Labelled with Love: A History of the World in Your Record Collection

Music writer Bollen (The Number Ten) takes readers on an uneven tour of some of music history’s most influential record labels. Proceeding alphabetically, he provides brief profiles of New York’s rap and hip-hop label Def Jam Records, founded by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons in 1984 to capitalize on the “embryonic sound of hip-hop and the attitude of South Bronx streets”; Fatcat Records, started by David Cawley and Alexander Knight in 1997 to spotlight such genres as “psychedelic folk, electronica, experimental rock, post-punk and contemporary classical,” including Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós; and Geffen Records, which was launched by record executive David Geffen in 1980 and found early success with Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s Double Fantasy (which sold millions following Lennon’s murder three weeks after its 1980 release). While Bollen’s passion for the topic comes through, the book is marred by distracting factual errors (such as the claim that Canadian band Arcade Fire was on Merge Records during the 1990s, despite forming in the early aughts) and a repetitive structure. Additionally, Bollen’s promise to use the music industry to explore broader sociocultural shifts ends up mostly unfulfilled. Only the most ardent music history buffs need apply. (Feb.)