Like I said last week, there will be just three more articles posted on www.ElvisBlog.net before this blog moves to email direct delivery that I send. Actually, I am going to stretch it out a bit. While there is still a wider audience, I’ll mix in some posts about stuff I’d like to sell.
Most of it will be Elvis goodies from my Fuzzy Room, but this time it will be great Rock & Roll books I collected over the years. If your interest in music reaches beyond just Elvis, you may find some books here that interest you.
The Roots & Rhythm Guide to Rock
This book contains 304 pages of brief profiles of hundreds of rock artists, plus thumbnail descriptions of every significant album they made. At the back, there are 78 pages of rock anthologies – album collections of various artists, some with a particular theme, like The Best of Do-Wop Ballads. This book touts itself as the most comprehensive guide to the golden age of rock and roll.
$10 to US locations; probably double that to Canada. That includes packaging and shipping costs. Nothing to add.
Hollywood Rock
Marshall Crenshaw is a songwriter, guitarist and singer who had a couple of hits in the 80s. He also is a student of rock & roll music in the movies. In his book he reviews over 300 movies with plot summaries, notable quotes, and description of every rock song in the movie. He also has a rating system showing his opinion of the overall music content. He is opinionated, but it is a very fun, interesting read.
$8 to US locations. Double to Canada (same on every book here). Shipping costs are on me.
The Heart of Rock & Soul
The subtitle tells it all – “The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.” That is according to the author Dave Marsh, a famous rock writer. Marsh is very opinionated in explaining his selections. It starts off with “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye as his #1 choice and counts on down the list. Elvis made the list fourteen times, with “Mystery Train” coming in the highest at # 12. This is a fun read through the entire 717 pages.
$10. This book is heavy and I’m eating a lot of shipping cost on it.
Rock On: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock N’ Roll
I have looked up stuff in this book so frequently that it is showing some signs of wear, but that means this valuable reference source is available for cheap. It covers the 50s and early 60s, and includes profiles of over 1,000 artists. It lists the members of every group, how every artist or group got started, and a list of hits, release date and record label. 672 pages. Frankie Valli is quoted on the cover sleeve, “Absorbing and entertaining… a book to read through or dip into at random.” He’s right.
$8. Shipping is probably going to cost me half of that.
Rock Facts
The subtitle is, “The inside story on over 1,500 of rock& roll’s best kept secrets.” If you like trivia, you will love this book. It’s amazing that someone could dig up all this obscure stuff. For example, on page 1 we learn that four #1 songs had just three letters in the title: Why – Frankie Avalon, War – Edwin Starr, ABC – Jackson 5, and Ben – Michael Jackson. They’ve got all kind of things like that. You’ll keep busy for a long time reading all this trivia.
$10. Canada is double because there is no book rate to there.
Feel Like Going Home
Peter Guralnick is one of the foremost rock authors. He has done three books on Elvis. In this book he covers both blues and rock. There is a long chapter on the early years of rock & roll, citing both the good and bad elements. He voices some pretty strong opinions. Then there are chapters on Elvis, Sun records, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chess Records. The blues gets a similar treatment – a lengthy history plus portraits of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and others.
$8
The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums
This is not only a wonderful reference book, it is intriguing reading. Organized by recording artist, it lists the album name, when it first charted, how high it rose on the Billboard charts, and the number of weeks it stayed there. Bonus info includes the titles of any hit songs that came from each album, and the names of the members of every group plus when and where they were formed. This book was published in 1987, so it has nothing about albums after that.
$8
Roots of Rock
24 early rock stars from Bill Haley to Chubby Checker are profiled in articles that previously were published in Goldmine magazine (for record collectors). There are interviews, history, editorial opinion, and more. It is especially relevant for record collectors with listing of the most collectible 45 and most collectible album for each artist.
$12. This is a bigger, heavier book.
This is a superbly crafted coffee-table book produced by seven leading music writers. It’s in like-new condition. Starting in 1955, the authors cover 380 albums by 300 artists. They give history, opinion, and over 1,000 excellent color photographs of the album covers and the artists. Readers will learn so much from this book.
$15. This is an even bigger and heavier book. Gonna cost me a lot for shipping.
If you want one or more of these books, let me know by email at philarnold@charter.net. Please don’t put it in Comments. Indicate if you want a PayPal invoice, and I’ll get one right out. If you’d rather pay by check, I’ll hold the book for you until it arrives.
I appreciate the support you’ve given in earlier sales, so I hope it works for books, too.
Speaking of sending checks, here’s a reminder. If you wish to keep reading ElvisBlog after it goes static online, please send a check for $10 to
Phil Arnold
159 Browning Dr.
Greer, SC 29650
Do that and you will be getting 100 ElvisBlog posts sent by me direct to your email.
Responses have been coming in at a slow pace, so a few extra posts about Elvis goodies will give more time to make sure every reader understands that ElvisBlog as you have known it online is about to end..
2 responses to “Rock & Roll Books for Sale”