Popular music Books

Book SynopsisTaylor Swift makes the whole world shimmer in this glittering, globetrotting search book. Spot Taylor at a Nashville rodeo, browsing for cat toys at the pet shop and charming the crowds at a concert arena. Featuring 17 sensational locations and showcasing 17 iconic outfits, readers can spot Taylor, her cats and three Eras-themed items hiding in every scene.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhilst these records were being conceived, rehearsed, recorded and produced, Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood made hundreds of images. These ranged from obsessive, insomniac scrawls in biro to six-foot-square painted canvases, from scissors-and-glue collages to immense digital landscapes. They utilised every medium they could find, from sticks and knives to the emerging digital technologies.The work chronicles their obsessions at the time: minotaurs, genocide, maps, globalisation, monsters, pylons, dams, volcanoes, locusts, lightning, helicopters, Hiroshima, show homes and ring roads. What emerges is a deeply strange portrait of the years at the commencement of this century. A time that seems an age ago - but so much remains the same.Trade ReviewA celebration of the ideas, both written and drawn, that were behind the creation of the Radiohead albums Kid A and Amnesiac . . . Includes faxes, notes, scribblings and sketches that musician Yorke and artist Donwood exchanged in the run-up to the creation of two iconic albums * * Independent * *The themes they [explore] (global warming, government surveillance, the corrosive power of the internet) are still strikingly relevant * * Scotsman * *These companion art books show the depth of Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and visual artist Stanley Donwood's decades-long creative partnership . . . Filled with rare artwork, early drafts, poetry and even a glossary to many of their inspirations, these works shed light on some of their more cryptic mysteries, while folding in new shadows to consider * * Variety * *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe colorful "Punk Professor", new-wave musician, and critic/filmmaker spins a dazzling survey of women in punk, from the genre's inception in 1970s London to the current voices making waves around the globe. As an industry insider and pioneering post-punk musician, Vivien Goldman's perspective on music journalism is unusually well-rounded. In Revenge of the She-Punks, she probes four themes-identity, money, love, and protest-to explore what makes punk such a liberating art form for women. With her visceral style, Goldman blends interviews, history, and her personal experience as one of Britain's first female music writers in a book that reads like a vivid documentary of a genre defined by dismantling boundaries. A discussion of the Patti Smith song "Free Money," for example, opens with Goldman on a shopping spree with Smith. Tamar-Kali, whose name pays homage to a Hindu goddess, describes the influence of her Gullah ancestors on her music, while the late Poly Styrene's daughter reflects on why her Somali-Scots-Irish mother wrote the 1978 punk anthem "Identity," with the refrain "Identity is the crisis you can't see." Other strands feature artists from farther afield (including in Colombia and Indonesia) and genre-busting revolutionaries such as Grace Jones, who wasn't exclusively punk but clearly influenced the movement while absorbing its liberating audacity. From punk's Euro origins to its international reach, this is an exhilarating world tour.

Read more less

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.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis"AS ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHER, ADVENTUROUS FAN AND INSIDEREYE-WITNESS, KEVIN CUMMINS HAS ALWAYS BEEN WHERE THE CULTURALACTION IS. MIXING MEMORY & DESIRE WILL MAKE YOU SEE DAVID BOWIE INA SURPRISING AND STIMULATING NEW WAY." -PAUL MORLEY"DAVID BOWIE WAS ON A CREATIVE JOURNEY THROUGH MUSIC,FASHION AND ART. A JOURNEY UNPARALLELED IN POPULAR CULTURE.WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT IS FOR US THAT KEVIN CUMMINS WAS THERE TOCAPTURE THIS JOURNEY. HIS WONDERFUL BOOK SHOWS US EXACTLYWHY BOWIE WAS SO UNIQUE." -NOEL GALLAGHER"KEVIN BRILLIANTLY CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF THE GREAT MAN INTHESE REMARKABLE PHOTOGRAPHS. CUMMINS IS SO ADEPT AT BREAKINGDOWN THE BARRIER OF THE CAMERA, YOU SENSE BOWIE IS COMPLETELYAT EASE WHEN THEY WORKED TOGETHER" -GOLDIE'Whether you know him as Ziggy Stardust, Major Tom, or just David Jones, there is a David Bowie for everyone. Through Cummins's photos, each of these iconic personas is brought before our eyes.' DAILY MAILThe career of celebrated photographer Kevin Cummins began on 29th June 1973 when, as a nineteen-year-old photography student, he photographed David Bowie. That image is now in the renowned photography collection of the V&A Museum and marked the beginning of Kevin Cummins' four-decade-long visual chronicle of David Bowie's remarkable career. David Bowie: Mixing Memory & Desire includes some of the best portraits of Bowie ever taken, the majority of which have never been published until now. From those legendary Bowie gigs in the early 1970s, through to a poignant image taken outside his apartment in New York in 2016, Cummins has captured the many faces of Bowie and created a book that is essential for Bowie fans everywhere.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this intimate and open account nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you've ever read Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate. In his rough yet sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers' childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian-born mother the kind of mum who admonished her boys to always wear a suit no matter how famous they became a woman who was both proud and practical, nonchalant about taking a doggie bag from a star-studded dinner. He also shares tales of musical politics, infighting, and plenty of bad-boy behaviour. But mostly his is a story of brotherhood, music, and enduring love.I was with him from day one, Alex writes. We shared the experience of coming to America and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800 square foot house, a mom and

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe long-awaited memoir from founder and lead-singer of definitive noughties pop-punk band Sum 41, Deryck Whibley.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWisdom and musings on creativity and life from one of the world’s most beloved musicians, producers, and mentors—the legendary multi-award-winner Quincy Jones12 Notes is a self-development guide that will affirm that creativity is a calling that can and should be answered, no matter your age or experience. Drawing from his own life, and those of his many creative collaborators past and present, Quincy Jones presents readers with lessons that are hardworking and accessible yet speak to the passion of self-expression. He includes sections as deep as how to transform grief into power, and as practical as how to set goals and articulate intentions through daily affirmations. Weaving his story throughout, Jones lets readers in on his own creative process, as well as the importance of letting honesty, hard work, and good relationships drive your career.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this first of a groundbreaking multivolume set, THE MCCARTNEY LEGACY, VOL 1: 1969-73 captures the life of Paul McCartney in the years immediately following the dissolution of the Beatles, a period in which McCartney recreated himself as both a man and a musician.Trade Review"Volume 1 of The McCartney Legacy by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, arrives like a well-planned encore a year after the publication of The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present by Paul McCartney. Influenced by the methods of Mark Lewisohn, the exacting Beatles historian currently at work on the second volume of a trilogy about the group (the first was 900 pages, and that was an abridgment)... in a way The McCartney Legacy out-Lewisohns Lewisohn, taking almost 700 pages to cover only five years." — The New York Times Book Review “This is the comprehensive, painstaking, dazzling and definitive chronicle of rock’s strangest story: how Paul McCartney refused to go quietly after the Beatles, and how he kept his genius moving forward into another day. An amazing, inspiring trip.” — Rob Sheffield, author of Dreaming the Beatles “No maybe – I’m plain amazed at this real reveal of Paul McCartney with his decades of artful creativity. Through these pages is the accurate biography of a universal explorer.” — Mark Lewisohn, world renowned Beatles expert "Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair's The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1, 1969-73 is a triumph... their masterful study of the artist's spectacular rise from the ashes of the Beatles, Kozinn and Sinclair bring McCartney's comeback story vividly to life." — Salon "Anybody in the future who wants to know anything about the subject will find the information here. Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair, a former New York Times music critic and a documentary maker respectively, have entirely succeeded in the task they set themselves — to find out and inform the reader of everything there is to know about the life of Paul McCartney between 1969 and 1973." — The Times (UK) "If the devil is in the detail the The McCartney Legacy is positively satanic." — The Mail on Sunday Book Review "Setting the story between The Beatles’ demise and 1973 offers Kozinn and Sinclair a compelling redemptive narrative arc... Choosing to tell their story without foreknowledge, the authors allow it to unfold as if it’s happening in real time and without looking ahead to the outcome of any particular actions. It’s an often breathless and riveting read." — Reader's Digest "One thing that really sets this book apart is Kozinn and Sinclair’s unprecedented amount of detail on every single Paul McCartney solo recording session: dates, places, songs worked on, remembrances from those in the room, and lots of equipment detail." — Houston Press Book Review "A gold mine for avid fans." — Kirkus Reviews

Read more less

Book Synopsis'It's much more interesting to be a little bit broken and talk about your vulnerabilities.'An intimate, funny and frank account of the moments behind the music, the truth behind the headlines and the fascinatingly complicated man behind the imperious entertainer, Robbie Williams.Bestselling author Chris Heath has been working closely with Robbie for many years to create a personal and raw account of fame, fortune, family and music. This vivid and detailed portrait shows the real highs and lows of Robbie's life as he found his way forward, one that is unprecedented in its intimacy and honesty.Long-awaited by millions, Reveal is the uncensored and compelling portrait of Robbie as you've never seen him before.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen the world's greatest pop band played their final public concert, in January 1969, there were no tickets or posters printed. When John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr emerged at lunchtime from the headquarters of their own company, Apple, five storeys above London's Savile Row, only a select group of people knew what the hell was happening.The rooftop concert was one of the Beatles' most spontaneous acts. Beatles on the Roof studies the rooftop concert in penetrating detail, uncovering new truths and debunking old myths about the event. Nobody knew it yet - not even the band - but this was the last time they would play live to the public.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe definitive volume on the essence, experience and energy that is hip-hop and its massive and enduring impact over the last 40 years, now in paperback.Trade Review'DJ Semtex has nailed this' - Goldie'This book is worth bread' - Raekwon'This is an Illmatic book … a hip-hop bible' - Ghostface Killah'Amazing – buying immediately' - Chase & Status'This is a time capsule' - DJ Green Lantern'The pictures tell a thousand words' - Salaam Remi'Big up DJ Semtex' - Rag ’N’ Bone ManTable of ContentsForeword: Chuck D • Preface: Hip-hop Raised Me: Semtex’s story • 1. The Foundation Stones of Hip Hop • 2. The Mis-Education • 3. The Evolution of the Mixtape • 4. The Purple Period • 5. Fuck the Police? • 6. Divided Loyalties • 7. The DJ is Dead, Long Live the DJ • 8. Family First • 9. Before the Deal • 10. Obama Nation • 11. Tragedy to Triumph • 12. Wild Style • 13. The Home Invasion

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Mark Lewisohn knows the Fab Four better than they knew themselves'' The GuardianThis extended special edition of Mark Lewisohn''s magisterial book Tune In is a true collector''s item, featuring hundreds of thousands of words of extra material, as well as many extra photographs. It is the complete, uncut and definitive biography of the Beatles'' early years, from their family backgrounds through to the moment they''re on the cusp of their immense breakthrough at the end of 1962.Designed, printed and bound in Great Britain, this high-quality edition consists of two beautifully produced individual hardbacks printed on New Langely Antique Wove woodfree paper, with red-and-white head and tail bands and red ribbon marker. The two books will sit within a specially designed box and lid featuring soft touch and varnish finishes. The whole product comes shrinkwrapped for extra protection. Mark Lewisohn''s biography is the first true and accuTrade ReviewA radical event and a joy to read - Lewisohn tells the tale with such authoritative command of the evidence and so intimate a grasp of the Beatles' daily lives that the reader emerges knowing - with a certainty denied all previous generations - that this is how it really happened.Lewisohn's work stands as a monumental triumph, a challenge not merely to other Beatles biographers but to the discipline of biography itself. If only all important subjects had their Lewisohn * Washington Post *Lewisohn's work stands as a monumental triumph, a challenge not merely to other Beatles biographers but to the discipline of biography itself. If only all important subjects had their Lewisohn * Washington Post *A triumph. Not only an enthralling account of the Beatles' origins, far superior to anything that has gone before, but also an essential piece of social history. Lewisohn has set out to do the Beatles justice and write the definitive history. I think he is succeeding * The Times *Mark Lewisohn raises the biographical bar to stratospheric heights. This first volume suggests he is on the verge of achieving what was heretofore considered impossible: blowing the cobwebs off one of the late 20th century's hoariest cultural myths, scraping away decades' worth of accumulated crud and revealing detail no one previously suspected was there * Literary Review *An epic unprecedented in rock 'n' roll biography, and a great read ... Does far more than enrich with mind-boggling detail, there's a surprise on every page ... The detail is sharp and incisive ... It's the kind of book where want-to-know and need-to-know is wrapped into a narrative that unfolds brilliantly and, for once, justifies that 'real story of the Beatles' billing * Mojo *Positively a page turner, both for excitement and anticipation - Lewisohn has enhanced the story as a beautifully flowing factual tale that reads like a classic novel. Nobody but nobody could begin to match this work of joy and detail; and reassuringly, nobody ever will. This is the best work ever produced on the subject of the Beatles. A five star review is an insult, it merits an unheard of ten -- Colin Larkin * Best Things On Earth *The accomplishments of the Beatles has given rise to a near deification of them as both people and myth. Lewisohn brings that story back down into the world of real people. Tune In clears the air of myth and legend, leaving as much reality as a biography can offer. Every single page brings the Beatles back into focus and moves them away from legend. Common myths fall apart under Mr. Lewisohn's research * New York Journal of Books *Presents the Beatles story in a way it's never been seen before: truthfully and completely. The end result is a herculean effort, a fast-moving page-turner overflowing with warm humor, passion, and (of course) music. Likely to become a principle text in 20th-century studies, a sort of Complete Shakespeare with a much better soundtrack. For anyone who loves music, this book is the genuine ultimate * VH1.com *The saga is clearer and richer here than it's ever been. Lewisohn writes in novelistic detail and with the obvious conviction that none of the previous Beatles biographies have ever been good enough * Entertainment Weekly *This is Torah! Huge on a massive scale, the most altruistic thing anybody's done in the arts since the Beatles, and it needed to be done. God keep Mark Lewisohn alive to finish what he's started -- Howie Edelson * US radio writer/producer *Tune In is brilliant in describing the addictive power of rock and roll when there was no imaginable alternative in a doomed town. Mark Lewisohn's achievement lies with the fact that he never tries to 'explain'. He is not argumentative but turns up the colours in a world that has faded to grey * Herald Scotland *The best book I read all year. I expected data collection. I got data, but also interpretation at a very high level, obsessive reporting and high quality music criticism. Lewisohn's a writer as much or more than an assembler of information. This is a great book, there's nothing like it in music and damned little anywhere else (it makes The Power Broker seem superficial) -- Dave Marsh * Rock & Rap Confidential *Lewisohn amasses and investigates facts without sacrificing an iota of the excitement. In its close focus and historical ambition, the trilogy may be compared to Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson, or John Richardson's Life of Picasso; it is unlikely to be surpassed * Daily Telegraph *A game-changing study which raises the bar in a genre characterised by pap or pretension. A meticulous piece of work - I can't wait for volume two * Independent *I can think of no greater praise for Tune In than to say that it gives the Beatles the beginnings of the biography they deserve. It is hard to imagine the subsequent volumes, covering more familiar ground, matching the gripping quality of this constantly surprising work * Financial Times *With imagination, energy and a gripping plotline, Lewisohn manages to put flesh and blood on the story as never before * Sunday Times *Packed with revelations and demystifications -- James Woodall * The Economist *A major event in music publishing . . . the definitive account of the Beatles * GQ *I doubt anyone expected to be surprised about the Beatles again, but the story only needed supersizing. I continued reading with bewildered pleasure * Daily Telegraph *Fills in vital details that had been missing from the existing Beatles canon and corrects mistakes that have been reprinted for years. A definitive history of the band * Wall Street Journal *The widest possible angle on an extensive and engrossing group biography built on a well-raked mountain of exacting new research ... expertly controlled and propelling * New York Times *Epic in its scope, forensic in its detail, Tune In is like reading the Beatles' story for the very first time. Lewisohn's art is to tell the story compellingly: his prose has a vibrancy that sustains a remarkable page-turning momentum throughout its entire length. And what a story! Tune In leaves the reader breathless * R2/Rock ’n’ Reel *Lewisohn manages to fill in blanks that no one knew were empty * New Yorker *An epic on an unprecedented scale . . . Lewisohn has no serious rival * Irish Times *This is the story told in Proustian detail . . . The first edited-down volume, is largely a delight, and the story is told so definitively that, after this, that really should be it. Secondary sources are comprehensively mined; letters, public records and business documents have been found in places no one else ever thought to look . . . Lewisohn is a Beatles oracle * Guardian *Lewisohn has done an astonishing job. I can't wait for volume two * Independent *

Read more less

Book SynopsisPut together for the first time in one book, the artist approved Radiohead: The Electric Guitar Songbook contains over 20 of the greatest guitar songs from Radiohead.Table of Contents2+2=5; Airbag; Anyone Can Play Guitar; Black Star; Bodysnatchers; Creep; How Do You?; I Might Be Wrong; I Will; Just; Knives Out; Little By Little; Lucky; My Iron Lung; No Surprises; Nude; Optimistic; Reckoner; Talk Show Host; There There; These Are My Twisted Words; You And Whose Army

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis"The new Chris Cornell biography is the book his legacy deserves." —Kerrang!"Reiff unearths plenty of unexpected details and novel anecdotes…but the book is perhaps most valuable for the way it rounds out and humanizes this man who managed to keep so many of his cards close to the vest despite decades in the spotlight." —Variety “Total F*cking Godhead brings Chris Cornell, the voice of a generation, alive on the page. Impressively researched and compulsively readable, Godhead pulls no punches in recounting Cornell’s remarkable life and prolific career. It’s an inspired chronicle of an impassioned soul. Read it!”—Greg Renoff, author of Van Halen Rising With input from those who knew and worked with him—together with his own words—Total F*cking Godhead recounts the rise of Chris Cornell and his immortal band Soundgarden as they emerged from the 1980s post-punk underground to dominate popular culture in the ’90s alongside Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Nirvana. “From his days as a struggling Seattle musician at the forefront of the grunge scene to becoming a global icon, Total F*cking Godhead thoroughly chronicles the life story and prolific output of one of the greatest and most influential singers of all time. You will discover the man and his music all over again.”—David de Sola, author of Alice in Chains: The Untold Story Seattle resident and rock writer Corbin Reiff also examines Cornell’s dynamic solo career as well as his time in Audioslave. He delves into his hard-fought battle with addiction, and the supercharged reunion with the band that made him famous before everything came to a shocking end. “For those of us still trying to sort out the tragedy of Chris Cornell's death comes this loving look back at the man's life and music. I wrote my own book about grunge, and I still learned a lot from this excellent biography." —Mark Yarm, author of Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Honest and moving' Independent on Sunday Freddie Mercury was a rock superstar like no other. Recently the focus of the Academy Award-winning film Bohemian Rhapsody, he generated over £1 billion worth of sales in a career spanning two decades. But for all his riches, Mercury could not buy the thing he sought most: the love of one particular man. Jim Hutton was a modest gentleman’s barber when the two met in 1983. After many fiery false starts, they became lasting lovers. From the moment they lived together, wherever Mercury went, Hutton went too. And whoever Mercury met, Hutton met too – from Phil Collins to Elton John, David Bowie to the other members of Queen. They laughed together, fought together and, in Mercury’s final years, they often cried together. Freddie Mercury was forty-five when he died from AIDS in Hutton’s arms. No one can tell the story of the last few years of Mercury’s private life - the ecstasies and the agonies - more accurately or honestly than Jim Hutton.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe long-awaited, never-before-told, no-holds-barred memoir from the legendary Aerosmith frontman. Finally, all the lurid tales of debauchery, sex, drugs and rock n'' roll are told straight from the horse''s lips as The Demon of Screamin'' describes his unimaginable highs and unbelievable lows as lead singer of the biggest rock band in the world.Prolific frontman, rock icon and sex symbol, Steven Tyler is a living legend. With his raw, sharp-edged vocals, musical versatility and unprecedented song writing skills, Tyler has, as lead singer of Aerosmith, sold millions of records and played sell-out concerts to as many as 450,000 people. Now, at last, he tells his own story, taking us on a wild rollercoaster ride through the bust-ups, binges, orgies and good old American excess in the jaw-droppingly honest, in-your-face way that only Tyler can.Following a fateful meeting with his ''mutant twin'' Joe Perry in the summer of 1970, Aerosmith was formedand the rest, as they say, is rock historTrade Review‘Steven Tyler is one of the greats of American music’ Sir Paul McCartney ‘The book is sticky with sex…and drugs…plus he squeezes maximum mileage from obsessive punning and compulsive wordplay.’ Classic Rock

Read more less

Book Synopsis''For those who like their rock biogs thick with tales of heroic over-indulgence, OPEN UP AND BLEED is hard to beat'' - Irish Evening Herald Iggy Pop''s life has been one of extraordinary highs and terrifying lows. Infamous for his wild ways, he is also a towering figure of the rock scene - hugely influential, charismatic and provocative. Every ''mad, bad, dangerous to know'' rock star owes a debt to him, and the stories of his shocking behaviour are legendary. But Iggy Pop is also, to a large extent, a construct, the alter ego of the quietly spoken and intriguing Jim Osterberg: the kid voted ''Most Likely to Succeed'' by his classmates. So what turned this charming, well-mannered, straight-A student into a poster child for rock ''n'' roll debauchery?Iggy Pop: Open up and Bleed reveals the truth behind the myths. Former MOJO editor Paul Trynka tracked down the star''s friends, family, lovers and fellow musicians, conducting over two hundred and Trade ReviewWith its recurring themes of drug addiction, public masochism and self-sabotage, Iggy's story effectively tells itself, but Trynka captures the essential duality of a man as well-versed in Greek art as he is in panhandling for heroin on Sunset Boulevard ... [an] entertaining and insightful study of one of rock's most enduringly remarkable characters Q IGGY POP has all the rock 'n roll bases covered: drugs, long hair, funny body, formerly straight-A student. Lie back and think of California' TATLER 'Former MOJO editor Paul Trynka has put in impeccable research to tell the story of how the shy, studious Jim Osterberg transformed into the force of nature that is Iggy Pop' IRISH EVENING HERALD 'For those who like their rock biogs thick with tales of heroic over-indulgence, OPEN UP AND BLEED is hard to beat '

Read more less

Book Synopsis‘This collection of timeless photographs gives us an up close inside look at this uniquely complex man and brilliant iconic artist who forever changed the world. One love…’ – Lenny KravitzRebel Music is a tribute to one of the greatest legends in world music, Bob Marley. In 1975, Kate Simon first photographed Bob Marley and the Wailers at the Lyceum in London, where the now-legendary live performance of ‘No Woman No Cry’ was recorded. They then collaborated throughout the Seventies, with Simon shooting some of the most intimate, enduring and emblematic images ever taken of Marley, including his iconic Kaya album cover.Simon captured it all: portraits of the reggae greats of the Seventies, such as Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh; the Exodus Tour, on the road with Bob Marley and The Wailers as they performed across Europe; and the One Love Peace Concert, where Bob famously united Jamaica’s opposing political leaders. Ultimately, in 1981, Simon would ride with the funeral cortege from Kingston to St Ann and Bob Marley’s final resting place.Rebel Music contains over 400 photographs from Simon’s archives, many published here for the first time. Introduced by Patti Smith, with a foreword by Lenny Kravitz and afterword by Keith Richards, a cast of 24 contributors join Simon in sharing the stories behind the images, including ex-Wailers guitarist Junior Marvin and bass player and band leader Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett; musicians such as Junior Delgado, Steve Jordan, Paul Simonon and Bruce Springsteen; filmmaker Don Letts and producer Danny Sims; and Island Records founder, Chris Blackwell.Trade Review‘This collection of timeless photographs gives us an up close inside look at this uniquely complex man and brilliant iconic artist who forever changed the world. One love…’ – Lenny Kravitz‘No one will ever forget the impact Bob and Jamaican music had on the world.’ – Keith Richards‘Kate Simon has always been one of my favourite photographers. She captures intimate moments that we have never seen.’ – Cedella Marley‘After looking at thousands of negatives of Bob, some of which I had never printed before, I had a dream that Bob was still alive and that he was playing that night. Can you imagine if you could have the chance to see Bob Marley today? What would he be singing about?’ – Kate Simon‘Kate shot in an honest, direct manner. She did not seek to expose, but to shoot the picture her subject pictured - the joyful, mutable moments. How fortunate we are to have these images.’ – Patti Smith ‘She had a sort of war correspondent feel to her; she would get right into it. Somehow she had the ability to communicate and to get everybody to relax and to take the great pictures that she got.’ – Chris Blackwell

Read more less

Book SynopsisI was only sixteen when I bought an electric guitar and joined a band. A year later, I formed an all-girl band called the Marine Girls and played gigs, and signed to an indie label, and started releasing records. Then, for eighteen years, between 1982 and 2000, I was one half of the group Everything But the Girl. In that time, we released nine albums and sold nine million records. We went on countless tours, had hit singles and flop singles, were reviewed and interviewed to within an inch of our lives. I've been in the charts, out of them, back in. I've seen myself described as an indie darling, a middle-of-the-road nobody and a disco diva. I haven't always fitted in, you see, and that's made me face up to the realities of a pop career - there are thrills and wonders to be experienced, yes, but also moments of doubt, mistakes, violent lifestyle changes from luxury to squalor and back again, sometimes within minutes.Trade ReviewThe Alan Bennett of pop memoirists. I loved her book so much I wanted to form a band, too. Preferably with Thorn -- Caitlin Moran, bestselling author of How to be a Woman As distinctive and lovely as its author's singing voice, Bedsit Disco Queen isn't just a wry and wise memoir of a unique career: it acts as a kind of eulogy for a forgotten era of British pop -- Alexis Petridis As a witty and wise chronicle of a life spent dipping in and out of the limelight, this is second to none -- Fiona Sturges Independent on Sunday Beautifully written, dryly funny and searingly honest Sunday Times

Read more less

Book Synopsis*** ***THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE OSCAR-WINNING, GOLDEN-GLOBE-WINNING FILM. ''Exactly the sort of tribute Mercury himself would have wanted'' Spectator ''No one has captured better than Lesley-Ann Jones the magical, enchanting dualism of Freddie Mercury''The Times''Truly definitive, truly Freddie, an energetic, entertaining and essential account''Sir Tim Rice''This book grabs you with its opening, then builds. Insight and anecdote in perfect harmony'' Simon Napier-Bell''At last a massive tribute to a massive talent''Steve Harley, Cockney RebelThis is the definitive biography of Freddie Mercury, written by award-winning rock journalist Lesley-Ann Jones, who toured widely with Queen and formed lasting friendships with the band. Now, having secured access to the remaining band members and those who were closest to Freddie from childhoodTrade ReviewNo one has captured better than Lesley-Ann Jones the magical, enchanting dualism of Freddie Mercury. * The Times *Lesley-Ann Jones asserts that Freddie Mercury's was a "big, extravagant, multifaceted life", and the rock journalist has certainly done a sterling job of documenting it here. * Daily Telegraph, Australia *'A timely update coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Queen and the 20 years since their frontman's death'. * The Sun *Exactly the sort of tribute Mercury himself would have wanted ... full of perceptive and moving insights. * Spectator *Rock journalist Lesley-Ann Jones is lucky enough to have known the man. She toured widely with Queen and formed lasting friendships with the band. It took a while for everyone to open up, but she eventually gained access to Freddie's colleagues and friends, and so we have this thoroughly researched portrait of the man behind the rock legend. * Brisbane Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe last word on Sid Vicious - the world''s most iconic punk figure.The old school register for Soho Parish Primary school has a note in the margin recording that five-year-old John Simon Ritchie turned up for his first day at school unaccompanied in September 1962. He''d walked from his mum''s council flat near Drury Lane, across Covent Garden and several major road junctions to Gt Windmill Street alone. Somehow it''s a fitting start to the wild and troubled life that would be Sid Vicious''s. It''s also a story that''s indicative of the detailed research Alan Parker has put into this biography of Sid Vicious. He spent an evening discussing young Simon Ritchie''s schooldays with the headmistress of Soho Parish, has interviewed the likes of fellow Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Glen Matlock at length, as well as numerous other punk luminaries. The basics of Sid Vicious''s brief 21 years are well known: art school, junkie mother, life in a squat, a year in the Sex Pistols until their demise in 1978, Nancy Spungeon''s death, Sid''s arrest, followed by Sid''s own fatal overdose on 2 February 1979. Parker brings a wealth of new detail to the story, much gained from the New York Police Department and extensive interviews with Anne Beverley (Sid''s mother), prior to her own suicide in 1996. This enables him to come to dramatic conclusions about who killed Nancy Spungeon and how Sid himself died. This will be the definitive and final word on Sid Vicious, and the perfect tribute to a man who has become a true icon of the 21st century.Trade Reviewsheds new light on the myths that surround this man * BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH *An informative and honest biography * SOUTH WALES ARGUS *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA real treat for Can fans.' SpectatorAll Gates Open is the definitive story of the most influential and revered avant-garde band of the late twentieth century: Can. In part one, Rob Young gives us the full biography an in-depth and exhilarating history of the band.In part two, Irmin Schmidt presents an oral history of Can, drawing on extensive interviews with many musicians who cite the band as an influence, including Bobby Gillespie and Mark E. Smith.An essential book for Can fans, All Gates Open is illustrated throughout with previously unseen art, photographs and ephemera from the band's archive.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNo other jazz musician has proved so inspirational and so fascinating as Coltrane. Ben Ratliff, jazz critic for the New York Times, has written the first book to do justice to this great and controversial music pioneer. As well as an elegant narrative of Coltrane''s life Ratliff does something incredibly valuable - he writes about the saxophonist''s unique sound.

Read more less

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 *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA collection of short stories - each one a cover version of a song on "Rid of Me".Trade ReviewKate Schatz's "Rid of Me" is less about a particular album than it is about what happens to an album when you listen to it repeatedly--the way it evolves and transforms and ends up plugging into all the right circuits in your brain. In the end, overlaid with all your own fears and desires the album becomes the basis for a new world, stories swelling out of it like ghosts. Schatz's "Rid of Me" is the uncanny double of P.J. Harvey's album: it both offers all the mystery and beauty that fiction at its best can offer and illustrates better than anything else I know the private process of making an album genuinely your own. * Brian Evenson, Director of the Literary Arts Program at Brown University *All the writers I know, at least the cool ones, fantasize being rock stars. Kate Schatz' debut book is the next best thing - a writer turning her engagement with a great album into flesh and blood characters, creepy-sexy plot turns and howling guitar, um, verbal solos. I wish I'd thought of it first. * Rebecca Brown, author of THE TERRIBLE GIRLS. *I'd like to slip this between a few books that I read over and over again: The Lesbian Body by Monique Wittig, Spanking the Maid by Robert Coover, and By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart. This is a journey, a song, a symphony, a love poem, a cry, a whisper, a nightmare, and, in such an unexpected and joyous way - a sustained arousal. It is at once about torture and love, bondage and caresses, empowerment and submission, femininity and tomboys, entrapment and escape, kidnapping and running away, death and ecstasy. With cruel and luscious women who are teachers, nurses, children, campers, and lovers, we are stripped of our senses and then filled up again with a new way of seeing, reading, sexing, feeling, tasting and loving. * Erin Cressida Wilson, Spirit-Award winning screenwriter of Secretary and Fur *A sexy, earnest tale about two young women searching for the end of the forest, for freedom, for a way to escape their violent and strangling pasts. Rid of Me conjures Anais Nin, Angela Carter, fairy tales, horror movies, punk melodrama, as well as PJ Harvey. It's a fast, fun fall through thin air. * Micah Perks, author of Pagan Time and We Are Gathered Here *The best musical covers occur when some kind of alchemy takes place. What starts out as an act of homage or repetition turns into revelation as the new version throws light on, say, the lyrical subtext or rhythmic potential that seem to have been hidden within the original. Kate Schatz magics a similar sort of transformation in her fictional cover — revolving around two outlaw-lovers, Mary and Kathleen — of PJ Harvey's 1993 album Rid of Me. * San Francisco Bay Guardian *We've said it before and we'll damn well say it again, Continuum's 33 1/3 series of books - wherein a writer is given the freedom to wax lyrical about their favorite album - are not only delightful little collectors items but have also spawned some truly wonderful essays, ranging from techie minded nuts and bolts recording break-downs to marvelous flights of fancy like this little beauty by Kate Schatz. The third writer to take the fiction route for their chosen album (Music From Big Pink by John Niven and Meat is Murder by Joe Pernice being the other two) telling the highly charged erotic tale (what else could it be based on Harvey's equally highly charged and erotic album?) of Kathleen and Mary and their desperate efforts to escape their respective pasts via a kidnapping, a house in the middle of a dark, deeply disturbing, forest and some sapphic shenanigans. Each chapter, both named after and relating to, the album's tracks, moves the story along apace and successfully evokes the albums unsettling lyrics and themes. Writing about music has been in the doldrums for too long, let's have a lot more like this please. * Total Music Magazine *Kate Schatz's delightfully queer work of fiction has all the elements of a solid album: desire, darkness, sex and transformation... This fireball of a read captures an interpretive lyrical undertone as sexy and intoxicating as Harvey's original. * Curve Magazine *Rid of Me takes its cue from PJ Harvey's album of the same title and appropriately veers away from its surface toward an unusual and fictive adventure into the irreverently dark psychology(ies) that made the album popular in the first place. -- Kate Morris * Feminist Review *The idea that we all experience an album differently, that we each create our own version of the album through listening, is a driving force behind the book...[Schatz] shines a lingth on one of the most inspiring aspects of music: how open-ended something as limited as a four-minute pop song truly is. And as she offers her own interpretation of Rid of Me, she also gives us a new interpretation of what it means to write "a book about an album." * erasingclouds.com *In this book, there is no distinction between music, fiction, books and albums. The ambiguity and lyricism -- with threads and fragments from Harvey's lyrics scattered throughout -- compel you to read chapters over and over. They take you like a song on repeat, rubbing you until you bleed. -- Karrie Higgins * The Los Angeles Times *[Schatz] recreates the album's weird push-pull tension, notably in her suspenseful characterization of Mary and Kathleen's mysterious woods. * PopMatters.com *Continuum's 33 1/3 series, which produces lively little volumes of criticism, personal history, and other kinds of "cover lit" on beloved pop and rock albums, has Kate Schatz's fictional riff on PJ Harvey's 1993 Rid of Me, which the online magazine Inkblot once described as "the musical equivalent of a bulldozer tearing through your living room." That review could apply equally well to Schatz's novella. Each chapter, named after tracks like "Rub It 'Til It Bleeds" and "50ft Queenie," takes the reader further into the kidnapping-cum-affair between Kathleen, who has fled an ailing controlling patriarch, and Mary, her captor, who has left a suffocating marriage for an abandoned hunting cabin in the forest. Neither character seems to have any idea of how to heal their abusive pasts; instead, they take their cues from Harvey's unsettling music. Schatz's prose, at time dystopic and surrealist, often really does sound like a rock song. The music winds up accompanying the fiction, which is just as weird and unsettlingly powerful as the album's trademark photo of Harvey's hair rising from the water like a new hybrid animal. * Bitch Magazine *Some albums invade a person so deeply they are driven to obsession. Apparently this was the case for Kate Schatz, who as a teenager was consumed with PJ Harvey's Rid of Me- not surprisingly for an album so deeply drenched with sex, angst and betrayal. Lucky for us, Schatz is now a writer and has channeled her fervor into a narrative inspired by the album about two troubled girls who are mysteriously drawn together to an ominous house in the woods...the story weaves in Rid of Me lyrics and themes of infidelity, lust, and rage, mirroring its track listing as chapter titles. For an album that rips your guts out with stripped-down rock and raw emotion, Rid of Me: A Story is an engaging homage. * Under the Radar Magazine *

Read more less

Book Synopsis__________''Essential reading'' Rolling Stone''A must read. The best bit of literature currently out there on Kendrick Lamar'' VICE __________Kendrick Lamar is at the top of his game.He has been described as perceptive, philosophical, unapologetic, fearless, and an innovative storyteller whose body of work has been compared to James Joyce and James Baldwin.He is a visionary who will go down as history as one of the most important artists of all time.But what''s so striking about Kendrick Lamar, aside from his impressive accolades, is how he''s effectively established himself as a formidable opponent of oppression, a force for change. Through his confessional poetics, his politically charged anthems, and his radical performances, Lamar has become a beacon of light for many people in America.The Butterfly Effect not only Lamar''s powerful impact on music but also on ourTrade Review'Kendrick Lamar is the most creatively captivating rapper of the past decade. This means inspecting and placing into context his profound legacy is nothing short of a gargantuan task. Fortunately for us, Marcus J. Moore exists. His writing has never been sharper, never been more concise, never been more insightful than it is here. This book is smart, confident, and necessary.' - Shea Serrano, New York Times bestselling author of The Rap Year Book and Movies (And Other Things)'I have a great amount of gratitude for The Butterfly Effect and the triumph of chronicling one of our great artists while they're still here with us. Marcus J. Moore is thoughtful, incisive, and generous in this work, and The Butterfly Effect will hopefully set a blueprint for how we honor the brilliant and living.' - Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest'The Butterfly Effect is much more than a biographical look at the voice of hip hop's new generation. It's an analytical deep dive into the life of that good kid whose m.A.A.d city raised him, and how it sparked a fire within Kendrick Lamar to change history. Through thoughtful prose, strong investigative research, and a deep passion for the subject matter, Marcus J. Moore paints a picture of Kendrick that anyone can admire.' - Kathy Iandoli, author of God Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop'Marcus J. Moore's look at Kendrick Lamar beautifully illustrates the power of the word and the great value it holds in the community that birthed hip hop. Therein, we all better understand and appreciate why Black lives -- and rhymes -- matter.' - Sacha Jenkins, Emmy-nominated director of Showtime documentary Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And MenMore conversational than scholarly, it's at its most effective when charting Lamar's cultural awakening, prompted in part by a life-changing pilgrimage to South Africa and the death of Trayvon Martin, and the almost parallel rise of Black Lives Matter. It tries to be a lot of things - an artistic biography, a fan letter, an abbreviated history of West Coast hip-hop, an examination of Black art as a vehicle for resistance - and does most of them well. - Washington Post Music journalist Marcus J. Moore's detailed study places Kendrick Lamar's life and music within its proper sociopolitical context, making this essential reading if you want to understand modern rap's most innovative artist. - Rolling Stone

Read more less

Book Synopsis''The sharpest memoir written by one of the Beatles' inner circle.'' ObserverDerek Taylor''s iconic memoir is a rare opportunity to be immersed in one of the most whirlwind music sensations in history: Beatlemania. As Time Goes By tells the remarkable story of Taylor''s trajectory from humble provincial journalist to loved confidant right at the centre of the Beatles'' magic circle. In charming, conversational prose, Taylor shares anecdotes and reminiscences so vivid and immediate that you find yourself plunged into the beating heart of 1960s counterculture. Whether watching the debut performance of ''Hey Jude'' in a country pub or hearing first-hand gossip about a star-studded cast of characters, Taylor''s unique narrative voice forges an autobiography like no other. Reissued here in a brand new edition with a foreword by celebrated writer Jon Savage, this long-admired memoir is a cult classic of the genre awaiting a new readership.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe dumbest band with the dumbest tunes - but still they transcend all other groups as the ground zero of rock, reduced to its crudest essence. This, their first album is a brutal combination of 60s pop and garage punk with adolescent tales of girls and sniffing glue.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)"

Read more less

Book SynopsisHolly Knight’s singular music career included crafting a good part of the soundtrack to the MTV eighties with mega-hits for Tina Turner (“The Best”), Pat Benatar (“Love Is A Battlefield”), and Patty Smyth (“The Warrior”)—songs that celebrated female empowerment and shaped pop and rock for years to come.“Holly Knight wrote some of the best and toughest songs for female artists. Her songs helped pave the way for women in rock. Not to mention a few dudes.” —Patty Smyth As a writer and musician, Holly Knight worked hard and played hard with the likes of KISS, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Heart. She showed the boys how it was done when many women were still struggling to get a foot in the door. Starting in the late 1970s in post-punk New York, Knight, a gifted keyboardist, joined the band Spider—which quickly ascended to buzzworthy status before things began to disintegrate. Fortunately, her song “Better Be Good to Me” found its way to Tina Turner and became the second single on her landmark solo album, Private Dancer, launching Holly into rarified air. Soon she was being sought out to write for other artists in search of the big hit or their lead single. Coinciding with the birth of MTV, Knight’s powerful lyrics, hooks, and melodies became a staple on the channel as it exploded into a cultural force. “People who grew up in the eighties tell me that MTV was the soundtrack to their lives. Holly Knight deserves much of the credit. Few songwriters have written such a diverse collection of songs for such a broad range of superstars.” —Alan Hunter But it was an often lonely journey to success. Not only was Holly a woman in a male-dominated industry that didn’t welcome women warmly into the inner sanctum, she carried with her the baggage of a difficult childhood and a fraught relationship with her mother, the substance of which informed the themes that made her songs so anthemic. I Am the Warrior is a story of survival, perseverance, and triumph laced with ample amounts of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. Backstage, onstage, in the studio, and on the road, this book is a revealing, bang-bang tale that welcomes you along for a look back at one of the most adventurous and colorful periods in music history. “I Am the Warrior takes readers on a wild ride through the eighties world of rock ’n’ roll from a strong female’s perspective. Songwriters Hall of Fame-inductee Holly Knight delivers the goods and stands out as a creative, gutsy woman who made her way through a field dominated by men, ultimately coming out on top. If you love music like I do, this is a must-read!” —Cassandra Peterson (AKA Elvira, Mistress of the Dark)Trade Review"Backstage, onstage, in the studio, and on the road, this memoir is an impressively revealing life story by an articulate woman who welcomes her readers to take a look back at one of the most adventurous and colorful periods in music history.” -- Midwest Book Review

Read more less

Book SynopsisRaised by his grandmother in Tennessee, Gil Scott-Heron's journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most uncompromising and influential songwriters of his generation is a remarkable one. In this, his heartfelt, beautifully written and posthumously published memoir, we are given bright insights into the music industry, New York, the civil-rights movement, modern America, governmental hypocrisy, Stevie Wonder and our wider place in the world. It is also a fitting testament to the generous brilliance of Gil Scott-Heron and to the Spirits that guided him.Trade ReviewA marvellous documentary of black America and life lived in the raw * * Spectator * *Engaging and immensely human . . . Much like his poetry, Scott-Heron's style is spare and effective, offering up jagged observations on fame, friendship and political and racial injustice * * Independent on Sunday * *This memoir reads a bit like Langston Hughes filtered through the scratchy and electrified sensibilities of John Lee Hooker, Dick Gregory and Spike Lee . . . about his own music, he could not be more simple or elegant. "I was trying to get people who listened to me," he writes, "to realise that they were not alone." -- Dwight Garner * * New York Times * *One of the great pioneers of late-twentieth-century music. * * Independent * *Scott-Heron is such a fine writer . . . As readers and fans alike, we are left to mourn the passing of surely, the least likely pop star ever, one with a truly brilliant mind. -- Rob Fitzpatrick * * Sunday Times * *A delight, full of with and alliteration and studded with passages of verse . . . it is a heartbreaking read as the last testament of a much-loved man, but it should certainly be read. * * Herald * *Gil Scott-Heron is timeless. * * New York Times * *An impressively lucid book . . . both candid and guarded . . . his final admissions are heart-rending. * * Metro * *For more than two decades, [Gil Scott-Heron] has been committed to examining those facts of the human condition that most of us would rather forget . . . he is an artist who has crafted witty but crucial insights for Black America. * * Washington Post * *The formative incidents of Scott-Heron's life are placed in their cultural and historical contexts with great delicacy and precision. -- Ben Thompson * * Sunday Telegraph * *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith hits including `Child in Time’, and the iconic `Smoke on the Water’, Deep Purple established themselves as one of Britain’s greatest rock bandsFrom the moment he saw Elvis Presley on screen, Ian Gillan, a working class teenager from Hounslow, was inspired to become a rock star. That wish was to come true when the opportunity arose to join Deep Purple, and global fame soon followed. The ensuing years were thrilling but punishing. The band recorded six albums in just four years and tensions within the band, as well as issues with alcohol, brought Ian to breaking point. Ian describes the rock `n’ roll lifestyle in disarming detail while never taking himself too seriously, making this an entertaining read for any rock fan.

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Island Book of Records brings the early years of this iconic record label to life.A fifteen-year labour of love, the volumes will fully document the analogue era of Island. Offering a comprehensive archive of album cover design and photography, together with the voices of the musicians, designers, photographers, producers, studio engineers and record company personnel that worked on each project, the volumes show in unique depth the workings of the label, covering every LP.Featuring material from recent interviews and from media interviews of the time, and each including a comprehensive discography of 45s, the books are lavishly illustrated with gig adverts (very many at venues which no longer exist), concert tickets, flyers, international LP variants, labels, LP and 45 adverts and other ephemera.These LP-sized editions are a collector’s dream, offering a truly unparalleled resource for those interested in music history and a perfect gift for any music lover.Trade ReviewOne of The Telegraph's best music books of 2023'It’s like entering the record shop of your dreams.'David Hepworth, author, podcaster and Radio Times columnist'Eyewitness accounts underpin a vault-load of memorabilia across 390 elegant pages where the footnotes are as fascinating as major events in what is an exemplary piece of musical archaeology.'Phil Alexander, MOJO'I had the pleasure of running Island Records for a decent stretch, but in my time there I never saw such a staggering overview of the early years compiled like this new book! The images, the details, the stories, everything! Rather amazing!'Ted Cockle, former head of EMI Records'LP-sized and weighing in at 390 pages, it’s both an elegant coffee table book and a proper history, with a sizeable amount of written information to complement the fascinating photographs of record covers, artists and other ephemera, including gig adverts, concert tickets and flyers.'Peter Mason, Morning Star 'The details are exhaustive, the images beautiful and wonderfully laid out in an unfussy clear manner that never overpowers the original sleeves.'Cally Calloman, Caught by the River 'This is the anecdote rich inside story of the eventful first decade in the life of the maverick label which carved a distinctive niche within the UK's booming record biz of the 60s' as told by a cast of label employees, photographers, musicians, producers, and the man who started it all, Chris Blackwell.'Grahame Bent, Shindig!One of Shindig! magazine's Books of the Year 2023 -- .Table of ContentsPreface – Genesis & Revelations Escaping Torquemada & Harrow on the Hill – tracing Island founder Chris Blackwell’s roots Boogie in my Bones via Half Moon Bay – Chris Blackwell’s first productions and the first Jamaica–only LPsUnderneath the Mango Tree – Chris Blackwell and Jamaican music’s role in the first James Bond movie, Dr. NoLondon Calling, from Rutland Gate Mews to Cambridge Road – the early growth of the label Did you ever wonder why all those early 45s were faded at 2’50”? Graeme Goodall on engineering early recordings Too Much, Too Young – the Spencer Davis Group’s split and the formation of TrafficMiles From Nowhere – Traffic’s famed Berkshire CottageHow’s yer arse since the pig bit ya? – Albert Heaton, Island’s first super–roadie by Spooky Tooth’s drummerGoing Up, Second Floor – 155 Oxford Street and the creative hub which ushers in the pink (label) revolutionThere are only two Phil Spectors and I’m one of them – Guy Stevens, from the Scene Club to the Sue label and beyondNorth London to the world – the move to the scout hut on Neasden Lane Season of the Witch – the formation of Joe Boyd’s production company Withering Tree – Traffic grinds to a haltPrefix and suffix – the most comprehensive listing of all Island and sub–label 45s and EPs from this era.El Pea – every Island album issued between 1959/1968 as well as those known and/or scheduled but not released including subsidiary labels (Surprise, Big Shot, Studio One etc)

Read more less

Book SynopsisJohnny Rogan is the author of over twenty books, including highly acclaimed biographies/musical studies of the Byrds, the Smiths, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, John Lennon and Morrissey. His groundbreaking Starmakers & Svengalis: The History Of British Pop Management was adapted for a six-week BBC series. Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance was one of the best-selling and most controversial rock biographies of its time, receiving various music biography of the year awards, and has been in print continuously for over twenty years. More recently, Van Morrison: No Surrender was chosen by the Sunday Timesas one of its Top 10 Music Books of the Year. He is currently completing an epic two-volume study, Byrds: Requiem For the Timeless.Trade ReviewAs definitive a view of the man as anyone could hope for * The Times *In the tradition of the most interesting biographies, a troubled subject makes for a gripping read * Evening Standard *Rogan is exceptionally good at painting a picture of the moment he is exploring ... engrossing ... you're left with a sympathetic understanding of [Davies'] ways and motives * New Statesman *It’s [Ray Davies’s] quirks that make him a worthy study, and Johnny Rogan is the man for the job, a writer renowned for going to extraordinary lengths to research his subjects … a social history as well as character study. Rogan illuminates the labyrinth of Swinging Sixties record labels, managers, bookers and pluggers, and spares no blushes in his depiction of the young Kinks * Irish Times *Masterfully teases out the warring impulses wrestling in [Davies’s] psyche … [Rogan is] adept at relating the social history of the 1950s and 1960s to Davies’s brooding character and lyric obsessions ... He uncovers psychological traumas everywhere and is fascinating on the bitchy rivalries between 1960s pop titans … Such tales make this ... oceanically researched biography go with a swing * Sunday Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDisco emerged from the fall-out of the Black Power Movement and an almost exclusively gay scene in a blaze of poppers, strobe lights, tight trousers, hysterical diva vocals and synthesized beats in the late sixties. As a genre, disco radically re-defined the sensibility of the seventies to the extent where reactionary rockers felt the need to launch a paranoid ''Disco Sucks'' campaign at the end of the decade. Featuring artists such as Chic, Sylvester, Donna Summer and Frank Grasso, Turn the Beat Around illustrates why and how disco changed the face of popular culture forever.Trade Review"'A complete triumph. He expertly excavates the history of one of the central genres of modern popular music.' John McTernan, Scotland on Sunday"

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf I had not kissed anyone, or danced with anyone, or had a reason to cry, the music made me feel as if I had gone through all that anyway . . . the music attracted and repelled, organised and disturbed and then let us into the night, clusters of emotion ready to dissolve into sleep.In The Importance of Music to Girls, Lavinia Greenlaw tells the story of the adventures that music leads us into: getting drunk, falling in love, dying of boredom, cutting our hair, terrifying our parents, wanting to change the world. This is a vivid memoir unlike any other, recalling the furious passion of being young, female, and coming alive through music.

Read more less