Robert Day-Webb - Böcker

Generally regarded as one of the most tragic tales in the history of rock music, the story of Badfinger does indeed make for an impressively sombre Hollywood-style film script. A Welsh and Liverpudlian musical hybrid, the band was signed to Apple Records, became proteges of The Beatles, produced four global hit singles and two of its members co-wrote the now perennial pop standard 'Without You' (covered most notably by both Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey). Yet, despite all this and having the music world seemingly at its feet, the band found itself plagued by ruinous misfortune and through a combination of unscrupulous business management, record label neglect and just plain bad luck, the dream soon lay in tatters with the band's story ultimately culminating in the suicides of two of its members, Pete Ham and Tom Evans.However, there is a lot more to the band's story than just the obvious tragedy and the aim of this book is to help redress the band's legacy and refocus some much-needed attention on the brilliance of their music, rather than just the trials and tribulations that perpetually dogged them.Badfinger on track ... casts a keen critical and analytical eye over the band's entire musical output - albums and singles - recorded and released during its lifetime. This detailed and definitive guide will not only examine and assess the recordings but will also provide valuable background history and context for each album. Whilst not ignoring the managerial, financial and legal machinations and issues that blighted the band, this book will ultimately focus the spotlight on the band's musical legacy

The hard-rocking British supergroup was fronted by Steve Marriott, possessor of what is generally regarded as one of the finest ever rock and blue-eyed soul voices. They achieved global success in the early 1970s and earned themselves a reputation as one of the best live bands of the era. As fate would have it, however, this enormous success was to be short-lived and the group initially disbanded in 1975. There were to be subsequent reformations and reunions, but the heady days of the early 1970s were not to be repeated. Ultimately, rock music history books have tended to somewhat overlook the band in favour of some of their contemporaries – the likes of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Faces, Free and Bad Company – but Humble Pie’s influence on the rock and metal bands that followed in their wake cannot be denied.This book examines all of Humble Pie’s recorded output in detail – album by album, track by track – covering every chapter of the band’s musical story, from the early carefree and democratic days of genre experimentation through to their halcyon period of hard-rocking R&B. The various subsequent reformations and reunions are also covered in detail, bringing the band’s story bang up-to-date in the 21st century. Ultimately, this detailed guide offers fans, old and new alike, a fully comprehensive look at the band’s musical legacy.

Exploding onto the late 1960s scene, The Stooges were a band unlike any other before. A bunch of misfit Mid-Western delinquents, their charismatic frontman, Iggy Pop, was a performer extraordinaire. Confrontational and theatrical, this maniacal entertainer was originally joined by the Asheton brothers, Ron and Scott, and their pal, Dave Alexander.This original lineup delivered two albums of primal, brutal-sounding rock noise before the band fractured. A fortuitous crossing of paths with a certain David Bowie in 1971, however, led to a creative rebirth for Iggy and the band. With a new guitarist in place, James Williamson, and the Asheton brothers making up the rhythm section, the reconstituted group ended up delivering a third album of nihilistic ferocity. Once again though, the album bombed, leaving the band to limp on until 1974 before calling it a day - at least for nearly three decades.During their absence, the band's influential legacy blossomed, and in 2003, the original trio of Iggy, Ron and Scott reunited, once again performing under The Stooges banner. The band toured extensively, finally achieving the respect and adulation that had been lacking the first time around. A new album appeared in 2007 before Ron's passing in 2009. James Williamson subsequently returned to the fold, enabling the band to continue touring and recording before more sad news ensued in 2014 when Scott Asheton passed away, thus leading to the cessation of the band.The Stooges' music has influenced countless other bands, artists and genres, and this book examines the band's enduring musical legacy by taking a fully comprehensive look at all the group's officially recorded output in detail