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Ralph McTell
by Paul O. Jenkins
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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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Mike Oldfield
by Ryan Yard
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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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Stackridge
by Alan Draper
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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
by Jacob Holm Lupo
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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 Jam
by Stan Jeffries
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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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Iron Maiden On Track
by Steve Pilkington
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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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The Chic Organisation
by Chris Sutton
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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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The Temptations: 1960 - 1978
by George Haffenden
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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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Linda Ronstadt: 1969 – 1989
by Daryl Richard Lawrence
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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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Van Der Graaf Generator
by Dan Coffey
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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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Crosby, Stills and Nash
by Andrew Wild
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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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Nektar
by Scott Meze
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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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Gong Revised and Updated
by Kevan Furbank
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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 Incredible String Band
by Tim Moon
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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
by Opher Goodwin
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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
by William E. Spevack
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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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Status Quo: The Frantic Four Years
by Richard James
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'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
by Eric Benac
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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 The
by Brian J. Robb
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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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Lou Reed: 1972 – 1986
by Ethan Roy
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This book examines the first decade-and-a-half of Lou Reed's work as a solo artist. It would be easy to paint these years with a broad brush; with the ghost of The Velvet Underground in its aftermath gradually gaining cultural influence, this slow-burning legacy would both tether and liberate its key participant. Between the years of 1972 and 1986, Lou Reed would seek, achieve, reject, lament and, once again, pine for professional success while the excesses and extremities of a life lived in public wielded their own unruly impact. While this book seeks to maintain its focus on the music first and foremost, with an artist like Lou Reed, it seems impossible for the personal to stay divorced from the product.
We will see a tentative, crestfallen Lou begin to emerge from his parental Long Island, NY cocoon to test the waters for a solo career. There is worldwide stardom and success, then banishment, followed by his embracing and rejection of various commercial enterprises, to midlife revision and rejuvenation. Multiple partners of influence, both professional and personal, would be accumulated and jettisoned, all leaving lasting traces. Lou did a lot in 14 years, and it's only half of the story.
The author
Ethan Roy is a professor of English Composition at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY. A deep-dish music geek since pre-natal status, at 16 years of age, he dropped out of high school in order to secure full-time employment at what was the best record store in his community, thus affording him a real education of true merit and value. He has played and recorded with various bands over the years and occasionally makes instrumental electronic nonsense under the name, Moon Risk 7. His first tattoo was the image from the front cover of Lou Reed's The Blue Mask LP.
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The Small Faces and the Faces
by Andrew Darlington
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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
by Andrew Darlington
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'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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Caravan
by Andy Boot
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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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Suzanne Vega
by Lisa Torem
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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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Captain Beefheart
by Opher Goodwin
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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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J. Geils Band
by James Romag
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The J. Geils Band were the original Bad Boys from Boston, blowing audiences away night after night. With classic albums like Full House, Bloodshot, Love Stinks, and the massively successful Freeze-Frame, Geils have been nominated for the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame no fewer than five times since 2005. From their early days as r&b and blues purists, through defining tracks like 'Looking for a Love,' the instrumental 'Whammer Jammer,' and the US Top 40 'Give It to Me,' to global fame with radio staples' Love Stinks,' 'Centerfold,' and 'Freeze-Frame,' The J. Geils Band created a unique sound and turned every show into a house party. Though it took time for record sales to catch up to their live reputation, by the early 1980s, there were few hotter acts than J. Geils.
The definitive companion to the music of this hard-drivin' outfit, this is a comprehensive overview of every track on Geils' 11 studio albums, with a look at their official live releases and a rundown of the musicians' projects beyond the band. The book makes clear why Geils, often referred to as America's answer to The Rolling Stones, were the funkiest band in the land.
The author
James Romag is a lifelong music fan and enjoys hot, sweaty live concerts where music is blasting and everybody's having a ball. He worked in several record shops while attending the college of musical knowledge and holds degrees in journalism, finance and marketing, and publishing. He has edited several books and published a handful of short stories. James is a US Air Force veteran who lives in Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. This is his second book for Sonicbond's On Track series, the first being about REO Speedwagon.
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Renaissance
by David Detmer
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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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Nirvana
by William E. Spevack
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Despite being active for less than a decade and releasing just three studio albums during their short tenure, Nirvana's overwhelming musical and cultural impact on the world cannot be understated. Within such a narrow timespan, the famous trio made themselves synonymous with what came to be known as grunge; a potent mix of melodic punk and heavy metal that evolved in America in the mid-1980s. Combined with the band's anti-glam, battered image and Kurt Cobain's lyrical themes of social alienation and world apathy, Nirvana rallied the youth with anthemic, head-banging singalongs and introspective dirges, providing a haven for those feeling lost and abject. Thirty years after the shocking death of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana still dominate the musical conversation and their influence continues to be far-reaching.
This book aims to justify such a strong legacy with a detailed analysis of every song from Nirvana's three studio albums, as well as non-album singles, B-sides and any other outliers. In addition, tracks from live and compilation albums will be considered in this appraisal of a band that managed to showcase so much in such little time. They only reveal more as the years go by – as this assessment will prove.
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, and the wrote Green Day On Track for Sonicbond Publishing in 2023. 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 Sensational Alex Harvey Band
by Peter Gallagher
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Alex Harvey was active in the music industry from the very birth of British rock and roll. A Zelig-like figure, he won a contest to become Scotlands Tommy Steele in the 1950s, followed the Beatles to Hamburg in the early 1960s, dabbled in psychedelic rock during the Summer of Love, and joined the house band of counterculture musical Hair at the close of the decade. By the time 1972 rolled around, he had been there and done that, but had never made it big. He was 37 years old and was thinking of calling it a day. Also thinking of calling it a day were Scottish hard rockers Tear Gas. They had released two albums, each with a different line-up, none of which set the world alight, and now their singer wanted out. In a last-ditch effort to salvage something, Alex Harvey and Tear Gass respective managers decided to unite their respective acts. The result was Sensational. This book examines not only the eight albums by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band but also Harveys earlier work with his Soul Band and solo, and his post-SAHB releases. It also reviews those two Tear Gas albums as well as Fourplay, the album SAHB released without Alex.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band is Peter Gallaghers third book in Sonicbonds On Track series after entries for Marc Bolan, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and T. Rex and Warren Zevon. He also wrote Kiss In The 1970s for their Decades series. He is a regular contributor to the British music magazine Shindig!, and has also been published in The Dark Side, Writing Magazine, and The London Reader. His website dedicated to local tourism can be found at www.brownsignblogging.com. He lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
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Radiohead
by William Allen
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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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Kansas
by Kevin Cummings
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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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Barclay James Harvest
by Keith Domone
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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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Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters
by Ben L. Connor
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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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Duran Duran
by Karen Windle
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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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Level 42
by Matt Phillips
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One of the most iconic and successful British bands of the 1980s, Level 42 are also arguably the ultimate 'fusion' unit, streamlining their energetic early jazz/funk/rock sound into slick, effortlessly-soulful pop music. Encompassing eleven studio albums, including twenty UK top 40 hits and two US top twenty singles, in many ways their catalogue defines the 1980s but also reflects their musical virtuosity and vibrant eclecticism, peppering tracks with influences from Herbie Hancock, Return To Forever and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Emerging from the so-called 'Britfunk' scene, Level 42 developed from being one of the most electrifying live acts of the era to become a true songwriters' collective, delivering the effervescent, ubiquitous hits 'The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)', 'Something About You' and 'Lessons In Love'.
Level 42 - on track is the first in-depth study of the band's illustrious catalogue, track by track, album by album, with recording information, musical analysis, studio gossip, full musician credits and contributions from Mark King and Gary Husband. The book also covers the solo projects of the band's many members. Level 42 – on track is a must for fans and those interested in the wider musical landscape of the 1980s and 1990s.
Matt Phillips has been a Level 42 fan since seeing the band perform 'The Chinese Way' on Top Of The Pops in January 1983. He is the founder of movingtheriver.com and soundsofsurprise.com, has contributed to various magazines including Classic Pop and Jazzwise and won the inaugural Write Stuff award for jazz writing. Matt has been Universal Music's jazz catalogue manager and Jazz FM's web editor, and has written the liner notes for Miles Davis, Tony Williams and Billy Cobham DVDs and CDs. As a multi-instrumentalist, he has performed extensively in London and Europe, and co-written songs for Silver Sun. He lives in London.
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Iggy Pop: 1977 - 1999
by Hans Meertens
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The Stooges were formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, outside Detroit. They created three classic albums between 1969 and 1973, The Stooges, Fun House and Raw Power. Despite a lack of commercial success, the band attracted a small, devoted following and laid a musical foundation that would influence generations of artists. The Stooges' music was raw, primal, exciting, and the unique and compelling stage presence of the band's singer, Iggy, made them legendary. The Stooges' performances were unpredictable, with Iggy inciting audiences to react and making it impossible for them to remain complacent. Iggy was passionate, fearless and, at times, expressed himself in genuinely frightening ways, performing self-mutilation, stage dives, crowd surfing and rushing into crowds to confront hecklers or spontaneously interacting with audience members who struck his fancy. Iggy tore down the barriers that traditionally existed between audience and performer, forcing the audience to become part of the overall performance. By 1974, Iggy was locked into an orbit of self-annihilation and drug abuse that ultimately led to the demise of the band in February 1974. This book explores in depth all the concerts the Stooges played from 1967 to 1974, bringing the live experience to life through eyewitness accounts, press reports and other source materials to present an unprecedented account of the Stooges' performances during this period.
The author Per Nilsen is a leading authority on Iggy and the Stooges and was one of the authors behind The Wild One, the first biography of Iggy Pop. He has written on numerous artists, including David Bowie and Prince. Nilsen is a behavioural economist from Stockholm School of Economics and is a Professor of social medicine and public health at Linköping University. Music has been a life-long passion since he discovered the Beatles at the age of five.
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Crowded House
by Jon Magidsohn
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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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Marc Bolan and T. rex
by Peter Gallagher
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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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David Bowie 1983-2016
by Don Klees
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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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Iron Maiden
by Steve Pilkington
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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 band's most recent albums Book Of Souls and Senjutsu.
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 road-map for the more casual listener to follow. From 'Prowler' to 'Hell On Earth', through each and every line-up change, this is every Number recorded by The Beast – the ultimate recording history of Iron Maiden.
Steve Pilkington is a music journalist, editor and broadcaster. He was Editor in Chief for the Classic Rock Society Magazine Rock Society and is now co-administrator of the rock website Velvet Thunder as well as presenting a weekly internet radio show called A Saucerful Of 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 Deep Purple and Rainbow On Track, The Rolling Stones On Track and Supertramp – Crime Of The Century, all for Sonicbond, and has also written the official biography of legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap. He lives in Wigan, Lancashire, UK.
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UFO
by Richard James
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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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Anthony Phillips 1977–1990
by Alan Draper
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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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10cc & Godley & Creme
by Peter Kearns
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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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The Pretenders 1978–1990
by Richard Butterworth
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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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The Zombies
by Emma Stott
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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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Judas Priest
by John Tucker
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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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Sparks 1969 to 1979
by Chris Sutton
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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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Nightwish
by Simon Mcmurdo
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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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