Next Week in Music | January 5-11 • 6 New Books

Welcome to another year of the four Rs — reading, ’riting and rock ’n’ roll. The good news: There are more new music-related books on the way in 2026 than ever before. The bad news: 99.9% of them are AI-slop ripoffs — crappy computer-generated bios, factoid collections and pointless quizzes. The other good news: I’m here to help you separate the prose from the cons. Here are next week’s keepers:

Luck and Strange: Studio/Live
By David Gilmour & Polly Samson

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This intimate photo chronicle by Polly Samson documents both the recording of David Gilmour’s No. 1 album Luck And Strange and the acclaimed accompanying tour — which saw the Pink Floyd legend playing sellout shows in Rome, London, L.A. and New York. Samson, who is Gilmour’s partner and creative collaborator, as well as an acclaimed novelist / photographer in her own right, captures the process as the album takes shape: from conception and recording, off-duty and studio immersion, to release and live performance; from candid behind-the-scenes shots, to theatrical stage moments. We see an artist at work, the collaborative process, the moments of light relief — and the focus as the work takes flight. The book features the unmistakable hand lettering of Anton Corbijn on the cover and throughout, plus an interview by rock photographer Jill Furmanovsky with Samson that sheds light on a photographer’s craft, as well as providing insights into Samson’s relationship with Gilmour. The foreword is written by the late Alan Yentob.”

Magnum Opus: The Unbelievable 15-Year Saga of Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy
By James Greene Jr.

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “By 1993, Guns N’ Roses had hit practically every benchmark possible for a rock ’n’ roll band. Their eight-year journey had included an explosive and game-changing debut record, a self-indulgent but even more successful double album release, a handful of raucous global tours, and various front-page controversies over their lyrics, band members’ drug addictions, and lead singer Axl Rose’s rattlesnake temper. The most captivating part of the Guns N’ Roses story was just beginning, however. A 15-year saga was about to unfold over the creation of the group’s sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy — a perverse and jaw-dropping tale that would come to involve not only a small nation of diverse musical talent but also several figures from the world of professional sports, a multinational soft drink company, and the FBI. Cultural critics couldn’t agree if the resulting work was unprecedented genius or a criminally mediocre. Magnum Opus: The Unbelievable 15-Year Saga of Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy recounts in engaging depth and detail the long and often ludicrous road to the last mythic rock ’n’ roll album of the 20th century. Of course, Chinese Democracy was not released until well into the 21st century, and Magnum Opus assembles a thrilling narrative of the mishaps, detours, and near-death experiences that accompanied the long journey to its release. Combining outrageous facts and never-before-told stories from as many direct sources as possible, this is the definitive story of a famously troubled album that will allow rock ’n’ roll die-hards to finally separate truth from fan lore and outright fabrications.”

Bowie Odyssey 76
By Simon Goddard

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “1976: In England the heat is rising. Immigration protests, racist murders, the rise of the National Front and the return of David Bowie, now the Thin White Duke, crowing to the papers how Britain ‘could benefit from a fascist leader.’ But with his incorrigible best buddy Iggy Pop in tow, as he gravitates towards the divided city of Berlin, his wake-up call is coming — and with it a brave new musical direction that will cement Bowie’s place as the most innovative artist of the decade. The seventh volume of Simon Goddard’s critically acclaimed Bowie Odyssey series is a stark and brutal black-and-white tale of art, anger, discord and salvation.”

Sallie Martin, Mother Of Gospel Music
By Kay Norton

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Sallie Martin combined fame as a performer with a far-sighted business acumen that brought Black gospel music to a national audience and laid the foundation for the industry that followed. Kay Norton’s biography follows Martin’s parallel careers from her early plans to grow the genre through her celebrity in the 1960s–1970s and eventful retirement. “Same old Sallie Martin, same old Jesus,” she once told audiences, a reflection of both her musical style and unapologetic approach to life. Cofounder of the National Conference of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, Martin also co-established the pioneering Black music publisher Martin and Morris Music Studio. Her group The Sallie Martin Singers took Chicago gospel to all points of the compass and Martin mentored and employed dozens of aspiring vocalists and instrumentalists. Norton looks at Martin’s important relationships and the challenges she faced, while placing her accomplishments and legacy on the arc of gospel music history. In-depth and powerful, Sallie Martin, Mother of Gospel Music tells the story of one woman’s role in shaping the music and business of Black gospel.”

Jazz Odyssey: The Global Lives Of Booker T. Pittman
By Jason Borge

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Booker T. Pittman (1909-1969) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who played with greats like Louis Armstrong and Count Basie in the 1920s and 1930s. The maternal grandson of Booker T. Washington, Pittman was tremendously talented and ambitious like his famous grandfather. After starring in local jazz scenes as an alto saxophonist and clarinetist in Kansas City, Harlem, and Paris, in the late 1920s and mid-1930s, Pittman boarded a ship to South America and remained there until his death in 1969. In Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo, he became a fixture of casinos and nightclubs, a pioneer of the South American musical diaspora, and a formative figure of several jazz scenes. He also struggled mightily with drugs and alcohol, and on more than one occasion disappeared into the Brazilian and Uruguayan backlands. Ultimately, though, he returned to sobriety, stability, and the spotlight, fulfilling his potential in Brazil in the 1950s and 1960s. Jazz Odyssey: The Global Lives of Booker T. Pittman combines accessible music analysis with global cultural history, while telling a compelling story of a figure whose life spanned some of the most celebrated — and also some of the most obscure — chapters in jazz history. Based on extensive archival research but written for the general audience, Jazz Odyssey will appeal equally to jazz fans and scholars, as well as readers interested in a fascinating family saga that includes the stories of Pittman’s wife Ofélia and stepdaughter Eliana, who is herself a notable singer and actress.”

UK Rave Flyers 1988/1989 
By Phatmedia / Dave Nicholson

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “UK Rave Flyers 1988–1989 is a deluxe book showcasing original flyers from the breakthrough years of U.K. acid house. Sourced from the phatmedia archive and beyond, it captures the raw energy of a scene that exploded from underground parties into a nationwide movement. Featuring high-quality reproductions of flyers promoting warehouse raves, club nights and early promoters, the book highlights the DIY creativity and bold visual style that defined the era. It’s a visual journey through the scene’s formative years, with the narrative led by the flyers themselves, interspersed with quotes from DJs, designers, promoters and ravers. This commentary offers cultural context, making this an essential document of one of the most radical and influential moments in British youth culture.”