"Don't stop believin' ... 🎵

Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine & Payola by Paul Rees, The AOR Glory Years, 1976-1986.

Come on, be honest, we know you *love* belting out a bit of Journey really 😊

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#music #musique #books #livres #AOR #RaisedOnRadio #PaulRees #NewBooks #MusicBooks #Rock #RockMusic

You all know I love a good music book and I've already got my preorder in for the @songsommelier "Body of work" out in February. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it having enjoyed #theartoflongevity podcast so much over these years, seeing the themes continued in the book should be interesting.

#music #musicbooks #musicalbums

The best music books of 2025

From an enraging indictment of Spotify to Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie’s account of Parkinson’s and a compelling biography of Tupac Shakur, here are five titles that strike a chord

The Guardian
Wings by Paul McCartney review – a brilliant story of post-Beatles revival

A compelling oral history traces the rise one of the most successful bands of the 70s from the ashes of a creative breakup

The Guardian

Shine on, you crazy diamond...🎵

New #music books hitting the shelves, good potential pressie subjects (hint, hint!)

#musique #books #livres #MusicBooks #FactoryRecords #PinkFloyd #bookstodon #bookshops #librairies #BillyBragg

Cat on the Road to Findout by Yusuf/Cat Stevens review – fame, faith and charity

The enigmatic singer-songwriter on pop stardom, becoming a Muslim and returning to the stage decades later

The Guardian

AYR’S MUSIC AND BOOKS COLLECTS MORE THAN MEDIA

Situated at 80 Stanley St. in Ayr, Ontario, Music & Books is both the first ever record store and first ever bookstore to open in Ayr.  

Beyond just selling vinyls and paperbacks, Music & Books host a variety of events and clubs. There are yoga nights, writer’s guilds, listening groups, book clubs and art classes. They also host readings for local writers and sell the work of local artists.  

Owners Jacqui Wright, Courtney Hope, and Julia Mills want Music & Books to be a community center as well as a shop. They consider many of their customers friends. 

“We collect humans,” Hope said. 

Music & Books was conceived for the community: Hope wanted a record store to support her husband’s vinyl hobby and Wright wanted a space for her child that did not involve sports. Within a matter of days, the friends went from fantasizing about the store to leasing a space. While passionate, Wright and Hope were in over their heads. 

“We had no experience, no business plan. We had no money, no idea how to order vinyl, we had no idea how to get in touch with publishers. And then we were like ‘sure we’ll get you first and last month’s rent by Tuesday!,’” Wright said. 

Wright and Hope realized that in order for Music & Books to be sustainable, a more organized presence was needed. Mills, who began as the company’s website designer was quickly signed on as a third co-owner. 

“We were like ‘Woooh! Dreams! Let’s do it all!’ And she said, ‘that’s great, but let’s do it properly. There are steps,’” Hope said. 

Music and Books quickly became a keystone in Ayr’s artistic community, much thanks to the physical nature of their business. Ayr’s community theater runs its box office through the store and the three owners relish introducing local kids to vinyl records. Music & Books has quickly become a keystone in Ayr’s artistic community, much thanks to the physical nature of their business. 

“People just love being in the space…they walk in and they’ll tell us everything about their past, their present, something cool. So, we have a book related to them, you know, or pick them up a vinyl,” Wright said. “Then the stories just flow from there. It’s been the most beautiful, mind-blowing experience I’ve been part of.” 

#80StanelyStreet #Ayr #Books #bookstore #courtneyHope #jackyWright #juliaMills #localBusiness #localMusic #LocalStore #Media #MusicBooks #Vinyl

From a new Thomas Pynchon novel to a memoir by Margaret Atwood: the biggest books of the autumn

Essays from Zadie Smith; Wiki founder Jimmy Wales on how to save the internet; a future-set novel by Ian McEwan; a new case for the Slow Horses - plus memoirs from Kamala Harris and Paul McCartney… all among this season’s highlights

The Guardian
‘The King Lear in I Am the Walrus? That came from John Cage’: Paul McCartney on the Beatles’ debt to great avant-garde composers

In the mid-60s, the Beatles tuned in to the world’s most audacious experimental musicians. Paul McCartney reveals how many of the Fab Four’s ‘far-out’ masterpieces were inspired by their sonic breakthroughs

The Guardian