Recommended Reading: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop
This sounds like my kind of book. From Salon:
What goes into making a timeless popular song? That’s what longtime music journalist Marc Myers went looking for in 2011 when he began a Wall Street Journal column called “Anatomy of a Song.” The column has now become a book, released today and subtitled “The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop.”
The Clash song “London Calling,” the title (and leadoff) track to one of the greatest albums in rock history, appears at No. 40, near the book’s end. To understand how the 1979 song came together, Myers tracked down the band’s guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones, its bassist Paul Simon and Clash drummer Topper Headon. (Singer and co-writer Joe Strummer and producer Guy Stevens are both deceased.)
Salon spoke to Myers, who is the author of the book “Why Jazz Happened” and the blogger behind JazzWax.com, who was at his home in New York.
Read the interview here.
Great list of 45 songs – but no Beatles.