CHRONICLES: Volume 1
by Bob Dylan
Simon & Schuster £16.99
The first instalment in Dylan’s autobiography is a delightfully chatty riposte to the library of books that ponder his status as poet, rock god and cultural icon. He tells little of his Jewish childhood, and once based in New York prefers namechecking the books he read to the women he befriended. But his naive fascination with music is compelling, and enigmatic remarks such as “(Roy Orbison) sang like a professional criminal” are priceless.

WANNABE: How the Spice Girls Reinvented Pop Fame
by David Sinclair
Omnibus £14.95
It’s easy to forget that the Spice Girls were briefly the most popular group since the Beatles. Undistracted by the shenanigans that sank the enterprise, Sinclair pieces together the story of how they climbed so far, so fast. The music gets a good listening to, but it’s the insights into the determination, teamwork and managerial cunning that underpinned “girl power” that make the book sing.

FRANK ZAPPA
by Barry Miles
Atlantic £19.99
An adored rock musician and guitar hero, Zappa thought rock was junk and preferred contemporary classical composers. Despite being an avid user of groupies, he somehow stayed married for more than 30 years. Miles is excellent at relating Zappa to his original 1960s contexts, and while it’s hard to warm to such a smartarse misanthrope, the book makes you realise what a uniquely talented musician Zappa was.

COMPLICATED SHADOWS: The Life and Music of Elvis Costello
by Graeme Thomson
Canongate £16.99
Costello has said plenty over the years without giving much away, and Thomson has performed a useful service here in trying to get at the man beyond the music. With no direct access to Costello, the author has chased down school friends and a small army of musical associates to drive the story along: a picture emerges of a workaholic muso who may be admirable but is not quite lovable.

INSIDE OUT: A Personal History of Pink Floyd
by Nick Mason
Weidenfeld £30
Don’t be deceived by the coffee-table format and lavish photographs: this book is anything but a hymn of praise to the mighty Floyd. Mason’s drummer’s tale is unstintingly and amusingly disrespectful about the band, particularly his role in it. The way they abandoned Syd Barrett, their original leader, was disgraceful; their break-up in the 1980s was due to a fear of communication and confrontation. How this bunch of callous misfits overcame their mutual loathing and sold more than 100m albums he prefers not to say.

PASSION IS A FASHION: The Real Story of the Clash
by Pat Gilbert
Aurum £18.99
Since Joe Strummer’s death in 2002, a lot of former colleagues and friends have begun to talk about what went on behind the scenes in the most successful British band of the punk era. Gilbert has listened carefully and his book is strong on the second half of the band’s 10-year reign, when the heroes of Westway succumbed to rivalries, drugs and the pressure of being huge in places such as southeast Asia.

RAMBLIN’ MAN: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie
by Ed Cray
Norton £16
Surviving members of Guthrie’s family were reportedly surprised to discover things even they didn’t know about the great American troubadour, socialist and author in this mighty labour of love. With unprecedented access to Guthrie’s personal letters, Cray illuminates all areas of a short but important life. A human being, Guthrie said, “is just a hoping machine”. He couldn’t have hoped for a better tooled biography than this.

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL TALES
by Crispin Aubrey & John Shearlaw
Ebury £18.99
This illustrated oral history of the most feted rock festival of the British summer will come as a real eye-opener to those who have only known Glastonbury in its glory years (1985 onwards). A crazy scheme dreamt up by the unlikely triumvirate of a Methodist farmer and a couple of posh hippies (one of whom, Arabella Churchill, is Winston’s granddaughter), Glastonbury flirted with idealistic nonsense and bankruptcy for its first decade, before a strategic alliance with CND turned things around. A great story, engagingly told.

HOWLING AT THE MOON
by Walter Yetnikoff
Abacus £12.99
Yetnikoff ran CBS Records and its super-corporate successor, Sony Music, from 1975 to 1990. In the days when record companies made fabulous profits, their executives behaved fantastically badly. Which in Yetnikoff’s case meant all-day drinking, drugging and sexually interfering with employees. In his lucid moments, he glimpsed sides of his star clients that make even more compulsive reading, such as Dylan in thrall to his Jewish mama, or Michael Jackson jealously trying to shut his producer Quincy Jones out of the Grammies.

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TOP FIVE

CHRONICLES: Volume 1
by Bob Dylan
Simon & Schuster £16.99
Compelling and chatty first instalment, contains some priceless comments

HOWLING AT THE MOON
by Walter Yetkinoff
Abacus £12.99
Former music executive tells tales of behaving fantastically badly. Riveting

GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL TALES
by Crispin Aubrey and John Shearlaw
Ebury £18.99
Eye-opening account of the most feted rock festival of the British summer

INSIDE OUT
by Nick Mason
Weidenfeld £30
Amusingly disrespectful account of the mighty Floyd, but he gives nothing away

WANNABE
by David Sinclair
Omnibus £14.95
Great insights into the managerial cunning behind the “girl power” operation

BESTSELLERS 2004

1. Feel: Robbie Williams
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3. Postcard from the Boys
by Ringo Starr
(Cassell) 16,860

4. Busted On Tour
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(Virgin) 15,312

5. XS All Areas
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