Record Collecting For Girls
Unleashing Your Inner Music Nerd, One Album at a Time
1 of 1 copy available
You never leave home without your iPod. You’re always on the lookout for new bands, and you have strong opinions when it comes to music debates, like Beatles vs. Stones. For years, you’ve listened to guys talk about all things music, but the female perspective has been missing. Until now.
Drawing on her personal life as a music enthusiast, as well as her experience working at MTV and in radio, Courtney E. Smith explores what music can tell women about themselves—and the men in their lives. She takes on a range of topics, from the romantic soundtracks of Romeo and Juliet to the evolution of girl bands. She shares stories from her own life that shed light on the phenomenon of guilty pleasures and the incredible power of an Our Song. Along the way, she evaluates the essential role that music plays as we navigate life’s glorious victories and its soul-crushing defeats. Finally, here is a voice that speaks to women—because girls get their hearts broken and make mix tapes about it, too.
“Courtney Smith has smarts and sass in spades. Her insights are as hilarious as they are thoughtful, and when you finish reading this book, you’ll feel like you just got home from a perfect night out with your best friend. And you’ll want to listen to Prince. At full volume.” —Megan Jasper, Executive Vice President, Sub Pop Records
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
December 15, 2023 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780547502250
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780547502250
- File size: 957 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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June 20, 2011
There are few ways to get to know someone quicker than scrolling through that person's iPod. But whatever you do, former MTV programmer Smith cautions in this insightful and hilarious take on the modern state of music, never date a guy who likes the Smiths too much. Smith easily blends her own musical coming-of-age narrative with rock historyâespecially women's place in itâinterspersed with playlists and brief "interlude" chapters, such as "Music Blogs Are Just Dadaist Conversation" and "Give It to Me for Free." Working at MTV for the first decade of the new millennium, Smith heavily influenced what music ended up on a generation's iPod, from Death Cab for Cutie to the Shins, and she explores her own roots with lists ranging from top five artists right now (with strict rules for admittance) to guilty pleasures ("in my world it's not okay to like the Black Eyed Peas") and best breakup songs cued to the five stages of grief (is it time for angry Fiona Apple or the melancholy Cure?). As the music industry changes with the digital age, so does the concept of "record" collecting, argues Smith, who grapples with whether to keep her nostalgia-laden physical CDs or transfer everything to hard drives. This is a book for anyone whose day has a soundtrack and for whom music reigns supreme. -
August 15, 2011
Music writer Smith narrates a melodious road map with much autobiographical detail interwoven.
Despite its title, the self-taught "music obsessive" author's debut is not a guide book; nor is it aimed specifically at female readers. Instead, it's a hybrid: part collection of loosely related essays on the music industry, female rock stars and pop music in general; and part memoir, focusing on Smith's particular tastes in music and how that music affects every aspect of her life, most specifically her dating life. The author's experience in the industry, however overblown and self-aggrandizing ("I've been shaping the music you've listened to for a decade," she declares), makes her extremely confident and knowledgeable about popular music, and there is much here that is both interesting and informative. But some of Smith's material is disconcerting, such as defining people and events solely through the lens of pop music. Those who share similar tastes will enjoy the book; readers who don't will find the author aggravating (particularly while making sweeping generalizations about music she doesn't like) and boring.
Too many intricate details of Smith's past relationships and boilerplate clichés (e.g., why she won't date a man who listens too often to The Smiths) make for an uneven collection of essays, ostensibly about music.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
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August 15, 2011
Music writer Smith narrates a melodious road map with much autobiographical detail interwoven.
Despite its title, the self-taught "music obsessive" author's debut is not a guide book; nor is it aimed specifically at female readers. Instead, it's a hybrid: part collection of loosely related essays on the music industry, female rock stars and pop music in general; and part memoir, focusing on Smith's particular tastes in music and how that music affects every aspect of her life, most specifically her dating life. The author's experience in the industry, however overblown and self-aggrandizing ("I've been shaping the music you've listened to for a decade," she declares), makes her extremely confident and knowledgeable about popular music, and there is much here that is both interesting and informative. But some of Smith's material is disconcerting, such as defining people and events solely through the lens of pop music. Those who share similar tastes will enjoy the book; readers who don't will find the author aggravating (particularly while making sweeping generalizations about music she doesn't like) and boring.
Too many intricate details of Smith's past relationships and boilerplate clich�s (e.g., why she won't date a man who listens too often to The Smiths) make for an uneven collection of essays, ostensibly about music.
(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
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