Omnibus Press

The story of The Who’s momentous first tours of America told through fabulous photos by the band’s official photographer and tour manager Tom Wright.

Foreword by Pete Townshend

Tom Wright first met Pete Townshend at Ealing Art School in the early 60s. He became The Who’s official tour photographer and manager from 1967 in the US, also managing the Grande Ballroom in Detroit where The Who’s rock opera Tommy premiered. He was much more than the band’s photographer, he was a friend and photographed them right up to their farewell tour in 1991. Tom’s vast record collection and musical influences had a big impact on the band in their early years.

Their Generation covers The Who’s first tours of North America, a hugely creative time with explosive performances both on and off stage, the time of their US hit ‘I Can See for Miles’ and much more.

Through the fabulous photographs, many of which have never been seen before, we see the band backstage, onstage, on tour, at rehearsal, at ease, in studio, at home. The photos will be accompanied by extended captions providing background details of the time, the people and the places.

As well as The Who, Tom Wright toured with the Rolling Stones, the Faces, The James Gang, J. D. Elvis Costello, The Eagles and many more, documenting their performances and life on the road.

“One thing is certain, had I not met Tom Wright, The Who would never have become successful.” Pete Townshend

Now You’re One of Us is the definitive statement about Redd Kross, an in-depth and riveting tale told in the voices of the talented and tempestuous brothers at the core of this iconic outfit.

Emerging from humble beginnings in suburban Los Angeles, the McDonalds took their rock ‘n’ roll fantasy and ran with it — and wound up becoming one of the most influential American bands of their time. The band’s flamboyant, genre-defying, joyously tuneful blend of musical, sartorial and pop cultural elements profoundly influenced the punk rock, glam metal and grunge movements and won them a worldwide cult of fervent admirers that includes bands like Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, L7 and The Bangles.

Redd Kross continue rocking to this day, much to the intense delight of fans old and new. And now the McDonalds team up with award-winning music journalist Dan Epstein to tell their wild, hilarious and gloriously star-spangled tale.

“To me, Redd Kross will always be one of the most important bands of the last 30-40 years.” Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)

Celebrated singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Alvin is, first and foremost, a storyteller. The Grammy winning artist's disarmingly well-crafted lyrics represent just one of the many expressions of his unique ability to capture the gritty and beautiful moments of life with the written word. This anthology of his writing is a companion piece to Dave's considerable musical output, and presents a staggering cross section of his work.

New Highway includes a generous selection of his celebrated poetry; excerpts of his moving prose; newspaper articles and essays on artists including Frank Zappa, Bo Diddley, and Ray Charles (which earned Dave a Grammy nomination); tributes to influences such as Merle Haggard; a long-lost interview with Buck Owens; and, of course, a carefully curated representation of his inimitable lyrics. Packed with rich imagery and poignant observations, New Highway follows Dave's previous collections Nana, Big Joe & the Fourth of July, and Any Rough Times Are Now Behind You: Selected Poems & Writings: 1979-1995.

If you know Dave Alvin for his music, this collection will give you deeper insight into the heart of an artist whose pen knows no boundaries.

"Brian Wilson. SMILE: Excellent! The man is my hero. I love him. I weep when I hear his band, I hear him sing. I love him." —Paul McCartney

The story of the Brian Wilson's legendary SMiLE album from Beach Boys authority David Leaf. The story of SMiLE is a story without precedent, appropriate for music that was and remains groundbreaking.

This is the first book to tell the full story of Brian Wilson and SMiLE, including the details of the original SMiLE recording sessions and their increasingly legendary status as well as the final release of the album, the accompanying concerts and film, and its afterlife.

With over two dozen new interviews as well as generous excerpts from his extended 2004 interviews with Brian Wilson and SMiLE collaborator Van Dyke Parks, the book tells the story of SMiLE by those who were there in 1966 and from the participants in its 2004 resurrection, including all the members of Brian Wilson’s band. It also features fan memories of what it was like to see Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE and what it meant to them.

With a foreword by Melinda Wilson and an anthology of essays from SMiLE historians, devotees, and music professors, this book promises to be the definitive word on the subject.

“If I had to select one living genius of popular music, I would choose Brian Wilson.” —George Martin

"He's a modern-day Stravinsky, the way he constructs his music." —Questlove

"I don't think there is anyone his equal in pop music." —Linda Ronstadt

"The only real pop genius in the world..." —Elton John

"One of the greatest music writing and production teams in pop music history" - Smokey Robinson

As the creative force behind Berry Gordy Jr.'s Motown Records in the mid-Sixties, a writing credit from Holland Dozier Holland was virtually a guarantee of chart success. From 'Stop! In The Name Of Love' to 'How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You', they were the songwriting and production dream team responsible for some of the greatest songs of the twentieth century.

In this compelling autobiography, brothers Eddie and Brian Holland share their story, starting with growing up in Detroit raised by a single mother and their grandmother, before shining a light on their early musical careers. A gifted lyricist, Eddie started out as a solo singer with Berry Gordy as his manager before partnering up with Brian and Lamont Dozier, both talented arrangers and producers.

Featuring honest and open first-hand accounts, this remastered edition is more than just a behind-the-scenes look at Motown Records at its peak: Eddie and Brian set the record straight on both their personal and professional lives and offer a revealing slice of pop-music history.

With an introduction by award-winning artist Richard Hawley.

So It Started There chronicles the life and career of drummer Nick Banks, including how he came to be in the iconic and beloved band Pulp.

Beginning with his childhood in Rotherham, England, Nick recounts his personal and musical journey through the genres, first as a punk, then as a goth; how it all started when he was first inspired to pick up the sticks by Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook.

Flash forward to the eighties. Nick spies an ad from his favorite band, Pulp, in a local club. He pays Jarvis Cocker and the gang a visit and the rest is history.

From there, Nick describes his growth as a professional drummer and musician, the trials and tribulations of chasing success in the music industry, touring triumphs and horrors, the band’s journey from relative obscurity to becoming a global sensation, and the process of writing and recording their most famous albums.

Written with warmth, humor, and charm, Nick tells all. And with it, tells the story of a band that defined a generation.

This comprehensive manual helps musicians and those working in live music to identify and cope with the various physical and psychological difficulties that can occur during, or as a result of, touring.

It covers topics including mental health, peak performance and performance anxiety, addiction, group dynamics, relationship problems, dealing with the media, physical health, diversity and inclusion, crisis management and post-tour recovery. Written by health and performance professionals, this timely and essential book provides robust clinical advice, cutting edge research, practical strategies, resources and detailed illustrations.

Each chapter is underpinned with personal recollections from musicians and prominent touring personnel, including Nile Rodgers, Justin Hawkins, Philip Selway, Charles Thompson, Katie Melua, Kieran Hebden, Jake Berry, Tina Farris, Taylor Hanson, Trevor Williams, Lauren Mayberry, Pharoahe Monch, Jim Digby, Will Young, Angie Warner, Dale 'Opie' Skjerseth and many more.

Touring and Mental Health is designed to be picked up, put down, read at length and passed around the tour bus.

Pressure Drop chronicles reggae’s most tumultuous and influential decade. Beginning in 1970 and unfolding across the world, reggae flourished against a backdrop of political upheaval, gang warfare, Black Nationalism, racial and class discrimination and grinding poverty. 

The music that developed as rocksteady and early reggae gave birth to deejays, dub, rockers, lovers rock, early dancehall and 2 Tone was by turns brutal and revelatory.

Including an extensive analysis of the decade’s major singles and albums, Pressure Drop includes eyewitness accounts and experiences of the decade from the likes of Burning Spear, Chris Blackwell, Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru, U-Roy, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Augustus Pablo, Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, Sly & Robbie, Dennis Bovell, Don Letts and members of the Specials, as well as first-hand anecdotes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

 His story is a bitter-sweet, heart-warming and occasionally droll tale of unlikely success, petty feuding and playful mischief during five years of growing up in the music industry. Wiser but not much richer, Michael became a bicycle courier in Soho after the Undertones split. "Sixty miles a day, fresh air, no responsibilities," he writes. "Sometimes I think it was the best job I ever had. It wasn't, of course."

The London-based Ready, Steady, Go! began broadcasting in August of 1963 and, within a matter of weeks, became an essential television ritual for the newly confident British teenager. It set trends and became the barometer for popular culture by attracting and presenting anyone who was anyone in popular music: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, The Animals, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Otis Redding, and many more.

RSG! also provided the first small screen exposure for then-unknowns such as Rod Stewart, Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Donovan, and Jimi Hendrix.

Ready, Steady, Go! ran for three and a half years, setting a blueprint for music presentation and production on television that resonated over the following decades and can still be felt today.

Featured in this lavishly illustrated and definitive history of the show are hundreds of color and black and white images—the bulk of them previously unpublished—as well as exclusive essays by Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Ray Davies, Eric Burdon, Donovan, Andrew Oldham, Lulu, and others.

Also included is a detailed guide to all 173 episodes—with complete artist appearances and the songs they performed—as well as forewords from the show's original editor Vicki Wickham and acclaimed director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.

This is the first full documentation of the show that went from quintessential Swinging London accessory to its current status as the most legendary popular music program of all time.

The critically acclaimed definitive biography of Kate Bush, revised and updated for 2024, with a new foreword by Sinéad Gleeson.

Detailing everything from Bush’s upbringing to her early exposition of talent, to her subsequent evolution into a stunningly creative and endlessly fascinating visual and musical artist, Under The Ivy is the story of one woman's life in music. Written with great detail, accuracy and admiration for her work, this is in equal parts an in-depth biography and an immersive analysis of Kate Bush's art.

Focusing on her unique working methods, her studio techniques, her timeless albums and inescapable influence, Under The Ivy is an eminently readable and insightful exploration of one of the world's most unique and gifted artists. The text has been updated to include coverage of Bush’s return to the top of the charts in 2022 following the extraordinary resurgence of ‘Running Up That Hill.’ An eye-opening journey of discovery for anyone unfamiliar with the breadth of Bush’s work, Under The Ivy also rewards the long-term fan with new insights and fresh analysis.

Brian Holland, Edward Holland, and Lamont Dozier, known as Holland-Dozier-Holland or H-D-H, were the greatest songwriting team in American pop music history. This is their story.

Seventy of the songs they wrote reached the Billboard Top 40, with 15 of these reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. No other songwriting team or individual has come close to equaling, let alone surpassing, this record. They’ve been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

As tunesmiths for the legendary Motown Record Corporation, and for their own corporations, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, they wrote and produced hits for Diana Ross and the Supremes, including “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Where Did Our Love Go,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “I Hear a Symphony,” “Come See About Me,” “Back in My Arms Again” and “Reflections.”

Now the legendary composers are ready to reveal the inspirations and stories behind their chart-topping hits, providing millions of fans with the first complete history of their songwriting process, and detail the real-life experiences that led them to write each of their most famous tunes. They will also reveal their creative and intimate relationships with Motown’s biggest stars.

Cognitive Dissident may begin in the music biography tradition, but it quickly becomes something deeper. Born out of years of conversation and collaboration between Matt Johnson, the creative force behind THE THE, and writer Jason Wood (Executive Director at the BFI), it expands into a work that is philosophical, cultural, and socio-political in scope.

The story traces Johnson’s period of reflection during The Inertia Variations project and follows the extraordinary creative rebirth that led to THE THE’s return: The Comeback Special tour, live album and film, the release of Ensoulment – their first new album in 25 years – and the acclaimed Ensouled world tour. Along the way, it illuminates Johnson’s evolution from the post-punk DIY scene to his many collaborations with producers, musicians, and cultural icons, as well as the influence of literature, art, and cinema that has always shaped his vision.

Through these conversations with Matt Johnson – a working-class auto-didact who achieved success and ultimately career control on his own terms – this book by extension is also a meditation on family, friendship, creativity, conservation, gentrification, geopolitics, love and loss.

From Manchester to Laurel Canyon—legendary musician John Mayall.  

With a foreword by Mick Fleetwood. 

John Mayall’s story is like no other in the annals of rock and blues. Born in the UK in 1933, he laid the foundations of British blues, nurtured a generation of future superstars and then took the music back to the land of its birth.

This extraordinary autobiography offers a vivid glimpse of Britain well before the rock revolution of the sixties, at a time when young men like John found themselves conscripted for national service that, in his case, included eighteen months in Korea. What followed when he returned was an odyssey of musical trailblazing.

From Manchester to Laurel Canyon and many points in between, John’s account of his long life is both affectionate and compelling – a guided tour through more than sixty years of the music business and its stars, brought to vivid life by one of its undisputed pioneers. This edition has been updated to include coverage of Mayall’s life and work up until his death in July 2024.

By 1983, many of Scotland’s post-punk bands had broken up or moved south to chase the major labels in London. That vacuum was filled by an influx of young musicians who were determined to remake the scene in their own image.

In this compelling and dynamic oral history, Grant McPhee chronicles the radical transformation of Scotland’s independent music scene from 1983–1995. Including archival photos and drawing from over 100 interviews with the key players of the time, Grant McPhee allows them to set the scene in their own words; including the Cocteau Twins, Shop Assistants, Teenage Fanclub, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and many more.

Postcards from Scotland is the definitive story of the radicals, misfits and experimentalists who made independent music what it is today.

The triumphant last word on the radical movement that shook the world — Stephen Colegrave and Chris Sullivan’s deliciously cacophonous and comprehensive oral history of Punk, told by those who lived it.

“A gloriously vociferous encyclopedia for the Blank Generation. It's all here in staggering chapter and verse: how Punk came and changed the world forever.” — Jake Arnott, author of The Long Firm and He Kills Coppers

Punk: The Last Word is a powerful reimagining of punk—not just as a sound or style, but as a radical, DIY philosophy rooted in defiance, truth, and individuality. Cultural insider and Wag Club founder Chris Sullivan and Byline Times editor Stephen Colegrave bring together over 150 original interviews with punk’s most iconic figures—Iggy Pop, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Siouxsie Sioux, Vivienne Westwood, and many others. From musicians and designers to promoters and provocateurs, they paint a vivid portrait of the movement’s chaotic rise and lasting impact on both sides of the Atlantic.

Tracing punk’s rebellious spirit from 19th-century bohemia to the explosion of Kings Road and Coventry in the late '70s, this is, without a doubt, the most in-depth, insider account of punk’s evolution and legacy.

As the movement approaches its 50th anniversary, its core values—authenticity, resistance, and creative freedom—feel more urgent than ever. Punk isn’t just music. It’s a way of life.

At the beginning of 1994 Oasis were unknown, though signed to Creation Records. Things changed with the release of their album 'Definitely Maybe', which became the fastest selling British debut album at the time.

That year was one of meteoric change, with Liam and Noel Gallagher setting off on a major tour. Oasis: Their Breakthrough Year is an evocative collection of photos of Oasis taken during that time by Rock photographer Paul Slattery. Having been tipped off to their potential by producer Mark Coyle, who shared early versions of 'Definitely Maybe' when the band where still in the studio, Paul spent the year closely recording their burgeoning success; from sparsly attended shows around the UK to sold-out performances in the U.S. and Japan.

The very first and definitive biography of Peter Tosh, rude boy, founder member of the Wailers and a compelling recording artist in his own right —Tosh was Jamaica’s most controversial reggae star.

or the Mystic Man, music was the message. A fiery advocate of Rastafari and African nationalism as well as the legalization of marijuana, his uncompromising political stance has won him a reputation as Jamaica’s Malcolm X. One of reggae’s most extraordinary stories, the life of Peter Tosh came to an end when he was brutally murdered in 1987 amidst rumors involving the supernatural and Kingston’s criminal underworld.

In this essential biography, John Masouri—esteemed reggae journalist and author of Pressure Drop: Reggae in the Seventies – conducts hundreds of interviews with those who knew Peter Tosh best, including Bunny Wailer and other close associates. Tracing his recording career, we learn of his encounters with Eric Clapton and Joe Cocker, and volatile relationships with Bob Marley and Lee Scratch Perry. Tosh’s darker side is also revealed in tales of the singer’s fascination with the occult and in unprecedented detail, his untimely and tragic demise.

Bowie—in 1976, the Berlin Years

Book by book, year by year, the ultimate literary trip through Bowie’s greatest decade.

1976, and in England the heat is rising. Immigration protests, racist murders, the rise of the National Front and the return of David Bowie, now the Thin White Duke, crowing to the papers how Britain “could benefit from a fascist leader”.

But with his incorrigible best buddy Iggy Pop in tow, as he gravitates towards the divided city of Berlin, his wake-up call is coming – and with it a brave new musical direction that will cement Bowie’s place as the most innovative artist of the decade.

The seventh volume of Simon Goddard’s critically acclaimed Bowie Odyssey series is a stark and brutal black-and-white tale of art, anger, discord and salvation.

A look at the turbulent, triumphant life of one of rock and roll’s foremost icons

Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks is a musical visionary, a poet and an enduring style icon with a truly phenomenal life story. The Omnibus enhanced Dreams, Visions & Rumours is a celebratory examination of this tale, tracing Stevie’s life from her Arizona childhood, the magic moment when she joined Fleetwood Mac and the hedonistic turbulence that followed.

Crowned 'The Reigning Queen Of Rock And Roll' by Rolling Stone, and with gold and quadruple platinum solo albums under her beaded belt, Stevie Nicks has enjoyed the ultimate in rock 'n' roll success in her life as a recording artist - but this charmed life has come as a result of grit, self-belief and a devotion to creativity above all; hers has been a journey of intense highs and lows.

This biography, a celebration of the Stevie Nicks phenomenon, takes us on her journey from peripatetic mid-West childhood to her explosion onto the music scene as chiffon-swathed rock goddess, right up to present day. Including exclusive interviews with some of Stevie's associates and collaborators from over the years, author Zoë Howe explores the mystique while retaining the magic of this modern-day musical sorceress and wise woman of rock.

This updated edition includes information about the 24 Karat Gold self-portrait collection exhibition Stevie curated in Hollywood, her work with the LA band Haim, coping with the loss of her close friends Glenn Frey and Prince, being a Rolling Stone cover girl again and more.

“[An] absorbing study of an ultra-talented country music icon.” MOJO

This definitive biography of Dolly Parton is as dazzling as the woman it celebrates.

Smart Blonde tells the remarkable story of Dolly Parton’s rise from a poor East Tennessee childhood to superstardom in the male-dominated world of 1960s Nashville. With charm, determination, and unparalleled talent, Parton built not only a musical legacy but a multifaceted business empire.

With a foreword by music journalist, David Sinclair.

As the influential drummer from iconic rock‘n’roll band The Hollies, Bobby Elliott has six decades worth of musical anecdotes. Continually touring since 1963, his adventures have seen him beating Keith Moon in a drumming audition, being serenaded by Joni Mitchell while she was in bed with Graham Nash and being offered a job by Paul McCartney to work with Wings.

Covering all such stories as well as exploring Bobby’s personal highs and lows, It Ain’t Heavy, It’s My Story is a funny, honest and enlightening account of sixty years on the frontline of rock ‘n’ roll.

"Brian Wilson. SMiLE: Excellent! The man is my hero. I love him. I weep when I hear his band, I hear him sing. I love him." —Paul McCartney

This is the story of the Brian Wilson's legendary SMiLE album from Beach Boys authority David Leaf. The story of SMiLE is a story without precedent, appropriate for music that was and remains groundbreaking.

This is the first book to tell the full story of Brian Wilson and SMiLE, including the details of the original SMiLE recording sessions and their increasingly legendary status as well as the final release of the album, the accompanying concerts and film, and its afterlife.

With over two dozen new interviews as well as generous excerpts from his extended 2004 interviews with Brian Wilson and SMiLE collaborator Van Dyke Parks, the book tells the story of SMiLE by those who were there in 1966 and from the participants in its 2004 resurrection, including all the members of Brian Wilson’s band. It also features fan memories of what it was like to see Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE and what it meant to them.

With a foreword by Melinda Wilson and an anthology of essays from SMiLE historians, devotees, and music professors, this book promises to be the definitive word on the subject.

“If I had to select one living genius of popular music, I would choose Brian Wilson.” —George Martin

"He's a modern-day Stravinsky, the way he constructs his music." —Questlove

"I don't think there is anyone his equal in pop music." —Linda Ronstadt

"The only real pop genius in the world..." —Sir Elton John

'A magisterial biography… Thomson’s book adds something new to this conversation…' – Chicago Tribune

Behind The Locked Door is Graeme Thomson’s rich, insightful account of George Harrison’s extraordinary life and career.

As a Beatle, Harrison underwent a bewilderingly compressed early adulthood, buffeted by unprecedented levels of fame and success. After Beatlemania left him unsettled and unfulfilled his became a quest for deeper meaning which travelled far beyond the parameters of his former band and indeed music itself.

This elegant, in-depth biography tracks him assiduously through his many changes and conflicts, from schoolboy guitarist to global superstar, God seeker to independent film-maker, Formula One enthusiast to UNICEF Fundraiser, and marks the perennial struggle of a man attempting to walk a spiritual path lined with temptation.

Drawing on scores of new interviews with close friends and collaborators, rigorous research and critical insight, George Harrison: Behind The Locked Door is the ultimate account of the motives and varied achievements of an often misunderstood man. It is also an intimate character study, beautifully illustrating the eternal yin and tang of Harrison's nature; the definitive account of a compelling, contradictory life.

The most authentic memoir of Freddie Mercury—now in the Remastered Series from Omnibus Press.

Peter Freestone was Freddie Mercury’s personal assistant for the last 12 years of his life. He lived with Mercury in London, Munich, and New York, and was by his side when he died.

In this book, Freestone paints a striking portrait of the man behind the myth. The result is a compelling, entertaining, and ultimately, very touching memoir. From their first meeting at the Biba department store in the early 1970s – when Queen was still unknown – Freestone witnessed Mercury’s rise and with it the generosity, the excess, and the celebrity friends who came and went. From the famous names – including Elton John, Kenny Everett, Elizabeth Taylor and Rod Stewart – to the shadowy army of lovers, fixers and hangers-on, Peter Freestone saw them all play their part in the tragi-comedy that was Freddie Mercury’s life.

First published in 2000, Freestone’s best-selling account of his life alongside the singular icon is the closest fans will get to an autobiography of Mercury.

Look What I Dun is the story of Slade told through the eyes of drummer Don Powell whose life was shattered when, in 1973 at the height of the group's fame, he was involved in a horrific car crash.

Unflinching in his honesty, Powell deals frankly with the aftermath of the accident that took the life of his girlfriend and left him with injuries that affect him to this day. Leaders of the glam rock movement, Slade were the UK's biggest singles band in the years 1971-74. Their many hits have become rock'n'roll standards, not least 'Merry Christmas Everybody', arguably Britain's all-time favorite Christmas song. For Don Powell, though, success came at a price. Lucky to survive, the aftermath of his accident included alcoholism, financial woes and a life of reckless promiscuity. Now sober and settled in Denmark with an adopted family of his own, Don Powell's story - as told to Lise Lyng Falkenberg - is a no-nonsense journey to the heights and depths of the rock world.

Featuring honest and open first-hand accounts, Come and Get These Memories is more than just a behind-the-scenes look at Motown Records at its peak: Eddie and Brian set the record straight on both their personal and professional lives and offer a revealing slice of pop-music history.

As the creative force behind Berry Gordy Jr.'s Motown Records in the mid-Sixties, a writing credit from Holland Dozier Holland was virtually a guarantee of chart success. From 'Stop! In The Name Of Love' to 'How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You', they were the songwriting and production dream team responsible for some of the greatest songs of the twentieth century.

In this compelling autobiography, brothers Eddie and Brian Holland share their story for the first time, starting with growing up in Detroit raised by a single mother and their grandmother, before shining a light on their early musical careers. A gifted lyricist, Eddie started out as a solo singer with Berry Gordy as his manager before partnering up with Brian and Lamont Dozier, both talented arrangers and producers.

When Holland Dozier Holland came together, they helped transform Motown Records from a local soul label into a worldwide hit factory, home to international superstars such as Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, The Four Tops and The Isley Brothers. After an awe-inspiring tenure they left Motown in 1968, continuing their successes at new labels and with new collaborators for years to come.

From aristocratic lineage to convent school, stardom to attempted suicide, junkie to punk, folk singer to torch chanteuse, Marianne has seen her life flash by in banner headlines. 

Researched through over 50 interviews with her family, former lovers and friends, As Years Go By reveals the truth behind the headlines, the person behind the profile. Updated and extensively revised by one of the UK s most acclaimed writers, it is a candid, illuminating account of an endearing yet misunderstood artist.

The Ramones, pioneers of punk rock

The Ramones cut an unforgettable swathe through decades of popular music. With politically charged anger, raw sounds and ferocious 20 minute sets they undercut the glamour of the mainstream music industry and gave the punk movement an authentic voice – a voice which can still be heard echoing through the decades.

Seen through the eyes of the people who were there – musicians, managers, producers, publicists – this insightful biography depicts the Ramones’ rebellion against the establishment, how they forged their unique sound against the pressures of censure and managed to stay honest until the bitter end.

The incredible story of the resurrection of Elvis, from 50’s crooner to late 60’s King of Rock n Roll.

“Goddard not only knows his Elvis, but deftly weaves in the cultural background of the era.” –MOJO

As 1968 dawns, the once King of rock‘n’roll faces cultural oblivion. While elsewhere the Sixties are swinging, for Elvis they’re sinking– in terrible films, drug addiction, paranoia, religious mania and the mercenary wiles of his psychopathic manager. In the words of the hip young director assigned to his first TV special, Elvis’ reputation was “in the toilet.” However the same director, Steve Binder, was now about to save it. Together they would embark on the biggest creative fight of Elvis’ life.

The Comeback plots the incredible true story of Elvis’ fall and rise from Army discharge to iconic black leather resurrection. Simon Goddard takes the reader inside the life, music and mind of Elvis,  isolated from an America unravelling in its own Sixties chaos of war, racism, riots and assassinations, until his world and theirs collide in the greatest performance of his life.

A genre-busting modernist rock‘n’roll fable unlike any music biography you’ve ever read, The Comeback is the definitive account of how it took Elvis eight years on the big screen to lose his crown – but just one magical hour on a small one to win it back.

 His story is a bitter-sweet, heart-warming and occasionally droll tale of unlikely success, petty feuding and playful mischief during five years of growing up in the music industry. Wiser but not much richer, Michael became a bicycle courier in Soho after the Undertones split. "Sixty miles a day, fresh air, no responsibilities," he writes. "Sometimes I think it was the best job I ever had. It wasn't, of course."

This is the definitive history of the Velvet Underground, complete and more fully researched than any before

Do What You Fear Most is the authoritative tome on the band that changed music, fashion and culture forever.

Blending new archival insights and first-hand accounts, Richie Unterberger illuminates the band’s radical global impact on New York’s progenitors of punk, who bridged pure rock’n’roll, avant-garde experimentation and literary songwriting to take rock music into previously uncharted territory. Beginning with each member’s path to the band, it details their influences, successes and (many) failures, the whirlwind with Warhol, the triumph of the Banana album, the fractured and strained relationships and egos, and beyond to the end of the Velvets and the beginnings of various solo careers.

Rigorously researched and packed with previously undocumented insights, this book features first-hand interviews with the group’s associates, as well as a substantial amount of material newly unearthed from the Lou Reed Archive and the Andy Warhol Archive, as well as never-before-seen images and ephemera.

An entertaining and exhilarating narrative, Do What You Fear Most vividly captures the grit and uninhibited creativity of the 1960s New York cultural scene and is an essential portrait of one of the 20th century’s most visionary and influential bands.

From aristocratic lineage to convent school, stardom to attempted suicide, junkie to punk, folk singer to torch chanteuse, Marianne has seen her life flash by in banner headlines. 

Researched through over 50 interviews with her family, former lovers and friends, As Years Go By reveals the truth behind the headlines, the person behind the profile. Updated and extensively revised by one of the UK s most acclaimed writers, it is a candid, illuminating account of an endearing yet misunderstood artist.

“A full-blooded insider’s account of life inside the Kling Klang studio. This is a must read for the robots’ fans.” Prog Magazine

As a core member of Kraftwerk, some of the most beautiful, era-defining music has been co-composed by Karl Bartos. From “Computer Love” to “Autobahn,” “Tour de France” to Kraftwerk’s 1982 number one single “The Model,” Bartos’s deft musical hand has undoubtedly shaped the contemporary musical landscape we know today.

For the first time, in The Sound of the Machine Bartos speaks candidly about his life in Kraftwerk for the first time.  He vividly recalls his experiences in the Kling Klang studios during recording, describing the process and perfectly capturing the joy, passion and synergy of people composing and recording together. 

At once cerebral and witty, Bartos’s narrative journeys through his post-war childhood in Germany, his sense of wonder on first hearing The Beatles, his early musical ventures and his parallel career as a musician and teacher. Offering a fascinating insight into both a band and a man at the forefront of musical innovation over the last thirty years, Bartos also looks to the future, sharing his hopes and fears for today’s musical culture. 

Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks is a musical visionary, a poet and an enduring style icon with a truly phenomenal life story. The Omnibus enhanced Dreams, Visions & Rumours is a celebratory examination of this tale, tracing Stevie’s life from her Arizona childhood, the magic moment when she joined Fleetwood Mac and the hedonistic turbulence that followed.

Crowned 'The Reigning Queen Of Rock And Roll' by Rolling Stone, and with gold and quadruple platinum solo albums under her beaded belt, Stevie Nicks has enjoyed the ultimate in rock 'n' roll success in her life as a recording artist - but this charmed life has come as a result of grit, self-belief and a devotion to creativity above all; hers has been a journey of intense highs and lows.

This biography, a celebration of the Stevie Nicks phenomenon, takes us on her journey from peripatetic mid-West childhood to her explosion onto the music scene as chiffon-swathed rock goddess, right up to present day. Including exclusive interviews with some of Stevie's associates and collaborators from over the years, author Zoë Howe explores the mystique while retaining the magic of this modern-day musical sorceress and wise woman of rock.

This updated edition includes information about the 24 Karat Gold self-portrait collection exhibition Stevie curated in Hollywood, her work with the LA band Haim, coping with the loss of her close friends Glenn Frey and Prince, being a Rolling Stone cover girl again and more.

<p><em>"Brian Wilson. SMILE: Excellent! The man is my hero. I love him. I weep when I hear his band, I hear him sing. I love him."</em>&nbsp;<strong>&mdash;Paul McCartney</strong></p>

<p><strong>The story of the Brian Wilson's legendary&nbsp;<em>SMiLE</em>&nbsp;album from Beach Boys authority David Leaf. The story of&nbsp;<em>SMiLE</em>&nbsp;is a story without precedent, appropriate for music that was and remains groundbreaking.</strong></p>

<p>"This is the first book to tell the full story of Brian Wilson and&nbsp;<em>SMiLE</em>, including the details of the original&nbsp;<em>SMiLE</em>&nbsp;recording sessions and their increasingly legendary status as well as the final release of the album, the accompanying concerts and film, and its afterlife.</p>

<p>With over two dozen new interviews as well as generous excerpts from his extended 2004 interviews with Brian Wilson and&nbsp;<em>SMiLE</em>&nbsp;collaborator Van Dyke Parks, the book tells the story of&nbsp;<em>SMiLE</em>&nbsp;by those who were there in 1966 and from the participants in its 2004 resurrection, including all the members of Brian Wilson&rsquo;s band. It also features fan memories of what it was like to see Brian Wilson Presents&nbsp;<em>SMiLE</em>&nbsp;and what it meant to them.</p>

<p>With a foreword by Melinda Wilson and an anthology of essays from&nbsp;<em>SMiLE</em>&nbsp;historians, devotees, and music professors, this book promises to be the definitive word on the subject.</p>

<p>&ldquo;If I had to select one living genius of popular music, I would choose Brian Wilson.&rdquo;&nbsp;<strong><em>&mdash;George Martin</em></strong></p>

<p>"He's a modern-day Stravinsky, the way he constructs his music."&nbsp;<strong><em>&mdash;Questlove</em></strong></p>

<p>"I don't think there is anyone his equal in pop music."&nbsp;<strong><em>&mdash;Linda Ronstadt</em></strong></p>

<p>"[T]he only real pop genius in the world..."&nbsp;<em><strong>&mdash;Sir Elton John</strong></em></p>

Hound Dog Taylor made guitars howl and hips shake. A founding father of lo-fi blues rock—that gritty, stripped-down sound played on cheap guitars with no bass—Taylor and his band The Houserockers played loud, wild gut-bucket boogie that was raw and ferocious, earning them a reputation as "The Ramones of the blues."

Though his influence continues to be heard in the music of contemporary musicians such as Jack White, The Black Keys, and others, Hound Dog Taylor's story has never been fully explored. Off stage, his life was as wild as his music.

From his childhood in 1920s Mississippi to his final years in 1970s Chicago, he was surrounded by racism, crime, and violence. The threat of bloodshed was constant, whether from the Ku Klux Klan, South Side gangs, or even fellow musicians. From drunkenly slicing off his sixth finger with a straight razor, to becoming the artist whose music launched the now-legendary Alligator Records, Goodnight Boogie is the first in-depth biographical study of the Blues Hall of Famer whose life was as compelling as his music.

This is the story of a brilliant and unforgettably original musician who struggled for success while fighting to survive.

Foreword written by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

Marty Stuart's tenth studio album, The Pilgrim, was released 1999. The risky and ambitious concept project—based on true events that transpired in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi—was a turning point in Marty's unique artistry. While not a commercial success at the time, The Pilgrim represents a rediscovery of his roots and a creative rebirth that continues to reverberate today as we celebrate the album's twentieth anniversary.

From the art direction, to the eccentric narrative, to the participation of iconic performers such as Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, and Connie Smith, The Pilgrim somehow managed to connect with the deepest spirit of country music's rich traditions while also breaking new ground.

It's impossible to understand Marty Stuart without understanding what led to The Pilgrim and how it has shaped who he is today as an uncompromising artist and an unflinching evangelist for pure country music.

Presented here is a lushly illustrated coffee table book that's about much more than just one landmark album. It's about art, discovery, artistic integrity, and a vision that set Marty Stuart on a new path. Also included with the book is a CD of the original album and unreleased bonus material.

Say It One Time for the Brokenhearted was the first of many titles by renowned UK music journalist Barney Hoskyns. Thirty years after its publication he revisited the modern-day classic for this revised and expanded anniversary edition that marks the book's first publication in the US.

Fascinated by the collision of country and soul music in the Southern states, Hoskyns and photographer Muir MacKean set out on a journey through the American South to explore the phenomenon of primarily black singers and primarily white musicians joining forces in the 1960s to create musical magic in an era of racial tension.

From Memphis to Muscle Shoals to Nashville, they sat down with dozens of the architects of what's come to be known as Country Soul to capture a story that is as inspiring as it is historically important.

As part of Motown's legendary songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, Lamont Dozier is responsible for such classics as "Baby I Need Your Loving," "You Can't Hurry Love," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Heat Wave," "Baby Love," "It's the Same Old Song," "Nowhere to Run," "You Keep Me Hanging On," "Reach Out I'll Be There," "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," and many more.

After leaving Motown, he continued to make his mark as an influential songwriter, artist, and producer with hits such as "Give Me Just a Little More Time," "Band of Gold," and "Two Hearts," a chart-topping Phil Collins single that earned the pair an Academy Award nomination and a Grammy win.

In How Sweet It Is Lamont takes us behind the scenes of the Motown machine, sharing personal stories of his encounters with such icons as Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Berry Gordy. He reveals the moments that inspired some of his timeless songs—and pulls back the curtain on the studio secrets that helped him and his colleagues create "the sound of young America." From his early years of struggle growing up in Detroit to the triumphs and tragedies that have marked his personal and professional path, at the center of Lamont's story is the heart of a true songwriter.

Though he's racked up well over 100 Top 10 singles on the Billboard charts, been inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and has been named among Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time," Lamont continues to write music every day.

Having pursued the mystery of the songwriting muse for many years, his stories are interwoven with invaluable insights and wisdom on the art and craft of songwriting that will inspire the creative spark in all of us.

A large-format 400-page collectible art book curated by Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby, and hand-signed by all three.

This exclusive Super Deluxe Edition is hand signed by Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby. Additionally, it’s hand-numbered and limited to 795 copies worldwide. It is the only edition of the book signed by the three authors and housed in a deluxe slipcase. 

As with the other editions of the book, it’s printed in Italy on 200gsm premium art paper, and features quality thread-sew binding and quarter-bound casing. When the Byrds released “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965, they introduced Bob Dylan’s songs to a new audience and launched a career that would make them among the most influential rock bands of all time. With their unmistakable harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s innovative 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, the Byrds never stopped experimenting. They incorporated folk, country, and jazz, influences into a fresh blend that helped define an era. “And not to be too shallow,” Tom Petty once wrote, “but they also were just the best-dressed band around. They had those great clothes and hairdos.”

In 2022 the band’s three surviving founding members - Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby - came together to present The Byrds: 1964-1967, a large format tabletop book that offers a unique visual history of the group. Featuring more than 500 images from legendary photographers such as Henry Diltz, Barry Feinstein, Curt Gunther, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney, Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal, and Guy Webster, the book also includes restored images from the Columbia Records archives and the personal archives of the band’s original manager. Accompanied by a running commentary of their memories of the group, the era, one another, and their late compatriots Gene Clark and Michael Clarke, this carefully crafted volume is a truly unique collector’s item for Byrds fans.

Hand-signed by the legendary Iron Maiden guitarist, Adrian Smith.

Adrian Smith got hooked on fishing as a child growing up in East London, plundering ponds and bomb craters on the Hackney Marshes for newts and sticklebacks, and catching perch from the Grand Union Canal while on outings with his father. And then things began to get more exotic.

The young angling enthusiast grew up to become lead guitarist in one of the most successful rock bands in history, and started traveling the world playing to millions of fans. But once a fisherman, always a fisherman. The gear went with him; the fish got bigger; the adventures more extreme. 

 Welcome to the world of Adrian Smith, as he clocks in to his day job furthering the geographical boundaries of hard rock, and clocks out to explore far-flung rivers, seas, waterways, lakes, and pools on his fearless quest for fishing nirvana. His first sturgeon was a whopping 100-pounder from Canada’s swirling Fraser River that nearly wiped him out mid-Maiden tour. And how about the close shave with a large shark off the Virgin Islands while wading waist-deep for bonefish? Not to mention an enviable list of specimen coarse fish from the UK. 

It's a lifetime adventure in fishing.

Goin' Off chronicles the rise and fall of Cold Chillin' and its partnership with Warner Bros. Records. It follows the careers of the label's recording artists through first-hand accounts of industry players, producers, MCs, and DJs: Roxanne Shanté was a fourteen-year-old battle rapper who spawned the diss record; MC Shan engaged in a legendary cross-borough feud with KRS-One; Kool G Rap was a foundational participant in what the media dubbed "gangsta rap"; Big Daddy Kane's quick-witted lyricism changed the way people rhyme; the collegiate Masta Ace sought to uplift his community during the height of the crack epidemic; The Genius (aka GZA) co-founded the rap dynasty Wu-Tang Clan; and the enigmatic Biz Markie had the world singing along to his hit anthem "Just a Friend."

Plagued by corporate censorship and a landmark sample-related lawsuit in the 1990s, Cold Chillin' folded, leaving behind a legacy shrouded in controversy and a catalog that influenced multiple generations of rap artists.

Launched by legendary music industry executive Art Rupe in the mid-1940s, the Los Angeles-based Specialty Records emerged as one of the most important independent labels for African-American music in the twentieth century. Recognizing that competing with major record companies was a losing battle, Rupe headed to Central Avenue, the center of L.A.’s black community, where he spent $200 on what were then known as “race records.” He carefully analyzed each, developing his own formula for a successful venture.

Soon, Specialty was scoring R&B hits with artists such as Roy Milton, Camille Howard, Jimmy and Joe Liggins, and Percy Mayfield. Drawn to the music of New Orleans, Rupe went on to sign Lloyd Price, who topped the charts with “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” It was through Price that Specialty acquired its best-known artist, Little Richard. After “Tutti Frutti” exploded in 1955, Richard and the label scored a string of successes with “Long Tall Sally,” “Lucille,” “Keep A Knockin’,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and more.

In addition to R&B and the emerging sounds of rock ’n’ roll, Rupe was particularly drawn to the sounds of the church. Black gospel music was an essential element of his company, with a roster that included stars of the genre, such as Sam Cooke’s Soul Stirrers, Sister Wynona Carr, Brother Joe May, Alex Bradford and the Bradford Specials, and others.

From behind-the-scenes producers Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, J.W. Alexander, Harold Battiste, and Sonny Bono, to R&B recording stars Floyd Dixon, Guitar Slim, Jesse Belvin, Larry Williams, and Don and Dewey, this is the story of the legendary Specialty Records.

This exclusive Deluxe Edition is hand signed by Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman. Additionally, it’s hand-numbered and limited to 1600 copies worldwide. It is the only edition of the book signed by two of the three authors and housed in a deluxe slipcase. 

As with the other editions of the book, it’s printed in Italy on 200gsm premium art paper, and features quality thread-sew binding and quarter-bound casing. When the Byrds released “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965, they introduced Bob Dylan’s songs to a new audience and launched a career that would make them among the most influential rock bands of all time. With their unmistakable harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s innovative 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, the Byrds never stopped experimenting. They incorporated folk, country, and jazz, influences into a fresh blend that helped define an era. “And not to be too shallow,” Tom Petty once wrote, “but they also were just the best-dressed band around. They had those great clothes and hairdos.”

In 2022 the band’s three surviving founding members - Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby - came together to present The Byrds: 1964-1967, a large format tabletop book that offers a unique visual history of the group. Featuring more than 500 images from legendary photographers such as Henry Diltz, Barry Feinstein, Curt Gunther, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney, Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal, and Guy Webster, the book also includes restored images from the Columbia Records archives and the personal archives of the band’s original manager. Accompanied by a running commentary of their memories of the group, the era, one another, and their late compatriots Gene Clark and Michael Clarke, this carefully crafted volume is a truly unique collector’s item for Byrds fans.

The story of Metal Blade Records is the story of Brian Slagel-a metal-obsessed Southern California kid who launched a fanzine and landed a record store job before cobbling together what he assumed would be a one-off compilation of fledgling bands from the L.A. scene. Released in 1982, the Metal Massacre LP included the debut recordings of local groups such as Steeler, Malice, Ratt, and Metallica. In the wake of the album's unexpected success Slagel virtually stumbled into creating a proper record label, issuing the first releases by Bitch, Armored Saint, and Slayer the following year.

For The Sake Of Heaviness is an inside look at how Brian built Metal Blade from a one-man operation in his mom's non-air-conditioned garage to the preeminent international home of heavy music that it is today. He shares his insights into signing and working with Amon Amarth, Anvil, As I Lay Dying, Behemoth, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cannibal Corpse, Cirith Ungol, Corrosion of Conformity, D.R.I., Fates Warning, Flotsam and Jetsam, Gwar, King Diamond, King's X, Lizzy Borden, Manowar, Mercyful Fate, Overkill, Raven, Sacred Reich, Six Feet Under, Trouble, Unearth, Voivod, Whitechapel, and others.

Always hard at work on a diverse range of projects, Brian reveals the early advice he gave that helped guide Mötley Crüe's career; how he helped Metallica replace their bassist-twice; his detailed work on Thin Lizzy and Alice Cooper reissues; his behind-the-scenes role in the careers of Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Goo Goo Dolls, and Lamb of God; and his unlikely ventures with kindred metal heads-from hockey star Ken Baumgartner, to celebrity chef Chris Santos, to The Howard Stern Show's Richard Christy, to comedians Jim Florentine, Don Jamieson and Jim Breuer.

Throughout For The Sake Of Heaviness, Brian steps aside to present first-person insights and extended guest interviews featuring friends, colleagues, Metal Blade staffers, and a long list of artists.

Released 50 years ago, and celebrated in this new book, the Zombies' final album Odessey and Oracle is a masterpiece of '60s rock.

"I remember first hearing 'She’s Not There' on the radio in my bedroom. So ethereal. So spooky ... the DJ said it was The Zombies from England. 'Of course,' I thought. 'That is exactly what a zombie rock group would sound like.'” - Tom Petty

To mark the 50th anniversary of the recording of their classic Odessey and Oracle album, The Zombies have assembled an eclectic collection of rare and unseen photos, original artwork and personal memories that offer readers an intimate snapshot of one of the more influential bands to emerge from the UK music scene of the 1960s.

The superbly illustrated book includes handwritten lyrics for 22 songs. From early hits “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No,” through every song on Odessey and Oracle—including the hit single “Time of the Season” —and all the way up to today, each selection is accompanied by a running oral history by original band members Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Chris White and Hugh Grundy.

Renowned artist Terry Quirk, who created the look of Odessey and Oracle, designed the book’s cover and contributed new artwork throughout, while Vivienne Boucherat created a unique piece of art to accompany each of the 22 songs. Additionally, The Odessey is rich with reflections from music journalists, friends and fans, including Tom Petty, who wrote the foreword, Brian Wilson, Carlos Santana, Susanna Hoffs, Paul Weller, Graham Nash, Clive Davis, Nate Ruess of FUN and members of Cage the Elephant and Beach House.

Sixteen Tons is the true story of Country Music Hall of Fame member Merle Travis, a brilliant, multi-talented and deeply troubled artist who is widely considered a genius. A world-class guitarist who dazzled audiences with his Kentucky thumb-picking style that came to be known as “Travis-picking,” Merle was also a pioneering country songwriter who wrote such classics as “Divorce Me C.O.D.,” “So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed,” “Dark as a Dungeon,” and “Sixteen Tons.” Additionally, he was responsible for early electric guitar innovations in the 1940s, and was a gifted actor, writer, and cartoonist, among many other talents.

This definitive portrait of Travis’s life and career is the result of a recently-discovered treasure trove of Merle’s unpublished autobiographical writings, which have been fleshed out with an immersive deep-dive biography by researcher and musical historian Deke Dickerson.

Sixteen Tons details the highs of a career that began with a string of nine straight Top 5 singles in the 1940s, and the lows of a lifelong struggle with alcoholism that developed into an addiction to pills that nearly killed Merle when he was running with Johnny Cash in the late 1950s. Travis ultimately reemerged to become a Grammy-winning artist who inspired millions with his creative stage presence and unparalleled guitar recordings.

A unique hybrid of posthumous memoir and unflinching biographical study, Sixteen Tons is the long overdue final word on the life and career of an inimitably talented American music legend.

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith got hooked on fishing as a child growing up in East London, plundering ponds and bomb craters on the Hackney Marshes for newts and sticklebacks, and catching perch from the Grand Union Canal while on outings with his father.

And then things began to get more exotic.

The young angling enthusiast grew up to become lead guitarist in one of the most successful rock bands in history, and started traveling the world playing to millions of fans. But once a fisherman, always a fisherman. The gear went with him; the fish got bigger; the adventures more extreme.

Welcome to the world of Adrian Smith, as he clocks in to his day job furthering the geographical boundaries of hard rock, and clocks out to explore far-flung rivers, seas, waterways, lakes, and pools on his fearless quest for fishing nirvana. His first sturgeon was a whopping 100-pounder from Canada’s swirling Fraser River that nearly wiped him out mid-Maiden tour. And how about the close shave with a large shark off the Virgin Islands while wading waist-deep for bonefish? Not to mention an enviable list of specimen coarse fish from the UK. It's a lifetime adventure in fishing.

Award winning songwriter, musician, author, playwright, poet, visual artist, and Appalachian Renaissance man Billy Edd Wheeler is best known for penning "Jackson," which was popularized by Johnny Cash and June Carter with their Grammy-winning recording from 1967. In addition to his own albums and singles as a highly regarded singer/songwriter (including the Top 5 hit, "Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back"), Billy Edd has penned numerous songs for artists such as Elvis Presley, Judy Collins, The Kingston Trio, Neil Young, and Kenny Rogers.

Wheeler's memoir is populated by a fascinating cast of characters which he encountered on his journey. Songwriting changed his life, bringing him a long lasting career that saw the birth of classic tunes such as "The Reverend Mr. Black," "High Flyin' Bird," "The Coming of the Roads," "It's Midnight," "Coal Tattoo," and others.

Peppered with the folksy wisdom of his beloved Appalachia, Hotter Than a Pepper Sprout is like pulling a chair up next to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer by a warm fire; you won't want to leave.

As a co-founder of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Chris Hillman is arguably the primary architect of what's come to be known as country rock. He went on to record and perform in various configurations, including as a member of Stephen Stills's Manassas and as a co-founder of The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. In the 1980s he formed The Desert Rose Band, scoring eight Top 10 Billboard country hits. He's released a number of solo efforts, including 2017's highly acclaimed Bidin' My Time—the final album produced by the late Tom Petty.

In Time Between, Hillman shares his quintessentially Southern Californian experience, from an idyllic, rural 1950s childhood; to achieving worldwide fame thanks to hits such as "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Eight Miles High"; to becoming the first musician to move to Laurel Canyon.

Featuring behind-the-scenes insights on his time in The Byrds, his productive but sometimes complicated relationship with Gram Parsons, his role in launching the careers of Buffalo Springfield and Emmylou Harris, and the ups and downs of life in various bands, music is only part of his story.

Within the pages of Time Between, Hillman reveals the details of his personal life with candor and vulnerability, writing honestly about the shocking tragedy that struck his family when he was a teenager, his subsequent struggles with anger, and how his spiritual journey led him to a place of deep faith that allowed him to extend forgiveness and experience wholeness. Chris Hillman is much more than a rock star. He is truly a founding father of American music and a man who has faced down the challenges of life to discover what really matters.

As a co-founder of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Chris Hillman is arguably the primary architect of what's come to be known as country rock. He went on to record and perform in various configurations, including as a member of Stephen Stills's Manassas and as a co-founder of The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. In the 1980s he formed The Desert Rose Band, scoring eight Top 10 Billboard country hits. He's released a number of solo efforts, including 2017's highly acclaimed Bidin' My Time—the final album produced by the late Tom Petty.

In Time Between, Hillman shares his quintessentially Southern Californian experience, from an idyllic, rural 1950s childhood; to achieving worldwide fame thanks to hits such as "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Eight Miles High"; to becoming the first musician to move to Laurel Canyon. Featuring behind-the-scenes insights on his time in The Byrds, his productive but sometimes complicated relationship with Gram Parsons, his role in launching the careers of Buffalo Springfield and Emmylou Harris, and the ups and downs of life in various bands, music is only part of his story.

Within the pages of Time Between, Hillman reveals the details of his personal life with candor and vulnerability, writing honestly about the shocking tragedy that struck his family when he was a teenager, his subsequent struggles with anger, and how his spiritual journey led him to a place of deep faith that allowed him to extend forgiveness and experience wholeness.

Chris Hillman is much more than a rock star. He is truly a founding father of American music and a man who has faced down the challenges of life to discover what really matters.

From growing up in Texas, to living in his car, to landing his first publishing deal, to writing fifteen #1 songs, Word for Word is a lavishly illustrated look at the lyrics of an icon among songwriting giants.

Emmylou Harris—who once employed Rodney Crowell as the guitarist, harmony singer, and arranger in her legendary Hot Band—introduced many listeners to his finely-crafted songs, including “Til I Gain Control Again,” “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “I Ain’t Living Long Like This,” “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” and “Ashes by Now.” They all went on to be become hits for other performers, while Crowell went on to carve out a career as the first country singer to earn five #1 singles from one album.

Rodney continued writing and recording classics, such as “Lovin’ All Night,” “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried” (which was nominated for a Best Country Song Grammy), and “After All This Time” (which was nominated for both CMA and ACM Song of the Year and won a Grammy for Best Country Song). And other artists continued to take his songs to the top of the charts, including Bob Seger’s recording of “Shame on the Moon,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” Tim McGraw’s recording of “Please Remember Me,” and Keith Urban’s cover of “Making Memories of Us.” By the early 2000s, Crowell was already a legend. But the poetic songs continued to flow as he became the embodiment of the growing Americana movement and continued to release new material that can be considered among his best work.

In this disarmingly intimate look at Crowell’s songs, he shares pages from his lyric notebooks, personal photographs, scribbles, and correspondence, alongside his memories and stories of some of the songs that have defined his life and career. Experiencing Word for Word is experiencing the heart of one of this generation’s finest songwriters.

Swing of the Blade follows Brian Slagel's critically acclaimed 2017 book, For the Sake of Heaviness, which delivered a compelling inside look at how a metal-obsessed California teen built Metal Blade Records into the preeminent international home of heavy music. Rabid readers demanded more anecdotes, more bands, and more of Slagel's musical wisdom.

With Swing of the Blade, he delivers. Featuring a foreword by Slayer's Kerry King, the new book is part memoir, part music-business primer, and all metal - delving deep into scenes and bands that fans worldwide obsess about. Slagel serves up more of his favorite memories about iconic musicians and events, and delves into even greater detail about his long and ongoing relationships with Metallica, Armored Saint, King Diamond and other heavyweights.

Swing of the Blade is told in Slagel's humble but authoritative voice. His view for the last 40 years—from the studio, side-stage and boardroom—offers an unprecedented look into the music, business, and passion that has made both Slagel and Metal Blade champions of discovering and nurturing the best heavy music on the planet.

Founded in the late 1980s by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman, Seattle-based Sub Pop Records released early recordings by then-upstart regional bands such as Green River, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Tad, Nirvana, Flaming Lips, Afghan Whigs, and Screaming Trees. When the world went grunge crazy in the 1990s, Sub Pop was suddenly the epicenter of Seattle cool.

Emerging organically from Bruce Pavitt's Subterranean Pop fanzine, the story of Sub Pop Records is the story of a couple of irreverent music lovers who stumbled into the record business because they simply loved working with bands they wanted to listen to themselves. From barely paying the bills to the trappings of major music industry success to the inevitable fallout, this is the inside story of the musicians, producers, staffers, and stars who built Sub Pop into an independent powerhouse.

World Domination takes you deep inside the chaotic early days of the label's founding, all the way to the present. It's a fascinating snapshot of a label that has promoted Death Cab for Cutie, the White Stripes, the Shins, Iron & Wine, the Postal Service, Sleater-Kinney, Band of Horses, Flight of the Conchords, Fleet Foxes, Sunny Day Real Estate, Shabazz Palaces, the Head and the Heart, Father John Misty, and many others.

Author Gillian G. Gaar, a longtime Seattle-based writer, draws on firsthand interviews, deep research, and her years of covering the Seattle scene as a local music journalist to bring together the first in-depth historical narrative of one of America's more influential independent record labels.

Wanda Jackson's debut single, "You Can't Have My Love," reached the Top 10 while she was still a sixteen-year-old high school student. She hit the road after graduation, playing package shows with Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, who gave Wanda his ring and asked her to be "his girl." With Presley's encouragement, the Oklahoma native began recording rock music, often releasing singles with country on one side and rock on the other during her decade-and-a-half tenure on Capitol Records.

Known for her energetic stage shows and pioneering presence as a female artist, Wanda stormed the charts with a series of hit singles, including "Let's Have a Party," "Right or Wrong," and "In the Middle of a Heartache." With more than 40 albums to her credit, Wanda has proven to be an enduring and genre-defying legend of American music.

In Every Night is Saturday Night, Wanda tells her own story of getting discovered by Country Music Hall of Famer Hank Thompson; why she refused to return to The Grand Ole Opry for more than fifty years; the challenges she and her integrated band, The Party Timers, faced in the early 1960s; finding the love of her life; her recent work with rock luminaries Jack White and Joan Jett; and how her deep faith has sustained her over more than seven decades of rocking, shocking, and thrilling audiences around the globe.

Known for the classics "Knock on Wood," "634-5789," "Raise Your Hand," "Big Bird," and "I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)," among others, Eddie Floyd's career as a soul legend spans over sixty years. His professional singing career began in Detroit in the 1950s as a founding member of the Falcons, considered "The First Soul Group."

A solo artist and songwriter for Memphis's famed Stax Records from 1966 until 1975, Floyd has subsequently been the singer for the Blues Brothers Band and for Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, while continuing to perform and record solo.

In Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood, Floyd recounts how a three-year stint in an Alabama reform school shaped his young life; recalls the early years of R&B in Detroit alongside future Motown and Stax legends; discusses the songwriting sessions with Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones that produced his biggest hits; addresses his complicated life-long relationship with the often-unpredictable Wilson Pickett; shares his memories of friend Otis Redding; reveals his unlikely involvement in the rise of southern rock darlings Lynyrd Skynyrd; and offers an insider perspective on the tragic downfall of Stax Records.

With input from Bruce Springsteen, Bill Wyman, Paul Young, William Bell, Steve Cropper, and others, Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood captures Eddie's tireless work ethic and warm personality for an engrossing first-hand account of one of the last true soul survivors.

It’s Chris Jagger’s turn to lift the lid on one of the most colorful and exotic periods in British cultural history. He unrolls an insider’s tale of growing up among the bombsites and ration books of post-war Dartford, weaving through the glittery underground of late 1960s countercultural London, and spending months in India before most trod that path. He covers the highs and lows of acting and film work, and the pursuit of his own unique musical adventures that have resulted in a number of albums and gigs across the world. Ultimately though it’s the beguiling story of a close-knit family and deep brotherly ties.

The electrifying sounds of groovin' jump blues, Southern-fried rock 'n' roll, fervent black gospel, and the simmering sounds of the Louisiana swamp came bursting out of Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1950s courtesy of Excello Records and its sister Nashboro label.

Operating out of Ernie's Record Mart ("the Record Center of the South!"), Excello forged a partnership with 50,000-watt clear-channel radio station WLAC. The influential station's dusk-to-dawn broadcasts of rhythm & blues boomed through the stratosphere, captivating millions of teenagers and crossing racial boundary lines.

The unusual partnership paid huge dividends as Ernie Young transformed his shop into one of the largest mail-order record retailers in the world. With his built-in distribution network, Ernie's own label releases by Slim Harpo, Arthur Gunter, Lightnin' Slim, Lazy Lester, and more landed in record collections across the US.

By the early 1960s, Excello releases were reaching the shores of the UK, where they inspired young Brits such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Eric Clapton to launch their own R&B combos.

Through extensive research and interviews, Shake Your Hips: The Excello Records Story chronicles the tale of one of the most unusual labels to emerge from the 1950s.

Shedding new light on Nashville's rich history as much more than a country music town, author Randy Fox takes readers deep behind the scenes of the rise and fall of an inimitable label whose contributions to blues and R&B continue to reverberate today.

A large-format 400-page collectible art book curated by the band’s three surviving founding members.

When the Byrds released “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965, they introduced Bob Dylan’s songs to a new audience and launched a career that would make them among the most influential rock bands of all time. With their unmistakable harmonies and Roger McGuinn’s innovative 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, the Byrds never stopped experimenting. They incorporated folk, country, and jazz, influences into a fresh blend that helped define an era. “And not to be too shallow,” Tom Petty once wrote, “but they also were just the best-dressed band around. They had those great clothes and hairdos.”

Now the band’s three surviving founding members - Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby - have come together to present The Byrds: 1964-1967, a large format tabletop book that offers a unique visual history of the group. Featuring more than 500 images from legendary photographers such as Henry Diltz, Barry Feinstein, Curt Gunther, Jim Marshall, Linda McCartney, Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal, and Guy Webster, the book also includes restored images from the Columbia Records archives and the personal archives of the band’s original manager. Accompanied by a running commentary of their memories of the group, the era, one another, and their late compatriots Gene Clark and Michael Clarke, this carefully crafted volume is a truly unique collector’s item for Byrds fans.

From growing up in Texas, to living in his car, to landing his first publishing deal, to writing fifteen #1 songs, Word for Word is a lavishly illustrated look at the lyrics of an icon among songwriting giants. This exclusive hand-numbered and hand-signed deluxe edition is limited to 1500 copies worldwide and comes housed in a deluxe slipcase.

Emmylou Harris—who once employed Rodney Crowell as the guitarist, harmony singer, and arranger in her legendary Hot Band—introduced many listeners to his finely-crafted songs, including “Til I Gain Control Again,” “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight,” “I Ain’t Living Long Like This,” “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” and “Ashes by Now.” They all went on to be become hits for other performers, while Crowell went on to carve out a career as the first country singer to earn five #1 singles from one album.

Rodney continued writing and recording classics, such as “Lovin’ All Night,” “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried” (which was nominated for a Best Country Song Grammy), and “After All This Time” (which was nominated for both CMA and ACM Song of the Year and won a Grammy for Best Country Song). And other artists continued to take his songs to the top of the charts, including Bob Seger’s recording of “Shame on the Moon,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” Tim McGraw’s recording of “Please Remember Me,” and Keith Urban’s cover of “Making Memories of Us.” By the early 2000s, Crowell was already a legend. But the poetic songs continued to flow as he became the embodiment of the growing Americana movement and continued to release new material that can be considered among his best work.

In this disarmingly intimate look at Crowell’s songs, he shares pages from his lyric notebooks, personal photographs, scribbles, and correspondence, alongside his memories and stories of some of the songs that have defined his life and career. Experiencing Word for Word is experiencing the heart of one of this generation’s finest songwriters.

"Some time ago a crazy dream came to me…."

Perhaps the only subject more fascinating than the mysterious world of dreams is the mysterious world of Bob Dylan. Dreaming of Dylan brings the two together for a weird and wonderful romp through the ways the mercurial musical master shows up in our subconscious states.

Celebrated writer and musician Mary Lee Kortes, who once earned high praise from the Bard himself for her song-by-song recording of his classic Blood on the Tracks LP, lovingly gathered and curated this aesthetically stunning off-kilter collection of nocturnal visions. Paired with over 100 original images and illustrations, these dreams will captivate you in ways you never expected.

Bob Dylan once sang "I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours." And be in them he has! There are plenty of musical dreamers here, from the incomparable Patti Smith to Squirrel Nut Zippers frontman Jimbo Mathus to Kevin Odegard, whose guitar is heard on the memorable intro to "Tangled Up in Blue," to renowned drummer Will Rigby. Not to mention the everyday dreamers, from plumbers to poets to pastors, who appear alongside dentists, attorneys, and psychotherapists. Some dreams are poignant; some are disturbing; some are touching; and others are nothing short of bizarre. Taken together they're an enthralling look at what the famously enigmatic singer/songwriter represents in the deepest recesses of our minds. You may have read books about Bob Dylan, but you've never read a book like this. Like a great Dylan song, you'll return to many of these passages again and again to untangle their rich layers of meaning. Or simply to have a little fun.

Book by book, year by year, the ultimate literary trip through Bowie’s greatest decade.

With his first starring role in a feature film and his first number 1s on both sides of the Atlantic, 1975 ought to be David Bowie’s golden year. But away from the spotlight the suave soul boy of Young Americans is tumbling into a self-made hell of cocaine, witchcraft and the dark fantasies of his new fascist alter-ego, the Thin White Duke.

As David goes berserk in the Hollywood hills, back in the Britain he’s forsaken there’s a Nazi-crazed murderer stalking the streets where he was born, a masked rapist at large and a power-mad grocer’s daughter on the rise, while sappy nostalgia grinds pop to a standstill. But there are also restless scamps hanging around a certain King’s Road clothes shop, and David’s own drug-fuelled genius daring him to make the album of his life. The Seventies are about to reignite with a bang.

The sixth volume in Simon Goddard’s epic adventure through Bowie’s greatest decade, Bowie Odyssey 75 is an intricately plotted tour de force of rock’n’roll, crime, punishment, politics, punk – and a cautionary tale of tragicomic addiction.

The definitive biography of pop sensations ABBA, revised and fully updated.

Exploding on to the international music scene after winning Eurovision with ‘Waterloo’ in 1974, Abba have since become one of the most famous pop groups in the world. Bright Lights Dark Shadows is the definitive account of the rise, fall and rise of the Swedish pop music titans.

This new edition of the best-selling book has been extensively updated to include details of ABBA Voyage, the phenomenal ninth and final album, the amazing concert experience in London and the ongoing personal lives of Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog.

• How does downloading work?
• What does iTUNES offer that other services don't?
• What kind of sound quality should I expect?
• How do I record my downloads onto CD?
• How much music can I fit on my iPOD?
• How can downloading enhance my own music productions?