Composers and songwriters Books

Book SynopsisExplores a key hip hop album marking the cross over point where the streets and the charts collided.Trade Review"It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher in the Rye or Middlemarch... freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration-- The New York Times Book Review Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't enough-- Rolling Stone One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet--Bookslut These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerds. - Vice A brilliant series...each one a word of real love - NME Religious tracts for the nock 'n' roll faithful - Uncut"

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Book SynopsisIt contains love songs, work songs, songs about the pains and anxieties of existence, songs of consolation, songs about various kinds of spiritual quest and the realms of the mystical, and songs which deal with healing and reconciliation, both with the self and with others.

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Book SynopsisDespite just a three-year tenure with the band, co-founder Syd Barrett’s influence on Pink Floyd was profound and long-lasting. If his guitar gave the early Pink Floyd a distinctive hallucinatory sound, his often obscure and surreal lyrics were perhaps even more intoxicating. The complete lyrics of Syd Barrett – 52 songs written for Pink Floyd and during his subsequent solo career – are presented together for the first time, along with rare photos and artwork, to form this beautifully illustrated book. Compiled in collaboration with the Syd Barrett estate, and featuring a foreword from former Pink Floyd manager Peter Jenner and a comprehensive introduction by biographer Rob Chapman, The Lyrics of Syd Barrett delves deep into one of rock’n’roll’s most imaginative and searing minds.

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Book SynopsisMusician, novelist, poet, actor: Nick Cave (b. 1957) is a Renaissance man. His wide-ranging artistic output—always uncompromising, hypnotic, and intense—is defined by an extraordinary gift for storytelling. In Nick Cave: Mercy on Me, Reinhard Kleist employs a cast of characters drawn from Cave’s music and writing to tell the story of a formidable artist and influencer. Kleist paints an expressive and enthralling portrait of Cave’s childhood in Australia; his early years fronting The Birthday Party; the sublime highs of his success with The Bad Seeds; and the crippling lows of his battle with heroin. Capturing everything from Cave’s frenzied performances in Berlin to the tender moments he spent with love and muse Anita Lane, Kleist’s graphic biography, like Cave’s songs, is by turns electrifying, sentimental, morbid, and comic—but always engrossing.

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Book SynopsisSammy Hagar—legendary lead singer of Van Halen, founder of the Cabo Wabo Tequila brand, and one of rock music’s most notoriously successful performers—tells his unforgettable story in this one-of-a-kind autobiography of a life at the top of the charts. From his decade-long journey alongside Eddie Van Halen to his raucous solo career with Chickenfoot and everything in between—the drugs, groupies, and excesses of fame, the outrageous stadium tours, and the thrill of musical innovation—Hagar reveals all in this treasure trove of rock-and-roll war stories. Red is a life-changing look at one of music’s biggest talents—an essential read for music fans and anyone dreaming of becoming rock’s next number one star.Trade Review"Sammy's no bullsh*tter. If Sammy says it happened, it did. There's nobody else anywhere like him." -- Michael Anthony "Sammy has maintained his all-star success no matter where his Red Rocker career has taken him. He still can't drive fifty-five, but hey, he's the one driving the Mustang. So site back and ride." -- Toby Keith "Nobody had to explain the American dream to Sammy. He knew in his gut that there was a better life available to him if he refused to accept the status quo. It's all here in Sammy's new book." -- Ted Nugent "I'll admit it: I've been a Sammy Hagar wannabe since I heard his voice on a Montrose album...I'm proud to call him a rock star hero, a friend, and a brother in the sun. Rock on, Red Rocker!" -- Kenny Chesney "Sam's the man. Tequila, fast cars, rock 'n' roll-my kind of guy." -- Jimmie Johnson, five-time NASCAR champion "There are not a lot of people I would drop whatever I'm doing to go and see, but Sammy Hagar is one of thouse people...The man rocks his ass off, and vicariously through him so do I. My man-Sammy Hagar." -- Whoopi Goldberg "Over the many years I've known Sammy, his Red Rocker passion in music has always inspired me. But it's also his love of cooking great food and sharing a good bottle of wine that has been at the core of our friendship for so long. -- Emeril Lagasse "There are tell-all books. And then there are tell-all books written by Sammy Hagar. The 63-year-old ex-Van Halen frontman holds back nothing -- and I mean absolutely nothing -- in his autobiography...the Red Rocker's life look-back doesn't skimp on the details." -- Associated Press

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Book Synopsis ‘This book will delight both New Order-ites and general rock readers’ MojoA ROLLICKING, NO-HOLDS-BARRED ACCOUNT OF NEW ORDER'S ENTIRE HISTORY. Two acclaimed albums and an upcoming US tour – Joy Division had the world at their feet. Then, on the eve of that tour, the band’s troubled lead singer, Ian Curtis, killed himself. The next time they got together, they were a new band. That band was New Order – their label was Factory Records, their club The Haçienda. Their distinctive sound paved the way for the dance music explosion that followed, earning them the reputation as one of the most influential bands of their generation, and changing the course of popular music. Following on from his bestselling titles The Haçienda and Unknown Pleasures, Peter Hook has written a rollicking, no-holds-barred account of the band's entireTrade Review‘Rock writing rarely tells us properly what a band treading water or in slow decline feels like from the inside. Hook does so memorably.’ * Guardian *‘The 768 pages will delight both New Order-ites and general rock readers, revealing the astonishing human bathos behind this group's godly future-rock […] The way Joy Division and New Order combined high art with base behaviour is well established but this book rides that tandem to new dimensions […] there's much more than carnage’ * Mojo *‘Set against a lurid backdrop of orgiastic tours, awash with drink, drugs, and a debauched retinue of dealers, hookers and mad roadies, Hook drawing from a seemingly bottomless well of outrageous anecdotes, many of them hilarious and told with the same droll voice that delighted readers of The Haçienda: How Not to Run a Club’ * Uncut *‘Epic rock tale of sex, drugs and jealousy … A must for fans, it's wildly funny and revelatory' * The Sun *‘A rollicking read’ * Record Collector *‘You don’t have to be an ardent fan of Manchester music to enjoy this doorstopper … engrossing’ * Cheshire Life *‘Substance chronicling the original four-piece’s history is as mammoth and downright idiotic as the band deserves … something hilariously daft happens on nearly all of Substance’s 750 pages’ * Classic Pop *

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Book SynopsisSpeaking for the first time about the profound impact that his brother's death had on him, the author offers a tribute to Duane that only a younger brother could write, showing how, to this day, he still confronts the grief of losing his big brother, even as Duane continues to guide and inspire him.Trade Review...This book is everything you could hope for: in a grizzled, laconic drawl, Allman provides a rambling backstage account of his five decades with the Allman Brothers Band, and he doesn't seem to hold anything back. -- New York Times Book Review A soul-searching rumination on a hard-lived life... For generations of fans, Allman's book provides insights into the many turns in that long road... MY CROSS TO BEAR carries a welcome seal of honesty. -- USA Today In his memoir, the rambling and rambunctious Gregg Allman lays bare his soul... In the end, Allman, writing with music journalist Light, has produced a fiercely honest memoir. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) This is a story about musical brotherhood. Rich and moving... Nothing less than profound. Life, love and music from one of the most influential American recording artists of the last 40 years. -- Kirkus Reviews "Packed with juicy anecdotes, gripping details and raw energy...Fans of the Allman Brothers Band are certain to relish the revelations... MY CROSS TO BEAR provides a window into Allman's tortured soul - he presents himself as a man cracked and flawed, yet somehow intact." -- Birmingham News

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Book SynopsisIn Eminent Hipsters, musician and songwriter Donald Fagen, best known as the co-founder of the rock band Steely Dan, presents an autobiographical portrait that touches on everything from the cultural figures that mattered the most to him as a teenager, to his years in the late 1960s at Bard College, to a hilarious account of a recent tour he made with Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald.Fagen begins by introducing the ''eminent hipsters'' that spoke to him as he was growing up (and desperately yearning to be hip) in suburban New Jersey in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The figures who influenced him most were not the typical ones Miles Davis, say, or Jack Kerouac but rather people like Jean Shepherd, whose manic, acidic nightly radio broadcasts out of WOR-Radio had a tough realism about life and enthralled a generation of alienated young people'; Henry Mancini, whose chilled-out, nourish soundtracks, especially to films by Blake Edwards utilised the unconventional, spaTrade ReviewNerdishly clever, entertainingly original and even a moving reconfiguration of the memoir format. -- Bernadette McNulty * Sunday Telegraph *Fagen, as you might expect, is an elegant and erudite writer. -- John Mulvey * Uncut *If you're a Dan fan you should read this book. If you're not a Dan fan you should read it anyway. * The Afterword *Part memoir, part personal dissertation, and it makes for an enjoyable, if brief, read. -- Dylan Jones * GQ *A curious little autobiographical volume by another hero of long ago, Donald Fagen, once and again of Steely Dan. * Spectator *Eminent Hipsters is regularly funny and insightful. * Sunderland Echo / Dorset Echo *I would like to be given Eminent Hipsters. -- Sebastian Faulks * Observer *An excellent, albeit slim, collection of essays about the Steely Dan singer’s formative teenage influences as "a subterranean in gestation with a real nasty cast of otherness". -- Andy Gill * Independent *A memoir of inspired essayism and darkly comic recollection which barely touches on Steely Dan yet utterly satisfies. -- Mat Snow * Mojo *This is moaning of the highest order — jazz moaning, you might call it — and Fagen keeps it up for 70 brilliant, hilarious pages. For the intelligent, grumpy old music fan, only one of these books needs to be bought as a present this Christmas, and it’s not Morrissey’s. -- Markus Berkmann * Spectator *Eminent Hipsters is regularly funny and insightful…whether you know who Fagen is or not, it’s still worth anyone’s time. * Yorkshire Evening Post *The writing is sharp, wry and elegant, without a single wasted word. -- Aidan Smith * Scotland on Sunday *This book is a piece of pure bliss. -- Anthony Quinn * Guardian *An unalloyed joy. -- Les Gofton * Times Higher Education *Constantly surprising, and recalled with great elegance. * Financial Times *A terrific and easy read. -- Jonathan O'Brien * Sunday Business Post *Wry, funny and forensically observant. * Saga *A terrific music memoir. -- Tony Clayton-Lea * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisThis book features the images from Pink Floyd's album sleeves and promotional material designed for the group. It features almost all Pink Floyd's iconic album covers, posters, singles bags, a selection of band photos, booklet pages and rough artwork that developed into iconic designs. This new edition incorporates an additional 32 pages of material used in re-issues created since 2007. Storm Thorgerson, who died in 2013, was a world-famous designer whose memoirs of his time spent with Pink Floyd are combined with all the artwork he created to represent the band at each stage of their career. Storm revisited the work he created for the albums and offers insights into the work that went into the creation of this legendary album art. Designers who worked with Storm have all contributed to this new edition of Mind Over Matter. Amongst the new material is artwork from the Oh By The Way box set, the Atom Heart Mother 40th Anniversary 'Wire Cow' sculpture, the Why Pink Floyd? Campaign and the Dark Side Of The Moon 40th Anniversary images and stickers.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“More than an insider’s story about VH; Monk also shares fascinating firsthand information about how the music industry operated at that time…An absolute must-read for VH fans and fans of rock music memoirs.” — Library Journal “Too bad the title The Dirt was already taken. Noel Monk – who went from being Van Halen’s road manager to their business manager during their Diamond Dave prime – holds nothing back…Monk paints a convincing picture of a brilliant, substance-addled young band that wasn’t built to last.” — Rolling Stone “The Van Halen book you’ve been waiting for…brutally honest and at times shocking…Van Halen fans will be discussing and debating it with the same attention to detail as Eddie’s finger-tapping work on ‘Eruption.’” — Houston Press “There’s plenty of sex and drugs here, along with the absurdities of the hard-rock life.” — New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisJohnny Thunders: In Cold Blood is the definitive portrait of the condemned man of rock n roll, from the baptism of fire and tragedy that was the New York Dolls, through the junkie punk years of the Heartbreakers, to his sudden and mysterious death in 1991. It is an unflinching account of a unique guitarist whose drug problems often overshadowed his considerable style and talent, but whose unquestionable influence on glam, punk, and more still resonates today. Nina Antonia discovered Johnny Thunders and the New York Dolls as a teenager and spent her formative years as a dedicated fan before starting work on this book in her twenties. Then, when Johnny and his manager read her early drafts, they decided she should make it an authorised biography and granted her unique access to Johnny s life. As such, it begins by painting a historical portrait of Thunders and his early life and work before shifting into the present tense as Nina vividly describes her own experiences with the real-life Johnny and his associates. First published in 1987, Johnny Thunders: In Cold Blood has been kept alive over the years by an audience that isn t always catered for. While the New York Dolls are now rightly acknowledged as having been as pivotal as the Velvet Underground, and you might catch the odd fashionista sporting a Dolls T-shirt, Johnny s dark flame burns for those who have known adversity. He is the voice of the disenfranchised; he is every gifted son or daughter who went off the rails. Like Jesse James or James Dean, he couldn t come in from the badlands of rock n roll; he wouldn t appease or kowtow to the establishment. This new edition adds a new closing chapter, bringing Thunders legacy up to date, new photographs, and a foreword by Mike Scott of The Waterboys.

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Book SynopsisSympathy for the Drummer: Why Charlie Watts Matters is both a gonzo rushcapturing the bristling energy of the Rolling Stones and the times in which they livedand a wide-eyed reflection on why the Greatest Rock ''n'' Roll Band in the World needed the world''s greatest rock ''n'' roll drummer. Across five decades, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts has had the best seat in the house. Charlie Watts, the anti-rock staran urbane jazz fan with a dry wit and little taste for the limelightwas witness to the most savage years in rock history, and emerged a hero, a warrior poet. With his easy swing and often loping, uneven fills, he found nuance in a music that often had little room for it, and along with his greatest ally, Keith Richards, he gave the Stones their swaggering beat. While others battled their drums, Charlie played his modest kit with finesse and humility, and yet his relentless grooves on the nastiest hard-rock numbers of the era (Gimme Shelter, Street Fighting MaTrade Review“Charlie Watts lays it down, and the others follow. He is the Law. This book explains why.” — Clem Burke, Blondie“Required reading for any Stones fan.” — Bun E. Carlos“The most colorfully graphic and, arguably, the most accurate description extant of the Rolling Stones at the absolute pinnacle of their career.”— All About Jazz“[Edison] shoots from the hip from the first line to the last in this extremely entertaining celebration... Edison’s frenzied, gunned up prose repeatedly reminds one and all of exactly why Charlie Watts Matters... Stones fans and jazzers, bluesers and rockers alike all owe Mike Edison a massive thank you.” ★★★★ — Shindig“Sympathy thankfully is not a ponderous academic treatise, and while Edison occasionally leans into gonzo flights of fancy, he takes the reader on a grand tour of forty years of Watts’ contributions to the Rolling Stones... As Keith Richards has said, “No Charlie, no Stones,” and Edison wrote the book to prove it.”— Modern Drummer“Sympathy for the Drummer is so much more than an incisive appreciation of Charlie Watts, it is an effusively infectious tribute to art in all of its myriad forms. Edison’s insights into the Rolling Stones are backed up by a fluent scope of cultural historicity, and peppered with an array of no-nonsense broadsides. Compelling evidence to convince even the most non-partisan reader that Charlie is indeed the WORLD’S GREATEST ROCK’N’ROLL DRUMMER!” — Jim Sclavunos, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds“It’s not hard to fathom why a former editor of both Screw and High Times magazines would find writing about the Rolling Stones, one of the most dissolute champions of sex and drugs, right in his conceptual wheelhouse. But Edison takes a unique approach by focusing his investigation on Charlie Watts, the woefully underappreciated lynchpin of the Stones sound. This book is a delightful look at the Stones through the eyes and the beats of their most reticent member. Finally someone gave this drummer some.” — Larry “Ratso” Sloman, author On the Road with Bob Dylan“A great voice of authority and knowledge, dispensed with free-wheeling fluidity. Super entertaining, and right on.” — Katherine Turman, coauthor, Louder Than Hell: The Complete Oral History of Heavy Metal“A wild ride through six-plus decades of music history... An illuminating and massively entertaining book.” — Dan Epstein, author Big Hair and Plastic Grass“Mike Edison’s libertine prose swings and hits like Charlie Watt’s right hand.” — Meredith Ochs, author Rock-and-Roll Woman“Charlie Watts is the backbone of the Rolling Stones. In this affectionate yet unflinching biography, Mike Edison shows how integral his jazz sensibility makes them a true band: keeping time, creating space, and hitting the crash cymbal at just the right moment.” — Lenny Kaye, guitarist, author of You Call It Madness: the Sensuous Song of the Croon“An imaginative consideration of the Rolling Stones, one which will let you hear utterly familiar tracks with entirely fresh ears." — Ira Robbin“Rollicking ... highly engaging ... essential.” — Classic Rock“A marvelous snare-crack of a book.” — Hot Press (UK)“Exhilarating... magnificent insouciance... Edison writes like Charlie Watts drums: with panache.””— Planet Rock“A remarkable achievement... insightful, passionate, knowledgeable, funny, fresh and astute... Sympathy for the Drummer is hard to beat.” — International Times“Edison’s style captures the effortless nature of Watts’ drumming... you come away with new respect for the man behind the small kit, and I guarantee you’ll blast a Stones cut when done. Highly recommended.”— The Big Takeover“Fanf**kingtastic.”— Kenny Aranoff"The most fun and evocative Stones book since Keith Richard's Life." — Record Collector (UK)

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Book Synopsis*Featured in The Times'' ''Best Books of the Year So Far''*What do you do when you realise you have everything you think you''ve ever wanted but still feel completely empty? What do you do when it all starts to fall apart? The second volume of Moby''s extraordinary life story is a journey into the dark heart of fame and the demons that lurk just beneath the bling and bluster of the celebrity lifestyle. In summer 1999, Moby released the album that defined the millennium, PLAY. Like generation-defining albums before it, PLAY was ubiquitous, and catapulted Moby to superstardom. Suddenly he was hanging out with David Bowie and Lou Reed, Christina Ricci and Madonna, taking esctasy for breakfast (most days), drinking litres of vodka (every day), and sleeping with super models (infrequently). It was a diet that couldn''t last. And then it fell apart. The second volume of Moby''s memoir is a classic about the banality of fame. It is shocking, r

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Book SynopsisThis biography follows Hess's transformation from rebellious young musician to national heroine. With previously unpublished material, it explores her struggles for recognition, her beloved transcription of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, her collaborations with the musicians of her day and extracts from her postwar American diaries.

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Book SynopsisIn 1973, Judy Scott was intent on traveling to Istanbul, but serendipitously she stumbled onto the incomparable Greek island of Hydra and the people who would continue, over many subsequent visits, to enhance and influence her life ever after.This memoir, based on notebooks and journals Scott kept during various times and visits to her favorite place on earth, recounts in very intimate detail her interactions and developing relationships with singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen and his beautiful muse and love of his life Marianne Ihlen. As Leonard himself observed of this book when Scott sent the manuscript to him for his approval: I particularly admire the detail and honesty of the piece. One of the more unique features in this recounting is the emerging acknowledgment the author confronts of her own sexuality, as she recounts: It did not take long for Leonard to recognize that I was more attracted to Marianne than I was to him, though I came to love him too in the end. <

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Book SynopsisA literary and visual exploration of the songs of Steely Dan.Trade ReviewWeird and wondrous...Quantum Criminals fairly drips with information…and I have drunk it in eagerly...The writing in Quantum Criminals is often arresting and always engaging pop-music journalism...Quantum Criminals is a reminder that one can be massively fulfilled by language one doesn’t fully comprehend. * New York Times *Quantum Criminals is one of the sharpest, funniest, and best books ever about any rock artist. * Rolling Stone *Pappademas offers a lively series of ruminations about individual songs, loosely pegged to the characters who populate those songs and who are rendered in playfully detailed and colorful portraits by LeMay. The result is both a celebration and an artifact of the current Steely Dan moment...In sharp and funny chapters, Pappademas riffs on [Steely Dan's] cast of characters in ways that capture the band’s cultural context and musical debts. * The Atlantic *[Quantum Criminals] uncovers the vast constellation of lyrical references, artistic influences and social and political contexts surrounding the band and its music. * NPR Music *Wry, playful but deeply incisive...Fagen, Becker...and Pappademas are kindred spirits, smartass, sharp-eyed observers of life’s El Supremos—a description that suits other Dan fans as well. Quantum Criminals is like a secret handshake between two covers. The best part is that it illuminates details the rest of us may have glossed over for years. * Los Angeles Times *In one fell swoop, [Quantum Criminals] has become the essential Steely Dan book. And you should absolutely be reading it right now...Pappademas and LeMay leave no stones unturned in their quest to unlock every mythological quadrant of Steely Dan’s immense, decades-long artistic conceptions. * Paste *A whimsical plunge into one of America’s most unconventional rock bands...[A] delicious deep dive into the many protagonists in the 'Steely Daniverse'...LeMay’s vibrant paintings—more than 100 of which are included in the book—provide yet another kaleidoscopic lens through which to consider the duo’s wild imaginations. Any major dude will tell you that this is a solid and highly entertaining take on Fagen and Becker’s 'platonic love story.' * Kirkus *[An] engaging and illuminating way to tell the band's history...Quantum Criminals is undoubtedly the best thing I’ve ever read about this endearingly strange and endlessly fascinating band. * The Forward *An engrossing series of essays that innovatively chart the cosmology of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s musical universe…[A] terrific and irresistible book. * Talkhouse *Remarkable...we finally have a book about Steely Dan in which the writing and art fully measure up to the sophistication and beauty of Becker and Fagen’s music...Pappademas’s incisive, elegant prose poetry pairs perfectly with LeMay’s colorful hand-painted portraits that offer humorous and empathetic glimpses of the Dan’s menagerie of luckless pedestrians. * Expanding Dan *Wonderfully weird and insightful...the Steeliest of all the Steely Dan books out there. And it’s wholly refreshing...There have been a number of fine books on Steely Dan, but Quantum Criminals is the one whose spirit, vivacity, and off-kilterness matches its subjects and their body of work. * Houston Press *Steely Dan fans should love this book. And if you’re not a fan of that non-band band, but love good writing about rock music, Quantum Criminals is still worth reading. * Milwaukee Shepherd Express *These song-based essays are part band biography, trenchant culture criticism, poignant ‘70s history, and psychedelic tone poems. Like Steely Dan’s tunes, they toe the line between an unbridled reverence for the music and esoteric sensibilities. I read it in a day and came out with an even deeper respect for their catalog. * No Expectations *This is the finest piece of rock journalism that I have read in a long time. * Religion News Service *Alex Pappademas reveals the stories behind many of [Steely Dan's] songs and, in the process, gives us a book that shows what the right kind of obsession leads to—joyful, contagious passion. Featuring terrific illustrations by Joan LeMay, this is a fascinating, fun, and deep dive into the stories behind the music and the men who created it...After you read this book, you’ll never be able to forget the genius of these two writers. * Air Mail *For those who are anywhere from casual listeners to hardcore Dan Fans, this book is an unceasing delight from cover to cover…Engrossing, well-written, with vivid, whimsical illustrations, Quantum Criminals is the literary equivalent of a Steely Dan album: vibrant, a little strange, and nearly perfect. * Spectrum Culture *Writer Alex Pappademas and painter Joan Lemay...go beyond explanation to produce the definitive Danomicon with this expansively argued and vibrantly illustrated survey of the songs, lyrics and characters populating the whole Steely Dan catalog. * Tertulia *Whether you count the current Danaissance as something entirely new or another turn in a recurring cycle, and even if you’re among those who find the band too weird or jazzy, it’s undeniable the Dan endures. Quantum Criminals is an entertaining and insightful account of why. * The Washington Free Beacon *The book is as smooth and intriguing as Gaucho, a combination of sophisticated thinking, clear language, and a calm view of the dark interior of this band. All of it is told through a series of connected biographies that are based on each song that the band recorded . . . and that give the musicians involved, the cultural views accumulated, and Pappademas’s own journey, significant roles in what is a great and complex story. The book will be terrifically satisfying to any and all Dan fans in the way that having one’s own experiences and perceptions acknowledged and validated is, but it goes far beyond hagiography. * The Brooklyn Rail *The new book, Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, and other Sole Survivors From the Songs of Steely Dan, is the delightful result of an author not only understanding their subject, but emotionally bonding with it. In this case, it’s the two co-authors, Alex Pappademas (who writes the words) and Joan LeMay (who paints the pictures). . . Quantum Criminals understands the paradoxical nature of Steely Dan, and the book embraces that chaos. It’s not a paean to “great men” of classic rock, nor is it a fan service love letter. But it is most definitely the right book about the correct band. * The Daily Beast *There have been a number of fine books on Steely Dan, but Quantum Criminals is the one whose spirit, vivacity, and off-kilterness matches its subjects and their body of work. * Classic Rock Bob *[An] ultra-cool hybrid of music criticism and pop art...For older fans, who remember when 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number' owned the airwaves in spring 1974, Quantum Criminals is like a tour guide with a music geek friend whose fresh outlook about songs you've heard hundreds of times enables you to experience elements of their greatness for the first time. * New Hampshire Union Leader *The best music book of 2023…From Rikki to Hoops McCann to Kid Charlemagne, Pappademas’ prose and LeMay’s paintings pair together to give Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s band the vivid, unforgettable context it has always deserved. It’s an essential mapping of Steely Dan’s wild and wonderful world, told straight from two Danheads. * Paste Magazine *Steely Dan’s stock is even higher today than it was in the 1970s, when they were having hit records. Critic Alex Pappademas and illustrator Joan LeMay deliver the perfect celebration of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s unique hermetic grandeur, honoring their oblique mystique while also getting at the real human beings lurking beneath the pristine tunes and cynical worldview. Each chapter is a revelatory riff on a different character in a Dan song — from Peg to Rikki to Mr. LePage to the Gaucho — with LeMay’s artwork just as smart and fun as the writing. They get into topics like the band’s secret hip-hop influence, their ‘famously overdetermined guitar solos,’ and the dialectical nature of their relationship with fellow El Lay rock royals the Eagles. People have been trying to untangle the riddle of Steely Dan’s greatness for decades. No one’s ever done it better. -- Jon Dolan * Rolling Stone *Quantum Criminals is such an unusual, funny, and creative work of criticism that it should inspire anyone who loves pop music but feels tired of the forms into which the market hems writers who want to tell its stories. * Slate *Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan (University of Texas Press) by Alex Pappademas and Joan LeMay has been described as the quintessential Steely Dan book. As part of the project, LeMay, a native Houstonian, created 109 whimsical portraits of characters that sprang from the musicians’ lyrics and legends. In a review, fellow artist Melissa Messer wrote: 'Looking at Joan’s oeuvre makes me feel tipsy, or like I’ve drunk Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drink and I’m swimming through the air after her, searching for the same vision.' * Texas Observer *This book not only dissects Steely Dan’s lyrics and dives deep into the imagery of their discography, it also steps back and provides helpful context about how the band’s music was written. * New York Magazine: The Strategist *Table of Contents 1. Jack 2. Walter 3. Donald 4. King Richard/King John 5. Lady Bayside 6. Chino & Daddy Gee 7. Michael/Jesus 8. The Charmer 9. The Fella in the White Tuxedo 10. Dan 11. David 12. Mr. Whatever 13. Louise 14. Cathy 15. The El Supremo 16. The King of the World 17. Rikki 18. The Major Dude 19. Mr. Parker 20. Buzz 21. Napoleon 22. The Archbishop 23. Dr. Wu 24. Mr. Lapage 25. Owsley 26. A Bookkeeper’s Son 27. The Eagles 28. Babs & Clean Willie 29. The Old Man 30. Pepe 31. A Wooly Man without a Face 32. Peg 33. Sayoko 34. The Expanding Man 35. Broadway Duchess 36. Josie 37. The Babylon Sisters 38. Hoops McCann/The Dread Moray Eel 39. The Dandy of Gamma Chi 40. The Gaucho 41. A Jolly Roger 42. Third World Man 43. Abbie/Dupree 44. Franny from NYU 45. Lizzie 46. Jill 47. Gina 48. Dave from Acquisitions 49. Daddy Acknowledgments Notes

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Book SynopsisLIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION that includes Marie’s 2004 English-language solo album The Change on CD—previously unreleased in any physical format in North America—as well as bonus track “Sea of Love” (2017), the last song that Marie recorded. This edition also contains foil gilded page edges and a satin ribbon marker.Listen to My Heart is a completely candid and passionate, heartbreaking yet often witty life story of one of rock music’s most resilient lead singers, Marie Fredriksson from Roxette ("It Must Have Been Love," "Listen to Your Heart," "The Look," "Joyride").Given only a few months to live following a harrowing diagnosis in 2002, Marie boldly forged ahead into a life with newfound courage and inspiration. She continued as both a solo singer and with Roxette, where she performed over 550 concerts, sold 75 million records, and released over 50 singles including several global hits. In all, Roxette is Sweden’s biggest music group—second only to ABBA.Filled with behind-the-scenes stories involving everyone from Tina Turner and Elton John to The Rolling Stones and Frank Sinatra, Listen to My Heart also explores her humble family beginnings, an early tragedy in the sudden loss of Marie’s sister, her transition into the music industry as a solo artist, and the formation and challenges of being in one of the world’s most successful pop groups. All while trying to maintain a stable marriage and being a mother to two young children in the face of a life-altering illness. Marie passed away in the aftermath of her diagnosis in December, 2019.Heart-wrenching yet winning, and told with exceptional energy and sincerity, Listen to My Heart sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our generation’s most talented and courageous artists.Contains a foreword by Marie’s longtime friend, director Jonas Akerlund (Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, U2) and over 100 personal photographs, live and backstage shots, and memorabilia images.Trade Review"Singer-songwriter Marie Fredriksson (1958–2019) offers a heartbreakingly candid recollection of her early life, pop career [including many years with Roxette], and struggle with illness in this posthumous memoir. Fredriksson more than delivers on her stated mission to ‘share her moments of transcendence and offer consolation to those full of doubt’ by cataloging her favorite performances and refusing to let her diagnosis overshadow her career. Anecdotes about celebrities from Elton John to Frank Sinatra are just the cherry on top. Pop music fans will treasure this." — Publishers Weekly"Fredriksson's frustration at being discounted in the men-dominated music industry and her attempts to find alternative lifesaving treatments makes for an engaging read. Most poignant is her vulnerability as she opens her closets and photo albums that showcase a life well lived." — Library Journal

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Book SynopsisEverything I Need to Know I Learned from Bruce Springsteen is an eye-popping collection of stunning photos and insightful lessons inspired by Springsteen’s life and musical legacy. For decades, the Boss has imbued his work with great depths of feeling and authenticity, speaking his truth to millions of fans worldwide. The analysis of his lyrics and the story of his life have generated bestselling literary works for decades. Now, as Springsteen takes on what may be his final world tour, on the cusp of turning an unstoppable 75 years old, author Trevor Courneen examines Bruce’s lyrics, quotes, media appearances and personal history, mining each for the invaluable bits of wisdom that so often give life and meaning to his music, and translates them into actionable lessons that readers can apply to their own lives. Throughout, the book features stunning black and white and full colour photos of Bruce on stage, in private and on the road, making this book a one-of-a-kind collectible or gift book for fans of The Boss.

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed cultural critic Greil Marcus tells the story of Bob Dylan through the lens of seven penetrating songsTrade Review“The most interesting writer on Dylan over the years has been the cultural critic Greil Marcus. . . . No one alive knows the music that fueled Dylan’s imagination better. Marcus just published Folk Music: A Bob Dylan Biography in Seven Songs. It’s [an] ingenious book of close listening.”—David Remnick, New Yorker“A poignant reminder of everything Trumpism had tried to destroy. His dissections of these songs . . . are thorough and well-referenced.” —Paul Genders, Times Literary Supplement“A book filled with genuine insights. . . . ‘Blowin’ in the Wind,’ the anthem that transformed a little-known folk singer into the conscience of a nation, is exhibit A for Mr. Marcus’s theory of empathy. . . . Mr. Marcus is at his best in exploring this rootedness.”—The Economist“Marcus . . . has written more and better about Dylan than just about anyone, most recently in Folk Music.”—Carl Wilson, Slate“Marcus keeps chasing America’s greatest songwriter down the highway. It’s cultural criticism as a long-running detective story—and a musical love story.”—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, “Best Music Books of 2022”“The book’s openness restores a sense of existential unity, of a whole in which everything has a place and plays a part.”—Devin McKinney, Critics at Large“A perfect storm of things to love: American history, music history, Dylan’s music and beautiful writing. The style is colloquial, but not informal; informative but not didactic, and downright seductive to follow. . . . His in-depth analysis of the songs themselves is unmatched.”—Anne Margaret Daniel, SpectatorFeatured in Globe and Mail’s “Best Books to Gift This Year”“Marcus tends to a hyperbolic style, producing a slightly febrile mood, appropriate to the events being related. He also uncovers, or produces, hidden connections between apparently disparate things.”—David McCooey, New Daily“Marcus’ profound expertise in the American cultural landscape blasts open new fissures in our understanding of this most mythologised of singer-songwriters. . . . The reader comes away marvelling at what Bob Dylan has done with such a violent cultural inheritance, and also at how enmeshed the beauty of the songs are with the brutality in life.”—Gregory Day, Sydney Morning Herald“In elaborating Dylan’s musical journey Marcus puts on display a vast knowledge of America’s popular culture and a sardonic recognition of the flaws in our national character—flaws such as racial injustice and wealth inequality that folk music tries to address. The book is fast-paced, like a song, and hip. . . . [Marcus] closes on an elegiac note punctuated with love. ‘What will go out of the world with him?’”—Arthur Hoyle, New York Journal of Books“The biography, Marcus seems to reason, must emerge prismatically, if at all, through Dylan’s core achievement: the songs themselves. . . . It might be his most resonant tribute to His Bobness: a primer in how seriously to take major art and how to live alongside it in real time, delivered with an idiosyncrasy and crooked grace worthy of its subject.”—Martin Herbert, Art Review“This is an absorbing overall read and Greil Marcus is arguably the best rock culture writer around.”—Tony Jasper, Methodist Recorder“[A] joyously circumlocutory voyage around the Bard of Hibbing.”—Danny Eccleson, MOJO“Greil Marcus tells this great artist’s story through seven of his most transformative songs—a selection that will inevitably cause much debate amongst Dylanophiles.”—Choice“In Folk Music’s interpretative brilliance, boundless energy and moral rage, Marcus honours his source. The discursive Dylanologist par excellence, the freewheelin’ Greil Marcus.”—Joseph Marlow, The Critic“This is the good stuff: the stuff you can’t usually get in books. Greil Marcus is already the most important chronicler of Dylan. But here he outdoes himself. This book is rich with deep understanding, with caustically funny commentary, and a psychoanalysis, much needed, of Bob Dylan and of America.”—Rachel Kushner“Decade after decade, Greil Marcus has proven himself to be not only a brilliant cultural critic about the music, lives, and stories that have helped shape contemporary American consciousness; he has also done much to articulate why our music has always stood at the axis of sound and politics. This book is not only a valuable addition to the canon, it further elevates Marcus to what he has always been: a supreme artist-critic.”—Hilton Als“Here is Greil Marcus at his most brilliantly insightful, eloquent, persuasive, brimming with information about Bob Dylan and his music, unique in his ability to combine the most candid sort of memoirist prose with truly inspired commentary. As Dylan ‘sees himself’ in his subjects, so Greil Marcus ‘sees himself’ in Dylan, the most original musical genius of our time, the perfect subject for the most original music critic of our time.”—Joyce Carol Oates“Greil Marcus’s writing on Dylan constitutes one of the great living bodies of work by one mold-breaking creative mind interpreting the art and meaning of another. Dylan’s multitudes find their champion in Marcus’s critical exuberance.”—Todd Haynes“Marcus is unsurpassed in showing how Dylan reflected the cultural moment even as he changed it. This moving, personal, compelling book traces Dylan’s complex relationship to American culture through some of Dylan’s most iconic songs, enabling us to understand these songs in fresh ways while also giving us a profound history of how we understand ourselves.”—Dana Spiotta “Greil Marcus’s writing on Bob Dylan is as essential as Dylan himself. Through the prism of Dylan’s visionary genius, Marcus unveils a fascinating history of the soul of modern America.”—Olivier Assayas

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Book Synopsis'Utterly absorbing and deeply affecting' – The GuardianAs a Spice Girl, TV talent show judge and Broadway star, Mel B a.k.a Scary Spice, has been a global icon since her twenties. But behind the glittering façade of fame, the struggles and pain of this working-class, mixed-race girl from Leeds are laid bare in her critically acclaimed best-selling memoir, Brutally Honest. With deep personal insight, remarkable frankness and trademark Yorkshire humour, the book tells how she went from Girl Power to girl powerless during her ten-year emotionally abusive marriage. Tracing a path through the key moments in her life, she reflects on her childhood, rise to fame and her chilling downward spiral before she finally broke free. In this expanded edition, written with Louise Gannon, Mel brings her story up to date. With her trademark honesty, she tells the unfiltered story of piecing herself back together, dealing

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Book SynopsisA compelling biography of Frank Sinatra - warts and all, from 1915 to Sinatra's death in 1998. This fast-paced chronicle details the superstar's music, films, romances, personality traits and questionable exploits! A wonderful addition to the library of any Frank Sinatra fan or any fan of the big band era or popular music in general.Trade Review'I have known and admired Spencer Leigh's work as a music historian for many years. When he describes music and musicians of a bygone age, we become aware of so much more than the songs and performers - the era itself returns to life and we are reminded that all art, notably popular art, is inspired by, and inseparable from, its time and place, and if we don't understand that background, the story is far from complete... In Spencer Leigh's mammoth and wonderful tome on Frank Sinatra, he has superbly given us Americana through the long life and career of his subject which began way before his did. Sinatra's agents, lovers, dodgy associates, show biz friends and enemies, passions, hatreds, bravery and recklessness, finesse and crudity, worldly wisdom and naivete, are all part of the complex all and Leigh captures them all. Whether there has been a better telling of the Frank Sinatra story than Spencer Leigh's version only someone who has read all the myriad other attempts can say. I can say for sure that after reading FRANK SINATRA: AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE you may want to read more about him, but you won't need to.' SIR TIM RICE; 'There will be no better book on Sinatra's career than this. The detail is superb. It was wise to embrace it all - the music, the films, the politics, the hoodlum exploits, the cheating and chancing, and the seemingly endless sex and booze.' LIVERPOOL ECHOTable of ContentsForeword by Sir Tim Rice Introduction: Set 'em up, Joe Chapter 1: New York, New York. Chapter 2: You must be one of the newer fellas Chapter 3: Start spreadin' the news Chapter 4: Getting sentimental Chapter 5: The house I live in Chapter 6: Kissing bandits Chapter 7: I'm a fool to want you Chapter 8: From here to eternity Chapter 9: Call me irresponsible Chapter 10: Game changers Chapter 11: Election Chapter 12: War games Chapter 13: Making it with the moderns Chapter 14: The first goodbye Chapter 15: Intermission Chapter 17: They can't take that away from me Appendix 1: To Think I Did All That - A Frank Sinatra Discography Appendix 2: One of Those Bells that now and then Rings - Frank Sinatra on film Appendix 3: Makin' Whoopee Index

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Book Synopsis*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*The brand new memoir from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Road Beneath My Feet. Taking 36 songs from his back catalogue, folk-punk icon Frank Turner explores his songwriting process. Find out the stories behind the songs forged in the hedonistic years of the mid-2000s North London scene, the ones perfected in Nashville studios, and everything in between. Some of these songs arrive fully-formed, as if they''ve always been there, some take graft and endless reworking to find ''the one''. In exploring them all, Turner reflects with eloquence, insight and self-deprecating wit on exactly what it is to be a songwriter. From love songs and break-up songs to political calls-to-arms; songs composed alone in a hotel room or in soundcheck with the Sleeping Souls, this brilliantly written memoir - featuring exclusive photos of handwritten lyrics and more - is a must-have book for FT fans and anyone curious about how to write music.Trade ReviewIt is moments of honesty and personal revelation such as this that make Try This at Home come alive; the sense that we are getting real insight into someone's life and the way they have tried to make sense of it . . . this fascinating section illustrates the impact of putting your beliefs into lyrics. * The Times *

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Book SynopsisBob Gendron is a longtime contributor to the Chicago Tribune and a veteran Music Editor. He co-authored Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History and has written for DownBeat, Rolling Stone, TONEAudio, and other outlets. In his spare time, he enjoys visiting craft breweries, playing hockey, and exploring neighborhoods. An avid fan of the White Sox and the Blackhawks, he lives in his hometown of Chicago with his wife and two dogs.Trade Review"In the absence of love, there is loneliness, sorrow and desperation. And that's where I come in."--Greg Dulli, introducing "When We Two Parted" onstage in San Francisco It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher in the Rye or Middlemarch...The series, which now comprises 29 titles with more in the words, is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration--The New York Times Book Review Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't enough--Rolling Stone One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet - Bookslut These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerds. - Vice A brilliant series...each one a word of real love - NME (UK) Passionate, obsessive, and smart - Nylon Religious tracts for the nock 'n' roll faithful - Uncut (UK) We...aren't naive enough to think that we're your only source for reading about music (but if we had our way...watch out). For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, you'd do well to check out Continuum's "33 1/3" series of books." - Pitchfork"

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Book SynopsisFrom the provocative transgender advocate and lead singer of the punk rock band Against Me!, a "riveting" (PW, starred review), "savagely candid transgender memoir" (Esquire) - named to Billboard's 100 Greatest Music Books of All Time list - exploring her search for identity and her true self.Trade ReviewLaura Jane Grace shows great bravery diving into every detail of a story seldom told, with the advantage of having kept journals documenting everything she went through, from childhood to the beginnings of her band. Capturing the pain and struggle, self-doubt and lack of support she experienced, Grace provides a valuable starting point for a conversation to broaden the understanding of, and empathy for, trans people. * Joan Jett, Billboard's 100 Greatest Music Books of All Time *An ambassador for the gender revolution currently sweeping through public restroom policy and National Geographic covers [and] a potent tool for empathy that hasn't quite existed in pop culture....Grace and co-writer Dan Ozzi spin green room drama and rock star recklessness into a gem of a rock bio that belongs on a shelf alongside Hammer of the Gods and Get in the Van. * Paste Magazine, Best Nonfiction Books of 2016 *A full-length tell-all about Grace's lifelong journey to discovering, accepting, and at last publicly acknowledging her true identity....[told] with daring candor...the memoir establishes her as at once a transgender icon and a modern day heroine. * Harper's Bazaar, Best Books of November *A savagely candid transgender memoir, and thus far, the only quintessential text regarding Against Me!--one of the most significant punk bands of the aughts and onward. Without a smidgen of sarcasm, I would highly recommend the book to your grandmother, even if she is afraid of transpeople and can't name three Clash songs. * Esquire *

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Book SynopsisSelf-described as a 'spotty, chubby, ginger teenager' with a love for Damien Rice and Nizlopi, Ed Sheeran was never an obvious bet to become a global superstar. And yet that's exactly what he's achieved, winning plenty of awards (and hearts) along the way. But how did a young musician go from selling CDs from his rucksack to becoming the millennial record-breaking international stadium act? Tracing his story from his bohemian childhood in Yorkshire and Suffolk to the release of his third album Divide, music journalist David Nolan chronicles Sheeran's musical life and times. Featuring exclusive interviews with friends, relatives, musical collaborators and key figures in his rise to stardom, Divide and Conquer tells the story of how Ed Sheeran went from school drop-out to one of the world's most successful musicians.

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Book SynopsisLit Up Inside contains the lyrics of about one third of the songs that Van Morrison has written over his 50 year career. In this representative selection from the work of one of the most innovative and enduring songwriters of the last century, the reader will find examples of all the features of the world that Van has created through his work: the back streets and mystic avenues; memories of childhood wonder and of adult work; the chime of church bells and the playing of the radio; the generous naming of other artists and the joy of solitude; love and sharp dealing; consolation and grace.

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Book SynopsisHoward Goodall is an Emmy, BRIT and BAFTA award-winning composer of choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores - among them Red Dwarf, QI and Blackadder - as well as a distinguished broadcaster and the author of Big Bangs: The Story of Five Discoveries that Changed Musical History. In recent years he has been England's first ever National Ambassador for Singing, the Classical Brit Composer of the Year, and Classic FM's Composer-in-Residence. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music education.Trade ReviewGoodall has a prodigious gift for gathering information. People who know nothing about music will learn a lot here * Sunday Tribune *Intelligent, infectious * Observer *Writing a breezy history of music is a tough nut to crack, but Goodall manages it * Independent *

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Book Synopsis‘I’m just a cosmic yob, I suppose.’‘I change every day. I’m not outrageous. I’m David Bowie.’‘I’m an instant star. Just add water and stir.’Genre-hopping, gender-bending: Bowie has never been afraid to pushthe boundaries. Whether masquerading as an alien, a spaceman or a goblin king, this rock ‘n’ roll hero was a true visionary. The death of the Man Who Fell to Earth shook fans around the world, but his influence lives on.Pocket Bowie Wisdom is full of insights into music, identity, fame, love and creativity from one of the most pioneering musicians of all time. This collection of quotes makes a perfect gift for the Bowie fan in your life.

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Book SynopsisBob Dylan's impact on popular music has been incalculable. Having transformed staid folk music into a vehicle for coruscating social commentary, he then swept away the romantic platitudes of rock 'n' roll with his searing intellect.From the zeitgeist-encapsulating protest of 'Blowin' in the Wind' to the streetwise venom of 'Like a Rolling Stone', and from the stunning mid-sixties trilogy of albums - Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde - to Time Out of Mind, his stunning if world-weary comeback at the age of 56, Dylan's genius has endured, underpinned by the dazzling turn of phrase that has made him the pre-eminent poet of popular music.Because Dylan's achievements have no equal, his career is the most chronicled in rock history. Here, Sean Egan presents a selection of the best writing on Dylan, both praise and criticism. Interviews, essays, features and reviews from Dylan intimates and scholars such as John Bauldie, Michael Gray, Nat Hentoff and Jules Siegel are interspersed with new narrative and reviews of every single album to create a comprehensive picture of the artist whose chimes of freedom still resound.Trade ReviewManages to catch some of Dylan's magic. * Catholic Herald *Fascinating and hilarious anecdotes. * Jewish Chronicle *A great book ... as discursive and illuminating as any recent book on Dylan I've read. * Craig McGregor, author of 'Bob Dylan: A Retrospective' *

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Book SynopsisA biography of Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), by one of the leading scholars of nineteenth- and twentieth-century French music, that is based on a wealth of written and oral evidence, some newly translated and some derived from interviews with the composer's friends and associates.Trade Review"'An insightful biography.' (Michael Downes, Times Literary Supplement) 'A quite superb book, simply entitled Ravel, written by the Englishman who knows his work better than any other, Roger Nichols.' (Simon Heffer, The Sunday Telegraph) 'reliable and agreeably readable.' (Norman Lebrecht, New Statesman) 'To anyone with a special interest in Ravel, this book will be essential reading... Surely the composer's most comprehensive and authoritative English-language biography.' (Daniel Snowman, Literary Review) 'A compelling new biography unravels the mysteries surrounding Ravel... Mysterious to the end, the fascination of its subject remains fresh throughout this thorough and sympathetic account.' (Robert Maycock, BBC Music Magazine)"

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Book Synopsis'The publication of this study of the music of Bela Bartok is an important event. Many descriptive analyses of particular works of his have appeared, but here for the first time is an authoritative and convincing exposition of the theoretical principles which the composer worked out for himself but refrained, as far as is known, from expounding it to anyone during his lifetime. Erno Lendvai has disclosed the fact that Bela Bartok, in his early thirties, evolved for himself a method of integrating all the elements of music; the scales, the chordal structure with the melodic motifs appropriate to them, together with the proportions of length as between movements in a whole work, main divisions within a movement such as exposition, development and recapitulation and even balancing phrases within sections of movements, according to one single basic principle.' Alan BushTrade Review'Erno Lendvai is a Bartok specialist of the highest order...a theorist of genius.' Tempo; 'Essential reading for any composition student.' Composer; 'His analysis of the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion is remarkable.' The ListenerTable of ContentsIntroduction, 1. Tonal Principles - The Axis System, 2. Form Principles - Golden Section, 3. Fibonacci Series, 4. The Use of Chords and Intervals - Chromatic System, 5. Diatonic System, Appendices

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Book SynopsisThe long-awaited, never-before-told, no-holds-barred memoir from the legendary Aerosmith frontman. Finally, all the lurid tales of debauchery, sex, drugs and rock n'' roll are told straight from the horse''s lips as The Demon of Screamin'' describes his unimaginable highs and unbelievable lows as lead singer of the biggest rock band in the world.Prolific frontman, rock icon and sex symbol, Steven Tyler is a living legend. With his raw, sharp-edged vocals, musical versatility and unprecedented song writing skills, Tyler has, as lead singer of Aerosmith, sold millions of records and played sell-out concerts to as many as 450,000 people. Now, at last, he tells his own story, taking us on a wild rollercoaster ride through the bust-ups, binges, orgies and good old American excess in the jaw-droppingly honest, in-your-face way that only Tyler can.Following a fateful meeting with his ''mutant twin'' Joe Perry in the summer of 1970, Aerosmith was formedand the rest, as they say, is rock historTrade Review‘Steven Tyler is one of the greats of American music’ Sir Paul McCartney ‘The book is sticky with sex…and drugs…plus he squeezes maximum mileage from obsessive punning and compulsive wordplay.’ Classic Rock

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Book Synopsis'Just a city boy. Born and raised in South Detroit...' so begins the iconic 'Don't Stop Believin'' heard in countless karaoke bars and classic rock stations around the world. It is one of over 250 tracks discussed in Journey: On Track, which covers 50 years of recordings.

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Book SynopsisLeads the reader through the personal, political, and professional events that shaped the music composer Dmitri Shostakovich's singular, emblematic twentieth-century life.Trade Review“Music for Silenced Voices is a sensitive and enlightening meditation. . . . Lesser, in other words, is giving Shostakovich back to his listeners.”—Paul Mitchinson, Washington Post -- Paul Mitchinson * The Washington Post *“Riveting.”—Laurence Vittes, The Huffington Post -- Laurence Vittes * The Huffington Post *“This book is a paean to Shostakovich’s quartets and their significance. In her listening, Lesser…is literate, sensitive, and imaginative.”—Edward Rothstein, The New York Times Book Review -- Edward Rothstein * The New York Times Book Review *"An essential companion for anyone planning to hear the quartets."—Ed Vuillamy, Guardian -- Ed Vuillamy * Guardian *"We need to find new approaches in order to bring music into the mainstream of general culture, where it belongs. Music for Silenced Voices helps to show that this can be done, and done well."—Jessica Duchen, Standpoint -- Jessica Duchen * Standpoint *"An elegant, thought-provoking synthesis of the current state of knowledge and ideas about one of the most celebrated and controversial composers of the twentieth century. It is a delight to read, and reread."—Laurel E. Fay -- Laurel E. Fay"Lesser moves between looking at the life as a way of understanding the quartets, and using the music of the quartets as a way of comprehending the complexities of Shostakovich and the manner in which he both negotiated and was pushed through the history of Stalin’s Soviet Union. The always imprecise links between a life and the work that comes out of it are beautifully elucidated. The idea of the quartets as songs for not singing resonates with many other elements of Shostakovich’s contradictory life."—William Kentridge -- William Kentridge“Wendy Lesser has written a fantastic book that is as exciting as a detective story. Music for Silenced Voices is a book for those who love Shostakovich and also for those who are going to love Shostakovich after they read it. A must read.”—Menahem Pressler -- Menahem Pressler“Thoughtful and appealing…[Lesser’s] commitment to Shostakovich is so intense that she achieves what every critic must hope for: Lesser sends us straight back to the quartets, to see if we can hear what she hears.”—Adam Kirsch, The Barnes and Noble Review -- Adam Kirsch * Barnes and Noble Review *“The book does not disappoint….The cumulative effect of the book is to send us back to the music with renewed enthusiasm and enhanced insight; and the impression of Shostakovich and his world as conveyed in its pages lingers in the mind long after the cover is closed.”—Jessica Duchen, Standpoint -- Jessica Duchen * Standpoint *"It is clear that no other analyst could do better . . . Lesser has acquitted herself very well indeed, and we should hope for more from her in future."—R.J. Stove, The American Conservative -- R.J. Stove * The American Conservative *"A sensitive biography. . . . Her enthusiasm for the quartets is infectious."—Michael O'Donnell, The Nation -- Michael O'Donnell * The Nation *"What makes Lesser's book such a ripping good read, in addition to deeply considered music appreciation, is her intelligently personal involvement with the subject."—Jonathan Kiefer, SF Weekly -- Jonathan Kiefer * SF Weekly *"A sensitive and enlightening meditation. . . . Lesser is giving Shostakovich back to his listeners."—Paul Mitchinson, The Washington Post -- Paul Mitchinson * The Washington Post *“Written with the general reader in mind, it is an altogether remarkable book; a deeply serious and scholarly yet astutely accessible and rewarding portrait of a man caught and confined within a murderous maelstrom whose response was music in which the personal and the political are indelibly, and perhaps intractably, intertwined.”—Michael Quinn, Classical Music -- Michael Quinn * Classical Music *“This is a brilliant and fascinating book.”—The Weekly Standard * The Weekly Standard *“…..It is hard not to be swept up in the stories behind the Shostakovich cycle and by the zeal of Wendy Lesser’s advocacy. The cumulative impact of Music for Silenced Voices is considerable.”—John Greening, Times Literary Supplement -- John Greening * Times Literary Supplement *“….this is a study that has much to offer to all who know and love Shostakovich’s quartets, and there should be few performers, critics or musicologists who would read it without profit.”—David Fanning, Gramophone -- David Fanning * Gramophone *“A book of musical and biographical insight.”—Jewish Book World * Jewish Book World *Winner of the 2011 American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) in the Performing Arts category, as given by the Association of American Publishers -- PROSE Award in Music and the Performing Arts * Association of American Publishers *“Lesser’s elegant prose brings the music and the man vividly to life.”—Katie Owen, The Sunday Telegraph -- Katie Owen * The Sunday Telegraph *"An enriching read."—Helen Wallace, Financial Times -- Helen Wallace * Financial Times *"An enormously gripping read… [Wendy Lesser] has that rare capacity to illuminate the music through the written word… Her absorbing reflections stimulate you to think afresh about some of the most profound and disturbing music written in the last hundred years… skilful interweaving of the music against a narrative that explores Shostakovich's tortured personality and his troubled relationship with the Soviet regime."—Erik Levi, BBC Music Magazine -- Erik Levi * BBC Music Magazine *“A rich blend of biographical anecdote and interpretation of the personal man…and the public man. Lesser…presents a complex man who was aware that he was making terrible compromises to protect himself and his family.”—Library Journal * Library Journal *“Lesser has written a sensitive biography…a generous reflection on his life and chamber music.”—Michael O’Donnell, The Nation -- Michael O'Donnell * The Nation *

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Book SynopsisBest known for the challenging four-opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung, Richard Wagner (1813-83) was a conductor, librettist, theater director, and essayist, in addition to being the composer of some of the most enduring operatic works in history, such as the Flying Dutchman. This book explores key ideas in Wagner's life and works.Trade Review"A fine biography.... This is the most balanced account of Schumann's life and work for more than a generation, one that makes us want to relisten to Schumann's music, knowing better the man behind it." -Wall Street Journal, on Robert Schumann"

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Book SynopsisThe Dolly Parton: A Musical Legend 2026 Mini Wall Calendar showcases Dolly the singer-songwriter and musician, featuring black-and-white onstage photography alongside her own legendary lyrics, with delicate butterflies and filigree-style designs on each spread.

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Book Synopsis''Brilliant and epoch-making.'' Times Literary SupplementThe Classical Style is an established classic which has remained in print since its first publication in 1971. With his experience as a world-class pianist as well as as teacher at Harvard and Oxford, Charles Rosen produced the definitive survey of the language of the music of the classical period. In the book, Rosen concentrates on the three major figures of the time - Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven - because ''it is in terms of their achievements that the musical vernacular can best be defined''.In this expanded edition, Rosen follows the development of each composer''s best known genres: for Haydn, the symphony and string quartet; for Mozart, the concerto, string quintet and comic opera; for Beethoven, the piano sonata. In addition, the author ranges widely through the material of classical music which falls outside these categories. ''The word masterpiece should be used rTrade Review"'Brilliant and epoch-making.' Times Literary Supplement 'The word "masterpiece" should be used rarely if at all. But it applies to Charles Rosen's The Classical Style... This book sets new standards for the application of language to music' George Steiner"

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