Popular music Books
Flood Gallery Publishing Vaguely Lost In Shangri-La: Photographs from the
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£25.50
Redcliffe Press Ltd Hit and Miss: The Story of the John Barry Seven
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£22.50
Cinder House 808s and Otherworlds: Memories, Remixes, &
Book SynopsisThrough storytelling rhymes and vulnerable narratives in conversation with both contemporary Hip-Hop culture and systemic anti-Blackness, 808s & Otherworlds pieces together a speculative reality where Blackfolk are simultaneously superhuman and dehumanized.
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Too Fast to Live Too Young to Die: Punk & post
Book Synopsis Praise for the Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die exhibition: "A fascinating look at how punk and new wave music met the eye" New York Times "An absolute joy" Financial Times The largest unique collection of printed memorabilia from the punk and post-punk movements. Andrew Krivine began collecting punk memorabilia in 1977 when punk exploded onto the scene. Since then, Andrew has amassed one of the world s largest collection of punk graphic design and memorabilia. This book features a carefully curated selection of over 650 posters, club flyers, record covers and adverts from the collection. Together they represent the prime years of punk which changed the world of graphic design forever with its do-it-yourself aesthetics. The artworks are put into context by graphic design experts, academics and commentators. Among them former art director of New York Times Steven Heller, reader in graphic design at the London College of Communication Dr Russ Bestley, graphic design writer Rick Poynor, designer Malcolm Garrett and Pulitzer Prize-winning editor Michael Wilde. The book spans the growth and evolution of punk on both sides of the Atlantic including The Clash, The Buzzocks, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Television, The Ramones, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Devo, Blondie, Flying Lizards, Public Image Ltd, The Only Ones, The Slits, New Order, REM and Joy Division. A collectable item itself, the book is beautifully produced with front and back cover artwork by Malcolm Garrett and Peter Saville, the designers behind some of punk s most memorable album covers. Arguably the most essential and final work on the graphic design revolution within the punk and post-punk movements of the UK and America, Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die will appeal to punk fans and graphic designers alike. Part of Andrew s collection is currently touring the world as the Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die exhibition and has been on display at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York among other museums.Trade Review'A heaven-sent gift to all dedicated followers of punk' * Morning Star *'Truly a sight for the eyes' * The Irish Times *'Filled to the brim with iconography that begins with the Velvet Underground in the ‘60s and ends with the Smiths in the ‘80s' * Style Zeitgeist (US) *'If you have even a passing interest in the period, then you should sell your dog (or dog collar) to buy a copy.' * GQ *
£28.00
Omnibus Press The Final Days of EMI: Selling the Pig
Book SynopsisThe Beatles. The Beach Boys. Blur, Bowie, Kylie Minogue, Kate Bush and Coldplay. EMI was one of the big four record companies, with some of the biggest names in the history of recorded music on its roster. Dominating the music industry for over 100 years, by 2010 EMI Group had reported massive pre-tax losses. The group was divided up and sold in 2011. How could one of the greatest recording companies of the 20th century have ended like this? With interviews from insiders and music industry experts, Eamonn Forde pieces together the tragic end to a financial juggernaut and a cultural institution in forensic detail. The Final Days of EMI: Selling the Pig is the story of the British recording industry, laid bare in all its hubris and glory.
£10.44
Omnibus Press There's No Bones in Ice Cream: Sylvain Sylvain's
Book Synopsis'Don't live life worrying about it, just T. Rex the s*** out of it.' - Sylvain Sylvain The New York Dolls were called many things; glam, proto-punk, hard rock, but are probably best understood as a 'dirty rock & roll' band. Combining an aggressively androgynous style with street smart New York attitude and campy humour, the New York Dolls ushered in the era of CBGBs, heroin chic, loud guitars and referential lyrics which gave rise to Patti Smith, The Ramones, Television and many more. Fans of the band range from Guns N' Roses to Morrissey, who organised the reformation of the band when he curated Meltdown festival in 2004. Sylvain Sylvain was there from the start, and this is his story. Taking in his early life in New York, the rise, fall and rise again of the New York Dolls, and all his misadventures between, There's No Bones in Ice Cream is the true story of one of rock's greatest, told in his own authentic voice. 'In any great band it's often The Quiet One who has the best stories. There's No Bones in Ice Cream would be a superb book even if Sylvain worked in a bank. As it is it's one of the best rock biographies ever. Ten out of ten.' - Classic Rock
£10.44
Omnibus Press Postcards from Scotland
Book SynopsisPostcards from Scotland is the first of a two volume oral history of the Scottish indie music scene from 1983 up until recent times from the director of the Glasgow Indie Music documentary, Teenage Superstars.
£21.25
Omnibus Press Bowie Odyssey 72
Book SynopsisA new year for David Bowie means new clothes, new boots, new hair and a new name: Ziggy Stardust. To the gloomy blacked-out Britain of powercuts and three-day weeks he may as well be from outer space - if that's what it takes to make him famous, far be it from him to tell anyone he isn't. Bowie's success as the bisexual Starman soon rubs off on his new friends Mott The Hoople and his hero Lou Reed as 1972 becomes Annus Glamrockus. Music, fashion and the old codes of gender will never be the same again. But as his runaway fame quickly blurs all lines between fantasy and reality, neither will David. The third volume of the Bowie Odyssey series offers a wild and revelatory snapshot of the year of Ziggy as Simon Goddard continues his vivid real-time journey through the decade Bowie changed pop forever.Trade Review'A stonking good read' Mike Scott, The Waterboys 'Deep dive into the year Bowie achieved glam lift-off. Goddard's narrative is immersive, novelistic as he gets as deep inside as he can of the Bowie experience of 1972' Classic Rock, 9/10 'In which Ziggy touches down and Bowie takes off... The third instalment of Simon Goddard's wonderful Bowie Odyssey series' Record Collector, 4* 'David Bowie was at the Big Bang of my music consciousness. Simon Goddard’s immersive yearly look at the world in which Bowie operated, have become a must read for me. I’m very much looking forward to 1972.' Tim Burgess
£15.29
Omnibus Press Still Too Sexy: Surviving Right Said Fred
Book SynopsisRichard and Fred Fairbrass, better known as Right Said Fred, scored a global Number 1 hit in 1991 with their debut single 'I'm Too Sexy', selling 30 million albums, being showered with industry awards, and earning plaudits from admirers such as Madonna and Prince. Before that breakthrough, though, the brothers spent over a decade in London and New York, trying to make it in the music industry. Fred played guitar with Bob Dylan and Richard played bass in several David Bowie videos, with the brothers appearing on stage with Joy Division and Suicide, and on film with Mick Jagger. Once fame hit, the good times rolled, the substances mounted up and the groupies formed an orderly queue, but it wasn't long before the brothers realised that fame and fortune is not for everyone. Still Too Sexy is their story, with a foreword by the legendary stunt motorcyclist Eddie Kidd, OBE.Trade Review'Salacious, candid, funny and shocking. The book captures the anarchy of sudden celebrity' The Independent
£15.29
Omnibus Press Careless Whispers: The Life and Career of George
Book SynopsisGeorge Michael is the single most played artist on UK radio for the last two decades. He has sold 100 million albums world-wide and had seven UK number one singles and albums. This paperback edition of the biography tells his story from the formation of Wham! in the early 1980s with friend Andrew Ridgley. Their success with hits including Young Guns (Go For It), and Club Tropicana and their split in 1986. His success as a solo artist with albums including Faith and Listen Without Prejudice. His legal battle with Sony which cost him millions of his own money. His personal life including his secret boyfriend Anselmo Feleppo who died in 1993, his former muse Kathy Jeung and art dealer Kenny Goss. Careless Whispers is the final word on a true original.
£10.44
Omnibus Press Defying Gravity: Jordan's Story
Book SynopsisThe image of Jordan with her white shards of beehive and Mondrian make-up is one of the most iconic in pop culture. From the counter of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s taboo-busting shop on 240 King’s Road, she helped shape a revolution. But who was the woman behind it all? How did a ballet-mad girl from Sussex make her way, via the clandestine gay clubs of Brighton and London, to the eye of punk’s storm? What happened after she shared so many hair-raising adventures with the Sex Pistols, Adam and his Ants, Derek Jarman and Andy Warhol – and then just disappeared? With commentary from key players and close friends including Vivienne Westwood, Paul Cook, Marco Pirroni, Holly Johnson, and her partner behind the SEX counter, Michael Collins – plus a wealth of never-before-seen images – Jordan reveals her outrageous life story. Buckle up for a masterclass in true punk spirit.
£15.13
Velocity Press Write Lines
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£13.49
Prototype Publishing Ltd. Safe Metamorphosis
Book SynopsisMensah’s work challenges dominant modes of masculinity, and disrupts the elitism of poetry through its accessible, honest, raw and intimate language and rhythms. Free from the constraints of convention, Mensah writes in his own, unique voice, layered with rhythm and surreal imagery, unified by its fearless commitment to emotional honesty and its openness about the power and cost of creativity.Safe Metamorphosis explores the transformations experienced in everyday life and the unspoken traumas caused by the uprooting of self as we are thrusted from one identity-building state to another. The trauma of leaving school, ‘growing up’, the demise of a romantic relationship, the loss of faith in a purpose: common, formative experiences too often dismissed. The poems in this striking and original collection explore metamorphoses at different points of our journey into adulthood, addressing the ways in which the associated upheaval of change and lost identity alters our sense of self and relationships with others.For Mensah, poetry and hip hop are a stimulus for philosophical reflection and introspection, and the poems in Safe Metamorphosis welcome us into the imaginative and highly observant mind of an artist committed to the healing and unifying power of communication.
£9.50
Prototype Publishing Ltd. Vehicle: a verse novel
Book SynopsisIn a time when looking into the past has become a socially unacceptable and illegal act in the Nation, a group of scholars are offered an attractive residency to allow them to pursue their projects. When the residency transpires to be a devastating trick, these Researchers go on the run, and soon discover that their projects all relate to one major event: the Isletese Disaster – the decline and subsequent devastation fifty years earlier of a long-forgotten roaming archipelago called The Islets.One figure emerges as central to all of their work: Hester Heller, a reformed cult musiker turned student recruited from the Institute for Transmission as an agent of the state and tasked with gathering reconnaissance on the Disaster by using her old band Vehicle as a cover. Heller is the key to the Researchers collective story, which they try to piece together while evading their pursuers.Compiled from the Researchers’ disparate documentation, recollections, and even their imaginations, Vehicle is a timely and daring exploration of xenophobia, exploitation, the writing of histories and legacies, and the politics of translation.
£10.80
Aurora Metro Publications Giorgio Gomelsky 'For Your Love': The Incredible
Book SynopsisGiorgio Gomelsky was at the centre of the counterculture in 60s' London and 70s' Paris before running a studio for avant-garde musicians in New York. He was the original manager of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds in London, then managed the French supergroup Magma and developed the career of Gong. Dumaurier recounts his friend Gomelsky's love of life, his dynamism, and the creativity that made him "push the envelope". With a keen eye for talent, Gomelsky's ideas helped shape the rock music we know and love today - acting as a catalyst for change and innovation. With recollections from colleagues, friends and musicians: Larry Birnbaum, Madeleine Carr, Raul Gonzalez, Brian Gooding, Bob Gruen, Roman Iwasiwka, Amy Madden, Jesse Malin and Bradley Rim.Trade Review"At last! A biography of the man who did more than most to shape rock music in the 60s and 70s. Francis was a close friend and admirer of his subject in his later years, and his book captures Gomelsky's brilliant butterfly mind; a labour of love." - Ralph Brookfield, musician and writer of books on music ; "If you have an interest in the way the music industry evolved, an interest in the 1960's British blues and 1970's Prog scene, then I'd thoroughly recommend this book. The author does a wonderful job bringing the story to life." - Roger Tichborne, The Barnet Eye; "a great tribute and recollection of Giorgio Gomelsky's life and his influences on culture and music as told by close friends and those that knew and worked with him, such as musicians Jesse Malin, Brad Rim, Amy Madden and Raul Gonzalez. It is a genuine and interesting read to discover more about Giorgio and his life as well as the history of the music era of the 60s and 70s rock. Now, thanks to this English edition, more can read about Giorgio's life and influences that helped shape rock music so he can get the remembrance he deserves." - Carina Lawrence, Mad About Rock ; "In his biography 'Life', Keith Richards says of Gomelsky: 'He pushed us forward, found us concerts, at a time when there was nothing else to hope for.' A creative, inspired poet, passionate impresario, Giorgio Gomelsky lived in New York where the author Francis Dumaurier met him and then rubbed shoulders with him for a long time. From their friendship was born this moving testimony that (finally) does justice to the man." **** --Maryline Stan, Amazon; "If you're a big classic rock nerd who wants to learn about the behind the scenes people, it's a good read with many interesting stories from those who were close to Giorgio throughout his life - an honest look, warts and all... There are lots of cool photos of Giorgio and the bands that he worked with throughout the book. It paints a vibrant picture of what it was like in Swinging London, 60s and 70s Paris, and 80s New York City... Pick up this book and you'll find he was more than just The Yardbirds manager. What a journey!" - Angie Moon, The Diversity of Classic Rock; "Dumaurier, through his friendship with Giorgio and interviews with those who knew him, paints a vivid picture of Gomelsky's life and legacy, exploring his complex relationships with the musicians he worked with, his impact on the music industry, and his lasting influence on the cultural landscape of the 1960s and beyond." - Jason Barnard, The Strange Brew; "A fascinating biography featuring one of the British blues most unsung heroes, via vital associations with the Stones and Yardbirds amongst others." - Craig Campbell, Louder Than War; "Gomelsky’s true talent, in Dumaurier’s reckoning, was always finding his way to where the interesting people were...A loving account of a life lived across music scenes." - Kirkus Reviews
£14.24
Granta Publications Ltd Fantasia
Book SynopsisNisha Ramayya's second collection situates listening as a political act; a way of attuning to the world around us, paying attention, and understanding our interconnectedness
£11.69
Wymer Publishing Genesis Reference Manual
Book SynopsisWith Genesis finally drawing a veil over their career with the last concerts taking place in March 2022, the full career is now encapsulated in one hefty tome. Or as the author Alan Hewitt was adamant it should be referred as - the Genesis Reference Manual. Documenting everything imaginable about the band from the start of pre-Genesis band Anon through to the final London shows of 2022. The go to reference for everything Genesis, the Genesis Reference Manual details all the known concerts, recordings, media appearances and beyond. From both the band and their solo careers. The most comprehensive collection of Genesis information ever compiled in one book. Genesis Reference Manual is an essential guide and reference source for all things Genesis. The final word on one of the worlds' most enduring and successful bands.
£33.24
Omnibus Press Autonomy
Book SynopsisFrom bass player to lead guitarist, member, Steve Diggle has been the driving force keeping Buzzcocks alive since he first met Pete Shelley in 1976. Together they would ignite the Manchester music scene, kickstart indie and become one of the best loved and most influential punk groups of all time.
£17.00
Omnibus Press Sniffin Glue
Book SynopsisMark Perry's first issue (1 of 12) set the tone for an exercise in kitchen-table publishing that did not even have a kitchen table. Boldly scrawled in his bedroom SNIFFIN' GLUE started out as a fan's rallying cry, went on just as long as it needed to (one year) and then stopped, as good punk enterprises should.
£17.00
Omnibus Press Nirvana
Book SynopsisThis is a true insider's commentary on one of rock's most influential bands, with a Foreword by Benjamin Myers (The Offing, Gallows Pole).
£13.49
Omnibus Press Heady Daze
Book SynopsisPicking up where the critically acclaimed Salad Daze left off, Heady Daze sees Wayne Hussey revisit the years from 1985 to 1990 leading The Mission through their formation to global success.
£11.69
Damaged Goods Books London's Lost Music Venue 2
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£13.49
Damaged Goods Books 1-2 Cut Your Hair!: The Johnny Moped Story
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£13.49
Smith Street Books Let it Lizzo
Book SynopsisThis hilarious unofficial scrapbook is a love letter to Lizzo, the queen of self-affirmation, soulful pop bangers, and, of course, the red carpet.To many, it seemed as though Lizzo shot to fame overnight. But longtime fans, like author Billie Oliver, know this is hardly the case. Lizzo’s story is one of tireless persistence, in an industry and media landscape where she was often made to feel like she didn’t belong. Well, you better believe that never stopped Lizzo. Lizzobangers, her debut album, dropped in 2014 and piqued interest. But it was from 2016 onwards, as Lizzo’s hilarious online presence grew in step with her status as a self-love advocate, that her ascent to global stardom began. All the while, Lizzo maintained her brand of I-don’t-give-a-f **k sincerity that many of us now aspire to. Or at least enjoy watching. How many other artists can claim to have twerked on stages around the world
£999.99
Rockpool Publishing Grunge Tarot
Book SynopsisA highly symbolic deck born in the Grunge music subculture, the Grunge Tarot is an adventure that crosses the mysterious world of archetypes to arrive at the heart of the 1990s and grunge. Starting from grunge, this deck of cards aims to recreate the atmosphere and the impact of great rock stars as the restlessness of an era, highlighting the search for identity among extremes. It is the dreamy and transgressive imagination of the Fool that begins every path, ready to lose himself or be redeemed. A grain of truth can exist anywhere, even in the pockets of an old checkered shirt, backstage at a concert, or in the doubts and vulnerability of adolescence.
£17.99
Rockpool Publishing Aussie Rock Anthems Top 40
Book SynopsisStunningly designed flexibound book profiling the top 40 most famous Australian pop and rock songs. What a famous song is about and what you think it's about aren't always the same thing. National Anthems names the top 40 classic Australian songs and tells the stories behind them - many unknown. From Hunters and Collectors' Throw Your Arms Around Me to INXS's Don't Change and Red Gum's I Was Only 19, author Glen Humphries unearths hidden gems and surprising back stories about the bands. It's a celebration of great Australian music that will have you reaching for old vinyl or phone apps to give some of these classics another listen. Chances are, each song is not what you had assumed.
£17.60
Akashic Books,U.S. Dance Of Days: Updated Edition: Two Decades of
Book SynopsisThe updated 2009 edition of this evergreen punk-rock classic, recounting the rise of trailblazing artists such as Bad Brains and Henry Rollins.
£22.06
Bazillion Points We Got Power!: Hardcore Punk Scenes from 1980s
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£33.96
Bazillion Points Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge in Europe, 1989
Book SynopsisPhoto journal from a crucial stage in Nirvana's development. Photos taken by Bruce Pavitt, founder of SubPop records, the most influential company in the grunge scene.
£27.96
Bazillion Points Sub Pop USA: The Subterranean Pop Music
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£27.96
Bazillion Points Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death
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£23.96
Bazillion Points United Forces: An Archive of Brazil's Raw Metal
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£39.99
Bazillion Points Texas Is The Reason: The Mavericks of Lone Star
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£27.96
Bazillion Points Misery Obscura: The Photography of Eerie Von
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£26.96
Feral House,U.S. Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage,
Book SynopsisThe birth of the 1970s punk movement as seen through the eyes of Chicana feminist and punk musician Alice Bag.
£16.99
Ugly Duckling Presse Dear Angel of Death
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£10.80
Drag City Bill Callahan: I Drive A Valence: The Collected
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£15.29
Drag City Galactic Zoo Dossier #10: The Interview Issue
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£20.68
Z2 comics Cypress Hill Tres Equis
Book Synopsis Cypress Hill is considered the first-ever Latin American hip hop group, and has sold over 20 million albums to date, with this graphic novel release timed to their 30th anniversary and activities and merchandise planned around it Graphic novel traces the group’s origins back to Los Angeles, CA and is set against a backdrop of the turmoil of the LA Riots, making this an all-too relevant release following the events of 2020 and clashes between police and protestors in the Black Lives Matter movement Written by former Complex Editor-in-Chief and Def Jam Records executive Noah Callahan-Bever Feature media coverage in LA Times, NY Times, High Times Planned regional features across Southern California print and radio outlets, including daily and weekly publications in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego 1991: XXX years ago, a trailblazing trio made music history blending East Coast hip-hop fundamentals with West Coast chicano swagger to form a sound all their own. Before they became icons, Louis and Senen were just a couple teenage cholos from around the way, trying to stay out of trouble--Until a series of chance encounters with both sides of the law changed their path forever.
£13.49
Z2 comics Flatbush Zombies - 3001: A Prequel Odyssey
Book SynopsisA Prequle to Flatbush Zombies' 2016 debut LP, 3001: A Laced Oddyssey The official prequel to the Flatbush Zombies’ debut album. Erick, Meech, and Juice were just three friends from Flatbush with the power to really move a crowd—until a supernatural crystal changed everything! Now, dark forces are invading the neighborhood to unleash a nightmare entity at Brookyln's world-famous West Indian Day Parade...and only the Flatbush Zombies stand in their way. By writer Rob Markman (Marvel's Voices; Solo) and the premiere of interior artist J.J. Lopez, plus featuring brand-new character designs by Marvel Comics artist David Nakayama!
£13.49
BMG Books Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood: My Life in Soul
Book SynopsisKnown for the classics “Knock on Wood,” “634-5789,” “Raise Your Hand,” “Big Bird,” and “I’ve Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do),” among others, Eddie Floyd’s career as a soul legend spans over sixty years. His professional singing career began in Detroit in the 1950s as a founding member of the Falcons, considered “The First Soul Group.” A solo artist and songwriter for Memphis’s famed Stax Records from 1966 until 1975, Floyd has subsequently been the singer for the Blues Brothers Band and for Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, while continuing to perform and record solo. In Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood, Floyd recounts how a three-year stint in an Alabama reform school shaped his young life; recalls the early years of R&B in Detroit alongside future Motown and Stax legends; discusses the songwriting sessions with Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones that produced his biggest hits; addresses his complicated life-long relationship with the often-unpredictable Wilson Pickett; shares his memories of friend Otis Redding; reveals his unlikely involvement in the rise of southern rock darlings Lynyrd Skynyrd; and offers an insider perspective on the tragic downfall of Stax Records. With input from Bruce Springsteen, Bill Wyman, Paul Young, William Bell, Steve Cropper, and others, Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood captures Eddie’s tireless work ethic and warm personality for an engrossing first-hand account of one of the last true soul survivors.Trade Review"A biography that has it all - the joys, adventures and challenges of being a consistent hitmaker and soul superstar. I've had the privilege of performing alongside Eddie in the Blues Brothers Band touring show and he'll always move faster than me." Dan Aykroyd, aka Elwood Blues
£20.76
Puncture Publications Highway To Hell (third Edition): The Life & Death
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£22.09
Lulu Press I Heartbreak the Ramones
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£20.80
Fantoons RUSH
Book SynopsisCanadas greatest musicians have gone missing...and in RUSH: Wheres Geddy, Alex and Neil? Its your job to find them!The only official RUSH seek-and-find book now boasts a new edition featuring 16 original, intricately illustrated album-based worlds! This edition includes two new album pages: A Show of Hands and Presto. The book celebrates the bands incredible discography, spanning from 1974s RUSH to 1989s Presto, all brimming with RUSH references. Written by David Calcano, the writer/director behind the bands critically-acclaimed animated videos for Spirit of Radio and YYZboth of which are now amassing millions of viewsthis revised edition of RUSH: Wheres Geddy, Alex, and Neil? is passionately crafted by artists and die-hard RUSH fans from the award-winning animation studio Fantoons. It pays homage to the awe-inspiring soundscapes of RUSHs diverse discography. Each illustration is densely packed with details and references to the spectacular saga of RUSHs music and career, offering an engaging challenge to RUSH fans of any age. RUSH is among the most celebrated and beloved bands worldwide, with numerous sold-out tours and over 40 million records sold globally. Their dedication to the musical arts and the human element has established them as masterclass artists, renowned for their unforgettable melodic structures and engaging, thematic lyrics that transport listeners to worlds beyond belief.
£17.22
Rutgers University Press Destructive Desires: Rhythm and Blues Culture and
Book SynopsisDespite rhythm and blues culture’s undeniable role in molding, reflecting, and reshaping black cultural production, consciousness, and politics, it has yet to receive the serious scholarly examination it deserves. Destructive Desires corrects this omission by analyzing how post-Civil Rights era rhythm and blues culture articulates competing and conflicting political, social, familial, and economic desires within and for African American communities. As an important form of black cultural production, rhythm and blues music helps us to understand black political and cultural desires and longings in light of neo-liberalism’s increased codification in America’s racial politics and policies since the 1970s. Robert J. Patterson provides a thorough analysis of four artists—Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Adina Howard, Whitney Houston, and Toni Braxton—to examine black cultural longings by demonstrating how our reading of specific moments in their lives, careers, and performances serve as metacommentaries for broader issues in black culture and politics.Trade Review"This incisive, engaging analysis of post-Civil Rights era rhythm and blues culture models the best kind of cultural studies scholarship: resisting the tendencies to view popular culture as a passive reflection of conservative ideologies or to inflate its oppositional effects, Patterson's both/and approach reveals the rich and often contradictory ways in which RB culture navigates the pressures of neoliberal gender and sexual politics." -- Madhu Dubey * author of Signs and Cities: Black Literary Postmodernism *"Contextualizing the music and careers of four seminal late twentieth-century RB artists, Babyface, Toni Braxton, Adina Howard, and Whitney Houston, Robert J. Patterson’s exhilarating book grapples with the 'destructive desires' that compelled these artists’ negotiations of restrictive norms of black American gendered, class, and sexual performance. A work of tremendous intellectual 'whip appeal,' a 'front and center,' 'special brew' of engaged and illuminating interdisciplinary scholarship, Destructive Desires: Rhythm and Blues Culture and the Politics of Racial Equality arrives 'just in time,' and will doubtlessly be savored." -- Michael Awkward * Gayl Jones Professor of Afro-American Literature and Culture, University of Michigan *"New Book Examines Relationship Between RB Culture, Black Aspirations" https://www.georgetown.edu/news/robert-patterson-book-on-tie-between-randb-culture-and-black-aspirations * Georgetown.edu *"Highly recommended." * Choice *"Patterson studies lyrics from various African American rhythm and blues musicians. Through the lyrics, the author examines the big picture behind the words, analyzing hidden meanings and possible political stances throughout the verses and rhythm. Patterson provides an in-depth analysis of four musicians—Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Adina Howard, Whitney Houston, and Toni Braxton—to analyze Black culture and the political climate through the lyrics and melodies of each of the songs discussed throughout the text." * Communication Booknotes Quarterly *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. Reading Race, Gender, and Sex: Black Intimate Relations, Black Inequality, and the Rhythm and the Blues Imagination 2. “Whip Appeal:” Reading Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds 3. “Freak Like Me:” Reading Adina Howard 4.“Didn’t We Almost Have It All:” Reading Whitney Houston Epilogue Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Acknowledgements Bibliography
£28.90
Rutgers University Press Janelle Monáe's Queer Afrofuturism: Defying Every
Book SynopsisSinger. Dancer. Movie star. Activist. Queer icon. Afrofuturist. Working class heroine. Time traveler. Prophet. Feminist. Android. Dirty Computer. Janelle Monáe is all these things and more, making her one of the most fascinating artists to emerge in the twenty-first century. This provocative new study explores how Monáe’s work has connected different media platforms to strengthen and enhance new movements in art, theory, and politics. It considers not only Monáe’s groundbreaking albums The ArchAndroid, The Electric Lady, and Dirty Computer, but also Monáe’s work as an actress in such films as Hidden Figures and Antebellum, as well as her soundtrack appearances in socially-engaged projects ranging from I May Destroy You to Us. Examining Monáe as a cultural icon whose work is profoundly intersectional, this book maps how she is actively reshaping discourses around race, gender, sexuality, and capitalism. Tracing Monáe’s performances of joy, desire, pain, and hope across a wide range of media forms, it shows how she imagines Afrofuturist, posthumanist, and postcapitalist utopias, while remaining grounded in the realities of being a Black woman in a white-dominated industry. This is an exciting introduction to an audacious innovator whose work offers us fresh ways to talk about identity, desire, and power.Trade Review“An expert critic of the ideological construction of transmedia worlds, Dan Hassler-Forest offers a tour de force analysis of virtuoso music and media artist Janelle Monae as a vernacular theorist and intersectional figure. The resulting book makes a compelling case that her interventions into popular culture may help to shape how we collectively imagine our futures and the world according to Janelle Monae is a better one by far.” -- Henry Jenkins * co-editor of Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination: Case Studies of Creative Social Change *"Building on a close reading of the transformative potential central to Afrofuturism, Janelle Monáe's Queer Afrofuturism highlights how Monáe's mix of speculation and liberation shines a light on acceptance, care, and community central to Afrofuturism's appeal. Carefully framing intersectional concerns around bodies and power expressed in Monáe's artistic work allows Hassler-Forest to provide an intriguing examination of an artist who has quickly come to embody the transformative potential of black speculative practice." -- Julian C. Chambliss * co-editor of Cities Imagined: The African Diaspora in Media and History *“Hassler-Forest clarifies why artist-activists like Monae are so central not only to how we can imagine a future that is free from the strictures of white supremacy but also to how we can harness the power of utopian thinking in the here and the now.” -- TreaAndrea Russworm * author of From Madea to Media Mogul: Theorizing Tyler Perry *Pg. 99: Dan Hassler-Forest's "Janelle Monáe’s Queer Afrofuturism" * The Page 99 Test/Campaign for the American Reader *Table of ContentsIntroduction Vector 1: AFROFUTURISM Vector 2: BLACK FEMINISM Vector 3: : INTERSECTIONALITY Vector 4: : POSTHUMANISM Vector 5: POSTCAPITALISM Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index
£21.59
Rutgers University Press Janelle Monáe's Queer Afrofuturism: Defying Every
Book SynopsisSinger. Dancer. Movie star. Activist. Queer icon. Afrofuturist. Working class heroine. Time traveler. Prophet. Feminist. Android. Dirty Computer. Janelle Monáe is all these things and more, making her one of the most fascinating artists to emerge in the twenty-first century. This provocative new study explores how Monáe’s work has connected different media platforms to strengthen and enhance new movements in art, theory, and politics. It considers not only Monáe’s groundbreaking albums The ArchAndroid, The Electric Lady, and Dirty Computer, but also Monáe’s work as an actress in such films as Hidden Figures and Antebellum, as well as her soundtrack appearances in socially-engaged projects ranging from I May Destroy You to Us. Examining Monáe as a cultural icon whose work is profoundly intersectional, this book maps how she is actively reshaping discourses around race, gender, sexuality, and capitalism. Tracing Monáe’s performances of joy, desire, pain, and hope across a wide range of media forms, it shows how she imagines Afrofuturist, posthumanist, and postcapitalist utopias, while remaining grounded in the realities of being a Black woman in a white-dominated industry. This is an exciting introduction to an audacious innovator whose work offers us fresh ways to talk about identity, desire, and power.Trade Review“An expert critic of the ideological construction of transmedia worlds, Dan Hassler-Forest offers a tour de force analysis of virtuoso music and media artist Janelle Monae as a vernacular theorist and intersectional figure. The resulting book makes a compelling case that her interventions into popular culture may help to shape how we collectively imagine our futures and the world according to Janelle Monae is a better one by far.” -- Henry Jenkins * co-editor of Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination: Case Studies of Creative Social Change *"Building on a close reading of the transformative potential central to Afrofuturism, Janelle Monáe's Queer Afrofuturism highlights how Monáe's mix of speculation and liberation shines a light on acceptance, care, and community central to Afrofuturism's appeal. Carefully framing intersectional concerns around bodies and power expressed in Monáe's artistic work allows Hassler-Forest to provide an intriguing examination of an artist who has quickly come to embody the transformative potential of black speculative practice." -- Julian C. Chambliss * co-editor of Cities Imagined: The African Diaspora in Media and History *“Hassler-Forest clarifies why artist-activists like Monae are so central not only to how we can imagine a future that is free from the strictures of white supremacy but also to how we can harness the power of utopian thinking in the here and the now.” -- TreaAndrea Russworm * author of From Madea to Media Mogul: Theorizing Tyler Perry *Pg. 99: Dan Hassler-Forest's "Janelle Monáe’s Queer Afrofuturism" * The Page 99 Test/Campaign for the American Reader *Table of ContentsIntroduction Vector 1: AFROFUTURISM Vector 2: BLACK FEMINISM Vector 3: : INTERSECTIONALITY Vector 4: : POSTHUMANISM Vector 5: POSTCAPITALISM Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index
£55.25
Rutgers University Press Rockin' in the Ivory Tower: Rock Music on Campus
Book Synopsis Histories of American rock music and the 1960s counterculture typically focus on the same few places: Woodstock, Monterey, Altamont. Yet there was also a very active college circuit that brought edgy acts like the Jefferson Airplane and the Velvet Underground to different metropolitan regions and smaller towns all over the country. These campus concerts were often programmed, promoted, and reviewed by students themselves, and their diverse tastes challenged narrow definitions of rock music. Rockin’ in the Ivory Tower takes a close look at two smaller universities, Drew in New Jersey and Stony Brook on Long Island, to see how the culture of rock music played an integral role in student life in the late 1960s. Analyzing campus archives and college newspapers, historian James Carter traces connections between rock fandom and the civil rights protests, free speech activism, radical ideas, lifestyle transformations, and anti-war movements that revolutionized universities in the 1960s. Furthermore, he finds that these progressive students refused to segregate genres like folk, R&B, hard rock, and pop. Rockin’ in the Ivory Tower gives readers a front-row seat to a dynamic time for the music industry, countercultural politics, and youth culture. Trade Review“The research and writing are exciting; Rockin’ in the Ivory Tower fills an important gap in the historiography of rock music and the sixties.” -- Dewar MacLeod * author of Making the Scene in the Garden State: Popular Music in New Jersey from Edison to Springste *“Rockin’ in the Ivory Tower offers a welcome entry into a field of study that is only just beginning to flower.” -- Kenneth Womack * author of Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans *Table of Contents Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Postwar America, the Revolution in Higher Education, and Popular Music 2 “The Sound of the Sixties”: Popular Music and College Campuses 3 “I Blundered My Way Through”: The College Impresario, Fall 1965–Fall 1967 4 “They’re Rockin’ in the Ivory Tower”: Fall 1967–Fall 1968 5 The “Americanization of Rock”: Spring 1969–Fall 1970 Conclusion Appendix A: Bands/Artists at Drew University, 1967–1971 Appendix B: Bands/Artists at Stony Brook University, 1967–1971 Notes Bibliography Index
£26.35
