Greg Prato – författare

There is a common misconception about KISS, one of the greatest hard-rock/heavy metal-bands of all-time: that their `non-makeup era of 1983 1996 is not as enduring as the period when they stalked stages as the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman, and the Cat. This is untrue. In fact, this period helped resuscitate KISS s career, as they reestablished themselves in arenas, on the charts, and via MTV, and yielded some of their most popular songs including `Lick It Up, `Heaven s On Fire, `Tears Are Falling, `Crazy Crazy Nights, `Hide Your Heart, `Forever, `Unholy, and more many of which consistently found their way into the band s setlists. While the majority of KISS books are focused on the glitz and glamor of the iconic makeup era, the non-makeup years are ripe to be explored in book form, and Take It Off! does just that, zeroing in on the eleven albums KISS issued during this period including such gold- and platinum-certified hits as Lick It Up, Animalize, Revenge, and Alive III as well the resulting tours, videos, and other escapades. Take It Off! draws on all-new interviews with KISS experts and associates, including the band s lead guitarist throughout most of this period, Bruce Kulick, plus Crazy Nights producer Ron Nevison and video director Paul Rachman (`Unholy /`I Just Wanna /`Domino ). Among the other contributors are Charlie Benante (Anthrax), K.K. Downing (ex-Judas Priest), Derek Sherinan (ex-Dream Theater), and rock music experts Eddie Trunk, Katherine Turman, and Lonn Friend. The book also includes a foreword by Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho and an afterword by acclaimed producer Andreas Carlsson, as well as rare photographs and memorabilia from the period. With KISS currently in the midst of their last ever tour, now is the time to get Truly Unmasked.

Get the definitive story of the ’90s alt-rock movement straight from the musicians and figures who lived it.No period in the history of rock music offered such an abrupt shift in prevailing tastes as the 1990s. While just a short while before, radio and MTV were clamoring for hair metal bands, suddenly alt-rockers such as Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Primus, Smashing Pumpkins, and of course, Nirvana, brought a sea change not just in what the most popular bands sounded like, but also in fashion, politics, and seemingly all aspects of pop culture.In Alternative for the Masses: The Oral History of the ’90s Alt-Rock Revolution, veteran music critic Greg Prato presents more than 60 new interviews conducted exclusively for the book—with an emphasis on the 1990–1995 peak period—including insights from renowned names like:Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Dischord Records)Frank Black (Pixies)Corey Glover (Living Colour)Moby (solo artist/DJ)Al Jourgensen (Ministry)Les Claypool (Primus)Kennedy (host of MTV’s Alternative Nation)Matt Pinfield (host of MTV’s 120 Minutes)Butch Vig (producer of Nirvana’s Nevermind)Tanya Donnelly (Belly, Breeders)Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Saturday Night Live)Prato also includes excerpts from one of the last interviews with Steve Albini, arguably the period’s most influential recording engineer and producer, responsible for influential albums by the likes of Nirvana and PJ Harvey producer, among many others.Prato sets out his book in thematic chapters covering topics such as:The Lollapalooza music festivalThe impact of NirvanaAlt-rock’s many subgenresNotable producers of the periodThe impact of women rockersMTV’s influenceDrugs and addictionand much more!Do you long for the days when it seemed rock artists were all about daring to be different, speaking their minds, and shaking up the music industry? The last decade before the internet, downloads, and streaming took over music? Alternative for the Masses will take you back to that time when alt-rock truly promised something different.

Primus' 1991 album, Sailing the Seas of Cheese, is credited as one of the key albums of the 1990s.

How fast can you play? What guitar do you have? Who is better, Van Halen or Steve Vai? For metal fans in the 80s, these were common and important questions. Tune in to MTV, pick up a magazine, or walk into an instrument store, and more often than not you d be exposed to what is now known as shredding the fast, virtuoso soloing popularized by musicians like Vai and Van Halen, Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen, Randy Rhoads and Dimebag Darrell. Inspired by these pioneering guitarists, thousands of young musicians would spend hours at home in their bedrooms, perfecting both their playing and their poses. Though shredding fell out of favour during the grunge/alternative rock era, it has become increasingly popular again in recent years, spurred by the rise in popularity of bands like Children Of Bodom, DragonForce, and Trivium. Drawing on more than 70 exclusive interviews with key shredders past and present, author and guitarist Greg Prato has assembled the definitive guide to the fastest players of them all.