CORY duBROWA – AN IDEAL FOR LIVING – A CELEBRATION OF THE E.P. (EXTENDED PLAY)
HOZAC BOOKS
BOOK REVIEW BY GERROD HARRIS
Veteran music journalist Cory duBrowa has released a love letter to the musical format that is the EP. Longer than a single, but not quite an album, the purpose and significance of the extended play is discussed in An Ideal For Living – A Celebration Of The E.P. (Extended Play), a book written, edited, and curated by duBrowa while featuring the thoughts of over 40 contributors as they share what they believe to be the best EPs released through the decades. In doing such, we see the role the EP has had in popular music as it navigates the ever-changing landscape of the music industry.
An Ideal For Living starts in the ‘50s as duBrowa and his team take the reader through the history of the EP with a decade by decade approach. Starting in the ‘50s, the collective have shared their favourite EPs up to the 2010s. As such, each release is outlined in a paragraph where duBrowa or a contributing author discuss the albums’ creative or commercial significance, alongside a personal reflection and the occasional anecdote. Through this, each chapter catalogues some of the most important releases to make use of the EP format, alongside lesser- known gems chosen for their artistic merit. This makes each chapter feel like an eclectically curated look at each decade through what duBrowa and team have determined to be the most essential EPs.
The book comes to a conclusion with an additional pair of chapters, the first of which serves as an honorable mention where they go through a series of records that almost, but did not make the cut, while the latter attempts the daunting task of compiling the greatest EP’s of all time. While these chapters, along with the chronological approach, make for an enjoyable read that will leave you revisiting a number of records you haven’t heard in far too long. An Ideal For Living seeks to explore the format of the EP and how its purpose has changed over time. This is subtly done as shifts in the use of the format can be seen through examples from decade to decade, however perhaps a more analytical examination of the EP and how it has appeared from the ‘50s onwards would have made for a more comprehensive read.
All in all, An Ideal For Living is a worthwhile celebration of the often neglected EP. Through tracing a collection of what they have determined to be the best EPs, decade by decade, duBrowa and company have amassed a compelling collection that demonstrates the value of the EP and how its role has shifted rather dramatically since it was first introduced.
ISBN: 979-8-9881170-4-9
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