Dave Heaton: April 9, 2006

33 1/3 Series Books

PopMatters’ articles this week on Continuum Books’ 33 1/3 Series has me thinking about how much I’ve enjoyed reading the books in that series. Each book has a writer (a critic, a musician, a producer, a novelist, etc.) taking one particular album and writing about it. They’ve published 33 books so far, with almost that many more in the works over the next couple years. I’ve read 21 of them, and of those here are my 10 favorites.

1. Bill Janovitz – Exile on Main St (Continuum, 2005)
   Buffalo Tom singer Janovitz describes the greatness of this Rolling Stones classic in a really convincing, detailed way. He’s especially good at describing what the music sounds like, but also does well to place it in the context of its time.
2. Eliot Wilder – Endtroducing… (Continuum, 2005)
   This one’s unique in that Wilder chose to interview DJ SHADOW and use that interview for the bulk of the book. I’m glad all the books aren’t like this, but it works so well here, perhaps partly because hip-hop musicians (especially DJs/producers) are seldom interviewed at such length.
3. Michaelangelo Matos – Sign ‘O’ the Times (Continuum, 2004)
   Of the books that tap use the writer’s own life as the frame for looking at the album, I prefer this one over the others, as Matos manages to still keep Prince and his album as the focus while relating the place of music in listeners’ lives.
4. Kim Cooper – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Continuum, 2005)
   Kim Cooper uses her book on this Neutral Milk Hotel album to tell the story of the band itself, plus the Elephant 6 scene in general. It’s a rewarding approach, both because it’s a story never told in such detail and because Cooper also conveys the mystery and pleasure of the album itself.
5. Hugo Wilcken – Low (Continuum, 2005)
   Wilcken has to be one of the best writers of the group. His way with words shines in this book on David Bowie’s Low, but the book also offers a fascinating look into Bowie’s life at the time, and the various influences on the album.
6. Douglas Wolk – Live at the Apollo (Continuum, 2004)
   Wolk occasionally gets a bit off track with an emphasis on the Cold War that for me isn’t always all that revealing or interesting, but he also does an amazing job capturing the experience of this album, its importance, and the stories behind it.
7. Jim Fusilli – Pet Sounds (Continuum, 2005)
   Fusilli’s book is a relatively straightforward telling of the story behind the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, but he also really gets across why this album means so much to so many people.
8. Daphne Brooks – Grace (Continuum, 2005)
   The tone of Brooks’ book on Jeff Buckley’s Grace is that of an obsessed, head-over-heels fan. But that passion adds a level of excitement to the book – it almost forces you to care about Buckley and the album, and to mourn his passing.
9. Chris Ott – Unknown Pleasures (Continuum, 2004)
   This Pitchfork writer’s take on the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division impresses for how much drive and time was obviously behind his researching and writing of the book.
10. Sam Inglis – Harvest (Continuum, 2003)
    Harvest is examined for both its pleasures and its flaws, with Inglis explaining well the place of the album in Neil Young’s career.