Title:
Long players : writers on the albums that shaped them
Added Author:
Publication Date:
2021
Publication Information:
London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021.
Physical Description:
viii, 214 pages ; 23 cm
ISBN:
9781526625786
Abstract:
"Our favorite albums are our most faithful companions: we listen to them hundreds of times over decades, we know them far better than any novel or film. These records don't just soundtrack our lives but work their way deep inside us, shaping our outlook and identity, forging our friendships and charting our love affairs. They become part of our story. In Long Players, fifty of our finest authors write about the albums that changed their lives, from Deborah Levy on Bowie to Daisy Johnson on Lizzo, Ben Okri on Miles Davis to David Mitchell on Joni Mitchell, Sarah Perry on Rachmaninov to Bernardine Evaristo on Sweet Honey in the Rock. Part meditation on the album form and part candid self-portrait, each of these miniature essays reveals music's power to transport the listener to a particular time and place. REM's Automatic for the People sends Olivia Laing back to first love and heartbreak, Bjork's Post resolves a crisis of faith and sexuality for a young Marlon James, while Fragile by Yes instils in George Saunders the confidence to take his own creative path. This collection is an intoxicating mix of memoir and music writing, spanning the golden age of vinyl and the streaming era, and showing how a single LP can shape a writer's mind. Featuring writing from Marlon James, Ali Smith, George Saunders, Bernardine Evaristo, Ian Rankin, Rachel Kushner, Ben Okri, Patricia Lockwood, Sarah Perry, Neil Gaiman, Tracey Thorn, Clive James, Eimear McBride, Neil Tennant, Daisy Johnson, David Mitchell, Esi Edugyan, Deborah Levy, among many others." -- Book jacket.
Contents:
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie / Deborah Levy -- Ellington at Newport by Duke Ellington / Clive James -- It'll End in Tears by This Mortal Coil / Patricia Lockwood -- White Light/White Heat by the Velvet Underground / Lavinia Greenlaw -- Post by Bjork / Marlon James -- Cuz I Love You by Lizzo / Daisy Johnson -- Tindersticks by Tindersticks / Eimear Mcbride -- Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance by Ronnie Lane / Billy Bragg -- Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star by Black Star / Teju Cole -- Scarlet's Walk by Tori Amos / Sandeep Parmar -- The Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon / Kate Mossman -- Fragile by Yes / George Saunders -- Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest / Preti Taneja -- A Love Supreme by John Coltrane / John Harris -- This Year's Model by Elvis Costello / Meg Rosoff -- Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos Nos 2 and 4 performed by Sequeira Costa / Sarah Perry -- The Man-Machine by Kraftwerk / Neil Tennant -- Movements by Booka Shade / Melissa Harrison -- Give a Damn by the Johnstons / Colm Toibin -- Selections 1976-1988 by Sweet Honey in the Rock / Bernardine Evaristo -- A Symphony of Amaranths by Neil Ardley / Jonathan Coe -- Revolver by the Beatles / Alan Johnson -- Regulate G Funk Era by Warren G / Will Harris -- Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company / Bonnie Greer -- Blue by Joni Mitchell / David Mitchell -- OK Computer by Radiohead / Sarah Hall -- Cassadaga by Bright Eyes / Fiona Mozley -- Maxinquaye by Tricky / Esi Edugyan -- Sail Away by Randy Newman / David Hepworth -- Black Sunday by Cypress Hill / Joe Dunthorne -- Fresh by Sly and the Family Stone / Suzanne Moore -- Kind of Blue by Miles Davis / Ben Okri -- Automatic for the People by R.E.M. / Olivia Laing -- Mozart's Piano Concertos in D minor and A major performed by Clara Haskil / Neel Mukherjee -- Diamond Dogs by David Bowie / Neil Gaiman -- Innervisions by Stevie Wonder / Tracey Thorn -- Aquemini by Outkast / Musa Okwonga -- The B-52's by the B-52's / Mark Ellen -- Hejira by Joni Mitchell / Linda Grant -- The Colour of Spring by Talk Talk / Jason Cowley -- Astral Weeks by Van Morrison / Will Self -- A Little Deeper by Ms. Dynamite / Sabrina Mahfouz -- A Natural Disaster by Anathema / John Burnside -- Last Exit to Brooklyn by Mark Knopfler / Lionel Shriver -- Meat Is Murder by the Smiths / Daljit Nagra -- Mother Juno by the Gun Club / Rachel Kushner -- Solid Air by John Martyn / Ian Rankin -- To Bring You My Love by P J Harvey / Emily Berry -- All Around My Hat by Steeleye Span / Erica Wagner -- Various artists / Ali Smith.
Genre:
Language:
English
