The 33 1/3 book series, in which one album is given a book-length treatment by a writer, has finally narrowed its latest shortlist down to 11 titles. The list of approved albums–and the authors who will be taking the albums on–for the 2010-2011 roster of books after the jump: More »
After word that the final list of books being published in the latest installment of the album-per-tome 33 1/3 series would be delayed because of “economy-related goings-on,” series publisher Continuum released a 27-album shortlist on the series’ blog. The list was probably going to cause lots of head-scratching and Internet-based anger no matter what it was made up of, but its reliance on Big Albums And Artists That Stand The Maybe A Bit Rockist-Leaning Test Of Time (or, in the case of Metal Machine Music, the test of being a go-to punching bag for rock critics of all stripes) particularly rankled many members of the peanut gallery. The full list after the jump.
James Franco’s name-check of Carl Wilson’s ode to Celine Dion’s Let’s Talk About Love on the Oscars’ red carpet was an unexpected brush with the mainstream for Wilson’s tome, not to mention the 33 1/3 “book-an-album” series. Las night, Wilson appeared on The Colbert Report to discuss his book, which I am anxious to squeeze into my heavy work schedule of writing one day a week, typing my grandpa’s memoirs, thinking about starting to finish my final portfolio, and playing Fable II on my Xbox 360.
It was a good night for Idolator faves at the Oscars last night. A.R. Rahman won twice, both for his original score and for the song “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire. But you know that already. You might not know about James Franco.
When we mentioned the call for proposals by the… More »
What were the 80 most important musical recordings, artists, trends, events, and performances of 2008? What were the eight things this year that broke our hearts—or, at least, our ears? We’re happy to announce 80 ’08 (and Heartbreak), Idolator’s year-end overview. The list is below the jump.
Back when Continuum first announced its 33 1/3 series of short books about classic rock albums, I imagined a veritable explosion of styles and critical approaches that might emerge. Well, not exactly: though the series has included some fiction and some formal experiments, many of the books follow the same basic paths of close-reading, autobiography, or an ungainly combination thereof. But 2008’s crop includes what may be the two best titles the series will ever release—one is fiction, while the other combines close reading, autobiography, and a bit of formal experiment.
