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101 Books on Music

A deeply non-exhaustive list of one hundred and one books on the history, science, and cultures of music.
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A General History of Music: From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period (Charles Burney)
A General History of Music: From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period
1
Charles Burney
Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres (Kelefa Sanneh)
Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres
2
Kelefa Sanneh
Musicophilia (Oliver Sacks)
Musicophilia
3
Oliver Sacks
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century (Alex Ross)
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century
4
Alex Ross
How Music Works (John Powell)
How Music Works
5
John Powell
Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta (Robert Palmer)
Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta
6
Robert Palmer
Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom
Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom
7
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk (Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain)
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
8
Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain
Language of the Spirit: An Introduction to Classical Music (Jan Swafford)
Language of the Spirit: An Introduction to Classical Music
9
Jan Swafford
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation (Jeff Chang)
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
10
Jeff Chang
Jazz (Bob Blumenthal)
Jazz
11
Bob Blumenthal
Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge (Mark Yarm)
Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge
12
Mark Yarm
Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution
Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution
13
England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock (Jon Savage)
England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock
14
Jon Savage
Nothin' but a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s American Hard Rock Explosion (Tom Beaujour, Richard Bienstock)
Nothin' but a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s American Hard Rock Explosion
15
Tom Beaujour, Richard Bienstock
Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me (Steven Hyden)
Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me
16
Steven Hyden
Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978-1984 (Simon Reynolds)
Rip It Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978-1984
17
Simon Reynolds
How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy (Stephen Richard Witt)
How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy
18
Stephen Richard Witt
Latin Jazz: The Other Jazz (Christopher Washburne)
Latin Jazz: The Other Jazz
19
Christopher Washburne
The Hip Hop Wars (Tricia Rose)
The Hip Hop Wars
20
Tricia Rose
How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder From World War II to Hip-Hop (Dave Tompkins)
How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder From World War II to Hip-Hop
21
Dave Tompkins
Singing in My Soul: Black Gospel Music in a Secular Age (Jerma A. Jackson)
Singing in My Soul: Black Gospel Music in a Secular Age
22
Jerma A. Jackson
Jazz: A History of America's Music (Ken Burns)
Jazz: A History of America's Music
23
Ken Burns
A History of Opera (Carolyn Abbate & Roger Parker)
A History of Opera
24
Carolyn Abbate & Roger Parker
Why Classical Music Still Matters (Lawrence Kramer)
Why Classical Music Still Matters
25
Lawrence Kramer
Lords of Chaos (Moynihan & Soderlind)
Lords of Chaos
26
Moynihan & Soderlind
33 Revolutions Per Minute (Dorian Lynskey)
33 Revolutions Per Minute
27
Dorian Lynskey
Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City (Christopher Washburne)
Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City
28
Christopher Washburne
Yeah Yeah Yeah (Bob Stanley)
Yeah Yeah Yeah
29
Bob Stanley
It Came From Memphis (Robert Gordon)
It Came From Memphis
30
Robert Gordon
Reggae, Rasta, Revolution: Jamaican Music From Ska to Dub (Chris Potash)
Reggae, Rasta, Revolution: Jamaican Music From Ska to Dub
31
Chris Potash
The Hip Hop Years: A History of Rap (Alex Ogg)
The Hip Hop Years: A History of Rap
32
Alex Ogg
From the Velvets to the Voidoids: A Pre-Punk History for a Post-Punk World (Clinton Heylin)
From the Velvets to the Voidoids: A Pre-Punk History for a Post-Punk World
33
Clinton Heylin
Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock (John Harris)
Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock
34
John Harris
But Beautiful (Geoff Dyer)
But Beautiful
35
Geoff Dyer
Rhythm-A-Ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation in the '80s (Gary Giddins)
Rhythm-A-Ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation in the '80s
36
Gary Giddins
Finding the Raga: An Improvisation on Indian Music (Amit Chaudhuri)
Finding the Raga: An Improvisation on Indian Music
37
Amit Chaudhuri
In the Country of Country (Nicholas Dawidoff)
In the Country of Country
38
Nicholas Dawidoff
A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America (Craig Werner)
A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America
39
Craig Werner
Sounds and Sweet Airs (Anna Beer)
Sounds and Sweet Airs
40
Anna Beer
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