Popular music Books

Book SynopsisWhen we went to the Palace to get The Beatles their OBEs John Lennon had some acid with him. 'I'm gonna slip it into the Queen's tea,' he told me. 'I want to open her mind and try to get her to declare war on somewhere nice and warm so we can all go and fight on the beaches.' After Jane Asher dumped Paul McCartney he literally used to cry on my shoulder. We hit the bottle together. Hard. 'I had everything and I threw it all away,' he would say. Alistair Taylor was with The Beatles from the moment they signed with Brian Epstein. In fact, apart from the signatures of each of the Fab Four, his is the only other name on the contract. From the very beginning he travelled, ate, partied, and even holidayed with them, right up until the beginning of the group's spectacular break up. As the group's 'Mr Fixit' he settled paternity cases, bought islands, houses and estates, and took care of John, Paul, George and Ringo when their lifestyles became a little too lively.

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Book SynopsisThe death of Joey Ramone in the summer of 2001 and Dee Dee Ramone in June 2002 provided ample evidence of the high regard that his band was held by fans and critics. Once regarded as a joke, their music little more than an adrenaline rush of one minute five second noise, The Ramones have come to be regarded as having influenced almost every star struck guitarist who knew just three chords and wanted to write a song.Trade Review"'...provides a fascinating insight into the boredom, ambition, conflicts and genius behind one of the best bands ever.' Total Guitar Magazine"

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Book SynopsisToo Much Too Soon is the definitive story of the most outrageous glam rock bands of them all - The New York Dolls. The Dolls, peddling trans-gender posturing and incendiary rock 'n' roll, were dumped by the record business after making just two albums. But their influence lived on when Malcolm McLaren injected the last of the Dolls' life blood into The Sex Pistols and changed pop forever. From punk to grunge, practically every new sensation in the contemporary rock scene has been a delayed reaction to the New York Dolls. Too Much Too Soon celebrates all the glorious sleaze and excess of the Dolls' brief auto-destruct career through interviews with the survivors, including band members, managers, roadies, groupies and hangers-on. This new edition takes the story up to the Doll's reformation for Morrissey's Meltdown in 2004 and the tragic death of Arthur Kane shortly afterwards. Illustrated and including a comprehensive discography.Trade ReviewIt's torture, yet compulsive. Kerrang!

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Book SynopsisLifting the lid on Lady Gaga aka Stefani Germanotta, find out all you ever wanted to know about the eccentric star. After being signed to and quickly dropped from Def Jam Records at age 19, Lady Gaga began performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side. During this time, she was also working at Interscope Records as a songwriter. While at Interscope Records, Akon, after hearing Gaga sing, convinced Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine to sign her to a joint deal with the label and Akon's Kon Live Distribution label. Her debut album The Fame was released in August 2008 and was a huge success that went to number one in four countries. The album's first two singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", have become international number-one hits, and the former was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards. In 2009, after having opened for New Kids on the Block and the Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga embarked on her first headlining tour, The Fame Ball Tour, which has had countless rave reviews. Lady Gaga is inspired by glam rockers such as David Bowie and Queen, as well as pop singers such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. She is also inspired by fashion, which she has said is an essential component to her songwriting and performances. To date she has sold over 20 million digital singles and more than four million albums worldwide.

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Book SynopsisAmy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil's wild romance has gripped the nation. It has been a dramatic relationship from the start: the turbulent musical genius met the hedonistic likely lad in a north London boozer and together they have had a rollercoaster ride. But when Blake ended up in prison it was all over. Or so we thought - The story of Amy and Blake has been dominated by lurid stories of bust-ups, drugs and drama. Their worried parents feared daily that their children would die - even after they married in Florida. Every step of the way has been lived out in the unmerciful glare of the media and yet the couple seemed as unable to be without one another as much as they struggled to stay together. Following Blake's sentencing to a term in prison, Amy appeared ever more lost, interrupting chaotic live performances with heartfelt pleas for her other half. And yet, on his release, the pair divorced - This is the inside story of their rocky relationship.

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Book SynopsisLemmy Kilmister is founder, sole constant member, vocalist, bassist, songwriter and living legend. He has given Jake Brown unprecedented behind-the-scenes access into the writing and recording of the band's 26 albums. Together with insight from fellow band members, crew and producers, this features all the stories behind such albums as Ace of Spades, Bomber and Overkill.

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Book SynopsisExtreme metal--one step beyond heavy metal--can appear bizarre or terrifying to the uninitiated. Extreme metal musicians have developed an often impenetrable sound that teeters on the edge of screaming, incomprehensible noise. Extreme metal circulates on the edge of mainstream culture within the confines of an obscure 'scene', in which members explore dangerous themes such as death, war and the occult, sometimes embracing violence, neo-fascism and Satanism. In the first book-length study of extreme metal, Keith Kahn-Harris draws on first-hand research to explore the global extreme metal scene. He shows how the scene is a space in which members creatively explore destructive themes, but also a space in which members experience the everyday pleasures of community and friendship.Including interviews with band members and fans, from countries ranging from the UK and US to Israel and Sweden, Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge demonstrates the power and subtlety of an often surprising and misunderstood musical form.Trade ReviewThis fascinating book... provides real insights into the margins of our culture. Times Higher Education Supplement Sharp, engaging, and staggeringly comprehensive. Extreme Metal is a must-read for metal fans and anyone interested in the study of popular music and subcultural politics in a globalizing age. -- Sam Dunn, Co-Director, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey Although its a thorough work of sociological research, looking at how scenes work differently in different countries, as well as what unites them, delving into the close-knit interactions and often isolationist perspectives that accommodate each other so uniquely and much more, anyone involved in the metal scene can recognise their own relationship with extreme metal in the book, as well as understand the bigger picture. Neuro/Vision Extra: Extreme Metal As the first book-length academic study of extreme metal music and culture, Kahn-Harris's Extreme Metal is an important - and overdue - contribution to scholarship in this field. Perfect BeatTable of Contents* Introduction: From Heavy Metal to Extreme Metal * Chapter One: The Extreme Metal Scene * Chapter Two: The Scene and Transgression * Chapter Three: Experiencing the Scene * Chapter Four: Capital, Power, Infrastructure * Chapter Five: Comparing Extreme Metal Scenes * Chapter Six: Extreme Metal and Subcultural Capital * Chapter Seven: Reflexivity, Music and Politics * Chapter Eight: The Scene and Modernity * Appendix: Details of Quoted Interviewees

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Book SynopsisFor nearly thirty years Lionel Richie has never looked back as a performer. From fronting his group the Commodores - the premier R&B pop unit of the seventies - he became the most popular singer/songwriter in the world by the eighties. A decade later he was the ultimate star entertainer with a 'nice guy' image. The "Lionel Richie" story is about a five-time Grammy winner who has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. For nine consecutive years he had no 1 singles in America, a feat matched only by Irving Berlin. It is also the story of two broken marriages, personal insecurities, near-death experiences and an insight into the man behind a success story that broke the rules. "Lionel Richie" is the first book written about Lionel Richie and the Commodores and draws on Sharon Davis' unique access to the Motown archive, her numerous in depth interviews with Richie as well as her time as the Comodores' publicist.Table of ContentsIntroduction Hello 1. Keep on Dancing 2. Machine Gun 3. Three Times a Lady 4. Endless Love 5. Truly 6. Hello 7. We are the World 8. Dancing on the Ceiling 9. Don't Wanna Lose You 10. Angel 11. Just for You Discography

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Book SynopsisFalco and Beyond is devoted to the most popular Austrian song-writer, singer and rapper of the twentieth century and one of the most successful European singers of all time. Falco was born in 1957, reached the peak of his popularity in the 1980s with songs such as Der Kommissar, Rock Me Amadeus and Jeanny, with mixed luck attempted to revive his career in the 1990s and died in a car crash in 1998. He sold over 30 million records worldwide and remains a successful posthumous artist. The book attempts to identify the most salient and contradictory features of Falco's art, such as linguistic inventiveness and dexterity, rapping and adopting a posture of a romantic artist. It argues that Falco's songs betray an apocalyptic imagination, picturing the image of an exhausted and unhappy world. It looks at Falco's career and his phenomenon in the context of international and Austrian music business and politics, and investigates how his popularity has been maintained after his death, by means such as records released posthumously, cover versions of his songs, mashup songs and videos, biographies and Falco fandom.Table of ContentsIntroduction Part 1 Falco and the Logic of the Neoliberal Culture Industry Part 2 Falco Synchronic: Romanticism and Intertextuality Part 3 Falco Diachronic: From Grace to Gravity Part 4 Falco Lebt: Mourning and Melancholia Discography

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Book SynopsisDub reggae and the techniques associated with it have, since the late-1980s, been used widely by producers of dance and ambient music. However, the term was originally applied to a remixing technique pioneered in Jamaica as far back as 1967. Recording engineers produced reggae tracks on which the efforts of the producer were often more evident than those of the musicians – these heavily engineered tracks were termed ‘versions’. The techniques used to produce versions quickly evolved into what is now known as ‘dub’. The term, in this sense, arrived in 1972 and was largely the result of experiments by the recording engineer Osbourne Ruddock/King Tubby. Over the decades, not only has dub evolved, but it has done so especially in the UK. Indeed, much contemporary music, from hip hop to trance and from ambient soundscapes to experimental electronica and drum ‘n’ bass is indebted to the ‘remix culture’ principally informed by dub techniques. However, while obviously an important genre, its significance is rarely understood or acknowledged. Part One of the book examines the Jamaican background, necessary for understanding the cultural significance of dub, and Part Two analyses its musical, cultural and political importance for both African-Caribbean and, particularly, white communities in the United Kingdom during the late-1970s and early 1980s. Particular attention is given to the subcultures surrounding the genre, especially its relationship with Rastafarian culture – the history and central beliefs of which are related to reggae and examined. There is also analysis of its cultural and musicological influence on punk and post-punk, the principal political music in late-1970s Britain. Finally, moving into the period of the decline of post-punk and, indeed, British dub in the early 1980s, there will be an examination of what can be understood as the postmodern turn in dub. In summary, the book is a confluence of several lines of thought. Firstly, it provides a cultural and musical history of dub from its early days in Jamaica to the decline of post-punk in early-1980s Britain. Secondly, it examines the religio-political ideas it carried and traces these through to the ideologies informing the subcultures of the late-1970s and, finally, to their transformation and, arguably, neutralisation in the postmodern pastiche of post-punk dub. Thirdly, with reference to these lines of thought, it looks at dub’s and roots reggae’s contribution to race relations in 1970s Britain. Finally, it analyses the aesthetic and arguably ‘spiritual’ significance of dub, looking at, for example, its foregrounding of bass and reverb.

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Book SynopsisDuring his 13 year career between 1955 and 1968, Paul Chambers was one of the leading double bass players in jazz, performing with a wide variety of artists and a range of the music's sub-genres and recording over 300 LPs for labels such as Blue Note, Riverside, Mercury and Columbia Records. Chambers performed as a sideman with some of the greatest names in jazz including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, Joe Henderson, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Gil Evans and Freddie Hubbard. He recorded a half dozen LPs under his own name including his own compositions but is probably best remembered for his contribution to the greatest jazz recording of all time; Miles Davis' 'Kind Of Blue'. Mr. P.C.: The Life and Music of Paul Chambers tells the story of this quiet giant of jazz; his early experiences in Detroit, his early rise to jazz celebrity, his time at the top, his ultimate struggle against the tides of change enveloping the music that he loved and the circumstances surrounding his tragic death, aged 33, in 1969. Using material from other literary sources and interviews with family members, friends and colleagues with the jazz fraternity, this book represents the first time that much of this influential musician's story has been told. The book includes a comprehensive discography detailing all of his recordings both as a sideman and bandleader.Trade ReviewNamed one of the best books of 2012 by The New York City Jazz RecordTable of ContentsChapter One - Motor City Scene Chapter Two - New York, the Jazz Corner of the World Chapter Three - Chambers' Music Chapter Four - Workin' with Miles Chapter Five - Bass On Top Chapter Six - Milestones Chapter Seven - Blue Steps Chapter Eight - Sketches and Beyond Chapter Nine - After Miles Chapter Ten - Big Paul Epilogue

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Book SynopsisThe post-war jazz revival marked the beginning of an independent British youth culture with music as its focus. Although it always remained a minority enthusiasm, jazz actually embodied the vaguely felt sentiments, dissatisfactions and aspirations of the post-war generation more fully than any other form of expression. Older people were, on the whole, indifferent or positively hostile to what was, for many, simply an 'unholy row'. In British society, class and culture were bound inextricably together, but jazz was an alien form with no obvious class affiliations. It was culturally neither 'high' nor 'low', and so found a ready welcome in a world where the old certainties were breaking down. Throughout this period, jazz came in two more or less exclusive types - 'revivalist', which sought to recreate the classic jazz of the 1920s, and modern. Enthusiasts on both sides regarded their music as being more important than mere entertainment. In it they found a quality which they defined vaguely as 'honesty' or 'sincerity', which may perhaps be summed up as 'authenticity'. The book follows the development of both jazz tendencies over a decade and a half, paying particular attention to two outstanding figures: Humphrey Lyttelton and John Dankworth. It also seeks to convey a flavour of that now remote era and the frisson that jazz created.Table of Contents1. An Unholy Row 2. Trumpet in a Handcart 3. Austerity Stomp 4. Welcome to Club Eleven 5. New Orleans to London 6. Couth, Kempt and Shevelled 7. Let's Settle for Music 8. Skiffle 9. Six Months in a Palais - 10. It's Trad, Dad! 11. Ominously into the Culture Belt 12. Envoi Recordings Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisLester Young (1909-1959) was one of the great jazz masters, whose tenor saxophone playing brought new levels of expressiveness and subtlety to the jazz language. Many of his recordings - with Billie Holiday, as a member of Count Basie's band, and under his own name - are numbered among the finest examples of the art. The book follows Lester Young through his life in a rapidly changing world, showing how the music of this exceptionally sensitive man was affected by his experiences. The author, a musician himself, examines many of Lester's classic recordings in illuminating but non-technical detail.Trade Review'What a glorious book! I expected from Dave Gelly informed and perceptive commentary on Lester Young's music. What came as a rich bonus was the warm light Dave has shone through the veil of obscurantism behind which the jazz genius chose to live his life.' Humphrey Lyttelton'This exemplary and concise study is illuminated by the author's straight-ahead prose. While fully aware of the musical and biographical details, Gelly wears his knowledge lightly in a way that will appeal to general readers as well as specialists.' Brian Priestley, author of Chasin' The Bird and co-author of The Rough Guide to Jazz'An outstanding book, covering the life and music of a truly unique musician, by one of the most perceptive and literate jazz writers. Eminently readable from the first page to the last, Being Prez is an essential addition to the jazz library.' Alun Morgan, Jazz Journal International'an exemplary new study' Martin Gayford, The Daily Telegraph'Tells the story of the saxophonist who spanned minstrelsy and Miles Davis. Enlivened by Young's camp humour, this labour of love will appeal to a wider readership.' The Observer Music Monthly best books for 2007Table of Contents1. 'I Just Loved that Music'2. The Territory3. 'Well, Okay. So Now we'll Find out what Happens'4. 'The Hippest Thing I ever Heard'5. Jumpin' at the Woodside6. Just Jivin' Around7. Jammin' the Blues8. DB Blues9. Jumpin' at Mesner's10. 'Von Hangman in Here'11. Prez Returns12. 'Let's Review the Books'13. 'Ivey-Divey!'

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Book SynopsisSyd Barrett was Pink Floyd's founder, singer, guitarist and principal composer, who left the group in 1968 amidst tales of acid-induced madness. Barrett's brief flash of erratic brilliance has is now the stuff of rock legend, and his post-Floyd recordings have become cult classics.Updated for 2006, this book draws on years on research to relate an epic rock tragedy.

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Book SynopsisDolly Parton is the most famous person ever to have emerged from the American country music scene with her iconic cartoon image - mountainous blonde wigs, pumped up breasts and dazzling outfits. This is the first new and substantial biography for over 15 years. This book includes interviews with family members, musicians and producers who have worked with her over the years. It includes a detailed assessment of her music, as a songwriter and singer over the last forty years. It shows how she shrugged aside the male dominated world of Nashville in the 1960s, to take hold of her career, sell millions of albums and appear in films with Jane Fonda, Burt Reynolds and Sylvester Stallone. It will throw new light on her private life - her mysterious and closely guarded relationships with her husband Carl Dean and her lifelong friend Judy Ogle and her obsession with cosmetic surgery.Trade Review' A balanced, often absorbing study of an ultra-talented country music icon.' Mojo

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Book SynopsisYes have now been on the rock circuit for almost 40 years. Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Chris Squire and Bill Bruford are just some of the star names who helped make the band one of the greatest-ever names in classic rock. Their turbulent story spans the early days of pub and club gigs, international supergroup status in the heyday of rock, and various line-ups since. An updated edition of the bestselling biography of Yes to include the historic return of Rick Wakeman to the classic Yes line-up and their ongoing highly successful tour of America.Trade Review'Fascinating... book of the month' Record Collector'(Welch's) insider's eye view makes for a refreshing account of the times.' Mojo.

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Book SynopsisThis is the most comprehensive and oral history of The Beatles ever published. An 'as it happened' story of the greatest pop group of them all, it features a wealth of quotes from the Sixties by John, Paul, George and Ringo themselves and a host of others who were close to the group during the heady days of Beatlemania and beyond, including their families, fellow musicians, Brian Epstein, George Martin and dozens more.Trade Review'It might actually make you dislike Paul and John at points. It will certainly open your eyes. This is truly one Beatles book you need.' Record Collector

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Book SynopsisThey were the pioneers of American hardcore, forming in California in 1878 and splitting up 8 years later leaving behind them a trail of blood, carnage and brutal, brilliant music. Throughout the years they fought with the police, record industry and their own fans. This is the band's story from the inside, drawing upon exclusive interviews with the group's members, their contemporaries and the groups who were inspired by them. It's also the story of American hardcore music, from the perspective of the group who did more to take the sound to the clubs, squats and community halls in American than any other.Trade Review...essential reading for any fan. - Rock Sound

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Book SynopsisThis edition has been expanded to include a new interview with Townhend himself as well as some revealing contributions from members of his family and Who insiders. Having now reached his sixties, Townshend has battled drug and alcohol addiction while becoming one of rock's most eloquent and intelligent spokesman. Ventures as a solo artist, Internet pioneer, literary editor and short story writer have vied with one another while his well-publicised public rows with Who singer Roger Daltrey have become the stuff of legend ...and recent Who revival tours have ensured that the musician from West London who helped revolutionise 60s rock can still be seen doing what he became famous for in the first place. Meanwhile this new edition of a distinguished biography reminds us that the excitement that Pete Townshend has generated and brings this story right up to date with many fascinating stops on the way.Trade ReviewIt's massive, extremely detailed and always readable account of Townshend's life. - Record Collector

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Book SynopsisDuring the 1990s Omnibus Press published a series of books under the genetic title "The Complete Guide to the Music Of...". They were written by experienced rock critics whose brief was not just to be objective about the music but also to offer background information about the circumstances in which the album was recorded. In the end Omnibus published almost 50 books on artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to The Sex Pistols. From Elvis Presley's Sun Sessions to Radiohead's OK Computer, here is the very best of rock and pop music of the Twentieth Century. A consumer's critical guide to the music, enabling the reader to select the very best of an artist's repertoire before making a buying decision.

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Book SynopsisWritten in collaboration with Family Man and other surviving band members, "Wailing Blues" reveals the truth behind the Marley legacy. It traces the early lives of the Barrett brothers before they joined Marley in the '60s and discusses how reggae artists like Lee 'Scratch' Perry influenced the band. It includes insider accounts of the assassination attempt on Marley and his exile in London. It examines how hits like "Exodus", "Waiting in Vain", "No Woman No Cry", and "I Shot The Sheriff" were made - songs that have helped change the face of popular music.

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Book SynopsisWithout London band Wire, punk rock might never have developed beyond primitive three-chord thrash and cliched songs about tower blocks and dole queues. Arguably the first art-punks, the four musicians - Colin Newman on vocals and guitar, Graham Lewis on bass and vocals, Bruce Gilbert on guitar and Robert Gotobed (nee Grey) on drums - evolved fast from their groundbreaking 1977 debut album "Pink Flag", with its 21 short, sharp, minimalist bursts of noise and melody. They were catalysts in the shift from punk to post-punk, paving the way for the likes of Magazine, Gang of Four, Public Image Limited and Joy Division. Paul Lester's book will tell the story of this crucial transitional band, from their early days dodging hostile crowds at punk venues like the Roxy, through their attempts to inject some arthouse experimentation and Situationist subversion into an increasingly conservative punk scene, up to their split in 1981 and beyond their mid-80s return and their various solo projects.It will take you behind the scenes and feature interviews with the original members, following them up to the present, poised as they are to come back with a brand new album and filled with a renewed sense of vigour as one of the most important bands in the last thirty years.

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Book SynopsisNever Enough is the definitive biography of classic post-punk survivors The Cure. Author Jeff Apter traces their roots from middle-class Crawley, Sussex, documenting in detail their gradual rise to fame. On the way he reveals how their first major album, Pornography, almost ended the band''s career before it began.  Apter also documents the full story of Goth-pop poster boy Robert Smith''s defection to Siouxsie & The Banshees during the Eighties, his wild experimentation with drugs and the eventual reluctant return to The Cure. Finally there is the ultimate account of The Cure''s unlikely attainment of superstardom not only on both sides of the Atlantic, but all over the world.  Compiled from dozens of interviews, including exclusive (and frank) discussions with co-founders Lol Tolhurst and Michael Dempsey and various current and former members of the Cure, Never Enough casts new light on the career of this enigmatic band and their mercurial leader Robert Smith. Including many photographs and a comprehensive discography. 

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Book SynopsisWild, defiant and startlingly inventive, The Slits were ahead of their time. Although they created some unique hybrids - dub reggae and pop-punk, African rhythms, funk and free jazz - they were dismissed as being unable to play. Their lyrics were witty and perceptive while their influential first album challenged perceptions of punk and of girl bands - but they were still misunderstood. And that infamous debut album cover, with the band appearing topless and mud-daubed, prompted further misreadings of the first ladies of punk. Author Zoe Street Howe speaks to The Slits themselves, to former manager Don Letts, mentor and PIL guitarist Keith Levene and many other friends and colleagues to discover exactly how The Slits phenomenon came about and to celebrate the legacy of a seminal band long overdue its rightful acclaim. Too long seen as a note in the margin of the history of rock, The Slits at last get a fair hearing in this revealing biography.Trade Review...an interresting and insightful book. - Rock Sound

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Book SynopsisJourney is undoubtedly one of America s most successful melodic rock bands, with record sales in excess of 75 million. And with the recent phenomenal success of "Don t Stop Believin'" now the most downloaded song of all time they ve been given an amazing new lease on life. The band is now receiving more acclaim and exposure than at any time since their early eighties heyday, when they released the multi-million selling "Escape" and "Frontiers" albums. Here, for the first time ever, Journey's extensive history is explored in this definitive biography, charting the many highs and lows of one of America s most beloved rock bands. Featuring original interviews and a wealth of research, "Don t Stop Believin: The Untold Story Of Journey" follows the band's entire career. It s a story filled not only with heartache, bitterness and behind-the-scenes squabbles, but also creativity, dedication, passion and drive. Fans both old and new will be fascinated by this previously untold story." " "

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Book SynopsisAuthor Martin Roach reveals how the band members met, played their early gigs, financed their own early EPs and how, with four hit albums under their belt; they still continue to maintain a tight degree of control over their output. Featuring insights into Coldplay's professional insecurities and anxieties and the notoriously angst-ridden personality of lead vocalist Chris Martin, this is an in-depth portrait of one of Britain's most successful bands of the new millennium. Fully illustrated and including a comprehensive discography.

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Book SynopsisIncluded are original reviews of Nick's albums as they appeared at the time of release, the solitary interview with Nick that appeared in Sounds magazine, and interviews with many who knew him, including producer Joe Boyd, Nick's sister Gabrielle and parents Rodney and Molly Drake, musical collaborator Robert Kirby and many more. In addition The Pink Moon Files features musical analysis of Nick's recordings, including discussion of his guitar techniques and alternative tunings, reviews of tribute concerts and articles about Nick's legacy in Tanworth-in-Arden and elsewhere. A superb compendium of writing about Nick, this book is a valuable addition to any bookshelf and a must for fans old and new.

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Book SynopsisThe Great Drugs Bust has everything; sex, drugs, rock and roll and a huge slice of British social history. At its core are four pep pills, a Sunday tabloid, two celebrated rock stars and a court case that changed popular culture forever.Charts the events that created one of the most sensational events of the 20th century. Taking its cue from the genesis of the Rolling Stones, the story winds itself through a labyrinth of drugs, fame and controversy that ultimately ended up on a doorstep of a West Sussex country mansion one Sunday night in February 1967. It chronicles a major turning point in British society; a watershed where attitudes to drugs prompted a seismic change in popular opinion

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Book SynopsisOriginally written in Danish in 1980, Pink Moon was the first biography of Nick Drake, and remains the only one to include exclusive interviews with the singer’s parents, Rodney and Molly Drake. In this new, significantly updated edition, available in English for the first time, author and poet Gorm Henrik Rasmussen reveals more from his visits to the Drakes in their home Far Leys – the first, just five years after the death of their troubled son. Rasmussen includes new interviews with Nick’s friends and collaborators plus extracts taken from his eight-year correspondence with the Drakes, and from telephone conversations he had with Rodney every month over four years. Full of intimate detail about the last three years of Nick’s life spent at his childhood home, Pink Moon – A Story about Nick Drake is a personal, original, and moving retelling of the life, death, and posthumous rise of a poet and guitarist who was strangely unsuited for his own time, and is more popular now than he ever was in life.Trade Review"...constructs the story of Drake’s life with insights from those who knew him best... Rasmussen writes elegantly about the music, while his detailed account of the last years of Drake’s life are sensitively handled. By the end of this book, Rasmussen has breathed new life into his subject and his music." source: www.mojo4music.com -- Mark Blake.'Gorm tells the story with great understanding of Nick and his art. He must be credited with writing the first book about Nick, and possibly the best one too. Like Nick's own works, it was unappreciated for many years.. now that its truth and magic are revealed, it deserves to find a much wider audience and will undoubtedly bring satisfaction to all those who wish to know the real Nick Drake a little better.' -- Jason Creed. * Pynk Moon fanzine *'A story in which straight biographical bits are interwoven with skillfully composed, extrapolated scenes ... fans will find it a great companion book to Drake’s music, and rock lovers will enjoy the author’s serious, personal attempt to get intimate with his icon.' Source: www.reviews.libraryjournal.com/2012/03/collection-development/books-for-dudes/books-for-dudes/ -- Douglas Lord.Table of ContentsForeword 1 Zeeland, 1978 Rodney and Molly The Music Room 2 The Guitar A Trip to Africa A Poet with a Guitar The American What Exactly is a Dream? The Royal Festival Hall The Girl and the Monkey Bryter Layter Pink Moon Hanging on a Star 3 Existential Depression Time of No Reply Family Tree Discography Sources

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Book SynopsisOriginally written in Danish in 1980, Pink Moon was the first biography of Nick Drake, and remains the only one to include exclusive interviews with the singer’s parents, Rodney and Molly Drake. In this new, significantly updated edition, available in English for the first time, author and poet Gorm Henrik Rasmussen reveals more from his visits to the Drakes in their home Far Leys – the first, just five years after the death of their troubled son. Rasmussen includes new interviews with Nick’s friends and collaborators plus extracts taken from his eight-year correspondence with the Drakes, and from telephone conversations he had with Rodney every month over four years. Full of intimate detail about the last three years of Nick’s life spent at his childhood home, Pink Moon – A Story about Nick Drake is a personal, original, and moving retelling of the life, death, and posthumous rise of a poet and guitarist who was strangely unsuited for his own time, and is more popular now than he ever was in life.Trade Review"...constructs the story of Drake’s life with insights from those who knew him best... Rasmussen writes elegantly about the music, while his detailed account of the last years of Drake’s life are sensitively handled. By the end of this book, Rasmussen has breathed new life into his subject and his music." source: www.mojo4music.com -- Mark Blake.'Gorm tells the story with great understanding of Nick and his art. He must be credited with writing the first book about Nick, and possibly the best one too. Like Nick's own works, it was unappreciated for many years.. now that its truth and magic are revealed, it deserves to find a much wider audience and will undoubtedly bring satisfaction to all those who wish to know the real Nick Drake a little better.' -- Jason Creed."A story in which straight biographical bits are interwoven with skillfully composed, extrapolated scenes ... fans will find it a great companion book to Drake’s music, and rock lovers will enjoy the author’s serious, personal attempt to get intimate with his icon." Source: www.reviews.libraryjournal.com/2012/03/collection-development/books-for-dudes/books-for-dudes/ -- Douglas Lord.Table of ContentsForeword 1 Zeeland, 1978 Rodney and Molly The Music Room 2 The Guitar A Trip to Africa A Poet with a Guitar The American What Exactly is a Dream? The Royal Festival Hall The Girl and the Monkey Bryter Layter Pink Moon Hanging on a Star 3 Existential Depression Time of No Reply Family Tree Discography Sources

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Book SynopsisGlen Matlock was a founding member of the Sex Pistols and co-wrote most of their iconic songs. His story of the Pistols’ rise to global infamy is an honest, insightful account of a group of intelligent malcontents, determined to change the music business and to attack hypocrisy and stale conventions in society at large. Glen brilliantly captures the flavour of seventies Britain and reveals the complexities and personality clashes that made the Pistols so explosive at that time. Also includes true tales of the Pistols reunion tours of 1996 and 2003. Never mind the other bollocks-filled books about the Sex Pistols, here’s the truth.Trade Review'As the first band-member's view of the group that rescued rock from the foolishness of the mid-'70s, this is an engaging memoir' Source: www.ew.com/ -- Margot Mifflin.

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Book SynopsisFrom their beginnings playing music that could have seen them arrested, through three decades of success, struggle and strife and including new details about members leaving, Relentless uncovers the story of one of the world’s most influential Metal acts. Written with the support of the band, it is illustrated with over 70 photos, many from the band's personal archives, and most previously unseen.Table of ContentsForeword Preface Morbid Brazilian Devastation The Other Side of the Mirror Rising Above the Remains A Brutal Ascent Chaos In All Forms Roots Bloody Roots Against Everything The Birth of a New Nation Black Propaganda Through Hell and Back Like Clockwork A Moment in Time The Head, the Heart, the Future

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Book SynopsisLifting Shadows, the authorized biography of Dream Theater – the American progressive-metal band comprising James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini – traces the band’s history from their mid-1980’s Long Island origins through to the arena filling act that they are today. This revised and updated edition features all-new interviews with the band and a host of others who have played their part in the rise of the pioneering prog-metal act. It covers the departure of founding drummer Mike Portnoy, the search for his successor and the band’s spirited return. Their tale is one of musical integrity, strong professional perseverance and a deep-rooted belief in their direction. The five-piece has enjoyed major success (notably with “Pull Me Under”) while remaining essentially an underground band. They thrive on the support of a growing and loyal fan base. As guitarist and founding member John Petrucci writes: “It’s incredible, and we are all very blessed and fortunate to have such a long career – not only where we started in America but all over the world.”Trade ReviewThis lovingly detailed book does Dream Theater’s legend proud. -- . * Metal Hammer *The full unexpurgated story of prog metal’s leading lights. -- . * Classic Rock *

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Book SynopsisGlen Matlock was a founding member of the Sex Pistols and co-wrote most of their iconic songs. His story of the Pistols’ rise to global infamy is an honest, insightful account of a group of intelligent malcontents, determined to change the music business and to attack hypocrisy and stale conventions in society at large. Glen brilliantly captures the flavour of seventies Britain and reveals the complexities and personality clashes that made the Pistols so explosive at that time. Also includes true tales of the Pistols reunion tours of 1996 and 2002. Never mind the other bollocks-filled books about the Sex Pistols, here’s the truth.Trade Review'As the first band-member's view of the group that rescued rock from the foolishness of the mid-'70s, this is an engaging memoir' Source: www.ew.com/ -- Margot Mifflin.

Read more less