Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm & Blues

Writing in a clipped, hip style any James Ellroy fan will recognize, Selvin unearths the story of the long-neglected Berns, who in his short life, and his even shorter time at the top of pop, wrote "Twist and Shout" and "Piece of My Heart," was a crucial producer for Solomon Burke and Van Morrison, and was connected to nearly everyone from Wilson Pickett to Jimmy Page (not to mention the mob). But Here Comes the Night is, really, a group history of the hustlers and geniuses who, without a thought for the future, made the throwaway 45s of early rock'n'roll and R&B into a cultural revolution. (You'll want to have Spotify open to listen along as you read.)