Bono, Chris Blackwell, Bob Dylan and Richard Barone are among those who made Steve Matteo’s list of Best of 2023 Rock Books.

While some covers work better than others, ‘Jem Records Celebrates John Lennon’ provides a fun tribute that includes less-obvious updates of deeper cuts.

Richard Barone, the ex-Bongos leader, imbues this Velvet Underground gem with a newfound sense of sad reverie. Whereas the nihilistic Nico, on the original 1967 version, stood apart from the conviviality, a distant observer, Barone finds the nostalgia, the very real need for attachment in the Lou Reed lyric. YouRead More

Recreating an album 25 years later is not always the easiest task to tackle — let alone being able to assemble the same exact musicians (including D.J. Vin Scelsa’s new introduction), but the ex-Bongos front man Richard Barone pulled it off. You May Also Like: Grip Weeds, Richard Barone, AndersonRead More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbzYn48qJxU&w=500&h=305] Frontman is a first-time book from the Bongos’ leader and (well, what else?) frontman Richard Barone, part rock star guide, part autobiography — and a completely entertaining and fascinating read. You May Also Like: Richard Turgeon, “You Always Believe” (2021): One Track Mind Richard Turgeon, “Wanna Make Love”Read More