Your parents — or one of your teachers — probably told you not to read and listen to music at the same time. Come on. Multi-tasking is a way of life. Bruce Springsteen understands that. That's why he released his memoir "Born to Run" at the same time as a companion CD, "Chapter and Verse."
Every music lover knows it's fine to listen while reading. So here are some noteworthy new books about music — each paired with a disc you can listen to while reading. Pro tip: Try these book-and-album pairings when you give the gift of music this holiday season.
Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run"
(Simon & Schuster, $32.50) — Anyone who has been to one of his concerts knows that the Boss is a terrific storyteller. In this bestseller, he tells his own story with heart, warmth, self-deprecation and more candor than you might expect. He explores his love/hate relationship with his father (who suffered from depression), his battle with stardom (and depression) and even his first marriage and divorce (which receive three and two pages, respectively). With short chapters, this highly readable but substantial memoir is like a Springsteen concert — a series of emotion-packed moments that add up to an exhilarating and exhausting marathon. Companion album: Springsteen's "The River."
"Bob Dylan: The Lyrics 1961-2012"
(Simon & Schuster, $60) — Want to read the works for which Dylan won a Nobel Prize in literature? This 667-page tome has all the words to all the original songs on Dylan's official studio albums — as well as selections he wrote but didn't put on albums, including "Catfish," "Blind Willie McTell" and his Oscar-winning "Things Have Changed." Companion album: Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde."
Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon, "The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track"
(Black Dog & Leventhal, $50) — Hardly a year passes without a new book about the Stones, and now along comes this nearly 6-pound door-stopper. Following the approach of similar books about the Beatles and Bob Dylan, this 704-page encyclopedia offers very cool vintage photos and informative details about the recording sessions of almost all the Stones' songs. Since the Paris-based authors didn't interview Mick Jagger or Keith Richards, there is little info on what inspired each song (not that Jagger has ever been forthcoming about such topics) but lots of interpretations of lyrics by the authors. Note to Minnesota legend lovers: No, Mr. Jimmy in "You Can't Always Get What You Want" wasn't a guy in Excelsior but probably Stones engineer Jimmy Miller. Companion album: "Exile on Main Street."
Jim Walsh, "Bar Yarns and Manic-Depressive Mixtapes"
(University of Minnesota Press, $22.95) — A self-described romantic, Minneapolis music writer and songwriter Walsh has collected his various pieces published mostly in the Southwest Journal and the Pioneer Press during the past three decades. His writing oozes passion. Whether he's discussing Prince, Springsteen or the Uptown Bar, Walsh is a man and a fan in touch with his feelings about songs, his own life and the communal spirit that music builds. Companion album: Prince's "Emancipation."
"Conversations in Jazz: The Ralph J. Gleason Interviews"
(Yale University Press, $30) — Gleason, who died in 1975, was a jazz and pop critic who co-founded Rolling Stone and the Monterey Jazz Festival. His son, Toby Gleason, compiled 14 previously unpublished interviews with the likes of Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins and Bill Evans. The conversations are comfortable and casual, with John Coltrane revealing, "I have yet to write a song that has a melody" and Dizzy Gillespie admitting "sometimes you playing the worst audience in the world and you strike a groove and, damn, you forget the audience is there." Companion album: Coltrane's "My Favorite Things."
Daniel Corrigan, "Heyday"
(Minnesota Historical Society Press, $34.95) — As official photographer at First Avenue and a shooter for City Pages and other publications, Corrigan had a spot in the pit — or anywhere else he chose — for hundreds of choice concerts for the past 35 years. He also shot album covers and promotional photos for many Minnesota bands, including Soul Asylum, Babes in Toyland and the Replacements. This coffee table book with more than 500 photos — everyone from Prince and U2 to Lauryn Hill and Haley Bonar — is perfect for reminiscing and conversation starting. And if you want to buy local, this is the right choice. Companion album: the Replacements' "Let It Be."
Paul Zollo, "More Songwriters on Songwriting"
(Da Capo, $22.99) — Twenty-five years after publishing his first volume, journalist/songwriter Zollo is back with more Q&As with big-name songwriters. There's a lot of talk about process but also such fascinating reveals as Elvis Costello writing rock records for himself while listening to Cole Porter and George Gershwin songs; Patti Smith writing poems for herself but "songs for the people," and Paul Simon having never had a conversation about songwriting with Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney or any of his contemporaries. Companion album: James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James."
Twitter: @JonBream • 612-673-1719