Long time listener, first time caller

[Maarten]

Books about albums.

looks interesting! but it being a series makes me wonder about the quality of the writing. how is it, overall?

and hello mojo!
my favourite albums so far are the new ones by the shins and by patrick wolf.

[worpswede]

looks interesting! but it being a series makes me wonder about the quality of the writing. how is it, overall?

I only have Joe Pernice doing Meat Is Murder, and I could recommend that one. It's fiction, but from what I understand each one is different. To that point, quality is probably an issue and that's been acknowledged by some posts here. I was going to pick up a book based on my own love affair with the subject matter, but now I think I'm going to look at the consensus before forking over the cash.
Example: I'd put the Replacements Let It Be over Aeroplane, especially considering that Meloy wrote it, but after reading the comment on it here, I think I'd start with the book on the Hotel.
But changing gears Maarten: aren't you stoked about Mark E. Smith's autobiography (supposedly) coming out later this year?

[Maarten]

Mark E. Smith's autobiography (supposedly) coming out later this year?

oh, didn't know that was coming up, will be nice to hear everything from the horse's mouth! i would like a signed&puked over copy.

i'm afraid if i start buying one of those 33 1/3 books, i won't be able to stop. but this must be a joke ?

[Lep]

i'm afraid if i start buying one of those 33 1/3 books, i won't be able to stop. but this must be a joke ?

The Carl Wilson writing the book, according to this Web site, is an editor and critic at The Globe and Mail in Toronto.

[hebrew hammer]

about Mark E. Smith's autobiography (supposedly) coming out later this year?

If that's true, I would pay any amount of money to hear Smith read it aloud.

[33ThirdSeries]

Hi - I'm Wendy, I do the publicity for the 33 1/3 Series. I've been reading this thread b/c it keeps showing up on my Google alerts, and I just had to chime in here to explain about the Carl Wilson book on Celine Dion. It's not a joke, although I agree that it totally seems like it could be! When David (Barker, the editor and series creator) first brought it up we were all umm, a little surprised. Until he explained. B/c it isn't one of the here's-how-we-made-our-album 33 1/3s (as any of you who've read more than a couple of the series know, there is a large spectrum of approaches within the series), it has a very different angle.

Here's the description I have:

Non-fans regard Céline Dion as ersatz and plastic, yet to those who love her, no one could be more real, with her impoverished childhood, her (creepy) manager-husband’s struggle with cancer, her knack for howling out raw emotion. There’s nothing cool about Céline Dion, and nothing clever. That’s part of her appeal as an object of love or hatred — with most critics and committed music fans taking pleasure (or at least geeky solace) in their lofty contempt. This book documents Carl Wilson’s brave and unprecedented year-long quest to fi nd his inner Céline Dion fan, and explores how we defi ne ourselves in the light of what we call good and bad, what we love and what we hate.

Carl is Canadian, and I guess he was just curious about why so many of his fellow countrymen were batty for this musician that he (an excellent and well respected music critic with a great blog http://www.zoilus.com/) couldn't stand. Personally I'm very excited to read this one, I suspect it will be very interesting and quite funny!

For more information about the 33 1/3 Series, you should all check out David Barker's blog:

http://33third.blogspot.com/

[miss carol]

Hi Wendy. I'm in Toronto and participated in a blog exchangein March 2005 with Carl Wilson ing which we countered the CBC's essential top 50 Canadian songs. The effort was hosted by Fat Citizen of Pregnant Without Intercourseand inlcuded the National Post’s Aaron Wherry, the Ottawa Citizen’s Peter Simpson, and MF from this board. Wilson was reknown for this lengthy contributions. It does not surprise me that he took on Dion, but I'm not sure I have the stomach to find out why. As you may have read, I've begun collecting the books/CDs, and reading and listening in tandem.

[Lep]

umm, Miss C, maybe we should explain to Wendy what the joke is. No offense, Wendy, thanks for chiming in.

[33ThirdSeries]

Ah yes, the dead beach boy Carl Wilson... well, all I can say is that if I could pick a dead musician to write a 33 1/3, he's not it. But god only knows what he'd have to say about Miss Celine...

[thinsafetypin]

hmmm... i'm not sure about celine's "knack for howling out raw emotion." it sounds like an interesting topic, nonetheless. i might check it out if i ever get around to reading the pernice one that's already collecting dust on my shelf (not by any merit or lack thereof, simply because i haven't gotten around to starting it).