On Track
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Crowded House
by Jon Magidsohn
Part of the On Track series
When Crowded House arrived with their debut album and hit single Dont Dream Its Over in 1986, the seed of a unique musical journey was planted into our collective musical consciousness. The Aussie/Kiwi trio created a sound as playful as Split Enz out of which two of its members graduated with an adventurous spirit inspired by The Beatles and crafted genuinely enduring melodies. Earworm-worthy songs like Weather With You, Distant Sun, Better Be Home Soon and so many others have become genre-bending and timeless creations. What began with three buddies, led by songwriter Neil Finn, playfully frolicking and mugging to the camera in music videos, developed into a band of mature artists reflecting on life, love and mortality after the death of their beloved drummer. This blossomed once again into a true family band as the younger Finns joined their father as permanent members. Along the way, Crowded House consistently churned out unforgettable melodies over eight studio albums. Bolstered by an exclusive interview with Neil Finn and including the bands most recent album Gravity Stairs, this track-by-track exploration of their poetic lyrics and musical legacy recognises the quality that has brought them the love and admiration of music fans and fellow musicians from around the world.
The author Jon Magidsohn is a writer and musician living in south London. Originally from Toronto, he is the author of the memoir Immortal Highway, the poetry collection Conversations on a Raft, and the album of original songs, A World Without Corners. A consultant and teacher of creative non-fiction, he has also been an actor, bartender, upholsterer, sales representative, handyman and dad. His writing has been featured in The Guardian, National Geographic Traveller and Hippocampus Magazine among other journals. This is his first book about music. www.jonmagidsohn.com
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Neil Young 1963-1970
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
In the realm of singer-songwriters, few have been as influential as Neil Young, whose music has always been creative and relevant throughout six decades. Neil is a chameleon for whom boundaries of genres do not exist. Throughout a long career that continues to this day, he has delved into folk, country, r&b, rock 'n' roll, grunge, hard rock, electronic and pop and made them his own. But the sixties were his launch pad. This book follows his music through that seminal period when he played with The Squires, Mynah Birds, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crazy Horse and The Stray Gators. During this seminal period, Young wrote or co-wrote some of his greatest songs, including 'I Am A Child', 'Southern Man', 'Helpless' and – most importantly – 'Ohio'. He was also involved in some seminal albums, including his eponymous debut solo album, After The Gold Rush and Déjà Vu. This is the story of how one of the most seminal artists of the last fifty years learned his trade, by delving in detail into every band, every twist and turn, and every track.
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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Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters
Every Album, Every Song
by Ben L. Connor
Part of the On Track series
Dave Grohl is one of the most respected musicians of the 21st Century. His career began in the early 1980s punk scene, and he then established himself as one of the greatest rock drummers of his generation. He survived the chaos of Nirvana to establish his own songwriting voice as singer and guitarist for Foo Fighters. With hits such as 'Everlong', 'Learn to Fly', 'Times Like These' and 'Best of You', the band have become a dominant force in modern rock for three decades. Outside of his band, Grohl is the ultimate rock and roll hype man, playing in side projects with famous friends, and boosting the profiles of undervalued underground acts and up-and-coming artists.
Yet Grohl's music is strangely underappreciated. Diehard alt-rock fans dismiss it, while critics are often more interested in his tragic backstory than his songs. This book is the first to cover the entirety of Foo Fighters' discography, as well as Grohl's various experimental side projects. By reviewing every song in depth, it reveals that his band have produced far more impressive and varied music than is often imagined, and that there is far more to Grohl than his reputation as 'the nicest man in rock'.
Ben L. Connor is a freelance writer who specialises in alternative rock music of the 1990s and 2000s. He has written two books for the On Track series: on Pearl Jam and Jack White and The White Stripes. He caught the bug for music writing in the 1990s when he decided to own every one of Rolling Stone magazine's 200 'Greatest Albums of All Time', which led him to the world of record collecting and pop music archaeology. When not writing about music, he works as a teacher of psychology and sociology. He lives in Canberra, Australia.
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David Bowie 1983-2016
by Don Klees
Part of the On Track series
In a career full of twists and turns, none was as sharp as the one David Bowie experienced after his 1983 album Let's Dance. The record gave Bowie the hit that he wanted but completely altered his artistic standing in the process. Instead of an innovator who pushed rock music forward, the singer found himself a global superstar with a mass audience whose tastes he didn't understand and who reciprocated this feeling as the 1980s unfolded.
After immersing himself in the band project Tin Machine, Bowie spent the 1990s embracing reinvention and experimentation with mixed but often fascinating results, leading to a full-fledged renaissance early in the 21st century. From there, his story only got stranger; 2013's The Next Day was a triumphant comeback after years of self-imposed silence, while 2016's Blackstar stood among his most challenging albums and became the final release of his lifetime.
One constant is that the records David Bowie released during this time were ultimately the result of his own artistic vision, wherever it took him. This book considers all those releases on their own merits, away from the shadow of his 1970s landmarks. Even if Bowie himself didn't always appreciate the results, every album featured songs worthy of his reputation.
The author
Don Klees literally watches TV for a living. When not basking in television's glow, he enjoys debating the merits of theatre versus film with his wife, telling his kids about music from before they were born (including several David Bowie concerts) and writing about pop culture in general. In addition to two previous books for SonicBond, Don's writing has appeared in Chromakey, CultureSonar and We Are Cult as well as various anthologies, including the David Bowie-themed Me And The Starman.
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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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Marc Bolan and T. rex
Every Album, Every Song
by Peter Gallagher
Part of the On Track series
For many, T. Rex founder Marc Bolan remains forever frozen in time as the poster boy of glam, the pop-rock genre he effectively launched with his March 1971 Top of the Pops appearance to promote 'Hot Love', the band's first number one single. But this is to view him through too narrow a focus. In John's Children he flirted with modernist art-rock. He sang folk songs of an otherworldly England in Tyrannosaurus Rex. He became a teen idol while dominating the singles and album charts and he also experimented with his unique brand of interstellar soul. Finally, he proclaimed himself 'The Godfather Of Punk' and became its patron, touring with The Damned and giving several major new wave acts their first television exposure.
This book examines all aspects of Bolan's career, from the genre-defying My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair… through the transitional A Beard Of Stars and T. Rex albums, the misunderstood Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow and the should-have-been comeback Futuristic Dragon. Along the way, it discusses Unicorn, the defining document of the Tyrannosaurus Rex years, and the essential T. Rex trilogy of Electric Warrior, The Slider and Tanx.
During the day Peter Gallagher is a lecturer in Events Management, but at night can be found scribbling away in his man-cave. Having talked about writing for decades it is only recently he decided to do something about it, with 2020 seeing the publication of his first short story and the commissioning of his first book. His favourite bands include T. Rex, The Ramones, and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, none of whom he has seen in concert. He Lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
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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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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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Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Every Album, Every Song
by Georg Purvis
Part of the On Track series
Whether you know him as Howard Coward, Napoleon Dynamite, or the Emotional Toothpaste, and are familiar with his work with The Attractions, The Confederates, or The Imposters, Elvis Costello's career has always been about reinvention and his vast catalogue of over 30 studio albums since 1977 is a testament to his prolificacy.
However, this book focuses on his most acclaimed and accessible work, recorded mostly with The Attractions (Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas, and Bruce Thomas) between 1977 and 1986, although some other high-profile friends – Nick Lowe, Billy Sherrill, and T-Bone Burnett, among others – show up along the way. From his modest solo beginnings as a pub rocker with attitude on My Aim Is True to his cacophonous epitaph to The Attractions on Blood & Chocolate, this book follows a hectic and, at times, baffling career trajectory that often ignored commercial fame and fortune in favour of artistic freedom and expression.
Elvis Costello and The Attractions – On Track explores every album, every song, and every non-album B-side or contemporary cast-off from the band's all-too-brief whirlwind decade of existence.
Georg Purvis is the author of Queen: The Complete Works and Pink Floyd In the 1970s. His first Elvis Costello albums were This Year's Model and When I Was Cruel, both purchased at the same time in 2002. He has seen Elvis live about a dozen times since 2007 and is always thrilled to report that each concert had been spectacularly different from the previous one. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Meredith, and their two cats, Spencer and William.
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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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Magnum
Every Album, Every Song
by Matthew Taylor
Part of the On Track series
Having celebrated 50 years as a band in 2022, Magnum remain a musical enigma, much loved by legions of fans despite never fitting easily into the sub-genres favoured by rock music critics. Formed in the West Midlands of England around a nucleus of guitarist and songwriter Tony Clarkin and vocalist Bob Catley, the band dabbled with pomp rock and progressive sounds in the late 1970s before achieving success in the 1980s with records like Chase the Dragon, On a Storyteller's Night and their commercial highpoint, Wings of Heaven. They even had two top thirty singles in the UK, with 'Start Talking Love' and 'Rockin' Chair'. The changing musical landscape of the 1990s led to a split, but the band returned in 2001 and continued to release records of remarkable consistency until the sad passing of guitarist Tony Clarkin in early 2024.
This is the first book on the history and music of Magnum. It covers each of the band's twenty-three studio albums, as well as live recordings, compilations and the late 1990s Hard Rain project. Charting the ups and downs in commercial and artistic achievement, it is an essential guide to one of Britain's most underappreciated rock bands.
Matthew Taylor is a writer, historian and avid music fan. He is the author of several books and numerous articles on sport, leisure and popular culture, his work featuring in publications as varied as BBC History Magazine, Prospect and When Saturday Comes. He teaches at De Montfort University, UK, where he is Director of the Institute of History. His musical tastes range from classic and prog rock to alternative/ indie rock and electronica. He first heard Magnum's music during the mid-1980s and has followed the band ever since. He lives in Leicestershire, UK.
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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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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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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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Iron Maiden On Track
Every Album, Every Song
by Steve Pilkington
Part of the On Track series
Mention the words' heavy metal' and chances are one of the first names you'll get back is Iron Maiden. From their early days as front-runners of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal in 1980, through to their epic and progressive works of more recent times, the band have been 'all things to all men' in the metal world. Such is their profile that even the non-metal fan would probably cite them as a key example of the genre. This book lifts the lid on every single track recorded by the band, album by album, from the punk-ish debut with original vocalist Paul DiAnno, via the glory years fronted by Bruce Dickinson, through to the sprawling double-disc epic Book Of Souls.
By way of facts, anecdotes, analysis and a dollop of opinion, Steve Pilkington provides both an informative companion for the die-hard fan and a perfect roadmap for the more casual listener to follow. From 'Prowler' to 'Empire Of The Clouds', through each and every line-up change, this is every Number recorded by The Beast, the ultimate recording history of Iron Maiden.
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Crosby, Stills and Nash
Every Album, Every Song
by Andrew Wild
Part of the On Track series
The music of Crosby, Stills and Nash and especially their 1969 self-titled debut album, exemplified the Woodstock generation — three men, three voices, one common view of freedom and justice. However, their decision to recruit Neil Young before their first public performance fundamentally altered the CSN band dynamic. Worldwide acclaim and success followed: their first three albums, released 1969-1971, have sold almost 30 million copies. In 1974 they embarked on the biggest stadium tour then attempted, playing baseball and football stadiums and racetracks across the US to thousands of fans. They were also pop stars, securing nine top 40 singles in the USA between 1969 and 1982. And yet today, with Neil Young regarded as a musical legend, via a classic back catalogue, his colleagues Crosby, Stills and Nash, remain far less acclaimed.
They comprised Crosby: the drug-addled hippy with weird songs and golden voice, Stills: the bluesman and guitar genius and Nash: the hard-as-nails balladeer with a strong social conscience. Together, at their best, they were unbeatable. This book tells you why, aiming to set things straight, with an album by album analysis of CSN's five studio albums, as well as the three they made with Neil Young.
Andrew Wild is a music collector and experienced writer with nine books to his name. His books include The Solo Beatles (Sonicbond 2020) and Queen On Track (Sonicbond 2018). He lives in Rainow, Cheshire, UK.
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Van Der Graaf Generator
Every Album, Every Song
by Dan Coffey
Part of the On Track series
No progressive rock band could ever be said to be a household name, but Van der Graaf Generator, who celebrated their fiftieth anniversary in 2018, rarely enjoyed that distinction even in the households of many prog fans. VdGG, and the band's main creative force, Peter Hammill, only really had one foot in prog, the other pivoted between more straight-ahead rock, wild experimentation, and at times, brutal noise. While VdGG's initial run ended prematurely, the band eventually came full-circle, reforming in 2005 and still going strong. Both Hammill and VdGG have been lauded as musicians' musicians by such luminaries as Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Julian Cope, Mark E. Smith, and Johnny Rotten. This book will explore what these musicians, and legions of dedicated fans, found so inspiring over the years: all of the VdGG albums, including Pawn Hearts and Godbluff as well as several solo Hammill albums crucial to the VdGG story, are discussed in these pages, including a handful of essential live recordings, experiments, and collaborations. Nothing like this analysis of the band has been published before, and this book will prove an invaluable guide for navigating the Van der Graaf Generator sonic labyrinth. Dan Coffey is a librarian, critic, and poet. He has written extensively on experimental and avant-garde music for Avant Music News, Stereo Embers and Perfect Sound Forever, as well as publishing numerous book reviews for Foreword Magazine. He once interviewed VdGG in an electrical storm! Coffey lives in Iowa with his wife and son, and his ever-growing record collection.
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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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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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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 The
Every Album, Every Song
by Brian J. Robb
Part of the On Track series
The The was always a personal project for songwriter Matt Johnson. Started in 1979, when Johnson was a teenager, the post-punk outfit became central to the political and personal pop of the 1980s. Never a singles band, despite a few minor hits, their albums were successful: Infected in 1986 reached 14, followed by 1989's Mind Bomb at number four and 1993's Dusk at number two. Band members included Johnny Marr and DC Collard, with other collaborators including JG Thirlwell, Jools Holland, Neneh Cherry, Zeke Manyika, and Sinead O'Connor - a Who's Who of 1980s independent pop.
A reluctant live musician, Johnson created Infected: The Movie instead of a world tour in 1986. The Mind Bomb band, including Marr and Eller, launched the 1989-90 The The vs The World tour. Johnson appeared to retire following 2000's Naked Self, although he kept busy, with a sideways move into scoring movies. It wasn't until 2018 that The The returned to playing live and this was followed in 2024 with the new album, Ensoulment and its accompanying tour, almost a quarter of a century after the band's last recorded music. In recent years, Johnson has been busier than ever with podcasts, an Official Bootleg series,and other idiosyncratic projects.
The Author
Brian J. Robb is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling biographer of Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, and Brad Pitt. He has also written books on silent cinema, the films of Philip K. Dick, Wes Craven, Laurel and Hardy, the Star Wars movies, Superheroes, Gangsters, and Walt Disney, as well as science fiction television series Doctor Who and Star Trek, and Depeche Mode for Sonicbond Publishing. His illustrated books include an Illustrated History of Steampunk and Middle-Earth Envisioned, a guide to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (Winner, Best Book, Tolkien Society Awards). He is a Founding Editor of the Sci-Fi Bulletin website and lives near Edinburgh, 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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The Doors
Every Album, Every Song
by Tony Thompson
Part of the On Track series
The Doors remain one of the most original acts in the history of Rock and Roll. However, their actual music is sometimes overshadowed by the cult of Jim Morrison. Those with long memories will recall a point in the 1980s when he went from lead singer of an old band to a signifier of cool known as 'Morrison.' His image appeared everywhere on t-shirts, posters, and in the film The Lost Boys, adorning a wall in Keifer Sutherland's vampire cave. A biopic in the 1990s attempted something like realism but managed only to dramatize the legend of the 'Lizard King'. Meanwhile, outside of a few high rotation tracks on 'classic' rock stations, most of their work took a back seat to Jim's ever-growing status as a cultural icon.
This book dusts off the vinyl and puts on the headphones for a sustained reappraisal of the band's musical career. Hidden gems, deep cuts, overrated top ten hits and an enigmatic series of album closers are all subjected to late night interrogations. Let's head to Venice Beach circa 1965, pick up a Fender bass organ on the way, take a face from the ancient gallery and walk on down the hall!
Tony Thompson is a Canadian writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of Summer of Monsters (Walker Books, 2014) a novel about Mary Shelley's early life, and Shakespeare: The Most Famous Man in London, (Black Dog Books, 2009). His articles on books, music, and education have appeared in The Age, The Australian, The Daily Review Australia, toppermost.co.uk, and Eureka St. He is a well-regarded speaker and has been a regular guest at the Melbourne Writers Festival and other literary events throughout Australia. He plays blues harmonica with great enthusiasm.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Linda Ronstadt: 1969 – 1989
Every Album, Every Song
by Daryl Richard Lawrence
Part of the On Track series
Linda Ronstadt is one of the most important women in the history of popular music. Starting her solo career in 1969, she redefined what a music superstar could be by expanding her repertoire from her country rock roots, to cross over to success with mainstream pop music, and then evolving into more diverse genres such as operetta, American jazz standards, and mariachi.
This work provides a track-by-track breakdown of the first twenty years of her solo career when her output totaled an amazing 17 albums. Transcending genres and applying her own vision to not only her career, but each song she interpreted, Linda Ronstadt garnered a wide fan base and had massive commercial success with albums such as Heart Like A Wheel and Living In The USA.
Those familiar with her work, as well as those entirely new to it, will find something to discover through this analysis of her output up to 1989. All the best-known hits are covered in this volume; however, the real fun is finding new favorites by visiting or revisiting lesser-known works. So sit back, put some of her songs on, crack this book open, and indulge in the voice that sold over 100 million records worldwide.
The author
Daryl Richard Lawrence holds a Master of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. When not occupied with his museum operations job, he spends his time reading, writing, volunteering for the local historical society, and podcasting about Marvel comics. Daryl resides in the almost always wintry Minnesota, USA, and dotes upon his pet rabbits, who mostly tolerate the many keyboard clicks it takes to write a book. His writing ranges from music reviews to historical biographies. A lifelong classic rock fan, he is overjoyed at sharing his passion for artists and their songs.
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Jefferson Airplane
Every Album, Every Song
by Richard Butterworth
Part of the On Track series
Jefferson Airplane were not the sole exemplars of 1960s Californian acid rock; the Grateful Dead could equally claim the mantle of house band to the Summer of Love. Airplane's instrumentation was conventional, comprising mainly vocal harmonies, guitars, bass and drums. The band drew upon the folk traditions of The Weavers, the legendary bluesmen Gary Davis and B.B. King, improvisational masters from Miles Davis to Cream, even literary visionaries such as James Joyce and Isaac Asimov.
Yet fusing together these influences in the creative furnace of San Francisco between 1966 and 1970, Jefferson Airplane's classic lineup – one ex-model, two ex-folkies, one ex-jazzer and two ex-D.C. guitarslingers – crafted music that was at once powerful, innovative and beautiful. Birthed in the dizzy hippie heartland of Haight-Ashbury, no other group were so wedded to their environment, winning international acclaim with two anthemic hit singles even as they impishly prodded the morés of middle Amerika. A musical and social force of nature, Airplane mirrored the psychedelic dream, burning higher, fiercer and brighter than any of their contemporaries.
Combining a concise history of this magnificent band and their milieu with comprehensive and entertaining reviews of all their recordings, this is the most accessible book on the band yet written.
Richard Butterworth's grown-up career began in advertising, first as a paste-up artist, then as a graphic designer. Finally settling on copywriting, for years he reaped the pleasures and pains of freelancing. But as a lifelong believer in the healing and redemptive power of music, he knew humankind's highest art form would eventually saddle up and ride him into the sunset. Today Richard lives in Cornwall, UK, with his partner Sue, two golden retrievers, a dusty tenor saxophone and far too many Jefferson Airplane bootlegs. He's still writing about the music he loved before he was a grown-up.
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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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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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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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Duran Duran
Every Album, Every Song
by Karen Windle
Part of the On Track series
Duran Duran, New Romantic trailblazers and 1980s teen idols, are a British institution. Over nearly 45 years, they have innovated with their indelible music videos, released multiple hit albums and garnered critical acclaim. From their classic self-titled debut LP and the exuberant synth-pop of Rio to the lush balladry of The Wedding Album and their recent masterstroke Future Past, they have never failed to surprise listeners – or influence a new wave of musical artists.
In this book, Karen Windle explores their 16 studio albums and key stand-alone singles, sharing the stories behind the music. She offers a closer look at their biggest hits and deepest tracks, showcasing the four members' talents: vocalist Simon Le Bon's singular lyrics and rich harmonies, keyboardist Nick Rhodes' innovative synth work and the funk-inflected rhythm section featuring bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor. The two guitarists who put their stamp on Duran Duran's sound aren't overlooked: unapologetic rocker Andy Taylor, who helped propel the classic lineup to the top of the charts, and American axeman Warren Cuccurullo, who pushed the band back into prominence with his inventive riffs. This book provides a roadmap to their extraordinary catalogue, for both new listeners and the most dedicated Duranies.
The Author
Karen Windle is a writer, editor and music blogger who has covered Duran Duran and other bands for more than 25 years. She has worked at three daily newspapers and a nonprofit during her editing career and also writes and edits a blog, Duran Duran And Beyond. She enjoys a huge range of music, from punk to yacht rock, but always returns to her new wave and synth pop roots. She has a passion for vegan living and a strong commitment to animal welfare. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
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Bob Dylan: 1962 – 1970
Every Album, Every Song
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
Bob Dylan is the magician who sprinkled poetic fairy dust onto the popular music of the early sixties. His songwriting sparked a revolution and changed rock music forever.
The diminutive poet/singer claimed he was merely a 'song and dance man', but Dylan altered popular music from intellectually bereft teenage rebellion into a serious adult art form worthy of academic study.
Dylan headed for the sixties as a Little Richard rock 'n' roller but soon turned acoustic folkie. After absorbing the music and words of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson and Brecht, he became a vagabond social troubadour. Basking in Rimbaud, he transformed into a poetic symbolist before later immersing himself in lysergic beat surrealism. The chameleon of Dylan in the sixties was bewildering to his followers. His first album was a raw debut folk/blues. He followed this with three acoustic poetic gems, three ground-breaking surreal, electric wonders and four that were more mundane and country tinged.
But by the mid-sixties, he was a strung-out polka-dotted rock star. He crashed (physically and mentally) before leaving the sixties as a clean-cut country crooner. Dylan had mutated more times than a trilobite. Dylan's ground-breaking music changed the world and his amazing story is revealed by exploring the eleven albums that he released between 1962 and 1970.
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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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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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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REO Speedwagon
Every Album, Every Song
by James Romag
Part of the On Track series
Once, there were four university students who started a rock band named after a firetruck. Five and a half decades later, REO Speedwagon are still going strong, still drawing massive crowds, and, thankfully, have no plans to stop. With classic albums like the multi-platinum You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish and the ten million-selling Hi Infidelity, REO conquered America's heartland, then the nation, and finally – as a ten-year 'overnight sensation' – the world. It was the rock tunes like 'Golden Country' and 'Back on the Road Again' that built their reputation before the ballads like 'Keep on Loving You' and 'Can't Fight this Feeling' brought them global fame. REO have sold over 40 million records under their own name and are featured on the soundtracks to scores of films and television programs, including Supernatural and Ozark.
REO Speedwagon on track shines a light on the band's lengthy career. This book delves into the tracks on each of their 16 studio albums, their official live releases, and several compilations, while also providing a glimpse of some of the band members' outside projects, creating a comprehensive companion to the music of this American institution.
James Romag grew up in the American Midwest and has been a classic rock fan since long before it came to be known by that term. He is an avid concert-goer, particularly those featuring loud, screaming rock and roll guitars. James works for an investment firm and is a US Air Force veteran. He has a degree in publishing, has edited several books and published a handful of short stories. This is his first book for Sonicbond. James lives in Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where he's careful not to get caught when the wind comes up and the sun goes down.
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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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The Allman Brothers Band
Every Album, Every Song
by Andrew Wild
Part of the On Track series
In 1973, the Allman Brothers Band were one of the most popular in America. They headlined the Watkins Glen Summer Jam – attended by 600,000 people – and their album Brothers and Sisters was number one for five weeks. The group made the cover of Newsweek and Rolling Stone named them 'band of the year'.
Always a strong live draw, in the two years prior to Watkins Glen, they released one of the greatest live albums of all time and lost two founding members in motorcycle accidents, including guitar genius Duane Allman. Drug use and a ruinous 1976 court case forced the band apart, but a three-album reunion between 1978 and 1982 rekindled some of the old fire. It was with their twentieth anniversary and second reformation in 1989 that provided a degree of stability.
Their legacy of eleven studio albums and six contemporaneous live albums include classics such as their self-titled debut, the sophomore Idlewild South, the definitive live document At Fillmore East and the astounding final album Hittin' The Note from 2003.
The music of the Allman Brothers is the pure distillation of the four main ingredients of American music: blues, rock, jazz and country. At their best, they transcended genre: they just were.
Andrew Wild is an experienced writer, music collector and film buff with many books to his name, including recent publications about Queen, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and Crosby, Stills and Nash. His comprehensive study of every song recorded and performed by The Beatles between 1957 and 1970 was published by Sonicbond in 2019. He lives in Rainow, Cheshire, 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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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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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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Dream Theater
Every Album, Every Song
by Jordan Blum
Part of the On Track series
No other band has affected modern progressive metal as deeply or widely as American quintet Dream Theater. Formed at Berklee College of Music as Majesty in 1985 by guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy, and bassist John Myung, the group have spent thirty years repeatedly pushing new boundaries and reinventing their identity. Although other acts – such as Queensrÿche and Fates Warning – paved the way for the prog-metal subgenre, Dream Theater were, without doubt, the first to meld influences from both metal and progressive rock into a groundbreaking blend of quirky instrumentation, extensively complex arrangements, and exceptional songwriting. Whether with subtly or overtly, they've since left their mark on just about every progressive metal band that has followed.
In this book, Jordan Blum examines every Dream Theater studio album, and their behind-the-scenes circumstances, to explore how the group impacted the genre with each release. Whether classics of the 1990s like Images and Words and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, benchmarks of the 2000s like Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Octavarium, or even thrilling modern efforts like A Dramatic Turn of Events and Distance Over Time, every sequence of albums contributes something crucial to making Dream Theater's legacy nothing short of astonishing.
Jordan Blum is an Associate Editor at PopMatters, holds an MFA in Creative Writing, and is the founder/Editor-in-Chief of The Bookends Review, an independent creative arts journal. He focuses mostly on progressive rock/metal and has contributed to many other publications, including Sonic Perspectives, Paste, Progression, Metal Injection, Rebel Noise, PROG and Sea of Tranquility. He is the author of Jethro Tull On Track, published by Sonicbond in 2019. Finally, he records his own crazy ideas under the pseudonym Neglected Spoon. When he's not focused on any of that, he teaches English courses at various colleges. He lives in Philadelphia, PA, USA.