Beastie Boys Book
Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz
Allen & Unwin
Given that I have only recently covered the influence the Beastie Boys exerted on me during my formative years, it is high time to finally feature their 600 pages strong, comprehensive chronicle of the band.
In essence, the book is not unlike a Beastie Boy album in that it is a mesh-up of different genres and styles, i.e. essays, liner notes, catalogue of memorabilia and artworks as well as a memoir of sorts with the narrators being mainly the two surviving members, following the untimely departure of Adam Yauch.
Thematically quite a bit of ground is covered, centred around themes like the bond they shared, inclusion, the agnosticism with which they approached genres and styles and what informed their antics, with a welcome yet at times overstated, omnipresent sense of remorse for their less sensible borderline frat boy days.
The book describes the lives of three middle-class teenagers who were socialised with punk rock to then morph into a hip hop act inspired by a collaboration with Rick Rubin that created the foundation for not only created a three decade long successful career but the fallout of which launched them into propelling their creativity into a cosmos of their own.
Given the attention to detail and at times brilliant writing, it is no wonder that it took four years to compile: Aesthetically and content-wise, the tome seems to be deliberately put together like a mixtape with bits driving into different directions, varied in style and fragmented with at times only the namedropping of song or album titles giving an indication of the timely context.
Needless to say, it would not be a book penned by the Beastie Boys if it was not for components that seem to be aimed at messing with the reader, which adds to the appeal as there a quite a few easter eggs to be discovered even for the aficionado.
The Treasures of Queen: A Celebration of the Band, Recordings and Concerts
Harry Doherty
Allen & Unwin
There is not exactly a shortage of rock music enthusiasts that would not have a problem with attesting that Queen is one of the biggest bands this earthround has ever seen, not merely by merit of their accolade decorated success history, backed by numbers and superlatives in terms of sales and chart topping hits, but in terms of musicianship, charisma and for the way they pushed boundaries.
The Treasures of Queen: A Celebration of the Band, Recordings and Concerts is a telling name for a book that does exactly that, i.e. celebrating the legacy of an all-time great band in a manner that has been officially approved and endorsed by the band.
Light is shed on both footage and stories what are widely known as well as rarer photos from the early days and unique pieces of memorabilia sourced from the private collections of Queen's members, flanked by photography that rounds out the opulently illustrated book.
While it could be argued that the book is not exactly on par with the brilliant one that came with the vinyl collection boxset and die-hard fans might question for the need for this one, it is nonetheless an excellent book, especially for the uninitiated.
