The writings in this book are extracted from volumes 1 through 20 of our "33 1/3" series - short books about individual albums. Here, you'll find a wide variety of authors, albums, and approaches to writing about those albums. So sit back, put on your headphones, cue up your favourite songs, and let our writers transport you to a time when: Dusty Springfield headed south to Memphis to record a pop/soul classic; the Kinks almost fell to pieces, and managed to make their best album while doing so; Joy Division and their mad, brilliant producer created a debut record that still sounds painfully hip today; James Brown mesmerized a sell-out crowd at the Apollo, in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Rolling Stones shacked up in the South of France and emerged with one of the best double-albums ever; and the Ramones distilled punk rock into its purest, most enduring essence.