It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom "Exile on Main Street" or "Electric Ladyland" are as significant and worthy of study as "The Catcher in the Rye" or "Middlemarch." And so we have Continuum's "33 1/3" books, a series of little paperbacks each dedicated to a seminal rock album, from James Brown's "Live at the Apollo" to the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds." The series, which now comprises 29 titles with more in the works, is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration. John Niven's "Music From Big Pink," based on the classic 1968 LP by the Band, takes things a step further: it's fiction.
(Gary Kamiya
N Y Times, The )
"These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool.... We love these." -
Vice (
Vice )
"Love it or hate it, Nick Hornby's High Fidelity at least snatched pop music away from pasty snob reviewers (cough) and made it accessible for anyone who's ever had a favorite song. This ongoing series of novellas and essays takes that idea and runs with it, as musicians, writers, and scholars give us their thoughts on a single album. But this isn't wheezy music criticism-every author's take is autobiographical and anecdotal. And the range of albums (everything from the Beatles' Let It Be to the Replacements', um, Let It Be) is eclectic enough that there should be something for everyone. (four stars)"
-Maxim
"Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't nearly enough."
-Rolling Stone
"For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, you'd do well to check out Continuum's "33 1/3" series of books. Each volume dedicates over 100 pages of thorough, in-depth analysis, history, and other observations to one album. The books are usually written by a renowned journalist, artist, or someone else otherwise qualified to write about such matters."
-Pitchfork
"At certain times in your life, a great record is more important than a good friend....You could write a book about the intense bonds that form between a listener and an album that comes along at just the right time. And now someone has-in fact, a half dozen people have (so far)....[E]ach has a distinct, almost militantly personal take on a beloved longplayer."
-Tracks Magazine
"A brilliant series....each one a work of real love."
-NME
"Passionate, obsessive, and smart."
-Nylon
"[A] consistently excellent series."
-Uncut (UK)
"Informed, fun and personal."
-Paste Magazine
"The series treats its subjects with the kind of intelligence and carefully considered respect they deserve."
-Pop Culture Press
"Idiosyncratic, pocket-sized monographs done with passion and insight. The analysis is both personal and articulate."
-Harp Magazine
"Essentially religious tracts for the rock n'roll faithful"
-Boldtype Magazine
"Passionate and astutely written, and, in several instances, lend real insight"
-Amplifier Magazine
"[The series] is the sort of great idea you can't believe hasn't been done before: enlist critics and musicians to write chapbook-length meditations on their favorite albums.
-The Boston Phoenix
"Brilliantly researched and written... [these books] are compact enough to carry in a pocket (or guitar case) while you wait for friends or troll for tickets."
-LA City Beat
"The nobility-and fun-of the project has never been questioned...a winning mix of tastes and writing styles."
-Philadelphia Weekly
"Reading about rock isn't quite the same as listening to it, but this series comes pretty damn close."
-Neon NYC
"On the face of it, the 33 1/3 series of books about albums doesn't smack of publishing's cutting edge, but it is as much a product of its time as blogging and music downloads. The idea behind the series was to 'get people to attempt new approaches tow writing about music, and not just the classic albums. Some pick apart the album; others take a different tack. Live at the Apollo by Douglas Wolk puts James Brown's seminal live album in the context of its Cold War-era setting. John Nevin's Music from Big Pink is about a drug dealer hanging around the band during the making of that record. The small format makes the books ideal one-sitting reads" -
GQ (UK), June 2006
One line entry in Publishing News
(
Publishing News )
"The series standouts capture the tone and energy of the discs they're exploring. Devoid of photos, averaging 120 pages and printed as pocket sized, 6 ½-inch-by-4-inch paperbacks—handy for filing next to your favorite CD's—the books tend to be exceedingly brief in recapping the subjects' life and work before and after the album references in the title, keeping the focus squarely on the masterpiece. One of the best aspects of the 33 1/3 books may be that they don't intend to be the final work on these albums, only the ultimate conversation starters." -
Chicago Sun-Times, June 2006
"Continuum Publishing's quirky 33 1/3 series is a modest success with more than 30 books already published. All of these books are packed with details ranging from the personal to the technical and sociological, covering everything from the author's reaction to the music to the kind of equipment used in the studio. What each one has in common is a loving look at an album that made a difference in someone's life and they're all written with a passion that is a reminder of 30 years ago when music magazines like
Creem,
Circus and
Rolling Stone featured long essays and think-pieces that were more about music than personality profiles. Most of the books work as behind-the-scenes glimpse at artistic creations that often are shrouded in mystery. The charm of the books is that their lack of immediacy—it's hard to find any of them about an album that's not at least 5 years old—creates a sort of nostalgic vibe that goes beyond the music." -
Toledoblade.com, July 9, 2006
"Like most best-of compilations,
33 1/3 Greatest Hits, Volume 1 is only a partial portrait of a larger subject, in this case Continuum's popular series that features writers from different backgrounds extolling the virtues of their favorite albums. The series' greatest virtues is its breadth: Contributors include academics, critics and musicians, who expound on rock, pop, funk, hip hop, soul, folk, dance, alternative, and Prince. Admirably, editor David Barker dictates no approach to the albums, allowing the writers to consider the music academically, historically, or autobiographically...Excerpting chapters from the first 20 installments,
33 1/3 Greatest Hits ably showcases this essential variety... The result is a diverse and multifaceted series that covers not just the range of popular music but the gamut of pop-music criticism useful introduction to contemporary rock writing, revealing a discipline as diverse as its subject." - Stephen Deusner
, Memphis Flyer (Stephen Deusner )
"The idea was simple: to ask a group of authors to each write a book about a classic album. What emerged became Continuum's 33 1/3 series. Without guidelines or rules, each author embraced their own favourite album and chose exactly how they wanted to write about it.As a result, each book is by turn anecdotal, obsessive, technical and personal, but always passionate." -
Swell Music, December 2006 (Swell Music, December 2006 )
"...Continuum's 33 1/3 book series is among the best music-themed literature going. Personal, obsessive and clever, the paperbacks celebrate older, sales-proven classics as well as equally influential albeit less commercially successful works...Every 33 1/3 series is devoted to a single album and written by a different author, whose approaches are as varied as the artists they explore...Uniform Consistency is via layouts and logistics. All of the pocket size books (100 to 170 pages) and inexpensive ($9.95- $10.95). And because the topics have yet to hit a sour note, they beg to be collected...Continuum has released approximately 40 titles since 2003. Additional books are scheduled before the year's end, including takes on Steely Dan's 'Aja' and Sonic Youth's 'Daydream Nation,' both due this spring. While not every volume in the series rates a five star review, the majorities are impossible to put down and inspire extensive listening." - Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune, March 2007
Gendron lists his 'top 10' exemplary entries of the series:
1. " Harvest," by Sam Inglis (2003)
2. "The Velvet Underground and Nico," by Joe Harvard (2004)
3. "Live at the Apollo," by Douglas Wolk (2004)
4. "Led Zeppelin IV," by Erik Davis (2005)
5. " Ramones," by Nicholas Rombes (2005)
6. "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," by Kim Cooper (2006)
7. "Dolittle," by Ben Sisario (2006)
8. "Paul's Boutique," by Dan LeRoy (2006)
9. "Bee Thousand," by Marc Wo (2006)
10. "69 Love Songs," by LD Beghtol (2006)
(
Chicago Tribune )
"People may say the album is dead, but the nostalgia for it is certainly not. If you plug the term 'favorite album' into Google, you'll get back nearly 800,000 hits -- a testament to how much people love discussing, listing and dissecting the form. David Barker, editorial director at Continuum Books, knows this firsthand, and his book series, 33 1/3, is reaping the benefits.
The name, which refers to the speed at which vinyl albums play, encapsulates what the series is: an ode to the rock album as a work of art and an occasionally life-altering force. Barker, who said he thought he could fill a niche with short books about single albums --an alternative to the glut of 'straightforward band histories', started the line in 2003; it currently has titles signed through 2009. Highlighted in PW's October 2006 story about successful series, 33 1/3 has far exceeded expectations.
The books, at a 4¾ "x 6½ " trim and an average of 145 pages, are done in an economy of scale model. Print runs are usually 5,000 copies, and writers were initially music journalists and friends of Barker. That, however, has changed...the most successful book in the line, Meet is Murder (a slightly obscure Smiths album), is a novella about a Boston teen in the 80's. "People love the unpredictability of the series,' Barker explained." - Publishers Weekly, February 2007
(
Publishers Weekly )
Mentioned on Virgin Radio website, 18/07/07
(Virgin Radio website )
Extracts from Endtroducing by Eliot Wilder featured in One Week To Live
"Allowing the writers to express their passion in their own way has helped 33 1/3 establish a firm position in the music-writing canon. Reading about music almost always depends on interest and appreciation for not just one artistic undertaking, but two: writing and music. Continuum has, in most cases, combined these masterfully." - Tom Roberge,
Boldtype (Tom Roberge )
"The 33 1/3 of pocket books ... are superb little volumes devoted to classic albums. What unites them is not so much their subject as the standard of the writing and imagination that the authors have brought to their task ... every one I've read has been well worth the attention." - Keith Bruce, The Herald (Glasgow), March 8, 2008.
It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom "Exile on Main Street" or "Electric Ladyland" are as significant and worthy of study as "The Catcher in the Rye" or "Middlemarch." And so we have Continuum's "33 1/3" books, a series of little paperbacks each dedicated to a seminal rock album, from James Brown's "Live at the Apollo" to the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds." The series, which now comprises 29 titles with more in the works, is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration. John Niven's "Music From Big Pink," based on the classic 1968 LP by the Band, takes things a step further: it's fiction.
(,
N Y Times, The )
"These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool.… We love these." -
Vice (
Vice )
"At certain times in your life, a great record is more important than a good friend….You could write a book about the intense bonds that form between a listener and an album that comes along at just the right time. And now someone has-in fact, a half dozen people have (so far)….[E]ach has a distinct, almost militantly personal take on a beloved longplayer."
-Tracks Magazine
"A brilliant series….each one a work of real love."
-NME
"Brilliantly researched and written… [these books] are compact enough to carry in a pocket (or guitar case) while you wait for friends or troll for tickets."
-LA City Beat
"The nobility-and fun-of the project has never been questioned…a winning mix of tastes and writing styles."
-Philadelphia Weekly
“On the face of it, the 33 1/3 series of books about albums doesn’t smack of publishing’s cutting edge, but it is as much a product of its time as blogging and music downloads. The idea behind the series was to 'get people to attempt new approaches tow writing about music, and not just the classic albums. Some pick apart the album; others take a different tack. Live at the Apollo by Douglas Wolk puts James Brown’s seminal live album in the context of its Cold War-era setting. John Nevin’s Music from Big Pink is about a drug dealer hanging around the band during the making of that record. The small format makes the books ideal one-sitting reads” -
GQ (UK), June 2006
“The series standouts capture the tone and energy of the discs they’re exploring. Devoid of photos, averaging 120 pages and printed as pocket sized, 6 ½-inch-by-4-inch paperbacks—handy for filing next to your favorite CD’s—the books tend to be exceedingly brief in recapping the subjects’ life and work before and after the album references in the title, keeping the focus squarely on the masterpiece. One of the best aspects of the 33 1/3 books may be that they don’t intend to be the final work on these albums, only the ultimate conversation starters.” -
Chicago Sun-Times, June 2006
"Continuum Publishing’s quirky 33 1/3 series is a modest success with more than 30 books already published. All of these books are packed with details ranging from the personal to the technical and sociological, covering everything from the author’s reaction to the music to the kind of equipment used in the studio. What each one has in common is a loving look at an album that made a difference in someone’s life and they’re all written with a passion that is a reminder of 30 years ago when music magazines like
Creem,
Circus and
Rolling Stone featured long essays and think-pieces that were more about music than personality profiles. Most of the books work as behind-the-scenes glimpse at artistic creations that often are shrouded in mystery. The charm of the books is that their lack of immediacy—it’s hard to find any of them about an album that’s not at least 5 years old—creates a sort of nostalgic vibe that goes beyond the music." -
Toledoblade.com, July 9, 2006
“Like most best-of compilations,
33 1/3 Greatest Hits, Volume 1 is only a partial portrait of a larger subject, in this case Continuum’s popular series that features writers from different backgrounds extolling the virtues of their favorite albums. The series’ greatest virtues is its breadth: Contributors include academics, critics and musicians, who expound on rock, pop, funk, hip hop, soul, folk, dance, alternative, and Prince. Admirably, editor David Barker dictates no approach to the albums, allowing the writers to consider the music academically, historically, or autobiographically…Excerpting chapters from the first 20 installments,
33 1/3 Greatest Hits ably showcases this essential variety… The result is a diverse and multifaceted series that covers not just the range of popular music but the gamut of pop-music criticism useful introduction to contemporary rock writing, revealing a discipline as diverse as its subject." - Stephen Deusner
, Memphis Flyer (, )
"The idea was simple: to ask a group of authors to each write a book about a classic album. What emerged became Continuum's 33 1/3 series. Without guidelines or rules, each author embraced their own favourite album and chose exactly how they wanted to write about it.As a result, each book is by turn anecdotal, obsessive, technical and personal, but always passionate." -
Swell Music, December 2006 (, )
"…Continuum’s 33 1/3 book series is among the best music-themed literature going. Personal, obsessive and clever, the paperbacks celebrate older, sales-proven classics as well as equally influential albeit less commercially successful works…Every 33 1/3 series is devoted to a single album and written by a different author, whose approaches are as varied as the artists they explore…Uniform Consistency is via layouts and logistics. All of the pocket size books (100 to 170 pages) and inexpensive ($9.95- $10.95). And because the topics have yet to hit a sour note, they beg to be collected…Continuum has released approximately 40 titles since 2003. Additional books are scheduled before the year’s end, including takes on Steely Dan’s 'Aja’ and Sonic Youth’s 'Daydream Nation,’ both due this spring. While not every volume in the series rates a five star review, the majorities are impossible to put down and inspire extensive listening." - Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune, March 2007
Gendron lists his 'top 10’ exemplary entries of the series:
1. " Harvest," by Sam Inglis (2003)
2. "The Velvet Underground and Nico," by Joe Harvard (2004)
3. "Live at the Apollo," by Douglas Wolk (2004)
4. "Led Zeppelin IV," by Erik Davis (2005)
5. " Ramones," by Nicholas Rombes (2005)
6. "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," by Kim Cooper (2006)
7. "Dolittle," by Ben Sisario (2006)
8. "Paul’s Boutique," by Dan LeRoy (2006)
9. "Bee Thousand," by Marc Wo (2006)
10. "69 Love Songs," by LD Beghtol (2006)
(, )
"People may say the album is dead, but the nostalgia for it is certainly not. If you plug the term 'favorite album’ into Google, you’ll get back nearly 800,000 hits – a testament to how much people love discussing, listing and dissecting the form. David Barker, editorial director at Continuum Books, knows this firsthand, and his book series, 33 1/3, is reaping the benefits.
The name, which refers to the speed at which vinyl albums play, encapsulates what the series is: an ode to the rock album as a work of art and an occasionally life-altering force. Barker, who said he thought he could fill a niche with short books about single albums –an alternative to the glut of 'straightforward band histories’, started the line in 2003; it currently has titles signed through 2009. Highlighted in PW’s October 2006 story about successful series, 33 1/3 has far exceeded expectations.
The books, at a 4¾ "x 6½ " trim and an average of 145 pages, are done in an economy of scale model. Print runs are usually 5,000 copies, and writers were initially music journalists and friends of Barker. That, however, has changed…the most successful book in the line, Meet is Murder (a slightly obscure Smiths album), is a novella about a Boston teen in the 80’s. "People love the unpredictability of the series,’ Barker explained." - Publishers Weekly, February 2007
(, )
Mentioned on Virgin Radio website, 18/07/07
(, )
“Allowing the writers to express their passion in their own way has helped 33 1/3 establish a firm position in the music-writing canon. Reading about music almost always depends on interest and appreciation for not just one artistic undertaking, but two: writing and music. Continuum has, in most cases, combined these masterfully.” - Tom Roberge,
Boldtype (, )
