Popular music Books

Book SynopsisOne of the most iconic guitarists of all-time, his staggering performance on Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction heralded the arrival of a brand new superstar name in rock. His complex relationship with frontman Axl Rose and the phenomenal music that emerged from that band cemented his reputation in rock's history books; since leaving G N' R, however, Slash has masterfully plied his trade through a series of solo projects and high profile guest appearances. This is the first book to examine the complete story of Slash, from his humble roots in suburban London in the late Sixties, to his thunderous ride through the alleys and red carpets of California to his present day success with Velvet Revolver. The book also takes a fresh look at the Guns N' Roses saga and examines all of Slash's other projects in exhaustive detail. Paul Stenning is the author of several books on rock music and is a regular contributor to the pages of Metal Maniacs, Terrorizer, Alternative Press and Record Collector. He is the author of the best-selling book on Guns N' Roses, The Band That Time Forgot as well as biographies of AC/DC, Iron Maiden and My Chemical Romance.

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Book SynopsisThe Advanced Rhyming Dictionary represents the culmination of more than seven years of work. It is the first of its kind and is a compendium of two and three syllable multisyllabic rhyme schemes aimed at rappers, poets, educators and academics. Adam 'Shuffle T' Woollard has been a battle rapper for seven years, and is a UK Battle rap doubles champion, with his friend and long-time collaborator, Theo 'Marlo' Marlow. He has performed in the US, Canada, Australia and all over Europe. Jamie 'Bleez' Blackmore has been performing and creating rap for well over a decade and is a hidden gem of the UK hip-hop world, considered to be one of the best rhymers there is. He and Adam met in 2014 in Brighton and they have been working on this project ever since.

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Book SynopsisThe Complete Guide to Playing Blues Guitar is a three-part series that teaches you the essential skills required to become a master blues guitarist. You save 15% when you purchase all three best-selling books in this one edition!

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Book SynopsisIn 1971, Sally Arnold takes a nannying job in Paris that will transform her life. Her charge is Mick Jagger’s daughter Jade and she is soon running more than bath-time… She is working for the giants of rock as the first woman tour manager in the business. What’s it like to prepare Christmas lunch with Mick Jagger? To go clubbing at Tramp with The Who’s crazy drummer Keith Moon? To deal with the WAGs in a band’s entourage? When Sally moves on to organising charity events, she has to manage other larger-than-life personalities such as Billy Connolly and Rowan Atkinson. Sally also handles famous names from Princess Diana and the Duke of Edinburgh, to Mikhail Gorbachev and Poet Laureate Ted Hughes. How did Sally survive in this world of rock and roll? “She is tough and well experienced in dealing with show business egos.” Pete Townshend, The WhoTable of ContentsAuthor Biography List of Photographs A Note from Sally Introduction Prologue Part One: Becoming Chapter 1: My Family – and Other Animals Chapter 2: The 1960s – London and Freedom Chapter 3: Adventures Abroad Chapter 4: Life with the Jaggers Chapter 5: To Los Angeles Chapter 6: New Horizons Part Two: Rock n Roll Nanny Chapter 7: The Who Chapter 8: Duties of a Tour Manager Chapter 9: The Who as People Chapter 10: Lynyrd Skynyrd Chapter 11: The Love of my Life Chapter 12: The Rolling Stones Chapter 13: Lynyrd Skynyrd Again Chapter 14: The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Chapter 15: Crawler Chapter 16: The Rossington Collins Band Part Three: Giving Back Chapter 17: Festivals and Charities Chapter 18: The Double O Charity Chapter 19: Down to Earth Chapter 20: Around the World Chapter 21: Friends and Unsung Heroes Chapter 22: Sally Arnold Events Management Chapter 23: I am one of the Women of the Year 1997 Chapter 24: Wonderful World Travel Chapter 25: Cancer, and Recovery Chapter 26: Life’s Lessons Epilogue Final Word Appendix 1: From Professional Builder 24th May 2019 Appendix 2: Brian Croft’s history of the technical information in the early days of rock and roll Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisEberhard Weber is a virtuoso who revolutionized jazz bass playing. He brought his instrument from the far corner of the stage into the spotlight - and turned it into a solo force. He began his career as a jazz bassist in the 1960s, and his band Colours with the saxophonist Charlie Mariano became one of the most successful jazz groups in Europe. His record Colours of Chloe (made for ECM) was a cult album in its time. Weber went on to perform with many the big stars of the international jazz scene, including Wolfgang Dauner, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny and Jan Garbarek. He was also a key member of the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble. Playing the five-string instrument, both in acoustic and electric form, he also became a master of the solo recital, using electronics to accompany his own dexterous improvisations. Weber has not been able to play the bass since he suffered a stroke in April 2007 during a sound check with the Jan Garbarek Group at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. But he had already created an oeuvre that is second to none. The charismatic bassist made jazz history with his explorations, both in terms of his own instrument and with his range of creative musical companions. His remarkable autobiography is at the same time a humorous and exciting testimony to a vital period in German jazz history. This is the first English translation of the original published in German by Sagas in 2015.Table of ContentsPrelude 1 A Stroke of Bad Luck 2 If Only I Knew 3 Under the Grand Piano 4 A Dab Hand 5 “Hey, how about it?” 6 Free!? 7 Telephone Bass Player 8 “I’m gonna get one!” 9 New Colours 10 Philharmonic Full Circle 11 Well Received 12 “Now you’ve made it!” 13 Down Under 14 Longer Than Most Marriages 15 United (Kingdom) 16 Border Crossings 17 Highs and Lows 18 To Poona, Please! 19 Home Advantage? 20 Perfect Sound Postlude Discography

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Book SynopsisWhen Billy J. Kramer’s record of Lennon and McCartney’s “Do You Want To Know A Secret?” topped the New Musical Express charts in 1963, he became the first singer in the world to have a number one hit with a Beatles song, apart from the Fab Four themselves. This success propelled the teenage Kramer into the fast lane, and he followed it with another five top twenty singles within the space of two years. In this autobiography Billy J. Kramer (born William Ashton) tells his rags to riches story, from his working class childhood in Liverpool, via a British Rail engineering apprenticeship in the dying days of steam, to the racy world of international pop music. Managed by Brian Epstein, produced by George Martin, engineered by Hurricane Smith, and friend, confidante and colleague of the Beatles, Kramer gives a definitive insider’s account of the birth of the Liverpool sound and also the “British Invasion” of the US. We follow him to the Star Club in Hamburg, to Abbey Road, into the BBC studios, and onto package tours and stage shows with the Beatles, Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Tommy Quickly and other stars of the age. He shares a dressing room with James Brown, and appears alongside other 1960s giants of the American music business. Kramer also brilliantly evokes the world of variety, as he goes behind the scenes with comedian Tommy Cooper, and learns about the stagecraft of artistes from another era. On the surface, Kramer’s career seems like a dream come true, but there are dark secrets in the Kramer story. Even before he’d reached his twenties, he was already in the grip of drugs and alcohol, and there were constant tensions between him and his Mancunian backing band, The Dakotas. When the screaming stopped, he reinvented himself as a cabaret performer, and some of his best records were made during the years he was out of the limelight. He brought up a young family, but the drink and pills made his domestic life, and eventually his professional life, a struggle. In this no-holds-barred account of his life, Kramer evokes the vibrancy of the sixties and reveals how he exorcised his demons and forged a new career in the US. He assembles his current band, shows a growing mastery of songwriting and recording, and returns to national tours, keeping the flame of the Mersey sound alive. The lifetime of experience he brings to his new songs infuses every page of this enthralling read.Table of ContentsForeword Chapter 1: Little Children: 1943-1958 Chapter 2: I’ll Be on My Way: 1958-1962 Chapter 3: Silver Dream: 1963-1964 Chapter 4: It’s Gotta Last Forever: 1964-1967 Chapter 5: Twilight Time: 1967-1971 Chapter 6: Gone Away: 1971 Chapter 7: You Can’t Live on Memories: 1972-1983 Chapter 8: I Won the Fight: 1984-2006 Chapter 9: To Liverpool with Love: from 2006 Recordings List

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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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