Top Five Books
1. Can’t Stop, Won’t StopJeff Chang (St Martin’s Press)
Starting in Yankee Stadium’s bleachers and ending at a Seattle WTO protest, Chang’s meticulous, cynicism-free reflection on hip-hop is an imaginative, free-associative wonder that’s more than a book about rap — it’s a moving, ambitious story about the transformative powers of culture.
2. Led Zeppelin IV
Erik Davis (Continuum Int’l)
An elegant, mindbogglingly researched salute to Zep’s elusive fourth album, so vast in scope — exploring occultism and media theory one second, fishy groupie scandals and Bonzo’s sumo clobber the next — it’s amazing this all fits in a book barely larger than an iPod.
3. Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984
Simon Reynolds (Faber & Faber)
Focusing on still-revered, genre-busting bands like Talking Heads, Devo and Gang of Four, this import traces how big-brained art-school renegades bridged the gap between ragged ’70s punk and made-for-MTV pop.
4. Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco
Peter Shapiro (Faber & Faber)
Combating the caricature of disco as one big coke-fueled fashion faux-pas, Shapiro traces ’70s dance music’s roots in soul and sociology, revealing more depth and subtlety than KC and the Sunshine Band’s oeuvre might suggest.
5. Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke
Peter Guralnick (Little, Brown)
The story of this soul legend’s meteoric rise and sordid fall serves as a history of R&B and the struggles of black musicians writ small. But, at 700 pages, not that small.
