Albums That Were Important to Tosh in 1994

 

1994, I think I left Beyond Baroque and started to work full-time at Book Soup. And I stayed there until 2012. Having Tower Records across the street from the store got me into the music world again. I'm still buying reissues of Gainsbourg and started to obtain a strong Boris Vian fixation. Still, it was British music that made an impression on me. Portishead, I think, similarly hit everyone: DJ-related, Noir sounds, and bluesy, with a strong movie soundtrack feel. I loved their sound and the sense of a dreamy landscape in front of me. Pulp was another discovery that year. "His 'N' Hers" captured that kitchen sink feeling of British literature, cinema, and theater. Jarvis Cocker and company had such a strong character that comes through their music. I also loved the painted cover portrait of the band. Frank Black's second solo album, "Teenager of the Year" (I love that title), I think, is a remarkable work. I think it has 23 short songs, and all of them had great depth for me. Divine Comedy returns with an album with a great song, "The Booklovers," which lists every author and just a remarkable piece of baroque-pop. I was impressed with Morrissey's "Vauxhall and I," which is a remarkable piece of work from the grump king. If you look back on 1994, I think most contemporary music lovers will find something totally satisfying—a strong music year.

Albums That Were Important to Tosh in 1992

 

1992 I was pretty much busy working in the Beyond Baroque world as its Director and Curator. I had a craving for music but it got very unimportant to me at this time. Looking through the releases there are only two albums that made an impression on me, and they are albums by well-known, yet controversial artists. Yoko Ono and Morrissey. Beyond that, on a music level, I must have been focused on buying old Serge Gainsbourg and Joe Meek related music. French Pop made an impression on me, due to my visits to Japanese record stores. The Ono Box was a retrospective of Yoko's recordings, and it is probably the best set exploring her music. The Morrissey "Your Arsenal" was his 'rock' recording, produced by the great Mick Ronson. At this time, I felt Morrissey was at his height as an artist and 'public figure.' At the time, I thought his approach to the Right-Wing was as in a fictional character. Nevertheless, I have always preferred the solo Morrissey to The Smiths. Not a popular opinion by the way! -Tosh Berman

The Important Albums for Tosh in 1988

 

1988 was an explosive year for me. A good year actually. I got a job at Book Soup, as well as curating a film series at Beyond Baroque. And the big news for that year was I got married. The thought of getting married in January of that year would seem impossible. But I met Lun*na, and we connected immediately and got married on December 24, 1988. An exhilarating year! On the other hand, the music world was boring to me. Hip-Hop was hitting the mainstream, as well as Sunset Strip Hair bands. At least I had the misery of Morrissey's first solo album, which was a surprise how good it is. One commonly thought if Johnny Marr is not in the picture, then the Morrissey world will collapse. This was not the case. I'm one of the few who actually prefers the Solo Morrisey material to The Smiths. Wire I followed closely, but not always knocked by their albums, except for "Chairs Missing," which is brilliant. But I do love, "A Bell is a Cup." Straightforward and interesting sounds. Nick Cave is someone I admire but never loved his work. Except for his song "The Mercy Seat, which to this day, I think is his most magnificent song and performance. Sadly, I think it was only these three new albums that impacted me in the year 1988. I must have been buying 12" remixes of The Associates, but not sure. Still, 1988 was a mega-change for me in my personal life. 1989 will be even more dramatic. -Tosh Berman

TamTam Books at Alias Books East in Atwater Village

Alias Books East in Atwater Village has a selection of books published by TamTam Books.  

- Boris Vian's "Autumn in Peking"

- Boris Vian's "Red Grass" 

-Boris Vian's "To Hell With The Ugly"

& a book by Ron Mael and Russell Mael of the band Sparks.  "In The Words of Sparks: Selected Lyrics"  Edited by Ron and Russell, with a great introduction by Morrissey.  

And, also for sale is "Memory Before Action" text by Tosh Berman and art by Senon Williams.  Very limited and of course, very special.  All exclusively on sale at Alias Books East.  Located 3163 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90039.  For more information, here's their website: http://www.aliasbookseast.com

"Peepholism: Into The Art of Morrissey" by Jo Slee (Sedgwick & Jackson) 1994

ISBN: 0-283-06210-X

I remember finding "Peepholism: Into the Art of Morrissey" by the singer's co-designer Jo Slee at a local Virgin music store in Hollywood, and I never bought it, but I always looked through the book on a regular basis whenever I visited that store.  One day I arrived, and the book went missing or got sold, and ever since then I have been thinking about obtaining this book.   Morrissey, in a nutshell, is a fascinating artist.   Of all his talents, and songwriting is one of them, but I also love his sense of design and thought that into his graphics for The Smiths.  Jo Slee worked with Morrissey on the visual side, and it's fascinating how he had brought up a distinctive gay or/and pop culture through his work.  I believe the images he uses or presents is just as important as the music.  His time with the Smiths was the best, visually speaking.  I prefer the solo Morrissey than the Smiths music, which I know is a sin to the average Smiths fan, but on the other hand, his work as a graphic artist/designer is superb during The Smith years.  

His use of actors such as James Dean, Albert Finney, and various British iconic comedians, pop star great Billy Fury and so forth is used as a language to describe an inner world that is very Morrissey specific.  In a manner, his work reminds me of Sgt. Pepper cover, due that one thinks how do these faces in the background connect to the Fab Four.   One feels the same way when approaching a Smiths cover.   Once Morrissey went solo, he pretty much eliminated having another face or person on the cover beside himself.  That, I also found interesting that he made this huge change when he went solo. A difference is good, but, the intensity of The Smiths graphic is exceptional in design and mind. "Peepholism" is not the perfect Morrissey graphic book, or on its subject matter. It would be nice if a cultural critic/historian did a book on just Morrissey's graphics world, nevertheless, "Peepholism" is fascinating in parts, and I'm happy that I eventually found a used copy. 

Tosh Berman Introduction on Tosh Talks

"In The Words of Sparks... Selected Lyrics" by Ron Mael & Russell Mael (TamTam Books)

In The Words of Sparks...Selected Lyrics

Edited by Ron Mael, Russell Mael. Introduction by Morrissey.

Sparks--the long-running duo of Ron and Russell Mael--are among the most respected songwriters of their generation, their songs ranking alongside those of Ray Davies (The Kinks having been a formative influence), George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim. Formed in Los Angeles in 1971, Sparks have issued over 20 albums and scored chart hits with songs such as “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us,” “Cool Places” and “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth.” While their musical style has changed dramatically over the course of 40 years--embracing the British Invasion sound of the 60s, glam rock, disco (they teamed up with Giorgio Moroder for 1979’s “No. 1 in Heaven”) and even techno--their work has consistently stretched the boundaries of pop music and the song form. Sparks continue to break new ground: they are currently working on a project with filmmaker Guy Maddin and are soon to embark on a world tour. Now, for the first time, the Mael brothers have chosen their favorite Sparks lyrics (to some 75 songs), editing and correcting them for presentation in In the Words of Sparks. As James Greer--novelist and former member of Guided by Voices--comments, “Sparks-level wordplay is a gift, and more than that, an inspiration.” This book also includes a substantial introduction by fellow Los Angeles resident and longtime fan, Morrissey.

PUBLISHER
TAMTAM BOOKS

BOOK FORMAT
HARDCOVER, 4.25 X 6.75 IN. / 200 PGS.

PUBLISHING STATUS
PUB DATE 10/31/2013
ACTIVE

DISTRIBUTION
D.A.P. EXCLUSIVE
CATALOG: SPRING 2013 P. 50    

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN 9780985272401 TRADE
LIST PRICE: $24.95 CDN $27.50

Edith Sitwell - Face To Face 1959 Interview

100 Books I Read in the Year 2015 by Tosh Berman (all reviewed in Good Reads)

James Kaplan (Doubleday)

Samuel Fuller (Hard Case Crime)

Brian Dillon (Sternberg Press)

Max Jacob (oberlin)

Sarah Gerard (Two Dollar Radio)

Marcel Bénabou (Bison Books)

Terayama Shūji (Merwin Asia)

Ian F. Svenonius ( Akashic Books)

Robert Scotto (Process)

Rudolph Wurlitzer (Two Dollar Radio)

Louis-Ferdinand Cèline (Atlas Press)

Honore de Balzac (Wakefield Press)

O. Nicolai & J. Wenzel (Spector Books)

Frank O'Hara (Grove Press)

Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes (Wakefield Press)

Charles Jackson (Vintage)

Rosemary Tonks

C.D. Rose (Melville House)

Ludwig Bemelmans

Glyn Johns (Blue Rider Press)

Benjamin Piekut (University of California Press)

Mark E. Smith (Penguin)

Ludwig Bemelmans

Ludwig Bemelmans (Viking)

Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Little Brown Press)

Kim Gordon (Dey Street)

Ludwig Bemelmans (Viking)

Ludwig Bemelmans (Viking)

William Hackman (The Other Press)

Mark Webber (The Visible Press)

Hunter Drohojowska - Philp (Henry Holt)

Cookie Mueller (Semoitext[e])

Ken Emerson (Viking)

Jim Krusoe (Tin House Books)

Robert Fripp (Rare Bird Books)

Keith Porter (Cambridge University Press)

Steve Reich (Oxford University Press)

Italo Svevo (Melville House)

Bernard Cooper (W.W. Norton & Co.)

Rachel Kushner (Scribner)

Phillip Glass (Liveright)

Alfred Hayes (NYRB)

Don Ryan

F.T. Marinetti (Sternberg Press)

Alain Robbe-Grillet (Calder)

Don DeLillo (Picador USA)

Ralph Rumney (Manchester University)

Shinobu Hashimoto (Vertical)

Pierre Michon (Yale University Press)

Friedrich Reck (NYRB)

Robert Benchley (Ameron House)

Enrique Vila-Matas (New Directions)

B.S. Johnson (New Directions)

Howard Devoto (Black Spring Press)

Albertine Sarrazin (New Directions)

Royston Ellis (Kicks Books)

David Castronova (Continuum )

Dennis Duncan (Atlas Press)

Janis Londraville & Richard Londraville (University of Nebraska Press)

George Herms (Hamilton Press)

Mark Gluth (Akashic Books)

Joris-Karl Huysmans (Wakefield Press)

Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quaterly)

Yasunari Kawabata (Counterpoint)

Nik Cohn (Knoph)

Edogawa Rampo (Kurodahan Press)

Kenkō (Penguin)

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (Penguin)

Eve Babitz (NYRB)

Emmanuel Bove (NYRB)

Morrissey (Penguin)

Marcus O'Dair (Soft Skull Press)

Simon Critchley (OR Books)

Patti Smith (Knoph)

Boris Vian (Black Widow Press)

Richard Hell (Soft Skull Press)

Deborah Davis (Atria Books)

Boyd McDonald, Introduction by William E. Jones (Semoitext[e])

Bruno Corra (Atlas Press)

Roland Barthes (Seagull Press)

Lee Falk & Phil Davis (Nostalgia Press)

Edouard Levé (Dalkey Archive Press)

Stéphane Mallarmé (Berg)

Michael Peppiatt (Bloomsbury)

Fred Goodman (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Greil Marcus (Yale University Press)

John Wieners (City Lights Publishers)

Roland Barthes (Seagull Books)

Alexander Vvedensky (NYRB Poets)

Nell Dunn (Virago)

Linda Rosenkrantz (NYRB)

Brigid Berlin (Reel Art Press)

David Hurn (Reel Art Press)

Peter Guralnick (Little Brown & Company)

Duffy (ACC Distribution)

Luc Sante (Vintage)

David L. Ulin (University of California Press)

Hunter Barnes (Reel Art Press)

Burt Glinn (Reel Art Press)

To read the reviews of the above books, go here: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/1926501

-- Tosh Berman