New additions to my overburdened bookshelves...
Johnny Rotten's Scrapbook: this massive, 14" x 14", velveteen boxed, 250+ page monster is (to quote from the website) "an exciting and intimate journey through John Lydon’s life, from inception to now, in high quality pictures and hand written text commentary." Limited to 750 signed and numbered copies and priced at a wallet-busting 450 pounds, it is quite the museum piece. Chock full of photos, personalized with individual hand-drawn sketches, with a 12" vinyl record of Public Image material glued to the back cover... who would have thought the guy who belted out "I am an anarchist!" would one day be doing a coffee table book. I'm still in the examination phase, but it's kind of overwhelming. Which I suspect was the point... (ordering info at www.concertlive.co.uk/mrrottensscrapbook).
Hammer Films, The Unsung Heroes: this hefty paperback examines "the team behind the legend" at Hammer, with chapters devoted to every craft from production design to sound recordist to wardrobe to the assistant directors. I have been endlessly fascinated with Hammer's horror films since I was a kid, so I find this behind-the-scenes stuff compelling... but those without a burning passion may get a little lost in the weeds. Lots of great backstage photos and info...
Fuzz, Acid and Flowers - A Comprehensive Guide to American Garage Progressive And Hippie-Rock 1963-1977 (Expanded Edition): "Expanded" undersells this project. Because this is a BOOK. 1400 pages (!) devoted to exactly what the cover promises. Illustrated with hundreds (thousands?) of album covers, biographical tidbits, recording info... if you have any interest in this era and would like a back-breakingly heavy encyclopedia to help you navigate the waters, this is for you. As for me, I'm currently searching for the album by the Unbeatables, "Live At Palisades Park." And I'm sure as I continue plowing through this book my want list will grow...
The Acid Archives (second edition): Similar to the above, but clocking in at a mere 400 pages, here's a pile of acid music, all reviewed and illustrated with tons of color album photos. So much music, so little time...
