Books


RECORD STORE DAYS; FROM VINYL TO DIGITAL AND BACK AGAIN Gary Calamar & Phil Gallo Sterling Publishing www.sterlingpublishing.com


This profusely illustrated, highly detailed and well- written book takes a loving and nostalgic look back at the history, heyday and changing times of the record shop


in the USA. Encompassing the history of major chains like Tower and Sam Goody’s as well as well known independents like Bleeker Bob’s and Amoeba, the authors, both music industry veterans, emphasise both the community feeling and the relaxed atmosphere that good shops fostered when they served not only as information exchanges and community centres but often no less than launching pads for numerous bands and record labels. The great record stores that sprang up across


America reflected not only the evolution of the country but revolutions in culture as well. This is well documented as the authors trace the growth and then gradual decline of an industry that became inextricably entwined in the fabric of the 20th century.This is not to say that the text is dry and factual – nothing could be further from the case. This nostalgic and lively anthology is packed full of photos of now defunct shops like the wonderful Village Music in Mill Valley, California where the owner John Goddard decorated the walls and even the ceiling with vintage Fillmore and Avalon posters and other memorabilia, and was


happy to while away the hours talking about John Cipollina. The book is littered throughout by fascinating


little sidebars which contain an astounding range of anecdotes and memorable and often humorous quotes from a vast range of musicians, music industry executives, former record store owners and of course customers. I have been lucky enough to have visited many of the stores mentioned in the book and on entering would always experience that frisson of anticipation that Aladdin must have felt when entering his cave. Reading this brings it all back and makes you wish you could have visited many more. It captures the essence of what the record collecting experience was all about in the last 50 years. It makes you sad for what has been lost but is also a tribute to what was truly good. Pat Curran


WE NEVER LEARN: THE GUNK PUNK UNDERGUT, 1988–2001 Eric Davidson Backbeat Books


www.backbeatbooks.com


When I was a youngster we called it garage-punk. Eric Davidson, singer of The New Bomb Turks, calls it gunk punk. Other people no doubt have their own names for it. Since the tailing off


of the original era of real rock ’n’ roll in the late ’60s, when music started


going crappy and psychedelic (an opinion not


necessarily endorsed by this magazine’s editorial staff! - Ed), there have been plenty of bands sticking to their guns, not going with current trends. Amongst these were bands who looked to sounds of the past but who were not trying to sound authentically ’60s garage, not trying to sound original ’50s rockabilly or whatever – they were not regular straight forward punk rock either. They took ’50s rock ’n’ roll, R&B, ’60s garage, ’70s punk and powerpop and made something new out of it – something exciting, loud, passionate and, above all, fun. I say “were”, but it’s an underground scene that


continues to this day, despite attempts by the mainstream to co-opt it during the early years of the last decade. The more palatable of the bands became trendy for a short while but the die-hards (which is most of them) carry on regardless. This highly readable book looks at some of the


main figures of the ’90s, interviewing many of them, and gives a good overview of the scene. It is an interesting and gripping read for those who were there at the time, as well as those who are hearing the music for the first time (a code for free downloads is included with each copy). The subject has been written about in a


thousand fanzines, back in the days before the internet, but this is the first book to be written about this music. A sound whose influence is far wider reaching than most people realise or, indeed, 99% (and that’s an under-estimate) of so- called music journalists care to admit. I’ve been listening to this music for a very long


time and even I learned a thing or two. But mostly, this book is tons of fun, whether you’re an aficionado or a newcomer. PJ Crittenden


Zines


Bananas Magazine is a brand new newsprint ’zine that features art from our very own Christophe Lopez-Huici. Style wise, it’s very much in the ’90s garage/punk mode, somewhere between Cryptic Times


and Maximum R ’n’ R. The ethos of Tim Warren is loud and clear, which is funny to me as it is always sounds like a nerd pretending to be uneducated and tough. Still, it’s the American punk-rock way and features on vintage porn, cocktails and new garage and punk music, including an interview with Eric Davidson about his book on ’90s garage-rock, make for an interesting read. A nice old-fashioned affair all round. bananasmagazine@gmail.com Speaking of which, Ugly Things continues in the


manner in which it set sail 27 years ago. In the editorial of #30 Mike Stax muses on how many periodicals have come and gone, and how Ugly Things continues as a proper fanzine with him and his friends writing about the music they love.We wouldn’t have it any other way.The newsprint, rudimentary layout and odd covers are always honest; the mile long features incredibly thorough, leaving no stone unturned. Why mend a formula when it ain’t broke? This issue features a huge Kinks story (which went to press just before Pete Quaife’s untimely death), Oz legends The Masters Apprentices, Dutch freaks Q65 and post- Timebox clever boys Patto. In depth? You bet. Heartfelt? Always. If you read Shindig! you cannot be without Ugly Things. But you knew that anyway. www.ugly-things.com Jon ‘Mojo’ Mills


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