Composers and songwriters Books
Boydell & Brewer Ltd Wilhelm Furtwängler: Art and the Politics of the
Book SynopsisA pathbreaking, new intellectual biography of the composer and conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler. Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886-1954) has entered the historical memory as a renowned interpreter of the canon of Austro-German musical masterworks. His extensive legacy of recorded performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Wagneris widely regarded as unsurpassed. Yet more than sixty years after his death he remains a controversial figure: the complexities and equivocacy of his high-profile position within the Third Reich still cast a long shadow over hisreputation. This book builds an intellectual biography of Furtwängler, probing this ambiguity, through a critical examination of his extensive series of essays, addresses and symphonies. It traces the development of his thought from its foundations in late nineteenth-century traditions of Bildung and associated discourses of conservative-minded nationalism, through the turbulent years of the Weimar Republic and the cultural and moral dilemmasof the Nazi period, to the post-World War II years of Bundesrepublik reconstruction, in which the beleaguered idealist found himself adrift in an alien cultural environment overshadowed by the unfolding narrative of the Nazi holocaust. The book will be of interest not only to music scholars but to cultural and intellectual historians as well. ROGER ALLEN is a Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford and author of Richard Wagner's Beethoven (1870): A New Translation (Boydell Press, 2014)Trade Review[An] absorbing, but balanced and methodical, appraisal of Furtwängler as man and musician. The unique aspect of his book is the detailed attention that is given to the conductor's extensive writings...a key towards understanding [Wilhelm Furtwängler] place German music history. * THE WAGNER JOURNAL *An innovative approach to this highly controversial conductor whose career flourished under Nazi rule...a very welcome and insightful complement to the extant library of Furtwängler biographies. * GERMAN HISTORY *Roger Allen's thoroughly researched volume is something subtler and ultimately perhaps more insightful. * OPERA *An astute essay on the highs and lows of German cultural history, as seen through the eyes and perceived by the actions of the star conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler...Allen enters this terrain equipped with a great sense of fairness rarely found in scholarly studies. * WAGNERSPECTRUM *Trace[s] the genesis of the belief system that made Furtwängler accept the Nazi regime as an unappetizing but tolerable set-up in which to achieve his cultural aims...Reading Furtwängler's writings with Allen as a guide illuminates the political undercurrents of his aesthetics. * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Explored through Furtwängler's writings and those of relevant contemporaries, is the social, intellectual and cultural hinterland - the 'Germanness' - that shaped his being...There is much that is interesting here about the nature of German conservatism and Furtwängler's relationship to it. * GRAMOPHONE *This impeccably researched and engagingly written study tackles the emotive subject from a cultural perspective, shedding fresh light on how Furtwängler remained (at least in his mind) apolitical during a period of extreme politicisation. * BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *Table of ContentsIntroduction Wilhelm Furtwängler: The Historical, Cultural and Intellectual Background Childhood and Youth [1886-1911] Lübeck and Mannheim [1911-1920] Furtwängler in the Weimar Republic [1919- 1933] Furtwängler and the Nazi State I [1933-1935] Furtwängler in the Nazi State II [1935-1945] Reflection and Reaction: Furtwängler in the post-war period [1945-1950] Furtwängler as Symphonist 'All Greatness is Simplicity' [1951-1954] Afterword Appendix 1: Two Furtwängler essays, 'Heinrich Schenker' [1947], 'Hans Pfitzner' [1948] Appendix 2: Thomas Mann, 'Germany and the Germans' [1945] Appendix 3: Audio and visual sources Bibliography
£27.00
Boydell & Brewer Ltd Ralph Vaughan Williams and Adrian Boult
Book SynopsisThe first detailed study of the working relationship and productive friendship between Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) and Adrian Boult (1889-1983). From 1918 onwards, Boult became one of Vaughan Williams's most important interpreters, giving the world premieres of the Pastoral, Fourth and Sixth Symphonies, performing almost all his major works (not only at home but with some of the world's greatest orchestras), and working in close collaboration with the composer on major projects including the first complete recording of Vaughan Williams's symphonies. Boult continued to be the most devoted advocate of Vaughan Williams's music to the end of his long career. As this book shows, Boult's scores include numerous annotations derived from conversations and correspondence with Vaughan Williams and these provide important evidence of the composer's wishes including adjustments to orchestration, comments on interpretation, dynamics, phrasing and revisions to Vaughan Williams's notoriously unreliable metronome marks. The evidence of these scores is considered alongside the extensive correspondence between Vaughan Williams and Boult, Boult's private diaries and other relevant documents including contemporary press reports. The book includes three substantial supplements: a detailed description of Boult's marked scores, a comprehensive list of Boult's Vaughan Williams performances and a discography including surviving recordings of unpublished broadcasts. It will be indispensable reading for scholars and students of Vaughan Williams and historical conducting, Vaughan Williams enthusiasts and those interested in the history of recorded music.Trade ReviewAnother new book Vaughan Williams and Adrian Boult, by Nigel Simeone, analyses the crucial creative partnership Vaughan Williams had with Boult, who conducted the premieres of three of his symphonies, and recorded the first cycle of them. The collaboration continued posthumously: throughout the 1960s and 1970s Boult recorded and performed his friend's works, conducting his centenary concert in 1972. Simeone's achievement is to have analysed the scores Boult used when conducting, and the annotations he added following conversations with the composer. -- Simon Heffer * The Telegraph *In Simeone's hands, Boult's commitment to his composer and Vaughan Williams' rugged, self-deprecating character tell an enormously valuable story -- Sir Mark Elder, conductorIt is the revelation of the interaction between these two towering figures in British music that makes this such an important book -- Sir Andrew Davis, conductor[T]he much-respected musicologist Nigel Simeone has provided a definitive account of the relationship between the two men which throws much light on their working practices. One might have thought that such an examination had appeared before, but ... the level of attention and scholarship given here is unprecedented.... Simeone's is perhaps one of the most valuable books on the composer to appear in some time.... It goes without saying that any admirer of Vaughan Williams should have Simeone's study on their shelves; his reserves of insight and elegantly expressed enthusiasm are to be found in abundance here. -- Barry Forshaw * Classical CD Choice *Simeone's exploration of the intensely nourishing relationship between these two giants of British music-and Boult's characteristically selfless dedication and steadfast commitment to this repertoire right to the end [...]-makes for consistently absorbing reading. As an unabashed RVW/Boult obsessive, I devoured this book and unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone of a similar mindset. -- Andrew Achenbach * Gramophone *Well written and eminently readable, this book will take its place on the shelf of classic Vaughan Williams literature. * Fontes Artis Musicae *Table of ContentsPrologue 1. First Encounters and A Sea Symphony 2. A London Symphony 3. A Pastoral Symphony and Boult on Conducting in the 1920s 4. Job: 'To Adrian Boult' 5. Symphony No. 4 in F minor 6. Wartime Tensions 7. Symphony No. 5 in D major 8. Symphony No. 6 in E minor 9. Sinfonia antartica and the Last Two Symphonies 10. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Other Orchestral Works 11. Choral and Vocal Works 12. Vaughan Williams, Boult and The Pilgrim's Progress Appendix 1: Annotations on Boult's Working Scores Appendix 2: Boult's Vaughan Williams Performances: A Chronology Appendix 3: Discography Bibliography Index
£45.00
Boydell & Brewer Ltd Britten’s Donne, Hardy and Blake Songs: Cyclic
Book SynopsisPresents a first analytical study that looks at the overarching designs of Benjamin Britten's John Donne, Thomas Hardy and William Blake solo song cycles. By questioning when a group of songs ought to be understood not merely as a collection, but as a cycle, Sly shows that Britten's personal selection and arrangement is indispensable to understanding these cycles' extra-musical communication. The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, Winter Words (poems by Hardy) and Songs and Proverbs of William Blake - composed in 1945, 1953 and 1965 respectively - each represent a philosophical exploration. The terrains set out by the three poets are distinct, but also engage one another in important and unexpected ways. Their cyclic architectures are expressed not only in their poetic arrangement, but in their musical settings. Key relationships and motive remain central for Britten. Keys convey a network of interconnections, create groupings of songs, and establish levels of tonal affinity or distance. Motive - often intervals that can fit into any melodic, harmonic or rhythmic context - is used to create aural affinities between or among individual songs. This book also offers a broader narrative revealing Britten's evolving philosophical convictions in post-war Britain. While it may not be the case that Britten intended any broader philosophical comment, the works together outline the cold and brittle state that emerges from loss and aligns with their composer's increasingly stark outlook on humanity.Table of ContentsPreface 1: Britten's Clever Subconscious 2: The Holy Sonnets of John Donne 3: Winter Words 4: Songs and Proverbs of William Blake Coda Bibliography Index
£66.50
Elliott & Thompson Limited Verdi: The Man Revealed
Book SynopsisGiuseppe Verdi remains the greatest operatic composer that Italy, the home of opera, has ever produced. Yet throughout his lifetime he claimed to detest composing and repeatedly rejected it. He was a landowner, a farmer, a politician and symbol of Italian independence; but his music tells a different story.; An obsessive perfectionist, Verdi drove collaborators to despair but his works were rightly lauded from the start as dazzling feats of composition and characterisation. From Rigoletto to Otello, La Traviatato to Aida, Verdi's canon encompassed the full range of human emotion. His private life was no less complex: he suffered great loss, and went out of his way to antagonise many erstwhile supporters, including his own family. An outspoken advocate of Italian independence and a sharp critic of the church, he was o en at odds with nineteenth-century society and paid the price.; In Verdi: The Man Revealed, John Suchet attempts to get under the skin of perhaps the most private composer who ever lived. Unpicking his protestations, his deliberate embellishments and disingenuous disavowals, Suchet reveals the contradictory and sometimes curmudgeonly character of this great artist, convicted throughout much of his life but ultimately unable to walk away from the art for which he will be forever known.Table of ContentsContents; 1; Confused Beginnings ...1; 2; A Father and His Daughter ...13; 3; `He Is a Rude, Uncivil Scoundrel' ...21; 4; Intolerable Losses ...33; 5; Another Loss and a Fiasco ...43; 6; `Little By Little the Opera Was Composed' ...51; 7; The Galley Years ...61; 8; `Signor Maestro' ...71; 9; Verdi, Man of Property ...81; 10; Queen Victoria Is Not Amused ...91; 11; `The Hour of Liberation Has Sounded' ...101; 12; Verdi Sets Tongues Wagging ...111; 13; The Opera Is `Repugnant, Immoral, Obscene' ...121; 14; A Rift in the Verdi Family ...131; 15; A Question of Identity ...139; 16; `Without You, I Am a Body Without a Soul' ...147; 17; The Bear of Busseto ...157; 18; Verdi, Gentleman Farmer ...165; 19; `Verdi Is My Tyrant' ...175; 20; A Wedding At Last ...183; 21; A Soprano Impresses Verdi ...193; 22; `I Am an Almost Perfect Wagnerian' ...203; 23; An Opera for Cairo ...213; 24; `The All-Powerful Corruptor of Italian Artistic Taste' ...223; 25; Scandal and Comedy ...233; 26; `One Button More, One Button Less' ...243; Afterword ...255; Notes ...267; Bibliography ...270; Index ...272
£21.25
Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd Seafaring Fiddler: Traditional Fiddle Music from
Book SynopsisThe full range of traditional fiddle repertoire is now at your fingertips! Using these generous collections, you can create your own ceilidh, barn dance, jazz club or Sarajevo street-café. Some of this music is familiar, some more exotic, but all of it is absolutely authentic, faithfully arranged and, above all, hugely enjoyable.Each title in the series is available in two formats: the Violin Edition (with an optional easy violin part and guitar chords); or the Complete Edition, which also includes both keyboard and violin accompaniments. Either format is hugely flexible, which means the music can be played as solos, duets or trios as well as with larger ensembles.Edward Huws Jones has travelled extensively researching fiddle-playing traditions. In each book he explains the background of the particular musical style, giving his own suggestions for a lively performance.Instrumentation:violin (2 violins) and piano, guitar ad libitum
£19.99
Vintage Publishing Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life
Book SynopsisFrom the author of the bestselling Darwin: A Life in Poems, Ruth Padel’s new collection follows in the footsteps of one of the world’s greatest composers, Beethoven, and investigates what his life and music might mean to us todayTwo hundred and fifty years since Beethoven was born, Ruth Padel goes on a personal search for him, retracing his steps through war-torn Europe of the early nineteenth century, delving into his music, letters, diaries and the conversation books he used when deaf, to uncover the man behind the legend. Her quest, exploring the life of one of the most creative artists who ever lived, turns more personal than she expects, taking her into the sources of her own creativity and musicality. From a deeply musical family herself, Padel’s parents met through music, and she grew up playing chamber music on viola – Beethoven’s instrument as a child. Her father’s grandfather, a concert pianist born on the German–Danish border, studied in Leipzig with a friend of Beethoven before immigrating to the UK. The poems in this illuminating biography in verse conjure not only Beethoven’s life and personality, but her own music-making and love both of the European music-making tradition to which her father’s family belongs, and to the continent itself Europe.Trade ReviewHow to uncover from biographical details the mystery that is music? With precision, heart-breaking beauty and lyric insight, Ruth Padel performs a miracle: Beethoven comes alive before us, the son of a drunk, who became a genius, and lost everything, and found his way back to the center. And here we are, following Padel's own genius for composing the music of a story via lyrical means. You will find your heart shored up / by meeting the trapped brilliance of his eyes, she writes. Indeed -- Ilya Kaminsky, author of Deaf RepublicVividly beautiful * BBC *Poetry, biography, music and memoir collide in this wonderful collection from Ruth Padel... A tender and evocative portrait of the man and his music, and most of all the profound ways it affects listeners and performers * Tatler *Padel's imagery and imagination took me deeper into Beethoven than many biographies I've read... Padel knows her history. But a poet is free to inhabit her subject and elaborate on the record -- Anthony Tommasini * New York Times *What a wonderful and unusual idea. Ruth Padel writes with true passion; her love for, and understanding of, the man and his music shine through each poem -- Steven Isserlis, cellistBeethoven’s music encompasses the entire blinding spectrum of human thought and emotion, from violent to ethereal, from chaos to sublimity. Ruth Padel’s poems encompass that uncontainable spirit to an astounding degree, and preserve the primal shock of our first hearing -- Alex Ross, author of The Rest is Noise, music critic of the New YorkerBreathtaking -- Paul Griffiths * Times Literary Supplement *
£11.40
Hal Leonard Europe Limited David Bowie: 1947-2016
Book Synopsis
£19.79
Eye Books Noise Damage: My Life as a Rock'n'Roll Underdog
Book SynopsisThe tale that follows is not another cliched collection of rock'n'roll debaucheries (sorry) nor is it another tired fable of triumph over adversity (you're welcome). It's the story of a half-deaf kid from a tiny, remote village in South Wales who was hailed as a genius by the UK's biggest radio station and headhunted by major record labels, only for the music industry to collapse. It crashed hard, taking with it an entire generation of talented artists who would never now get their shot. CNN called it 'music's lost decade'. Along the way, there are goodies, baddies, gun-toting label execs, life-saving surgeons, therapy, true love, loyalty, hope, breakdowns, suicidal managers, betrayal, drummers and way too many hangovers. James Kennedy shows that the best lessons are to be learned from good losers. It really is all about the journey. Part memoir, part expose of the music world's murky underbelly, Noise Damage is emotional, painfully honest, funny, informative and ridiculous. It's also a celebration of the life-changing magic of music.Trade Review‘History, it’s said, is written by the winners, but this insightful, candid autobiography from Kyshera’s James Kennedy suggests otherwise. A journey through disillusion, the machinations of the music industry and hard-won self-acceptance, it's required, revelatory reading’ - Metal Hammer, ‘The indefatigable Welsh misfit’s entertaining memoir of underachievement – ebullient writing style and hard-earned hungover wisdom’ - Classic Rock, 'Both Adrian Smith's autobiography and Rob Halford's tome are good, but neither match the raw passion of Noise Damage. A splendid read about the trials and tribulations of trying to break into the music stratosphere, it's a book that every aspiring musician or band leader should own' - Metal Talk, 'A refreshingly different addition to the crowded shelves of rock autobiographies. This is partly because James tells the familiar booze-fuelled-tour-antics story from a different perspective; he tells the story of the ninety-nine percent of bands that don't make it. But Noise Damage also stands out because it is remarkably well-written, with humour, humility and insight' - Catherine Fearns, V13, 'A wonderful volume that does unique things with so many familiar genre tropes. I ended the book feeling I'd read of a life worth living, been encouraged to live my own, and wanting to wish Kennedy all the luck in the world: anyone who lives this hard, works this hard, and writes this well, deserves it' - Nick Soulsby, Trebuchet Magazine, 'An absolute must-read for anyone attempting a career in music. A genuinely powerful testimony' - Darren Johnson, Get Ready to Rock!
£9.49
Cornerstone When Ziggy Played Guitar: David Bowie and Four
Book Synopsis___________________6 JULY, 1972David Bowie appears on Top of the Pops for a third time.His quiff is big, bold, and the colour of fire. His make-up is lavish. His jumpsuit is a wild burst of colourful patterns, like a fluorescent fish skin. He carries a brand-new blue acoustic guitar. There's excitement, mixed with incredulity. And then he begins to play.It's a moment that will change the world of music forever.This is Ziggy Stardust, what would become Bowie's most famous persona. It's an instant seismic shift in the zeitgeist. This one performance embeds Ziggy Stardust into the nation's consciousness, and music will never be the same again.In When Ziggy Played Guitar, Dylan Jones looks back at one of the most influential moments in pop history,the birth of an icon, and the myriad unexpected ways that David Bowie reshaped pop culture.Trade ReviewThe best music book I have ever read, dislodging Revolution in the Head and England's Dreaming. Superb in every way. -- Matthew d'AnconaHis blow-by-blow account of the performance is breathless in its fan-boy enthusiasm and much of the rest of When Ziggy Played Guitar is rooted in its personal impressions. “The by-product of Ziggy’s success was the validation of identity, our identity”, Jones writes, and it’s hard not to be moved by his hero worship. * New Statesman *Jones is a wonderfully fluent writer, with a terrific knack for atmospheric phrasemaking, period detail and juicy factoids. * Daily Telegraph *Dylan Jones’s account of David Bowie’s rise to superstardom. We’ll eat up anything about the greatest pop star who ever walked this planet. * The Herald Magazine *This excellent book looks at the background to that memorable TV event, and its enduring legacy. * Choice Magazine *
£9.49
Headline Publishing Group Jimi Hendrix: The Stories Behind the Songs
Book SynopsisIn Jimi Hendrix: The Stories Behind the Songs, music journalist and author David Stubbs provides the definitive companion to Hendrix's recorded output, from the early years, including 'Hey Joe' and 'Purple Haze' through to his posthumously released trilogy that concluded with Both Sides Of The Sky. Quite possibly the greatest solo rock artist of all time, Jimi Hendrix was the supreme physical and musical emblem of rock music. And although he was an immense guitarist, he also connected with audiences as a performer and a songwriter. Songs like 'Voodoo Chile' and 'Third Stone From The Sun' were the brilliant products of a dazed yet expanded consciousness, full of casual epithets which illuminated the era: 'May you never hear surf music again'; ''Scuse me while I kiss the sky'; 'Gonna raise my freak flag high'. Each one of them is explored, dissected and celebrated. Table of ContentsIntroduction • Are You Experienced • Axis: Bold As Love • Electric Ladyland • Band Of Gypsys • First Rays Of The New Rising Sun • South Southern Delta • The Jimi Hendrix Experience • Loose Ends and Live Albums • Valleys of Neptune • People, Hell And Angels • Both Sides Of The Sky • Epilogue • Discography • Index.
£17.00
Headline Publishing Group Paul McCartney: The Stories Behind 50 Classic
Book SynopsisPaul McCartney's songwriting output as a member of the Beatles, mainly with his co-writer John Lennon, has been exhaustively documented over the years. Now, taking 50 key songs from his five-decade career since the break-up of the Fab Four, Paul McCartney: The Stories Behind 50 Classic Songs takes an in-depth look at the post-Sixties work of one of popular music's most versatile and prolific composers and performers.Paul McCartney has been a genuine pop idol, a cutting-edge experimenter, and in later years recognized as an international musical treasure. The 50 selections from his vast songwriting catalogue highlighted in Paul McCartney: The Stories Behind 50 Classic Songs mark half a century of musical creativity by a true icon of popular music.Each song includes full session details, personnel lists and chart data and is described in detail, from original inspiration to the final release. Quotes from session musicians and studio personnel – and star guests such as Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and Kanye West – bring the making of every song to life, alongside a wealth of related photographs in and out of the studio.Table of ContentsEach song includes full session details, personnel lists and chart data and is described in detail, from original inspiration to the final release. Includes quotes from session musicians and studio personnel, and photographs both in and out of the studio.
£21.25
Omnibus Press Flutter Echo: Living Within Sound
Book SynopsisDavid Toop has become one of our most significant touchstones of contemporary music writing and reportage. Employing intensified studies into World Music in relation to popular (as well as marginalized) contemporary trends, Toop has created one of the most distinctive publishing histories of modern music thinking for our times. Flutter Echo is his memoir of a life enchanted with all aspects of music both composed and abstract. Toop's personal growth as a practicing musician, visual artist, and witness to some of the most significant events in modern music history is a completely fascinating view into a world of considered thought and random access. From recording for Brian Eno's Obscure Records imprint in 1975 to co-publishing the radical music magazines Musics and Collusion to developing music programming for BBC to releasing recordings he personally made of Yanomami Shaman rituals to working with artists such as creative pop icon Bjoerk and Jamaican dub pioneer Prince Far-I, Toop has experienced one of the most interesting and dynamic timelines in the dynamic world of our contemporary sound world. Player, listener, scholar, reporter, communitarian, parent, iconoclast - David Toop brings his own life in music to focus in a remarkable, wonder-filled, engaging read.
£15.29
Reaktion Books A Band with Built-In Hate: The Who from Pop Art
Book Synopsis‘Ours is music with built-in hatred.’ – Pete Townshend A Band with Built-In Hate pictures The Who from their inception as the Detours in the mid-sixties to the late seventies, post-Quadrophenia. It is a story of ambition and anger, glamour and grime, viewed through the prism of pop art and the radical levelling of high and low culture that it brought about – a drama that was aggressively performed by the band. Peter Stanfield lays down a path through the British pop revolution, its attitude and style, as it was uniquely embodied by The Who: first, under the mentorship of arch-mod Peter Meaden, as they learnt their trade in the pubs and halls of suburban London; and then with Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, two aspiring filmmakers, at the very centre of things in Soho. Guided by contemporary commentators – among them George Melly, Lawrence Alloway and most conspicuously Nik Cohn – Stanfield describes a band driven by belligerence, and of what happened when Townshend, Daltrey, Moon and Entwistle moved from back-room stages to international arenas, from explosive 45s to expansive concept albums. Above all, he tells of how The Who confronted their lost youth as it was echoed in punk.Trade Review‘This superb volume . . . A Band with Built-in Hate feels fresh and without precedent, a scholarly yet thrilling studyof the paradoxes that made The Who the most vital band of the '60s, and the cultural backdrop against which their initial impact was played out.’ — Shindig!; ‘Eloquently framing their success as the only successful 1960s UK pop/rock group that didn't want to be either The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, Stanfield locates The Who (and crucially their peak years, during which they were, he writes "not copyists but innovators") at a boundary-breaking intersection of pop and art-rock.’ — Tony Clayton-Lea, Irish Times; ‘Stanfield’s masterful new book on the Who, A Band with Built-In Hate, charts their perfect trajectory from pop art to punk with the serious tone their cultural rage deserves. And he does it with a verve that properly situates creative powerhouse Townshend in a practically ideal collaborative arc . . . Stanfield has produced a valuable document, the accurate archive of a uniquely revolutionary band driven forward by belligerence.’ — Critics at Large; ‘There’s some very perceptive writing on the influence the Who had on the wider scene . . . essential reading for anyone who’s ever loved the Who, or wants an insight into the Sixties’ music scene that goes beyond greatest hits compilations and easy generalisations.’ — Louder Than War; ‘If Roger Daltry's 2018 autobiography was a prosaic foot soldier's telling of the Who story, here is a view from the high plains . . . . The best parts of the book mirror the best of The Who, fizzing with ideas and connections . . . This book vividly reanimates the nasty, transgressive, scene-shaping thrill of their beginnings.’ — Mail on Sunday; ‘[An] ear for apt detail enriches Stanfield's account. He plumbs archives for ephemeral magazines and forgotten interviews to reveal more than the standard recitals of the works.’ — Popmatters; ‘Another example of popster intellectualism from this year comes from Stanfield who tackles the overlap of pop music and pop art at the height of the 1960s in A Band With Built-In Hate. This account of The Who up to the arrival of punk concentrates on Pete Townsend’s ideas rather than Keith Moon’s treatment of TVs and cars and is the better for it.’ — 'Music Books of the Year', The Herald, Glasgow; ‘Stanfield has masterfully identified the mod, pop art, and art rock stages of the Who’s career for rock fans and general readers alike.’ — Library Journal; ‘A Band With Built-In Hate: The Who From Pop Art To Punk is an easy but by no means breezy read, well researched and notated, and illustrated throughout in black and white. It brings together some significant criticism of The Who, connecting them with all manner of cultural references, and is a valuable addition to my ever-expanding Who library. That The Who continue to be so well-served by knowledgeable authors is a tribute to their importance.’ — Chris Charlesworth, Just Backdated; ‘While the death of Keith Moon effectively put to bed the essential meaning of their opposition, the push-back of their music and lives, A Band with Built-In Hate can now address with minute clarity and put-right connections how it all started and for the others that followed in their tidal-wave wake, and for the lows and the highs of the cultural innovators that are collectively engraved as the Who. I give this book 4 out of 4 beetles!’ — beatles-freak.com; ‘This definitely is not the kind of book on The Who you expected. A Band with Built-In Hate is an unusual title, very well done and enlightening.’ — www.popcultureshelf.com; ‘A Band With Built-in Hate reaffirms the Who's importance to the rock and pop revolutions of the sixties and seventies’ — Choice magazine, UK; ‘With impressive eloquence, A Band with Built-in Hate situates '60s Britain's most volatile and incendiary group at the heart of pop's wild vortex, its sonic assaults on the class system and the cultural status quo. Stanfield digs brilliantly into the Who's transgressions, their up-ending of entertainment, their transmuting of pop music into art-rock and proto-punk. He can see for miles.’ — Barney Hoskyns, author of Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits and Major Dudes: A Steely Dan Companion; ‘The best book on the Who. Stanfield understands that they were built entirely around opposition - they didn’t want to be the Beatles or the Stones; they didn’t even want to be the Who most of the time. He smartly states the case for peak Who as transgressive, how their clashing obsessions with primitive rock’n’roll and sociological statements made them so exciting. He also wisely concentrates on their peak years, before pop solidified as rock, when the Who were the closest thing to pop art British music has ever produced.’ — Bob Stanley, founding member of St Etienne and author of Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop; ‘That The Who’s image was constantly shifting according to whatever they thought would best promote their music in the moment is the focus of Peter Stanfield’s new book A Band with Built-In Hate. Stanfield examines how The Who took in disparate influences from outside the rock world—influences flying in from the fine and pop arts, youth culture, and so-on – and shipped them back out to be co-opted by everyone from The Creation to The Sex Pistols. It is the first deep, book-length look at an important aspect of The Who’s persona and art that is an integral portion of every book on the band . . . fills in the gaps of an important area of Who history.’ — Mike Segretto, The Who FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Fifty Years of Maximum R&B
£12.34
Reaktion Books The Monkees: Made in Hollywood
Book SynopsisThe Monkees represent a vital problem for rock and pop, and perhaps the major question: is it the music that matters or the personality and image of the performers? This book explores the system behind the Monkees, the controversial made-for-tv band that scored some of the biggest hit records of the 1960s. The Monkees represent the cumulative result of a complex coordination of talented individuals, from songwriters to studio musicians to producers – the system of the 1960s Hollywood music industry. The new rock criticism bewailed the fake band, while fans and audiences made the Monkees a major commercial success. More than any other band in the 1960s, the Monkees illustrate the genius of the system and its role in popular music.
£10.99
Intellect Books Mathias Spahlinger
Book SynopsisThe first book-length study in English of composer Mathias Spahlinger, one of Germany’s leading practitioners of contemporary music. One of the most stimulating and provocative figures on the new music scene on Germany, he has long been a touchstone for leftist, ‘critical’ composition there, yet his work has received very little attention in Anglophone scholarship until now. Born in 1944, Spahlinger has risen only gradually to prominence in his native Germany and for many years was considered an outsider within the contemporary music scene. Yet, his position as one of the most venerable exponents of post-WWII modernism in his homeland is now undeniable: his music is regularly performed, he has received commissions from many of the major orchestras and new music groups in Germany, and in 2014 he received the Großen Berliner Kunstpreis (Berlin Art Prize – Grand Prize) from the city’s Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts). Spahlinger is, however, becoming increasingly known as a significant figure within later twentieth-century music – in 2015, a festival in Chicago focused exclusively on his music, and he was a keynote speaker at a conference on Compositional Aesthetics and the Political at Goldsmiths, University of London. This new book provides an essential reference for scholars of new music and twentieth-century modernism. There are no other book-length studies of Spahlinger in English, though there is a monograph and a book of essays in German, and books of interviews. This original work promises a more critical perspective upon the composer and his aesthetics and political ideas compared to previous publications. The illustrations include musical examples. Its primary market will be a specialist musicological readership, including academics, researchers and composers, but the writing style such that it could be accessible also to undergraduates interested in the field. The discussion of aesthetic debates in post-war Germany, and the interesting reading of the work of Jacques Rancière, means that it could also have significant appeal across the disciplines of philosophy and critical theory.Trade Review'While on the one hand, Neil Thomas Smith succeeds in filling up a void in academic literature on Spahlinger in English, his writing exceeds that purpose by bringing Spahlinger’s work into a general cultural and political context.[...] What is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Smith’s book is the detailed analysis of many notable works of Spahlinger, which generations of composers will find very useful after listening to the music. On the whole therefore, this very enlightening book illustrates how one of the most influential composers at the dawn of the 21st century put thought and sound into the wholeness of his unique works that continue to intrigue the global artistic community.' -- Jonas Baes, Popular MusicTable of ContentsIntroduction Part 1 Modernism Underestimated Biography and Context: Spahlinger and Twentieth-Century Germany Part 2 Musique Concrète Instrumentale Order Open Form Perception Conclusion Mathias Spahlinger: List of Works
£23.70
Sonicbond Publishing The Hollies On Track: Every Album, Every Song
Book SynopsisEveryone loved The Hollies. They were the 'group's group'. Never confrontational or rebellious, always smartly suited, always smiling. The band had an unbroken run of immaculate pop singles which, while they seldom had that must-buy factor of the latest Rolling Stones or Beatles record, was hallmarked by tight harmonies and unfailing chart sensibility. Throughout the sixties and well into the seventies, everyone had - own up - at least one or two Hollies singles in their collection. No-one begrudged The Hollies their hits. When 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' and 'Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress' became global million-sellers, The Hollies were inducted into The Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame. Graham Nash - by then deep into his second career as part of Crosby, Stills and Nash - was reunited with other members of the outfit, all on stage together in the March 2010 ceremony. This book tells the full story, from the band's origins in Manchester, through the full arc of hits, and the albums - track-by-track, into the twenty-first century, then... now... always
£13.49
Sonicbond Publishing Tangerine Dream in the 1970s
Book SynopsisLong, unfurling tracks; huge stacks of gear; music like that of no other group; trailblazing live gigs based on improvisation. This is the legacy of Tangerine Dream, the legendary German group piloted by Edgar Froese, whose impact on music, and electronic music in particular, has been profound. Formed in the Summer of Love, and at the beginning a group of rock musicians who liked to improvise, they went on to record and release a series of ground-breaking synthesiser albums with their native Ohr Records and with Richard Branson's fledgling Virgin Records. With the support of underground DJ titan John Peel, their star ascended through the seventies. This book covers that glorious, extraordinary decade, focusing on the music but also telling the group's tale. Albums recording by the band included the classic Phaedra, it's hugely popular follow up Rubycon and they ended the decade with the powerful Force Majeure. The book includes new interviews with Steve Jolliffe and also with early member Steve Schroyder, who was there alongside Froese in those very early days.
£13.49
Sonicbond Publishing Roxy Music in the 1970s
Book SynopsisBetween 1972 and their first break-up in 1976 (and then again following their 1979 reunion), Roxy Music were arguably the most exciting, ambitious and vivacious bans in the land - a core four piece of vocalist Bryan Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera, horn player Andy Mackay and drummer Phil Thompson (but also featuring, at different times, Brian Eno and Eddie Jobson) who emerged during 1972's long, hot summer of glam rock, but who could never be readily pigeonholed. The greatest records they made became, in turn, some of the greatest records of the age. 'Virginia Plain,' 'Pyjamarama,' 'Street Life,' 'All I Want Is You,' 'Love is the Drug,' 'Trash' and 'Dance Away' were the hits, but even the deepest cuts on the band's first five albums became anthems for a generation. Roxy were no ordinary band in other ways, too, as Ferry, Manzanera, Mackay and Eno all embarked upon solo careers - which, between them, were responsible for a complex catalogue of songs that stretches from the ballads of the 1930s to the electronica of the distant future, from Wagner's Valkyries to David Bowie's Low. This book encompasses all of that, documenting the histories of both band and band members, while analysing and detailing every album and single released by the Roxy family throughout the decade.
£14.39
Sonicbond Publishing Prince and the Revolution Purple Rain Rock
Book SynopsisPrince's Purple Rain celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024, and this book digs deeper into the writing and recording process of the diamond-certified album. Also discussing the stories behind the songs, and the host of B-sides to have followed over the years.
£11.69
Sonicbond Publishing Phil Ochs On Track
Book SynopsisPhil Ochs was the 'The Prince of Protest' in the sixties. The only real rival to Bob Dylan, he was the archetypal Greenwich Village topical songwriter. Whether protesting the Vietnam War or campaigning for civil rights, workers' rights and social justice, Phil was always there.
£15.29
Sonicbond Publishing Supertramp Crime Of The Century
Book SynopsisSome albums are simply undeniable watersheds in an artist's career. Artistic or commercial triumphs (or sometimes both), but most importantly seen by both the fanbase and, to a greater or lesser degree the wider world, as a defining statement in their catalogue. Such was undoubtedly the case when Supertramp released Crime Of The Century in 1974.
£11.69
Continental Sales Yes 90125
Book SynopsisAgainst the odds, 90125, released towards the end of 1983, was Yes' best-selling album. Yet it was never intended to be a recording by one of the 1970s rock dinosaurs. A US number one hit single, 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart,' led to a triple platinum record and a massive world tour, giving this band a new lease of life in the 1980s.
£11.69
Continental Sales The Beatles White Album Rock Classics
Book SynopsisArguably the greatest album by the best rock band ever, The Beatles - also known as The White Album - proved to be a watershed recording.The album's diversity and creation are analysed and its background and dynamics revealed. This extraordinary double album reflects a remarkable time and period. As the sixties came to an end, so too did the band.
£11.69
Sonicbond Publishing Philip Lynott Renegade
Book SynopsisPhilip Lynott: Renegade is the story of a pioneering Irish musician. From his early days on his beloved Dublin music scene through the adventurous days of Thin Lizzy, the band he led for thirteen years, Philip himself reveals in song the ebb and flow of his public and private life.
£17.09
Sonicbond Publishing Kate Bush The Dreaming Rock Classics
Book SynopsisYou could consider Kate Bush's The Dreaming to be her finest moment, depending on whether you value the rejection of compromise and see that as a sign of authenticity.Ultimately, The Dreaming is just art. .
£11.69
Troubador Publishing Albion’s Glory: A Celebration of Twentieth
Book SynopsisWhat is meant by the term ‘English Music’? After discussing the definition and factors for identification involved, Stephen H. Smith explores the shortlist of composers who should be considered, as well as any omissions from such a selection. The book then gives a short history of English music from the nineteenth to twentieth century. The main body of the book – the composer survey – is divided into three subsections: Progenitors of the English Musical Renaissance (Parry and Stanford); Ten of the Best (the author’s choice of England’s “top” twentieth-century composers); and The Best of the Rest (fifty entries on other English composers, in alphabetical order, including several overlooked ones with a nevertheless powerfully distinctive musical voice). A final section explores alternative ways of accessing the music along with their pros and cons. With a bibliography and discography to accompany each entry, a general bibliography and an appendix on the mystery surrounding the fate of E.J. Moeran’s ‘Second Symphony’, Albion’s Glory gives a complete overview of the history of English music and the composers who brought it to life.
£13.49
Equinox Publishing Ltd The Beatles in Perspective: A Carnival of Light
Book SynopsisThe Beatles’ lives and work continue to delight fans and influence musicians half a century since their heyday. Yet their contribution to contemporary culture and their relationship to social change remain controversial topics in need of reappraisal. This collection brings together fourteen leading scholars of The Beatles to examine their origins, output and legacy. Interdisciplinary in its approach and international is its outlook, The Beatles in Perspective showcases the latest research by historians, literary critics, musicologists, sociologists, poets and cultural critics bringing new perspectives on The Beatles and their milieu which will interest academics and fans alike. This book explores the relationship between The Beatles and their times, situating them in the changing class, gender and ethnic dynamics of postwar Britain, and considers them as Liverpudlians, Orientalists, and creative pioneers.Table of ContentsIntroduction Culture and History 1. “Where You Once Belonged”: Class, Race and Liverpool Roots of Lennon and McCartney’s Songs James McGrath 2. Notes on the Beatles from a Black Liverpudlian Perspective Mark Christian, Lehman College (CUNY) 3. From Liverpool to Tibet: “Tomorrow Never Knows” and the Troubled Path to the East Sharif Gemie, University of South Wales 4. Magical Mystery Tour: Suburbia and Utopia in Music and Films of The Beatles Jon Goss, Clarkson University, New York 5. The Bohemian Beatles Colin Campbell, University of York 6. Interlude 1: Growing up with The Beatles Russell Reising (University of Toledo), Peter Mills and James McGrath Audience, Fanhood, Interpretation 7. “My Name’s Ringo and I Play the Drums”: Being a Beatles’ Fan in the Age of Interactivity Stephanie Fremaux, Birmingham City University 8. The Beatles and Fandom Richard Mills, St Marys University, London 9. “Some kind of innocence...”: The Beatles Monthly and the Fan Community Mike Kirkup, Teesside University 10. “Misunderstanding all you see”: Charles Manson Reading the Beatles at the End of the World Gary Carlin and Mark Jones, both at University of Wolverhampton 11. Interlude 2: The Beatles, Interpretation and Influence Russell Reising, Peter Mills and James McGrath Savoy Truffles: Further Perspectives 12. Paul in the Picture: Anatomy of a Snapshot Martin Malone, Aberdeen University 13. The American Beetles: How a Fake Beatles Band Defined a Movement, Changed a Culture, and Beat The Beatles at Their Own Game Ed Prideaux, journalist 14. Listening and Remembering Russell Reising, Peter Mills and James McGrath
£25.60
Headline Publishing Group The Little Guide to Elton John: Wit, Wisdom and
Book SynopsisSir Elton Hercules John has enjoyed a phenomenal career filled with success, excess and achievement. His farewell tour was announced as more than 300 dates across all corners of the glode for years. Illness, Covid-19 and other extenuating circumstances conspired to prolong it, but the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour concerts have sold out everywhere as fans take their opportunity to see this unique artist for possibly the last time live on stage.The Little Guide to Elton John celebrates the career, music and character of one of the most interesting, colourful, engaging and interesting popular musicians ever. The book reviews his career and countless highs, and recognizes his many record-breaking achievements, in music, in his charity work and farther afield.Table of ContentsFrom Reg to Elton: facts and quotes from his early career • Rocket Man: with Bernie Taupin and global success • The Bitch is Back: life after retirement • The Wonderful World of Elton: celebrating over 50 years • Famous Friends: collaborations, charity and football • Your Song: the singles and the albums.
£5.99
Headline Publishing Group The Beatles by Terry O'Neill: Five decades of
Book Synopsis'An incredible photographer and good friend' -RINGO STARR The definitive collection of the breathtaking Beatles photographs of Terry O'Neill.Iconic photographer Terry O'Neill worked with the Beatles across five decades, capturing the band at the beginning of their rise to the top and the solo years beyond.From recording sessions, rehearsals and larking around town at the height of Beatlemania, to intimate shots at weddings, at home and on tour in the solo years after the band had split, O'Neill captured countless photographs – many of which are being published for the very first time here.With more than 300 photographs and including quotes from Terry collecting his personal memories of working with the band, The Beatles by Terry O'Neill is a unique visual portrait of the story of John, Paul, George, Ringo and the music they made.
£24.00
Herb Lester Associates Ltd Situation Vacant: The Sex Pistols & Malcolm
Book Synopsis
£10.80
Troubador Publishing Bob Dylan: What the Songs Mean
Book SynopsisThe meaning of Bob Dylan’s songs has long been debated by fans, critics and academics. When, in 2016, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the significance of his songs was confirmed. Yet their meaning has never been demonstrably explained. Dylan himself has said that people can learn everything about him through his songs: “if they know where to look.” This book shows his millions of fans exactly where that is. Dylan has written hundreds of songs, many of which are acknowledged masterpieces. “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Like a Rolling Stone”, “Mr.Tambourine Man”, the list goes on. In the 1960s, he was hailed as a prophet. Since then, he’s generally been considered a genius. One thing he’s always been, though, is an enigma. In Bob Dylan: What the Songs Mean, critic Michael Karwowski analyses the lyrics. In the process, he opens up all sorts of avenues into philosophy, mysticism, religion, literature, art, and, of course, music. This is a “must read” book for anyone who wants to learn more about the meaning behind the songs or anyone interested in understanding how a genius sees the world. It also considers the impact Dylan’s words have had - not only on his fans, but on the worlds of popular music, culture and beyond.
£14.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Rite of Spring
Book SynopsisThe story behind the scandalous first performance of one of the most influential works in the history of music, as part of the stunning Landmark Library series. On 29 May 1913, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, a new ballet by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, received its premiere. Many of the cultural big names of Paris were there, or were rumoured to have been there: Debussy, Ravel, Proust, Gertrude Stein, Picasso. When the curtain rose on a cast of frenziedly stamping dancers, a near-riot ensued, ensuring the evening would enter the folklore of modernism. While it was the dancing that triggered the mayhem, Stravinsky's score contained shocks enough, with its innovations in form, rhythm, dissonance and its sheer sonic power. The Rite of Spring would achieve recognition in its own right as a concert piece, and is now seen as one of the most influential works of the 20th century. Gillian Moore explores the cultural climate that created The Rite, tells the story of the creation of the music and the ballet and provides a guide to the music itself, showing how a scandalous novelty of 1913 became a 21st-century concert staple. As well as considering its influence on 20th-century classical composers, she probes The Rite's impact on film music (including scores for Star Wars and Jaws); its extensive influence on jazz musicians (including Charlie Parker) and by artists as diverse as Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa and The Pet Shop Boys.Trade ReviewGillian Moore's succinct, lucid and beautifully illustrated book explains the history of this unique musical phenomenon with a keen sense of its broader significance * Literary Review *[Gillian Moore] offers a stylish and concise account of the event... It's one of the strengths of Moore's finely illustrated monograph that it supplies chapter and verse, not only on the score's background and artistic context but also on the amazing subsequent reach of music whose ancestry was so esoteric that Stravinsky could claim it had virtually no tradition behind it and had come to him out of the blue' * Guardian *With its fascinating illustrations and welcoming tone, this is a non-specialist guide by a writer who tells a rattling good tale... Moore's musical and choreographic commentaries are jargon-free and accessible, and her judgments adroit, 5*' * BBC Music Magazine *In her excellent, lavishly illustrated The Rite of Spring, Gillian Moore explains what all the fuss was about, how music and ballet were created, and why Stravinsky's music has had such an enduring influence * Choice magazine *If Moore doesn't convince you of the epochal significance of Stravinsky's brilliant, outrageous fire-starter, you must be damn hard to please. With an intoxicating tone which combines academic authority, rich, detailed description and pure thrill, she explains the history of the piece, the wild myths and characters which come with it, and the explosive impact of its first riotous performance in Paris, 1913 * Big Issue *From a Cocteau line drawing to a Roerich imagined portrait of prehistory to Walt Disney, illustrations consistently stimulate and illuminate; Moore's enthusiasm and trademark clarity are everywhere * Classical Music *[A] compact, beautifully designed and expertly written vade-mecum to The Rite * The Oldie *What Gillian Moore offers is something rather different from these earlier books. Hers is a thoroughly approachable study of The Rite which can readily be enjoyed by readers without technical knowledge [...] but who are seeking a deeper understanding of this pivotal work in the history of music * Gramophone *Though only 208 pages long, it's a more complete picture than usual, written in a clear style, with useful references and footnotes. The handsome, artfully done book includes many photos and colorful images to add to the pleasure of reading... Moore recalls a time when audiences for ballet, opera and classical music felt free to become more visibly involved in a performance. It's a time worth remembering, and Gillian Moore, award winner and Director of Music at the Southbank Centre, describes it well' * Classical Music Daily. *
£11.69
Boydell & Brewer Ltd The Vivaldi Compendium
Book SynopsisThe Vivaldi Compendium represents the latest in Vivaldi research, drawing on the author's close involvement with Vivaldi and Venetian music over four decades. The Vivaldi Compendium will serve as the most reliable and up-to-date source of quick reference on the composer Antonio Vivaldi and his music. This takes the form of a dictionary listing persons, places, musical works and many other topics connected with Vivaldi; its alphabetically arranged entries are copiously cross-referenced to guide the reader towards related topics. The Vivaldi Compendium also provides a gateway to further reading via an extensive bibliography, to which reference is made in most of the dictionary entries. These two sections are complemented by a biography of the composer and a carefully organized list of his works. Knowledge about Vivaldi and his music is still advancing at an incredible rate - many discoveries occurred while the book was in preparation - and every effort has been made to ensure that The Vivaldi Compendium represents the latest in Vivaldi research, drawing on the author's close involvement with Vivaldi and Venetian music over four decades. MICHAEL TALBOT is Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Liverpool and a Fellow of the British Academy. He isknown internationally for his studies of late-baroque Italian music, which include recent books on Vivaldi's chamber cantatas [2003] and the same composer's fugal writing [2007].Trade Review[A] a musicological masterpiece. It is also one of the most practical books ever published, a book that enables anyone [.] to find reliable and detailed information on almost every subject connected with Vivaldi within seconds. One cannot be grateful enough to the author for this painstaking and most helpful publication. * EARLY MUSIC *This fact-packed reference book incorporates the latest research on Vivaldi's life and music and is written in a terse, yet engaging, style. [...] this is an impressively wide ranging guide. * EARLY MUSIC TODAY *This amazingly comprehensive volume packs a huge amount of expert scholarship [...] into an extraordinarily small space. [...] an indispensable addition to the shelves of anyone with an interest in Vivaldi, whether scholar, student, performer or music lover. * THE CONSORT *[Ein] vorteffliches Buch [...], das durch Klarheit und Verstädlichkeit in bester Angelsächsischer Wissenschaftstradition besticht. * CONCERTO *It's called a compendium, but it could also be termed a dictionary or pocket (almost) encyclopedia dedicated to a composer whose present popularity worldwide far exceeds the actual knowledge of his life and works. The completeness of this realization [...] is praiseworthy. * MUSICA *[T]here is nobody internationally as well-placed as Talbot to provide such a versatile and friendly guide to Vivaldi [...] The Vivaldi Compendium will become an indispensable companion. * GRAMOPHONE *This compact volume by Talbot provides an excellent orientation and quick reference to the state of scholarship on the life and music of Antonio Vivaldi. [...] The scope of this bibliography is impressive [...] Highly Recommended. * CHOICE *[Talbot] is, at least as far as the Anglophone world is concerned, THE expert. ... I am sure that I will consult the Compendium frequently. * EARLY MUSIC REVIEW *The Vivaldi Compendium is an extremely useful encyclopaedia [...] All the subject matter is dealt with in a scholarly and expert way. It will provide the reader with an exhaustive and informative one-stop source for Vivaldi's life, music and world. The production of The Vivaldi Compendium, too, is well up to Boydell's high standards [...] For Vivaldi collectors and specialists The Vivaldi Compendium is almost a required item. Its scope exceeds anything otherwise currently available and is managed extremely well by an expert. Strongly recommended. * CLASSICAL.NET *
£23.74
Collective Ink Uncommon
Book SynopsisIf we remember them at all, the Sheffield pop group Pulp are remembered for jolly class warfare ditty 'Common People', for the celebrity of their interestingly-named frontman, for the latter waving his arse at Michael Jackson at the Brit awards, for being part of a non-movement called 'Britpop', and for disappearing almost without trace shortly after. They made a few good tunes, they did some funny videos, and while they might be National Treasures, they're nothing serious. Are they? This book argues that they should be taken seriously - very seriously indeed. Attempting to wrest Pulp away from the grim jingoistic spectacle of Britpop and the revivals-of-a-revival circuit, this book charts the very strange things that occur in their records, taking us deep into a strange exotic land; a land of acrylics, adultery, architecture, analogue synthesisers and burning class anger. This is book about pop music, but it is mainly a book about sex, the city and class via the 1990s finest British pop group.Trade ReviewThis book is a small marvel. Even within the most ambiguous cultural flowering, something transcendent is cached. Owen Hatherley knows this. Possessed of an architect's clarity and a modernist's astringent vision, he draws forth the the paradoxical and brilliant core of Britpop, and restores Pulp's contradictory genius to its proper place in history. Behind the Blairite swagger of Cool Britannia and the spackle of commercial spectacle, Hatherley finds the truth of pop culture and social antagonism, entangled with the glory and oddity of Pulp's musical career and evanescent fame. Elegant about the songs, lucid about the band's warped trajectory, and incisive about the politics of daily life coiled within the sound and lyrics and moment, Hatherley chronicles the adventures of the Sheffield gang and their "class war casanova" who came forth as the truth of a deeply false moment, bad faith you could dance to, a dialectical verdict on a singular passage in time. (Joshua Clover)
£9.49
Cornerstone From The Ground Up: U2 360° Tour Official
Book SynopsisU2 360° BY NUMBERS7,100,000 fans saw the show; 10 million people watched a live stream of U2 360° at the Rose Bowl on YouTube; 320,000 fans saw 360° in Mexico City; 9,760 guitar strings utilized; 7,100 miles – approximate distance travelled by space station while talking with U2; 5,200 years – collective touring experience of U2 tour personnel; 400 tons – weight of the fully loaded claw; 134 crew members; 126 truck drivers; 110 concerts; 53 gigs attended by a single fan; 7 astronauts attended.U2 360°, the most successful concert tour of all time, came to an end in Moncton, Atlantic Canada on July 30, 2011. The massive 26 month undertaking by Live Nation Global Touring saw U2 play 110 concerts in front of more than 7.1 million fans in 30 countries across five continents.From the Ground Up is the inside story of U2 360° with exclusive contributions from the band, manager Paul McGuinness, world-renowned set designer Willie Williams and exclusive photographs from photographer Ralph Larmann and written by Dylan Jones who was given complete access, including behind the scenes at Glastonbury 2011.
£21.25
Gill On Raglan Road
Book SynopsisLife is an ocean and love is a boat, In troubled waters that keeps us afloat ...This lively collection uncovers for the first time how the best Irish love songs came to be. This is for anyone who ever wondered who the 'Galway Girl' was, or if there was a real-life 'Nancy Spain'. Learn the often surprising, sometimes bittersweet, but always absorbing stories of the real women who inspired some of the world's finest love songs.Trade Review'Fascinating insight.' * Books Ireland *'A worthy and recommended book.' * Irish Examiner *Table of Contents1 'Una Bhan' - Tomas Laidir Costello 92 'Danny Boy' - Blind Rory O'Cahan (Ruaidhri DallO Cathain) and Frederick Edward Weatherly 253 'Down by the Salley Gardens' - W. B. Yeats 414 'Gortnamona' - William Percy French 655 'On Raglan Road' - Patrick Kavanagh 816 'Nancy Spain' - Barney Rush 957 'Sarah' - Phil Lynott 1118 'Grace' - Sean and Frank O'Meara 1319 'Past the Point of Rescue' and 'Crusader' -Mick Hanly 16110 'The Voyage' - Johnny Duhan 17911 'After All' - Frank and Walters 19712 'To You I Bestow' - Mundy 20713 'Galway Girl' - Steve Earle 22114 'You Raise Me Up' - Brendan Graham 235
£15.19
Little, Brown Book Group Still on the Road: The Songs of Bob Dylan Vol. 2
Book SynopsisThis is the second volume in Clinton Heylin's magisterial survey of the songs of Bob Dylan. The first volume - Revolution in the Air which is now available in paperback - charted the rise of Bob Dylan from his first jottings to the full expression of genius in songs such as 'Hard Rain Gonna Fall' and 'The Times They Are a Changin''. Still on the Road begins in 1974 with "Blood on the Tracks", the album filled with masterworks such as 'Tangled Up in Blue' and 'Simple Twist of Fate' that heralded a watershed in Dylan's creative journey, and continues to chart his never-ending fascination with music and the art of song up to 2006's "Modern Times". Praise for Revolution in the Air:'Beg, steal, borrow ... a compelling history of Dylan's mercurial song writing.' Mojo, 5-star review'Better than any biography could ever be, and a crucial Dylan book' Jonathan Letham'Valuable resource' Observer'A gripping new book by Dylan scholar Clinton Heylin so is so far in the deep end that its borderline insane . . [yet] has been devoured with a ravenous, insatiable appetite, and I have even made notes in the margin.' Mark Ellen, Word.'Terrifically interesting for Dylan nuts' Sunday Herald'Manna for completists' Metro 'True to form, Heylin digs deep-way deep-into the songs, mixing cold hard facts with illuminating anecdotes.' - Mark Smith, managing editor, Acoustic GuitarTrade ReviewClinton Heylin, master explicator of the Dylan canon, has however improbably, sorted it all out for us through the tangled '80's and beyond, completing what he started in Revolution in the Air. The book is essential. -- Jonathan LethemRarely does and author put an artist's creative process under such forensic scrutiny-and stitch his findings together with such success * Metro Herals Ireland *Highly recommended. * Choice *Highly recommended. * Choice *
£14.24
Hal Leonard Europe Limited The Gig Book: Bob Dylan
Book Synopsis(Lead Sheets: Melody line, lyrics and chord symbols). Never be stumped by a Dylan request again! Perfect for gigs, this book includes 100 Bob Dylan hits in melody line arrangements with complete lyrics, chord symbols, and guitar chord boxes. Tunes include: All Along the Watchtower * Forever Young * Hurricane * Just Like a Woman * Knockin'' on Heaven''s Door * Lay, Lady, Lay * Like a Rolling Stone * Mr. Tambourine Man * Not Dark Yet * Tangled Up in Blue * The Times They Are A-Changin'' * and more. 5-3/4 x 8-3/8
£16.14
ACC Art Books Breaking Stones
Book Synopsis"I was impressed by The Stones. They were dressed casually, had mischief in them and were different to other bands." Terry O Neill In July 1962, a group of young men played a gig at The Marquee Club on Oxford Street, London. They called themselves 'The Rollin' Stones' and little did they know they would soon be making music history. This evocative new book captures the youth, the times and the spirit of The Stones' formative early years. And documenting 1963-1965 were two young photographers just starting out in their careers. Terry O'Neill, aged just 25, had a few years' experience photographing musicians and knew that this group had the same magic as another British phenomenon that just recently started to chart, The Beatles. As the band was starting to record and tour, Gered Mankowitz came along. His first shoot, the now famous Mason's Yard session, was so fruitful, Gered was asked to tag along on tour to America. Gered was a mere 19 when he picked up his camera and joined the band on stage in 1965. Between these two legendary photographers, they chronicle the band's beginnings and these indelible images are forever placed in music's consciousness. The photography throughout this book is embellished with various memories and interviews, celebrating the early days and giving an insight into what it must have felt like to go from a small club in Soho with no record deal to touring the world a few years later with a number one record. Terry O'Neill and Gered Mankowitz, two of the most respected, collected and exhibited photographers in the world were sitting in the front-row. 2016 is set to be a huge year for the Rolling Stones, as London's Saatchi Gallery hosts the first ever major exhibition dedicated to the band: Exhibitionism, a career-spanning, museum-style display of Stones artefacts and memorabilia. ACC Editions' publication of this book is due to coincide with the opening of this ground-breaking exhibition.Trade ReviewA brilliant new book reveals candid photos of Mick, Keith, and the Stones on the cusp of international fame, taken at work, rest, and play by photographers Terry O'Neill and Gered Mankowitz.--Mail on Sunday "Daily Mail, March 20, 2016 " The photography throughout this book is embellished with various memoires and interviews, celebrating the early days and giving an insight into what it must have felt like to go from a small club in Soho with no record deal to touring the world a few years later with a number one record. Terry O'Neill and Gered Mankowitz, two of the most respected, collected and exhibited photographers in the world were sitting in the front-row. "L'Oeil de la Photographie"
£23.96
Crescent Moon Publishing Homeground: The Kate Bush Magazine: Anthology
Book SynopsisHOMEGROUND: THE KATE BUSH MAGAZINE: ANTHOLOGY ONE: ''WUTHERING HEIGHTS'' TO ''THE SENSUAL WORLD'' HomeGround is a magazine devoted to Kate Bush (born in 1958), a British pop star best-known for hits such as ''Wuthering Heights'', ''Wow'', ''Hounds of Love'' and ''Running Up That Hill''. This book is pure heaven for music fans. The HomeGround anthology includes material inspired by all periods of Kate Bush''s musical progression. It is a book about the reaction to her work and how her unique music has touched the lives of so many people. This is a unique book, a labour of love for hundreds of music fans who have contributed to HomeGround over its thirty-year existence. The book includes an enormous amount of information about Kate Bush, accounts of every release, album, single, pop promo and appearance, as well as memories and accounts of music fandom (such as conventions, meetings, hikes, stage door encounters and video parties). It also includes material on many other pop acts and events. It features poetry, stories, letters, reviews, interviews, memoirs, cartoons, drawings, paintings and photographs. This is the first book of a two volume set, totalling over 1200 pages. The first book covers Kate Bush''s career from ''Wuthering Heights'' to ''The Sensual World'' (from the late 1970s to the late 1980s). The second book runs from ''The Red Shoes'' album to the present day. The first issue of HomeGround appeared in 1982, four years after Kate Bush''s dramatic debut with ''Wuthering Heights''. Starting with an ancient manual typewriter, and a pot of glue paste, the editors mounted articles on recycled backing sheets and added hand-drawn artwork to fill the gaps. The first issue was photocopied, the pages hand-stapled together and twenty-five copies were given away to fans they knew. Only later did they discover the magic of word processing, and desktop publishing. From those beginnings HomeGround became a cornerstone of the ''Kate-speaking world'', the editors going on to organise four official fan events at which Kate Bush and members of her family and band appeared, arrange at Bush''s request a team of fans to be extras in two of her videos and organise informal fan gatherings at Glastonbury and Top Withens, the storm-blown ruin on Haworth Moor. Years before the internet, HomeGround became a place where fans could discuss Bush''s music, and a place where they could publish creative writing and artwork that music inspired. Fully illustrated with hundreds of images, including rare photographs and original artwork. Includes a timeline of Kate Bush''s career, index and a who''s who. ISBN 97818617147945. 648pp. Volume Two of HomeGround, covering Kate Bush''s career from ''The Red Shoes'' to the present day, is also available: ISBN 9781861714817 (Pbk) and ISBN 9781861714824 (Hbk). www.crmoon.com (see for offers on buying both books together). Katebushnews.com - the website of HomeGround, the international Kate Bush magazine.
£33.24
Reaktion Books The Beatles in Hamburg
Book Synopsis'The Beatles are coming! The Beatles are coming!' While the chant will be familiar to any Beatles fan, there was a time before the band took the world by storm, when they were little more than an inexperienced, though talented, semi-professional group of musicians in dire need of practice. Their agent Allen Williams first sent them to Germany in August 1960 and through their experiences and difficulties in Hamburg, the Beatles not only became proficient musicians, but more importantly began to build the reputation that would eventually make them the most popular band in the world. The Beatles in Hamburg is the first detailed, objective analysis of the events and personalities that shaped the Beatles as performers, composers and musicians, and the role that Hamburg itself played in their remarkable story. Ian Inglis illuminates this obscure period in Beatles history, providing a revealing view of a crucial, formative period for the group. Written by one of the world's leading scholars of the Beatles and their music, the book will be of immense interest to fans of the group, as well as those interested in the history of popular music and the social history of the 1960s.Trade Review'Inglis is at his best when summarizing the environmental forces and personal relationships that fostered the intense level of artistic growth the group achieved during their time in that city. In his chapter on the Beatles' musical influences, he adeptly summarizes, in a short space, the unusual variety of musical currents that entered into their repertoire, including rhythm and blues, rockabilly, doo-wop, and Brill Building pop.' - The Weekly Standard
£13.46
Aureus Publishing The Trials of Michael Jackson
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Aureus Publishing The Smile File: The Precursors of Queen
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£14.24
Route Publishing The Train of Ice and Fire: Mano Negra in Colombia
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£8.99
Route Publishing Judas!: From Forest Hills to the Free Trade Hall:
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£14.24
Route Publishing The Chameleon Poet: Bob Dylan's Search for Self
Book Synopsis
£18.00
Route Publishing In Search of Plainsong: 2022
Book Synopsis
£14.24
Route Publishing What's She Like: A Memoir
Book Synopsis
£18.00
