CNN - Five recent books highlight music scene

(CNN) -- Biographer Carol Brightman's "Sweet Chaos" tracks the beginnings and extraordinary evolution of the Grateful Dead, "who gathered unto itself the free-floating energy of a disenchanted generation, and carried it through three decades."

For most fans, the Grateful Dead is more than a band. And "Sweet Chaos" is about more than the Grateful Dead.

Brightman also explores the heavy issues of the '60s and '70s, which seem inexorably intertwined with the story of the Dead: the free speech movement, the civil rights fight, the Cuban revolution, even Vietnam. But it is the subject of LSD and its driving force on the Dead's music and lifestyle that pops up most often.

The people in "Sweet Chaos" are so colorful they seem to be characters in a novel: Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters; Mountain Girl, Jerry Garcia's second wife; and the members of the Dead themselves.

For Grateful Dead fans -- and there are millions -- or anyone who's ever been curious about the tie-dyed phenomenon of Deadheads, "Sweet Chaos" is a great primer. It's available from Clarkson Potter.

'The Phish Book'

Another band in the tradition of the Grateful Dead is Phish, one of the most successful touring acts around.

By writer Richard Gehr and the four band members -- Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell -- "The Phish Book" is a chronicle of one year in the life of the group, supplemented with more than 200 previously unpublished artworks and photographs.

A great deal of "The Phish Book" is discussions with the band members, who offer their thoughts on everything from recording sessions to musical influences to favorite songs.

Gehr also takes a look at Phish's Vermont beginnings, their legendary Halloween and New Year's Eve performances and their huge, annual Maine campout.

The perfect coffee-table companion for Phish fans, "The Phish Book" is available from Villard.

'The Beatles: Every Little Thing'

Maxwell MacKenzie has put "every little thing you ever wanted to know about" the Beatles into one compact volume.

Grouped into chapters like "Early Influences," "Missed Opportunities" and "Fans and Fanatics," the book is jammed full of trivia and tidbits about the Fab Four, as well as a list of key dates in the band's life.

For instance: did you know that Yoko Ono's name means Ocean Child? And how about this: The band once lost a talent competition to a woman who played the spoons.

Here's a test of a true fan: Do you know what John Lennon is saying in "Strawberry Fields Forever"? Some believe it's "I buried Paul," but it's actually "Cranberry sauce" -- for no logical reason.

"The Beatles: Every Little Thing" is perfect for Beatles fans -- or anyone who loves trivia. It's available from Avon Books.

'The View From Nashville'

Longtime TV and radio host Ralph Emery has a lifetime of stories to tell about the country music business -- and he's made a good head start with "The View from Nashville: On the Record with Country Music's Greatest Stars."

Written with Patsi Bale Cox, "The View From Nashville" is a "behind-the-scenes reflection on the people and times that shaped this town."

Emery tells of his experiences with legends like Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash, as well as newer sensations like Travis Tritt, Deana Carter and Vince Gill.

Emery writes of Carl Perkins having to pick cotton as a child and gives the story behind Reba McEntire's not-quite-there dress at the Country Music Awards in 1993. He tells of Loretta Lynn's remarkable past, and Brooks & Dunn's explosive career.

This blend of oral history and photographs is a great insider's look at Nashville and the country scene. It's available from William Morrow. Bookcover

'Elvis, Hank and Me: Making Musical History on the Louisiana Hayride'

In the late '40s and '50s, Horace "Hoss" Logan's radio show "Louisiana Hayride" did more than just entertain a national audience. It also introduced many future country music superstars -- people like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Slim Whitman, George Jones and Willie Nelson. Even a young Elvis Presley took his turn on the stage of Shreveport's Municipal Auditorium.

Written with Bill Sloan, "Elvis, Hank and Me" is Logan's account of those days. His folksy style comes across in the easy-to-read memoir, and 16 pages of photos complement his stories.

Hank Williams Jr. penned the foreward to the book, and Cash himself wrote the introduction. As he says, "If you weren't fortunate enough to be at the 'Hayride' in person like I was, this book is the next best thing."

"Elvis, Hank and Me" is available from St. Martin's Press.

It's Only Rock and Roll

The first fiction anthology about rock music, "It's Only Rock and Roll" is an engaging collection of short stories with a unique premise.

Each story, by such authors as T. Coraghessan Boyle, Linda Gray Sexton, Jill McCorkle and Bruce Jay Friedman, has rock 'n' roll as a theme, running the spectrum from '50s doo-wop to '90s alternative.

McCorkle's "Final Vinyl Days" mourns the passing of the record album. Jodi Bloom's "Shrine" is about a teen-ager's hatred of her sister's obsession with Kurt Cobain. And Harold Jaffe's "Madonna" is a one-sentence discourse on the Material Girl.

Janice Eidus and John Kastan compiled the entertaining and enlightening stories, with front-row, backstage and motel-room perspectives of the music scene. It's available from David R. Godine.

Previous visits to the cafe:

Surviving childhood - December 7, 1998

Old time religion - October 2, 1998

Focus on women - September 17, 1998

Focus on art, old and new - September 4, 1998

An autopsy for your teddy bear? - August 3, 1998