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Don’t Stop The Music: A Year Of Pop History One Day At A Time by Justin Lewis
The Blurb On The Back:
Discover an intriguing collection of notable events, remarkable nuggets and entertaining coincidences from music history - from 1894 to the present - for every day of the year in this constantly surprising compendium.
Justin Lewis is an editor and writer specialising in music. This hugely entertaining compendium of pop music facts comprises a number of facts for each day of the year including song releases or the birth/death of people involved in pop music (writers, artists, producers etc). The entries cover events from 1894 up to 2023 and it’s filled with fascinating nuggets that make it perfect for music aficionados and dilettantes alike.
I picked this up because I’ve followed Lewis on social media for a number of years now and know that he’s a veritable encyclopaedia when it comes to anything to do with pop music. My own knowledge is cursory at best - my interest in the charts drained away when I went to university and I’m one of those tragic people who only discovers new music if it happens to be on the radio when I’m in the car or at a shopping mall - but I do enjoy watching repeats of TOP OF THE POPS, especially when they put the little bubbles up with information about the song or band. If that’s something you enjoy as well then you are really going to love this book because it basically gives you a handful of facts about pop music for every day of the year.
The focus is on pop music and particularly the US and UK pop charts but it’s still notable how broad a mix of music this incorporates with Lewis including facts from artists in literally every genre of music from rap to folk and metal. Also although most of the music covers the period from the 1950s up until 2023 (when the book was published in hardback) Lewis is clever enough to go further back into history, finding a way to get a mix of factoids into the book, the oldest of which goes all the way back to 1894.
This is the type of book that you can read cover to cover or dip into as and when you wish, although I have to say that having read it cover to cover, it’s surprising easy to get into the trap of just wanting to read one more day’s worth of facts. The only bad thing about the book was that it made me go away and buy a load of music from iTunes afterwards. If you’re looking for a gift for a music lover then this is definitely worth checking out. I really hope that Lewis does a follow-up to this or, at least, does an update in a few years.
The Verdict:
Justin Lewis is an editor and writer specialising in music. This hugely entertaining compendium of pop music facts comprises a number of facts for each day of the year including song releases or the birth/death of people involved in pop music (writers, artists, producers etc). The entries cover events from 1894 up to 2023 and it’s filled with fascinating nuggets that make it perfect for music aficionados and dilettantes alike.
Discover an intriguing collection of notable events, remarkable nuggets and entertaining coincidences from music history - from 1894 to the present - for every day of the year in this constantly surprising compendium.
Justin Lewis is an editor and writer specialising in music. This hugely entertaining compendium of pop music facts comprises a number of facts for each day of the year including song releases or the birth/death of people involved in pop music (writers, artists, producers etc). The entries cover events from 1894 up to 2023 and it’s filled with fascinating nuggets that make it perfect for music aficionados and dilettantes alike.
I picked this up because I’ve followed Lewis on social media for a number of years now and know that he’s a veritable encyclopaedia when it comes to anything to do with pop music. My own knowledge is cursory at best - my interest in the charts drained away when I went to university and I’m one of those tragic people who only discovers new music if it happens to be on the radio when I’m in the car or at a shopping mall - but I do enjoy watching repeats of TOP OF THE POPS, especially when they put the little bubbles up with information about the song or band. If that’s something you enjoy as well then you are really going to love this book because it basically gives you a handful of facts about pop music for every day of the year.
The focus is on pop music and particularly the US and UK pop charts but it’s still notable how broad a mix of music this incorporates with Lewis including facts from artists in literally every genre of music from rap to folk and metal. Also although most of the music covers the period from the 1950s up until 2023 (when the book was published in hardback) Lewis is clever enough to go further back into history, finding a way to get a mix of factoids into the book, the oldest of which goes all the way back to 1894.
This is the type of book that you can read cover to cover or dip into as and when you wish, although I have to say that having read it cover to cover, it’s surprising easy to get into the trap of just wanting to read one more day’s worth of facts. The only bad thing about the book was that it made me go away and buy a load of music from iTunes afterwards. If you’re looking for a gift for a music lover then this is definitely worth checking out. I really hope that Lewis does a follow-up to this or, at least, does an update in a few years.
The Verdict:
Justin Lewis is an editor and writer specialising in music. This hugely entertaining compendium of pop music facts comprises a number of facts for each day of the year including song releases or the birth/death of people involved in pop music (writers, artists, producers etc). The entries cover events from 1894 up to 2023 and it’s filled with fascinating nuggets that make it perfect for music aficionados and dilettantes alike.