Sweet, Wild and Vicious: Listening to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground
By Jim Higgins
paperback $20.00
ISBN 979-8-9879891-5-9

From the time he began recording with the Velvet Underground in the 1960s until his death in 2013, Lou Reed released nearly 50 original albums. In Sweet, Wild and Vicious, Jim Higgins delves into each one, with descriptions, details, analysis and appraisals that will amplify and expand fans’ understanding and appreciation of them.

This listener's guide is personal as well as definitive, a thoughtful consideration of Reed's entire career from the perspective of a devoted follower able to separate the highs from the lows.

Zip It Up! The Best of Trouser Press Magazine 1974 - 1984
paperback $25.00
ISBN 979-8-9898283-0-2

This 440-page large-format paperback collects more than 90 of the best articles — profiles, interviews and histories — that appeared in the magazine fans have called “the bible of alternative rock” but had a broader mission than that.

Annotated with recollections and reflections on the changing times, the ridiculous business of independent magazine publishing and the colorful, complicated artists — illustrated with cartoons, covers, documents and ads from the Trouser Press archive — Zip It Up! is vintage rock journalism of a form that is no longer widely practiced: features heavy on historical detail and lengthy, probing interviews, all written with wit, intelligence and a willful expression of opinions and values.

Available from Trouser Press Books:

Backstage & Beyond Vol. 1: 45 Years of Classic Rock Chats & Rants
By Jim Sullivan
paperback $25.00
ISBN 979-8-9856589-8-9

Jim Sullivan has written for the Boston Globe and many other outlets. Volume 1 of his anthology focuses on artists who came to prominence in the 1950s and ’60s, 21 of whom are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These fascinating, occasionally hair-raising profiles cover Jerry Lee Lewis, Ian Hunter, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Nico, Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry, Robert Fripp, Peter Gabriel, Warren Zevon, Pete Townshend, the Kinks, Ginger Baker, Leonard Cohen, Marianne Faithfull, John Fogerty, Tina Turner, Neil Young, Richard Thompson, Darlene Love, Alice Cooper, J. Geils Band, Aerosmith, Motörhead, George Clinton, Tangerine Dream, Joan Baez, k.d lang and Roy Orbison.

Backstage & Beyond Vol. 2: 45 Years of Modern Rock Chats & Rants
By Jim Sullivan
paperback $25.00
ISBN 979-8-9879891-0-4

The second volume of award-winning journalist Jim Sullivan’s anthology covers punk, new wave and post-punk artists who came to fame in the ’70s and ’80s: the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash, Patti Smith, Buzzcocks, Damned, Fall, Joy Division / New Order, Cure, Stiff Little Fingers, Gang of Four, Pogues, Police, Cramps, David Byrne / Talking Heads, Beastie Boys, Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, Cars, English Beat, Morrissey, Pixies, Mission of Burma, Feelies, Puff Daddy, Spiritualized, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Swans, U2

Time Has Come Today: Rock and Roll Diaries 1967-2007
By Harold Bronson
hardcover $30.00
ISBN: 979-8-9879891-2-8

Before co-founding Rhino Records in 1970s, Harold Bronson was a devoted rock and roll fan, a writer for Rolling Stone and a record store manager. After meeting and interviewing many of the era’s greats, he worked with many of those same artists to bring their old (sometimes new) music to the public.

Time Has Come Today is a 40-year memoir, in diary form, of concerts, historical events and meetings with many noted hitmakers. This unique document is packed with dates and details and loaded with stars — from Herman’s Hermits and the Monkees to Kiss — as you’ve never read about them before. 

Music in a Word Volume 1: Fifty Years on a Rock and Roll Soapbox
By Ira Robbins
paperback $20.00
ISBN 978-0-9842539-7-5

This anthology-cum-memoir by veteran music journalist Ira Robbins assembles articles, essays, previously unpublished interviews, album and concert reviews plus colorful recollections. Subjects include John Lydon, Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen, Ice Cube, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Cure, Liz Phair, Michael Jackson, T. Rex, the B-52's, Isaac Hayes, Elvis Presley, Jethro Tull, J. Geils, Public Enemy, David Bowie, R.E.M., Phil Collins, Linda Ronstadt, Pavement, Kirsty MacColl, Billy Joel, Tears for Fears, Julian Cope, Ian McCulloch and much more.

Music in a Word Volume 2: Fandom and Fascinations
By Ira Robbins
paperback $20.00
ISBN 978-0-9842539-8-2

A career-long collection of profiles, reviews, memories, previously unpublished interviews and more about nine favorite acts: The Who, Cheap Trick, Kinks, Clash, Ramones, Nirvana, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards/Rolling Stones, Replacements

Music in a Word Volume 3: Whipping and Apologies
By Ira Robbins
paperback $20.00
ISBN 978-0-9842539-2-7

Complete transcripts of archival interviews with David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Morrissey, Radiohead, Nick Lowe and others, articles about Television, CBGB, They Might Be Giants, Fountains of Wayne, OMD and others, liner notes (ELO, Blondie, T. Rex, Yardbirds, Johnny Thunders, Humble Pie), obituaries, book reviews, critics' polls and more, all annotated with recollections and anecdotes.

Looking for the Magic: New York City, the '70s and the Rise of Arista Records
By Mitchell Cohen
paperback $20.00
ISBN 979-8-9856589-0-3

This fresh perspective on Arista Records details how the label reflected its place and time: New York City in the 1970s and early '80s. Music journalist Mitchell Cohen, who did A&R at the label, goes inside the business of making and marketing music during this vibrant and diverse period. From a new entity built on the foundation of Bell Records to signing groundbreaking artists like Gil Scott-Heron and Patti Smith to revitalizing legends like the Kinks and Aretha Franklin and up to the launch of its biggest star, Whitney Houston, Arista Records' story has never been told like this.

The Bleecker Street Tapes: Echoes of Greenwich Village
By Bruce Pollock
paperback $18.50
ISBN 979-8-9856589-6-5

From the coffeehouses of Greenwich Village to the stage at Woodstock, folksingers became a powerful cultural force in the 1960s. Mixing music and politics, tradition and innovation, romance and righteousness, these men and women were outspoken voices for their generation, each with a story to tell. This entertaining and informative collection of pieces by veteran music journalist Bruce Pollock, a Village resident and clubgoer during folk’s heyday, documents the musicians’ progress from passing the hat to topping the charts. Dave Van Ronk, Phil Ochs, Melanie, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Richie Havens, Suzanne Vega, Buffy Sainte-Marie and many more!

Rock’s in My Head: Encounters with Phil Spector, John & Yoko, Brian Wilson, and a host of other people who should be just as famous
By Art Fein
paperback, $18.50
ISBN 979-8-9856589-4-1

This memoir by Los Angeles scene legend Art Fein includes many intimate recollections of his long friendship with reclusive producer Phil Spector as well as his many professional endeavors: hosting a cable access TV show, working at record labels, journalism, managing bands, blogging, promoting events and much more. Dr. Demento says, “Read this book!”