Popular music Books

Book SynopsisA ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEARWayne Kramer, legendary guitarist and co-founder of quintessential Detroit proto-punk legends The MC5, tells his story in The Hard Stuff.''As gripping as it is sobering.''THE TIMES''Voyerustically dramatic.''NEW YORK TIMES''Eye-opening.''GUARDIAN''One of rock''s most engaging and readable memoirs.''ROLLING STONE''Inspiring and redempetive.''UNCUT''An endearing read.''MOJOLed by legendary guitarist Wayne Kramer, The MC5 was a reflection of the times: exciting, sexy, violent, out of control assuring their time in the spotlight would be short-lived.Kramer's story is a revolutionary one, but it is also the deeply personal struggle of an addict and an artist. From the glory days of Detroit to the junk-sick streets of the East Village, from Key West to N

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Book SynopsisThe SUNDAY TIMES Top Ten Bestseller#1 Book of the Year, UNCUT#1 Book of the Year, ROUGH TRADEBook of the Year, MOJOOver the course of two albums and some legendary gigs, Joy Division became the most successful and exciting underground band of their generation. Then, on the brink of a tour to America, Ian Curtis took his own life.In This Searing Light, the Sun and Everything Else, Jon Savage has assembled three decades' worth of interviews with the principal players in the Joy Division story to create an intimate, candid and definitive account of the band. It is the story of how a group of young men can galvanise a generation of fans, artists and musicians with four chords and three-and-a-half minutes of music. And it is the story of how illness and inner demons can rob the world of a shamanic lead singer and visionary lyricist.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE PENDERYN MUSIC PRIZEA GUARDIAN MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2015FEATURING A NEW FOREWORD BY DAVID MITCHELLAward-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Jon Savage's monument to the year that shaped the future of global pop cultural history.''One of Britain''s most trusted cultural historians.''THE FACEIn America, in London, in Amsterdam, in Paris, revolutionary ideas fomenting since the late 1950s reached boiling point, culminating in a year in which the transient pop moment burst forth. Exploring the canonical figures, from The Beatles and Boty to Warhol and Reagan, 1966 delves deep into the social and cultural heart of the decade through masterfully compiled archival primary sources.''A marvel of hisotrical reconstruction and pop insight.''OBSERVER''Absorbing . . . this is not only fine pop writing, but social history of a high order.''GUARDIAN

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Book SynopsisDeals with The Beatles and their contemporaries. Focusing on one of the most exciting periods in British rock history, this title provides comprehensive family trees for the quintessential groups of the Liverpool and London scenes.Trade ReviewProbably the world's foremost chronicler of rock n roll history' The Observer.

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Book SynopsisThis title is one of many in a series of books which focus on epic albums of our time. Here, Joe Pernice looks at The Smith's album "Meat is Murder".Trade Review...this short, unassuming novella of 102 small pages captures more of youth, with all its painful, mad obsessions and enthusiasms, and all its longueurs, than any number of much longer books. If you've ever been young and in love with a band, you have to read Meat is Murder. * Bookslut, 3/9/05 *Joe Pernice's take on the Smiths' Meat is Murder might be the best in the series thus far...Part Dazed and Confused and part Virgin Suicides, the book is a funny, elegiac rumination on the pains and perils of adolescence—and the anodyne that certain albums can be to an outsider being smothered by dullness and angst...By fashioning his criticism as fiction, Pernice comes closest to evoking the transporting and restorative effect a song can have. * The Boston Phoenix, 7/8/04 *Meat is Murder is as droll as any of his songs, as its asthmatic narrator recounts his days in a Catholic high school outside Boston in 1985 and how his life was changed by the discovery of the Smith's third album-on cassette, of course. His descriptions of friends are priceless and sweet... * Kathleen Wilson, The Stranger, November 19, 2003 *Pernice writes about the album the only way a true teenager would-clumsily, overflowing with enthusiasm and praise, and beautifully... the novella is a wonderfully brief, swift read that nevertheless is as powerful as the greatest of EPs. * Andrew Unterberger, Stylus magazine *My personal favorite of the batch has to be Joe Pernice's autobiographic-fiction fantasia on The Smiths' Meat Is Murder. Stirring, evocative reading, and like the other two books, it made me want to seek out and hear the music again. * Michael Layne Heath, Tangents *His (Pernice's) perceptive, poetic ear for unpicking the workings of troubled inner lives is exceptional. * Uncut *What is it about the Smiths that prompts otherwise sane men to take an 80s youth that heaven knows was miserable then and turn it into a memoir? This singer-songwriter pens a pleasant semi-autobio about how this witty band's least-witty moment saved him from Catholic school, Reaganism and playing the bass poorly... * Austin American-Statesman, 10/17/04 *The story never reaches a true resolution, but that's part of the pleasure of it...Pernice takes pains to capture a teenage voice, although the language refrains from self-pity...the dramatic uncertainty of the language holds together the narrative. * The Columbia Spectator *However autobiographical this story might be, it's never predictable or less than heartfelt. The narrator's classmates are sketched fondly, his teachers with a little healthy malice and the music with great affection. * Newsday *An essential purchase for any fan of good new rock-write in general - a slim, confessional novella equal to anything written by Nick Hornby * Bandoppler Magazine *It is beautifully written. * The Times (London) *Continuum... knew what they were doing when they asked songwriter Joe Pernice to pay homage to the Smith's Meat is Murder. * Austin American-Statesman *Fans of Pernice's lyrical work in the Pernice Brothers and Scud Mountain Boys will find the same qualities of his lyrical wordplay used here, equal parts bitter and sweet...Pernice excels at evoking the feeling that almost any listener of underground music first has when encountering it, of stumbling onto a vein of something previously unknown, but far more immediate than anything that's come before. * Tobias Carroll, Earlash *Meat is Murder is a page-scorcher, especially when you see Pernice's own experiences practically oozing from the text. * Filter magazine *Effectively captures the crushing blows and dizzying triumphs of adolescence, particularly the sense of urgency involved in matters of young love. * The Berlin Daily Sun *Pernice captures the essence of the anglophile UK indie lovers that exist in little groups all over North America...Pernice's novella captures [the] feelings of the despair of possibility, of rushing out to meet the world and the world rushing in to meet you, and the price of that meeting. As sound tracked by the Smiths. * Drowned in Sound *The novella by the leader of the lush, sad-eyed indie-pop band the Pernice Brothers is full of mordant wit and real heartache. And his fictional (though heavily autobiographical) tale of a tortured Massachusetts high school student who finds solace by listening to Morissey is a dead-on depiction of what it feels like when pop music articulates your pain with an elegance you could never hope to muster...[H]is tale of a lonesome boy, a Walkman, and Meat is Murder does a brilliant job of capturing how, in a world that doesn't care, listening to your favorite album can save your life. * The Philadelphia Inquirer *With his astute perceptions and graceful language, the guy [Pernice] can write circles around most of the popular novelists today, and then whack them in the head later on with his melody. * Nighttimes.com *Local singer/songwriter and now first-time novelist Joe Pernice seems to have near total emotional recall, in the same way a great athlete possesses top-notch muscle memory. The result is that the bulk of his creative output proves to be as viscerally convincing as it is deeply felt...His emotionally precise imagery can be bluntly, chillingly personal...His well-developed sense of character, plot and pacing shows that he has serious promise as a novelist. * Weekly Dig *

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Book SynopsisThis epoch-making record of the late '80s effortlessly combines dense swathes of guitar noise and dance music. This turned out to be their last record, guitarist and studio maestro Kevin Shields having set their standards so high it was impossible to surpass them. Shields is now playing with Primal Scream.Trade Review"'A brilliant idea' The Times; 'Neat' Nick Hornby; 'Pocket-size books about favourite albums is a nice idea, akin to TV's Classic Albums and with an equal amount of care and attention.' The Guardian (Friday Review)"

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Book SynopsisThe son of '60s star Tim Buckley blew the rock world away when he released this instant classic of astonishing range and depth. Its status has become all the more legendary as it was to be his last record - Buckley died tragically young.Trade Review"'A brilliant idea' The Times; 'Neat' Nick Hornby; 'Pocket-size books about favourite albums is a nice idea, akin to TV's Classic Albums and with an equal amount of care and attention.' The Guardian (Friday Review)"

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Book SynopsisLISTEN UP PUNK! is a vivid exploration of the punk scene through the eyes of MAL-ONE. It captures the raw spirit, energy, and influence of punk music and culture, revealing personal stories and insights that resonate with fans and newcomers alike.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the remarkably honest and captivating story of one of the world''s greatest ever singing talents, Sir Tom Jones ''Brilliantly told'' SUNDAY TIMES ''A terrific, star-studded journey'' DAILY EXPRESS ______ ''For a lot of years, I''ve answered a lot of questions, but have never told my story before . . .'' In a business where dreams are often short-lived, Sir Tom Jones has maintained his sensational career across six decades. But how did a boy from a Welsh coal-mining family attain success across the globe over the course of decades? In this, his first ever autobiography, Tom revisits his past and tells the tale of his journey from wartime Pontypridd to LA and beyond. He reveals the stories behind the ups and downs of his fascinating and remarkable life, from the early heydays to the subsequent fallow years to his later period of artistic renaissance. It''s the storTrade ReviewA story brilliantly told ... Hold up your banners: "Sir Tom F****** Jones". Yeah! -- Bryan Appleyard * Sunday Times *Packed with the kind of showbiz tales you don't get any more ... Jones is a charming, matey voice and the book is a terrific, star-studded journey through the world of entertainment. Even after meeting some of the greats, such as Elvis and Sinatra, Jones still retains an innocence and freshness that is rare * Daily Express *Over the Top and Back is a great read and funny. It charts his youth in the coal mining town of Pontypridd. It captures his Welshness * Sunday Telegraph *a book that gets to Jones's core * Daily Mirror *The book lays bare a career that has spanned 60 years, Tom revisits his past and tells tales from his journey from wartime Pontypridd to LA and beyond. He reveals the ups and downs of his remarkable life, from his early heyday to his subsequent fallow years to his later period of artistic renaissance * Wales on Sunday *You tell the story of an Electrolux vacuum cleaner with the same gusto as you talk about Elvis Presley, and that's why it's brilliant Tom * Chris Evans *Tom Jones really has had the most astonishing life, one which he recounts here with verve, energy and a vivid eye for detail - this is a hugely enjoyable read * The Daily Mail *This lively, thoughtful and entertaining account does justice to a remarkable life and career * Sunday Express *A story, brilliantly told... hold up your banners: "Sir Tom F****** Jones". Yeah! * Brian Appleyard, Sunday Times *A brilliant read full of charm and anecdote that captures the spirit of each decade as well as giving a great behind-the-scenes snapshot of the music world. -- Fanny Blake * Woman & Home *

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERTouching, personal, indomitable, but always laugh-out-loud funny, The Lives of Brian is the legendary story of one of the rock world''s best-loved performers - and the many lives he''s led''Both a rollicking tale of rock''s bygone glory days and a deeply human account of a working-class boy who never gave up'' MAIL ON SUNDAY___________For over a decade rock legend Brian Johnson tried to make his mark with a succession of bands, yet big time success remained out of reach. But was he going to give up on his dream?Not a chance . . .So when, after the tragic death of Bon Scott, AC/DC hired Brian as their new singer, he gave it his all. And his debut, Back in Black, went on to become the biggest-selling rock album of all time.Big hearted, touching, indomitable and always laugh-out-loud funny, The Lives of Brian is the story of one of the world''s best-Trade Review Think Monty Python meets This Is Spinal Tap . . . Both a rollicking tale of rock's bygone glory days and a deeply human account of a working-class boy who never gave up. Told in Johnson's light, engaging prose, it's everything you want, and didn't know you wanted, from a rock-star memoir * Mail on Sunday *A story full of splits, triumphant returns and no shortage of outrageous incidents * Mail+ *A tale of fate, serendipity and dogged determination * Mojo *Johnson is a natural storyteller * Mail Online *Warm, starkly comic and uplifting ... The Lives of Brian is a literary twin of an AC/DC album - wild material woven together seamlessly, and always leaving you wanting more. * Hot Press *

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Book SynopsisElliott Smith was one of the most gifted songwriters of the nineties, adored by worshipful fans for his subtly melancholic words and melodies. The sadness had its sources in the life. There was trauma from an early age, years of drug abuse and a chronic sense of disconnection that sometimes seemed almost self-engineered. Smith died violently in Los Angeles in 2003, under what some believe to be questionable circumstances, of a single fatal stab wound to the chest. By this time fame had found him, and record buyers who shared the listening experience felt he spoke directly to them from beyond: lonely, lovelorn, frustrated, fighting until he could fight no more. And yet, although his achingly intimate lyrics carried the weight of truth, Smith remained unknowable. In Torment Saint, William Todd Schultz gives us the first proper biography of the rock star, a decade after his death, imbued with affection, authority, sensitivity and long-awaited clarity.Torment Saint Trade ReviewBrilliant, raw fuel for Schultz to add carefully collated detail and song deconstruction to explore a man in harrowing free-fall towards his 2003 suicide. **** * Mojo *A clear-eyed and devastating new biography … as heartbreaking and well-crafted as one of Elliott Smith's songs * LA Times *Elliott Smith, whose soul presides over the lives of melancholy indie rockers, gets the wake song he deserves in William Todd Schultz’s Torment Saint * Vanity Fair *In Torment Saint, William Todd Schultz has written his own kind of love song - an account of Smith's life that does full justice to his memory and the impressive legacy of his art ... Both persuasive reckoning with Elliott's inner demons and - much more important - a full appreciation and celebration, of his undeniable genius * Bookforum *Torment Saint will likely go down as the definitive biography of the singer/songwriter. A full portrait of a troubled man who made beautiful music and left us far too soon * Paste *A tale as complex, dense, and poetic as Elliott himself * Amanda Palmer *You can try to look for answers in his heart-rending music, but, ultimately, up until now, little has been known about his life … Torment Saint is perhaps the first proper biography of the singer * Independent *

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Book SynopsisPresents a thorough history of Slint, and the Louisville scene that surrounded the band, leading up to and focusing on the creation of their masterpiece, Spiderland. This book attempts to break through some of the mystery surrounding Spiderland and the band that made it.Trade Review"A growing Alexandria of rock criticism - Los Angeles Times, 2008 Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't enough - Rolling Stone One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet - Bookslut"Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part 1 - The Early Years; Part 2 - Slint, pre-Spiderland; Part 3 - Recording Spiderland; Part 4 - Track by Track Epilogue.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER''A unique and thoughtful musical memoir'' Observer''Gritty coming-of-age story . . . plenty of anecdotes to keep us hooked, and his memories of Joy Division''s Ian Curtis are poignant'' Daily MirrorBefore he was responsible for some of the most iconic drumming in popular music, Stephen Morris grew up in 1960s and ''70s industrial Macclesfield, on a quiet road that led seemingly to nowhere. Far removed from the bright lights and manic energy of nearby Manchester, he felt stifled by suburbia and feared he might never escape. Then he joined Joy Division - while they were still known as Warsaw - a pioneer of the rousing post-punk sound that would revolutionise twentieth-century rock.Following two landmark albums and widespread critical acclaim, Joy Division were at the height of their powers and poised to break the US, when lead singer, Ian Curtis, committed suicide.Part memoir,Trade ReviewA unique and thoughtful musical memoir * Observer *Gritty coming-of-age story . . . plenty of anecdotes to keep us hooked, and his memories of Joy Division's Ian Curtis are poignant * Daily Mirror *Record Play Pause tells a familiar story . . . but Morris brings a freshness to it * Glasgow Herald *Self-deprecating, unembittered and happy to occupy the role of technically-minded synergist, Morris is a frank and humorous narrator uninterested in grudges . . . Hugely mirthful in northern English ways, Stephen recalls his youth with frustration and fondness . . . Familiar ground and personalities are (inevitably) revisited, but the author's dry wit ensures a singular perspective and winning detail . . . Arguably the most human of the Joy Division memoirs, Record Play Pause shows that even after 40 years there are still new ways to engage with and illuminate this most analysed of groups * Mojo *

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Book SynopsisRonnie James Dio was a heavy metal icon and frontman of three of the best-selling, most influential and famous rock bands in history: Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own multi-million selling band, Dio. Rainbow in the Dark is a rollercoaster ride through the extraordinary highs and lows of Dio''s life, and takes us from his early days as a street gang leader and Doo-wop singer in ''60s Vegas through to his breakout success with Rainbow and Black Sabbath in the ''70s and the stadiums of US metal in the ''80s - ending in Dio''s dressing room at Madison Square Garden, in June 1986, at the peak of his worldwide fame with Dio.Tragically Dio passed away from cancer in 2010, but had already begun writing a memoir before his death. Edited by the world-renowned music biographer Mick Wall, with the involvement of Dio''s wife of over 35 years and personal manager Wendy Dio, Rainbow in the Dark will honour and feature Dio''s never-before-seen original manuscript, whTrade ReviewRemarkable life story . . . this magical metal memoir is a must have for fans of the legend * Hot Press *Solid read * Record Collector *Immensely readable * Classic Rock *

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Book Synopsis*A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR A GUARDIAN MEMOIR OF THE YEAR A TELEGRAPH BEST MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR *'Chronicles, in enthralling detail, Madonna Louise Ciccone's path from terrifyingly ambitious trainee dancer to pop colossus, all the while placing her in a wider social and cultural context.' GUARDIAN MAGAZINE'Gabriel charts her extraordinary life, right through to pop icon. She deserves a biographer as meticulous, intelligent and insightful as Gabriel.' DAILY MAIL'Madonna built the house in which nearly all female artists now live . . . A Rebel Life brings home not just her obvious willpower and strength, but her fearlessness and sheer intelligence' DAILY TELEGRAPH'A fascinating take on one of music's greatest icons' BELFAST TELEGRAPH'It's a mark of Gabriel's skill that she has managed to wrestle this complex, sprawling, eventful life into a book that rarely flags and conveys its subject's wider significance without tipping into hagiography. We come to understand Madonna the person as well as Madonna the concept: a woman who, for a generation, embodied female artistic, sexual and financial liberation.' GUARDIANIn this exceptional biography, Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Gabriel chronicles the meteoric rise and enduring influence of the greatest female pop icon of the modern era: Madonna.With her arrival on the music scene in the early 1980s, Madonna generated nothing short of an explosion - as great as that of Elvis or the Beatles - taking the nation by storm with her liberated politics and breathtaking talent. But Madonna was more than just a pop star. Everywhere, fans gravitated to her as an emblem of a new age, one in which feminism could shed the buttoned-down demeanour of the 1970s and feel relevant to a new generation. Amid the scourge of AIDS, she brought queer identities into the mainstream, fiercely defending a person's right to love whomever - and be whoever - they wanted. Despite fierce criticism, she never separated her music from her political activism. And as an artist, she never stopped experimenting. Madonna existed to push past boundaries by creating provocative, visionary music, videos, films and live performances that changed culture globally. Deftly tracing Madonna's story from her Michigan roots to her rise to super-stardom, master biographer Mary Gabriel captures the dramatic life and achievements of one of the greatest artists of our time.Trade ReviewMary Gabriel has dared to write a biography of a woman with whom the entire world is on a first-name basis. Here, she reveals Madonna as a rock-and-roll suffragette, managing the stress test of her personal life and using the power of music to bring about social change. Exquisitely detailed in her storytelling, Gabriel convinces us that we all still vogue in the House of Madonna -- Brad Gooch, author of CITY POET: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF FRANK O'HARAMary Gabriel's astonishing book with its pointillist detail feels fresh, surprising, vital, and necessary. It's thrilling to be reminded of how brave Madonna has been-to a fault! It doesn't matter where it springs from, because the results are the same: a singular, towering career that changed the culture -- Jonathan Van Meter, author of THE LAST GOOD TIMEMary Gabriel eloquently tells the engrossing story of how Madonna combined music, dance, art, fashion, theater and pop stardom to develop a completely contemporary way to be an artist. It chronicles how her embrace of the artistic vanguard transformed popular culture -- Jeffrey Deitch, author of ART IN THE STREETSMadonna built the house in which nearly all female artists now live . . . A Rebel Life brings home not just her obvious willpower and strength, but her fearlessness and sheer intelligence -- Suzanne Moore * Daily Telegraph *This meticulous study puts the shape-shifting star in proper context . . . It's a mark of Gabriel's skill that she has managed to wrestle this complex, sprawling, eventful life into a book that rarely flags and conveys its subject's wider significance without tipping into hagiography * Guardian, *Book of the Day* *

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Book SynopsisAs heard on BBC 6 Music with Shaun Keveny, BBC Radio 5 Live and Talk Radio with Eamonn HolmesThe age of the rock star, like the age of the cowboy, has passed. Like the cowboy, the idea of the rock star lives on in our imaginations.What did we see in them? Swagger. Recklessness. Sexual charisma. Damn-the-torpedoes self-belief. A certain way of carrying themselves. Good hair. Interesting shoes. Talent we wished we had.What did we want of them? To be larger than life but also like us. To live out their songs. To stay young forever. No wonder many didn’t stay the course.In Uncommon People, David Hepworth zeroes in on defining moments and turning points in the lives of forty rock stars from 1955 to 1995, taking us on a journey to burst a hundred myths and create a hundred more. As this tribe of uniquely motivated nobodies went about turning themselves into the ultimate somebodies, they also shaped us, our real lives and our fantasies. Uncommon People isn’t just their story. It’s ours as well.Trade ReviewMarvellous . . . The age of the rock star is over, and Hepworth’s never-less-than fascinating book is a more than fitting farewell -- Dylan Jones * GQ *David Hepworth is such a clever writer . . . Uncommon People is a gorgeous read, celebratory and bittersweet, both pep rally and memorial, throbbing with insight and incident -- Julie Burchill * Spectator *This book is a kind of elegy for a glorious but passing phase in entertainment history . . . brim[s] with insight, humour and a certain genial astringency -- Stuart Maconie * Mail on Sunday *[A] wonderful portrait of rock stardom . . . Hepworth’s writing is sublime * Daily Mail *The effect is that of faded, evocative, partisan Polaroids scattered from the memory of one obsessive music fan . . . Uncommon People emerges as part of the drive to capture, analyse and archive key moments in musical history that might otherwise vanish from popular memory before we know it * Observer *

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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 SynopsisFebruary 1963 marked the Beatles' breakthrough in Britain. However, by December, they were still no further forward than any other British act before them in conquering America.How the Beatles were really signed by Capitol Records in late 1963, after 12 months of derision and rejection from the label, has remained the subject of much speculation over the years. Once the band had hit the big time in the US in February 1964, the truth was quickly papered over by their manager, Brian Epstein, and Capitol executives.Now, for the first time, corporate and personal archives reveal the true story, and explain why Capitol believed that the British approach to the record industry was just as antiquated and flawed as its approach to other declining industries in the 1960s. The book explores why, as a consequence, Capitol decided they would need to re-mix many of the UK master tapes, create new US albums that were distinctly different in content, sleeve design and name to the UK versions.Departmental memos show how Brian Epstein quickly found himself between a rock and a hard place, struggling to keep the peace between Capitol, who he knew were providing the lion's share of the Beatles' wealth, and were usually right on commercial and creative decisions, and the Beatles themselves.This no holds barred account also explores how Capitol's PR department struggled against the odds to extricate the Beatles from stories that threatened to damage their carefully cultivated image and harm record sales.It also probes corporate accounts to discover the extent to which Capitol made the Beatles rich, and how a number of decisions made by the band and their manager ultimately drove them to the brink of bankruptcy in 1969.

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Book SynopsisPete Burns has found a new audience with his outrageous antics on Celebrity Big Brother. Whether being berated for wearing an alleged 'gorilla' coat, or destroying any one of his housemates with a withering putdown, he's the undoubted star of the show. But there's much more to Pete than meets the eye - and what with his extraordinary features and sense of fashion, that's really saying something. He became a star with the band Dead Or Alive, who had a huge hit with "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" in the mid-80s, but until now he has never told his own amazing story. It includes frank details of his affairs with major rock stars, his long-time marriage, how he had to sell his GBP 2m house to pay for the plastic surgery that went wrong and caused horrific injuries to his lips. He's had an amazing career and still commands a huge global following. When it came to going into the Big Brother house, Pete declared he was not going to be a team player - and this sensational book about his life shows how he's always been a true individual and a born star.

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Book SynopsisGinger tells his story for the first time. It's often harrowing but outrageously honest as he journey's from war-torn south London to his adopted home in South Africa's beautiful Western Cape - where he has his own polo club. Along the way he tells of his life-long love of jazz, how he discovered the drums, life on the road and reveals the heroin use that should have killed him. He talks candidly of his three marriages, his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Cream in 1993, their 2005 reunion and his own plans for the future.

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Book SynopsisThe Songs The Beatles Gave Away' was inspired by the 2009 BBC Radio 2 documentary of the same name on which Colin worked with/for Bob Harris and his wife, Trudie Myerscough-Harris. For his book, Bob and Trudie have kindly given Colin permission to access the interviews they conducted in 2008/9 with Sir Paul McCartney, Sir George Martin, Cilla Black, Mary Hopkin, Jackie Lomax, Billy Hatton and others. Previously only small extracts from these exclusive interviews have ever been available but now, for the first time, these gems are accessed in full. Among the last interviews they gave, Sir George and Cilla spoke candidly about their work and experiences. To read their words is a moving reminder not only of their individual talents but of a period in recent musical history, the impact of which, still resonates to this day. Since making the original Radio 2 documentary Colin has been able to speak to artists who did not contribute directly to the programme such as Billy J. Kramer, Peter Asher, Megan Davies of The Applejacks and John Clay who played with the Black Dyke Mills Brass Band in 1968 when Paul McCartney visited Saltaire, in Yorkshire, to record 'Thingumybob', an instrumental tune, he had written especially for a brass band to play. For extra background detail, and to further contextualise the songwriting of John, Paul and George, Colin has unearthed extensive interviews he conducted with Astrid Kirchherr and Klaus Vormann before he became custodian of the Lennon house in Liverpool in 2004. He has also spoken with eye-witness, and former member of the Plastic Ono Band, Alan White who played on many Apple recording sessions. 'The Songs The Beatles Gave Away' is illustrated with photographs of records culled from Colin's private collection of original 45rpm vinyl singles, together with photographs kindly donated to the project by his friends, some of his own personal photographs as well as many promotional photographs from the period. While encompassing the origins of the Beatles as a group and the emergence of John, Paul, and George as composers, the central focus of 'The Songs The Beatles Gave Away' is on tunes John, Paul and George wrote for other artistes rather than just for The Beatles themselves. As such the stories featured here are not about 'covers' of songs the Beatles had already released. It is about songs The Beatles did not release commercially or even record at all during the active lifetime of the group. Such 'giveaways' were unique and each song and its singer are discussed in detail and side stories and background explored. This is the first time a book focusing on this aspect of The Beatles' legacy has been attempted.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on interviews with stars and musicians, producers and photographers, stylists, writers and celebrity fans, this book chronicles the glam era from its origins in 1970, through its 1972/73 heyday to its mid-seventies collapse and the death of Marc Bolan in September 1977. Fully illustrated throughout, the book includes a wealth of visual material, be it band shots, record sleeves and pin-up posters, or the era's best clobber, magazines and assorted memorabilia.Trade Review'Gorgeously illustrated history. In Glam!, Paytress lovingly charts the stack-heeled ascent of this new pop, tracing the careers of big beasts David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Slade and Elton John, as well as the Chinnichap strain of hits. The narrative is stuffed with cross-cultural details... a scrapbook bulge of illustrations. 4*' MOJO 'Breathlessly reimbuing the era with fresh excitement... this lavishly illustrated, exquisitely designed volume. The Sunday supplements have a word for histories like this: Magisterial. 5*' Shindig! 'Lavish deep-dive into an era that changed everything. A detailed and illuminating account of a much-misunderstood genre. A sumptuous picture book, full of instant, easy illustrations that bring Paytress' text to life. Glam! rewires the narrative to give a sense of what actually happened. 4*' Daryl Easlea, Record Collector 'A joy to idly flick through and a pleasure to read. His observations are diamond bright and sharp... Paytress is a fabulous writer and a great story teller.' Peter Stanfield, Professor of Film and author of Pin-Ups 1972: Third Generation Rock 'n' Roll 'For Glam Lovers, this glossy new book by Mark Paytress is just gorgeously fantastic. Beautifully written with real love and understanding of the genre and times and packed with fabulous photos, many I'd not seen before. It's the only book you want on Glam Rock.' Marc Almond 'A vivid portrait of the UK music scene in the early 1970s. Glam! features a poised, elegant text written by Mark Paytress, author of the definitive biography of Bolan. A ravishing evocation of the richest and most culturally resonant era in English rock music.' Declan Hughes, Irish Times'This superb history of glam rock transports us back to the early 70s. Well-researched and wonderfully recounted. A beautifully designed and illustrated scrapbook. A triumph.' Classic Pop

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Book SynopsisIn this photographic collection, seven photographers who have built their artistic reputation documenting Cuban jazz over the years, bring together images celebrating the musicians who have performed at Jazz Plaza Havana's annual international jazz festival.These photographers present very personal, subjective views on the jazz performances that they document. The images themselves becoming silent participants in the events they show, demonstrating that without photography, jazz would not be the same.

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Book SynopsisMeticulous, detailed reference-styled timelines, charting the history of this esteemed UK institution, from its inception to the band's posthumous last album, Coda, issued in 1982. This elegant coffee table book charts the explosive live stage history of the band, along with the iconic albums. Memorabilia adds a visual feast to the book.

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Book SynopsisChosen as one of the Best Architecture and Design books Summer 2022 by the Financial Times. Why British record store carrier bags are graphic design icons: While they’ve never carried the kudos of sleeve designs and music posters, record shop bags offer a fascinating insight into 20th century British music culture, high-streets and more. – Creative Review Jonny Trunk’s extensive collection of record shop bags weaves together a less conventional history of British music, celebrating the shops where musicians and fans bought and sold their first LPs. This book is a love letter to these forgotten spaces, accompanied by a juicy selection of anecdotes and little known facts about the record shops and their bags. Readers, gear up for a “brilliant ride down the old British high streets and low streets too.” – It's Nice That Jonny Trunk and FUEL present A-Z of Record Shop Bags – a publication celebrating the humble record store bag. This exhaustive collection of the record shop bag provides a unique perspective of record shopping in the UK over the last century, bringing together over 500 incredible bags (some possibly the only surviving examples) to document the fascinating story of British high street record shopping. Bags from famous chains such as NEMS, Our Price and Virgin (the amazingly rare Roger Dean bags), sit alongside designs from local shops run by eccentric enthusiasts. Packed with stories such as the first Jewish ska retailer, the record sellers who started the premier league, famous staff (David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Morrissey, etc.) and equally infamous owners, these anecdotes of mythical vinyl entrepreneurs will entertain and delight. With vinyl record sales at their highest ever for decades (outselling CDs in the US), this publication acts as an amazing insight into the history, culture and visual language of record collecting. Following Own Label, Wrappers Delight and Auto Erotica – A-Z of Record Shop Bags: 1940s to 1990s is the next book in the series by Jonny Trunk and FUEL, examining overlooked aspects of our collective past.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewFaber are to be loudly applauded for their vision and generosity in putting this collection together. The Peaceful Piano Playlist without doubt includes an enterprising and impressive range of composers and music, with plenty to appeal to those players who stream similar playlists online and are drawn to this musical genre. In practice, I should think that even a fairly advanced player would take quite a while to work their way through all 35 pieces included here; the book represents superb value for money and is undoubtedly one that players will want to keep returning to. To summarise, Faber Music have brilliantly encapsulated a very current musical zeitgeist with this collection, and it deserves to simply fly off the shelves! www.pianodao.com, June 2019Table of ContentsI Giorni (Ludovico Einaudi); Ab Ovo (Joep Beving); Written On The Sky (Max Richter); Gymnopédie No. 3 (Erik Satie); Mass (Re-Imagined) (Phoria); Pathétique Sonata, 2nd Movt (Ludwig van Beethoven); Earnestly Yours (Keaton Henson); The Tearjerker Returns (Chilly Gonzales); Chord Left (Agnes Obel); Engagement Party (Justin Hurwitz); Last Song (Alexis Ffrench); Clair de Lune (Claude Debussy); Throes (Half Moon Run); Aria (BWV 988) (J.S. Bach); Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Ryuichi Sakamoto); What We Are (Anne Lovett); Adagio in G minor (Tomaso Albinoni); Faith’s Song (from Keeping Faith) (Laurence Love Greed); Flora (Henrik Lindstrand); Pavane pour une Infante défunte (Maurice Ravel); Prelude in C (BWV846) (J.S. Bach); Inizio (Ludovico Einaudi); Strata (Poppy Ackroyd); Piano Piece, Imperfect Moments Pt. 4 (Johannes Brecht); To The Order Of The Night (Balmorhea); Mandus (Jessica Curry); Prelude in B minor (Op.28 No.6) (Frederic Chopin); The Departure (from The Leftovers) (Max Richter); Petrichor (Keaton Henson); New Moon (Alexandre Desplat); Piano Sonata No. 12 in F, K332, Adagio (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart); Träumerei (Robert Schumann); Variations on the Kanon (George Winston); Meeting Points At 2AM (dné); Clouds (Pam Wedgwood)

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Book SynopsisMike Love is a founding member, lyricist and vocalist of The Beach Boys, considered to be the most popular American band in history, with 13 Gold Albums, 55 top-100 singles, and four #1 hits. Love has been the lead singer of the group one of its principal lyricists since its inception in 1961.In Good Vibrations, Mike Love tells the unique story of his legendary, chaotic, and ultimately triumphant five-decade tenure as the front man of The Beach Boys, from their Californian roots to international fame.Mike Love's credits include such pop classics as "Good Vibrations," "California Girls," "I Get Around," "Fun Fun Fun," and "Kokomo."

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Book Synopsis* INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *A sweeping and evocative memoir from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Award?winning, platinum selling singer-songwriter Michael McDonald, written with his friend, Emmy Award?nominated actor, comedian, and#1 New York Timesbestselling author Paul Reiser.Doobie Brothers. Steely Dan. Chart topping soloist. Across a half-century of American music, Michael McDonald?s unmistakably smooth baritone voice defined an era of rock and R&B with hit records like ?What A Fool Believes,? ?Takin? It to the Streets,? ?I Keep Forgettin?,? ?Peg,? ?It Keeps You Running,? ?You Belong to Me,? and ?Yah Mo B There.?In his candid, freewheeling memoir, written with his friend, the Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian Paul Reiser, Michael tells the story of his life and music. A high school dropout from Ferguson, Missouri, Michael chased his dreams in 1970?s California, a heady moment of rock opportunity and excess. As a rising session musician and backing vocalist, a series of encounters would send him on a wild ride around the world and to the heights of rock stardom?from joining Steely Dan and becoming a defining member of The Doobie Brothers to forging a path as a breakout solo R&B artist.Interwoven with the unforgettable tales of the music, Michael tells a deeply affecting story of losing and finding himself as a man. He reckons with the unshakeable insecurities that drove him, the drug and alcohol addictions that plagued him, and the highs and lows of popularity. Along the way he relays the lessons he?s learned, and that if he?s learned anything at all it?s that there?s often little correlation between what you get and what you deserve.Filled with unbelievable stories and a matchless cast of music greats including James Taylor, Ray Charles, Carly Simon, and Quincy Jones, What a Fool Believes is a moving and entertaining memoir that is sure to be a classic.

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Book SynopsisA no-nonsense guide on how to cope with mental-health issues.

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Book SynopsisMusicQuake presents a history of popular music focusing on the most rebellious and game-changing recordings and performances from the early twentieth century to today.Table of ContentsIntroduction THIS IS THE MODERN WORLD: 1913–1953 THE RISE OF ROCK’N’ROLL: 1954–1966 REVOLUTION FROM STUDIO TO STREET: 1967–1976 BEATS AND THE BEATEN GENERATION: 1977–1999 INVENTION AND DISSENSION: 2000–PRESENT Glossary Further Reading Picture Credits Index

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Book Synopsis THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A handsome six footer with a warm and engaging personality, Davie Jones has all it takes to get to the show business heights including . . . talent.' David Bowie at 17 in May, 1964 writing his own press biography. Respected arts commentator Paul Morley, one of the team who curated the highly successful retrospective exhibition for the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, David Bowie Is . . . constructs the definitive story of Bowie that explores how he worked, played, aged, structured his ideas, invented the future and entered history as someone who could and would never be forgotten. Morley will capture the greatest moments of Bowie’s career; from the recording studio with the likes of Brian Eno and Tony Visconti; to iconic live performances from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, as well as the various encounters and artistic relationships he developed with rock luminaries John Lennon, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. AndTrade Review‘A thrilling hymn to a brilliant and beloved “song and dance man”. David Bowie did make a world of difference, and Paul Morley explains why.’ -- Barney Hoskyns * The Observer *‘Morley has a deep understanding of Bowie’s music . . . this is great fun.’ * The Times *‘A huge sprawl of Bowieania that takes us from skiffle to social media’ * The Herald *‘A discursive, free-associating ride across the life and work of the Starman Who Changed the World […] The Age of Bowie does feel like an outpouring of the sincerest love for its subject, the fruit of an obsessive emersion of everything Bowie meant to him and us. Eschewing the conventionally dry biographical voice, Morley’s expansive present-tense prose flows […] I hold him to be one of the great pop writers. You might even call him the Bowie of rock journalism.’ * The Guardian *‘Morley has not only plenty of insights into Bowie’s life and work but also the kind of details that only a diligent biographer unearths’ * The Times *‘Ultimately it is Bowie that makes this an enjoyable read, his life and art speak so loudly and profoundly that if you capture just a piece, as Morley has, you have something worth reading.’ * Fortitude Magazine *

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Book SynopsisFrom the creator of the acclaimed country music history podcast Cocaine & Rhinestones, comes the epic American saga of country music’s legendary royal couple—George Jones and Tammy Wynette.By the early 1960s nearly everybody paying attention to country music agreed that George Jones was the greatest country singer of all time. After taking honky-tonk rockers like “White Lightning” all the way up the country charts, he revealed himself to be an unmatched virtuoso on “She Thinks I Still Care,” thus cementing his status as a living legend. That’s where the trouble started. Only at this new level of fame did Jones realize he suffered from extreme stage fright. His method of dealing with that involved great quantities of alcohol, which his audience soon discovered as Jones more often than not showed up to concerts falling-down drunk or failed to show up at all. But the fans always forgave him because he just kept singing so dam

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