A blog about Bloomsbury Academic's 33 1/3 series, our other books about music, and the world of sound in general.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Series review in Tape Op

There's a piece in the new issue of Tape Op magazine, which calls the series "music writing done right" and concludes with this analysis of J. Niimi's R.E.M. book:

J. Niimi's book on R.E.M.'s Murmur, one of my all time favorite albums, gets it just about perfect. The book begins with a brief history of the band up to the point of recording Murmur. Next is a detailed account of the recording sessions for the album, with lots of interviews with Mitch Easter and Don Dixon. Next is a track-by-track analysis of the album. This is followed by Niimi's own experiences upon first hearing Murmur, providing the historical and cultural context of the time, which leads to a discussion of what is meant by the term "Southern Gothic." Finally, an examination of the lyrics and Michael Stipe's use of language concludes the book. I've read a few other books on the band and this album, but I still found this to be insightful and a great read.

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