Title: Eternally Electric: The Message in My Music
Authors:
Debbie Gibson (with Richard Buskin)
Publisher:
Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Hardcover;
312 pages; $30
Back in
1988, Debbie Gibson scored her first Billboard Hot 100 chart topper with “Foolish
Beat.” With that achievement came another one: the youngest female artist
(at age 17) to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 hit — a record she still
holds today.
Throughout
her memoir, Eternally Electric, Gibson (with co-writer Richard Buskin) openly
and often lightheartedly describes what it was like to achieve stardom at such a
young ago, the health issues she endured (and still does), the major role late mother
Diane had in her career as manager – or “momager” as the elder Gibson is lovingly
referred to in the book, past and present tours with New Kids on the Block (plus
‘N Sync), local, regional and national theatrical roles and stints on Broadway,
moving into film and television acting, withstanding career lows (but having a
positive attitude and learning to pivot often) and more.
It’s a
testament to Gibson’s good nature and reputation within the music and theater that
she still remains friends with colleagues dating back decades. As a casual fan,
who bought her 1987-88 albums Out of the Blue and Electric Youth on cassettes
upon release, I particularly found the chapter sections devoted to her early
tours, a longstanding fatherly relationship with first label boss Ahmet Ertegan,
the co-founder of Atlantic Records and more recently, a professional friendship
and collaborations with NKOTB’s Joey McIntyre (who wrote the book’s forward).
Info: amazon.com
Author: Katie Bain
Publisher: Epic Ink/Quarto
Hardcover; 256 pages; $24.99
Featuring over
150 photos, this gorgeous coffee table book on Coachella includes sections
devoted to The Foundations (Goldenvoice, the ‘90s SoCal Music Scene). The Site
(Art Installations), The Arrival, The Hype (top headline moments), The
Performances (surprise guests, 21 most essential sets), The Fashion and
Cultural Influence. Katie Bain, a senior music correspondent at Billboard
Magazine, has attended, reported on, and interviewed artists at the event. She
does a good job here at providing a history on the grandaddy of the modern
annual American music festival.
As someone
who has attended and written about all but two editions of Coachella, it was great
to relive key moments from the past that I personally witnessed and see all the
glossy color festival images through 2025. While there is a bit too much
emphasis on the festival’s fashion aspect and the pop, rap, and R&B (enough
Beyonce, already!) performers over rock, alternative and electronic ones that
were the bread and butter of the early years, those are minor quibbles. Desert
Dreams is a fine keepsake for anyone that has gone to the Indio festivities
more than once.
Info: amazon.com
Author: Bill Janovitz
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Hardcover; 400 pages; $32.50
Led by
enigmatic frontman Ric Ocasek, Boston band The Cars enjoyed a successful
decade-long run on the pop and rock radio charts starting with 1978’s “Just
What I Needed,” followed by “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Let’s Go,” “Shake it Up,”
“You Might Think,” “Magic,” “Drive” and others. The first five albums were all certified
platinum.
Throughout
the first definitive Cars biography, author/musician Bill Janovitz - whose
credits include books on Leon Russell and The Rolling Stones and is the
long-running frontman for Boston alt-rocker Buffalo Tom - does an exceptional
job getting to the heart of what made The Cars so beloved and influential. Janovitz
touches upon all the key career moments (studio albums, Live Aid, reunion, Rock
Hall induction, solo work), right up to Ocasek’s passing in 2019.
Janovitz definitely
did his due diligence by interviewing the band’s three surviving members, key
players in the New England music scene, producers, the musicians’ wives, artists
Ocasek produced (Weezer, Suicide, Bad Brains) and others. There are several revelations;
in fact, Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes, who wrote the book’s forward, said, “I’ve
learned things about all The Cars that I never knew before, and I have come to
appreciate the talents and perspectives of the other members of the band— Ric,
Ben, Elliot, and David— a little better having read this book.” It contains color
photos, annotated notes, and index sections as well. Highly recommended for all
Cars fans.
Info: amazon.com
To read a 2024 interview that I conducted with Debbie Gibson, go here: https://tinyurl.com/584uafur
