Below is a list of the reference books our editors own. Non-English publications are marked by their language code.
anto47
- Discomania: L'unica guida ragionata al collezionismo discografico di stampa italiana by Giorgio Prigione and Claudio Aloi (2005, it)
- Enciclopedia del Blues e della Musica Nera by Massimo Cotto (1994, it)
- Enciclopedia del Rock Italiano by Cesare Rizzi and Fulvio Beretta (1993, it) - Contains the insert 'Piccolo dizionario delle cover del bitt' about the beat songs covered by Italian groups.
- The Great Rock Discography by Martin C. Strong - Complete discographies listing every track recorded by more than 1.000 groups of both British and American rock scenes. Includes comprehensive band histories, career milestones, catalogue numbers, UK and US chart positions for every release and recommendations of must-have recordings and essential listening.
- Rare Record Price Guide 2004 (Record Collector Magazine) - With over 100,000 entries, the 1400+ page book provides an A to Z guide to rare and collectable UK releases with catalogue numbers, B-sides and release dates.
atichon
- The Great Alternative & Indie Discography by Martin C. Strong (1999) - A detailed history of independent music, with complete discographies, band histories, catalog numbers, chart listings and recommended listening for the more than 1,300 reviewed artists and bands.
baggish
- The Complete Beatles Chronicle: The Definitive Day-By-Day Guide to the Beatles' Entire Career by Mark Lewisohn - The Beatles Bible by the world’s foremost expert on The Beatles; considered to be the most authoritative book about the band ever written. Covers every working day of the Beatles' career and includes track-by-track details of every recording session.
- Cosmic Dreams at Play: A Guide to German Progressive and Electronic Rock by Dag Erik Asbjørnsen - A guide to the music of German groups in this genre. The A-Z listing includes personnel details, album discography and the more important record labels.
- The Crack in the Cosmic Egg: Encyclopedia of Krautrock, Kosmische Musik, & Other Progressive, Experimental and Electronic Musics from Germany by Steven & Alan Freeman - Indepth highly-detailed resource on virtually every known or unknown Krautrock band that ever existed between the late '60's to the early '80's. Features interviews, album release and personnel details.
- Fuzz, Acid and Flowers: A Comprehensive Guide to American Garage, Psychedelic and Hippie Rock (1964-1975) by Vernon Joynson - Contains band histories and musical analysis on over 5,400 US acts of the era with personnel and discographical information, where known. Also included are listings of over 740 compilations and over 1,100 sleeve illustrations.
- Music Master Albums Catalogue (Edition 18, 1991) - Contains full listings of all vinyl albums held on the Music Master database, giving details of artist, tracks, release and deletion dates along with catalogue numbers.
- Scented Gardens of the Mind: A Guide to the Golden Era of Progressive Rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European Countries by Dag Erik Asbjørnsen - Comprehensive reference to progressive rock and related music genres in more than 20 European countries (not Germany and the U.K.). Most entries contain personnel details and discographies and a description of the music.
- A Tapestry of Delights: The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-76 by Vernon Joynson - British mainstream rock and pop, Merseybeat, R&B, folk, folk-rock, jazz-rock, blues-rock, psychedelia, freakbeat, glam-rock and progressive rock between 1963-1976 are covered. Includes detailed discographies (albums, EPs and singles) for almost all entries as well as personnel details, biographical information, in most cases some comment about the music, compilation listings and an up-to-date rarity scale for album and 45 releases.
- Up Yours! A Guide to UK Punk, New Wave and Early Post Punk by Vernon Joynson - Concentrating primarily on the 1976-82 period, the reference provides an A-Z listing of relevant artists with discographies, personnel details, band histories and comment on the music.
- Record Collector Magazines from issue 65 to issue 220.
Bastien
- The Aladdin/Imperial Labels: A Discography by Michel Ruppli - Discographies of Aladdin, Imperial and a dozen affiliated labels, covering the period from the mid 40's to 1970.
- Albumdossier 1969-2002 by Johan van Slooten (2002, nl) - Chronicles more than 10.000 albums charting in the Dutch Album Top 100 from 1969 on. Complete with biographies of all artists, photo's of 250 of the most successful artists and of covers of the 100 most successful albums.
- Goldmine Price Guide To 45 RPM Records (4th edition) by Tim Neely - Details about more than 75,000 American records, picture sleeves and extended play singles.
- Goldmine Record Album Price Guide (3rd edition) by Tim Neely - Detailed information such as artist, record label, label number, formats such as mono, stereo, and promotional, full titles, date of release, value, cross references, and notes about artists, labels, variations and fakes.
- The Great Metal Discography (2nd edition) by Martin C. Strong - Complete discographies listing every track recorded by more than 1,200 groups.
- The MGM Labels: A Discography, Volume 2, 1961-1982 by Ed Novitsky and Michel Ruppli - Complete discographical compilation of all MGM recordings from 1946 to 1982, including recordings leased or purchased from other sources such as Musicraft, Joe Davis and German Polydor. Volume 1 covers the period 1946 through 1960, while Volume 2 covers 1961 through 1982. Volume 3 lists additional recordings in various fields, such as soundtracks.
- Off the Record: Motown by Master Number, 1959-1989, Singles by Reginald J. Bartlette - Essentially a giant index to titles issued by Motown and its 50 or so affiliated labels, on single 45s. Some 6.400 entries cover the company’s output from 1959 until it was sold to MCA in 1988.
Denis
- The American Songbook: The Singers, the Songwriters and the Songs by Ken Bloom - Rich visual history of popular song. “The Singers” includes Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, Barbara Cook, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald and dozens more. “The Songwriters” features Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, Dorothy Fields, Stephen Foster, Richard Rodgers, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and a host of others. "The Songs" covers hundreds of songs, from “Stardust” to “My Funny Valentine” to “White Christmas”.
- Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of The Who, 1958-1978 by Andy Neill and Matt Kent (2007) - Day-by-day chronicle of The Who, one of the most popular British rock bands of the 1960s and '70s, listing concerts, recording sessions, record releases and other events, illustrated by photographs and other memorabilia. A period of 20 years - from the late '50s, when the band's musicians began playing together in "trad jazz" bands, to the death of drummer Keith Moon in 1978 - has been thoroughly documented.
- Bacharach: Maestro! The Life of a Pop Genius by Michael Brocken (2003) - Examining Burt Bacharach's celebrated career spanning 50 years, including a great discography.
- Bob Marley: His Musical Legacy by Jeremy Collingwood (2006) - Biography of Jamaica’s most beloved music hero Bob Marley, including a complete discography and buyer’s guide to his releases.
- The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (7th edition, 2000) by Joel Whitburn - Complete, cross-referenced information on all songs and artists to make the Top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart from 1955 through 1999.
- The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits by Joel Whitburn - Complete history of Top 40 R&B and hip-hop hits and artists, covering the charts from 1942 on.
- The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn - The definitive guide to every recording session done by the Beatles at EMI's Abbey Road recording studio, covering the recording, mixing and release of the Beatles songs, from the demos in 1962, to Phil Spector's reworking of "Let it Be" in 1970.
- The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin by Robert Kimball (2005) - The lyrics of more than 1,200 Irving Berlin songs, 400 of which have never before appeared in print, along with anecdotal, historical, and musicological commentary and dozens of photographs.
- David Bowie: Moonage Daydream by Dave Thompson (1996) - Chronicles every step of David Bowie's career detailing every concert performance, all original compositions and a complete discography.
- Dizzy: The Life and Times of John Birks Gillespie by Donald L. Maggin (2005) - Vivid biography chronicles Dizzy's saga from the lowest rung on the American social and political ladder to the highest.
- Goldmine Jazz Album Price Guide by Tim Neely - This all-encompassing reference features all types of jazz issued on 33 1/3 rpm long-playing records, including Dixieland, bebop, big band, swing, West Coast, fusion, modern and many others. It includes over 40,000 albums released between 1948 and today, valued in three grades of condition, as well as a thoroughly illustrated label guide for easy distinction between first editions and later pressings.
- Goldmine Standard Catalog Of Rhythm & Blues Records by Tim Neely - Guide to post-World War II rhythm & blues records, focusing on classic R&B from 1946-71. Contains over 40,000 entries in all record formats - 78s, 45s, extended plays, albums, and 12-inch singles. More recent releases are also featured. Pricing is included for each listing in up to three grades of condition.
- Jazz and Ragtime Records, 1897-1942 by Brian A. Rust - Contains complete discographic details for more than 33,000 jazz and jazz-related recordings on 78s, cylinders and transcriptions — including full personnel; vocalists; arrangers; conductors; accompanists; performer pseudonyms; recording dates and locations; catalog, matrix and take numbers; and title and artist indexes.
- The Mojo Collection: The Greatest Albums of All Time by Jim Irvin - From the Beatles to the Verve, from Duke Ellington to Bob Marley, from Peggy Lee to Sly Stone, this book presents an authoritative and engaging guide to the history of the pop album via hundreds of long-playing masterpieces, both the much-loved and the little-known.
- Oor Popencyclopedie (13th edition, 2002, nl) - Dutch-language Pop Encyclopedia by music magazine Oor containing biographies, discographies, photo's, with a focus on Dutch artists.
- The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (7th edition, 2004) by Richard Cook and Brian Morton - A reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which are currently available in Europe or the United States.
- Reggae: The Rough Guide by Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton - Covers the entire span of recorded music in Jamaica, from 1950s mento and R&B to dancehall and raga, giving the full story of ska, rocksteady, roots, dub, toasting, and lovers’ rock as well as reggae’s offshoots in Britain, the US, and Africa.
- Rock Over Belgium (Discografie 1957-2005) by Kris Dierckx (nl) - Discography of Belgium pop music with some 20.000 entries and a price guide.
- Sinatra by Richard Havers (2004) - A coffee-table biography of the life of Ol' Blue Eyes, the legendary singer and film actor Frank Sinatra.
- Ultratop 1995-2005: 20.000 hits! by Sam Jaspers (2006, nl/fr) - Resource containing all hits from the Walloon And Flemish single top 100, album top 100 and airplay top 200 charts.
Isa
- La chanson française by Serge Le Vaillant, Jacques Pessis and Pierre Saka (2006, fr)
- Covers: Une histoire de la reprise dans le rock by Emmanuel Chirache (2008, fr)
- Le dictionnaire des chansons de Claude François by Olivier Delavault (2008, fr)
- Dictionnaire des chansons de Sylvie Vartan by Benoît Cachin (2005, fr)
- Dictionnaire des onomatopées dans la chanson by Alain Pozzuoli (2007, fr)
- Johnny en chansons: Dictionnaire des chansons de Johnny Hallyday by Jean-William Thoury (2002, fr)
- Les Miscellanées du Rock by Jean-Eric Perrin, Jérôme Rey and Gilles Verlant (2009, fr)
- L'officiel de la musique (21e édition, 2008, fr)
- The Originals: Prequel of the hits (4e editie, 2000) by Arnold Rypens (nl) - Dutch language resource on cover music. The new 5th edition (2010) is published in English.
- Soul Covers: Rhythm and Blues Remakes and the Struggle for Artistic Identity (Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Phoebe Snow) by Michael Awkward (2007) - Engaging look at how three very different R&B performers used cover songs to negotiate questions of artistic, racial, and personal authenticity.
SlimD
- The American 45 and 78 rpm record dating guide, 1940-1959 by William R. Daniels (1985) - Dating guide for 93,000 individual 45 and 78 rpm records released by almost 2,500 United States record companies enabling readers to date the specific month a record was released.
- The American record label book: From the 19th Century Through 1942 by Brian Rust (1978)
- Barrelhouse blues: location recording and the early traditions of the blues by Paul Oliver (2009) - In the 1920s, Southern record companies ventured to cities like Dallas, Atlanta, and New Orleans, where they set up primitive recording equipment in makeshift studios. They brought in street singers, medicine show performers, pianists from the juke joints and barrelhouses. The music that circulated through Southern work camps, prison farms, and vaudeville shows would be lost if it hadn’t been captured on location by these performers and recorders. Paul Oliver uncovers these folk traditions and the circumstances under which they were recorded, rescuing the forefathers of the blues.
- Bill Haley: The Extraordinary Life and Career of the World's First Rock & Roll Idol by John Swenson (1983) - Biography of Rock 'n' Roll pioneer, Bill Haley. Includes discography.
- Blue Smoke: The Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music 1918-1964 by Chris Bourke (2010) - A history of New Zealand popular music in the days before rock 'n roll, focusing on the evolution of modern popular music as an industry: the changes in musical fashions, technology and social mores.
- Blue Smoke: The recorded journey of Big Bill Broonzy by Roger House (2010) - The extraordinary story of Big Bill, a working-class bluesman whose remarkable tale offers a window on the dramatic social transformations faced by African Americans during the first half of the twentieth century.
- The Carter Family by John Atkins (1973) - Family groups have always been a staple of popular music in America, but none has blazed a more influential trail than the Carter Family, who brought their Blue Ridge mountain ballads to nationwide audiences during the Great Depression, creating a rich trove of folk songs that are sung and performed to this day. Includes discography and bibliography.
- Catalyst. The Sun Records story by Colin Escott and Martin Hawkins (1975) - The history, including discography, of the record company that launched Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. The label that brought the world "Blue Suede Shoes", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "Breathless", "I Walk the Line", "Mystery Train", "Baby, Let's Play House" and "Good Rockin' Tonight". This is where rock 'n' roll was born.
- The Complete Entertainment Discography from the mid-1890s to 1942 by Brian Rust with Allen G. Debus (1973) - Discographies of almost 50 years of popular music and vaudeville.
- The Complete Sun Label Session Files (revised); Blues, country, rock by Colin Escott, Martin Hawkins (1975)
- Country Music Records: a discography, 1921-1942 (1st edition) by Tony Russell (2008) - From the first recordings of country music, this discography documents in alphabetical order by artist every commercial country music recording, including unreleased sides, and indicates, as completely as possible, the musicians playing at every session, as well as instrumentation.
- The Decca Hillbilly Discography, 1927-1945 by Cary Ginell (1989) - In the 1930s and 1940s, the American Decca recording company was the most influential record label in the burgeoning hillbilly music category, the forerunner of today's country and western music. The discography.includes information about recording dates, master numbers, unissued titles, song titles and legends, songwriter credits, and release dates.
- Disco-file: the discographical catalog of American rock & roll and rhythm & blues. Vocal harmony groups. Race, rhythm & blues, rock & roll, soul : 1902-1976 (2nd edition) by Fernando L. Gonzalez (1977)
- Eric Watson's Country Music in Australia (Combined Edition) by Eric Watson (2004) - This book contains both volumes of Eric Watson's Country Music of Australia. Volume 1 is a comprehensive and mostly first hand chronological account of the lives of artists who started it all. From Tex Morton in the '30s to Tim McNamara at the end of the '40s. Included are biographies, pictures and discographies. Volume 2 continues the detailed record of Australian country music artists from the 40s to the late '70s providing an unique record of country music singers and songs from that era. Contains bios, pictures, discography and other valuable historical material.
- The Great Folk Discography: Pioneers & Early Legends (Great Folk Discography 1) by Martin C. Strong (2011) - An essential publication for all lovers of folk music, the first volume of The Great Folk Discography trilogy examines the early folk legends and pioneers.
- Great God A'mighty!, the Dixie Hummingbirds: Celebrating the rise of soul gospel music by Jerry Zolten (2003) - A high-flying account of gospel's most revered groups and the social and musical history they helped make.
- Hawaiian Music and Musicians: An Illustrated History by George S. Kanahele (1979) - Organized like an encyclopedia this book includes biographies and selected discographies of musicians from every period of Hawaiian musical history.
- Hear My Song: The story of the celebrated Sons of the Pioneers by Ken Griffis (1974) - A detailed history of the individual and collective Sons of the Pioneers including an extensive discography and movie listing.
- Jimmie the Kid: The Life of Jimmie Rodgers by Mike Paris and Chris Comber (1981) - Authoritative biography of the first star of country music. Includes a complete discography and bibliography.
- Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories, 1890-1954. The history of American popular music compiled from America's popular music charts by Joel Whitburn (1986) - An artist-by-artist account of the 65 formative years of recorded popular music--over 1,600 artists and 12,000 recordings in all--with data from popular music charts, surveys and listings.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Country & Western Records, 1949-1971 by Joel Whitburn (1972) - The first complete history of country & western charts.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Records 1955-1972 by Joel Whitburn (1973) - A history of the United States' most popular recorded music (45 rpm records) from 1955 through 1972.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 1940-1955 by Joel Whitburn (1973) - An artist-by-artist listing of every artist and song that made Billboard magazine's "Hot 100" singles chart during this period.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Rhythm & Blues Records, 1949-1971 by Joel Whitburn (1973) - Facts about 4000 recordings listed in Billboard's 'Best selling rhythm & blues (soul) singles' charts, grouped under the names of the 1200 recording artists.
- Midnight at the Barrelhouse: The Johnny Otis Story by George Lipsitz (2010) - Considered by many to be the godfather of R&B, Johnny Otis — musician, producer, artist, entrepreneur, pastor, disc jockey, writer, and tireless fighter for racial equality — has had a remarkable life by any measure. This first biography tells the largely unknown story of a towering figure in the history of African American music and culture who was, by his own description, “black by persuasion”.
- Paul Clayton and the Folksong Revival by Bob Coltman (2008) - Paul Clayton's life story told at length for the first time. It illuminates not just a singer fascinating in his own right but an entire musical era now gone.
- Pickin' on Peachtree: A History of Country Music in Atlanta, Georgia by Wayne W. Daniel (2000) - But for a few twists of fate, Atlanta could easily have grown to be the recording center that Nashville is today. Daniel's book traces Atlanta's emergence in the 1920s as a major force in country recording and radio broadcasting, a position of dominance it enjoyed for some forty years. A vast array of performers, radio personalities and recording moguls who transformed the Peachtree city into the nerve center of early country music are also profiled.
- The Recordings of Jimmie Rodgers by Johnny Bond (1978) - An annotated discography of all recordings of Jimmie Rodgers, including details of every known recording session and all known release dates.
- Reflections: The Autobiography of Johnny Bond by Johnny Bond (1976) - A brief biography and a detailed discography of Johnny Bond, a songwriter, musician and author. He performed with Western groups including the Jimmy Wakely Trio and as a solo artist. He also appeared in several Western films and composed several hit records.
- Roosevelt's Blues: African-American Blues and Gospel Songs on FDR by Guido van Rijn (1997) - Documents more than a hundred blues and gospel lyrics that contain direct political comment about FDR. Altogether they convey the thought, spirit, and history of the African-American population during the Roosevelt era.
- San Antonio Rose: The Life and Music of Bob Wills by Charles R. Townsend (1986) - Biography based upon the oral history and interviews with band members, family and Bob Wills himself. Covers early life and hardships, personal and professional life. His success and hardships are explained in footnoted and annotated fashion. A great insight to life in pre-war (pre-television) and post war America. Contains a comprehensive discography.
- Sound and Glory: the incredible story of Bill Haley, the Father of Rock'n'Roll and the music that shook the world (1st edition) by John W. Haley and John von Hoelle (1990) - It seems every rockabilly/R&B and rock & roll artist from the mid-50's has laid claim to "inventing" rock & roll, yet upon examining the historical record via recordings only one name stands in the gap as legitimately qualifying for the title of "inventor of Rock & Roll" and that would have to be Bill Haley. Includes exhaustive discography.
- Stormy Monday. The T-Bone Walker Story by Helen Oakley Dance (1990) - The first biography of T-Bone Walker to be published.
- The Topp Twins Book by Jools Topp and Linda Topp (2003) - Autobiography by the world's only comedic, singing, yodeling lesbian twin sisters, The Topp Twins.
- The Truman & Eisenhower Blues: African-American Blues and Gospel Songs, 1945-1960 by Guido van Rijn (2004) - Account of the gospel and blues music of the immediate post-war period, shedding much light on the civil rights situation of the time and the experience of segregation as well as events such as the Atom Bomb, the Cold War, Korea and of course the Republican victory in 1956. The book concentrates on songs that comment on contemporary political events and issues during a crucial time in the shaping of black consciousness in America.
- The Wild One: The life and times of Johnny O'Keefe by Damian Johnstone (2001) - An elemental force present at the creation of Australian rock 'n' roll, Johnny O'Keefe converted incredible drive, a tremendous flair for showmanship and a larrikin spirit into status as his country's first rock star. Tragically, Johnny was dead at 43, after thirty hit singles and twenty-eight albums, and a succession of (self-inflicted) disasters. His influence was immense; few in the world of popular music begrudged him the title 'the King of Australian Rock and Roll'.
tsk
- American Ballads and Folk Songs by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax - Music and lyrics for over 200 songs. John Henry, Goin' Home, Little Brown Jug, Alabama-Bound, Ten Thousand Miles from Home, Shack Bully Holler, Black Betty, The Hammer Song, Bad Man Ballad, Jesse James, Down in the Valley, The Bear in the Hill, Shortenin' Bread, The Ballad of Davy Crockett and many more.
- American Dance Band Discography, 1917-1942 by Brian A. Rust (1975) - Covers nearly all commercial dance bands which recorded from World War I to and including the swing era. The two volumes are arranged alphabetically by artist, from Irving Aaronson to Bob Zurke (2,373 bands in all). Under each heading all known recordings by the band are listed, along with such information as personnel, recording dates, matrix numbers (with issued take), catalog numbers, the label(s) on which each recording appeared and sometimes a descriptive paragraph on the band.
- The Complete Entertainment Discography: From 1897-1942 (1st edition, 1973) by Brian A. Rust
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (3rd edition) by Colin Larkin - Every aspect of popular music is covered on some 8.000 pages and 10 volumes, from Broadway show tunes and rap to heavy metal and big band, from the 1900s to today. The set provides information on artists and other important figures such as producers and songwriters. Each of the 27.000 entries concludes with a comprehensive, rated discography covering all mediums and formats produced by the artist, and some also have further-reading lists.
- The Folk Songs of North America by Alan Lomax (1960) - Words, music and origin of over 300 songs, from ballads to spirituals, from every region of the country. The folk singer's Bible.
- The Folk Songs of the South by John Harrington Cox (1999) - Originally published in 1925, this historical, musical look at the Southern community includes 185 songs in 398 variants, along with 29 tunes for 26 different songs, ranging from "The Rebel Soldier", "The Yellow Rose of Texas" to "The Sheffield Apprentice".
- Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records, 1950-1975 (2nd edition, 2000) by Tim Neely - Price guide books for American records.
- The Jazz Discography by Tom Lord - 35 volumes with over 1.5 million entries, 23,000 band leaders, 132,000 recording sessions, 700,000 musician entries and 700,000 tune entries. Covers almost everything to be known about virtually any jazz record ever released.
- The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2nd edition, 2003) by Barry Kernfeld - Possibly one of the largest (3.000 pages), most comprehensive and accurate reference work on jazz ever published.
- New Hot Discography: The Standard Directory of Recorded Jazz by Charles Delaunay - First released in 1936 the 'New Hot Discography', an extensive jazz discography, was the very first discography in the world.
- Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers (3rd edition, 2000) by Steven Suskin - From Jerome Kern's earliest interpolations to the latest hits on Broadway. Legendary composers like Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter, Berlin, Bernstein and Sondheim have been joined by more recent songwriters like Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Flaherty, Michael John LaChiusa and Adam Guettel. This reference book covers their work, their innovations, their successes and their failures.
Quentin
- 4AD Catalogue 1980/1998 - 4AD catalogue for July 1980 to October 1998, includes Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Pixies, The Breeders, Throwing Muses and The Wolfgang Press.
- The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds: The Greatest Album of the Twentieth Century by Kingsley Abbott (2001, it) - The full story of the album; from its composition and recording, through to its long-term legacy. Contains indexes which list recording sessions, cover versions, influences and chart history.
- Björk: Human Behaviour - The Stories Behind Every Song by Ian Gittings (2002) - A detailed analysis and celebration of Björk's career and musical history, delving into her creative processes and motivations.
- Björk: Wow and Flutter by Mark Pytlik (2003) - The life and music of Iceland's Björk Gudmundsdottir, from her origins as a burgeoning child star and her days spent on Iceland's punk scene to her eventual emergence as one of pop music's pioneering figures, are explored in this comprehensive biography.
- Joy Division. Dal cuore della città / From the centre of the city by Alfredo Suatoni (1990, it/en) - Joy Division's discography, bibliography, list of bootlegs, notes on album covers, gigs and many photo's.
- Nick Cave il seme del male by Ian Johnston (1996, it) - Translation of 'Bad Seed: The Biography of Nick Cave', an excellent Nick Cave biography, befittingly dark and seedy, very well researched and written.
- REM "Manuali Rock" by Milena Ferrante (1992, it) - A treasure trove of R.E.M. cover art, discography, memorabilia, posters and photo's.
wally creek
- American Singing Groups: A History From 1940 to Today by Jay Warner - Guide to the history of pop vocal groups, encompassing the doo-wop of Dion and the Belmonts, the Motown hits of The Supremes, the surf sound of The Beach Boys, country-rock of Crosby, Stills & Nash and the slick pop sounds of 'N Sync. Each entry details the group's career, key members, influences and discographies.
- He's a Rebel: Phil Spector - Rock and Roll's Legendary Producer by Mark Ribowsky (2006) - A definitive, unflinching portrait of the producer who transformed the airwaves and forever impacted the sound of popular music; contains discography.
- Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty: The Autobiography of Horace Silver by Horace Silver (2007) - Autobiography by one of the major figures in the history of jazz, the great composer, pianist and bandleader Horace Silver; contains discography.
- The Life and Legend of Leadbelly by Charles Wolfe and Kip Lornell (1999) - Biography of Huddie Ledbetter (1889–1949), known as Leadbelly, one of the most famous black singers in American history, who helped lay the foundations for blues, modern folk music, and rock 'n' roll. Includes discography.
- Myself When I Am Real: The Life and Music of Charles Mingus by Gene Santoro (2001) - Biography of “Jazz’s Angry Man”, Charles Mingus, a bona fide jazz legend and musical genius, a walking paradox, part clown, part ogre, part demon, part saint. Contains discography.
Cover song related books not owned by editors
- Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time by Ray Padgett