Next up we look back on our favourite music related books and movies of 2021 and in number one spot sits Saskia Holling's excellent "Girlsville: The Story of The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees" - which was not only Saskia's first book but also the very first publication from Lee Grimshaw's Spinout Productions - which of course includes his excellent record label Spinout Nuggets. Despite the title, "Girlsville" is much more than just the story of two of the Medway Garage Rock scene's first and most influential bands. Right from the superb cover art, the rare photos of both bands through Saskia's superbly crafted, sometimes challenging insights into the trials and tribulations of women in Rock 'n' Roll over the years, you know this book is something very special indeed. You can order the book from all the usual places but as always I'd recommend getting it directly from Spinout Publications here. You can also hear our Retrosonic Podcast special where I talk to Saskia about the book and along the way she picks some of her favourite songs from both bands as well as the various influences on her own music with Sally Skull and Lord Rochester. You can listen to the episode at Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts or directly from our SoundCloud site below:
Our favourite music movie just had to go to Edgar Wright's stunning documentary "The Sparks Brothers" which perfectly captured Sparks' groundbreaking musical career. It's gleefully crammed full of the Mael brother's trademark humour and features many cool musicians and celebrities talking about the impact of Sparks on their lives. After all, the movie's strap-line is "your favourite band's favourite band". Of course the movie includes contributions from various Sparks band members over the years, including original Halfnelson/Sparks drummer Harley Feinstein and we also have two thoroughly entertaining Retrosonic Podcast specials available where Harley talks in depth about the very early years of Sparks including their breakthrough years spent in London. Both episodes are essential listening for any Sparks fan.
Here's the full list (all books unless noted.)..
1. "Girlsville: The Story of The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees" by Saskia Holling
2. "The Sparks Brothers" (movie) by Edgar Wright
3. "I Wanna Be Yours" by John Cooper Clarke
4. "Relax Baby Be Cool: The Artistry and Audacity of Serge Gainsbourg" by Jeremy Allen
5. "Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche" (movie) by Celeste Bell
6. "The Fall: Excavate!" by Tessa Norton and Bob Stanley
7. "Morgan Howell at 45rpm: SuperSize Art" by Morgan Howell
8. "The Go-Go's: Made in Hollywood" by Gina Schock
9. "The Who: A Band With Built In Hate" by Peter Stanfield
10. "The Sisters of Mercy: Waiting For Another War" by Trevor Ristow
11. "The Damned: On Track, Every Album Every Song" by Morgan Brown
12. "The Listening Party" by Tim Burgess
13. "The Adventures of Kid Krupa" (movie) by Sean Parkin
14. "Diminished Responsibility: My Life As a U.K. Sub Vol. 2" by Alvin Gibbs
15. "Pete Shelley: Ever Fallen In Love, The Lost Buzzcocks Tapes" by Louie Shelley
16. "The Stranglers: 1977" by Laura Shenton
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