The Music Library

by Jonny Trunk, Jerry Dammers (Foreword)

The first edition of The Music Library, published in 2005 and now out of print, brought together the designs of more than 325 record sleeves and relevant information about these rare and elusive albums. Quickly becoming known as the music library "bible," The Music Library represented a valuable reference and also sparked a resurgence of interest in the subject over the last ten years, with many new library labels and recordings coming to light. Library music--also known as source or mood music--was made for use in film, TV, advertising and radio. It was given to TV channels and producers who needed cheap, signature music for animations, advertisements and television programs. Never commercially available for sale to the public, this music was pressed from the 1950s onwards in limited quantities, and then sent directly for use in production houses and radio stations. These LPs were intended for purpose and function, not for pop charts, and as a result they look and sound like nothing else. Without the usual music industry constraints, the record sleeve designers had almost complete freedom of expression, with unprecedented results. This new and expanded edition of The Music Library contains twice the content of the original book, featuring 625 rare sleeves from 230 music library companies of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. The amazing cover designs of over 100 newly discovered library albums are beautifully reproduced (alongside all the sleeves contained in the first book) and accompanied by exhaustive, updated captions.

Genres: Music

248 pages, Hardcover

Published April 26, 2016

Reviews

[BC Sterrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freakin' Awesome!!!! The only and definative book on the ephemeral and unusual world of Library Music.

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

explains what library music, or source music, or mood music, and who made it and who used it. made mostly by session musicians, but there are also some real gems in there like eno or whoever, pharaoh umm.. sanders?, well i canna remember them now. the vast majority of the book is album covers and very short citation of where when/made and who performed it and who used it (mainly radio stations and some tv used this "incidental music").
besides the most wonderful art work , and the gee whizz factor of some artists, the most fascinating thing about library music is its colletability, these albums are worth $1000's if not $10;000's a piece so if you see any at a market or house sale, snag and ebay them, if you need the dough, as the music itself is pretty derivative to say the least. there is a music cd with this book that has 17 songs, ranging from 1 minute "Super Carousel" to a 13 minute masterpiece called "Kermesse non Herolique" which sounds like frank zappa meets Grizzly Bear.

[W Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential overview of library music labels, loads of great images. Super.