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Stackridge
Every Album, Every Song
by Alan Draper
Part of the On Track series
In the early 1970s, a strange apparition began to appear on the stages of a vibrant UK gig circuit in the shape of a band of West Country troubadours, rejoicing under the odd name of Stackridge. Their music presented an extraordinary mix of styles, containing genres as diverse as folk, classical, progressive rock, jazz, pop and music hall.
Alan Draper traces the ever-diverging and remerging paths of the core four Stackridge songwriters: Andy Davis, James Warren, Mutter Slater and Crun Walter, both within and without Stackridge. It's a trip that spans half a century of recording. Commencing with their eclectic debut album Stackridge in 1971, it proceeds via many fascinating musical paths and occasional cul-de-sacs.
The band's 1970s heyday was marked by many personnel reshuffles and after their dissolution in 1976, James Warren and Andy Davis combined to form The Korgis, who scored worldwide hits with 'If I Had You' and the much-covered standard 'Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime'. Also taking in The Korgis, Mutter Slater Band and Davis and Warren solo projects, our trip finally arrives in the 21st century as Stackridge returned for a second career and a heroes' welcome from their dedicated fan base.
Alan Draper is a writer and musician living in Fareham, Hampshire, UK with his wife Radiance. Starting his musical career as the guitarist with The Alsatians in 1978, he wrote both sides of their 1980 single. His song 'Complications' featured on the album Rocking With The Renees by The Gymslips, a top twenty hit on the independent chart in 1983. His first solo album Earth Magic appeared in 1989, followed by Ascension Day in 1999, both displaying folk, classical and progressive rock influences. Prescription, an album featuring his covers of Stackridge rarities was released in 2007, raising money for the Macmillan Nurses Fund.
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Toto on track
Every album, every song
by Jacob Holm Lupo
Part of the On Track series
Turn on the radio anytime, anywhere in the world, and sooner or later you will hear 'Africa'. Along with just a handful of songs by other artists, Toto's worldwide hit is one of the most ubiquitous musical works of our time, written by a group of musicians who grew up together in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Together they helped define the sound of the late 70s and 80s, appearing on numerous hit records by Michael Jackson, Boz Scaggs and Steely Dan.
But it was together, as Toto, that they found their true form, fashioning a fine blend of funk, hard rock, pop and progressive rock. 'Hold the Line', 'Rosanna' and 'Pamela' are just a few of their other iconic hits. However, from the early days, Toto were a target for the music press, who disdained their slick chops and polished sound — all at odds with the post-punk and new wave aesthetics prevalent at the time. Yet Toto have always persevered, driven by their love for the music, and their fans' love for them. Lately, Toto has been riding a renewed wave of popularity — fuelled by hard touring — not to mention a belated restitution from the rock media.
This book discusses each of their albums in detail, track by track, from their smash-hit debut to 2015's magnificent Toto XIV.
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The Small Faces and the Faces
Every Album, Every Song
by Andrew Darlington
Part of the On Track series
Small Faces. Big Sound. There were but four Small Faces.
First, they were the sharp little mod fourpiece of the 'All Or Nothing' Decca years, Carnaby Street, Ready Steady Go! and Rave magazine. Then they were the irreverent freakbeat experimentalists of the Immediate years, with 'Tin Soldier', 'Lazy Sunday' and classic album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake. Their hits were praised, covered and imitated by subsequent rock musicians such as Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher.
When The Small Faces split, Steve Marriott formed Humble Pie with Peter Frampton, and the rest of the band became The Faces with the addition of future Rolling Stone Ron Wood and vocalist Rod Stewart. The Faces became one of the biggest rock bands of the seventies via albums such as A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse and Ooh La La or worldwide hit 'Stay With Me'. When those bands came to a natural end, and with 'Itchycoo Park' returned to the top ten, The Small Faces reformed for two more albums. Were they ill-advised or are they ripe for re-evaluation? The evidence is laid out here. For this is the full story song-by-song, from the very start, to the end …
Andrew Darlington is a hack writer, a self-educated acrobat juggling words. Jefferson Airplane musician Grace Slick once politely declined his offer of marriage. His latest poetry collection is Tweak Vision: The Word-Play Solution To Modern-Angst Confusion and his Science Fiction Novel In The Time Of The Breaking are both from Alien Buddha Press, USA. He's also written a biography of Beatles PR Derek Taylor called For Your Radioactive Children: Days In The Life Of The Beatles Spin-Doctor, published by SonicBond, who also published his 2021 book The Hollies On Track. His writing can be found at Eight Miles Higher: http://andrewdarlington.blogspot.co.uk/.
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The Hollies
Every Album, Every Song
by Andrew Darlington
Part of the On Track series
'The road is long, with many a winding turn, that leads us to who knows where? Who knows where?'
Everyone loved The Hollies. They were the 'group's group'. Never confrontational or rebellious, always smartly suited, always smiling. The band had an unbroken run of immaculate pop singles which, while they seldom had that must-buy factor of the latest Rolling Stones or Beatles record, were hallmarked by tight harmonies and an almost unfailing chart sensibility. Throughout the sixties and well into the seventies, everyone had at least one or two Hollies singles in their collection and nobody begrudged The Hollies their hits.
When 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' and 'Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress' became global million-sellers, The Hollies were inducted into The Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame. Graham Nash – by then deep into his second career as part of Crosby, Stills and Nash - was reunited with other members of the outfit on stage together in the March 2010 ceremony.
This book tells the full story of the band's music, from the band's origins in Manchester, through the full arc of hits, and the albums – track-by-track, into the twenty-first century, then… now… always.
Andrew Darlington watched the very first episode of 'Dr Who', he also watched the most recent episode. Whatever academic potential he may once have possessed was wrecked by an addiction to loud rock 'n' roll and cheap science fiction, which remain the twin poles of what he laughingly refers to as his writing career. He is most proud of his parallel universe collection A Saucerful Of Secrets. His latest book is a biography of the Beatles spin-doctor Derek Taylor: For Your Radioactive Children (Sonicbond, 2020). His writing can be found at 'Eight Miles Higher': andrewdarlington.blogspot.co.uk/
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Renaissance
by David Detmer
Part of the On Track series
Renaissance, a much beloved but highly underrated English progressive rock band, began life in 1969 as an offshoot of The Yardbirds. Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, who had recently left that iconic blues-rock group, decided to put together a new band that would differ from its predecessor by being more influenced by classical and folk music. After releasing two albums in 1969 and 1971, The band then quickly underwent a 100 percent turnover in personnel, resulting in an entirely new Renaissance The new band was distinguished by the astonishingly beautiful five-octave-range vocals of their lead singer, Annie Haslam; their lengthy, multi-movement, classically inspired compositions, and their unusual instrumentation. Renaissance released six classic studio albums, and one live double album, between 1972 and 1978, even scoring a UK hit with Northern Lights. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the band commercialise with limited success, before folding. In the 21st century, with Haslam continuing as the bands distinctive voice, Renaissance has returned to its orchestral/symphonic rock roots with two studio albums of new material and multiple live releases featuring contemporary treatments of its 1970s classics. This book, the first ever published on Renaissance, assesses their entire career, covering every song on every album. It is the essential guide to the recorded works of a group that deserves to be ranked among the greatest in the progressive rock genre.
David Detmer is a Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University Northwest. He is the author of six previous books, the most recent of which are Zinnophobia (about the radical American historian, Howard Zinn) and Simply Sartre (on the French existentialist philosopher and playwright, Jean-Paul Sartre). An amateur guitarist, his published essays on The Beatles and Pink Floyd have been translated into German, Portuguese, and Korean. He lives in Munster, Indiana, USA.
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Barclay James Harvest
by Keith Domone
Part of the On Track series
Barclay James Harvest are surely overdue for greater recognition. They have Long been feted in Germany and in other parts of Continental Europe, but remain largely unknown at home in the U.K. except to a fiercely loyal cognoscenti. Formed in the Saddleworth area of north-west England in 1967, the band released a series of outstanding albums showcasing their pastoral, classically-influenced brand of rock, before hitting the heights of their success, culminating in a massive open-air concert in Berlin in front of an estimated quarter of a million people. With only one line-up change, the departure of keyboard maestro and founder member Woolly Wolstenholme in 1979, they continued to record until 1998, when the band finally split into two separate groups, led by original members John Lees and Les Holroyd respectively. The core of this book covers Barclay James Harvest's output from 1968 to 1997, with analysis and background information for every studio album and every song released from that period, but there is also room for an overview of their live albums and of the member's activities after the break up of the original group. It is required reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in one of the rock world's most underrated bands.
Keith and Monika Domone have both been Barclay James Harvest aficionados from an early age, even meeting through their shared love of the band's music. They graduated from running the band's official fan club to writing and curating the Barclay James Harvest and John Lees' Barclay James Harvest web sites, in between work and parenting. They were also responsible for penning two editions of The Barclay James Harvest Story, the only biography of the band to have appeared in print to date, and now out of print. They have two grown-up children, living in Hampshire, UK.
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Rolling Stones 1963 to 1980
Every Album, Every Song
by Steve Pilkington
Part of the On Track series
The Rolling Stones. Still going strong and defying the doubters, over 55 years since their formation, they possess a longevity almost unheard of in popular music – especially with three of the five original members still present.
The majority of people, however, would surely consider their work during the 1960s and 1970s to be their most creative, influential and original, from the early R&B material through the psychedelic experimentation of Their Satanic Majesties Request, the country/blues flavourings of Beggars Banquet , the louche swagger of Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main Street through to the mature and sophisticated feel of the more complex Goats Head Soup. With 'new boy' Ron Wood replacing Mick Taylor in 1975, the band returned to basics a little more with the album Black And Blue and a resultant world tour which saw over a million people apply for tickets to a run of six Earl's Court shows in 1976.
The band have continued as a major force since the turn of the '80s, but it is that period up to 1980 which this book looks at, studying in depth every single song released during the band in that time, via factual, anecdotal and critical analysis. It's only rock and roll, but this is the ultimate study.
Steve Pilkington is a music journalist, proof-reader and broadcaster. He is Editor in Chief for the Classic Rock Society magazine Rock Society, and contributes to other publications such as Prog. Before taking on this work full-time, he spent years writing for fanzines and an Internet music review site on a part-time basis. He has recently published Black Sabbath – Song By Song (Fonthill, 2018), Deep Purple and Rainbow - On Track (Sonicbond, 2018) and has written the official biography of legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap. He lives in Wigan, Merseyside.
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The Zombies
Every Album, Every Song
by Emma Stott
Part of the On Track series
Most lauded for the gorgeously baroque Odessey And Oracle, and the ageless singles 'She's Not There' and 'Time Of The Season', The Zombies were at the forefront of The British Invasion, recording music described by Tom Petty as 'so original it hurt'. The Zombies On Track voyages through every release, beginning with their first incarnation in the 1960s and uncovering how a US number one and a film appearance with Laurence Olivier were no guarantees of continued chart success. Poor publicity, unwise management and bad timing almost killed off the band, yet sublime songwriting and a lucky break with Al Kooper reanimated them …
The book recounts their many afterlives, including the posthumous RIP, the story behind the 'counterfeit' Zombies, their first reunion with the album New World and everything in between hidden in the depths of the band's complex history, and considers how their later incarnation has sustained success more effectively than the original line-up. Drawing on both archive interviews and new conversations with Argent and Blunstone to mark the release of The Zombies' latest album – the critically acclaimed Different Game – this book proves why The Zombies not only have an immortal back catalogue but are also still making vital music today.
Emma Stott missed out on the 1960s and the 1970s and she still isn't over it, so writing about the greatest decades in rock music helps with her loss. She also writes about literature and education, being an English teacher by day in Manchester, UK, where she forbids any 'dark sarcasm' in her classroom.
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Ralph McTell
Every Album, Every Song
by Paul O. Jenkins
Part of the On Track series
Best known for his international hit' Streets Of London', Ralph McTell has recorded over 300 songs in a career that spans more than 50 years. Due to his considerable melodic and lyrical gifts, a good many of McTell's compositions surpass 'Streets' in quality and have won him the admiration of fans and critics alike.
Heavily influenced by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and dozens of American country-blues artists, McTell eventually found his own voice. Distinct themes emerge in his works, including compassion, optimism, fathers and sons and the struggles faced by musicians and other artists who portray not just what life is but how it feels. While his soothing voice and delicate guitar skills make his songs enjoyable to so many, McTell tempers such grace with a definite edge. Many of his best works are protest songs.
A portrait painter, McTell's canon is populated by dozens of memorable figures that spring both from his experiences and his imagination. Yet, upon listening to his recordings, perhaps the most fascinating character that emerges is McTell himself. In this album-by-album, track-by-track review of his career, readers meet both the man and the musician as the elements of his craft are explored.
Professor Paul O. Jenkins is the University Librarian at Franklin Pierce University (New Hampshire, USA). He is the author of three books and served as the co-editor of Teaching The Beatles (Routledge, 2018). Besides writing liner notes for Ralph McTell's 2006 box set The Journey, Jenkins recently published a detailed examination of John Prine's songs in Popular Music And Society. He believes that human emotions can most effectively be shared and explored through the medium of music.
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The Temptations: 1960 - 1978
Every Album, Every Song
by George Haffenden
Part of the On Track series
As one of the greatest acts to come out of the Motown Record Corporation, the influence of the Temptations cannot be overstated. The 'Classic Five' line-up of Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin created a catalogue of hits that endures to this day. Aided by William 'Smokey' Robinson and, later, Norman Whitfield, the group produced classics such as 'Get Ready', 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg', and, of course, 'My Girl'. This line-up only lasted four years, but they created a hugely impressive legacy.
The introduction of Dennis Edwards to the group in 1968 coincided with a new style of music for them, produced by Whitfield, dubbed 'psychedelic soul'. Inspired by Sly & The Family Stone, this new sound gave the group a second act of new hits. However, by 1972, only Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin would remain from the 'Classic Five' line-up, and the hits were becoming more elusive.
This book explores their releases from their founding to 1978, when the group had endured further personnel challenges and a change in record label. It examines the group's triumphs and struggles during this period and tells a remarkable story of persistence and longevity.
The author
Born and raised in Sussex, George Haffenden grew up listening to his parents' record collection and developed a deep admiration of soul, funk, and disco. He spent his formative years shunning current trends in music, instead collecting obscure records, largely by the Temptations. He is now a content designer and the curator of the blog The Funk & Soul Revue, writing reviews and in-depth pieces on the history of soul. He's also interviewed several of the great soul icons, including George Clinton, Patti LaBelle and members of the Whispers, The Stylistics, and The Temptations.
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Spirit
Every Album, Every Song
by Rev. Keith A. Gordon
Part of the On Track series
Even in an age of unparalleled innovation and artistic freedom, Spirit stood head and shoulders above their 1960s-era rock 'n' roll contemporaries. Perhaps only Love shared the same sort of expansive and adventurous artistic vision as the five guys in Spirit, whose disparate and diverse musical backgrounds led them to explore the outer regions of rock 'n' roll as the band incorporated elements of the blues, folk, R&B, and jazz into their heady brew of psychedelia-tinted hard rock. Although they never experienced the level of commercial success that their talents and innovative music deserved, few bands since have matched Spirit in eccentricity, originality, intensity, and instrumental virtuosity.
For all their creative accomplishments, Spirit's legacy is that of a half-forgotten band whose name is seldom brought up in 'classic rock' discussions. Spirit on track corrects this oversight, revisiting the band album by album, song by song, from their ground-breaking self-titled 1968 debut and their masterpiece, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus , through the break-ups and reunions and solo efforts of the lean years until their resurgence in the 1990s with albums like Tent of Miracles. More than a mere album guide, this book recounts 30 years of the trailblazing artistry of Spirit.
The 'Reverend of Rock 'n' Roll,' Rev. Keith A. Gordon has been writing about classic rock and blues music for 50 years, his words appearing in over 100 publications worldwide including Creem, Blues Music Magazine, Live! Music Review, and the Rock and Roll Globe. A former All Music Guide contributor, Gordon has written 25 previous music-related books including Anarchy In The Music City!, The Other Side of Nashville, and Scorched Earth: A Jason & the Scorchers Scrapbook. The Reverend lives in Buffalo, NY, with his wife of 33 years and their two 'boogaloo' beagles. You'll find him online at www.thatdevilmusic.com.
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Mike Oldfield
by Ryan Yard
Part of the On Track series
It can be difficult for an artist to have such overwhelming success so early into their career as Mike Oldfield did. To this day, his name is forever synonymous with his debut album Tubular Bells. Mike followed this album with three further long-form works in the 1970s, before venturing off along other musical paths. However, the 1980s saw further success both in the albums and singles charts, while recent years have seen a return to lengthier pieces, often via sequels to his most famous work, with his most recent album being Return To Ommadawn in 2017. The music of Mike Oldfield touches his listeners in ways that can be hard to describe. It bridges the gap between many musical cultures, including pop, progressive rock, classical, world music and dance. In the meantime, Oldfield has always stayed alert to current technological trends. In this book, Ryan Yard looks at the entire catalogue of albums to uncover what it is that makes his music so astonishing. Every track from each album is critiqued, offering long term fans a different perspective while enticing new fans to explore such a remarkable catalogue of music. In doing so, this book provides an invaluable companion to this unique and hugely talented musician. Ryan Yard is a Composer, Pianist and Teacher. He has recorded five studio albums drawing upon his love of progressive rock, electronica and classical music, working with artists such as Tom Newman, producer of Tubular Bells and Les Penning, who played recorder on Oldfields UK hits 'Portsmouth' and 'In Dulci Jubilo'. Ryan teaches piano, music theory and composition and has established himself as a transcriptionist having worked on a large collection of Mike Oldfield music alongside works from other artists such as Yes and Vangelis. He lives and works in Shropshire.
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The Beatles 1962-1966
by Alberto Bravin
Part of the On Track series
Other than I Me Mine and some minor overdubs, The Beatles entire EMI/Apple catalogue was recorded in fewer than seven years: from 4 September 1962 through to 20 August 1969. Twelve albums, twenty-two singles, two standalone EPs, 213 songs. That in itself is remarkable enough. But the quality of the music, the rapid development of musical complexity and the innovations in studio production lifted The Beatles above every other band. The Fab Four were not always fab. But that some writers take the time and expend energy to point this out and purposefully diss perfect songs such as Yesterday merely serves to remind us that, most of the time, The Beatles were unarguably brilliant. Authors Andrew Wild and Alberto Bravin have listened to, digested and discussed the entire Beatles back catalogue to remind them why they love their music. How do they affect us today? Answer: they were bloody good. They still are. This first volume covers the period 1962 to 1966 from 'Love Me Do' to 'Tomorrow Never Knows', and the early albums that were different in the UK and the USA to Rubber Soul and Revolver, marking four years of outstanding, groundbreaking music.
Andrew Wild is a British writer, collector and long-time Beatles fan who recalls hearing the Red and Blue albums in the mid-1970s and has been in love with their music ever since. He has copies of every known Beatles outtake and live concert recording. His thorough and exhaustive study of every song performed or recorded by the band Four Sides Of The Circle was republished in 2024. He has written numerous music-related books, including several in the On Track series, about artists as diverse as The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Collins and Dire Straits. He lives in Rainow, Cheshire, UK.
Alberto Bravin is a musician, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is the lead singer of the progressive rock band Big Big Train. Alberto was previously a member of the highly-regarded Italian progressive rock band PFM Premiata Forneria Marconi from 2015 to 2022 and for many years he also played with his The Beatles tribute band Marshmallow Pies. He lives with his family in Trieste in the north-east of Italy. This is his first book.
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Nightwish
Every Album, Every Song
by Simon Mcmurdo
Part of the On Track series
Traversing power metal, acoustic introspect and finally settling on their breakthrough cinematic sound, Finnish heavyweights Nightwish are the leading name in the sumptuous world of symphonic metal. Having tackled numerous high-profile line-up changes, each threatening to derail the grand vehicle of spirit curated by founder Tuomas Holopainen, their every turn has been documented across nine studio records.
Whilst the surface presents the Nightwish discography as a feast of metaphor and imagination, it's in the undercurrent that the vulnerability of the compositions is revealed; the fury of 'Master Passion Greed' detailing the acrimonious split with vocalist Tarja Turunen, the melancholia permeating Century Child and the awe-inspiring ode to evolution of Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
This book analyses every song released by the group, from their Angels Fall First debut to 2020's Human. :: Nature., discussing inimitable singles 'Nemo' and the begrudgingly composed 'Sleeping Sun', as well as patriotic sport soundtracks, impromptu live outings and curious cover versions. Nightwish On Track also discusses the abundant live releases and compilations from their career to date and gathers together an exhaustive list of the band's B-sides and rarities. The book's comprehensive approach will enlighten fans both old and new.
The author
Simon McMurdo is a writer, podcaster and symphonic metal enthusiast from Nottingham, UK. After graduating with an English and Creative Writing degree in 2012, his subsequent free time was dedicated to blogging and reviewing music as diverse as black metal and bubblegum pop. Teenage years devoted to absorbing as much information about European metal as possible culminated in the launch of The Podcast and the Pendulum, the first dedicated Nightwish podcast hosting guests from renowned bands such as Xandria, Leaves' Eyes and Tristania and reaching listeners in over 60 countries.
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Inxs
by Manny Grillo
Part of the On Track series
Between their formation in 1977 and retirement as a band in 2012, INXS went from pub band to world fame with their unique hybrid of rock, pop and funk. Despite soaking up a vast number of influences along the way, INXS transcended all specific music genres to become unique and, along the way, sold tens of millions of albums worldwide.
The hit singles, including 'Need You Tonight', 'Never Tear US Apart' and 'Suicide Blonde' amongst many others, have seeped into popular culture. At the same time, the life and loves of their electric frontman, Michael Hutchence, kept the band in the public consciousness. Biographies, documentaries and even a TV biopic have all been written and produced about the band and Michael's life. However, this is the first book that takes a deep dive into their entire catalogue, taking in every INXS track, including song commentaries, opinion, facts and stories.
From their early demos to breakthrough album Shabooh Shoobah and The Swing via the global success of Kick to the creative rebirth of Welcome To Wherever You Are, all the way through to the post-Hutchence celebration Original Sin, every album track and B-side is covered here in glorious detail.
Ever since he wore out the first Now That's What I Call Music album at the age of 4, Manny Grillo has had a deep love for music. It was Christmas 1988 when he received a copy of the 'Need You Tonight' single that his love for INXS began. That record kicked off a four-decade journey, which has seen him become a contributor to the wonderful INXS: Access All Areas podcast and has culminated in the release of his first book – a lifelong ambition.. The other loves of his life are his wife, Kim, and children Alicia, Luca, Jude and Heidi. He lives in Yorkshire, UK.
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Thin Lizzy On Track
Every Album, Every Song
by Graeme Stroud
Part of the On Track series
Thin Lizzy emerged as a four-piece in Dublin as the 1960s drew to a close, when guitarist Eric Bell and keyboard player Eric Wrixon, both from Belfast, encountered a band named Orphanage, which included Dubliners Brian Downey on drums and charismatic frontman Philip Lynott. The band evolved through a number of incarnations, through psychedelic power trio of the early years via classic four-piece guitar-toting rockers of the Live And Dangerous era, and ending with their incarnation as heavy metal heroes. With the ever-present Lynott and Downey at its core, Thin Lizzy rose to become one of the most powerful and iconic rock bands in Europe, before the erosive effects of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle took their toll.
This book presents a history of the band through its music. It covers every song released through official channels, presented in context. From the difficult early years of the early 1970s, which did produce the surprise hit single 'Whisky In The Jar', via their breakthrough album Jailbreak and the heavy rock excesses of the early 1980s, this book follows the evolution of Thin Lizzy and its stellar cast of guitarists, from start to finish, through their music, track by glorious track.
Graeme Stroud is a musician and writer, having played lead guitar in bands and also solo projects since the 1970s. He has written on websites and blogs on many subjects, both musical and non-musical, for several years. He was a reviewer, interviewer and feature writer for Rock Society magazine for five years, specialising in the blues and rock genres. Since 2019, he has performed interviews and written feature articles, gig and album reviews for the rock website VelvetThunder.com. His first book, Status Quo — Song By Song was published in 2017. He lives in Kent, UK.
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Radiohead
by William Allen
Part of the On Track series
Formed at their Oxfordshire secondary school in the mid-eighties, Radiohead have gone on arguably to be not only the most important rock group of the 1990s, but also the most significant post-rock group of the new century. Few would have predicted such greatness when their 1993 debut Pablo Honey appeared, revealing an infatuation with The Pixies and, in Creep featuring a lead single deemed too depressing to be playlisted on BBC Radio 1. They went on to deliver two of the era-defining albums of the 90s in The Bends and OK Computer, the latter in particular, redefining what could be achieved in the realm of guitar- based rock. In the early 2000s, they radically rewrote the rulebook both for themselves and for popular music, largely eschewing guitar rock for the experimental, electronic Kid A and Amnesiac. In 2016 they issued their ninth album A Moon Shaped Pool the latest in a series of works that has seen the group restlessly finding new approaches to both composition and recording. This book examines each album (and each peripheral song, from singles, B-sides and EPs) with stories and analysis of every officially released track.
William Allen is a musician and guitar teacher. Having completed a music degree at Brunel Music he went on to attain a Masters in Composition for Film and TV from Kingston University. This led to providing incidental music for the Big Finish series of Doctor Who audio CDs. He lives in Whaley Bridge, UK.
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Captain Beefheart
Every Album, Every Song
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
Captain Beefheart (Don Vliet) was undoubtedly the creator of the most bizarre and wonderful music. A child prodigy sculptor, he applied his artistic approach to music, creating 'aural sculptures'. After befriending Frank Zappa in high school, they collaborated on a teenage rock opera and science fiction/fantasy film entitled Captain Beefheart vs The Grunt People. It was from this film that Don took his name. His Magic Band started out as a blues group in the mid-sixties, but soon, with lysergic propulsion, surreal poetry, free-form jazz, polyrhythms and African beats, they established themselves at the forefront of West Coast acid rock.
A series of hugely inventive albums, including the infamous Trout Mask Replica, and some legendary live performances, established them as the foremost avant-garde rock band. Few bands were as influential, with The Beatles, The Fall, PJ Harvey and Tom Waits all paying homage, and as a result, The Magic Band have inspired a myriad of tribute bands and created a mythology like no other. This book sets the history of the band in context, analysing every track and attempting to interpret both the music and Don Vliet's poetry. It is essential reading for diehard fans and the Beefheart-curious alike.
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction and taught the first 'History of Rock Music' classes in the UK. He was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicentre for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Roy Harper. He was introduced to Captain Beefheart in 1967 and attended that first amazing gig at Middle Earth. He never fully recovered but now lives happily in East Yorkshire, UK.
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Sparks 1969 to 1979
by Chris Sutton
Part of the On Track series
This long-overdue book charts the career of Sparks from 1969 to 1979. Every album and every song is examined, including some which are still officially unreleased, beginning with their early recordings as Halfnelson/Sparks and when they were a band of fiv
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The Jam
Every Album, Every Song
by Stan Jeffries
Part of the On Track series
From the band's first single, 'In The City' in April 1977, to their last, 'Beat Surrender' in November 1982, The Jam went from new wave wannabees to arguably the biggest band in the UK. The Jam on track covers every song released by the group during their five-and-a-half-year career on the Polydor label that saw them have thirteen top twenty singles and five top ten albums in the UK. The book also includes the pick of demos and little-known recordings from various compilation albums after the band's demise. Each song is looked at from a musical and lyrical point of view and includes contemporary comments from Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler, plus music critics and those working closely with the band.
Album and single sleeves, as well as TV and video appearances, are part of the mix as Stan Jeffries looks at what made The Jam one of Britain's most respected acts, while demonstrating how their legacy continues to this day. For both the dedicated and the curious, this book guides you through the career of one of Britain's musical giants.
Stan Jeffries, Sheffield born and fled. North, to Newcastle, where he lived and worked for seven years and wrote The Encyclopaedia of World Pop Music 1980-2001 in his spare time. He spent a dozen or so years touring the globe with any band who'd have him. Laughably, he called this a job. His first Jam album was All Mod Cons and his first Jam show was in Leicester during the 1979 Setting Sons tour. Currently, he lives in Andalusia, Spain, where he struggles to make himself understood by the natives.
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Anthony Phillips 1977–1990
Every Album, Every Song
by Alan Draper
Part of the On Track series
In the mid-1960s, two notable bands emerged from the rarified cloisters of Charterhouse Public School in rural Surrey: The Anon, with guitarists Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford and The Garden Wall, a unit driven by the duo of Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks. Following the 1966 end-of-term school concert, these two bands merged, leading to the first lineup of Genesis. Phillips remained with Genesis until July 1970, when stage fright and ill health forced him to quit. He embarked on a long course of musical self-improvement that would produce an impressive technique on both guitar and keyboards, leading to a flourishing solo career, commencing with his first solo album, The Geese & The Ghost, in 1977.
In this book, Alan Draper looks at Anthony Phillips' solo output, from his 1977 debut album through to his most successful long-form work, Slow Dance, in 1990 and the various Private Parts And Pieces collections. Also included are the two Archive Collection albums, released after this date, as they contain previously unheard material from the pre-1990 period. In the 21st century, Phillips' albums have become widely available via beautifully packaged box sets, providing the perfect opportunity to explore his impressive body of work once again.
Alan Draper is a writer and musician living in Fareham, Hampshire, with his wife, Radiance. Starting his musical career as guitarist with The Alsatians in 1978, he wrote both sides of their 1980 single: 'Teen Romance'/'Our Man In Marrakesh'. His song 'Complications' featured on the album Rocking With The Renees by The Gymslips, a top twenty hit on the independent chart in 1983. His first solo album Earth Magic appeared in 1989, followed by Ascension Day in 1999, both displaying folk, classical and progressive rock influences. He is also the author of Stackridge: On Track and The Divine Comedy: On Track.
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Steve Hackett
Every Album, Every Song
by Geoffrey Feakes
Part of the On Track series
Guitarist Steve Hackett first came to many fan's attention when he joined Genesis in 1971. Following seven excellent albums with the band, he went his own way in 1977. He had already kick-started his solo career with the critically acclaimed Voyage of the Acolyte in 1975, but 25 studio albums have followed, making him the most prolific member of the classic Genesis line-up. In the 1980s, he also formed the successful GTR band with Yes guitarist Steve Howe. Steve Hackett's solo work has embraced rock, prog, classical, blues, pop, jazz and world music, while his most recent electric album At The Edge of Light released in 2019, is perhaps his best since the classic Spectral Mornings in 1979. On stage, he has kept the Genesis flame burning brightly, performing the band's classic material from the 1970s, alongside his solo work.
This book examines, in detail, each one of Steve's studio albums, including Under A Mediterranean Sky, released in 2021 and traces his long and varied musical history. Collaborations, live albums and compilations are also discussed, making this the most comprehensive guide to the music of Steve Hackett yet published. Whether the reader is a diehard fan or someone wishing to catch-up on his post-Genesis work, this book is essential reading.
Geoffrey Feakes is an author and music journalist. He has published two previous books, The Moody Blues On Track in 2019 and The Who On Track in 2020. He has been a writer for the Dutch Progressive Rock Page since 2005 with hundreds of reviews and interviews to his credit. He first saw Steve Hackett on stage with Genesis in 1972 and has followed his career ever since. He lives in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK.
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Caravan
Every Album, Every Song
by Andy Boot
Part of the On Track series
Caravan have a history that stretches back over half a century, with a catalogue of music that ranges from progressive rock classics to pop gems that really deserved to be hits. Lumped into that strange category known as 'the Canterbury Sound'.
This book traces their history, track-by-track, over eighteen canonical albums, stopping off to examine the plethora of live and BBC session releases that have swollen their back catalogue like a girl who grows plump in the night. Beginning with their pop-psych debut on Verve, continuing through the run of classic and revered albums on Decca/Deram that forged their reputation and then on the albums that saw them move towards pop and be swept up by the tides of fashion, it ends with the decades of reunions that saw fewer albums, but a refinement of the sensibilities that define their unique sound.
With ever-present Pye Hastings on guitar, vocals and songwriting and the late Richard Coughlan on drums, the band has also been defined by the skills of viola player Geoff Richardson and the Sinclair cousins – David on keys and Richard on bass. But this is not to belittle the contribution of every musician and songwriter whose talents have combined to make this most English of bands just that little bit special.
Andy Boot began his writing career on Kerrang! where he tried to write as little about metal and as much about prog as possible. A varied career followed, including non-fiction books on film, true crime and psychic phenomena, as well as novels in sci-fi and thriller franchises. In later years, development work in documentary and unscripted TV kept him away from the printed word, but the chance to put down in print all those thoughts about a band who have made him happy since he was fourteen was just too good to resist. He lives in Essex, UK.
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Steeleye Span: 1970 – 1989
Every Album, Every Song
by Darren Johnson
Part of the On Track series
When Ashley Hutchings broke away from Fairport Convention in 1969, he recruited two musical duos to form Steeleye Span. They didn't seem to agree about very much at all. This fractious group imploded before their debut album was even released. Undeterred, two new musicians were enlisted, and the band continued. Then, Hutchings himself resigned. Rather than this being a disaster, however, it set in train what would become the band's most commercially successful period in the early 1970s. This was an extraordinary time for folk rock, but it was not to last. The second half of the decade saw another change in line-up, disappointing album sales and a two-year hiatus. All was not lost, though, and the classic line-up reconvened at the start of the 1980s.
Covering a two-decade period, this book examines every album from Hark! The Village Wait in 1970 to Tempted And Tried in 1989. The fascinating history behind the traditional songs on these albums is examined in detail, together with insights into how the band went about truly making them their own. This is a meticulously researched celebration of the music of one of the UK's most important bands in the folk rock genre at the most crucial period in its history.
The author
A former politician, Darren spent many years writing about current affairs, but after stepping away from politics, he was able to devote time to his first love: music. His previous books for Sonicbond were The Sweet In The 1970s, Suzi Quatro In The 1970s and Slade In The 1970s. Following this glam rock trilogy, he now turns his attention to folk rock. A keen follower of both rock and folk, he maintains a popular music blog Darren's Music Blog and has reviewed many albums and gigs over the past decade. He lives in Hastings, East Sussex.
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Billy Joel
Every Album, Every Song
by Lisa Torem
Part of the On Track series
'In the beginning,' Billy Joel entertained Long Island locals with The Hassles and Attila before forging a solo career in 1971. One year later, the singer-songwriter-pianist captivated college students when 'Captain Jack' dominated the Philadelphia airwaves. 'And so, it goes…' Cold Spring Harbor was rife with barrelhouse piano and tear-stained balladry but with Turnstiles Joel realised his dream of forming a stellar band. The success of The Stranger led to sold-out arenas and 52nd Street honoured the heyday of American jazz, while The Nylon Curtain highlighted socio-economic inequities and wartime brotherhood, and 1993's River of Dreams fused reggae and world music.
Then, in the early 2000s, his celebration of classical works ushered in a sea change. Unquestionably, Billy's catalogue has thrived, despite constantly changing trends in the music industry and over a fifty-plus year span, many of his relatable songs have become standards, covered by countless performers. The third best-selling solo artist of all time in the U.S. has continued to attract multi-generational audiences across the planet, so if you're 'all in the mood for a melody,' read on.
Billy Joel On Track contains behind-the-scenes stories and an analysis of Joel's extensive studio recordings, many of which became top 40 hits in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Rock journalist Lisa Torem has written features, profiles and reviews for American and British outlets for over a decade, and has interviewed, among others, Ian Anderson, Colin Blunstone, Eric Burdon, Dave Brubeck, Dave Davies, Janis Ian, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sarah McLachlan, Robin Trower, Suzanne Vega and Dweezil Zappa. Lisa co-authored, Through the Eye of the Tiger with Jim Peterik in 2014 and All That Glitters with vocalist Ava Cherry in early 2022. In 2021, the native-Chicagoan also wrote Tori Amos On Track. Lisa lives with her blues-harpist husband and a trio of mischievous cats.
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Laura Nyro
Every Album, Every Song
by Philip Ward
Part of the On Track series
Laura Nyro (1947-1997) was one of the most significant figures to emerge from the singer-songwriter boom of the 1960s. She first came to attention when her songs were hits for Barbra Streisand, The Fifth Dimension, Peter, Paul and Mary, and others. But it was on her own recordings that she imprinted her vibrant personality. With albums like Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry she mixed the sounds of soul, pop, jazz and Broadway to fashion autobiographical songs that earned her a fanatical following and influenced a generation of music-makers. In later life her preoccupations shifted from the self to embrace public causes such as feminism, animal rights and ecology – the music grew mellower, but her genius was undimmed.
This book examines her entire studio career from 1967's More than a New Discovery to the posthumous Angel in the Dark release of 2001. Also surveyed are the many live albums that preserve her charismatic stage presence. With analysis of her teasing, poetic lyrics and unique vocal and harmonic style, this is the first-ever study to concentrate on Laura Nyro's music and how she created it. Elton John idolised her; Joni Mitchell declared her 'a complete original'. Here's why.
Philip Ward is a writer, translator and former parliamentary researcher. Now freelance, he has published widely on literature and music, both popular and classical, and is a regular contributor to RnR magazine (where he recalls his proudest moment was interviewing Marianne Faithfull.) His previous books include Sandy Denny: Reflections on Her Music (2011), Becoming Helen Mirren (2019) and a translation of Frank Wedekind's novella Mine-Haha (2010). When not dabbling in musical composition, he is currently at work on a biography of the novelist Michael Arlen. Home is Cambridge, England, where he is a Senior Member of Wolfson College.
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Suzanne Vega
Every Album, Every Song
by Lisa Torem
Part of the On Track series
In 1985, Suzanne Vega released her debut, garnering platinum status in the UK and this New York-based singer-songwriter's self-titled album claimed the number 80 spot on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Best Albums of the Eighties. Vega began her career as an ambitious 'second wave' folk singer in Greenwich Village, but since the inception of that forty-year career, however, she has explored not only neo-folk music, but electronica, blues, new wave, musical theater, pop and Latin-flavored ballads such as 'Caramel.'
The original songs of her extensive discography highlight heartfelt and humorous narratives drawn from urban glitz and glitter, Greek mythology, and 20th-century literary and cinematic celebrity, but 'the mother of the mp3' also observes people navigating the slings and arrows of everyday life.
Much of her catalogue, including the a cappella hit, 'Tom's Diner' and socially conscious 'Luka,' have been covered by contemporary artists, but guided by multiple influencers, Vega herself has covered songs by Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed and Laura Nyro. With excerpts from the author's own interviews with Ms Vega, plus insights from renowned producers, American singer-songwriters, label executives, filmmakers, composers and session musicians, Suzanne Vega on track brings this profound artist's vivid discography to life.
Lisa Torem, a rock journalist and musician with an M.A. in Linguistics, has interviewed, among others, members of: Alice Cooper, The Animals, Aerosmith, Cream, The Kinks, The Faces, Dave Brubeck, Jethro Tull, Thin Lizzy, The Zombies, 10cc, Judy Collins, Donovan, Darlene Love, Sarah McLachlan, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jimmy Webb and Dweezil Zappa. Interviews, features, live/CD reviews have appeared in American Blues Scene, The Chicago Reader, Grateful Web, Newcity, pennyblackmusic.co.uk., Popmatters and The Big Takeover. Lisa co-wrote Through the Eye of the Tiger and All That Glitters and wrote Tori Amos and Billy Joel in the On Track series. She lives in Chicago with her husband and loquacious cats.
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Little Feat
Every Album, Every Song
by Georg Purvis
Part of the On Track series
Little Feat may not be a household name, but the band are loved by a good number of musicians who are: Keith Richards rounded up the Rolling Stones to see them perform in Amsterdam in 1975, Robert Plant publicly lamented their lack of success (as Led Zeppelin's soared into the stratosphere), and Bob Dylan and Elton John saw them in concert whenever possible. Legends like Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and Bob Seger helped out on their many albums, and they backed up Robert Palmer, John Cale, and Chico Hamilton.
Yet they never had a hit single, and the closest they came to success was with their 1978 live album, Waiting for Columbus, later performed live in its entirety by jam band Phish. But not even the death of their leader Lowell George could stop the Feats' shoes from sailin'. The band reformed in 1988 and has continued ever since, with Craig Fuller and Shaun Murphy helping out along the way. Little Feat on track dives into the ups and downs of their 50-year career and discusses every album and song, from their idiosyncratic 1971 debut to the post-pandemic optimism of 2021's When All Boats Rise.
Georg Purvis is the author of Queen: The Complete Works, Pink Floyd In the 1970s and Elvis Costello and The Attractions on track. He's been a Little Feat fan his entire life, thanks to his parents, Lynn and Georg. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Meredith, and their two cats, Spencer and William.
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Nektar
Every Album, Every Song
by Scott Meze
Part of the On Track series
Of all the British bands that rose to fame in rock's golden age, Nektar remain the most mysterious and least documented. Because they chose to base themselves in West Germany, commentators in their native land tended to overlook them. They're all but excluded from prog's official narrative even though Remember The Future is a classic and one of very few European art rock albums to succeed in the USA.
This book reveals Nektar as much more than just a hit LP, celebrating works of equal stature which seemed to pour effortlessly from the players. Whether you know only the 1970s albums that show the band at the pinnacle, or you've followed their progress under leaders Roye Albrighton and now Derek Moore, here is everything you need to complete your understanding of an intriguing band as distinctive as their artwork and as dazzling as their light show.
It documents how Germany was both boon and bane for the band, how America tore them apart and pulled them back together, and how from Journey To The Centre Of The Eye to The Other Side, Nektar have a vision and a connection that brings them much closer to our lives than any other band of their stature.
Scott Meze's many guises include music critic, science fiction author, and folk horror poet. For him, Nektar are the perfect nexus between the space rock that shifts the animal part of his brain out into the wonder of the universe and the prog that keeps his humanity grounded in the sheer inventive brilliance of our species. Scott abandoned the drippy dells of Somerset, UK, for the steamy swamp of Tokyo decades ago, and neither he nor his wife have a clue what he's doing here.
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The Chic Organisation
Every Album, Every Song
by Chris Sutton
Part of the On Track series
This book charts all of the albums which feature The Chic Organisation, helmed by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. As well as records under the Chic name, the duo also wrote, produced and played on albums by Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Debbie Harry, Johnny Mathis, Sheila B., Madonna, Odyssey, Carly Simon and David Bowie, amongst many. Appearing on these records was a regular pool of talented singers and musicians. So, sharing their thoughts are Eddie Daniels, Sammy Figueroa, Jean Fineberg, Stan Harrison, Bill Holloman, Kenny Lehman, Ellen Seeling, Roger Squitero and Jessica Wagner. Alva Chinn, who appeared on the front of the debut Chic album, also contributes, as does Tony Wright, who designed the Take It Off cover.
Every album and song is reviewed all together for the first time. There is also a section on further listening, which features records with a slightly lesser Chic presence for those who want to dig a little deeper. The book also features the more recent work of the rebranded Nile Rodgers & Chic. While many will know of the extent of Chic's influence and work, it will likely come as a surprise to even more. Whether you are a hardcore fan or are keen to delve below the surface, this book is for you. Le freak c'est Chic!
Chris Sutton has been a fan of the Chic Organisation since they first emerged in 1977. He feels their peak remains the two C'est Chic and Risque albums. He is the manager of Smethwick Heritage Centre, for whom he has written several publications. This is his sixth book for Sonicbond, following on from books on Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Sparks and two on Alice Cooper. He is also a regular contributor to PowerPlay Magazine and has contributed to a TV documentary on Alice Cooper.
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Procol Harum
Every Album, Every Song
by Scott Meze
Part of the On Track series
Few artists have had as great an impact with their debut single as Procol Harum. Mesmerising and perplexing in equal measure, 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' remains the perfect distillation of the possibilities of psychedelia in that brief period when British pop seemed to promise a summer of love that would last forever. But as this book reveals, from the start, Procol Harum envisioned a post-psychedelic landscape of the heartsick and bewildered. Through Gary Brooker's classically inspired melodies and soaring, soulful vocals, lyricist Keith Reid told harrowing stories of voyages into the darkness of the soul, through graveyards of the damned, and to the depths of madness, via classic albums like A Salty Dog and Grand Hotel.
Aided by musicians of the calibre of organist Matthew Fisher and guitarist Robin Trower, Procol Harum invented and mapped out the interplay of those two instruments, soon to explode into prog rock's epic structures, and pioneered the integration of band and orchestra that helped break the boundaries separating young musicians and the establishment. It's all here in Scott Meze's guide, from the first note to the last of a legacy that cries out to be heard.
Scott Meze is a psychedelic music obsessive born in Britain but based in Tokyo, the music connoisseur's capital of the world. Scott Meze has never knowingly tripped the light fandango. However, he did once successfully chat up a girl by reciting 'The Miller's Tale' to her. He is the author of books on Soft Machine and Nektar in the On Track series.
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Leonard Cohen
Every Album, Every Song
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
An enigma, Leonard Norman Cohen was possibly the most improbable bohemian intellectual singer/songwriter in music history. He was the working-class hero, the people's poet, the suicidal lamenter of doom and a purveyor of popular songs. But the truth is even more complex. Throughout his life, there were juxtapositions of the most unlikely life choices and influences. To have fashioned a mishmash of ideas, styles and influences into a successful, long-lasting musical career is nothing short of amazing.
He blended secular, mystical, sexual and religious themes into ambiguous poetic tapestries and devised an intricate, unique musical style. He possessed a deep baritone voice that, although mesmerising, was sometimes in danger of sounding monotonous. Leonard was able to fuse these elements into a distinctive amalgam that somehow worked on many levels. He did not look the part, play the game or conform to any rules, but Leonard touched hearts and minds all over the world, while writing some remarkable songs, including 'Hallelujah' and 'Suzanne'.
Focusing equally on his popular early albums, the more experimental mid-period and his final, late-career renaissance, this book analyses and interprets every album and every individual song to shed light on the phenomenon of Leonard Cohen.
The Author
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction and taught the first History of Rock Music classes in the UK. He was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicentre for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Roy Harper. He now lives happily in East Yorkshire, UK.
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Gong Revised and Updated
Every Album, Every Song
by Kevan Furbank
Part of the On Track series
Every now and then a band comes along that defies convention, refuses to be pigeon-holed, thumbs its nose at comfy predictability and blows raspberries at commercial wisdom. That band is Gong. From 1970 to the present day, Gong have ploughed a unique musical furrow - part progressive rock, part spacey psychedelia, part proto-punk, ambient trance, drum 'n' bass and absurdist political performance art.
In this revised edition, long-time fan Kevan Furbank examines all the Gong albums from Magick Brother in 1970 to 2023's Unending Ascending and chronicles the stories behind each recording. He examines the songwriting, arrangements and mythology that inspired each track, with new insights from, amongst others, the current fantastic Gong line-up, bassist Mike Howlett, violinist Graham Clark and guitarist Josh Pollock.
…He salutes the many great musicians who have passed through Gong in the last 50-odd years, including guitar hero Steve Hillage, drummer Pierre Moerlen, flute and sax maestro Didier Malherbe and, of course, whimsical visionary and Gong founder Daevid Allen. The author also discusses the off-shoots of the Gong family tree - including Mother Gong, Gongmaison and Pierre Moerlen's Gong.
If you have never heard any Gong, this book is the perfect introduction. If you have, you will want to go back and revisit the glorious music this band has made.
Now happily retired, Kevan Furbank was Managing Editor of Reach Ireland, publishers of the Irish Daily Mirror and the Irish Daily Star and a journalist on local and national newspapers for more than 40 years. He has published books on local history and written stories, articles and columns on practically every subject under the sun. This is his fifth book for Sonicbond. His music tastes encompass prog, rock, folk and jazz and, in his spare time, he likes to pretend he can play, guitar, bass, ukulele, bouzouki and keyboards. He is married with two grown-up daughters and lives in Northern Ireland.
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The Damned
Every Album, Every Song
by Morgan Brown
Part of the On Track series
The Damned are a great British rock n' roll institution. They have helped to plot the course of guitar music over the last 45 years, putting UK punk on record for the first time in 1976, and going on to lay the groundwork for the hardcore, Goth, post-punk, indie-pop and horror-punk movements that have thrived in their wake. Ever underestimated by critics, their string of classic albums has nevertheless been hugely influential, from the trailblazing punk of Damned Damned Damned to the epic, eclectic sprawl of The Black Album, through the glossy dark-pop of Phantasmagoria, to the genre-spanning triumph of the recent Evil Spirits and beyond.
In this book, Morgan Brown takes a fascinating, deep dive into each of the band's groundbreaking records, unearthing the stories and inspirations behind them. He picks apart their musical building blocks and examines both the creative process and the creators themselves; early visionary leader Brian James, iconic frontman Dave Vanian, madcap genius Captain Sensible, volatile percussive dervish Rat Scabies and many more. Curious new listeners and long-time enthusiasts alike will find this book the perfect companion on a voyage of discovery into the strange, chaotic, wonderful world of The Damned.
Morgan Brown has been an active part of the UK punk scene for over twenty years as a guitarist, drummer and songwriter. His various bands have toured widely, sharing bills with many of the genre's leading lights, including, on numerous occasions, The Damned. He is a self-confessed music nerd, enjoying a wild assortment of pop, jazz, folk, heavy metal, country, and whatever else takes his fancy. He is also an avid consumer of sci-fi and crime fiction and is a regular contributor to Hark! The 87th Precinct podcast, which is dedicated to the detective novels of Ed McBain. He lives in Liverpool, UK.
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Judas Priest
Every Album, Every Song
by John Tucker
Part of the On Track series
Many would argue that Judas Priest's most creative and influential period ran from their first release in 1974 until frontman Rob Halford shocked the metal world by quitting in May 1992, following the Painkiller tour. By then, Judas Priest had fourteen albums to their name, with chart success in both the UK and USA, and had grown in stature and image from a kaftan-wearing rock band with pretensions of being the next Queen, to purveyors of a leather and studded, full-force, heavy metal onslaught. Copied by many but surpassed by none, Judas Priest came to symbolise the very essence of heavy metal music. By the time of UK hit British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance, their breakthrough album in the USA, their look and sound was being replicated by many young hopefuls, as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal spawned the next generation of metal bands worldwide.
Judas Priest - On Track. From Rocka Rolla to Painkiller studies Judas Priest's varied output in detail. Musicians inspired by the band explain what Judas Priest and their albums meant to them, and the late Chris Tsangarides, whose first break came with the Sad Wings Of Destiny sessions, offers his insight into one of the world's greatest heavy metal bands.
A keen writer and photographer, John Tucker's first live review was published in the American fanzine Metal Rendez-Vous in 1983. Moving to London later that year, he started contributing to a number of fanzines, and also wrote Neat Records' in-house magazine Lead Weight. His first book Suzie Smiled – the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal appeared in 2006, and since then he's written Never Surrender (with Biff Byford), Am I Evil? (with Brian Tatler), Whitesnake – The Definitive Biography (with Simon Robinson), Neat & Tidy – The Story Of Neat Records and 5 Years Of Brofest.
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The Cure
Every Album, Every Song
by Matthew R. Davis
Part of the On Track series
Few bands can claim anything like the longevity, sincerity, and sheer creative breadth of The Cure. From their beginnings as literate punks through their early bleak masterpieces that ended with Pornography (1982), to the pop years that followed and their worldwide success with the mercurial Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987) and the monolithic Disintegration (1989), they have built a reputation as idealistic iconoclasts and sustained a dearly devoted audience that hangs on Robert Smith's every impassioned word.
Their epic live sets regularly include deep cuts from every era and run the gamut from unabashed romanticism to harrowing sorrow, from dance to dirge and back again. As prolific in the studio as they are on stage, their history is littered with remarkable B-sides, rare tracks, live records, remixes, and more. This book examines the entirety of The Cure's quixotic catalogue, from the surly departures of Three Imaginary Boys (1979) to the triumphant return of Songs Of A Lost World (2024) and all points in between. For every mood, there's a Cure song to match, and you'll find it here.
Matthew R. Davis is a Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author and musician from Adelaide, South Australia. He has published one hundred short stories and eight books to date, including the horror collections If Only Tonight We Could Sleep and Songs of Shadow, Words of Woe. He was the vocalist/bassist and lead songwriter in Blood Red Renaissance, has supported Anathema and Queensrÿche with icecocoon, and has written even more songs than appear in this book. A diehard Cure fan since the age of nineteen, he shares his life (and love for the band) with the award-winning artist Meg Wright, aka Red Wallflower.
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U2
Every Album, Every Song
by Eoghan Lyng
Part of the On Track series
U2 were Formed at a Dublin Secondary School by Adam Clayton, Bono, The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr. Like most bands, they wanted to be among the best in the world. By 1991, with Achtung Baby in the pipeline and War, The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree behind them, they were arguably deserving of that intention. Yet there was more to the band than the stadium records that made their fans deliriously happy and the music's creators artistically and lucratively fulfilled. Their second album, October, opened the four-piece into a spiritual journey that fed their later work. Their double album Rattle and Hum proved one of the greatest torchbearers of American music of its time. And then there were Zooropa and Pop - dance-oriented albums that showed the initially punk-oriented quartet exploring effects, sounds and territories that few of their contemporaries dared contemplate.
That they should exist forty years after their debut is testament to the will, fortitude and versatility U2 hold. Their most recent works Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience have proven their most reflective and perhaps their most autobiographical. What lies next for U2 only the band know, but this book delves into their past work, without leaving a passenger behind.
The author
Eoghan Lyng is a music writer and pop fanatic. Having spent a life listening to idiosyncratic pop, Lyng honed this fascination into something more tangible. His writing credits include New Sounds, We Are Cult, Culture Sonar, The Phacemag, DMovies, The Irish Post and The Digital Fix. He has interviewed Pete Best, Denny Laine, Jeff Wayne, Rat Scabies, Eric Stewart, Chris Thomas, Kristin Hersh, Arthur Matthews and Ian La Frenais. Lyng intends to continue his musical journey by exploring new and exciting artists, without losing interest in the bands that have led him here. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.
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UFO
Every Album, Every Song
by Richard James
Part of the On Track series
UFO, the legendary band which have been gracing the world's stages for the last 50 years, have given us more than their fair share of superb quality hard rock songs including 'Doctor, Doctor', 'Rock Bottom', 'Shoot Shoot', 'Too Hot To Handle', and 'Only You Can Rock Me'. And that was just during the Seventies!
Albums such as Force It, Obsession, The Wild, The Willing, And The Innocent, Walk On Water and You Are Here are acknowledged as classics of the melodic hard rock genre, and their live masterpiece Strangers In The Night regularly features at or near the top of rock music polls. UFO's history can be delineated by the guitarists who have passed through their ranks. Phases in the band's career include: the early 'Space Rock' stumblings; their astonishing development with the brilliant, mercurial Michael Schenker; the consolidation and first downfall during Paul Chapman's tenure; subsequent re-launches and crash-landings; a troubled reformation of the Schenker line-up and the final, mostly settled, version with Vinnie Moore.
This book explores each of the band's 23 studio albums, and, of course, Strangers. Every song is analysed in detail and opinions are numerous in this passionate critique of one of Britain's best loved and most influential rock institutions.
Richard immersed himself in music as soon as he got his first real six string at the age of 10. Previously chained to a desk for a living, he broke free, armed with a music degree from the Open University and a Licentiate Diploma in Classical Guitar from the Royal School of Music, and proceeded to roam the East Midlands as a freelance guitarist and music teacher. He lives with his wife in Leicestershire, UK, and when not involved with music he enjoys foreign travel and playing chess badly.
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The Incredible String Band
Every Album, Every Song
by Tim Moon
Part of the On Track series
The Incredible String Band evoke love and devotion to all those who fall under their spell. Their world is not ours, but a land of mythical creatures and fey beings.
This book looks at all their recorded output from the first album which saw the turning point from the mix of old time American music and Scottish dance tunes to the first steps in songwriting, through albums which still maintain a legendary reputation, 5000 Spirits and Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. Looking at their increasingly eclectic instrumentation and fantastical songwriting, there is also fresh look at the slightly lesser-known albums that followed and the later version of the band that moved steadily towards the rock mainstream before imploding in 1974. There is also a look at the albums that appeared when the band briefly reformed in the 21st century and a run through the best of the posthumous live albums and compilations of unreleased material.
The band went from major success to cult status. They suffered mockery in the punk period to finally becoming a highly respected band, whose albums still sell steadily to this day. This book will follow that journey and examine every stop along the way.
Tim Moon was born in 1953 in the village of Shelf in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Music was around the house in the form of LPs of musicals and Frank Sinatra, and then one day his father brought home an acoustic guitar, spurred on by the British skiffle boom. Tim was mesmerised and his interest was aroused again by the emergence of The Beatles which prompted him to acquire his own guitar. Tim has written for various music publications and presents a couple of folk based radio programmes. He gigs, acts and is otherwise happily retired in his seaside home in Filey, North Yorkshire, UK.
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Roy Harper
Every Album, Every Song
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
Roy Harper must be one of Britain's most undervalued rock musicians and songwriters. For over fifty years, he has produced a series of innovative albums of consistently outstanding quality, putting poetry and social commentary to music in a way that extends the boundaries of rock music. His 22 studio albums and 16 live albums, made up of 250 songs, have created a unique body of work.
Roy is a musician's musician. He is lauded by the likes of Dave Gilmour, Ian Anderson, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Joanna Newsom, Fleet Foxes and Kate Bush. Who else could boast that he has had Keith Moon, Jimmy Page, Dave Gilmour, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Chris Spedding, Bill Bruford and Steve Broughton in his backing band? Notable albums include Stormcock, HQ and Bullinamingvase.
Opher Goodwin, Roy's friend and a fan, guides the reader through every album and song, providing insight into the recording of the songs as well the times in which they were recorded. As his loyal and often fanatical fans will attest, Roy has produced a series of epic songs and he remains a raging, uncompromising individual.
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction. He taught the first 'History of Rock Music' classes in the UK. Opher was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicenter for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to the Doors, Captain Beefheart and, of course, Roy Harper. He befriended Roy in 1967 and has not only attended hundreds of gigs but was a privileged guest In Abbey Road studios for the recording of some of Roy's seminal albums. He lives in East Yorkshire, UK.
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Green Day
Every Album, Every Song
by William E. Spevack
Part of the On Track series
Green Day are one of rock history's greatest and most successful bands. Singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool have been together creating rock music with a punk heart for over three decades. The trio has reigned supreme, shattering previously conceived notions of how commercially successful a punk rock band can be, by helping extend the boundaries of the genre by adding excellent pop/rock songwriting. Green Day harnessed alternative music's creativity with a passion and fire that ignited two of rock's best albums, the influential Dookie, which sold 20 million copies, and the culturally important rock opera American Idiot, which sold 16 million and went on to become a Broadway show.
In their 30-plus years, Green Day revolutionized rock musically and lyrically, inspiring countless bands. During the 1990s, they lead the pop-punk charge, and in the 2000s, they inspired a second generation of fans and bands through a lyrically intelligent and musically complex style of hard rock. Green Day: On Track takes a journey through the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame band's career, analyzing every album and song in their remarkable catalogue.
William E. Spevack has been published in the magazines Laptop, CPU, and PC Upgrade as well as the music website AlternativeNation.net. His first book, Keep On Shining: A Guide Through the Music of Love & Arthur Lee, was published in December 2021. He is a Bard graduate and a passionate music fan, who enjoys writing about music, playing sports, playing keyboards and reading music history books that focus on the music specifically. He lives in New York City.
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The Human League: And the Sheffield Electro Scene
Every Album, Every Song
by Andrew Darlington
Part of the On Track series
Sheffield in the late-1970s was isolated from what was happening in London in the same way that Liverpool had been in 1963. A unique generation of electro-experimental groupings evolved in the former Steel City around Cabaret Voltaire and The Future. The Future split into two factions, Clock DVA and The Human League, the latter splitting into two further factions - Heaven 17 and The Human League as we now know them, fronted by Philip Oakey with Joanne Catherall and Susan Sulley.
Dare became one of the most iconic albums of the eighties; the album by which The Human League are most instantly recognised. It is an ambitious record, both driven and voracious, with giddy grenades of inventiveness. A triumph of content over style, at once phenomenally commercial and gleefully avant-garde.
The American success of 'Don't You Want Me', accelerated by the high-gloss video, which exploited the band's visual appeal, heralded what was soon termed the 'second British invasion'. It was the first of two singles by the band to top the US charts.
This book tells the full story, from the scene's origins in Sheffield, through the full arc of the very early Heaven 17 albums and the complete Human League discography into the twenty-first century.
Andrew Darlington watched the very first episode of Dr Who and he also watched the most recent episode. Whatever academic potential he may once have possessed was wrecked by an addiction to loud rock 'n' roll and cheap science fiction, which remain the twin poles of what he laughingly refers to as his writing career. He is most proud of his parallel universe collection A Saucerful Of Secrets. His latest book is The Hollies on track (Sonicbond, 2021) and his writing can be found at Eight Miles Higher via andrewdarlington.blogspot.co.uk.
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Status Quo: The Frantic Four Years
Every Album, Every Song
by Richard James
Part of the On Track series
'Status Quo? All their songs sound the same and they only know three chords' Really?
This retrospective of one of Britain's most successful bands takes this lazy criticism and puts it to the sword. Spanning the period 1970 to 1984, the creative peaks and troughs of all the songs recorded by 'The Frantic Four' are examined in detail by a fan who can play guitar a bit, and also knows his Bach from his byte.
Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster, and John Coghlan withstood the slings and arrows of unending criticism to become a national institution, even playing to royalty along the way. After their early, psychedelic-influenced and fleeting pop success, Quo underwent a dramatic and natural re-invention, unleashing a series of innovative albums and hit singles, such as 'Down Down' and 'Rockin' All Over The World' that established their unique sound and style.
Relentless touring, changes in musical direction, unwise choices of producer, substantial substance abuse, and personality clashes all played their part in the collapse of the classic line-up before a brand re-launch in 1986 that enjoys continued success to the present day.
Status Quo – The Frantic Four Years on track examines the band's groundbreaking first era with critical detail and honest opinions.
Richard James immersed himself in music as soon as he got his first real six-string at the age of ten. Previously chained to a desk for a living, he managed to escape and armed with a music degree from the Open University and a Licentiate Diploma in Classical Guitar from the Royal School of Music, now roams the East Midlands as a freelance guitarist and music teacher. He lives with his wife in Leicestershire, UK, and when not involved with music he enjoys travel, playing chess badly, and inventing new ways to tease his cats. This is his third book, following UFO On Track and Tom Petty On Track, both published in 2021.
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Cardiacs
Every Album, Every Song
by Eric Benac
Part of the On Track series
When Tim Smith died in July of 2020, he left behind a legion of adoring fans and an honorary doctorate in music. Not bad for someone who never had a top ten hit and who's music was so infamous during its heyday, that some magazines not only refused to review his work, but edited out praise from fellow musicians. But who was Tim Smith?
He was the composer, guitarist, singer, and lyricist for cult band Cardiacs. Working in the 1970s up to 2008, Smith and his rotating band of musicians created some of the most intricate and original music of all time. They combined punk energy, prog complexity, ska rhythms, heavy metal drama, and much more with an absurd and satirical lyrical stance, while creating a confrontational on-stage image that inspired as many as it appalled.
Eric Benac examines each Cardiac album (including the never-re-pressed, cassette-only releases) and side projects, like the sublime prog-folk of Sea Nymphs, the warped psychedelics of Spartley's Japs, and the twisted brit pop of Tim's solo album. Each song is discussed both musically and lyrically, making this the first full analysis of the work of this unique band.
The author:
Eric Benac is a freelance writer. He has over a decade of experience as a professional writer, including three years as a journalist and ten years as a marketing and blogging expert. Beyond his paid work, Eric enjoys writing poetry, short stories, novels, plays, and music reviews. In his spare time, Eric records Zappa and Cardiacs-influenced electronic pop as Gergy 12. His first book was Frank Zappa On Track, also for Sonicbond. He lives in Holt, Michigan, USA.
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The Pretenders 1978–1990
Every Album, Every Song
by Richard Butterworth
Part of the On Track series
Dinner with David Bowie, a kiss from Jackie Wilson, close encounters with Iggy Pop, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. She was not even 20, still less a rock goddess, but Chrissie Hynde wasn't hanging around. The talented, charismatic writer-singer escaped Ohio for Britain in 1973, hoping to form a rock'n'roll band. She befriended journalist Nick Kent, designer Vivienne Westwood, hustler Malcolm McLaren and famous musicians from Nick Lowe to Lemmy. She wrote for The NME and narrowly avoided becoming Mrs. Sid Vicious. Meeting Pete Farndon, James Honeyman-Scott and Martin Chambers, Chrissie finally realised her dream: The Pretenders, one of the world's most exciting, enduring and best-loved rock groups.
The Pretenders proved revelatory, lashing hard rock to the sexy, sassy swagger of streetwise punk and catchy, chart-busting pop. 'Brass In Pocket' was a worldwide hit. America took to its heart the ex-pat from the Heartlands, as Chrissie became an international star and a reluctant flagbearer for rock's sisterhood.
Weathering tragic loss, The Pretenders have continued to make great music. Combining dry wit with diligent research and a deep knowledge of rock music, Richard Butterworth appraises The Pretenders' turbulent, vital early years: from Chrissie's arrival in Britain, through the band's 1978 birth to 1990 and their fifth album. Enjoy the ride.
The Author:
Richard Butterworth's grown-up career began in advertising, first as a paste-up artist, later as a graphic designer. Settling on copywriting, for years he reaped the pleasures, pains and penury of freelancing. As a lifelong believer in the healing and redemptive power of music, however, he knew that humankind's highest art-form would eventually saddle up and ride him into the sunset. Today Richard lives in Cornwall with his partner Sue, a golden retriever and CD shelf-space in managed but perpetual decline. He still reads and writes about the music he loved before he was a grown-up.
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10cc & Godley & Creme
by Peter Kearns
Part of the On Track series
Hailing from Manchester, England, sophisticated pop purveyors 10cc hit the ground running with their 1972 debut single, 'Donna'. Their pedigree reached back to bassist Graham Gouldman's songwriting successes in the 1960s, while guitarist and recording engineer Eric Stewart, was already a bonafide pop star having sung the global hit, 'Groovy Kind of Love,' with The Mindbenders. When the pair teamed up with drummer/singer Kevin Godley and multi-instrumentalist/singer, Lol Creme, the combination produced four hit albums including Sheet Music and The Original Soundtrack. The group also enjoyed ten successful singles including the classic I'm Not In Love. Their music was defined by eclectic, boundary-pushing pop that earned them comparisons to The Beatles while still occupying a unique position in music.
Departing in 1976, Godley and Creme moved on to create genre-defying experimental records, including the groundbreaking Consequences, while Gouldman and Stewart continued their run of hit singles and albums with a new 10cc lineup. Their final album was 1995's Mirror Mirror, a highly respectable full stop on this influential band's colourful and innovative discography. This book examines every released recording by both Godley & Creme and 10cc, including the band's debut album under their early name, Hotlegs.
Peter Kearns is an independent recording artist and writer. Since the 1980s he has performed live as keyboardist or recorded with acts including New Zealand's Shona Laing, the UK's Judie Tzuke, and New Yorker John Tabacco, being half of the duo Tabacco & Kearns. He has released two solo albums. As a writer, he's contributed to Witchdoctor.co.nz - New Zealand's technology and music website for grownups and New Zealand Musician magazine. His first book was Elton John 1969-1979 On Track for Sonicbond Publishing. 10cc & Godley and Creme On Track is his second book. He lives in Amberley, New Zealand.
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Kansas
by Kevin Cummings
Part of the On Track series
Progressive rock is generally considered an English affair, focusing on the likes of Yes and King Crimson. However, in America, its best-known exponents are Kansas. Although the band are best known for their US radio staples 'Carry On Wayward Son' and 'Dust In The Wind,' their musical range runs much deeper. A unique blend of European prog and American blues, Kansas are capable of an extended symphonic epic followed by a shorter, gritty blues song. Yet even those tracks are never simple three-chord tunes and virtually everything the band has recorded has a progressive touch. Such is the beauty of Kansas music. Despite personnel changes, including the departure of three lead singers, they continue to flourish. Recent years have brought a new line up, new albums and a rejuvenated outlook, resulting in acclaimed live shows. Their legacy will no doubt continue as they approach their half-century mark. Kansas: On Track follows the band from their first album 2020s The Absence of Presence. Each song is carefully considered in context, along with comments from the author and key figures in the bands history. Hardcore fans and casual listeners alike will gain a renewed appreciation of Americas premier progressive rock band.
The author: Kevin Cummings is a musician and writer. He holds a masters degree in music theory and a bachelors degree in music education. His varied career includes positions as a college music instructor, a technical writer and over two decades as a church musician. An active composer, Kevin maintains a website offering original music, recordings and arrangements, as well as transcriptions of Kerry Livgrens music. Through it all, he has been a progressive rock nerd, especially concerning the music of Kansas. He lives in Elmira, New York.
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Deep Purple From 1984
by Phil Kafcaloudes
Part of the On Track series
In 2024, Deep Purple celebrated the fortieth anniversary of their reunion by releasing their 23rd album, =1. Some band members thought the 1984 reunion would fizzle out after one album, but it flourished despite internecine strife, illness and the loss of two founders in Richie Blackmore and Jon Lord. As other members approached eighty years of age, they still succeeded in producing albums that were to be among their most successful. This book tells this sometimes bizarre post-reunion story through their music and, to an extent, their touring. Neither was always completely successful, as the band seemed to be either searching for synergy in their sound or for a commercial product that did not sacrifice artistic integrity. The lyrics are especially valuable because they reveal the hardship of the road and insights into their own growing frustrations with society. In doing this, the band has not just resurfaced but written a new story for a new audience. All these things make this phase of Deep Purple an interesting study, not just of a band loved by so many but also of musicians who just wanted to play their music and sometimes found that it was not quite as simple as that.
Phil Kafcaloudes is an author and journalist who was an arts editor at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, reviewing music, theatre and film. He presented the ABCs international breakfast program for nine years, interviewing James Bonds and rock stars as well as presidents and prime ministers. In 2011, his novel Someone Elses War was published in Australasia and translated into Greek for Europe. His adaptation of the novel was shortlisted for the Cooper Prize for Playwriting and had its first public performance in 2024. He plays drums and bass, although not nearly as well as the people he writes about.