Music
Format: Hardback
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781036114183
Pub Date: 30 Jun 2025
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 30 Jun 2025
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781036114183
Description:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
In A Tale of Two Cities, the duality of changing times was poignantly highlighted and almost the same thing is true in Hip-Hop Rivalries: East Coast Versus West Coast.
As music in the general arts and people in general society have changed over the decades, politics has reflected these changes, sometimes for the best but often for the worst.
Hip-hop was fulgurant with promise, a machine steadily gaining influence worldwide, a newly birthed political powerhouse. With its aggrandisement also came the inflation of egos until suddenly, everyone wanted to be the King of Hip-Hop, the King of Rap, or the King of New York - all of which were interchangeable terms.
Those of us who grew up in times when lyrical witticisms had to be cultrate in order to be truly appreciated were galvanised back into life by the rivalry between Kendrick Lamar and Drake - which served as proof that hip-hop had graduated from simply rhyming rapping into a multiverse of praiseworthy diction, the stunning displays of lyrical thespians who amaze us with ever-evolving presentations full of entertainment, and battle rappers who boast a mighty grasp of nuanced literary contraptions.
There is evidence of this growth in the haymaker equivokes tacitly enunciated in their performances, and never more so than during "beef": those times of dissent, discontent, or malcontent among classic rap groups, or between individuals. From Nas and Jay-Z to Drake and Pusha T, we will delve into the origins of hip-hop, its past and current artists, and the methods they employed in their rivalries that brought excitement and appreciation of this genre of music to followers worldwide.
Join us on this informative, amusing, and nostalgic tour as we explore the greatest moments in hip-hop and battle rap that helped to put certain superstars on pedestals and thrones, while others were humiliated and became objects of scorn, clownery, or abject ridicule to this very day.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9781036135195
Pub Date: 30 May 2025
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 30 May 2025
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9781036135195
Description:
There can never be too many words on Oasis. The Gallagher smash-and-grab raid on British pop culture has divided opinion for decades and simplifies their story into basic cliches. Books that dig deeper and speak to everyone like this open the story up and place you at the heart of the action as their rocket ship took off. - John Robb
The rise of Oasis in the 1990s was stratospheric, yet they remained the people’s band. This is the story about how lives were changed forever, told by those who lived through it.
All around the world, millions felt a connection to these working-class lads from Manchester. With anthemic songs crafted and sung by the greatest songwriter and singer of their generation, from their first interview they proclaimed themselves the best band in the world, and for a shining moment in the mid-1990s they were.
‘Live Forever’. Definitely Maybe. (What's The Story) Morning Glory?. ‘Wonderwall’. Knebworth. A level of success not seen by a British band for 30 years, ushering in a new cultural zeitgeist: Britpop, Cool Britannia, New Labour, and at the centre of it all, the soap opera antics of the warring Gallagher brothers and their bandmates.
Departed members were replaced by fresh faces as the 2000s ushered in their next career phase with Oasis inspiring younger generations. Yet the music and drama continued up to one night in Paris when everything fell apart… until the world stood still in August 2024.
Expanded and revised to include over 25 exclusive new interviews from The Oasis Podcast, including contributions from those involved (Alan McGee, Tony McCarroll, Andy Bell, Steve White, Owen Morris), writers with first-hand coverage (Paolo Hewitt, John Robb), celebrity fans (Ricky Hatton) and many more, this book spans their entire career from 1991 to the present day, making it the ultimate story of Oasis.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9781036104283
Pub Date: 30 Apr 2025
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 30 Apr 2025
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9781036104283
Description:
In 1969, Elton John and Bernie Taupin gave the world Empty Sky, a heady mix of rock, folk, rhythm and blues, jazz, psychedelia, and classicism that announced the arrival of one of the most potent creative teams in the history of popular music. In the fifty-five years since that release, Elton's astounding output of thirty-one studio albums, nine soundtrack albums (ten if you count the unreleased Lestat!), and three collaboration albums has enchanted new generations, as grandparents who grew up with "Your Song" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" on their turntables have shared their love of Elton with parents who played "Sacrifice" and "The One" on their cd players who in turn are sharing it with their children who know The Lion King soundtrack by heart and dance to "Cold Cold Heart" in their bedrooms through Spotify playlists and YouTube remixes.
Elton John: Album by Album takes you on a guided journey through those forty-four albums that have engaged three full generations of music lovers, exploring the history behind the production of each, uncovering the hidden stories and meanings of each track, and delving into the musical nuts and bolts of Elton John's unique gift for conveying the meaning of Bernie Taupin's lyrics through his unrivalled and almost otherworldly sense of tonal architecture.
Whether you have been spinning Elton records since the days of "Lady Samantha", or found your way to his work in the post-Rocketman revival of appreciation for his legendary career, Elton John: Album by Album has what you need to navigate your way through the vast richness of his recorded catalogue, allowing you to answer such questions as "How did Ray Cooper make a gong sound like a spaceship?", "Why is "Ego" in Lokrian mode anyway?" and "Just what is the Pilot, and why would anybody want to be taken there?"
Format: Hardback
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9781399058681
Pub Date: 30 Apr 2025
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 30 Apr 2025
Pages: 240
ISBN: 9781399058681
Description:
One of the British Invasion bands of the mid 1960s, The Who would soon go on to help revolutionise rock music, evolving from a pop band into the first generation of stadium rock giants. During their golden period, they would undergo changes in style and become one of the key protagonists in the transformation of popular guitar-based music from a casual singles market to a serious artform defined by the LP.
Although The Who’s album output was not as vast as some of their contemporaries, they would break new ground with a series of iconic releases that advanced the notion of what a rock album could be, and still stand the test of time today.
In this book, we will look back at each of The Who’s studio albums, exploring the historical context surrounding them, as well as looking into the recording process itself. Tackling each album song by song and examining the composition, production and the stories behind them, this book aims to give a detailed overview of The Who’s albums from the 1960s up to their most recent and possibly final album, 2019’s Who.
This book contains notes on subsequent re-releases and remixes, comparing the key the differences and offering a concise, yet in depth respective, featuring both factual and critical analysis that will be valuable reading to all those interested in The Who and the history of classic rock albums.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 200
ISBN: 9781399030830
Pub Date: 11 Apr 2025
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 11 Apr 2025
Pages: 200
ISBN: 9781399030830
Description:
Harry Styles captivates audiences worldwide with his talent, charisma and sartorial wit. From his early days as a member of the boyband One Direction to his wildly successful solo career, Styles marries mass appeal with a celebration of fluidity; blurring the lines of fashion, musical genres and gender norms. Once dismissed as a flash-in-the-pan teen trend, Styles has proven himself as a once-in-a-generation talent. Today, Harry Styles is less of a pop star and more of a lifestyle.
When her twenty-year marriage ended, Keris Fox fell into the One Direction fandom and her whole life changed. Ten years on, and numerous live shows later, Keris has travelled the world with a host of new-found fandom friends and learned that it’s never too late to let the things you love teach you how to be yourself.
Part fandom memoir, part celebration of Harry Styles as an artist, The Harry Styles Effect is about the profound impact one of the biggest stars in the world can have on fans of all ages and backgrounds, and the transformative power of collective joy.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399053396
Pub Date: 10 Dec 2024
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 10 Dec 2024
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399053396
Description:
After Nirvana, everything changed. Kurt Cobain and his band ushered in a new era in music, bringing the authenticity of US underground punk to mainstream rock audiences. Award-winning biographer and music critic Marc Burrows dives into the world of Nirvana, providing an exhaustive day-by-day account of the lifespan of the band, from their early days touring the dive bars of the Pacific North-West through the release of ’Smells Like Teen Spirit' and Nevermind, the dark masterpiece of In Utero and Kurt Cobain’s tragic death in 1994. The timeline is augmented by hyper-detailed footnotes, diving deep into the songs and albums, the impact and the fascinating unexplored corners of one of the most exciting and impactful bands that have ever been.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399052900
Pub Date: 08 Nov 2024
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 08 Nov 2024
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399052900
Description:
Kylie Minogue is an Australian pop icon who has sold over 80 million records worldwide. The pint-sized pop princess showed us she had the 'wow' factor when she first graced our screens as Charlene Mitchell in Neighbours in 1986. She 'did it again' (and again and again) through her numerous incarnations. From her early days as PWL's pop puppet, to the ultimate puppet master that she has transformed into today. Kylie achieved a massive musical milestone in 2020—being the first woman to top the album charts in five consecutive decades. She is one of our nation’s most beloved pop princesses, or arguably - if you ask her legion of fans (me included) - THE most beloved Pop Queen.
Kylie Minogue: Album by Album explores in detail Ms Minogue’s extensive repertoire, spanning more than three decades. It commemorates this unique artist's genuinely exceptional, unmatched, and often under-appreciated career. The author is both a fan and a music critic, who examines Kylie’s life and career from both perspectives. You will discover how Kylie became a pop icon, how she reinvented herself over the years, and how she influenced the music industry with her style and sound. This book is not just another biography, or discography critique; it is a unique analysis of Kylie’s musical legacy and cultural impact. Whether you are a die-hard fan or curious listener, this book will give you a deeper appreciation of Kylie Minogue and her music.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399049849
Pub Date: 04 Sep 2024
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 04 Sep 2024
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399049849
Description:
A highly engaging homage to the iconic style of Elvis Presley, who shook up the world of music and fashion, triggering a cultural revolution that stopped 1950s America in its tracks.
Born into poverty, his voice of liquid gold and show-stopping appearance propelled him into a life of extreme wealth.
Elvis’s extraordinary story – told through a fashion lens – celebrates the shy, lonely boy who awakened an entire generation to forbidden fruit.
The defiant hair, the sultry good looks, the gender-ambivalent outfits – even the famous sideburns of the man who would be King – are all considered in loving detail.
From impoverished scamp and teenage antihero in pink, through Hollywood heartthrob and sensual leather-clad rock star, to caped superhero in Vegas jumpsuits, the author describes his clothes with as much joy as she does his journey through the decades.
A contemporary take on the evolution of Elvis the Showman, featuring interviews with people who knew, met and dressed him, and analysis of the 2022 hit movie, Elvis.
A rags-to-riches tale, forged in the hardship and music of the poor South, it personifies the American Dream, retold with style by an author raised on Elvis’s songs and movies and who walked in his shoes through Memphis to discover they really were two-toned.
Set in a fascinating period in time, it looks at his powerful legacy, preserved by his devoted fans, and the films and tributes still being produced in his honour today.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 192
ISBN: 9781036108236
Pub Date: 28 Aug 2024
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 28 Aug 2024
Pages: 192
ISBN: 9781036108236
Description:
Sinéad O’Connor achieved worldwide success as an angel-voiced, shaven-headed Irish singer of heartfelt songs, but she was far more than just a pop star – she was also an activist and a survivor. Reeling from a troubled childhood at the hands of her violent mother, she spent 18 months living in a former Magdalene Laundry due to her truancy and shoplifting, and suffered her mother’s death in a car crash – all by the age of 18.
Her pain, anger and compassion would turn her into one of the world’s greatest protest singers and activists. She would release ten studio albums during her 36-year music career - the second of which (I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got) would reach number 1 across the world and earn her ten million pounds, half of which she gave to charity. During this time, she would also advocate for survivors of child abuse and racism, and stand up for the LGBT community and women’s reproductive rights.
Most notably, she would tear up a picture of Pope John Paul II during an episode of Saturday Night Live in order to protest at child sex abuse within the Catholic church, creating headlines around the world and derailing her career.
Featuring six exclusive interviews with friends and peers who knew her, this is the true story of her extraordinary and courageous journey.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 208
ISBN: 9781399052757
Pub Date: 13 Jun 2024
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 13 Jun 2024
Pages: 208
ISBN: 9781399052757
Description:
Taylor Swift for Adults is a tantalising opening salvo in Swiftology - the study of the work of Taylor Swift. While Swift's private life has been covered to death, her talent as a lyricist has rarely been analysed. Until now. Swifties are well aware that she's a lyricist par excellence but this book makes that case to the unbelievers. Swift's gift as a songwriter is not merely sentimentality and circumstance - and this book takes a deep look at her 10 albums to isolate what makes her a beloved lyricist for millions.
Any serious study of a lyricist or poet needs to establish what are the tropes, the patterns, and the style of that artist, and this book does precisely that. With careful attention to poetic detail, the scansion, flow, and form of her writing, this brings out those details that pass by in a flash on the radio, bringing them fully into focus. Many have made the argument that Swift is a gifted lyricist - in online forums and YouTube comments - but this is the first time in writing those arguments have been given shape and serious attention.
It's a book aimed at adults but not po-faced bores - taking a subject seriously can also mean laughing at swearwords and sex metaphors. Rather than po-faced and straitened, this is a lightly witty book expressing, at its core, a deep affection for this generation's favourite songwriter.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 248
ISBN: 9781399036061
Pub Date: 07 Jun 2024
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 07 Jun 2024
Pages: 248
ISBN: 9781399036061
Description:
When the Beatles burst onto the pop scene in 1962, they not only took the music world by storm but they also brought with them a counter culture that was to have far-reaching effects. With their long hair, humour and irreverent attitude towards authority, they were a breath of fresh air to a generation who had grown weary of the greyness of the post-war years.
Beatlemania was to unleash a revolution against an outdated age. The 1950s with its oppressive and authoritarian attitudes was ready for change and young people, desperate to escape suburbia with its stifling formality, were set to lead that rebellion.
In politics, fashion, education, the arts, religion, television, women’s rights and universities, the time had come to challenge the old order. And in came the swinging sixties with its more liberal attitudes offering hope of change and a more peaceful and just world. The introduction of the contraceptive pill, legalized abortion, gay rights, easier divorce and the relaxing of censorship were all part of this social revolution.
And it wasn’t just in Britain. The influence of the Beatles reverberated across Europe and, most of all, in America where teenagers not only campaigned against a war in Vietnam but also for civil rights in their own country.
This book tells the story of the Sixties and how the Beatles’ influence had such an impact on British society. It’s a social history of Britain told by Stephen Kelly who regularly watched the Beatles at the Cavern and experienced first hand the changes that were to take place.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399017626
Pub Date: 06 Mar 2023
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 06 Mar 2023
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399017626
Description:
From cowering, introverted founders of the alternative rock movement to one of the twenty best-selling American bands of all time, the story of R.E.M. covers three decades, two generations and the passions of millions. First, they lifted a humble, Southern college town into myth, re-calibrating rock music at the moment that it threatened to reach the point of terminal excess, and then, unsatisfied, they carried their progressive ideology right into the heart of mainstream popular culture, selling over 85 million records and winning universal acclaim along the way, totally without compromise.
R.E.M. Album by Album tells that story, tracing the band from its formation in 1980 when four young men sought respite from the difficulties of real life by starting a covers band, right up until their eventual split in 2011, shedding new light on the lyrical and musical development of the band as artists, from their esoteric early masterpieces to the moment that they signed the world’s largest ever recording contract. For the very first time, too, we examine the first decade after the band’s demise, scrutinising the shifting sands of their legacy as the dust settles on one of pop music’s most extraordinary careers.
Format: Hardback
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399017473
Pub Date: 15 Jul 2022
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 15 Jul 2022
Pages: 224
ISBN: 9781399017473
Description:
"The Byron of Britpop does not disappoint! A sparklingly delicious, spiky tribute to outsiderdom. Made me want to don the war paint and start a band again." – Gary Cosby, signer with Lick.
"An impressive take on the musical and cultural phenomenon tagged "Britpop". Paul goes deep into the causes and roots of the scene, often with surprising revelations." – Stephen Street, producer of Blur, Sleeper and many others.
"Laird's voice sings from the page, bursting with energy and attitude. His stated aim was to write "something honest, something passionate, something that captured what it meant to be young, to be an outsider and to be part of something." He's succeeded, in style. A triumph." – James Cook, member of The Flamingoes and author of Memory Songs and In Her Room.
"A both-barrels blazing account of the last great musical movement. Full of insight, energy and love - this is the definitive book on Britpop." – Jude Cook, member of The Flamingoes and author of Jacob's Advice and Byron Easy.
"Brilliantly written, this really is the Britpop book that is missing. I am in awe." – Nick Amies, author of Where Did It All Go Wrong - Oasis and the Millenium Meltdown, 1995-2000 and She's Electric.
Remember the ninteties? Of course you do. Cool Britannia, New Labour, Blur vs Oasis, Geri Halliwell’s Union Flag dress, TFI Friday, “wasssssuuuuuuppppppp”, Opal Fruits turning into Starburst without anyone asking your permission…crazy times. This book doesn’t have anything to say about Geri’s dress or Opal Fruits but it has lots to say about Britpop. But this isn’t a book about the Britpop you think you know about, this is the story of a truly remarkable period of creativity in British guitar music told through the experiences of someone who was there from the first note of “Popscene” through to the run out groove of “This is Hardcore”. This is the story of the Britpop that didn’t make it onto the evening news or the cover of The Face. This is the story of the bands nobody remembers but that everybody should. This is the story of what it was like to be an outsider in 1991 and be too cool for school by 1994. This is the story of a magnesium flash in British popular music that has, for good or ill, defined British guitar music ever since. Here are Flamingoes and Pimlico, Strangelove and David Devant and His Spirit Wife, The Weekenders and Thurman…and Blur, Pulp, Oasis, Sleeper and Elastica too. These are Britpop memories from someone who was actually there. The definitive story of Britpop…
Format: Hardback
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781399016216
Pub Date: 03 Nov 2021
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 03 Nov 2021
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781399016216
Description:
In a career that’s spanned thirty-five years and generated fourteen albums, fifty-three singles (two of them UK number ones), four Brit Awards, two Ivor Novellas and inspired literally hundreds of university dissertations, quite a few PhD’s and the odd specialist subject on Mastermind, Manic Street Preachers have become, in the words of their 2011 singles collection, national treasures. The Welsh trio (who, to many, will always be a quartet) have a uniquely intense impact on their fans; educating them as much as they entertain and inspire. This book collects fourteen brand new essays, one for each Manics album, from fourteen different writers from diverse backgrounds, tracing the band’s impact on fans and culture and setting each of their works, from 1992’s Generation Terrorists to 2018’s Resistance Is Futile and beyond, into context. The essays are linked by a detailed month-by-month biography by music critic and Manics fan Marc Burrows (The Guardian, The Quietus, Drowned In Sound), who compiled and edited the book, tracing the band’s development from glamourpuss upstart intellectuals to the elder statesmen of British indie rock, via an era-defining run of hits, an historic trip to Cuba and one vanished genius. Manic Street Preachers: Album by Album includes a complete discography and is sourced from in-depth archival research, making it one of the most comprehensive and detailed works devoted to the band yet compiled.
