IMP Publishing Ltd t/a Independent Music Press – förlag

This is the first ever in-depth biography of Ashcroft, the frontman for The Verve and also a highly successful solo artist. As a young singer from Wigan, Ashcroft formed The Verve with Nick McCabe and released two critically-acclaimed albums before their third record, "Urban Hymns", turned them into one of the UK's biggest acts. A legendary apettite for psychedelic drugs and even physical collapses from ecstasy abuse, coupled with massive songs such as "Bittersweet Symphony", made Ashcroft one of Britpop's biggest names. However, The Verve was a deeply volatile band and eventually, in 1999, they split acrimoniously following a homecoming gig in front of 40,000 fans in Wigan.Ashcroft had already recorded some aterial on his own and three solo albums duly followed - with corresponding arena tours that often dwarfed the scale of The Verve's own huge venues. Coldplay's Chris Martin introduced him at Live 8 as 'the best singer in the world' while Noel Gallagher wrote the song "Cast No shadow" about him. Then, in 2006, The Verve announced they were reforming for a late 2007 arena tour - completely sold out in minutes - and a brand new album released in the summer of 2008. With Ashcroft's issues with clinical depression, suicidal thoughts, outspoken political views and celebrity admirers, this first-to-the market biography is a tale of rock and roll excess, artistic brilliance and a unique starring role in modern British music.

Although nobody realised it at the time, the historic importance of the MC5 is vast. Often considered a 'post-punk' band, their influence reaches far and wide, with everyone from Green Day, The White Stripes, Motorhead, Ramones, Rage Against The Machine and Bad Brains citing them. Fuelled by the radical politics of the White Panther party, the MC5 preached revolution and were often a target for the authorities. Having released three albums between 1969 and 1971, two of the band passed away and guitarist Wayne Kramer spent time behind bars for drug-related offences. Thirty years of low-key solo projects followed, before the band reunited in the new Millennium for a one-off show that turned into a full-on reunion. It details not only the seismic impact that they've had on music, but also the social climate in which they evolved.

The Prodigy have sold 25 million records and single-handedly reinvented the crossover between dance and rock music, with legendary songs such as 'Firestarter', 'Omen' and 'Breathe'. However, long before they became a stadium-filling rock monster, The Prodigy were prowling the underground of the UK rave scene, first as a blistering demo of tunes by the 'prodigious' teenage Liam Howlett, then latterly with their breakthrough masterpiece, Music for the Jilter Generation. Martin Roach was present throughout the band's early years and documented their rise to fame from the underground into the bright lights of music superstardom. Containing hours and hours of exclusive interviews, the book chronicles the band's early years in minute detail, speaking the each band member and all the key playes along the way. With a new introduction and fresh interview with band members putting these classic early phase in the context of their historically important career, this book is a must-buy for the millions for Prodigy fans eager to learn about the band's formative days.

From punks and teddy boys to mods and rockers, the last fifty years has seen the British Isles overrun with the iconic styles and attitudes - youthful 'tribes' changing the world with their bold new ideas. Britain's youth movements are regarded worldwide as pinnacles of musical, fashion and artistic expression. As a reaction to post-War austerity and social conservatism, the youth of Britain have consistently broken the mold, pioneering counter-culture movements across the world and shrugging off the shackles of old authority. The authors have amassed a wealth of exclusive interviews with key players from all the iconic groups, as well as stunning unpublished photographs from personal collections. The result is a beautifully produced visual and literary tribute to Britain's vibrant young underbelly and the passionate cauldron of creativity they continue to stir up.

This is the first book of its kind on one of the world's hottest new bands. New Jersey band My Chemical Romance have taken the music underground by storm since their incendiary debut album in 2002. Within weeks of its release, major labels across the globe were frantically pulling out their cheque-books in an attempt to capture what is widely regarded as the world's next stadium-selling rock band in the vein of Metallica, Foo Fighters and Green Day. Their biting lyrics, beautiful visuals and relentless touring schedules have ensured that MCR have already captured the hearts and minds of the I-Pod generation - the year 2006 will see them promoted to the very upper echelons of rock music's giants. The first book to tell their tale, setting them in the context of the dormant US rock scene, through to their breakthrough live shows and meteoric success in 2004 and 2005. Mixing metal with ballads, rock with pop, MCR are the next BIG band and this tells you how a bunch of introverted high school friends achieved their dream.