I devoured Set the Night on Fire: Living, Dying, and Playing Guitar With the Doors. But I don’t think you need to be a Doors listener, a Krieger fan or even really all that much into rock and roll to enjoy this chronicle of a creative man’s history and his thoughts about life. 

Yes: A Visual Biography is a stunning example of what rock journalism should be, but so often, unfortunately, is not. For fans of Yes, the casual listener and even somebody who knows nothing about this band, this is a book so worth reading.

Yes, things do get technical here. Bjørn is writing for a specific audience who want to learn all they can about these unique instruments. But Patch & Tweak, with Moog, is a one-of-a-kind book for a one-of-a-kind musical instrument brand that has survived the test of time.

Before hitting it huge with their 1973, The Dark Side Of The Moon album, ‘The Floyd’ was undergoing a great crisis of songwriting and identity trying to extricate itself from the influence of Pink Floyd’s leader, Syd Barrett. As infamous these days for his bout with madness and then reclusiveness post his Floyd years, a cult has grown up around Barrett, with many people divided, as Kopp makes clear, over what version of the band they like best, pre or post Barrett.

From its black velvet cover, the scumptious full color pictures inside and a full read on his life and career, Gillian G. Garr provides pretty much everything you need about Jimi Hendrix, in HENDRIX: The Illustrated History. Published coinciding with what would have been the master guitarist’s 75th birthday this hard cover is a loving tribute to a man who died too young, but gave rock and roll so much.

Coming at an iconic figure like Johnny Cash from his long-time (and in some ways long-time suffering) managers point-of-view, Julie Chadwick relates a complicated and exhilarating story of Saul Holiff, in The Man Who Carried Cash. Allowed unprecedented access to Holiff from material his son handed over to Chadwick (audio tapes, correspondence, pictures) we get a glimpse here not only into what it was like for Holiff to manage ‘The Man In Black,’ and what J.C. was really like, but what the music business was like in the nascient days of rock and roll.

Harold Bronson, co-founder of Rhino Records, rock and roll writer, musician, and pretty much a late 60’s/early 70’s rock and roll diarist and historian, lays everything you ever wanted to know about the music of his generation in his latest, My British Invasion.

From Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage, to “Metal Evolution,” to “Rock Icons” Martin Popoff can speak to heavy rock music and how it affects us all.

He speaks very well indeed in his new book Rush: Album-By-Album.

If you don’t know the name, Kenny Aronoff, you are sure to know this drummer extraordinaire from seeing him sit behind John Mellencamp’s band for years (he created and played the iconic drum break in “Jack & Diane” as just one example of his work with J.M), as well as from seeing him on tour with The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Etheridge, and John Fogerty. Aronoff is that kinetic bald-headed dude with the big wild glasses pushing along most every modern popular artist you have heard in the past three decades.

Still The One: A Rock’n’Roll Journey To Congress And Back is certainly entertaining read. For those interested in the liberal side of politics there are lots in this book to please you, for those interested in the beginnings of 60’s rock, there are a goodly amount of tails here and for those who want to get to know more about John Hall, this whole book is perfect for you.