All:
Mr2U has it in his head that there is a grand old book of music knowledge, that cross references songs, bands, and musicians. He says this is a very big book. A humungous book. The book to beat all books. I had THOUGHT it was the Tim Keely set on albums that I rushed out to buy him this weekend at great personal expense to myself (blew my birthday money on it, darn it!) but alas,it was not the book(s) he is looking for.
I have websearched, I have googled, I have harassed record store clerks, I have alienated the personnel at two Barnes & Nobles, and I have developed a migraine in my vast search for this elusive book, and I believe he is, in the words of my wise mother, BS-ing me (or he is remembering a non-memory so to speak).
Can any of you tell me if you have such a book, if there IS such a book, if there ever WAS such a book, and what the title/author might be??? You’re supposed to be able to look up a song title (it will then tell you the artist, the band, the album, etc.) - OR look up an artist, and it will give you the songs, OR look up a person and it will tell you what bands they played in - that kind of thing.
Any help would be appreciated. If the mods, in their infinite wisdom, feel I’ve put this in the wrong forum, please move it for me.
Thanks!
Please help me,
HMV in NYC had a book like you describe. IIRC it was a huge, loose-leaf bound, blue-paged (not sure on that) tome that was cross-referenced just as you say.
I know nothing more about it other than it certainly didn’t seem like a Barnes and
Noble-type book, more like an industry source. I think HMV closed most, if not all, of their US stores but try a place like the Virgin Megastore or something.
I believe what you’re looking for is called Phonolog. Some of the big record store* chains keep a copy in-house, or at least they did back when I paid attention to such things more closely.
- Yes, I know I’m dating myself with the term “record store”.
Yea that name definitely rings a bell.
My understanding is that Phonolog is a subscription service - since new works are constantly being issued, replacement sections of the book (and it is huge, like the parts manuals kept in the huge binders at the desks in auto parts stores), so I’m not sure if you can just buy it once and be done with it.
Good luck
Sounds like he’s talking about a Pholog to me too. They’re extremely expensive and a huge pain in the ass (mess up updating the pages and your’e screwed until that section is updated again which may be years later). And, frankly, they’re obsolete. The record store I worked at started phasing them out 10 years ago in favor of a computer system. Personally, I find Amazon waaaaay more helpful that the Phonolog ever was. (although, it was great in the years before computers. Without them, your knowledge pool was limited to the employees on hand who may or may not know what you’re talking about)
Just Googled Phonolog and they are still making it as a CD-ROM (didn’t realize it was published by Billboard but that makes sense). Subscription is $468 a year.
Thanks, everyone. I truly appreciate your help.