Joel Mciver – författare

Find out all you need to know about how John, Paul, George, and Ringo became the most influential band of all time. This book charts the Fab Four's musical evolution through the sixties and includes a fascinating biography of each member of the band and an introduction to the members' early years as Rock and Roll loving school kids. There is also information about the different members of The Beatles before settling on the Fab Four, the "Fifth Beatle," Beatlemania, their films, The Beatles' White Album, the band's split and their lives after The Beatles, including the murder of John Lennon and the untimely death of George Harrison. Enjoy the immeasurable legacy of the Beatles as it lives on in their music and books.

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.

When the Los Angeles thrash metal band Slayer redefined the parameters of heavy music in 1986 with the horrific Reign In Blood album, few of their fans would have predicted that, nearly a quarter of a century later, their fame would be undimmed and their subject matter still as controversial as ever.Slayer''s distinctive musical attack has guaranteed the band''s residence at the peak of the extreme metal scene, with the unearthly lead Guitar wails of Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, Dave Lombardo''s world-class drums and tom Araya''s unique vocals accompanying a fearless lyrical approach.However, Slayer have moved with the times: when their mosh pit anthems about serial killers and Satanism became outmoded, the band addressed fresh outrages such as religious terrorism, genocide and war, always accompanied by artwork that has achieved cult status in its own right. The controversy surrounding them has been endless, with authorities even accusing Slayer of a white supremacist agenda and Nazi sympathies - just one myth explored and refuted in The Bloody Reign Of Slayer, the first ever biography of this unique band.Joel McIver''s expert biography traces the band''s development, album by album, as well as exploring the headline-grabbing moments over Slayer''s long and tumultuous career which have become an inseparable part of the cult which surrounds and defines them.

Newly revised and updated, with even more bands detailed and dissected, including the biggest names in Grindcore, Gorecore, Pagan Metal, Viking Metal and Vampire Metal; Extreme Metal is more than just an encyclopaedia.It takes a rare look at an ever-proliferating music scene that will horrify, thrill and shock you. From Abhorrant to Zyklon, from the chart-topping success of Slipknot to the trials and church-burnings of Count Grishnackh and Burzum, no stone is left unturned.Any fan of music just that bit different from the homogenous mass of plastic pop will find something to cherish within these pages.

Rising up aus der Asche von Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age sind eine elektrisierende musikalische Kraft, die eine ganz neue Musik-Bewegung inspiriert haben. Die Mitglieder kommen und gehen, aber führend Josh Homme hat sich die Band auf einem Weg nach oben von Verein Anfängen gehalten, um großen Erfolg. Dieser erzählt, wie Nick Oliveri, einem der Felsen ursprünglichen Verrückten, die von Josh Homme Mitglied abgewählt wurde und liefert Einzelheiten zu ihrem neuen Album Lullabies zu lähmen.

Erykah Badu stands at the forefront of a whole new genre of music. Before Macy Gray, Alicia Keys and Angie Stone, Erykah was bringing the unique sounds of neo-soul - the classic vibes of Motown and Stax smoothed by Jazz and toughened by Hip-Hop - to the people. quite simply, there is no other artist like her.Joel McIver''s biography is a detailed and enlightening look at one of the world''s great performers, accompanied with photographs, which forms a typically insightful appreciation of her magnificant music.

Arriving on the music scene in 2003, the Kings of Leon embarked on a sex, drug and booze-fuelled rampage through the London music and fashion scene, never afraid to reveal all to the press and somehow surviving to tell the tale. Joel McIver''s new book, the first ever Kings of Leon biography, digs deep into their history to reveal a band like no other.

In 1975 legendary bassist Lemmy decreed that Motörhead would be “the dirtiest rock’n’roll band in the world. If you moved in next door, your lawn would die.” Overkill: The Untold Story Of Motörhead tells the whole story of the ultimate rock trip.The Omnibus Enhanced edition includes a Digital Timeline spanning all four decades of Motörhead''s reign, packed with audio, video and images of tour nights, memorabilia, music videos and interviews. Additionally, throughout the book are links to curated playlists allowing you to hear Motörhead''s finest rock n'' roll gems, their early influences and more.Overkill: The Untold Story Of Motörhead is based upon original interviews with those closest to the action and is packed with fresh insights. Joel McIver presents a more philosophical view than most of Lemmy and the band without shying away from the turbulent excesses of a life lived on the road.Updated in the wake of Lemmy''s death, and with an introduction by rock legend Glenn Hughes, this is the definitive book for those wanting to sit at a bar with Lemmy, Whisky-in-hand, and listen to his odyssey.

The very first book about the Anglo-American metal band Tool explores not only their uncompromising music but also their unsettling, self-made image based on mythological symbols and arcane theories.The quartet of master musicians – Maynard James Keenan, Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor and Adam Jones – emerged from the club scene in Los Angeles in 1990 alongside their friends Rage Against the Machine, grabbing the concept of heavy music and then completely redefining it. With a sixties-style commitment to art and agit-prop, they have now attained a level of artistic complexity and depth which makes their enduring success a miracle in today’s culture of bland, corporate entertainment.Their rise to glory has been one of the stranger rock tales of our time. Joel McIver leaves no detail omitted as he delves into the mystery behind Tool’s music

With no fewer than nine members and a unique stage image based on grotesque masks and boiler suits, Slipknot retained a mystique that was unprecedented in the metal world, never allowing their faces to become known – so that the focus would remain on their music.The first edition of this book published in 2001 followed the band from their inception in Des Moines, Iowa in the mid-1990s through to the release of their second album: an updated edition followed in 2003.It’s now a decade since the first volume appeared, and in that time Slipknot have evolved into a completely different band from the one that first emerged into the limelight in 1999. Everyone knows their faces now.The band’s music is darker, deeper and more adult after four studio albums, three DVDs and a live release.Most strikingly, the sudden death of their bass player Paul Gray in 2010 has changed the face and the attitude of the group, although their commercial profile is, if anything, greater than it was before.Slipknot: All Hope Is Gone explores this unlikely and tragic evolution, with new chapters covering the band’s career to date – and it also asks what their future will be.

Over 17 years and eight albums, heavy metal band Machine Head have sold millions of units, earned a Grammy nomination and won personal awards from Metal Hammer and other magazines. The story is a classic rise, fall and rise again scenario -- they exploded onto the metal scene in 1994, enjoyed a successful string of albums and then lost their way in the nu-metal era. Now they are in the middle of one of metal''s most acclaimed comebacks.Joel McIver has interviewed all the band-members several times and has a unique insight into their rollercoaster story, which includes alcohol addiction, inter-band brawls and therapy, sackings, near-splits and two decades of the heaviest music known to man, delivered all over the world.

Joel McIver erzählt mit akribischer Genauigkeit Metallicas Geschichte, enthüllt die Mythen, die seit Jahren mit der Band umgeben und verrät die ungeschminkte Wahrheit über seine Entstehung und seine Entwicklung. Fangen Sie an mit den frühen Jahren mit den volltrunkenen Club-Gigs und endlosen Tourneen in glorreichen Tage bis zu ihrem berühmten Prozess mit Napster und der obligatorischen Rehabilitierung und Analyse - hier ist die echte Metallica-Story.Durch Interviews mit mehr als 75 bekannten Musik Produzenten, Autoren, Bandkollegen und Familienmitgliedern kristallisiert McIver heraus, was in Metallicas unverwüstlicher Welt musikalischer Exzesse wirklich vor sich ging.

Von den meisten als die erste Heavy-Metal-Band überhaupt bezeichnet und von Millionen vergöttert, hat die Band in ständig wechselnder Besetzung weltweit Tausende von Konzerten gespielt, dabei die unheilige Dreifaltigkeit aus Sex, Drogen und Skandalen ausgelebt und auf diesem Weg so ziemlich jede härtere Rockband beeinflusst, die seit 1970 von Bedeutung war.Joel McIver führt uns in Sabbath Bloody Sabbath durch die Geschichte dieser verrufenen Band aus Birmingham, stellt sämtliche Musiker vor, die über die Jahre kamen und gingen, und berichtet über Ozzys gespanntes Verhältnis zu mehr oder weniger jedem, der mit der Truppe zu tun hatte. Dieses Buch ist die ultimative Black-Sabbath-Biografie, prall gefüllt mit Fakten aus erster Hand, geliefert von den Menschen, die Sabbath von den Anfängen bis zum heutigen Tag durch eine unendliche Reihe von Krisen, Konflikten und Erfolgen begleitet haben.

One of the hardest headbangers of heavy metal shares his uplifting and empowering memoir about overcoming addiction and discovering a life of faith.In My Life with Deth, cofounder and bassist of Mega­deth David Ellefson reveals the behind-the-scenes details of life in one of the world’s most popular heavy metal bands. If you’re looking for eye-opening revelations, they’re here, including the drug habits that brought the band members to their knees. But My Life with Deth is far more than just another memoir of debauchery. Ellefson also shares the story of his faith journey, which began when he decided his only choice for survival was to get free from his addic­tion. Whether religious or not, you’ll be enthralled and inspired by this tell-all book on discovering meaning in a life of rock and roll. You’ll find insightful comments from some of the biggest names in heavy metal, along with universal life lessons. With a delicate balance between humor and earnestness, anyone “can appreciate Ellefson’s unpretentious tone and the delightful irony of a serious Christian who helped define seriously heavy metal music” (Publisher’s Weekly).

Sinister Urge is the first in-depth, career-spanning biography of heavy-metal musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie. Born Robert Cummings in 1965, Zombie is now as well known for his movies as he is for his music, which he has released and performed both as a solo artist and as part of his early band White Zombie. In both fields, he imbues his art with the vivid sense of macabre theater that has thrilled his millions of disciples since he and his band first emerged with Soul-Crusher in 1987.Although he has sold millions of albums and generated many more millions of dollars at the box office, Zombie has never taken the easy option or the predictable route. Indeed, while the music industry – and many of his peers – have fallen to their knees in the last decade or so, Zombie has found a new edge, his work undiluted by success or middle age.Drawing on original research and new interviews with bandmates and associates, Sinister Urge takes a detailed look at Zombie's challenging oeuvre, offering close analysis of his albums and films alongside tales of his life and work on and offstage.

Sinister Urge is the first in-depth, career-spanning biography of heavy-metal musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie. Born Robert Cummings in 1965, Zombie is now as well known for his movies as he is for his music, which he has released and performed both as a solo artist and as part of his early band White Zombie. In both fields, he imbues his art with the vivid sense of macabre theater that has thrilled his millions of disciples since he and his band first emerged with Soul-Crusher in 1987.Although he has sold millions of albums and generated many more millions of dollars at the box office, Zombie has never taken the easy option or the predictable route. Indeed, while the music industry – and many of his peers – have fallen to their knees in the last decade or so, Zombie has found a new edge, his work undiluted by success or middle age.Drawing on original research and new interviews with bandmates and associates, Sinister Urge takes a detailed look at Zombie''s challenging oeuvre, offering close analysis of his albums and films alongside tales of his life and work on and offstage.

Find out all you need to know about how John, Paul, George, and Ringo became the most influential band of all time. Ultimate Beatles Collection charts the Fab Four''s musical evolution through the sixties. Includes a fascinating biography of each member of the band, an introduction to the members'' early years as school kids with a love of American Rock and Roll, the wide variety of members of The Beatles before settling on the Fab Four, the "Fifth Beatle," Beatlemania in the US, their films--HELP, A Hard Day''s Night, Magical Mystery Tour, and Yellow Submarine--The Beatles'' White Album, the band''s split and their lives after The Beatles, including the murder of John Lennon and the untimely death of George Harrison. Also features a brief description and explanation for each song on the track for albums Please Please Me, A Hard Day''s Night, Beatles for Sale, Help!, Revolver, and their alter-egos Sgt Pepper''s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and more! Enjoy the immeasurable legacy of the Beatles as it lives on in their music and books.

The Kings of Leon came from America's Deep South in 2003 and made an impact on the British music scene that was more immediate and long-lasting than any other new band in years. They embarked on a sex, drug and booze-fuelled rampage through the London music and fashion scene, never afraid to reveal all to the press and somehow surviving to tell the tale. An updated edition covers the release of the Kings' 2010 album Come Around Sundown, the extensive dates which followed the release and the band's documentary Talihina Sky. Theirs is a unique tale, from their youth as touring musicians in their preacher father's church to their discovery by the American music industry and beyond.

Joel McIver's acclaimed Black Sabbath biography, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, concluded in 2011 that its subjects were at a crossroads. Could Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill manage after over 40 years in business to get back together one more time? After all, the veteran heavy metal musicians were grieving for their fallen comrade Ronnie James Dio and about to face a devastating medical diagnosis for one of their own. McIver's brand-new, updated volume brings the story up to date with the tale of Sabbath's near-miraculous return to form with the Rick Rubin-produced 13 album, which topped charts worldwide on its release in 2013. In true Sabbath style, however, nothing went entirely to plan, with internal arguments, last-minute band-member replacements -- and a genuine fear that this may be Sabbath's very last shot at glory.

The updated version of McIver's bestselling biography explores the aftermath of Metallica's comeback in the wake of 2008's Death Magnetic. The band entering the Rock And Hall Of Fame, toured as the leading member of the Big Four Of Thrash alongside Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax Establishing their own Orion festival Embarking on side projects aplenty (Lars Ulrich as an actor, Kirk Hammett as a horror buff) and recorded what is possibly the most despised record in heavy metal history, a collaboration with Lou Reed titled Lulu. Here McIver reveals a refreshing new spin on the Lulu album, re-evaluating its contents in the light of Reed's death in 2013.

This updated edition of the first ever book about Queens Of The Stone Age takes in nine years of chaos. Since the first edition appeared in 2005, Josh Homme's band has undergone multiple line-up changes, toured the world and released two acclaimed albums. They have taken on a new version of Homme's old band Kyuss in court and helped to spawn multiple projects such as Them Crooked Vultures and a supergroup featuring Homme, Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. Along the way there have been death, near-death and physical confrontations of all kinds, with Homme's near-fatal asphyxiation during a knee operation in 2010 almost ending the band. Want to know about the pitfalls of being in a rock band? Read it all here...

The legend of Thunder spans 27 years and is studded with 18 Top 40 UK singles, as well as a haul of gold and platinum albums. They''ve had their share of breakups and re-formations, and their story, told in their own words and illustrated with rare photos and memorabilia, reflects both the price and the perks of rock fame.Author Joel McIver, whose other titles include the bestselling Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica, has captured the life and times of Thunder through individual recollections and a many mirrors of perspective. Coupled with numerous personal artefacts, photographs, memorabilia and revelations, Giving The Game Away intimately portrays a band of young hopefuls as they transform into arena mega-stars.With a foreword by Andy Taylor, producer of Backstreet Symphony and guitarist for Duran Duran and Power Station, Joel McIver has crafted the definitive, authorised biography of this much-loved British rock band.Giving The Game Away includes curated music. Whilst you read the book, hear the classic songs of Thunder and surround yourself with the music that surrounded them.

One of Britain's most popular and enduring rock bands over thelast 25 years, with 18 Top 40 singles in the UK and a string of goldand platinum albums around the world, Thunder have opened up theirarchives for the first time for this lavish visual, oral history.

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 trail-blazing.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.