DJ Shadow "Endtroducing" (33 1/3) (33 1/3): 24 Paperback – 5 Jan. 2012

I've a few of these "33 1/3" books and this is one of the weaker entries. It's merely an in-depth interview with Josh Davis, aka DJ Shadow, about his career up to, and around the time of, "Endtroducing", prefaced with an account of the author's upbringing. I finished this "book", more of a booklet/mini magazine really, in maybe 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon - rather disappointing all in all.There's very little information on on the album itself, and a quick trawl through sites like wikipedia, discogs and whosampled would provide much more interesting and detailed information about the album... and i dare say there's probably much better resources for information on Shadow himself and his history, if thats what your looking for.For the price currently on amazon (£8!) it's a rip off - it's maybe worth £2 - it's the kind of supplement you'd get free when buying a magazine priced at £4.95. A real shame - this landmark album deserves a literary accompaniment befitting its status.

Such a talent coming from the man like DJ SHADOW. Great name, great producer and a great read!

Definitely one of the best 33 1/3 booksIs it absolutely everything we could ever know about the album all in one book? No, but it's got so much Shadow input that it stands as one of the key texts to go to on Shadow's work, and that alone makes it essential reading for fans of his and just Hip Hop fans in general

The 33 1/3 books are small format paperbacks, which each take a classic album, and present an essay on it. This book differs becuase the author simply interviews the album's creator.This strategy isn't a bad one, but we don't really find out anything very interesting. The interviewer doesn't follow up on anything Shadow says, nor does he ask him any hard questions.From a UK perspective, Shadow is a key trip hop artist, an influence on Four Tet and other electronic/dance acts. However, Shadow sees himself as a 100 per cent hip hop act, and he talks the hip hop talk. This allows him a kind of macho lack of self-awareness (and avoidance of any real thought). The funniest example comes when white guy Shadow takes a black teacher to task for the teacher's lack of knowledge of black history. I was longing for the interviewer to challenge Shadow on this, and at many other moments. But he never does, and you can imagine him nodding along with Shadow.That said, this is a lot better than some of the woeful books in this series.

If you are a fan of Endtroducing - and if you don't, you should be - you need to buy this book, which reveals amazing insights into how Josh Davis, aka DJ Shadow, made his masterpiece. In an extended interview, Josh not only discusses how he came to became a sampler and turntablist supreme, but also what he was thinking about and how he was feeling when he put the album togther over the course of some years. With so little ever written about the man himself, this book is simply a godsend. DJ Shadow reveals himself to be an intense and humble individual as well as a true artist. It's an uplifting tale, and a must-read for not only fans of hip-hop, but anyone who considers him or herself a music lover.

there's many songs out there, for me, that dosnt grasp the feeling i want when it comes to relaxtion, however, without a doubt this is the best to relax to.trip-hop at it's best.close your eyes, lie back and lick your ice-cream on a sunny day. this is the soundtrack for relaxation.stand out tracks for me, naplam brain scatter, challenging, the number song & building steam with a grain of salt.5/5 all the way