At the beginning of 2023, one of my resolutions was to read more. While this seems like a simple task, it was hard as someone who hadn’t picked up a book since sophomore year of high school. I felt hopeless and was about to give up on my resolution until I thought to start reading about the thing I love the most, music. Since then, I find myself reading all the time, overly excited to see what bands and artists I can learn about next.
Here are ten music history books that helped me fall in love with reading.
#1: Please Kill Me: the Uncensored Oral History of Punk
by Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil
First up is one of my favorites, Please Kill Me. This book follows the punk-rock movement from start to the very end. The book takes you on a trip across the U.S. and even oversees, as you learn about how bands like The Stooges, New York Dolls, Heartbreakers and Sex Pistols came to be, and with the format of an oral history, you get to read it directly from the artists themselves.
#2: Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York
by Lizzy Goodman
In my opinion, one of the most iconic periods in music was the period of Indie Sleaze. During this time, artists such as The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, Franz Ferdinand and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, rose to popularity as they took over the underground scene NYC. In Lizzy Goodman’s oral history, Meet Me in the Bathroom, you get transported through the early 2000s as you hear the tales of the some of the best bands to exist.
#3: 150 Glimpses of the Beatles
by Craig Brown
Commonly known as the original boy band, the Beatles have a rich narrative that many have tried to capture in a book. What I liked about Craig Brown’s 150 Glimpses of the Beatles, was that it was simply one hundred fifty glimpses of the Beatles. With no intro, outro, or extra text in between, it was really cool to read different stories of the band that collectively describe their history and the impact they had on the world.
#4: Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.
by Viv Albertine
As one of the very few female punk artists in the 70s, Vivianne Albertine of The Slits, has lived a wild life. In her memoir, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys., Albertine’s writing is extremely real and vulnerable. With experiences with Sid Vicious, Mick Jones and brushes with Patti Smith, Viv Albertine shares what it took for her to reach stardom and what happens after.
#5: Just Kids
by Patti Smith
Patti Smith became the queen of rock & roll poetry in the 1970s, but it wasn’t an easy journey. In this beautiful memoir, Smith writes a tell-all about how she became one of the most famous artists to come from the punk movement, while paying tribute to and honoring the man she experienced it all with, Robert Mapplethorpe.
#6: Loaded: the Life (and Afterlife) of the Velvet Underground
by Dylan Jones
Loaded by Dylan Jones tells the story of one the most influential bands, and one of my personal favorites, The Velvet Underground. Their intricate, long history is one that can only be rightfully told by those who lived during their time and the members themselves. In this book, Jones compiles a series of interviews to create a wonderful oral history to emphasize the band’s impact on music and the legacy they have left.
#7: Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer
by Bob Gruen
As someone who loves doing concert photography, I couldn’t wait to read this one. Bob Gruen is an extremely respected concert photographer, who rose to fame during the punk movement. His memoir reveals what it is like to hold so much power through a lens. Name any artist from that time period, and Gruen most likely not only photographed them, but was close friends with them as well.
#8: But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups
by Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz
Girl groups absolutely ruled the music scene in the 60s. From The Shirelles, to The Ronnettes and The Vandellas, this oral history (yes, another oral history) reveals the hardships and triumphs of being a woman in music in the 1950s and 60s.
#9: Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl
by Carrie Brownstein
Carrie Brownstein rocked the scene in the 90s with her rock group, Sleater-Kinney. Starting from her life as a child all the way to where she’s at now, Brownstein gives a vulnerable and honest outlook on her life so far.
#10: Fangirls: Scenes from Modern Music Culture
by: Hannah Ewens
Ending this list is a book dedicated to those who the bands couldn’t make it without: fans, more specifically fangirls. In her book, Ewens analyzes fan culture throughout history while interviewing fans from all over the world.
I am from Houston, Texas and currently attending the University of Houston as a marketing major! From attending concerts, playing guitar, and collecting vinyl, I love anything that has to do with music. Some of my favorite artists include The Strokes, Omar Apollo, and boygenius. Besides that, I really like shopping, watching Pitch Perfect, and discovering new places in Houston!
