The best books about iconic 1980s era bands and performers from a rabid music fan and musician

Daniel Rachel is a master storyteller whose book answered every big and small arcane question I’ve ever had about the birth and popularity of the British 2 Tone ska movement and bands. As a 2 Tone nerd, I know a lot about the bands, but Rachel revealed stories and anecdotes I never knew.

I also consider him a huge influence on my approach to writing music history. He expertly combines incredibly detailed archival research and deep, personal interviews with musicians, label heads, journalists, and rabid fans to tell the definitive story of 2 Tone and its cultural impact, which remains relevant more than 40 years later.

The twin pillars of 2 Tone ska and 80s new wave music sustained me through much of a challenging youth. And once I discovered the music of Depeche Mode, I found another refuge from the harsh realities of my life. Their thoughtful and danceable songs soon became part of my Gen X soundtrack and opened my world to ideas of love, friendship, sex, and fashion.

Spence’s book took me deep into the world that gave birth to the band and their memorable songs while successfully making the culture of their hometown of Basildon—one of the new towns built outside London after World War Two, one of the key characters in their story. Spence provides the detail I love when I read books about bands I love, and he expertly combined the cultural history of 60s, 70s, and 80s England to explain their influences and approach to writing songs that remain popular today. 

As a musician and a fan of bands, I love the creative process of how songs are written and recorded. I’m obsessed with the big and small decisions that musicians, producers, and engineers make in crafting the songs that became part of my Gen X musical landscape. As a fan of Prince’s 80s albums Purple Rain and Around The World In A Day, Duane Tudahl has accomplished the nearly impossible. 

He’s packed his 555-page book with all the details I crave, detailing how Prince wrote, recorded, and collaborated with his band with never-before-heard stories. Tudahl has uncovered hidden truths about the origins of my favorite Prince songs like Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, and Raspberry Beret in a way that makes my listening experience fuller and more satisfying. 

The first time I heard Two Hearts Beat As One by U2 was glorious! I was entranced by the driving drums and the bass line and inspired by Bono’s lyrics, which spoke to my burgeoning interest in how to be cool. And U2 was cool in the 80s. And Bono was one of the coolest musicians I looked up to back then.

His memoir goes deep into explaining where his bravado and “cool” come from. It was a darker and more complicated place than I expected.  Having recently endured the death of my own mother, shortly before I read this book, I was moved to read about how the death of his mother impacted him and motivated him. 

I came away with even more respect for Bono’s life philosophy and his commitment to his family, his bandmates, and his ongoing craft as a musician. 

Being a musician in a band has been a hallmark of my life. When I first read Roddy Doyle’s book, I was amazed at how he expertly captured the exhilarating emotional peaks that come with starting a band. The early days of being in a band are some of the best, and Doyle writes exquisitely about the joy of shared dreams, spontaneous creativity, and the camaraderie that comes as you create a new musical family.

He also illustrates the inevitable tensions that can and do arise—egos clash, personalities differ, and the pressures of maintaining unity. But like Doyle, I agree that, in the end, the effort and energy are their own reward. The goal should always be making art for art’s sake.