Tom Wilson - Everybody's Head is Open to Sound – Writings on Tom Wilson

Everybody’s Head is Open to Sound is the first publication devoted to Tom Wilson (1931–1978). Wilson started Transition Records in 1955, a pioneering label that painted a picture of vibrant jazz scenes from Boston to Memphis. Based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Transition came to prominence with releases featuring John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, and Donald Byrd, among others, before running out of money in 1958. Wilson then moved to New York and began an extensive career as an “A&R man” (artists and repertoire) for indie and major labels, crafting innovative productions at Columbia for Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel before signing the Velvet Underground, Nico, and the Mothers of Invention at MGM Records. His work as a record producer is as expansive as it is little known.

Through newly commissioned essays from music historians Wolfram Knauer and Richie Unterberger, journalist Ignacio Juliá, and essayist Pacôme Thiellement, this book explores Wilson’s role in documenting avant-garde jazz, producing some of the key folk-rock recordings of the 1960s, and his daring collaborations with influential US rock bands. It also includes a rare full-length interview with Wilson and a selection of unpublished photographs. Everybody’s Head is Open to Sound tells the untold story of a visionary record producer.

Tom Wilson (1931–1978) started Transition Records in 1955, a pioneering label that painted a picture of vibrant jazz scenes from Boston to Memphis. Based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Transition came to prominence with releases featuring John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, and Donald Byrd, among others, before running out of money in 1958. Wilson then moved to New York and began an extensive career as an "A&R man" (artists and repertoire) for indie and major labels, crafting innovative productions at Columbia for Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel before signing the Velvet Underground, Nico, and the Mothers of Invention at MGM Records. His work as a record producer is as expansive as it is little known.

Edited and introduced by Anaïs Ngbanzo.
Contributions by Wolfram Knauer, Richie Unterberger, Ignacio Juliá, Pacôme Thiellement.
 
Published in April 2025
English edition
12,9 x 19,8 cm
Softcover
220 pages
ISBN : 978-2-9581084-2-7

© Éditions 1989