—is actually Nick Drake. Likewise, there is only one confirmed document of Drake’s speaking voice, aside from a few inconsequential bits of speech caught during recording sessions: Several years ago, a short, garbled audiotape of a nineteen-year-old Drake, rambling into a recorder after returning home to Far Leys from a party, emerged. “Good evening, or should I say good morning? It’s twenty-five to five, I’ve been sitting here for some time, actually, in this room,” Drake warbles. His voice is deep and soft and thick with alcohol. The tape’s contents swing from unintentionally hilarious (“I think I must have drunk rather a lot. . . . I think I drove the whole way home on the right side of the road. . . . It is extremely pleasant sitting here now, because I think there’s something extraordinarily nice about seeing the doorknob before one goes to bed, there’s something uncanny about it”) to dismal (“In moments of stress, such as was this journey home, one forgets, so easily, the lies, the truth, and the pain”).
Because there are so few artifacts of Nick Drake’s life (as Molly Drake later explained, “There is so little that Nick left behind, apart from the legacy of his music. . . . He never wrote anything down, never kept a diary, hardly even wrote his name in his own books . . . it was as if he didn’t want anything of himself to remain except his songs”) we are now required to piece together a figure from other people’s memories, parsing hindsight from truth, re-examining lyrics, chords, tunings, and syntax, scouring all available options for clues to Drake’s truth. As Patrick Humphries notes, the dearth of nonmusical insights into Drake’s persona also leads to a certain amount of projection, with Drake’s massive mythology trumping, in many cases, his work. “Nick Drake becomes a blank canvas on which admirers can paint their own pictures, project their own lives and troubles; a mirror in which people see their own pain and lost promise,” Humphries writes. And because Drake’s music is so intensely personal—as producer Joe Boyd told the NME, “He’s someone whose story really is in the songs . . . the songs in a way became less about other people and more about himself as time went on”—it is especially difficult to divorce Drake’s music from the dire circumstances of his waking life, to listen honestly and without bias. Instead, we build tiny bridges, linking sighs and pauses and dark bits of lyrics with our notions of Drake—his hair matted and thick with grease, clothes rumpled and stained, fingernails gnarled and curling, his body slumped at a desk, speechless, lifeless, hopeless.
Within Drake’s limited discography—within Pink Moon, especially—it’s possible (easy, even) to establish a timeline of depressive illness. Still, it feels dangerous and disingenuous, conflating art with life, making presumptions, reading anguish into each dismal couplet, imposing external narratives on an internal art. The single-named Cally—a former creative director at Island Records’ London office who, along with Drake’s sister, Gabrielle, now manages Drake’s posthumous estate— adamantly maintains that Drake recorded Pink Moon while in temporary remission from his depression and that, accordingly, the record should not be understood as an artifact of his disease. “Nick was incapable of writing and recording whilst he was suffering from periods of depression. He was not depressed during the writing or recording of Pink Moon and was immensely proud of the album, as letters to his father testify,” Cally insists. “Some journalists and book writers have found this fact disappointing, as it doesn’t reflect their own impression of the album. Nick confounded these impressions often. I think all of Nick’s albums are understood and misunderstood to the same degree. In that lies their great beauty and welcomed mystery. When it came to the album’s creator, well, no one understood him as such.” I recognize the hazards and falsehoods inherent to crossing these particular wires. That doesn’t always mean I can stop myself.
***
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query nick drake. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query nick drake. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Friday, August 03, 2007
Pink Moon, on its way
We got the manuscript this week for Amanda Petrusich's forthcoming book about Nick Drake's Pink Moon album. The book covers a lot of ground - Drake's early career; the recording, release, and failure of the album itself, and the record's new life on the back of a VW car ad in 2000. That's where this extract comes from...
***
For record companies, the economics of advertising made sense. In 2000, the well-documented dip in record sales (long attributed to the rise of downloading and peer-to-peer file-sharing networks) meant panicked labels were trying to figure out new ways to shift albums, horrified that their entire business model would soon be rendered obsolete. “At that time, record companies were really starting to get hurt by Napster and other things. They were losing profitability,” Matt Miller, President and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, explains. “One of the value propositions involved with advertising and licensing went off like a light bulb. They had these vast libraries [of licenses for songs] and their marketing budgets were going down, and here were marketers with already-bought air-time.”
“When we first started doing it, licensing a real band was a feat of social engineering,” former Arnold copywriter Shane Hutton explains. “There were a couple other agencies that were also trying, but [Arnold] found a way to do it the best – maybe our concepts were non-threatening to the bands. A lot of bands said no, but a lot of bands said yes. Now, there are a lot more licensing opportunities that come by my desk. It used to be one or two music houses that would put their D-level talent on the ‘For Advertising’ list, and we could get CDs of, like, Rick Astley’s brother’s band,” Hutton sighs.
“And I was like ‘I don’t want to put Rick Astley’s brother’s music on my spot at all.’ We would get the flotsam and jetsam from the music company, and it wasn’t what we were after. Now we get Beyonce’s album two months before it comes out. We get sneak previews of, like, P.O.D. – bands that never would have been considered for commercials before. Not that they’re so genius, but because they’re so ubiquitous in the mainstream and they don’t need any money and it just never would have happened,” Hutton continues.
“Sometimes there are integrity issues. But mostly I just think it’s about what’s selling and what’s not selling. It’s like the green grocer – ‘Gotta get rid of those grapefruits, they’re getting a little soft! Send ‘em to the ad people, they’ll eat it!’ But now we’re getting top-level talent, and people aren’t so freaked out by it. And I think that’s because more people are doing it – if I was in a band, I’d be like ‘Wait, you have a history of doing good work as an advertising agency, you win awards, you please people, you don’t do schlocky crap, I’ve looked at your reel and I like it. My record company is willing to offer me $75,000 worth of media placements on my new album. You’re willing to offer me, what? $4 million worth of media placement? You’re going to give me $4 million worth of media weight in this commercial that you’re gonna get Michael Bay to shoot? And you’re gonna link it to a website and people are going to be able to link to my website and buy it from me on my website for $10? Yes.’ I think a lot of bands are starting to figure out that it’s not going to hurt them if it’s done tastefully. And in a fragmented marketplace, a lot of bands just want some kind of exposure,” Hutton nods.
Hutton also acknowledges a handful of larger cultural shifts. “The other front to the impetus of change in this arena is hip-hop – just in general. In hip-hop, the words ‘sell out’ are a goal. It’s not a problem, it’s an intent. People are waiting for the dude to come by with the right about of money – and the dude after him, and the dude after him, and the girl after him. So you have hip-hop totally willing to sell out on one side – all their videos look like huge parties, everyone has money with their own face printed on the front, and it doesn’t look like that bad of a thing, they’re selling shoes, clothing, perfume. They’re in movies and shit, they’re a fucking enterprise. Then you have bands with ‘integrity’ on the other side, doing videos where they’re standing in the rain, in a mud field, talking about broken hearts and shit. And you’re like, ‘Uh, where do I want to be?’ So it’s changing. There are still bands that say ‘No! I would never sell out to a commercial, man, because I saw The Doors and I saw what happened to them and that fucking blows.’ But much less so – if I had to pick a percentage, I would say it’s at least 65% better than it used to be.”
“Think back to what was happening in advertising at that time,” Miller nudges. “Advertisers were facing a fractured media market. They were trying to engage consumers in ways they had never been engaged before. Primarily because they were entering into what would end up being a lifelong battle with other media – with DVRs, with the internet, with control being put into the consumer’s hands. Advertisers were trying to create small pieces of entertainment for their brand, and while the overall goal was still to sell, the method had to be much softer. It became more of a contract – you give me your 30 seconds, and I’m going to make it worth your while, because I’m going to entertain you. And if that proposition didn’t pay off for the viewer, they were gone. In 2000, we started to see the entertainment values in advertising reach new peaks. And one of the ways people have done that is licensing songs. It happens in many different ways – with popular songs everyone knows, like Led Zeppelin for Chevrolet or the Rolling Stones for Microsoft, or with a song that no one has ever heard. Advertising used to have three channels, and they had you – you had to sit there, and you had to sit through it. Now you don’t. So how are they gonna make you sit there? They’re gonna pay you with entertainment values. A lot of the time it’s comedy, but it can be other things – a beautiful picture, a little story being told, an emotional musical track,” Miller shrugs.
Advertisers were beginning to understand – and harness – the emotional draw of music. “Instead of just buying the recognition of a famous song, now agencies were buying an unrecognized song and counting on its catchiness or emotional wallop to hit a nerve,” Stevenson adds.
Obviously, for Nick Drake, the Cabrio commercial was more beneficial than exploitative, facilitating a second renaissance, bringing Drake’s name and sound to a considerably larger audience than he had ever entertained before. I ask Hutton if he was surprised by the jump in sales for Pink Moon. “It went from zero to a shitload,” Hutton says. “I know that. Nick was number one on Amazon.com for thirteen weeks or something like that, twenty-five years after his death. We knew people might want to buy it, because historically people had asked about buying other songs that we had used on-air. But each time you do [use a song], it’s a gamble. I would love to say we were fully aware of what was going to happen and everything went according to a checklist we had created, and we expected the phenomenon, but you can only throw the dice on the table – you can’t predict the numbers. We knew some people were gonna want to buy it – but no one was prepared for how many.”
***
***
For record companies, the economics of advertising made sense. In 2000, the well-documented dip in record sales (long attributed to the rise of downloading and peer-to-peer file-sharing networks) meant panicked labels were trying to figure out new ways to shift albums, horrified that their entire business model would soon be rendered obsolete. “At that time, record companies were really starting to get hurt by Napster and other things. They were losing profitability,” Matt Miller, President and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, explains. “One of the value propositions involved with advertising and licensing went off like a light bulb. They had these vast libraries [of licenses for songs] and their marketing budgets were going down, and here were marketers with already-bought air-time.”
“When we first started doing it, licensing a real band was a feat of social engineering,” former Arnold copywriter Shane Hutton explains. “There were a couple other agencies that were also trying, but [Arnold] found a way to do it the best – maybe our concepts were non-threatening to the bands. A lot of bands said no, but a lot of bands said yes. Now, there are a lot more licensing opportunities that come by my desk. It used to be one or two music houses that would put their D-level talent on the ‘For Advertising’ list, and we could get CDs of, like, Rick Astley’s brother’s band,” Hutton sighs.
“And I was like ‘I don’t want to put Rick Astley’s brother’s music on my spot at all.’ We would get the flotsam and jetsam from the music company, and it wasn’t what we were after. Now we get Beyonce’s album two months before it comes out. We get sneak previews of, like, P.O.D. – bands that never would have been considered for commercials before. Not that they’re so genius, but because they’re so ubiquitous in the mainstream and they don’t need any money and it just never would have happened,” Hutton continues.
“Sometimes there are integrity issues. But mostly I just think it’s about what’s selling and what’s not selling. It’s like the green grocer – ‘Gotta get rid of those grapefruits, they’re getting a little soft! Send ‘em to the ad people, they’ll eat it!’ But now we’re getting top-level talent, and people aren’t so freaked out by it. And I think that’s because more people are doing it – if I was in a band, I’d be like ‘Wait, you have a history of doing good work as an advertising agency, you win awards, you please people, you don’t do schlocky crap, I’ve looked at your reel and I like it. My record company is willing to offer me $75,000 worth of media placements on my new album. You’re willing to offer me, what? $4 million worth of media placement? You’re going to give me $4 million worth of media weight in this commercial that you’re gonna get Michael Bay to shoot? And you’re gonna link it to a website and people are going to be able to link to my website and buy it from me on my website for $10? Yes.’ I think a lot of bands are starting to figure out that it’s not going to hurt them if it’s done tastefully. And in a fragmented marketplace, a lot of bands just want some kind of exposure,” Hutton nods.
Hutton also acknowledges a handful of larger cultural shifts. “The other front to the impetus of change in this arena is hip-hop – just in general. In hip-hop, the words ‘sell out’ are a goal. It’s not a problem, it’s an intent. People are waiting for the dude to come by with the right about of money – and the dude after him, and the dude after him, and the girl after him. So you have hip-hop totally willing to sell out on one side – all their videos look like huge parties, everyone has money with their own face printed on the front, and it doesn’t look like that bad of a thing, they’re selling shoes, clothing, perfume. They’re in movies and shit, they’re a fucking enterprise. Then you have bands with ‘integrity’ on the other side, doing videos where they’re standing in the rain, in a mud field, talking about broken hearts and shit. And you’re like, ‘Uh, where do I want to be?’ So it’s changing. There are still bands that say ‘No! I would never sell out to a commercial, man, because I saw The Doors and I saw what happened to them and that fucking blows.’ But much less so – if I had to pick a percentage, I would say it’s at least 65% better than it used to be.”
“Think back to what was happening in advertising at that time,” Miller nudges. “Advertisers were facing a fractured media market. They were trying to engage consumers in ways they had never been engaged before. Primarily because they were entering into what would end up being a lifelong battle with other media – with DVRs, with the internet, with control being put into the consumer’s hands. Advertisers were trying to create small pieces of entertainment for their brand, and while the overall goal was still to sell, the method had to be much softer. It became more of a contract – you give me your 30 seconds, and I’m going to make it worth your while, because I’m going to entertain you. And if that proposition didn’t pay off for the viewer, they were gone. In 2000, we started to see the entertainment values in advertising reach new peaks. And one of the ways people have done that is licensing songs. It happens in many different ways – with popular songs everyone knows, like Led Zeppelin for Chevrolet or the Rolling Stones for Microsoft, or with a song that no one has ever heard. Advertising used to have three channels, and they had you – you had to sit there, and you had to sit through it. Now you don’t. So how are they gonna make you sit there? They’re gonna pay you with entertainment values. A lot of the time it’s comedy, but it can be other things – a beautiful picture, a little story being told, an emotional musical track,” Miller shrugs.
Advertisers were beginning to understand – and harness – the emotional draw of music. “Instead of just buying the recognition of a famous song, now agencies were buying an unrecognized song and counting on its catchiness or emotional wallop to hit a nerve,” Stevenson adds.
Obviously, for Nick Drake, the Cabrio commercial was more beneficial than exploitative, facilitating a second renaissance, bringing Drake’s name and sound to a considerably larger audience than he had ever entertained before. I ask Hutton if he was surprised by the jump in sales for Pink Moon. “It went from zero to a shitload,” Hutton says. “I know that. Nick was number one on Amazon.com for thirteen weeks or something like that, twenty-five years after his death. We knew people might want to buy it, because historically people had asked about buying other songs that we had used on-air. But each time you do [use a song], it’s a gamble. I would love to say we were fully aware of what was going to happen and everything went according to a checklist we had created, and we expected the phenomenon, but you can only throw the dice on the table – you can’t predict the numbers. We knew some people were gonna want to buy it – but no one was prepared for how many.”
***
Friday, March 14, 2008
33 1/3 authors at Housing Works NYC - TONIGHT!
This just in from the NY Times "Urban Eye":
Liner Notes
Attention, rock geeks: Get yourself over to the Housing Works bookstore for a reading from the 33 1/3 series of chapbooks about seminal records. (Previous highlight: “Doolittle,” a slender volume on the Pixies album courtesy of The New York Times’s own Ben Sisario.) The authors Kim Cooper, Amanda Petrusich and Andrew Hultkrans will explain their affection for the albums “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” (Neutral Milk Hotel), “Pink Moon” (Nick Drake) and “Forever Changes” (Love) — and why those albums should mean something to you, too. Hey, maybe you’ll even be moved to buy them.
UPDATE: Looks like Kate Schatz will not be able to make the trip to NYC after all, but Kim Cooper will hold it down for the west coast just fine.
Liner Notes
Attention, rock geeks: Get yourself over to the Housing Works bookstore for a reading from the 33 1/3 series of chapbooks about seminal records. (Previous highlight: “Doolittle,” a slender volume on the Pixies album courtesy of The New York Times’s own Ben Sisario.) The authors Kim Cooper, Amanda Petrusich and Andrew Hultkrans will explain their affection for the albums “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” (Neutral Milk Hotel), “Pink Moon” (Nick Drake) and “Forever Changes” (Love) — and why those albums should mean something to you, too. Hey, maybe you’ll even be moved to buy them.
* * * * *
A reading and conversation with 33 1/3 authors Kim Cooper (Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea), Andrew Hultkrans (Love's Forever Changes), Amanda Petrusich (Nick Drake's Pink Moon), and Kate Schatz (PJ Harvey's Rid of Me). With Q& A, signing and reception.
UPDATE: Looks like Kate Schatz will not be able to make the trip to NYC after all, but Kim Cooper will hold it down for the west coast just fine.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
The last of the famous international guest bloggers...
It's almost two months later and Powell's managed to squeeze about 20,000 more words out of twenty 33 1/3 authors past, present, and not-too-distant future to promote their buy 2, get 1 free deal on 33 1/3's which, incidentally, runs through the end of the year, if you still have some holiday shopping to take care of.
* Throbbing Gristle's 20 Jazz Funk Greats author Drew Daniel cures his case of T.M.I. RE~TG (Too Much Information About Throbbing Gristle).
* Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love author Carl Wilson in praise of distraction.
* Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (coming in December!) author David Smay on Flann O'Brien.
* Nick Drake - Pink Moon author Amanda Petrusich on Joan Didion and California.
* Music from Big Pink author John Niven on being the writer at the party.
* Led Zep author Erik Davis on vikings, black metal, and pumping iron (seriously, folks!)
* Minutemen author Mike Fournier recommends various and sundry items for you to seek out and enjoy.
* The Smiths author Joe Pernice on William Gibson amongst other things.
* Pet Sounds author Jim Fusili on the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, and the finer points of "cool."
* Armed Forces author Franklin Bruno on Elvis Costello and his R&B lineage (amongst other things).
* James Brown Live at the Apollo author Douglas Wolk offers up four books that influenced his book rather heavily.
* My Bloody Valentine - Loveless author Mike McGonigal takes the reader on a virtual tour of Powell's and recommends one dozen rectangular things made of paper that he enjoys and thinks perhaps you might also.
* Highway 61 Revisited author Mark Polizzotti outs himself as a lover of the Moody Blues.
* A Tribe Called Quest author Shawn Taylor on "Who Owns the Art?"
* Exile on Main Street author Bill Janovitz on the Beatles, parenthood, and nostalgia.
* The Ramones author Nick Rombes on Jimmy Carter, the 1970s, and the Electric Eels.
* The Smiths' Meat Is Murder author Joe Pernice on William Gibson.
* Dusty in Memphis author Warren Zanes on the aforementioned David Barker here.
* Belle & Sebastian author Scott Plagenhoef on the online release of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is here.
* Editor David Barker on the 33 1/3 series here.
* Or you can just click here for the whole lot of them...
* Throbbing Gristle's 20 Jazz Funk Greats author Drew Daniel cures his case of T.M.I. RE~TG (Too Much Information About Throbbing Gristle).
* Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love author Carl Wilson in praise of distraction.
* Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (coming in December!) author David Smay on Flann O'Brien.
* Nick Drake - Pink Moon author Amanda Petrusich on Joan Didion and California.
* Music from Big Pink author John Niven on being the writer at the party.
* Led Zep author Erik Davis on vikings, black metal, and pumping iron (seriously, folks!)
* Minutemen author Mike Fournier recommends various and sundry items for you to seek out and enjoy.
* The Smiths author Joe Pernice on William Gibson amongst other things.
* Pet Sounds author Jim Fusili on the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, and the finer points of "cool."
* Armed Forces author Franklin Bruno on Elvis Costello and his R&B lineage (amongst other things).
* James Brown Live at the Apollo author Douglas Wolk offers up four books that influenced his book rather heavily.
* My Bloody Valentine - Loveless author Mike McGonigal takes the reader on a virtual tour of Powell's and recommends one dozen rectangular things made of paper that he enjoys and thinks perhaps you might also.
* Highway 61 Revisited author Mark Polizzotti outs himself as a lover of the Moody Blues.
* A Tribe Called Quest author Shawn Taylor on "Who Owns the Art?"
* Exile on Main Street author Bill Janovitz on the Beatles, parenthood, and nostalgia.
* The Ramones author Nick Rombes on Jimmy Carter, the 1970s, and the Electric Eels.
* The Smiths' Meat Is Murder author Joe Pernice on William Gibson.
* Dusty in Memphis author Warren Zanes on the aforementioned David Barker here.
* Belle & Sebastian author Scott Plagenhoef on the online release of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is here.
* Editor David Barker on the 33 1/3 series here.
* Or you can just click here for the whole lot of them...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Guest blogs winding down, buy-2-get-1-free sale continues...
We are coming up to the end of the 33 1/3 guest bloggers at the Powell's blog... Carl Wilson has a post on Celine Dion, distractions, and digressions later this week, and Drew Daniel finish things up with a post on Throbbing Gristle next week.
BUT DO NOT FEAR! Powell's will be running the buy 2, get 1 free deal on 33 1/3's through the end of the year. So it's not too late to buy a book or fifty (ahem) for that certain special someone this holiday season.
Also, I should mention that finished copies of Wilson's 33 1/3 on Celine Dion just arrived from the printer and they look verrrrry nice.
The latest:
* Nick Drake - Pink Moon author Amanda Petrusich on Joan Didion and California.
* Music from Big Pink author John Niven on being the writer at the party.
* Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (coming in December!) author David Smay on Flann O'Brien.
Previously on the Powell's blog:
* Led Zep author Erik Davis on vikings, black metal, and pumping iron (seriously, folks!)
* Minutemen author Mike Fournier recommends various and sundry items for you to seek out and enjoy.
* The Smiths author Joe Pernice on William Gibson amongst other things.
* Pet Sounds author Jim Fusili on the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, and the finer points of "cool."
* Armed Forces author Franklin Bruno on Elvis Costello and his R&B lineage (amongst other things).
* James Brown Live at the Apollo author Douglas Wolk offers up four books that influenced his book rather heavily.
* and My Bloody Valentine - Loveless author Mike McGonigal takes the reader on a virtual tour of Powell's and recommends one dozen rectangular things made of paper that he enjoys and thinks perhaps you might also.
* Highway 61 Revisited author Mark Polizzotti outs himself as a lover of the Moody Blues. (I used to own a well-worn copy of the 101 Strings tribute to Moody Blues! Guilty pleasures, indeed...)
* A Tribe Called Quest author Shawn Taylor on "Who Owns the Art?"
* Exile on Main Street author Bill Janovitz on the Beatles, parenthood, and nostalgia.
* The Ramones author Nick Rombes on Jimmy Carter, the 1970s, and the Electric Eels.
* The Smiths' Meat Is Murder author Joe Pernice on William Gibson.
* Editor David Barker on the 33 1/3 series here.
* Dusty in Memphis author Warren Zanes on the aforementioned David Barker here.
* Belle & Sebastian author Scott Plagenhoef on the online release of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is here.
* Or you can just click here for the whole lot of them...
BUT DO NOT FEAR! Powell's will be running the buy 2, get 1 free deal on 33 1/3's through the end of the year. So it's not too late to buy a book or fifty (ahem) for that certain special someone this holiday season.
Also, I should mention that finished copies of Wilson's 33 1/3 on Celine Dion just arrived from the printer and they look verrrrry nice.
The latest:
* Nick Drake - Pink Moon author Amanda Petrusich on Joan Didion and California.
* Music from Big Pink author John Niven on being the writer at the party.
* Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (coming in December!) author David Smay on Flann O'Brien.
Previously on the Powell's blog:
* Led Zep author Erik Davis on vikings, black metal, and pumping iron (seriously, folks!)
* Minutemen author Mike Fournier recommends various and sundry items for you to seek out and enjoy.
* The Smiths author Joe Pernice on William Gibson amongst other things.
* Pet Sounds author Jim Fusili on the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, and the finer points of "cool."
* Armed Forces author Franklin Bruno on Elvis Costello and his R&B lineage (amongst other things).
* James Brown Live at the Apollo author Douglas Wolk offers up four books that influenced his book rather heavily.
* and My Bloody Valentine - Loveless author Mike McGonigal takes the reader on a virtual tour of Powell's and recommends one dozen rectangular things made of paper that he enjoys and thinks perhaps you might also.
* Highway 61 Revisited author Mark Polizzotti outs himself as a lover of the Moody Blues. (I used to own a well-worn copy of the 101 Strings tribute to Moody Blues! Guilty pleasures, indeed...)
* A Tribe Called Quest author Shawn Taylor on "Who Owns the Art?"
* Exile on Main Street author Bill Janovitz on the Beatles, parenthood, and nostalgia.
* The Ramones author Nick Rombes on Jimmy Carter, the 1970s, and the Electric Eels.
* The Smiths' Meat Is Murder author Joe Pernice on William Gibson.
* Editor David Barker on the 33 1/3 series here.
* Dusty in Memphis author Warren Zanes on the aforementioned David Barker here.
* Belle & Sebastian author Scott Plagenhoef on the online release of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is here.
* Or you can just click here for the whole lot of them...
Monday, November 19, 2007
"The Hyperlink Whisperer"
As mentioned below, Powell's Books is running a buy 2, get 1 free deal on 33 1/3's, and have asked 33 1/3 authors to write some guest posts for their blog...and here's the latest link-heavy update on where to find them. (This week Cesar Millan is also guest blogging at Powells, so it's one stop shopping for music geekery and dog whispering all week long.)
The latest:
* Led Zep author Erik Davis on vikings, black metal, and pumping iron (seriously, folks!)
* Minutemen author Mike Fournier recommends various and sundry items for you to seek out and enjoy.
*
Previously on the Powell's blog:
* The Smiths author Joe Pernice on William Gibson amongst other things.
* Pet Sounds author Jim Fusili on the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, and the finer points of "cool."
* Armed Forces author Franklin Bruno on Elvis Costello and his R&B lineage (amongst other things).
* James Brown Live at the Apollo author Douglas Wolk offers up four books that influenced his book rather heavily.
* and My Bloody Valentine - Loveless author Mike McGonigal takes the reader on a virtual tour of Powell's and recommends one dozen rectangular things made of paper that he enjoys and thinks perhaps you might also.
* Highway 61 Revisited author Mark Polizzotti outs himself as a lover of the Moody Blues. (I used to own a well-worn copy of the 101 Strings tribute to Moody Blues! Guilty pleasures, indeed...)
* A Tribe Called Quest author Shawn Taylor on "Who Owns the Art?"
* Exile on Main Street author Bill Janovitz on the Beatles, parenthood, and nostalgia.
* The Ramones author Nick Rombes on Jimmy Carter, the 1970s, and the Electric Eels.
* The Smiths' Meat Is Murder author Joe Pernice on William Gibson.
* Editor David Barker on the 33 1/3 series here.
* Dusty in Memphis author Warren Zanes on the aforementioned David Barker here.
* Belle & Sebastian author Scott Plagenhoef on the online release of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is here.
* Or you can just click here for the whole lot of them...
This week will bring us John Niven (The Band - Music from Big Pink) and Amanda Petrusich (Nick Drake - Pink Moon)
The latest:
* Led Zep author Erik Davis on vikings, black metal, and pumping iron (seriously, folks!)
* Minutemen author Mike Fournier recommends various and sundry items for you to seek out and enjoy.
*
Previously on the Powell's blog:
* The Smiths author Joe Pernice on William Gibson amongst other things.
* Pet Sounds author Jim Fusili on the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, and the finer points of "cool."
* Armed Forces author Franklin Bruno on Elvis Costello and his R&B lineage (amongst other things).
* James Brown Live at the Apollo author Douglas Wolk offers up four books that influenced his book rather heavily.
* and My Bloody Valentine - Loveless author Mike McGonigal takes the reader on a virtual tour of Powell's and recommends one dozen rectangular things made of paper that he enjoys and thinks perhaps you might also.
* Highway 61 Revisited author Mark Polizzotti outs himself as a lover of the Moody Blues. (I used to own a well-worn copy of the 101 Strings tribute to Moody Blues! Guilty pleasures, indeed...)
* A Tribe Called Quest author Shawn Taylor on "Who Owns the Art?"
* Exile on Main Street author Bill Janovitz on the Beatles, parenthood, and nostalgia.
* The Ramones author Nick Rombes on Jimmy Carter, the 1970s, and the Electric Eels.
* The Smiths' Meat Is Murder author Joe Pernice on William Gibson.
* Editor David Barker on the 33 1/3 series here.
* Dusty in Memphis author Warren Zanes on the aforementioned David Barker here.
* Belle & Sebastian author Scott Plagenhoef on the online release of Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is here.
* Or you can just click here for the whole lot of them...
This week will bring us John Niven (The Band - Music from Big Pink) and Amanda Petrusich (Nick Drake - Pink Moon)
Thursday, December 01, 2005
If you don't like lists, look away now
A few stragglers (with valid excuses) remain, but we've ended up with proposals for books about albums by the following people. The Flaming Lips win with four proposals, narrowly trumping Willie Nelson, U2, Steely Dan, GNR, and Van Morrison, who each have three.
A huge thank you to everybody who submitted a pitch. We'll do our very best to pick the best ones, and to let everybody know by the end of January.
You'll be glad to know that only one of the proposals contains the word "fisting".
Afghan Whigs (2)
Al Kooper
Al Stewart
Aphex Twin
Arcade Fire
Avalanches
Beck
Belle & Sebastian (2)
Billy Joel
Bjork
Blondie
Blur
Bob Dylan
Bob Marley
Brian Eno (2)
Brian Wilson
Bright Eyes
Buena Vista Social Club
Café Tacuba
Captain Beefheart
Carole King
Cat Power
Celine Dion
Chemical Brothers (2)
Crowded House
Curtis Mayfield
De La Soul
Decemberists
Depeche Mode (2)
Derek and the Dominos
Dream Syndicate
Drive-By Truckers
Duran Duran
The Eagles
Elliott Smith
Elvis Presley
Everly Brothers
The Fall
Flaming Lips (4)
Fleetwood Mac
Fountains of Wayne
Frank Zappa
Genesis
Gram Parsons
Grateful Dead
Green Day
Guns n Roses (3)
Hole
Human League
Husker Du
Incredible String Band
Iron Maiden (2)
Jackson Browne
The Jam
Jane’s Addiction
Jayhawks
Jay-Z
Jean Michel Jarre
Jefferson Starship
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jesus and Mary Chain
John Lee Hooker
Kanye West
Kate Bush
Killed By Death Vol. 2
Kraftwerk
Kris Kristofferson
The Lemonheads
The Libertines
Lifter Puller
Limp Bizkit
Liz Phair (2)
Lucinda Williams
Magnetic Fields
Marvin Gaye (2)
Mekons
Minutemen (2)
Morphine
Motley Crue
Mudhoney
Nas
Nelly
Nick Cave
Nick Drake (2)
Nine Inch Nails
Oasis
Patti Smith
Pavement
PJ Harvey (2)
Portishead (2)
Public Enemy (2)
Pulp (2)
Queen
Randy Newman
Richard and Linda Thompson
Rolling Stones
The Roots
Scott Walker
Shoes (thanks Don!)
Sleater Kinney
Slint
Spiritualized
Steely Dan (3)
Stevie Wonder (3)
The Stooges (2)
The Stranglers
Suede
Talking Heads (2)
Television
They Might Be Giants
This Mortal Coil
Throbbing Gristle
Tom Waits (3)
A Tribe Called Quest (2)
U2 (3)
Uncle Tupelo
Van Dyke Parks
Van Halen
Van Morrison (3)
Vic Chesnutt
Violent Femmes (2)
Ween
The White Stripes
The Who
Wilco
Willie Nelson (3)
Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
Wire (2)
Wu-Tang Clan
X
Yes
A huge thank you to everybody who submitted a pitch. We'll do our very best to pick the best ones, and to let everybody know by the end of January.
You'll be glad to know that only one of the proposals contains the word "fisting".
Afghan Whigs (2)
Al Kooper
Al Stewart
Aphex Twin
Arcade Fire
Avalanches
Beck
Belle & Sebastian (2)
Billy Joel
Bjork
Blondie
Blur
Bob Dylan
Bob Marley
Brian Eno (2)
Brian Wilson
Bright Eyes
Buena Vista Social Club
Café Tacuba
Captain Beefheart
Carole King
Cat Power
Celine Dion
Chemical Brothers (2)
Crowded House
Curtis Mayfield
De La Soul
Decemberists
Depeche Mode (2)
Derek and the Dominos
Dream Syndicate
Drive-By Truckers
Duran Duran
The Eagles
Elliott Smith
Elvis Presley
Everly Brothers
The Fall
Flaming Lips (4)
Fleetwood Mac
Fountains of Wayne
Frank Zappa
Genesis
Gram Parsons
Grateful Dead
Green Day
Guns n Roses (3)
Hole
Human League
Husker Du
Incredible String Band
Iron Maiden (2)
Jackson Browne
The Jam
Jane’s Addiction
Jayhawks
Jay-Z
Jean Michel Jarre
Jefferson Starship
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jesus and Mary Chain
John Lee Hooker
Kanye West
Kate Bush
Killed By Death Vol. 2
Kraftwerk
Kris Kristofferson
The Lemonheads
The Libertines
Lifter Puller
Limp Bizkit
Liz Phair (2)
Lucinda Williams
Magnetic Fields
Marvin Gaye (2)
Mekons
Minutemen (2)
Morphine
Motley Crue
Mudhoney
Nas
Nelly
Nick Cave
Nick Drake (2)
Nine Inch Nails
Oasis
Patti Smith
Pavement
PJ Harvey (2)
Portishead (2)
Public Enemy (2)
Pulp (2)
Queen
Randy Newman
Richard and Linda Thompson
Rolling Stones
The Roots
Scott Walker
Shoes (thanks Don!)
Sleater Kinney
Slint
Spiritualized
Steely Dan (3)
Stevie Wonder (3)
The Stooges (2)
The Stranglers
Suede
Talking Heads (2)
Television
They Might Be Giants
This Mortal Coil
Throbbing Gristle
Tom Waits (3)
A Tribe Called Quest (2)
U2 (3)
Uncle Tupelo
Van Dyke Parks
Van Halen
Van Morrison (3)
Vic Chesnutt
Violent Femmes (2)
Ween
The White Stripes
The Who
Wilco
Willie Nelson (3)
Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
Wire (2)
Wu-Tang Clan
X
Yes
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Amazing Grace goings on in October-November
First, I would like to direct your attention to this interview with Aaron Cohen about his 33 1/3 on Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace from the always excellent Soul Sides blog. If you are familiar with Soul Sides, you already know that it's top notch. Do check it out.Aaron is also going to be busy throughout October and November...particularly in Chicago, but there is one Brooklyn date in there as well. See below for the details:
October 16—Chicago
Book launch at the Chicago Cultural Center at 2:00pm
78 E. Washington, Chicago
Along with a short multimedia presentation on Aretha and this crucial recording, the author will host a roundtable/performance with some of Chicago’s gospel royalty whose legacy shaped this album. Honored guests will include members of the Gay Family (Franklin covered the Gay Sisters' 1950 hit "God Will Take Care Of You" on "Amazing Grace") and Inez Andrews from The Caravans (Franklin's rendition of Andrews' version of "Mary, Don't You Weep" was so close to hers, that Inez received songwriting credit on "Amazing Grace").
www.explorechicago.org
October 20—Chicago
DJ set at Maria's Bar
960 W. 31st, Chicago
Set list including The Queen, her own sisters (Erma and Carolyn) and a host of stellar women from the great era of r&b and funk---Ruby Andrews, Bettye LaVette, Tammi Terrell, Betty Wright, Little Ann, Vicki Anderson, Loleatta Holloway, and so many more...
www.community-bar.com
October 27—Brooklyn
Reading/signing at Barbes
376 9th Street, Brooklyn
Featuring Amanda Petrusich, author of the 33 1/3 on Nick Drake’s Pink Moon.
November 3—Chicago
Ethnoise Ethnomusicology Workshop
University of Chicago in Goodspeed Hall at 4:30pm
www.cas.uchicago.edu/workshops/ethnoise/
November 16—Chicago
Reading/signing at Book Cellar
4736 N. Lincoln, Chicago
www.bookcellarinc.com
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
The League Table, Sept 2011
It was pointed out to me that we haven't posted one of these in a while... So, if you're into this stuff, here's a chart showing how the books have done - with the bestselling title (never to be dethroned?) at the top, obviously.
For some added info this time around, I've included the year of publication for each volume; of course, the longer the series goes on, the more of a mountain the newer books have to climb.
Neutral Milk Hotel 2005
Celine Dion 2007
Rolling Stones (Exile) 2005
Radiohead (OK Computer) 2004
The Kinks 2003
Velvet Underground 2004
Joy Division 2004
The Smiths 2003
The Beatles 2004
David Bowie 2005
Bob Dylan 2006
The Beastie Boys 2006
The Beach Boys 2006
My Bloody Valentine 2007
The Pixies 2006
Led Zeppelin 2005
Pink Floyd 2003
DJ Shadow 2005
Neil Young 2003
Love 2003
The Band 2005
The Replacements 2004
Jimi Hendrix 2004
Jeff Buckley 2005
Captain Beefheart 2007
Black Sabbath 2008
Sonic Youth 2007
Steely Dan 2007
R.E.M. 2005
Brian Eno 2009
Magnetic Fields 2006
The Ramones 2005
Slayer 2008
Dusty Springfield 2003
Elliott Smith 2009
Nirvana 2006
Minutemen 2007
Tom Waits 2007
Bruce Springsteen 2005
Guided by Voices 2006
Prince 2004
Elvis Costello 2005
Belle & Sebastian 2007
James Brown 2004
The Who 2006
Nick Drake 2007
Stone Roses 2006
Big Star 2009
Throbbing Gristle 2008
The Byrds 2007
U2 2007
Joni Mitchell 2006
Jethro Tull 2004
Patti Smith 2008
Afghan Whigs 2008
Sly and the Family Stone 2006
The MC5 2005
Pavement 2010
Abba 2004
Public Enemy 2010
Wire 2009
Ween 2011
Stevie Wonder 2007
Nas 2009
The Pogues 2008
Flying Burrito Brothers 2008
PJ Harvey 2007
A Tribe Called Quest 2007
Radiohead (Kid A) 2010
Madness 2009
Nine Inch Nails 2011
Slint 2010
Guns N Roses 2006
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole 2009
Flaming Lips 2009
Richard & Linda Thompson 2008
Rolling Stones (Girls) 2011
Van Dyke Parks 2010
AC DC 2010
Johnny Cash 2011
Television 2011
Fleetwood Mac 2010
Dinosaur Jr 2011
For some added info this time around, I've included the year of publication for each volume; of course, the longer the series goes on, the more of a mountain the newer books have to climb.
Neutral Milk Hotel 2005
Celine Dion 2007
Rolling Stones (Exile) 2005
Radiohead (OK Computer) 2004
The Kinks 2003
Velvet Underground 2004
Joy Division 2004
The Smiths 2003
The Beatles 2004
David Bowie 2005
Bob Dylan 2006
The Beastie Boys 2006
The Beach Boys 2006
My Bloody Valentine 2007
The Pixies 2006
Led Zeppelin 2005
Pink Floyd 2003
DJ Shadow 2005
Neil Young 2003
Love 2003
The Band 2005
The Replacements 2004
Jimi Hendrix 2004
Jeff Buckley 2005
Captain Beefheart 2007
Black Sabbath 2008
Sonic Youth 2007
Steely Dan 2007
R.E.M. 2005
Brian Eno 2009
Magnetic Fields 2006
The Ramones 2005
Slayer 2008
Dusty Springfield 2003
Elliott Smith 2009
Nirvana 2006
Minutemen 2007
Tom Waits 2007
Bruce Springsteen 2005
Guided by Voices 2006
Prince 2004
Elvis Costello 2005
Belle & Sebastian 2007
James Brown 2004
The Who 2006
Nick Drake 2007
Stone Roses 2006
Big Star 2009
Throbbing Gristle 2008
The Byrds 2007
U2 2007
Joni Mitchell 2006
Jethro Tull 2004
Patti Smith 2008
Afghan Whigs 2008
Sly and the Family Stone 2006
The MC5 2005
Pavement 2010
Abba 2004
Public Enemy 2010
Wire 2009
Ween 2011
Stevie Wonder 2007
Nas 2009
The Pogues 2008
Flying Burrito Brothers 2008
PJ Harvey 2007
A Tribe Called Quest 2007
Radiohead (Kid A) 2010
Madness 2009
Nine Inch Nails 2011
Slint 2010
Guns N Roses 2006
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole 2009
Flaming Lips 2009
Richard & Linda Thompson 2008
Rolling Stones (Girls) 2011
Van Dyke Parks 2010
AC DC 2010
Johnny Cash 2011
Television 2011
Fleetwood Mac 2010
Dinosaur Jr 2011
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The League Table, October 2010
So here's where the series stands to date, in terms of sales revenue. It's getting tougher and tougher for new books to work their way up the chart, since the older established volumes are still selling fairly consistently. (We're not talking huge numbers here, people: just that almost none of the books have stopped selling completely, which is good to see.)
In that context, the Brian Eno book is doing remarkably well (aided, we are told, by the book's subject buying copies for his friends) and the books on Pavement, Big Star, and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - who is currently top of the charts in Germany! - have started out strongly, too.
If anyone had told me, when I was putting this all together eight years ago, that the two best-selling titles by late 2010 would be on Neutral Milk Hotel and Celine Dion - that would have made no sense whatsoever. (The rest of the Top 10, if you think about it, is fabulously predictable...)
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. Celine Dion
3. Rolling Stones
4. Radiohead
5. The Kinks
6. Velvet Underground
7. The Smiths
8. Joy Division
9. The Beatles
10. Bob Dylan
11. David Bowie
12. The Beach Boys
13. Beastie Boys
14. My Bloody Valentine
15. Led Zeppelin
16. Pixies
17. Pink Floyd
18. DJ Shadow
19. Neil Young
20. Love
21. The Band
22. The Replacements
23. Jeff Buckley
24. Jimi Hendrix
25. Captain Beefheart
26. Sonic Youth
27. R.E.M.
28. Steely Dan
29. The Ramones
30. Black Sabbath
31. Dusty Springfield
32. Magnetic Fields
33. Brian Eno
34. Slayer
35. Nirvana
36. Elliott Smith
37. Minutemen
38. Bruce Springsteen
39. Prince
40. Guided By Voices
41. Tom Waits
42. Elvis Costello
43. Belle & Sebastian
44. James Brown
45. The Who
46. The Byrds
47. Nick Drake
48. Throbbing Gristle
49. Stone Roses
50. U2
51. Big Star
52. Jethro Tull
53. Joni Mitchell
54. Abba
55. The MC5
56. Sly and the Family Stone
57. Patti Smith
58. Afghan Whigs
59. Stevie Wonder
60. Wire
61. PJ Harvey
62. The Pogues
63. Pavement
64. A Tribe Called Quest
65. Flying Burrito Brothers
66. Madness
67. Guns N Roses
68. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
69. Nas
70. Public Enemy
71. Richard & Linda Thompson
72. Flaming Lips
73. AC/DC
74. Van Dyke Parks
And who could have predicted that a (very, very good) book about Van Dyke Parks would get off to a slow start?
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Oh, and if you had to pick a live triple bill, for one night only, of bands/artists who are next to each other on this list, who would you most want to see? Right now, I'd go for a line-up of Springsteen, Prince, and Guided By Voices. That would put Pollard through his paces...
In that context, the Brian Eno book is doing remarkably well (aided, we are told, by the book's subject buying copies for his friends) and the books on Pavement, Big Star, and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - who is currently top of the charts in Germany! - have started out strongly, too.
If anyone had told me, when I was putting this all together eight years ago, that the two best-selling titles by late 2010 would be on Neutral Milk Hotel and Celine Dion - that would have made no sense whatsoever. (The rest of the Top 10, if you think about it, is fabulously predictable...)
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. Celine Dion
3. Rolling Stones
4. Radiohead
5. The Kinks
6. Velvet Underground
7. The Smiths
8. Joy Division
9. The Beatles
10. Bob Dylan
11. David Bowie
12. The Beach Boys
13. Beastie Boys
14. My Bloody Valentine
15. Led Zeppelin
16. Pixies
17. Pink Floyd
18. DJ Shadow
19. Neil Young
20. Love
21. The Band
22. The Replacements
23. Jeff Buckley
24. Jimi Hendrix
25. Captain Beefheart
26. Sonic Youth
27. R.E.M.
28. Steely Dan
29. The Ramones
30. Black Sabbath
31. Dusty Springfield
32. Magnetic Fields
33. Brian Eno
34. Slayer
35. Nirvana
36. Elliott Smith
37. Minutemen
38. Bruce Springsteen
39. Prince
40. Guided By Voices
41. Tom Waits
42. Elvis Costello
43. Belle & Sebastian
44. James Brown
45. The Who
46. The Byrds
47. Nick Drake
48. Throbbing Gristle
49. Stone Roses
50. U2
51. Big Star
52. Jethro Tull
53. Joni Mitchell
54. Abba
55. The MC5
56. Sly and the Family Stone
57. Patti Smith
58. Afghan Whigs
59. Stevie Wonder
60. Wire
61. PJ Harvey
62. The Pogues
63. Pavement
64. A Tribe Called Quest
65. Flying Burrito Brothers
66. Madness
67. Guns N Roses
68. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
69. Nas
70. Public Enemy
71. Richard & Linda Thompson
72. Flaming Lips
73. AC/DC
74. Van Dyke Parks
And who could have predicted that a (very, very good) book about Van Dyke Parks would get off to a slow start?
.jpg)
Oh, and if you had to pick a live triple bill, for one night only, of bands/artists who are next to each other on this list, who would you most want to see? Right now, I'd go for a line-up of Springsteen, Prince, and Guided By Voices. That would put Pollard through his paces...
Monday, December 07, 2009
The League Table, December 2009
We haven't put up one of these in a while, so here you go. The list below shows all books published so far in the 33 1/3 series, in descending order of sales revenue (not units sold). Things are very tight between no.2 and no.9, so those positions could change a lot over the next few months. And kudos to the Elliott Smith and Brian Eno books, both of which have made very quick starts. (As always, bear in mind that this list obviously favours those books that have been out for 5 or 6 years, rather than just a few months...)
***
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Rolling Stones
3. Radiohead
4. The Kinks
5. The Smiths
6. Velvet Underground
7. Joy Division
8. The Beatles
9. Celine Dion
10. Bob Dylan
11. The Beach Boys
12. Led Zeppelin
13. David Bowie
14. My Bloody Valentine
15. Pink Floyd
16. Beastie Boys
17. Pixies
18. DJ Shadow
19. Neil Young
20. Love
21. The Replacements
22. Jeff Buckley
23. The Band
24. Jimi Hendrix
25. Sonic Youth
26. Dusty Springfield
27. R.E.M.
28. Captain Beefheart
29. The Ramones
30. Steely Dan
31. Black Sabbath
32. Bruce Springsteen
33. Slayer
34. Magnetic Fields
35. Prince
36. Guided By Voices
37. Nirvana
38. Minutemen
39. Elvis Costello
40. James Brown
41. Tom Waits
42. Belle & Sebastian
43. The Who
44. The Byrds
45. Elliott Smith
46. Nick Drake
47. Stone Roses
48. Abba
49. Throbbing Gristle
50. Jethro Tull
51. Joni Mitchell
52. U2
53. The MC5
54. Sly and the Family Stone
55. Brian Eno
56. Stevie Wonder
57. Afghan Whigs
58. PJ Harvey
59. Big Star
60. Patti Smith
61. Wire
62. Guns N Roses
63. A Tribe Called Quest
64. The Pogues
65. Flying Burrito Brothers
66. Richard & Linda Thompson
67. Madness
68. Nas
***
***
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Rolling Stones
3. Radiohead
4. The Kinks
5. The Smiths
6. Velvet Underground
7. Joy Division
8. The Beatles
9. Celine Dion
10. Bob Dylan
11. The Beach Boys
12. Led Zeppelin
13. David Bowie
14. My Bloody Valentine
15. Pink Floyd
16. Beastie Boys
17. Pixies
18. DJ Shadow
19. Neil Young
20. Love
21. The Replacements
22. Jeff Buckley
23. The Band
24. Jimi Hendrix
25. Sonic Youth
26. Dusty Springfield
27. R.E.M.
28. Captain Beefheart
29. The Ramones
30. Steely Dan
31. Black Sabbath
32. Bruce Springsteen
33. Slayer
34. Magnetic Fields
35. Prince
36. Guided By Voices
37. Nirvana
38. Minutemen
39. Elvis Costello
40. James Brown
41. Tom Waits
42. Belle & Sebastian
43. The Who
44. The Byrds
45. Elliott Smith
46. Nick Drake
47. Stone Roses
48. Abba
49. Throbbing Gristle
50. Jethro Tull
51. Joni Mitchell
52. U2
53. The MC5
54. Sly and the Family Stone
55. Brian Eno
56. Stevie Wonder
57. Afghan Whigs
58. PJ Harvey
59. Big Star
60. Patti Smith
61. Wire
62. Guns N Roses
63. A Tribe Called Quest
64. The Pogues
65. Flying Burrito Brothers
66. Richard & Linda Thompson
67. Madness
68. Nas
***
Monday, June 08, 2009
33 1/3 audiobooks
We probably don't mention it enough around here, but a number of 33 1/3s are available as audiobooks. 25 of them to be exact...
Big Star's Radio City
REM's Murmur
Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis
Led Zeppelin's IV (or 'Runes,' or 'Old Guy with the Sticks and What Have You')
Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
Pink Floyd's Pipers at the Gates of Dawn
Flying Burrito Bros.'s Guilded Palace of Sin
Abba's Abba Gold
Jeff Buckley's Grace
Radiohead's OK Computer
The Beatles' Let It Be
Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street
Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited
David Bowie's Low
The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
Love's Forever Changes
Neil Young's Harvest
Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Nick Drake's Pink Moon
Nirvana's In Utero
The Smiths' Meat is Murder
Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life
The Velvet Underground's Velvet Underground & Nico
Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures
u2's Achtung Baby
You can either get these through Audible.com or go to your friendly neighborhood iTunes store and search for "33 1/3" and narrow that down to audiobooks. I've never been much of an audiobook person since I don't have a car and work requires me to be around talking people, but I can tear up some podcasts doing the laundry, so I'm giving it a shot and...so far so good. Like having someone read you bedtime stories, but for the laundry.
Free Stuff Alert:
The good folks at Audible are running a promotion in conjunction with Rolling Stone where you can download the 33 1/3 on Paul's Boutique for free. So try that out if you are so inclined. [note: some people complain in the comments about having to download software to get the free audiobook, but I didn't have this experience.] They are going to be doing another promo with the Beach Boys Pet Sounds book at some point. I'll keep you up to date on that.
Has anybody out there listened to any 33 1/3 audiobooks? Any suggestions on the best ones to start with?
Big Star's Radio City
REM's Murmur
Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis
Led Zeppelin's IV (or 'Runes,' or 'Old Guy with the Sticks and What Have You')
Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
Pink Floyd's Pipers at the Gates of Dawn
Flying Burrito Bros.'s Guilded Palace of Sin
Abba's Abba Gold
Jeff Buckley's Grace
Radiohead's OK Computer
The Beatles' Let It Be
Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street
Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited
David Bowie's Low
The Kinks - Village Green Preservation Society
Love's Forever Changes
Neil Young's Harvest
Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Nick Drake's Pink Moon
Nirvana's In Utero
The Smiths' Meat is Murder
Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life
The Velvet Underground's Velvet Underground & Nico
Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures
u2's Achtung Baby
You can either get these through Audible.com or go to your friendly neighborhood iTunes store and search for "33 1/3" and narrow that down to audiobooks. I've never been much of an audiobook person since I don't have a car and work requires me to be around talking people, but I can tear up some podcasts doing the laundry, so I'm giving it a shot and...so far so good. Like having someone read you bedtime stories, but for the laundry.
Free Stuff Alert:
The good folks at Audible are running a promotion in conjunction with Rolling Stone where you can download the 33 1/3 on Paul's Boutique for free. So try that out if you are so inclined. [note: some people complain in the comments about having to download software to get the free audiobook, but I didn't have this experience.] They are going to be doing another promo with the Beach Boys Pet Sounds book at some point. I'll keep you up to date on that.
Has anybody out there listened to any 33 1/3 audiobooks? Any suggestions on the best ones to start with?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
League Table, version deux
And this is what I think the chart would look like, had all the books been available for the same amount of time. (Definite guesswork involved here, clearly.)
***
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Rolling Stones
3. My Bloody Valentine
4. Bob Dylan
5. David Bowie
6. Celine Dion
7. Radiohead
8. The Kinks
9. The Smiths
10. Velvet Underground
11. Joy Division
12. Beastie Boys
13. Led Zeppelin
14. Pixies
15. The Beatles
16. Black Sabbath
17. Pink Floyd
18. The Beach Boys
19. Slayer
20. Steely Dan
21. DJ Shadow
22. Sonic Youth
23. Captain Beefheart
24. Magnetic Fields
25. Guided By Voices
26. The Replacements
27. Minutemen
28. Tom Waits
29. Belle & Sebastian
30. Jimi Hendrix
31. Jeff Buckley
32. The Band
33. R.E.M.
34. Afghan Whigs
35. The Byrds
36. Bruce Springsteen
37. The Ramones
38. Patti Smith
39. The Who
40. Flying Burrito Bros
41. Nirvana
42. Elvis Costello
43. Love
44. Stone Roses
45. Sly Stone
46. Joni Mitchell
47. Nick Drake
48. Stevie Wonder
49. Throbbing Gristle
50. Neil Young
51. The Pogues
52. U2
53. Richard and Linda Thompson
54. Dusty Springfield
55. Prince
56. James Brown
57. Jethro Tull
58. Abba
59. The MC5
60. A Tribe Called Quest
61. Guns N Roses
62. PJ Harvey
***
Meanwhile, Quietus has posted an engaging conversation about Wire, between Jon Savage and Wilson Neate, author of our very recent book on Pink Flag. You can read the whole discussion here.
***
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Rolling Stones
3. My Bloody Valentine
4. Bob Dylan
5. David Bowie
6. Celine Dion
7. Radiohead
8. The Kinks
9. The Smiths
10. Velvet Underground
11. Joy Division
12. Beastie Boys
13. Led Zeppelin
14. Pixies
15. The Beatles
16. Black Sabbath
17. Pink Floyd
18. The Beach Boys
19. Slayer
20. Steely Dan
21. DJ Shadow
22. Sonic Youth
23. Captain Beefheart
24. Magnetic Fields
25. Guided By Voices
26. The Replacements
27. Minutemen
28. Tom Waits
29. Belle & Sebastian
30. Jimi Hendrix
31. Jeff Buckley
32. The Band
33. R.E.M.
34. Afghan Whigs
35. The Byrds
36. Bruce Springsteen
37. The Ramones
38. Patti Smith
39. The Who
40. Flying Burrito Bros
41. Nirvana
42. Elvis Costello
43. Love
44. Stone Roses
45. Sly Stone
46. Joni Mitchell
47. Nick Drake
48. Stevie Wonder
49. Throbbing Gristle
50. Neil Young
51. The Pogues
52. U2
53. Richard and Linda Thompson
54. Dusty Springfield
55. Prince
56. James Brown
57. Jethro Tull
58. Abba
59. The MC5
60. A Tribe Called Quest
61. Guns N Roses
62. PJ Harvey
***
Meanwhile, Quietus has posted an engaging conversation about Wire, between Jon Savage and Wilson Neate, author of our very recent book on Pink Flag. You can read the whole discussion here.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The League Table, April 2009
Here's a chart showing how the published books in the series compare so far, in terms of lifetime sales around the world.
Bear in mind that some of these books have had almost 6 years on sale, others have had only a few months. If I have the time in the next few days/nights, I'll post another chart, making allowances for that factor. (And I've left out the very new books on Wire and Elliott Smith, as those haven't yet been fully distributed, globally.)
8 of the top 10 artists are British. I'll say no more!
***
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Kinks
3. The Rolling Stones
4. Radiohead
5. The Smiths
6. Velvet Underground
7. Joy Division
8. The Beatles
9. Pink Floyd
10. Led Zeppelin
11. My Bloody Valentine
12. The Beach Boys
13. David Bowie
14. Bob Dylan
15. Beastie Boys
16. Love
17. DJ Shadow
18. Celine Dion
19. Pixies
20. Neil Young
20. Jimi Hendrix
21. The Replacements
22. Jeff Buckley
23. Dusty Springfield
24. Prince
25. The Band
26. R.E.M.
27. Sonic Youth
28. Bruce Springsteen
29. The Ramones
30. Captain Beefheart
31. Magnetic Fields
32. Steely Dan
33. Nirvana
34. Elvis Costello
35. Guided By Voices
36. Black Sabbath
37. James Brown
38. Slayer
39. Minutemen
40. The Who
41. Jethro Tull
42. The Byrds
43. Tom Waits
44. Belle & Sebastian
45. Stone Roses
46. Abba
47. Sly Stone
48. The MC5
49. Joni Mitchell
50. Nick Drake
51. Stevie Wonder
52. U2
53. Throbbing Gristle
54. A Tribe Called Quest
55. Afghan Whigs
56. Guns N Roses
57. PJ Harvey
58. Patti Smith
59. Flying Burrito Bros
60. The Pogues
61. Richard and Linda Thompson
***
Bear in mind that some of these books have had almost 6 years on sale, others have had only a few months. If I have the time in the next few days/nights, I'll post another chart, making allowances for that factor. (And I've left out the very new books on Wire and Elliott Smith, as those haven't yet been fully distributed, globally.)
8 of the top 10 artists are British. I'll say no more!
***
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Kinks
3. The Rolling Stones
4. Radiohead
5. The Smiths
6. Velvet Underground
7. Joy Division
8. The Beatles
9. Pink Floyd
10. Led Zeppelin
11. My Bloody Valentine
12. The Beach Boys
13. David Bowie
14. Bob Dylan
15. Beastie Boys
16. Love
17. DJ Shadow
18. Celine Dion
19. Pixies
20. Neil Young
20. Jimi Hendrix
21. The Replacements
22. Jeff Buckley
23. Dusty Springfield
24. Prince
25. The Band
26. R.E.M.
27. Sonic Youth
28. Bruce Springsteen
29. The Ramones
30. Captain Beefheart
31. Magnetic Fields
32. Steely Dan
33. Nirvana
34. Elvis Costello
35. Guided By Voices
36. Black Sabbath
37. James Brown
38. Slayer
39. Minutemen
40. The Who
41. Jethro Tull
42. The Byrds
43. Tom Waits
44. Belle & Sebastian
45. Stone Roses
46. Abba
47. Sly Stone
48. The MC5
49. Joni Mitchell
50. Nick Drake
51. Stevie Wonder
52. U2
53. Throbbing Gristle
54. A Tribe Called Quest
55. Afghan Whigs
56. Guns N Roses
57. PJ Harvey
58. Patti Smith
59. Flying Burrito Bros
60. The Pogues
61. Richard and Linda Thompson
***
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The League Table, June 2008
Below is the sales chart for the series, showing *lifetime* global sales positions of all the books in the series, from September 2003 through to the end of June. Clearly this gives an advantage to the older volumes - and since many of those are still selling well, it's tough as nuts for some of the newer titles to catch up.
That said, we've seen some big moves recently from the books on My Bloody Valentine and Bowie, while the Radiohead and Rolling Stones books are showing some serious legs at this point in time. Further down the chart (and really, there's no shame at all in being down there!), we've seen some great starts from the volumes on Tom Waits, Slayer, and Sabbath. And, of course, Celine continues to power along nicely - if that book continues to pick up undergrad course adoptions, who knows where the fun will end?
***
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Kinks
3. The Smiths
4. The Rolling Stones
5. Radiohead
6. Velvet Underground
7. Joy Division
8. The Beatles
9. Pink Floyd
10. Led Zeppelin
11. The Beach Boys
12. David Bowie
13. My Bloody Valentine
14. Love
15. Beastie Boys
16. DJ Shadow
17. Bob Dylan
18. Neil Young
19. Pixies
20. Jimi Hendrix
21. Jeff Buckley
22. The Replacements
23. Dusty Springfield
24. The Band
25. Prince
26. R.E.M.
27. Sonic Youth
28. Bruce Springsteen
29. The Ramones
30. Celine Dion
31. Elvis Costello
32. Captain Beefheart
33. James Brown
34. Magnetic Fields
35. Steely Dan
36. Nirvana
37. The Who
38. Guided By Voices
39. The Byrds
40. Stone Roses
41. Minutemen
42. Jethro Tull
43. Sly and the Family Stone
44. Abba
45. Belle & Sebastian
46. The MC5
47. Tom Waits
48. Black Sabbath
49. Joni Mitchell
50. Nick Drake
51. Stevie Wonder
52. U2
53. Slayer
54. PJ Harvey
55. Guns N Roses
56. Throbbing Gristle
57. A Tribe Called Quest
58. Patti Smith
59. Richard and Linda Thompson
***
That said, we've seen some big moves recently from the books on My Bloody Valentine and Bowie, while the Radiohead and Rolling Stones books are showing some serious legs at this point in time. Further down the chart (and really, there's no shame at all in being down there!), we've seen some great starts from the volumes on Tom Waits, Slayer, and Sabbath. And, of course, Celine continues to power along nicely - if that book continues to pick up undergrad course adoptions, who knows where the fun will end?
***
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Kinks
3. The Smiths
4. The Rolling Stones
5. Radiohead
6. Velvet Underground
7. Joy Division
8. The Beatles
9. Pink Floyd
10. Led Zeppelin
11. The Beach Boys
12. David Bowie
13. My Bloody Valentine
14. Love
15. Beastie Boys
16. DJ Shadow
17. Bob Dylan
18. Neil Young
19. Pixies
20. Jimi Hendrix
21. Jeff Buckley
22. The Replacements
23. Dusty Springfield
24. The Band
25. Prince
26. R.E.M.
27. Sonic Youth
28. Bruce Springsteen
29. The Ramones
30. Celine Dion
31. Elvis Costello
32. Captain Beefheart
33. James Brown
34. Magnetic Fields
35. Steely Dan
36. Nirvana
37. The Who
38. Guided By Voices
39. The Byrds
40. Stone Roses
41. Minutemen
42. Jethro Tull
43. Sly and the Family Stone
44. Abba
45. Belle & Sebastian
46. The MC5
47. Tom Waits
48. Black Sabbath
49. Joni Mitchell
50. Nick Drake
51. Stevie Wonder
52. U2
53. Slayer
54. PJ Harvey
55. Guns N Roses
56. Throbbing Gristle
57. A Tribe Called Quest
58. Patti Smith
59. Richard and Linda Thompson
***
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sabbath on Saturday (now with more links!)
Chaya from Housing Works just dropped off some awesome posters for John Darnielle's reading on Saturday.
Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 7:00 PM
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats is working in a new genre. Tonight he'll be reading from his brand new book, "his first novel and a stunning piece of rock criticism and appreciation" Black Sabbath's Master of Reality, the newest in the 33 1/3 series of chapbooks about seminal records.
AT HOUSING WORKS IN SOHO!
New York Magazine chose the event as a critics pick for the weekend, and Gothamist has an interview with John up this morning that features this nugget:
Which New Yorker do you most admire? This is a tough question and it depends on whether you want natives-only or people who came to be from NYC. If the latter I gotta go with either DJ Kool Herc. If it's gotta be natives, gimme Edith Wharton.
You can also check out the Mountain Goats on Friday (tonight!) at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. Tickets are surprisingly still available (and only $25).
And over at the Powells blog, Ed Park (whose novel Personal Days I am very much looking forward to reading) talks a little about the series in general and the Sabbath book in particular.
AND NEXT WEEK!
Thursday, May 22, 7:30pm
Music writing event featuring 33 1/3 authors Matthew Stearns (Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation), Michael Fournier (The Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime), and Amanda Petrusich (Nick Drake’s Pink Moon). The discussion will be moderated by Rolling Stone’s Jenny Eliscu.
AT WORD BOOKS IN GREENPOINT!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
The League Table, and Quiz Results
It's that time of year again. Early April. Still very chilly in New York City, although I did manage to pick up a nice sunburn at Coney Island on Saturday.
Here's the new 33 1/3 series league sales table, current through the end of March.
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Kinks
3. The Beatles
4. The Smiths
5. The Rolling Stones
6. Joy Division
7. Velvet Underground
8. Led Zeppelin
9. Radiohead
10. Pink Floyd
11. Neil Young
12. Jeff Buckley
13. The Beach Boys
14. Dusty Springfield
15. Love
16. David Bowie
17. DJ Shadow
18. Beastie Boys
19. Bob Dylan
20. My Bloody Valentine
21. The Pixies
22. Jimi Hendrix
23. Bruce Springsteen
24. The Replacements
25. The Band
26. Prince
27. R.E.M.
28. The Ramones
29. Sonic Youth
30. Elvis Costello
31. James Brown
32. Celine Dion
33. The Who
34. Captain Beefheart
35. Nirvana
36. Steely Dan
37. Magnetic Fields
38. Guided By Voices
39. The Byrds
40. The Minutemen
41. Stone Roses
42. Jethro Tull
43. Sly and the Family Stone
44. Abba
45. The MC5
46. Joni Mitchell
47. Belle & Sebastian
48. Stevie Wonder
49. PJ Harvey
50. Nick Drake
51. Tom Waits
52. Guns N Roses
53. U2
54. A Tribe Called Quest
55. Throbbing Gristle
Strong moves from the Beefheart, Steely Dan, and Magnetic Fields books, and it's early days yet for several of the very new titles. Having said that, the Celine Dion book enters the chart at number 32, which is pretty impressive after four months. Nobody predicted 32 in our competition, but Brian Castro went for number 33 and Matt Elliott cunningly countered that with a guess at number 31. So we have two winners, and congratulations to Brian and Matt - I'll email you separately to ask for your list of 10 free 33 1/3 books each. (A pat on the back also for Dave Heaton, who was perilously close with his guess of number 30.)
***
Here's the new 33 1/3 series league sales table, current through the end of March.
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Kinks
3. The Beatles
4. The Smiths
5. The Rolling Stones
6. Joy Division
7. Velvet Underground
8. Led Zeppelin
9. Radiohead
10. Pink Floyd
11. Neil Young
12. Jeff Buckley
13. The Beach Boys
14. Dusty Springfield
15. Love
16. David Bowie
17. DJ Shadow
18. Beastie Boys
19. Bob Dylan
20. My Bloody Valentine
21. The Pixies
22. Jimi Hendrix
23. Bruce Springsteen
24. The Replacements
25. The Band
26. Prince
27. R.E.M.
28. The Ramones
29. Sonic Youth
30. Elvis Costello
31. James Brown
32. Celine Dion
33. The Who
34. Captain Beefheart
35. Nirvana
36. Steely Dan
37. Magnetic Fields
38. Guided By Voices
39. The Byrds
40. The Minutemen
41. Stone Roses
42. Jethro Tull
43. Sly and the Family Stone
44. Abba
45. The MC5
46. Joni Mitchell
47. Belle & Sebastian
48. Stevie Wonder
49. PJ Harvey
50. Nick Drake
51. Tom Waits
52. Guns N Roses
53. U2
54. A Tribe Called Quest
55. Throbbing Gristle
Strong moves from the Beefheart, Steely Dan, and Magnetic Fields books, and it's early days yet for several of the very new titles. Having said that, the Celine Dion book enters the chart at number 32, which is pretty impressive after four months. Nobody predicted 32 in our competition, but Brian Castro went for number 33 and Matt Elliott cunningly countered that with a guess at number 31. So we have two winners, and congratulations to Brian and Matt - I'll email you separately to ask for your list of 10 free 33 1/3 books each. (A pat on the back also for Dave Heaton, who was perilously close with his guess of number 30.)
***
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The Top 49
Through the end of last month, this is the sales chart for the 33 1/3 series:
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Beatles
3. The Kinks
4. The Smiths
5. The Rolling Stones
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Neil Young
8. The Velvet Underground
9. Joy Division
10. Pink Floyd
11. Radiohead
12. Jeff Buckley
13. Love
14. The Beach Boys
15. DJ Shadow
16. Bruce Springsteen
17. David Bowie
18. Beastie Boys
19. Bob Dylan
20. My Bloody Valentine
21. The Replacements
22. The Pixies
23. Dusty Springfield
24. Jimi Hendrix
25. The Band
26. Prince
27. The Ramones
28. R.E.M.
29. Sonic Youth
30. Elvis Costello
31. James Brown
32. The Who
33. Jethro Tull
34. The Byrds
35. Abba
36. Nirvana
37. Guided by Voices
38. Sly and the Family Stone
39. Captain Beefheart
40. The Minutemen
41. Stone Roses
42. Magnetic Fields
43. Steely Dan
44. The MC5
45. PJ Harvey
46. Stevie Wonder
47. Joni Mitchell
48. Guns N Roses
49. A Tribe Called Quest
The obsessives among you may have noticed some big changes since we last ran one of these charts - this is due, to a certain degree, to Barnes & Noble running a big promotion in their stores from now until the end of the year - some kind of a "Book + CD" deal in their music section, I think. The books they've chosen to run with are those on albums by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Jeff Buckley. Also the Dusty book, but we haven't logged those sales yet. Of course, since this is the book industry we're talking about, we could get many hundreds of those books back from B&N early in 2008, so the Beatles book (for example) may not be at no.2 in the chart forever.
Other books picking up speed are those on Beefheart, Sonic Youth, and the Minutemen.
The three new books, on U2, Belle & Sebastian and Nick Drake will show up next time we do this table - as will, I hope, the books on Celine Dion, Tom Waits and Throbbing Gristle.
Which leads me into our AWESOME QUIZ QUESTION: if you want to win 10 free 33 1/3 books of your choice, all you need to do is predict where in this chart the Celine Dion book will be, by the end of March 2008. (Hint: I have absolutely no idea.) Send your prediction to:
predictingceline at yahoo dot com
I need to receive your entry by December 1st. A la David Copperfield, I shall write my own prediction in a sealed envelope, forget about it, and then retire to my secret warehouse in Vegas to prepare for my own richly deserved downfall.
1. Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The Beatles
3. The Kinks
4. The Smiths
5. The Rolling Stones
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Neil Young
8. The Velvet Underground
9. Joy Division
10. Pink Floyd
11. Radiohead
12. Jeff Buckley
13. Love
14. The Beach Boys
15. DJ Shadow
16. Bruce Springsteen
17. David Bowie
18. Beastie Boys
19. Bob Dylan
20. My Bloody Valentine
21. The Replacements
22. The Pixies
23. Dusty Springfield
24. Jimi Hendrix
25. The Band
26. Prince
27. The Ramones
28. R.E.M.
29. Sonic Youth
30. Elvis Costello
31. James Brown
32. The Who
33. Jethro Tull
34. The Byrds
35. Abba
36. Nirvana
37. Guided by Voices
38. Sly and the Family Stone
39. Captain Beefheart
40. The Minutemen
41. Stone Roses
42. Magnetic Fields
43. Steely Dan
44. The MC5
45. PJ Harvey
46. Stevie Wonder
47. Joni Mitchell
48. Guns N Roses
49. A Tribe Called Quest
The obsessives among you may have noticed some big changes since we last ran one of these charts - this is due, to a certain degree, to Barnes & Noble running a big promotion in their stores from now until the end of the year - some kind of a "Book + CD" deal in their music section, I think. The books they've chosen to run with are those on albums by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Jeff Buckley. Also the Dusty book, but we haven't logged those sales yet. Of course, since this is the book industry we're talking about, we could get many hundreds of those books back from B&N early in 2008, so the Beatles book (for example) may not be at no.2 in the chart forever.
Other books picking up speed are those on Beefheart, Sonic Youth, and the Minutemen.
The three new books, on U2, Belle & Sebastian and Nick Drake will show up next time we do this table - as will, I hope, the books on Celine Dion, Tom Waits and Throbbing Gristle.
Which leads me into our AWESOME QUIZ QUESTION: if you want to win 10 free 33 1/3 books of your choice, all you need to do is predict where in this chart the Celine Dion book will be, by the end of March 2008. (Hint: I have absolutely no idea.) Send your prediction to:
predictingceline at yahoo dot com
I need to receive your entry by December 1st. A la David Copperfield, I shall write my own prediction in a sealed envelope, forget about it, and then retire to my secret warehouse in Vegas to prepare for my own richly deserved downfall.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
3 weeks to go...
Just a quick reminder for anyone who missed it first time around, we are currently accepting new proposals for the series, and the deadline is Wednesday Feb 14th. Below is the original announcement:
***
We're now accepting proposals for future 33 1/3 books, to be published in 2008 and 2009. Here are some rules, guidelines and ramblings:
* Proposals on artists already covered in the series (or under contract to be covered) will not be accepted. In other words, these people:
The Smiths
The Kinks
Neutral Milk Hotel
Pink Floyd
Joy Division
Velvet Underground
Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Radiohead
Love
Neil Young
Beach Boys
Dusty Springfield
DJ Shadow
Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin
The Replacements
David Bowie
The Band
Beastie Boys
Jeff Buckley
Prince
Pixies
The Ramones
R.E.M.
Bruce Springsteen
Bob Dylan
Elvis Costello
James Brown
Abba
Jethro Tull
Nirvana
Sly and the Family Stone
The Who
The MC5
The Stone Roses
Guided By Voices
Magnetic Fields
Joni Mitchell
Guns N Roses
My Bloody Valentine
The Byrds
Stevie Wonder
A Tribe Called Quest
Sonic Youth
Captain Beefheart
Steely Dan
The Clash
The Minutemen
PJ Harvey
Celine Dion
Nine Inch Nails
Richard and Linda Thompson
Tom Waits
Belle & Sebastian
Throbbing Gristle
Nick Drake
U2
Brian Eno
Lucinda Williams
Patti Smith
Kate Bush
Television
* The deadline for submission of proposals is Wednesday February 14th - how very romantic.
* Only one proposal per person. Seriously!
* If you've submitted before, you're perfectly welcome to do so again.
* All proposals must be submitted via email - the address is pitches33@yahoo.com Please don't send any proposals to my regular work email. I'm trying to concentrate on Biblical Studies for the next few weeks.
* Choice of album is important - we're here to sell some books, after all. We're more likely to accept a proposal on Odessey & Oracle than on Angels With Dirty Faces, as much as I love them both.
* Your proposal should take the form of a Word document attachment. Do not include your proposal in the body of your email.
* Your proposal needs to include these simple things: your name; a brief outline (up to 1000 words) of how you would approach your album of choice; a brief bio of yourself (up to 500 words), outlining why you're awesome, and why you're the best person to write about that album; a couple of sentences on which 33 1/3 book you've enjoyed the most so far, and why; that's pretty much it.
***
Last time around (towards the end of 2005), we received about 170 proposals, and ended up offering contracts to 21 of them. I've no idea how many we'll get this time, or how many we'll end up signing, but we do promise to read them all and to give them all equal consideration. Once we've narrowed it down to a shortlist (by the middle of March), we'll contact those authors to finalise manuscript deadlines, etc. I hope this covers everything! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section to this post, and I'll do my best to answer them.
***
We're now accepting proposals for future 33 1/3 books, to be published in 2008 and 2009. Here are some rules, guidelines and ramblings:
* Proposals on artists already covered in the series (or under contract to be covered) will not be accepted. In other words, these people:
The Smiths
The Kinks
Neutral Milk Hotel
Pink Floyd
Joy Division
Velvet Underground
Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Radiohead
Love
Neil Young
Beach Boys
Dusty Springfield
DJ Shadow
Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin
The Replacements
David Bowie
The Band
Beastie Boys
Jeff Buckley
Prince
Pixies
The Ramones
R.E.M.
Bruce Springsteen
Bob Dylan
Elvis Costello
James Brown
Abba
Jethro Tull
Nirvana
Sly and the Family Stone
The Who
The MC5
The Stone Roses
Guided By Voices
Magnetic Fields
Joni Mitchell
Guns N Roses
My Bloody Valentine
The Byrds
Stevie Wonder
A Tribe Called Quest
Sonic Youth
Captain Beefheart
Steely Dan
The Clash
The Minutemen
PJ Harvey
Celine Dion
Nine Inch Nails
Richard and Linda Thompson
Tom Waits
Belle & Sebastian
Throbbing Gristle
Nick Drake
U2
Brian Eno
Lucinda Williams
Patti Smith
Kate Bush
Television
* The deadline for submission of proposals is Wednesday February 14th - how very romantic.
* Only one proposal per person. Seriously!
* If you've submitted before, you're perfectly welcome to do so again.
* All proposals must be submitted via email - the address is pitches33@yahoo.com Please don't send any proposals to my regular work email. I'm trying to concentrate on Biblical Studies for the next few weeks.
* Choice of album is important - we're here to sell some books, after all. We're more likely to accept a proposal on Odessey & Oracle than on Angels With Dirty Faces, as much as I love them both.
* Your proposal should take the form of a Word document attachment. Do not include your proposal in the body of your email.
* Your proposal needs to include these simple things: your name; a brief outline (up to 1000 words) of how you would approach your album of choice; a brief bio of yourself (up to 500 words), outlining why you're awesome, and why you're the best person to write about that album; a couple of sentences on which 33 1/3 book you've enjoyed the most so far, and why; that's pretty much it.
***
Last time around (towards the end of 2005), we received about 170 proposals, and ended up offering contracts to 21 of them. I've no idea how many we'll get this time, or how many we'll end up signing, but we do promise to read them all and to give them all equal consideration. Once we've narrowed it down to a shortlist (by the middle of March), we'll contact those authors to finalise manuscript deadlines, etc. I hope this covers everything! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section to this post, and I'll do my best to answer them.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Time of the Season!
We're now accepting proposals for future 33 1/3 books, to be published in 2008 and 2009. Here are some rules, guidelines and ramblings:
* Proposals on artists already covered in the series (or under contract to be covered) will not be accepted. In other words, these people:
The Smiths
The Kinks
Neutral Milk Hotel
Pink Floyd
Joy Division
Velvet Underground
Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Radiohead
Love
Neil Young
Beach Boys
Dusty Springfield
DJ Shadow
Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin
The Replacements
David Bowie
The Band
Beastie Boys
Jeff Buckley
Prince
Pixies
The Ramones
R.E.M.
Bruce Springsteen
Bob Dylan
Elvis Costello
James Brown
Abba
Jethro Tull
Nirvana
Sly and the Family Stone
The Who
The MC5
The Stone Roses
Guided By Voices
Magnetic Fields
Joni Mitchell
Guns N Roses
My Bloody Valentine
The Byrds
Stevie Wonder
A Tribe Called Quest
Sonic Youth
Captain Beefheart
Steely Dan
The Clash
The Minutemen
PJ Harvey
Celine Dion
Nine Inch Nails
Richard and Linda Thompson
Tom Waits
Belle & Sebastian
Throbbing Gristle
Nick Drake
U2
Brian Eno
Lucinda Williams
Patti Smith
Kate Bush
Television
* The deadline for submission of proposals is Wednesday February 14th - how very romantic.
* Only one proposal per person. Seriously!
* If you've submitted before, you're perfectly welcome to do so again.
* All proposals must be submitted via email - the address is pitches33@yahoo.com Please don't send any proposals to my regular work email. I'm trying to concentrate on Biblical Studies for the next few weeks.
* Choice of album is important - we're here to sell some books, after all. We're more likely to accept a proposal on Odessey & Oracle than on Angels With Dirty Faces, as much as I love them both.
* Your proposal should take the form of a Word document attachment. Do not include your proposal in the body of your email.
* Your proposal needs to include these simple things: your name; a brief outline (up to 1000 words) of how you would approach your album of choice; a brief bio of yourself (up to 500 words), outlining why you're awesome, and why you're the best person to write about that album; a couple of sentences on which 33 1/3 book you've enjoyed the most so far, and why; that's pretty much it.
***
Last time around (towards the end of 2005), we received about 170 proposals, and ended up offering contracts to 21 of them. I've no idea how many we'll get this time, or how many we'll end up signing, but we do promise to read them all and to give them all equal consideration. Once we've narrowed it down to a shortlist (by the middle of March), we'll contact those authors to finalise manuscript deadlines, etc.
I hope this covers everything! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section to this post, and I'll do my best to answer them.
* Proposals on artists already covered in the series (or under contract to be covered) will not be accepted. In other words, these people:
The Smiths
The Kinks
Neutral Milk Hotel
Pink Floyd
Joy Division
Velvet Underground
Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Radiohead
Love
Neil Young
Beach Boys
Dusty Springfield
DJ Shadow
Jimi Hendrix
Led Zeppelin
The Replacements
David Bowie
The Band
Beastie Boys
Jeff Buckley
Prince
Pixies
The Ramones
R.E.M.
Bruce Springsteen
Bob Dylan
Elvis Costello
James Brown
Abba
Jethro Tull
Nirvana
Sly and the Family Stone
The Who
The MC5
The Stone Roses
Guided By Voices
Magnetic Fields
Joni Mitchell
Guns N Roses
My Bloody Valentine
The Byrds
Stevie Wonder
A Tribe Called Quest
Sonic Youth
Captain Beefheart
Steely Dan
The Clash
The Minutemen
PJ Harvey
Celine Dion
Nine Inch Nails
Richard and Linda Thompson
Tom Waits
Belle & Sebastian
Throbbing Gristle
Nick Drake
U2
Brian Eno
Lucinda Williams
Patti Smith
Kate Bush
Television
* The deadline for submission of proposals is Wednesday February 14th - how very romantic.
* Only one proposal per person. Seriously!
* If you've submitted before, you're perfectly welcome to do so again.
* All proposals must be submitted via email - the address is pitches33@yahoo.com Please don't send any proposals to my regular work email. I'm trying to concentrate on Biblical Studies for the next few weeks.
* Choice of album is important - we're here to sell some books, after all. We're more likely to accept a proposal on Odessey & Oracle than on Angels With Dirty Faces, as much as I love them both.
* Your proposal should take the form of a Word document attachment. Do not include your proposal in the body of your email.
* Your proposal needs to include these simple things: your name; a brief outline (up to 1000 words) of how you would approach your album of choice; a brief bio of yourself (up to 500 words), outlining why you're awesome, and why you're the best person to write about that album; a couple of sentences on which 33 1/3 book you've enjoyed the most so far, and why; that's pretty much it.
***
Last time around (towards the end of 2005), we received about 170 proposals, and ended up offering contracts to 21 of them. I've no idea how many we'll get this time, or how many we'll end up signing, but we do promise to read them all and to give them all equal consideration. Once we've narrowed it down to a shortlist (by the middle of March), we'll contact those authors to finalise manuscript deadlines, etc.
I hope this covers everything! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section to this post, and I'll do my best to answer them.
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