Chris Charlesworth – författare

The definitive illustrated companion to the Who's legendary Tommy album. Foreword by Pete Townshend This updated and expanded edition of Tommy at Fifty is the definitive illustrated companion to the album that made the Who one of the greatest and most influential bands of the rock era. Written by two leading experts on, and close associates of, the group—journalist and author Chris Charlesworth and original album cover designer Mike McInnerney—it considers the album from four distinct angles, examining the mood of its creation, the origins of its music, the look of the artwork and its subsequent film adaptation, and its enduring legacy. With a foreword by Pete Townshend and cover art created exclusively for this book by McInnerney, Tommy at Fifty offers an unparalleled window into the Who’s finest hour. With the exception perhaps of My Generation, Tommy remains the work with which the Who are most closely associated. It’s the album that turned Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon into millionaire superstars, and, like its Messiah figure title character, it casts a long shadow over both their subsequent work together and the canon of 20th‐century rock music.

During the 1990s Omnibus Press published a series of books under the genetic title "The Complete Guide to the Music Of...". They were written by experienced rock critics whose brief was not just to be objective about the music but also to offer background information about the circumstances in which the album was recorded. In the end Omnibus published almost 50 books on artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to The Sex Pistols. From Elvis Presley's Sun Sessions to Radiohead's OK Computer, here is the very best of rock and pop music of the Twentieth Century. A consumer's critical guide to the music, enabling the reader to select the very best of an artist's repertoire before making a buying decision.

A quietly spoken, true English eccentric with something of a rebellious streak, Tony Stratton Smith initially charmed and blustered his way into the music business as a manager during the early 1960s and a few years later, when the record labels stopped playing by what he believed to be the rules, he simply went and formed his own -The Famous Charisma Label - and set about spinning the record business on its head. An independent label like no other, it is fair to say that without Strat's total belief and unwavering long-term support there would be no Genesis - Phil Collins has said as much - and a long line of artists owe Tony a similar debt of gratitude, from Monty Python to Malcolm McLaren, Lindisfarne to Sir John Betjeman, Vivian Stanshall to Julian Lennon.A former sports journalist and close friend to Jimmy Greaves and Sir Matt Busby (Strat narrowly missed a seat in the Munich Air crash) he later became a popular figure in the horse racing world. But making money was never very high on Tony's agenda, simply a means to an end that enabled him to fund the music and mayhem that brought him so much enjoyment. Strat was never happier than when the artists that he had so carefully nurtured were fulfilling their creative potential, delighting in working with the talents of Peter Gabriel, Alan Hull, Clifford T. Ward, Howard Werth and Peter Hammill. Ultimately, what he really cared about were the people, the creativity, about imagination, inspiration and risk, and the sheer joy to be had in bringing all those elements together, lighting the Charisma-pink touch paper and standing back, glass in hand, to watch what might happen when the sparks began to fly.

Just Backdated - Melody Maker: Seven Years in the Seventies is a memoir by Chris Charlesworth who, between 1970 and 1977, was a staff writer and editor for Melody Maker, the UK's best-selling music weekly in an era when rock stars fell over themselves to appear in its pages. Initially the paper's News Editor, Chris was for four years MM's US Editor, based in New York, a unique position in music journalism, and in that time regularly rubbed shoulders with rock's most iconic heroes. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Elton John and dozens more found themselves face to face with Chris. He went on tour in America with The Who, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and many others. He was at 27 concerts by the original Who, often backstage or onstage. Somewhere above Colorado he took over the controls of Led Zeppelin's private plane. He watched a hitless Elton John at a disastrous festival in 1970 and predicted he would become a star. He chased Bob Dylan in New England and ambushed Pink Floyd in Glasgow. He watched Bruce Springsteen in Norfolk, Virginia, and acclaimed his showmanship 18 months before Born To Run was released. He was among the first music writers to write about the nascent CBGBs scene in New York, introducing MM readers to Debbie Harry long before she became a household name. His only regret was never seeing Elvis. Just Backdated - Melody Maker: Seven Years in the Seventies tells all these stories and many more. If you wanted to know what it was really like working full-time for a big selling music paper, the topsy-turvy lifestyle that went with it, and - yes - enjoy a meaty, beaty, big and bouncy dollop of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, this is the book for you. in an era when rock stars fell over themselves to appear in its pages. Initially the paper's News Editor, Chris was for four years MM's US Editor, based in New York, a unique position in music journalism, and in that time regularly rubbed shoulders with rock's most iconic heroes. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Elton John and dozens more found themselves face to face with Chris. He went on tour in America with The Who, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and many others. He was at 27 concerts by the original Who, often backstage or onstage. Somewhere above Colorado he took over the controls of Led Zeppelin's private plane. He watched a hitless Elton John at a disastrous festival in 1970 and predicted he would become a star. He chased Bob Dylan in New England and ambushed Pink Floyd in Glasgow. He watched Bruce Springsteen in Norfolk, Virginia, and acclaimed his showmanship 18 months before Born To Run was released. He was among the first music writers to write about the nascent CBGBs scene in New York, introducing MM readers to Debbie Harry long before she became a household name. His only regret was never seeing Elvis. Just Backdated - Melody Maker: Seven Years in the Seventies tells all these stories and many more. If you wanted to know what it was really like working full-time for a big selling music paper, the topsy-turvy lifestyle that went with it, and - yes - enjoy a meaty, beaty, big and bouncy dollop of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, this is the book for you.