We recently asked Bento Araujo, author of the recent Lindo Sonho Delirante, if he had any favorite music biographies, memoirs, or music books, or if he had read anything recently that he’d like to recommend. Here’s what Bento had to say.
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Krautrocksampler
by Julian Cope
Back in the 90s, this pocketbook was such a revelation for me in many ways. I discovered the whole soon-to-be-cult Krautrock scene and also that Julian is a great music writer. So I hugely recommended this one, the Japrocksampler (about the post-war Japanese rock ‘n’ roll) and the mighty Copendium (a compilation of his reviews and essays for his own website, Head Heritage). I bought my first edition of Krautrocksampler at eBay, many years ago. It was expensive but worth every penny.
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Psychedelia: 101 Iconic Underground Rock Albums 1966–1970
by Richard Morton Jack
This book was released last year, some months after my book, Lindo Sonho Delirante, and both bring the same subject: psychedelic rock music. Richard is like a hero for all of us, since he released books like Endless Trip, Galactic Ramble and the Flashback magazine. This one brings 101 iconic psych albums from around the globe, with most bands from UK and US, but also a few from “exotic” places like Peru, Israel and Brazil. The fact that I help the author with his Os Mutantes research bring me a lot of happiness.
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Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play
By Ben Watson
Frank Zappa’s music is not an easy listening and this 620 page tome is not an easy read, fusing musical analysis, cultural criticism and biography. Like Zappa’s “project-object” itself, it’s a dense and fascinating universe. Watson uplifts the reader to a higher plane of Zappa appreciation. There are many books about Frank, but this one is the best so far.
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Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards:
Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor
by Al Kooper with Ben Edmonds
Yes, this one is a classic, first published in 1977. Kooper was always there, in the eye of the storm, so this book is not just a rockstar memoir, but an inside look at the evolution of rock ‘n’ roll. I found my original copy throw away in one corner of the huge Amoeba Records, in San Francisco.
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Jazz-Rock Fusion:
The People, The Music
by Julie Coryell and Laura Friedman
Back in the seventies, the fusion scene was huge in Brazil, and this was like the jazz-rock bible for Brazilian musicians and music lovers. Lots of amazing photos and interviews with a who’s who from the jazz-rock golden era. Airto Moreira and Flora Purim are there too, so we are really proud about it. The authors are also great: Laura was a jazz photographer and Julie was Larry Coryell’s wife.
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Free: Heavy Load
By David Clayton and Todd K. Smith
A labour of love, dedicated to one of the most underrated rock groups of all time. I love Free and their awesome guitar player, Paul Kossoff, and it’s really a shame that the mega hit “All Right Now” outshined either their amazing body of work and legacy as a rock ‘n’ soul band. Lovingly researched and compiled by fans, for fans.
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