Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever by Will Hermes

Aug 23, 2012 Ed Wagemann rated it 1 of 5 stars

There hasn't been much in American culture to get excited about since the 1970s. The cable tv revolution and gadget boom of the 1980s might have been interesting for a minute. Grunge in the 1990s became boring quickly. Rap is crap. The prescription drug craze, the tech boom, talk radio, all pretty much pale in comparison to the culture that was produced in the 1970s. The '70s had it all, from streakers to wife-swapping swingers and Morgana the kissing bandit to bra-burners and draft-dodgers to C...more There hasn't been much in American culture to get excited about since the 1970s. The cable tv revolution and gadget boom of the 1980s might have been interesting for a minute. Grunge in the 1990s became boring quickly. Rap is crap. The prescription drug craze, the tech boom, talk radio, all pretty much pale in comparison to the culture that was produced in the 1970s. The '70s had it all, from streakers to wife-swapping swingers and Morgana the kissing bandit to bra-burners and draft-dodgers to CB radio-culture truck drivers to test tube babies, super duper dare devils (lke Evil Knievel and Phillip Petite). It had the Thriller in Manilla, the Battle of the Sexes, Renee Richards and jesus freaks. And moonies and hare krishnas and all variety of outsider religious cults (the People's Temple, the Forever family, Heavens Gates, the Branch Davidians). There were UFO abductees and Big Foot chasers along with science and nature adventurers (Jacques Cousteau, Carl Sagan and Marty Stouffer). There were pioneering film makers (Stanley Kubirck and Martin Scorcese), rough and tumble journalists (from Hunter S. Thompson to Lester Bangs). There were muscle cars and jumbo jets, crop circles (earth art), hippie communes, self-help books and black hole thermodynamics. Then of course there was the music: funk, disco, punk, new wave, prog rock, singer-songwriter folk rock, outlaw country, heavy metal, raggae, yacht rock, glam/glitter (shock) rock, kraut rock, classic hard rock (including southern rock), power pop, experimental/electronic music all which got their starts or hit their peaks during the Swinging Decade--the last great decade for old weird American culture. And the epicenter of this cultural melting pot was often New York City, especially when it came to the music.

Will Hermes attempts to document the music culture of NYC from the middle of the 1970s in his book Love Goes To Building On Fire. The subject matters is fascinating, but right from the get go Hermes proves that he is not up to the task. His scope is too broad and he ends up giving it a superficial wash in a google-by-numbers cut and paste approach that just barely scratches the surface. There are a wide range of artists covered, but without going into any significant detail on any the book reads like an extended wikipedia posting, with the occasional (and entirely non-related and unneccesary) personal anecdote by the author thrown in for God knows why.

These autobiographical reflections were especially confusing for there seemed to be no good reason for their inclusion. Was Hermes trying to say, "Look, I was in NYC during this time and I therefore have the authority to write about this"? Beacuse if that's the case, his recollections actually did the exact opposite since he admitted that he was just a junior high school kid in Queens who was primarily listening to '70s prog rock during the time. Or was he includeing these personal reflections in an effort to give an even broader perspective of the already too broad focus that he was trying to illuminate? Or maybe he included the personal recollections simply because that kind of writing is in vouge lately and he was trying to kiss the asses of his publishers. This might have worked if Hermes could have intertwined his personal reflections into his music scene research in some interesting narrative way. Instead what he gives us is embarrassingly pathetic drivel like this from page 93:

"It's hard to convey the extent to which drugs were a part of life in New York during the mid-'70s"

"And who could forget the strap-on, resuscitator-style 'grass mask' pipes?"

"Maybe exercising control over one's consciousness was compensation for being unable to exert control over anything else."

Jesus Christ! I mean seriously, what kind of shit-ass writing is that? The effect of these numerous cardboard personal reflections is that Hermes looses all credibility. He has no authority to tell the fascinating story of the NYC music scene from that era. And in fact he DOESN'T tell that story. He simply gathers a bunch of information and strings it all together in a sanitary and boring manner that entirely misses the incredible story that the subject matter suggests. This is a book that would have been better off it was never written and one that will hopefully sink into obscurity quickly and thereby not be able to compartmentalize the NYC mid '70s music scene into some kind of soulless, scholastic cultural history.

The one positive thing I can say about this 'product' is that I would love to have a poster of the cover illustration. For that reason I give Love Goes To Building On Fire one half out of 5 WagemannHeads.

NEXT!(less)

5 likes · like · see review

May 30, 2012 Tuck rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: music-and-other-700-s

fairly good and entertaining re-cap of music in nyc in 1973-1977. the punk and rock portions won't reveal anything new to the punks out there, but the parts on loft scene and latin/salsa worlds are very nice, and steve reich and glass, and those dudes, and laurie anderson, those parts are interesting to me because i didn't know much about that. and the dj's too, herc, and siano. plus all the bars and clubs and storefronts, and parks and youth centers and lofts and theaters where music was heard...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 19, 2012 Gus Sanchez rated it 4 of 5 stars

New York City, mid-1970's. The whole place is falling apart. Crime is rampant, the city teeters on complete financial bankruptcy. Things just aren't looking good for the Big Apple. Yet from the state of emergency comes a phenomenally vibrant and highly influential wave of music whose influence still resonates today. The punk scene that emerged from CBGB's; the explosion of Latin music as performed by the Fania All-Stars; experimental forays into jazz and classical music; the emergence of disco f...more New York City, mid-1970's. The whole place is falling apart. Crime is rampant, the city teeters on complete financial bankruptcy. Things just aren't looking good for the Big Apple. Yet from the state of emergency comes a phenomenally vibrant and highly influential wave of music whose influence still resonates today. The punk scene that emerged from CBGB's; the explosion of Latin music as performed by the Fania All-Stars; experimental forays into jazz and classical music; the emergence of disco from the underground clubs to the mainstream; the birth of hip-hop from the slums of the South Bronx. You name it, it happened here.

Love Goes to Buildings on Fire (the title cribbed from a Talking Heads song, is a loving, exhaustively researched chronicle of a five-year period of the New York music culture, a time frame from which some of the most enduring, shocking, controversial, and astonishing music ever came. Will Hermes, who himself hails from Queens (School of Hard Knocks!), offers his own oral history on how the music influenced him and his future as a music journalist; one can clearly see how the variety of music heard on every street corner during that time deeply seared into his very soul, and that's no exaggeration.

The portrait of NYC in the 1970's does seem like it's passing by so fast, and with good reason: the entire scene simply exploded, hurtling itself into both the mainstream and the underground at the speed of light. There's no time to breath while reading Love Goes to Buildings on Fire, because everything happens so fast, you're forced to catch up. No matter, though, because it's all exhilarating nonetheless.

The cast of characters in Love Goes to Buildings on Fire reads like a musical Who's-Who: the New York Dolls, the Ramones, Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz, Blondie, Lou Reed, Philip Glass, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Talking Heads, Television, Laurie Anderson, Eddie Palmieri, Anthony Braxton, and so many more. Their stories are told with great detail, their influence easy to define.

A highly recommended read for music historians, and anyone who has a jones for what may be the greatest music scene ever.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 20, 2013 Nycdreamin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Anyone considering themselves any kind of student or authority on the subject of 1970's era New York City music scene/culture and/or history should also consider Will Hermes' late 2011 book "Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years In New York That Changed Music Forever" essential, "gotta read it right now" type of reading. Anyone who has already read the book probably knows exactly what I'm talking about. I'm actually re-reading it for a second time right now and enjoying it even more thoroug...more Anyone considering themselves any kind of student or authority on the subject of 1970's era New York City music scene/culture and/or history should also consider Will Hermes' late 2011 book "Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years In New York That Changed Music Forever" essential, "gotta read it right now" type of reading. Anyone who has already read the book probably knows exactly what I'm talking about. I'm actually re-reading it for a second time right now and enjoying it even more thoroughly the second time through.

Beginning on New Years Day 1973 and winding through a dizzying five year span ending December 31st, 1977, this book is an amazingly detailed, chronological cross-genre look at the creatively rich musical playground and laboratory that was New York City circa the mid 1970's.

The book examines, in great detail, several different 70's era New York music scenes including but not limited to: the end of glitter, the birth and rise of punk, the sprawling Loft Jazz/Fusion artist groups, the birth and growth to eventual world domination of the rap/Hip-Hop scene, the explosive growth of the Salsa/Afro-Cubano music culture, the transformation of small, often illegal DIY after-hours dance loft spots into huge mega discos with DJ's who became legendary for their ability to make floors full of sweaty dancers move for endless hours and how that entire scene spawned another music craze that would sweep not just New York City but the entire world.

Consider all of that and much, much more, then add author Hermes' own personal take on what it was as like actually growing up as a teenager in a city where all of this musical and artistic change was taking place amid a backdrop of rising poverty, skyrocketing crime and serious social and economic upheaval. Five years worth of entertaining and enlightening stories looking back on this amazing, you-had-to-be-there time frame fill the pages of this can't-put-it-down book.

"Love Goes To Buildings On Fire," with its well researched attention to detail and historically important, accurate and amusingly relayed stories and timelines of 1970's New York City music and culture should be considered a must-have title for the bookshelf of anyone who has a passion for more knowledge about that particular era of the city's musical, artistic and cultural histories.

(less)

like · see review

Jan 16, 2013 Mike Schwartz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Five key years where much of the music that I love was born. There’s Jonathan Richman singing “Hospital” and David Johanson introducing “Trash” at the Mercer Arts Center. Meredith Monk heading to Town Hall to play her wine glasses creating lovely, dissonant drones. A young Bruce Springsteen playing at the Gaslight before a rapt John Hammond only months after his debut album. Laurie Anderson, the young art student dreaming in public. Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell with their shared love of symboli...more

like · see review

Jul 06, 2012 Noriyuko 'Pat' rated it 2 of 5 stars

This could have been a beautiful book, I think, if Hermes had followed his muse a bit more faithfully and written an autobiography of his life as a lover of great music. Instead, those terrific self-referential moments depicting Hermes as Queens-born-and-bred nerd with a great ear open to everything from Led Zeppelin to Willie Colon to Terry Riley to the Talking Heads were few and far between. The bulk of the book is essentially a report on / collage of other people’s writings on New York music...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Robert Boyd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: music

The conceit of this book is a bit strange--that five years in New York City (1973 to 1977) were unbelievably creative years in all musical genres. But he works hard to prove it, writing about the pre-history of hip hop, the rise of punk, the maturation and peak of salsa, the "loft jazz" scene, the origin and rise of disco, the triumph of minimalism, and the emergence of particular musical artists like Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen. The thing is, so many of these things were unrelated--hip ho...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Tim Niland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Many books and articles have been written about the music scene of the 1960's and then the punk scene of the late 1970's, but in music history, the mid-1970's have been something of a lost era, snubbed by critics as a time of vapid pop and pretentious progressive rock and jazz fusion. Will Hermes looks to set the record straight by focusing on the vibrant music scene in New York City during the years 1973-1977. Taking a wide angle view from rock to jazz, salsa and disco, Hermes shows that in New...more Many books and articles have been written about the music scene of the 1960's and then the punk scene of the late 1970's, but in music history, the mid-1970's have been something of a lost era, snubbed by critics as a time of vapid pop and pretentious progressive rock and jazz fusion. Will Hermes looks to set the record straight by focusing on the vibrant music scene in New York City during the years 1973-1977. Taking a wide angle view from rock to jazz, salsa and disco, Hermes shows that in New York City at least, the prevailing notion of an unproductive stretch of musical history is far from the truth. He follows the development of the jazz loft scene, a DIY culture where pioneers like Sam Rivers and Rashied Ali took control of their own destinies by opening their own music spaces in lofts and began to attract the finest improvisers from around the country. In fact, Hermes ends the formal narrative recounting a David Murray/Lester Bowie gig. The beginnings of the DJ and underground rap culture are examined in detail, developing into the club scene that would become disco. Using these genres along with the growing popularity of Latin salsa, Hermes uses them as a lens to view the socio-economic culture of New York City. Rock and roll and especially the birth pangs of what would become the punk scene are examined in detail. Following the likes of Patti Smith, The Ramones, The Talking Heads and burgeoning mega-star Bruce Springsteen, he is able to look at the different dynamics of how bands and musical personalities form and either prosper or flounder. Hermes writes knowingly about the avant-classical scene as well, following the likes of Phillip Glass and Steve Reich as they develop ever more progressive and large scale works. This was a very well written and extensively researched book (with a full bibliography for those looking to read more on a particular topic.) Hermes is able to spin stories so well that even aspects of the musical culture that I wasn't interested in like disco were interesting, if not for the music, than the way they wove themselves into the musical tapestry of the city. This is a very highly recommended book that is must reading for music fans or NYC scenesters. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Tosh rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Love Goes to Buildings On Fire" is not only one of my favorite songs by Talking Heads, but it's also a very warm and fascinating book by Will Hermes. Focusing on the years 1973 to 1977, in New York City, is a combination social history and a love message to the artists of that era - who really defined NYC as a creative force. A place that touched greatness from George Maciunas (one of the founders of Fluxus) to Patti Smith to Grandmaster Flash to New York Dolls to Philip Glass to Richard Hell t...more

7 likes · like · see review

Feb 02, 2012 Rupert rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can't rave enough about this book. It covers all types of music exploding in New York from 1973 to 1978. The city was falling apart, so rent and buildings were cheap and artists built from the ruins. Punk and New Wave was starting up, jazz musicians like Sam Rivers and Ornette Coleman were booking shows at their loft spaces, Kool Herc was scratching vinyl for the first time, the Latin scene was selling out Madison Square Garden and Philip Glass held a legendary first US staging of "Einstein on...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 01, 2011 John Norman rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book covers a period of amazing musical experimentation in NYC - punk, jazz, disco, "latin" - a lot was going on, and there was a good deal of cross-pollination between these genres.

Hermes tells a lot of stories -- many I knew, some that I didn't. The ones that were new to me were valuable and provocative.

I think the most valuable part is the account of the rise of Latin / Cuban music, though it gets repetitive towards the end.

Having said all that, I really can't recommend the book. The pr...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Zach rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a really great, fascinating, complete overview of the 1973-1977 New York music scene. Going into this book, I thought it would only give a cursory description of the more well-known venues and artists, but I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did Hermes cover almost every genre of music present in New York at the time year-by-year, but he also detailed important cultural and political changes of the time. (For example, he would go from describing a concert at CBGB's to street artists wor...more

like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

Punk rock and hip-hop. Disco and salsa. The loft jazz scene and the downtown composers known as Minimalists. In the mid-1970s, New York City was a laboratory where all the major styles of modern music were reinvented—all at once, from one block to the next, by musicians who knew, admired, and borrowed from one another. Crime was everywhere, the government was broke, and the city’s infrastructure was collapsing. But rent was cheap, and the possibilities for musical exploration were limitless.

Love...more

like · see review

Dec 30, 2011 shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

3 and a half, really. It was enjoyable in that it covered a lot of musicians I am interested in, I'm always a sucker for anything about New York in the seventies, the stuff about Fania and Arthur Russell and the dance scene and some of the experimental stuff was all interesting (personally I could give a fuck about free jazz, but dude, there's a Knitting Factory in Boise? That is just fascinating!) but I feel like this is aimed at a kind of music nerd who prides himself (it's always a himself) o...more

like · see review

Mar 25, 2012 zan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved: Hermes does a great job creating atmosphere, making 70s New York come to life on the page. Seeing the scene unfold all across town gave you the sense of being there when the lights came on at CBGB and there when the lights went out in 1977. Loved learning that Springsteen was a Suicide fan. I was also really pleased with the epilogue, which took a look back from the more recent New York scene.

Not so much: In the places where I cared less about the players (the loft jazz scene didn't hold...more

like · see review

Jun 26, 2012 Elliott M. Burke rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting sketch of the NY music scene but a bit disjointed in continuity between influences, their followers and other groups. It feels like it was culled from various articles previously written for magazines with filler to bridge some of the pieces. I would have enjoyed more background on what was happening in NY and how it affected the musicians and their music, and I wish he would have written a bit more about some of the artists. Hermes makes frequent use of the prefix "ur", which I f...more

like · see review

Sep 28, 2012 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I didn't finish this one. I was looking forward to reading (or listening to) this one because the 70s in New York seemed to be the perfect time and place for interesting innovative music. It was an exciting time in the arts.

Unfortunately, this book read a bit like a wikipedia article and somehow squashed the excitement of the music scene. It took effort to pay attention. Maybe it's that I already read Patti Smith's Just Kids, so I know how well the story can be told.

I'm convinced that Will Her...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 15, 2013 Barry Wightman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Music journalist Will Hermes, referring to rock ‘n’ roll critics back in the day, wrote, “… their sense that the entire world of art and culture and human emotion could be compressed into a vinyl recording, left a deep impression on me.” Me, too. And this book, a smart and savvy chronicle of the New York musical underground of the 1970s, aims to capture the magic of an ancient era, relate the secret history of a city when there was music in the cafés at night, revolution in the air, and most eve...more

like · see review

Aug 23, 2012 Caeser Pink rated it 3 of 5 stars

I went to see Will Hermes do a discussion at a local book store when this book came out so I could slip him a copy of The Imperial Orgy's new LP. Generally I love reading about the New York music and art scene, especially during the 1970's heydays of punk. The Book looks at a number of different music scenes, hip hop, punk, jazz, Latin and experimental music. It was pretty interesting, but not a great read. My favorite part was the section on the experimental artists such as Laurie Anderson. For...more

like · see review

Aug 11, 2012 Patrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

An obvious labor of love for the author and a nicely detailed, in situ history of how many different musical things were going on in NYC at the time. If you grew up in NYC during this period, as did the author, you owe it to yourself to check this out. If you want to know why the band Television never broke out, or why "only X people bought the Velvet Underground's first record, but each one started a band", here's your book. For people not in tune with that age for whatever reason or whose musi...more

like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Khris Sellin rated it 4 of 5 stars

The title is a riff on The Talking Heads' "Love Goes to Building on Fire" and it is focused on NYC from New Year's Day 1973 to New Year's Eve 1977.

It is an EXHAUSTIVE account of all the great music that was being made during that time period, from hip hop up in the Bronx, to the punk scene downtown, which are the genres I was really interested in, and also jazz, salsa, disco, experimental... Hermes leaves nothing out.

He was a young kid from Queens during this time period and he mixes in a littl...more

like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Being a fan of music, I have always sough out new (to my ears) and different music to listen to. I love all types of music and will give everything a listen from the simplest straight up pop song to complex free jazz, experimental noise that I don't understand to just something with a good beat as well as songs in a language I don't understand. This books takes five years out of the New York music scene from 1973 to 1977 and shares the story of the beginnings of salsa and hip hop, supposedly the...more

1 like · like · see review

May 24, 2013 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is definitely the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a while, maybe not the best, though it is really good. The book is a kaleidoscopic social history of New York during its darkest years in the supposedly musically fallow seventies. So much of my favorite music bubbled under the surface in the seventies I always forget that it really was pretty awful time for popular music (as a quick listen to a current day oldies or classic rock station will show). Hermes travels similar ground to other...more This is definitely the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a while, maybe not the best, though it is really good. The book is a kaleidoscopic social history of New York during its darkest years in the supposedly musically fallow seventies. So much of my favorite music bubbled under the surface in the seventies I always forget that it really was pretty awful time for popular music (as a quick listen to a current day oldies or classic rock station will show). Hermes travels similar ground to other tomes such as Please Kill Me, Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, and Ladies and Gentlemen the Bronx is Burning, but his focus is different. His taste is very catholic and he draws on the whole experience of music in New York. The CBGB scene of Blondie, Talking Heads, Ramones, Television, Patti Smith and Suicide gets covered, the ascendance of disco, and the DJ parties that birthed Hip Hop, but Hermes has wider and more eclectic tastes and he draws in the vibrant Latin/Cuban music scene, the minimalist classical scene (Glass, Reich, Riley, and Young), the post Coltrane/Ayler loft jazz scene, rock myth-maker Bruce Springsteen, and multimedia and genre eccentrics like Arthur Russell, Laurie Anderson, and Meredith Monk. He draws connections between all of them and shows what an interconnected town it was. He brings to life a vast assortment of personalities, and places them in the context of that dystopian era of New York (as exemplified by the images from Scorsese’s Taxi Driver), an era of financial disaster, looting, arson, serial murder, power outages, garbage strikes, and crime. He intertwines this all with a bit of a personal memoir which doesn't really distract and when it involves his personal take on several important albums of the era (Patti Smith’s Horses, Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks and Basement Tapes, and Television’s Marquee Moon) and movies of the era it works at other times it’s a bit inessential. I found the epilogue to be a bit sentimental but not damningly so. My only hope now is that he writes a sequel.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 11, 2013 Taj rated it 3 of 5 stars

I always joke that the only music I know anything about is modern "indie" music and 1970s punk rock. The reason I picked up this book was because it seemed tailored to my particular taste in music. And in that I did not feel disappointed. There was definitely a heavy focus on the emerging punk scene in New York during that period. A lot of the history I already knew, in fact I wish I'd known all this when I was living literally two doors down from CBGBs but never actually took the time to see a...more I always joke that the only music I know anything about is modern "indie" music and 1970s punk rock. The reason I picked up this book was because it seemed tailored to my particular taste in music. And in that I did not feel disappointed. There was definitely a heavy focus on the emerging punk scene in New York during that period. A lot of the history I already knew, in fact I wish I'd known all this when I was living literally two doors down from CBGBs but never actually took the time to see a show there before they shut down. But I digress... I mostly enjoyed this book but if you want something with a true plot or a biography feel, this is not that kind of book.

Another reviewer described it as an extended wikipedia entry and I'd say that's pretty accurate. I think he meant it as a put down, but I have spent countless hours going down the wikipedia rabbit hole and this book definitely had that feel. The more I read, the more I investigated photos of what people looked, watched videos of the music described, etc. I'm also a history buff so I enjoy doing homework when reading. I felt like the author did a good job of immersing the reader in the look and feel of 1970s New York. I felt a weird nostalgia for that era even though I wasn't alive and my time living in the Lower East Side occurred during the new wave of gentrification. I think what I most came away with from the book is that those five years were unique because all these famous artists who did revolutionary things were bumping into each other, collaborating and struggling together in the great meat grinder of 1970s New York City. That seems to be the goal of the book considering the subtitle is "Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever" so I would definitely say it succeeds on that level. Music lovers and history buffs will probably enjoy this book. For others looking for a more character and story driven take on the New York music scene during that era, I'd highly recommend Patti Smith's biography Just Kids which is an all around incredible book.(less)

like · see review

Sep 16, 2012 Jack Silbert rated it 4 of 5 stars

My friend Alirio said, "You gotta read this book!" And then "Have you read it yet? I'll loan you my copy." And finally, he gave me a copy for my birthday. It's that special level of enthusiasm that goes beyond enjoying something to making sure that everyone else will enjoy it as well. And we who are obsessed with music are a special subset of the passion-sharers.

Starting the book (I knew I had to move it up in my on-deck circle, or Alirio would never let up), I quickly understood his proselytizi...more My friend Alirio said, "You gotta read this book!" And then "Have you read it yet? I'll loan you my copy." And finally, he gave me a copy for my birthday. It's that special level of enthusiasm that goes beyond enjoying something to making sure that everyone else will enjoy it as well. And we who are obsessed with music are a special subset of the passion-sharers.

Starting the book (I knew I had to move it up in my on-deck circle, or Alirio would never let up), I quickly understood his proselytizing. The book, for those who don't know, is a history of music in New York City from 1973 to 1977. So we start at New Years 1973 and it's a thrilling "you are there" rush: New York Dolls and Modern Lovers sharing a bill, Laurie Anderson trying out some performance art, Springsteen auditioning at Columbia Records, etc. etc. Stories keep criss-crossing, familiar names crossing paths at the earliest points in their careers, important events often happening on the same night just a subway ride away. I was having this "this is the greatest book I've ever read" sort of feel.

Eventually, my booklust cooled just slightly. And I remembered asking my friend Therese on my birthday if she'd read the book. She said she'd started it, read a chunk, was going to get back to it.... Here's the thing: This book attempts to accomplish a whole lot, and it succeeds. But in covering the overlapping tales of punk, rock, avant jazz, disco, experimental music, and the earliest glimmers of hip-hop, it's the rarest of readers who is going to equally interested in all of the genres. Sure, it's never less than compelling (for the same reasons that I sometimes force myself to read articles in MOJO that don't immediately jump out at me), but maybe for a couple of pages you're secretly wanting to know what the Ramones are going to do next.

I'll admit to being mostly in the rock/punk camp. And I think author Will Hermes would make the same admission. In an interesting format decision, Hermes weaves himself into the narrative whenever possible, the music-loving teen from Fresh Meadows, Queens, coming into Manhattan for concerts. I have to imagine if an early iteration of this music was Hermes' rock-and-roll memoir. Whatever the case, he doesn't overdo it, and it gives him added credibility in telling the story. However, Hermes tips his hand in terms of loyalty to the rockers. Young Will never shows up at one of DJ Herc's turntable battles, for example.

Still, it's a terrific book, well worth the time for anyone with a great passion for music and a curiosity about that "Ford to City: Drop Dead" era in New York. If just indie rock is more your bag, there's no shame, and Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad is the book to pick up. Though I hear good things about the Yo La Tengo and K Records books too....(less)

like · see review

Jun 11, 2012 Caroline rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

New York in the mid to late 70s was one of the most creatively active and diverse periods in American history, and it's probably the number one destination for my time machine To Do list. So I expected to really love this book, but it lacks strong narrative and is an uninspired read. It's hard to say how much of that is due to the writer, because it's a necessarily overwhelming period to cover. I did find that his musical descriptions were not helpful, and I ended up skipping sections on genres...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 08, 2012 Brian Gruber rated it 2 of 5 stars

Essentially a long, largely chronological list of facts about musicians in New York in the time period, occasionally interrupted by personal, memoir-style anecdotes and bits about music journalism. There seems to be some hope that the sheer mass of information will cause a larger statement to emerge, but it never really does.

Given the way I responded to the coverage of punk, new wave and hip hop (the histories of which I'm already familiar with in this period) versus the coverage of jazz, disco...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 04, 2012 Craig Werner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: music

Fun and informative. Hermes does a terrific job of chronicling the many different musical scenes that co-existed and sometimes cross-pollinated in New York City between 1973 and 1977: punk, hip-hop, salsa, loft jazz, Rich-Glass minimalism, Springsteen, Gorecki, and on and on. If he missed one, I didn't catch it. He appreciates each of the scenes in its own terms and doesn't condescend to anybody. My time in NY both slightly predates and slightly post-dates the focus of this book, but I recognize...more

like · see review

Apr 02, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Uneven but good.

That said, I couldn't recommend this to anyone who hasn't obsessed over New York City history and semi-obscure 70's music as I can't imagine that the insane amount of dense trivia contained within would appeal. It seems like there is an epic amount of prior reading/listening that would be important in order to really care. Personally, I have wasted many many hours obsessing over NYC history and semi-obscure 70's music and even I got slightly overwhelmed by the end. Given the den...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Caroline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, prose, nonfiction

This is an impressively ambitious book, aiming to tell the intertwining stories of many genres of music and relating them to the social history of 1970s New York. For the most part, it's successful, though I would have liked more of the social history, and it's probably not a coincidence that the music sections I found most interesting (the "rock" sections, roughly speaking) were the ones where I was already familiar with most of the characters. The parts about the DJ scene/the birth of hip hop,...more

like · see review

title link	preview: Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever
avg rating	preview: Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever Goodreads rating: 3.80 (549 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11331168-love-goes-to-buildings-on-fire?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317793914l/11331168.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11331168-love-goes-to-buildings-on-fire?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever by Will Hermes[/url]

Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (6)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Will Hermes

Books by Will Hermes

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Love Goes to Buil...