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33 1/3 Series Paperbacks

analog_tapeanalog_tape 604 Posts
edited April 2010 in Strut Central
Has anyone picked up any of the 33 1/3 series paperbacks? I own the Paul Boutique and was looking to get the Illmatic and Entroducing copies.

  Comments

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,029 Posts
    Analog: Get Carl Wilson's book on Celine Dion. I know what you're thinking - I thought it too - but it's one of the best books I've ever read about musical taste. It won't turn you into a Dion fan but it will (likely) make you think a little differently about music appreciation.
  • analog_tapeanalog_tape 604 Posts
    Damm your up early, listen i'm sure it would but right now i'm just wondering about the 33 1/3 issue of Entroducing. have you read it?

    I just read a review on Carl Wilson's book on Celine Dion maybe i'll grab that too, if I don't like it i'll give it to my mother
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,029 Posts
    I haven't read the Endtroducing, nor Illmatic books.
  • dukeofdelridgedukeofdelridge urgent.monkey.mice 2,453 Posts
    first one I read was the Paul's Boutique one. I enjoyed it. Next one was Endtroducing. I didn't enjoy it. PM me your address and I'll send it to you.
  • pknypkny 549 Posts
    I didn't enjoy the one for Sabbath's "Master of Reality", but the one for Slayer's "Reign in Blood" was pretty good.
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    I've read the Endtroducing book, and while good, it felt to me like extensive liner notes rather than something investigative, even though I do realize the 33 1/3 series doesn't have to be written a specific way.

    I once submitted an idea for the series, but didn't make the cut. Maybe next time.
  • LokoOneLokoOne 1,823 Posts
    The entroducing one is good, more of a Q&A format with Shadow talking about his production methods (at that time), Paris ripping him off for beats, bg on his musical taste and growing up etc. Not much science dropped on records he used etc but he does talk about equipment and production tricks so theres some good knowledge.

    The Low End Theory one sucks, becuase the writer makes it all about him and you get half the book full of personal anecdotes from the writer...which no one gives a fuck about...
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts

    The Low End Theory one sucks, becuase the writer makes it all about him and you get half the book full of personal anecdotes from the writer...which no one gives a fuck about...

    If that's how you feel, do NOT read the Let It Be (Replacements) one!!
  • PunditPundit 438 Posts
    i got the double nickels one and didn't enjoy it.
  • CosmophonicCosmophonic 1,172 Posts
    Anyone read the Bowie one?
  • MjukisMjukis 1,675 Posts

    The Low End Theory one sucks, becuase the writer makes it all about him and you get half the book full of personal anecdotes from the writer...which no one gives a fuck about...

    There's a LET like that too? Cause that's what I heard about the Peoples Instinctive Travels book.

    I thought the Endtroducing one was okay. Pauls Boutique was great, except a bunch of the pages near the end was blank? Just my copy I guess. Albums like PB are made for this kind of thing, since it's about kids going crazy, doing drugs, playing pranks and burning through record company money. Endtroducing is an album made by a guy in a basement basically, so it's apples and oranges.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I'm interested to hear more about the Shadow-Paris thing, and shan't be buying the book. So if anyone wants to let off a couple here or start a new thread, that'd be awse.
  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts

    The Low End Theory one sucks, becuase the writer makes it all about him and you get half the book full of personal anecdotes from the writer...which no one gives a fuck about...

    If that's how you feel, do NOT read the Let It Be (Replacements) one!!

    Holy crap. WORST "BOOK" EVER. Grabbed it for a buck at a library sale, it's so bad it makes me feel like I wasted ten times the buck. Horrible.
  • fountain16fountain16 93 Posts
    Just finished the one on Bigstar's Radio City. it was quite good. lots of info about their recording techniques and Ardent studio in general.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Analog: Get Carl Wilson's book on Celine Dion. I know what you're thinking - I thought it too - but it's one of the best books I've ever read about musical taste. It won't turn you into a Dion fan but it will (likely) make you think a little differently about music appreciation.
  • ScottScott 420 Posts
    Ditto the above comments. The Celine Dion and Paul's Boutique books are great, since there's so much back story to both albums.

    And they're cheap to add to an online order.
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    How does one even get to knowing that the Celine Dion book is supposedly good?
  • UnherdUnherd 1,880 Posts
    The Dion book is great, even if it gets dangerously close to overly-analytical naval gazing at times. Obviously it discusses her music quite a bit, but its much more about the subjective nature of music appreciation, and what it says about certain polarizing types of music that so many people can love it, and yet so many other people can absolutely detest it.

    Having read this thread, it seems like it might be pretty different from the others in the series. Unless I'm mistaken, it never gets very deep into the recording process or inspiration behind the songs, beyond just touching on how it relates to his thesis. Anyway, recommended quick read..
  • chrisflyerchrisflyer 275 Posts

    The Low End Theory one sucks, becuase the writer makes it all about him and you get half the book full of personal anecdotes from the writer...which no one gives a fuck about...

    If that's how you feel, do NOT read the Let It Be (Replacements) one!!

    Holy crap. WORST "BOOK" EVER. Grabbed it for a buck at a library sale, it's so bad it makes me feel like I wasted ten times the buck. Horrible.



    came in here to hatt on the Let It Be one, and the job was already done.
  • asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
    The Celine Dion book was seriously amazing, put aside your preconceptions and just read it. It's relevant to any music fan of any genre, seriously.

    I also read the books on Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation and Steely Dan's Aja and didn't like them nearly as much. The Aja book was heavy on the music theory talk, so if you are good with that you might get more out of it that I did with my self taught level of musicianship. The Sonic Youth book was just bad.
  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts

    The Low End Theory one sucks, becuase the writer makes it all about him and you get half the book full of personal anecdotes from the writer...which no one gives a fuck about...

    If that's how you feel, do NOT read the Let It Be (Replacements) one!!

    Holy crap. WORST "BOOK" EVER. Grabbed it for a buck at a library sale, it's so bad it makes me feel like I wasted ten times the buck. Horrible.



    came in here to hatt on the Let It Be one, and the job was already done.

    haha, to be honest, I didn't hate that book. it actually reminded me much of my teenage years which took place in the same era as the book and touched on many things I dealt with myself. I liked the exploration of having musical "mentors" and what kind of escape music is at that age - hell, it was almost like a novelized adaptation of "Sixteen Blue" from the Let It Be album ... I just went into it expecting some great Replacements anecdotes and the story behind the album, and instead got memoirs of the author at the age of 15 ... don't agree that it's the worst book ever, just very misleading.
  • finelikewinefinelikewine "ONCE UPON A TIME, I HAD A VINYL." http://www.discogs.com/user/permabulker 1,416 Posts
    Thanks for the recommendations. I just ordered the Beastie Boys & Celin Dion book together with David Foster's "Hitman", which has been ferventy suggested by Odub some time ago.
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