Music reviews and criticism Books

Book SynopsisTHE INSPIRATION FOR THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE A COMPLETE UNKNOWN.One of the music world?s pre-eminent critics takes a fresh and much-needed look at the day Dylan ?went electric? at the Newport Folk Festival.On the evening of July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan took the stage at Newport Folk Festival, backed by an electric band, and roared into his new rock hit, Like a Rolling Stone. The audience of committed folk purists and political activists who had hailed him as their acoustic prophet reacted with a mix of shock, booing, and scattered cheers. It was the shot heard round the world?Dylan?s declaration of musical independence, the end of the folk revival, and the birth of rock as the voice of a generation?and one of the defining moments in twentieth-century music.In Dylan Goes Electric!, Elijah Wald explores the cultural, political and historical context of this seminal event that embodies the transformative decade that was the sixties. Wald delves deep into the folk revival, the rise of rock, and the tensions between traditional and groundbreaking music to provide new insights into Dylan?s artistic evolution, his special affinity to blues, his complex relationship to the folk establishment and his sometime mentor Pete Seeger, and the ways he reshaped popular music forever. Breaking new ground on a story we think we know, Dylan Goes Electric! is a thoughtful, sharp appraisal of the controversial event at Newport and a nuanced, provocative, analysis of why it matters.?In this tour de force, Elijah Wald complicates the stick-figure myth of generational succession at Newport by doing justice to what he rightly calls Bob Dylan?s ?declaration of independence? . . . This is one of the very best accounts I?ve read of musicians fighting for their honor.? ?Todd Gitlin, author ofThe SixtiesandOccupy NationTrade Review"Provides a deeply researched and entertaining chronicle of the culture clash that Dylan sparked from the Newport stage." -- David Remnick, The New Yorker "It is a great work of scholarship, brimming with insight - among the best music books I have ever read." -- The Guardian "Wald contextualizes the deeply divisive event in illuminating detail ... a major contribution to modern musical history." -- Booklist (starred review) "Wald is a superb analyst of the events he describes. And his analyses fly in the face of conventional wisdom. Even his introduction includes enough startling context to indicate 'Dylan Goes Electric!' will be seeing the old story with new eyes." -- Janet Maslin, New York Times "Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic ... An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism." -- Kirkus Reviews "Anyone interested in Dylan, folk music, or rock and roll will adore this volume. It might not resolve the questions of what really happened in Newport in 1965, but it comes very close." -- Library Journal "In this tour de force, Elijah Wald complicates the stick-figure myth of generational succession at Newport by doing justice to what he rightly calls Bob Dylan's 'declaration of independence' ... This is one of the very best accounts I've read of musicians fighting for their honor." -- Todd Gitlin, author of The Sixties and Occupy Nation "What Wald reveals about that most mystified of singer-songwriters and the folk and rock worlds that then surrounded and elevated him changed my own view of a moment I thought I had all figured out-and of the songwriterly 1960s as a whole." -- Ann Powers, author of Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America and, with the artist, Tori Amos: Piece by Piece "Devastatingly smart analysis ... Wald is a remarkably sharp and graceful writer, capable of drawing extraordinary connections between artists, genres, and cultural moments. There's simply no one better when it comes to unpacking not just the mechanics of American music, but the mythology of American music." -- Amanda Petrusich, author of Do Not Sell At Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World's Rarest 78rpm Records "Elijah Wald's book reflects the many directions in which America's music scene evolved in those extraordinary years, 1963-1970-I can't recommend it enough." -- George Wein, Founder of the Newport Folk Festival "Concise and entertaining ... a great story, masterfully told, of how the times were, indeed, a-changin'-and why." -- Ed Ward, rock and roll historian for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross and author of Michael Bloomfield: The Rise and Fall of an American Guitar Hero "Easily the definitive account of Newport '65." -- CounterPunch Magazine "There is no shortage of books about Bob Dylan ... but Elijah Wald's heavily researched book manages to offer new information and unique insight into the social context of this controversial moment in music history." -- Buzzfeed

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Book SynopsisThe landmark international bestsellerThe Beatles' own story, in their own wordsreissued on the 25th anniversary of its first publication.

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Book Synopsis''A magnificent treasury . . . a fascinating tour de force.'' Observer''Year of Wonder is an absolute treat - the most enlightening way to be guided through the year.'' Eddie RedmayneClassical music for everyone - an inspirational piece of music for every day of the year, celebrating composers from the medieval era to the present day, written by award-winning violinist and BBC Radio 3 presenter Clemency Burton-Hill.Have you ever heard a piece of music so beautiful it stops you in your tracks? Or wanted to discover more about classical music but had no idea where to begin? Year of Wonder is a unique celebration of classical music by an author who wants to share its diverse wonders with others and to encourage a love for this genre in all readers, whether complete novices or lifetime enthusiasts. Clemency chooses one piece of music for each day of the year, with a short explanation aboTrade ReviewYear of Wonder is an absolute treat - the most enlightening way to be guided through the year. -- Eddie RedmayneEnthusiasm bounds from every page... It's the creation of a super playlist of classical music... Another day, another delight. * Irish Independent *Soothing, beautiful songs guaranteed to help you fall asleep. * Stylist *Her enthusiasm leaps off the page. * BOOKS OF THE YEAR, Mail on Sunday *A magnificent treasury . . . a fascinating tour de force. * Observer *

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Book SynopsisVenue Stories is an anthology of creative non-fiction that remembers, celebrates and reinvigorates our complex and plural relationship with small and independent music spaces. Written by musicians, promoters, fans and academics who have a shared passion for small music venues and musical cultures in all their splendid variety, this anthology features memoir, essays, life writing, historiography and autoethnography. Each chapter is united by a focus on the personal, the sensory and half-remembered. These are stories that cross disciplinary lines and blur distinctions between creativity, reportage and critical analysis. Venue Stories pays a visit to the toilet venues, back rooms and ad-hoc club nights that make up so much of our musical landscape. It spends time in small and local venues and asks what they mean in personal and cultural terms. Writers visit celebrated spots, long forgotten spaces and emergent venues. Whatever the lineage, they are independent, original and wonderfully weird. The stories are memories of seismic gigs and life-altering raves. They are mosaic remembrances and recollections; funny, heart-breaking, rage induced and sometimes a combination of all of these things. This is a collection of stories by and for fans, band members, merch sellers, pint pullers, journalists with a freebie, roadies with a backache and sound techs with an earache.Table of ContentsForeword Emma Warren, Journalist and Broadcaster Introduction Helen Pleasance, Robert Edgar and Fraser Mann 1. Peripheral Dancing: The Jazz Rooms, Brighton 1984 Helen Pleasance 2. Finding the Dirt: Nesh at Elektrowerkz Fraser Mann 3. Chatting to Jarvis Robert Edgar 4. Fascinating Rhythms Beth Hughes, Writer 5. The Bull & Gate, Kentish Town, London 1987-1991 Polly Hancock, Musician, Photojournalist and Promoter 6. Weapons of Bass Destruction Kevin Narrainen, Musician, Producer and Writer 7. Girls with Guitars Vim Renault and Lene Cortina, Punkgirldiaries 8. (Princess) Charlotte and her 1980s offspring O’ Jays Ruth Miller, Musician 9. The Brewery Arts Centre Peter Atkinson, University of Central Lancashire 10. ‘Nothing Comes Easy’: Small Venue Concerts with The Wedding Present David Lewis Gedge (Musician) and Jon Stewart (Musician and BIMM Institute) 11. In Memory of the Standard: Hard Rock in East London Anna Marie Barry, Historian and Writer 12. The New Breed - 1990s Mod Revival Scene in Leeds Abigail Gaines, Photography Studio Manager 13. Sitting on the Bench in Leicester’s Charlotte Ed Garland, Writer 14. Kings Cross, Kentish Town and Kensington Gore via Gallowgate: In Search of the Goldilocks Zone Julianne Regan, Musician and writer 15. Spiritual Auras: Jungle Venues in Birmingham and the West Midlands 1993-7 Penelope Wickson, Art Historian 16. The Wheat from the Chaff Matt Colbeck, University of Sheffield 17. More than a Club: The Genius Loci of Eric’s Penny Kiley, Music Journalist 18. Coming of Age at the Warehouse, Liverpool 1981 Dawn Amber Harvey, Writer 19. The Rainbow Venues and Swingamajig: Closing the Doors on the Home of One of Birmingham’s Favourite Festivals Chris Inglis, British and Irish Modern Music Institute, Bristol 20. Sold-out, Locked Out, Power Out Tom Hingley, Musician and Writer 21. Mothers Club in Erdington Alan Smith, Writer 22. Music Spaces & Music Memory Anna Elias, Musician and Therapist 23. Glitter, Rubber Ducks, and Dinghies: The Georgian Theatre and the Teesside Gigging Community in the Early-2010s Amy McCarthy, Writer 24. The Rock Garden: Conversations with my Dad, a Punk-rock DJ’ Tom Jackson, York St John University 25. … For a Girl Tarryn Watkins, Musician Final word Mark Dafyd, Music Venue Trust

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Book SynopsisSeria naquele bairro, onde ecoavam vozes e violões em serenatas, onde pianos batucavam e pés se arrastavam em sociedades dançantes, onde blocos evoluíam por entre fraseados rítmicos de orquestras de percussão, onde a violência fazia parte do jogo, inclusive nas rodas de pernada ao som de refrões de batucada, que o samba baiano se transformaria, em meio a dores e prazeres, no samba batucado.O bairro do Estácio de Sá, entre o morro de São Carlos e a zona do Mangue, nas vizinhanças do Catumbi, a zona do agrião. O antigo arraial de Mataporcos, caminho desde sempre das riquezas da cidade. O berço do samba batucado e das escolas de samba, patrimônios da nação brasileira. (Carlos Didier)

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Book SynopsisUnlock the secrets behind the enigma that is Taylor Swift and discover why she reigns as the most influential cultural force in our era. In this captivating exploration, we delve into the very essence of Swift's significance, addressing the questions that echo in the minds of fans and sceptics alike.

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Book Synopsis*NEW EXTENDED MIX EDITION FEATURING EXTRA CHAPTERS*Nominated for Audiobook of the Year at the 2024 ARIAS Awards'Love this book! It triggers so many memories of the rave era. Thoroughly recommended.' - FATBOY SLIM 'Captures the hedonism and humour of the nineties with a laugh-out-loud honesty. The perfect Ibiza holiday read...if you can get it through customs!' - JUDGE JULES'Some great stories from those early rave days. Really made me giggle.' - CARL COXAs a humble barman at the M25 Orbital raves, Kirk Field witnessed the moment acid house exploded. Inspired by media lies to start writing the truth about what he saw unfolding, Kirk became a 'raving' reporter for the clubbers' bible Mixmag, covering the historic parties from the inside and sending sweat-soaked dispatches from distant dancefloors as the scene expanded across Europe and beyond.With a cas

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Book SynopsisThere’s no template for making it as a globally successful pop group. Some of the ingredients remain constant and beyond the music, there’s a mix’n’match selection of premature death, drugs, drink, destroyed friendships, lukewarm solo projects and bungled finances. The saga of Joy Division and New Order has all those clichés, yet both groups defined their times and overturned their musical landscape. First, there was Joy Division. Their music reflected both the barren urban landscape of their native Manchester in the late 1970s and singer Ian Curtis’s heart of darkness. They remain forever set in aspic, not merely – if “merely” is the right word – by the suicide of their extraordinary and extraordinarily volatile singer, but by two albums as close to perfection as music can come. From the ashes of Joy Division rose New Order, who recruited a keyboardist because of – rather than in spite of – the fact she couldn’t play. On the cusp of the British dance music boom, with what seemed like remarkable prescience, they invested in The Haçienda, a club in their native Manchester. In its pomp, the queues were around the block, but its debts would sink their heroically hopeless record label, Factory. If Joy Division were sublime musical darkness, New Order were bathed in sunlight and their globally popular music bridged the chasm between indie and dance and inspired a generation. Having conquered the world while maintaining their credibility, they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and imploded in a tsunami of recrimination, while still making fabulous music to this day. You couldn’t make it up: there’s no need to.

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Book SynopsisOnce conduits to new music, frequently bypassing the corporate music industry in ways now done more easily via the Internet, record stores championed the most local of economic enterprises, allowing social mobility to well up from them in unexpected ways. Record stores speak volumes about our relationship to shopping, capitalism, and art. This book takes a comprehensive look at what individual record stores meant to individual people, but also what they meant to communities, to musical genres, and to society in general. What was their role in shaping social practices, aesthetic tastes, and even, loosely put, ideologies? From women-owned and independent record stores, to Reggae record shops in London, to Rough Trade in Paris, this book takes on a global and interdisciplinary approach to evaluating record stores. It collects stories and memories, and facts about a variety of local stores that not only re-centers the record store as a marketplace of ideas, but also explore and celebrate aTrade ReviewA great, authoritative deep dive into the global social history of establishments which its editors ... describe as “subcultural space... clubhouses for music fanatics... [and] genre-specific sanctuaries for ‘outsider communities'”. ... You can almost smell the racks as you read. * Record Collector *Record stores have been my support group, downfall, family room, grad school, sociological experiment, clubhouse, bank, ashram, ashtray and alibi for over fifty years—apart from playing music, it’s all I know. This book is right up my alley and likely yours as well. * Peter Holsapple, Continental Drifters/The dB’s *The next best thing to going to a record store is reading about them. This is a fascinating study and I particularly enjoyed its international aspect from Christchurch to Teheran. We are all united by this unique subculture. * Geoff Travis, Founder of Rough Trade Records, UK *Mixing memoir, history, and sociology, The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Record Store is an unparalleled paean to the record store as a vital community resource that links local listeners to global flows of music, culture, and capital. Required reading for discophiles of all stripes. * Steve Waksman, Author of Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé, Elsie Irwin Sweeney Professor of Music, Smith College, USA *This fascinating anthology proves that record stores have long been so much more than places to buy records. Essays document their important role as cultural actors who call communities and genres into being, play important roles in politics and national musical cultures, promote tourism, spread music around the globe, and continue through dark times. Viva la Record Store! * Norma Coates, Associate Professor, Western University, Canada, and President, US Branch, International Association for the Study of Popular Music *Table of ContentsIntroduction Prologue: The Record Store That Saved My Life Mark Trehus, Independent Scholar/Record Store Owner, USA Part 1: Record Stores as Community 1 “We ‘Bout it ‘Bout it”: The Independent Record Store in Post-Katrina New Orleans Jay Jolles, College of William and Mary, USA 2 Firecorner: The Importance of Reggae Record Shops in Black London and the Cultural Confluence of West Indian Music Kenny Monrose, Cambridge University, UK 3 Journey of a Girl in a Plaid Skirt and Knee Socks Holly Gleason, Independent Scholar, USA 4 The Cult of the Record Bar Stephen Shearon, Middle Tennessee State University, USA 5 Magic in Here: Brisbane’s Alternative Record Stores From the 1970s to the Digital Age Ben Green, Griffith University, Australia 6 High Fidelity Across Twenty-Five Years: Record Shops, Taste, and Streaming Jon Stratton, University of South Australia, Australia 7 Reflections from the Girls Behind the Counter: Women and Independent Record Stores Lee Ann Fullington, Brooklyn College CUNY, USA Part 2: Cultural Geography of Record Stores 8 “Ways of living”: Touristification and Gentrification in Spanish and Portuguese Record Shops Fernán Del Val, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain 9 Living Popular Music in “high fidelity:” Portugal’s Independent Record Stores 1998–2020 Paula Guerra, University of Porto, Portugal 10 Music on the Turntables When the Tables are Turning: A History of Record Stores in Romania from Late Socialism to the Present Claudiu Oancea, New Europe College, Romania 11 Jazzhole: How a Record Store Became the Lone Priest of Nigerian Oldies’ Pop Culture Eromo Egbejule, Malmö University, Sweden 12 The Influence of Imported Records and their Stores on the History of Popular Music in Japan Ken Kato, Osaka University, Japan 13 Recording the Irish Experience: The Record Shop and Fair as Archive Paul Tarpey, Limerick School of Art and Design, Ireland 14 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, It Will Be Taped: Popular Music Acquisition in Pre- and Post-Revolution Tehran Lily Moayeri, Independent Scholar, USA Part 3: Sites for Fandom and Performance of Subcultural Capital 15 Making Indie Noises in the Corporate Outlet: Beating Capitalism at Its Own Game Roy Montgomery, Lincoln University, New Zealand 16 Rip Off Records (Hamburg) and the Microhistory of Capitalism Karl Siebengartner, Independent Scholar, Germany 17 Soul Bowl: Rare Soul Uncovered Christopher Spinks, University of East Anglia, UK 18 Lucky Records – Music Makes the People Come Together Mariana Lins, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil 19 Rough Trade Paris (1992-1999): The History of a Scene Jean Foubert, LARCA Université Paris-Cité, France 20 Musicians in the Record Store: Celebrity Encounters Through Amoeba Music’s What’s in My Bag? Christine Feldman-Barrett, Griffith University, Australia 21 “Contents Expected to Speak for Themselves:” A Preliminary Understanding of North American Self Service Record Retail Tim J. Anderson, Old Dominion University, USA 22 Lost in the Booth: British Record Store Listening Booths as Atmospheric Sites of Intimacy Peter Jachimiak, University of South Wales, UK Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisKevin C. Dunn is Professor in the International Relations Department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, USA. He is author of Global Punk: Resistance and Rebellion in Everyday Life (Bloomsbury 2016) Inside African Politics (with Pierre Englebert; Bloomsbury 2013 and 2020), as well as the award-winning novel Vicious is My Middle Name (2022). Active in DIY punk scenes since the 1980s, he continues to perform in several bands, runs an independent record label, publishes various zines, and is a regular contributor to the influential DIY punk zine Razorcake.

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Book SynopsisAnthony Gomez III is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, USA. He is interested in nineteenth and twentieth century American literature and popular culture. In addition to his academic work, he is a published fiction author whose short stories have appeared in a number of literary journals, including Huizache, Shenandoah, New Letters, and Four Way Review. Read more at anthonygomeziii.com.

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Book SynopsisA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEKBessie Smith: singer, icon, pioneer. Scotland''s National Poet Jackie Kay brings to life the tempestuous story of the greatest blues singer who ever lived. ''A gem of a book . . . beautiful.'' BERNARDINE EVARISTO''A wonderful writer on a magnificent singer.'' ROBERT WYATT''Kay's book is the amplifier that Smith's voice deserves.'' SUNDAY TIMES''The most vivid evocation of Bessie Smith I have ever read.'' IAN CARR, BBC MUSICBESSIE SMITH was born in Tennessee in 1894. Orphaned by the age of nine, she sang on street corners before becoming a big name in travelling shows. In 1923 she made her first recording for a new start-up called Columbia Records. It sold 780,000 copies and made her a star. Smith's life was notoriously difficult: she drank pints of bathtub gin', got into violent fist fights, spent huge sums of money and hadTable of Contents'A passionate, personal, imaginative insight in to Bessie's art' - Daily Mail 'Kay has paid her [Bessie Smith] true and heartfelt homage' - Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisA fascinating insight into Bob Dylan''s musical and spiritual development during the 1960s.Bob Dylan arrived in New York one winter morning in 1961, his protest songs and freewheelin'' spirit would go on to capture the heart and minds of the countercultural movement. But like thousands of sensitive, teenage Jewish boys before him, Dylan was concealing his origins. In Chronicles, the first and only published volume of Bob Dylan''s autobiography, you learn that he came from a small town. You might deduce that his real surname was Zimmerman. However, you would not know that he was Jewish. To many of Dylan''s biographers, his early denial of his Jewish roots is hard to understand but for Harry Freedman it is the key to grasping how this complete unknown burst onto the scene and reinvented not only himself, but popular music. It is this instinct for escape and reinvention that has defined Dylan''s long career - and it all began in 1961 when he got on a bus a

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Book Synopsis'I love this book!' SARAH CRACKNELL, SAINT ETIENNE'Poignant and wonderfully warm' CATHY NEWMAN, CHANNEL 4 NEWS'Shows us how music has the power to change everything' JUDE ROGERSIt is 1994. In a loft bedroom in North Yorkshire, fifteen-year-old Anna sits on the carpet immersed in the pages of Smash Hits, listening to cassette tapes that she keeps in a shoebox. She is dreaming of living inside the songs. The very same year, British music is about to be transformed and will leap from pop to rave to Britpop. This new universe will change Anna's life.Connection is a Song is a journey through the sounds of the 1990s; the story of a life-defining love of music and the tracks that shaped this girl's adventures through the decade. It travels from the impossibly mournful 'Nothing Compares 2 U' by Sinead O'Connor to the delirium of the KLF's '3 a.m. Eternal' via the

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Book SynopsisA revealing, impartial, exhaustive and definitive account, Longs Agos and Worlds Apart lays to rest several myths about the Small Faces while at the same time seeking to redress the lack of credit accorded a truly great band.

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Book SynopsisI thought it was a great cultural movement, the music, the look, they're things that have shaped who I am... Paul Weller The skin-suede era was the most rigorously smart and pedantically correct in the history of working class street style. Robert Elms Levis, Ben Sherman, Crombie. Reggae, rocksteady, soul. The look and sound of Suedeheads - instantly recognisable in the sixties and early seventies - had a long-lasting impact on British style. Scorcha!: Skins, Suedes and Style from the Streets 1967—73 delves into the roots, rise and fall of the Suedeheads and their close companions the Skinheads. Covering topics from fashion and football to the influence of black music and culture, the book draws on first-hand accounts from the original skin-suede generation and later adopters, such as Paul Weller and Norman Jay MBE. Featuring a foreword by Suggs and jam-packed with iconic images, this is the definitive visual history of the Suedehead way of life.Trade Review'Hundreds of archival pictures contribute to this richly evocative examination of styles' Record Collector, 4* This brilliantly realised volume outlines the facts, fashions and foibles [of the suedehead group]. The layout is superb and the time spent meticulously researching the music, media and memories of those involved superlative, as is the standard of production making this if not the Bible for the period, then at least, in deference to the scooter owners within, the Haynes manual' Shindig!

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Book SynopsisA fascinating history of the piano explored through 100 pieces chosen by one of the UK’s most renowned concert pianistsTrade Review“Susan Tomes . . . casts her net widely, taking in chamber music and concertos, knotty avant-garde masterworks and (most welcome) jazz. Her inclusions and omissions are equally fascinating.”—Richard Fairman, Financial Times, “Best Books of 2021: Classical Music”“[One of] the most beautiful books I got my hands on this year . . . about the shaping of this maddening, glorious, unconquerable instrument.”—Jenny Colgan, The Spectator, “Books of the Year”“It’s a love letter to the instrument that connects [Tomes] and her audiences to the genius of those who created such captivating sounds across the centuries” —George Hamilton, Irish Independent “What an interesting, entertaining, and enthusiastic guide. . . . A book that should appear on every pianophile’s wishlist.”—Michael MacMillan, Pianist“Susan Tomes has chosen great pieces from across the centuries and brings them alive with just enough historical, biographical and musical context.”—Gulliver Ralston, Literary Review“A genuinely inspiring and rewarding study. . . . Tomes writes like a dream and with such elegance, her erudition worn so lightly and her ‘insider knowledge’ dispensed so generously, that even those with a minimal interest in the subject must want to share this journey with her.”—Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone“This is a hugely stimulating book that inspires and enlightens. The overall message is positive, highlighting the huge surge in the piano’s popularity during the Covid pandemic. A fascinating and invaluable resource for music lovers, teachers and students.”—Murray McLachlan, International Piano“This wide-ranging history of the piano takes in everything from Bach, Haydn and Mozart to the the jazz styles of Joplin, Waller and Tatum.”—Ken Walton, The Scotsman“This comprehensive, informative and highly readable celebration of the piano and its literature is a must for pianophiles and music lovers, and for those who play, a book to keep close by the instrument to refer to, dip into, and cherish.”—ArtMuseLondon“Quite simply an essential purchase for any piano enthusiast, offering as it does a veritable feast of salient information and insight into the instrument and music which we love so much.”—Andrew Eales, Pianodao“Tomes allows herself a framework of 100 works on which to hang the entire history of piano music, except she goes further and wider. . . . All this could become heavy going in writing a style that flits between historical context and programme note-style analysis, but we have Tomes’ decision to include pieces that ‘involve piano’—sonatas with additional solo instrument, piano trios, even concertos—to thank for alleviating potential overkill.”—The Scotsman, “Scottish Books of 2021”“The most remarkable thing about this beautiful book is the unique insights being shared by a musical performer. . . . The appeal of this particular volume lies in its approach to, and expression of, musical meaning and truth from a performer’s point of view (and hearing).”—Harvey Richardson, Methodist Recorder“A joyous celebration of the piano. . . . There are many delightful insights into how the music actually feels to play. . . . Biographical and historical material is well covered with a light, non-polemical touch. The selection is no means restricted to classical music.”—Julian Jacobson, Musical Opinion“A superb masterpiece, packed with detail, yet eloquently presenting important moments in the history (and pre-history) of piano music and how it has inspired us all—composers, musicians, and listeners—for more than 200 years.”—John Gilhooly, director of Wigmore Hall“Susan Tomes writes as elegantly and lucidly as she plays the piano. Here she offers the perfect guide to the world of musical riches that the instrument at its best can be. This is a treasurable book for committed pianophiles and newcomers alike.”—Jessica Duchen, novelist and music writer“This is a delightful and valuable book. Susan Tomes presents a generous history of piano literature with wonderful lucidity, understanding and conviction. Love of the piano and its music shines through every page—professional musicians and music-loving enthusiasts alike will be captivated.”—Steven Isserlis, cellist“Susan Tomes explains why this beloved instrument has been at the heart of our musical lives, on stage and at home, from its invention up to the present day. Her love for the instrument, and the music which its composer-lovers have written for it over centuries, is infectious and instructive. A book to keep near your piano.”—Stephen Hough, pianist

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Book SynopsisJoel Mayward is Assistant Professor of Christian Ministries, Theology and the Arts at George Fox University in Oregon. He is author of five books including The Dardenne Brothers' Cinematic Parables: Integrating Theology, Philosophy, and Film (2022) and the forthcoming Theology and the Films of Christopher Nolan (2025). He is also a cultural critic and writes about the intersection of art and religion.

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Book SynopsisAn informative, illustrated guide to the 35 of the most important rap songs ever releasedTrade Review“The reading equivalent of rocking a boom box on your shoulder.” * GQ *“It’s the reading equivalent of a Ken Burns documentary, except with more cuss words * Esquire *“The Rap Year Book just might be hip-hop’s first official encyclopedia.” * Global Grind *“Just might be one of the most important rap tomes in the history of rap tomes.” * Noisey *“Serrano’s book is ambitious, historically minded without getting lost in details.” * Texas Monthly *“An in-depth look at the culture surrounding rap, from famous rapper feuds to influential movies.” * Complex *“[A] bold, humorous, and novel treatment of hip-hop’s history that makes The Rap Year Book a pleasure to read and absorb, and the kind of ingenuity that doesn’t usually have a place in music histories or rigidly structured list-based pop culture reference books but that Serrano refreshingly builds his work around.” * PopMatters *“Deeply informed but willing to get personal and weird, The Rap Year Book deserves to be on the shelf next to Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists, its clear ancestor and possibly the smartest book about hip-hop ever published.” * BLOUIN ARTINFO *“A combination of deadpan humor and incisive smarts.” * Book Riot *“Just because you memorized the hook from “Trap Queen” doesn’t mean you know jack about rap. Do yourself a favor and pick up this expansive, definitive history of the genre, which breaks down the last 36 years one song at a time.” * The Verge *“The Rap Year Book above all intends to capture hip-hop’s spirit of banter and love of debating who’s best. This isn’t a book that’s a chore to read; it’s one that’s a pleasure to argue over. Buy it.” * Vice *“What’s key to The Rap Year Book’s distinctiveness is that it seeks to discuss ‘the most important’ song of each year, not the most popular or the bestselling. Everything about it is subjective and debatable.” * The Guardian *“Smart and entertaining and a perfect gift for rap-loving teens.” * Yahoo! Parenting *“Ambitious, beautifully illustrated, and a perfect gift.” * Remezcla *“It’s excellent.” * Houston Press online *“It’s smart, funny, and highly contentious.” * BuzzFeed *“Shea Serrano and illustrator Arturo Torres have become the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby of online rap-and-sports graphic humor . . . The New York Times–bestselling Rap Year Book . . . is as hilarious as it is insightful.” * WIRED *“I love true originals, and there is nobody quite like Shea right now. It’s just a fun book. There’s no other way to describe it.” * Bill Simmons, Wall Street Journal *“Even if you only recognize a few names on the list, the book works for just about everyone with an interest in music, comics, hilarious writing, and a carefully researched musical archaeology dig that uncovers the origins of trends that are still happening today.” * Marketplace Weekend *Required reading for hip-hop fans and hip-hop newbies alike. It’s also the funniest thing I’ve read in years. -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, star and creator of the Broadway sensation Hamilton

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Book SynopsisA radical new book by journalist, critic and BBC Radio 3 broadcaster Kate Molleson, which fundamentally changes the way we think about classical music and the musicians who made it on a global scale.''Wonderful . . . This is a book of discovery that speaks of music as a life force, that urges us to live our lives through music. ''COSEY FANNI TUTTI''A marvellous book that opens our ears to sonic worlds that will enrich and delight us, whoever and wherever we are.''IAN McMILLAN''A clear-eyed, utterly fascinating exploration of outsiders in classical music. Molleson''s excellent book challenges and enlightens.''SINÉAD GLEESONThis is the impassioned and exhilarating story of the composers who dared to challenge the conventional world of classical music in the twentieth century.Traversing the globe from Ethiopia and the Philippines to Mexico, Jerusalem, Russia and beyond, journalist, critic and BBC Rad

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Book Synopsis'Superb celebration of his life and work ... a must-read tribute' CLASSIC POP, 5/5'The funniest and most revealing of all music journalists' - NEIL TENNANT 'A laugh riot' - CLASSIC ROCKA Classic Pop Book of the Year4/5 - Mojo 4/5 - Record Collector8/10 - Uncut Idiosyncratic.Iconoclastic.Acerbic.Hilarious.The influence of Tom Hibbert's music writing across print, radio, TV and podcasts is incomparable. From his genre-defining work at Smash Hits to his 'Who the Hell ... ?' profiles for Q magazine and beyond, this book brings together many of Hibbert's funniest writings.Compiled by Barney Hoskyns and Jasper Murison-Bowie at Rock's Backpages, the archive of music journalism, Phew, Eh Readers? showcases some of Hibbert's greatest pieces. Presented thematically and chronologically, they highlight his marvellously eccentric perspective on life and popular culture.Many leading writers and journalists attest to Hibbert's genius. This compendium supplements his writing with new reflections on Tom from some of his peers, colleagues and admirers, including Mark Ellen, Bob Stanley, Tom Doyle, Chris Heath, Sylvia Patterson, along with his widow Allyce.Phew, Eh Readers? is a must-read homage to one of the most influential writers of our time, a man who left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape.

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Book SynopsisIf given another chance to write for the series, which albums would 33 1/3 authors focus on the second time around? This anthology features compact essays from past 33 1/3 authors on albums that consume them, but about which they did not write. It explores often overlooked and underrated albums that may not have inspired their 33 1/3 books, but have played a large part in their own musical cultivation. Questions central to the essays include: How has this album influenced your worldview? How does this album intersect with your other creative and critical pursuits? How does this album index a particular moment in cultural history? In your own personal history? Why is the album perhaps under-the-radar, or a buried treasure? Why can't you stop listening to it? Bringing together 33 1/3's rich array of writers, critics, and scholars, this collection probes our taste in albums, our longing for certain tunes, and our desire to hit repeat--all while creating an expansive must-listen list fTrade ReviewThere's plenty inside The 33 1/3 B-Sides to keep readers glued to the meanings behind popular music and if you enjoy the 33 1/3 series, this book is the perfect complement to read from time-to-time between music texts. Your new favorite record might be waiting in the margins of any of these essays. * PopMatters *There’s lots of love on display in this collection of writings, along with many other emotions. This is a book to keep beside a favourite chair and to dip in and out of when the mood takes you. * Americana UK *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Superfluous, Redundant, Enduring - Prince’s Emancipation (1996) Will Stockton Reintroduction: Trivial, Derivative, Tenacious - Christina Aguilera’s Mi Reflejo (2000) D. Gilson Part One Juvenilia 1 Leonard Cohen’s Songs of Love and Hate (1971) Drew Daniel 2 The New York Dolls’ Too Much, Too Soon (1974) David Smay 3 The Rolling Stones' It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974) David Masciotra 4 The Durutti Column’s The Return of the Durutti Column (1980) Philip Shaw 5 R.E.M.’s Chronic Town (1982) Gina Arnold 6 Rites of Spring’s Rites of Spring (1985) Will Fulton 7 Jane’s Addiction’s Nothing’s Shocking (1988) Rolf Potts 8 Del Amitri’s Waking Hours (1989) Alex Green 9 Sinéad O’Connor’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990) Tara Murtha 10 De La Soul’s De La Soul Is Dead (1991) Shawn Taylor 11 Digable Planets’ Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) (1993) Walter Biggins 12 Billy Idol’s Cyberpunk (1993) Sean Maloney 13 Guided by Voices’ Mag Earwhig! (1997) Matt LeMay 14 The Smashing Pumpkins’ Adore (1998) Jovana Babovic 15 The Weakerthans’ Left and Leaving (2000) Daniel Couch Part Two Marginalia 16 Robert Johnson’s King of the Delta Blues Singers (1961) Jeffrey T. Roesgen 17 The Doors’ Strange Days (1967) Clare Nina Norelli 18 The Dells’ There Is (1968) Joe Bucciero 19 Shirley and Dolly Collins’ Anthems in Eden (1969) Sam Inglis 20 Hank Thompson's Smoky the Bar (1969) Joe Bonomo 21 Von Freeman’s Doin’ It Right Now (1972) Aaron Cohen 22 John Cale’s Paris 1919 (1973) Mark Polizzotti 23 Bert Jansch’s L.A. Turnaround (1974) John Perry 24 The Cars’ Candy-O (1979) Susan Fast 25 Ian Dury and The Blockheads’ Laughter (1980) Terry Edwards 26 Frankie Armstrong, Brian Pearson, Blowzabella, and Jon Gillaspie’s Tam Lin (1984) Allan Moore 27 Scritti Politti's Cupid & Psyche 85 (1985) Dan LeRoy 28 Negativland’s Escape From Noise (1987) Kembrew McLeod 29 Frank Black’s Frank Black (1993) Zeth Lundy 30 Rodan’s Rusty (1994) Michael T. Fournier 31 Kenickie’s At the Club (1997) Emily Mackay 32 Guy’s Guy (1988) Patrick Rivers 33 Sleep’s Dopesmoker (2003) Erik Davis 34 The Blood Brothers’ Crimes (2004) Ethan Hayden 35 Boris’s Pink (2006) Paula Mejia 36 Stars of Lid’s And Their Refinement of the Decline (2007) Walter Holland 37 The Range Rats’ The Range Rats (2010) Michael Blair 38 Daniel Lopatin’s Chuck Person’s Eccojams Vol. 1 (2010) Marvin Lin Part Three Memorabilia 39 The Band’s Rock of Ages (1972) Steve Matteo 40 Bruce Springsteen’s Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Live at the Geneva Theater (1974) Bruce Eaton 41 Talisker’s Dreaming of Glenisla (1975) John Cavanagh 42 The Village People’s Can’t Stop the Music: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1980) Rebecca Wallwork 43 Haruomi Hosono’s Philharmony (1982) Bryan Waterman 44 Hirokazu Tanaka’s Metroid (1986) Andrew Schartmann 45 Various Artists’ Music from the Motion Picture Pulp Fiction (1994) Evie Nagy 46 Various Artists’ Casino Soundtrack (1995) Kevin Courrier 47 Wesley Willis’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die (1996) Phillip Crandall 48 Nine Inch Nails’ The Fragile (1999) Luis Sanchez 49 Bob Dylan’s Love and Theft (2001) Pete Astor 50 Silver Jews’ Bright Flight (2001) Hayden Childs 51 The Original Broadway Cast Recording Featuring Green Day’s American Idiot (2010) Cyrus R.K. Patell 52 Perfume's LEVEL3 (2013) Jordan Ferguson 53 Dawn of Midi’s Dysnomia (2015) Charles Fairchild Permissions Notes

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Book SynopsisFurther adventures in psychedelic rock, ball room dancing, performance art, and parenting in 1980s Britain.Further adventures in a post punk wonderland from the author of the acclaimed 69 Exhibition Road. In this new volume, focusing on the 1980s, Dorothy Max Prior recalls her days as a ball room dancing tutor in South Kensington, drumming and touring with infamous experimental pansexual psychedelic rock group Psychic TV, exploring London and New York City's queer clubbing undergrounds, the tangled worlds of the UK’s indie music scene at the height of its influence, performance art, and parenting. Wise, wry, and endlessly charming, this is a sparkling account of bold, adventurous creativity featuring cameos by Madonna, Bjork, Derek Jarman, and a host of others.

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Book SynopsisSelected writings on three decades of popular music from one of the most influential critics of his generation.Spanning three decades worth of astute, acerbic, and overall astounding music writing, Kick Out the Jams is the first large-scale anthology of the work of renowned critic Dave Marsh. Ranging from Elvis Presley to Kurt Cobain, from Nina Simone to Ani DiFranco, from the Beatles to Green Day, the book gives an opinionated, eye-opening overview of 20th-century popular music—offering a portrait not just of an era but of a writer wrestling with the American empire. Every essay bears the distinct Dave Marsh attitude and voice. That passion is evident in a heart-wrenching piece on Cobain’s suicide and legacy; a humorous attack on “Bono’s bullshit;” an indignant look at James Brown and the FBI; deep, revelatory probes into the work of underappreciated artists like Patty Griffin and Alejandro Escovedo; and inspiring insight int

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Book SynopsisFor 13 years, Peter Hince lived the rock 'n' roll dream. As head roadie for Queen he had a front row seat and backstage pass to some of the greatest moments in music.Now, he is opening up his incredible archive and sharing hundreds of photographs and mementoes – many never seen before – as well as stories and memories from life inside rock 'n' roll history.Queen Uncovered is packed with images and ephemera from this truly unique collection, covering life on the road and in the studio, backstage and on-stage, relaxing at parties, filming iconic music videos and much more besides.

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNew York Times bestselling author Alan Paul''s in-depth narrative look at the Allman Brothers'' most successful album, and a portrait of an era in rock and roll and American history.The Allman Brothers Band's Brothers and Sisters was not only the band's bestselling album, at over seven million copies sold, but it was also a powerfully influential release, both musically and culturally, one whose influence continues to be profoundly felt.Celebrating the album's fiftieth anniversary, Brothers and Sisters the book delves into the making of the album, while also presenting a broader cultural history of the era, based on first-person interviews, historical documents, and in-depth research.Brothers and Sisters traces the making of the template-shaping record alongside the stories of how the Allman Brothers came to the rescue of a flailing Jimmy Carter presidential campaign

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThe untold story of Chicago's pivotal role as a country and folk music capital. Chicago is revered as a musical breeding ground, having launched major figures like blues legend Muddy Waters, gospel soul icon Mavis Staples, hip-hop firebrand Kanye West, and the jazz-rock band that shares its name with the city. Far less known, however, is the vital role Chicago played in the rise of prewar country music, the folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s, and the contemporary offspring of those scenes. In Country and Midwestern, veteran journalist Mark Guarino tells the epic century-long story of Chicago's influence on sounds typically associated with regions further south. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and deep archival research, Guarino tells a forgotten story of music, migration, and the ways that rural culture infiltrated urban communities through the radio, the automobile, and the railroad. The Midwest's biggest city was the place where rural transplants could reinvent themselves Trade Review"Guarino is a child of Oak Park and has been a writer since high school, his work appearing in a vast and varied number of publications, on stages of theaters in plays he created and now, finally, between covers in a spectacular book dedicated to the musicians of Chicago. . . The book will thrill any music fan but it is something more than that. It gives readers a greater appreciation of the heart and resilience and creativity of this city and its ability to sustain and nurture those talented to persevere." * Chicago Tribune *"With an epic scope, gorgeous photographs, and useful discographies, this is a vital contribution to the history of American music and required reading for country and folk music fans." * Booklist starred review *"In his monumental new book Country and Midwestern, music writer Guarino tells a riveting story of the central role that Chicago has played in the development of country and folk music. Every chapter of the book features stories of people, places, and events that have made Chicago home to a growing and vibrant music scene. . . . Country and Midwestern is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of country and folk music." * No Depression *"Smartly-written, surprising puzzle piece of Americana: How Chicago, before Nashville, then later with Wilco and other cross-pollinators, was the quiet engine beneath country music for generations." * Chicago Tribune, on "books for summer 2023" *"Journalist Guarino researched his book Country and Midwestern, for more than ten years. . . . Now he’s seeing what a big audience there is for this subject—with author events all over the region." * NewCity Lit 50 2023 *"Guarino’s richly textured cultural history is informed by his instinctive sense of the sounds and lyrics that originated in Chicago’s small taverns and clubs that were an 'unusual hothouse for creativity,' crucial to the reinvention of country and folk music. Guarino captures the improvisation of balladeers and troubadours, and their music shaped by the century’s gyrations of immigration and industrialization. Among his most memorable characters is Studs Terkel’s friend Win Stracke, co-founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music, musician, and activist, hounded by Hoover’s anti-communist FBI, who observed: 'Chicago has no entrenched cultural tradition like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. An idea can grow here without being required to conform.'" * National Book Review *"With a combination of engaging prose and thorough research, [Country and Midwestern] sheds light on key Chicago contributions to the country and western music genre . . . The book provides compelling accounts of dozens of artists who worked in Chicago, such as bluegrass icon Bill Monroe, radio star (and future Hollywood legend) Gene Autry, folk-music titans John Prine and Steve Goodman, alt-country darlings The Handsome Family and the unheralded country trio The Sundowners, who performed in Chicago bars several nights a week between 1959 and 1989." * Block Club Chicago *"Chicago is well known for giving the world gospel, electric blues, and house music. In this groundbreaking book, journalist Guarino suggests that as migrants from the rural Midwest and the southern states headed north in the interwar period, the Windy City also played a crucial role in the rise of country and western and folk music. . . . Summing Up: Recommended." * CHOICE *"While Chicago is known mostly for its history with blues and jazz music, local writer Mark Guarino has tapped into the region's fascinating country roots. . . [taking] great care to detail the importance of the city and suburbs in the history of country music." * Daily Herald *“Guarino’s magnificent Country and Midwestern proves that the Second City was first among equals in the development of American roots music. A ruthless researcher and scintillating storyteller, Guarino provides critical context and moving portraits of the pickers, grinners and pioneers who shaped Chicago’s contributions to country and folk. A long overdue but welcome volume that will sit alongside other essential works on the subject, from Bill C. Malone’s Country Music USA to David Hadju’s Positively Fourth Street.” * Bob Mehr, author of Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements *"Long before Nashville’s emergence as the country music capital, Chicago held sway with the nationally-broadcast Barn Dance and a row of honky-tonk venues on Madison Street. Guarino masterfully connects the dots between that star-making era to a contemporary scene devoted to insurgent country. This is a definitive and long-overdue look at a vital, if underappreciated, thread in how so-called hillbilly music evolved and flourished in a seemingly incongruous setting: the hard streets of Chicago." * Greg Kot, cohost of Sound Opinions and author of I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the Music That Shaped the Civil Rights Era *"Those of us who came of age in the vicinity of Chicago understand its importance to country and folk music. The Windy City is home to some of the most prolific artists in the genre: John Prine, Wilco, Mavis Staples, Jon Langford and Robbie Fulks. Chicago gave us the WLS Barn Dance, the Old Town School of Folk Music, the Hyde Park Folk Festival, Flying Fish and Bloodshot Records. Some of us were lucky enough to make our own personal discoveries of the music that sustains us at clubs Gate of Horn, Earl of Old Town, the Hideout, and Whiskey River. Now, finally, author Mark Guarino chronicles the history of country and folk music in Chicago in his necessary and irresistible book Country and Midwestern." * Tamara Saviano, author of Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark *"In this remarkable and thrilling book, Guarino writes that 'Chicago’s role in country music and the folk revival has never earned a closer look.' Well, it gets that now in a book exhaustively researched, stylishly written and exciting on every single page. In it I find people I knew well (even my father), many more that I heard play and sing in clubs, and some that are new to me. They are all here, vividly, the rogues, rascals and geniuses who made and keep making our city sing." * Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune columnist and 2022 Fuller Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 The WLS Barn Dance and the Call to Chicago 2 “Hillbilly Heaven” in Chicago: Uptown and Skid Row 3 The Gate of Horn and the Chicago Folk Revival 4 Win Stracke and the Old Town School of Folk Music 5 Bohemia in Hyde Park: The University of Chicago Folk Festival 6 Chicago’s Second Folk Boom: The 1970s in Old Town and Lincoln Park 7 Country Music Surges and Bluegrass Arrives 8 “Insurgent Country”: Looking Backward to Go Forward 9 The Old, Weird Chicago Acknowledgments Appendix A: Chicago in Song Appendix B: Essential Chicago Country and Folk Albums Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe fascinating story of America's national anthem and a search for the source of its powerful meaning today

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