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"We only ever get glimpses of Ian Dury; nothing is as it seems. From irascible rogue to national treasure, pop star to social commentator, cockney geezer to artist, he was a man greater than the sum of his parts. Part teddy boy, part punk, part vaudeville act; he was unique. The music that emanates from this powerful personality echoes the heart and drive of their complex creator.Dury began his career as a frontman with post-punk outfit Kilburn And The High Roads, but had his greatest success with backing band The Blockheads, which featured Chis Jankel and Wilko Johnson at various times. He found true commercial success with the albums New Boots And Panties and Do It Yourself. Dury went on to a critically acclaimed solo career and worked with The Blockheads again on the 1997 album Mr Love Pants. He also had a slew of non-album hits, especially the UK number one 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick'.In this book, Opher Goodwin dissects his albums and songs to tease out their spirit and reveal the inspirations behind them. This is Ian Dury: a Blockhead, a genius."

As Love’s mostrevered album is titled Forever Changes, it’s little wonder that their superiorback catalogue encompasses a multitude of genres: folk rock, garage, jazz rock,baroque, psychedelia, soul, funk, and reggae - or certainly Arthur Lee’s does. Butwho can separate Love from their beleaguered yet brilliant front man? Love OnTrack explores the many embodiments of his group, with his solo work closelyexamined at the same time. Love were the first rock signing to folklabel Elektra and something of this contradiction inhabits their work. From theraw beat of their eponymous debut, to sweetly ruminative songs on Da Capo, tothe ultimate comment on the counter-culture in Forever Changes, onto FourSail’s auguring the hard rocking 1970s, these albums represent Love’s bestknown work.  But the book knows the Love story doesn’tend there. There’s the epic double album Out Here, collaborations with JimiHendrix, vegetarian protest songs, and a gorgeously romantic revival in FiveString Serenade. There are also stops along the way to recall the solo work ofBryan MacLean et al, a new interview with Berton Averre, who played with Lee inthe 1990s, and a detailed look at live recordings – the book is a real labourof Love.

Rising to prominence in 1994 on the back of their eponymous debut album, Korn ushered in a new sound within heavy metal which many would try and imitate in the years that followed. Earning themselves the title of "The Godfathers of Nu Metal", the Bakersfield quintet has sold well over 40 million records, they have topped charts all around the world, and they have also won multiple awards which include two prestigious Grammys. Still firing on all cylinders after three decades, Korn continues to produce powerful and accessible anthems in the present day.Korn On Track covers all the band's studio releases thus far- from their 1993 demo tape, Neidermayer's Mind, to their thirteenth studio album, The Nothing, released in 2018. Reviewing every track and delving into the stories behind many of them, also discussed is Korn's largely unheralded unreleased material, and B-sides which also include songs exclusively featured on movie soundtracks.

The DoobieBrothers On Track tells the story of a band that helped define one of the mosttransformative decades in popular music. Formed in California in 1970, TheDoobie Brothers blended blues, folk and R&B with tight harmonies androad-tested musicianship. Their early hits-'Listen to the Music', 'Long TrainRunnin'', 'China Grove' and 'Black Water'-captured the easygoing optimism ofthe West Coast while reflecting a country in transition after the upheavals ofthe 1960s. As the decadeunfolded, the band evolved alongside the changing sound of rock. Guitarist Jeff"Skunk" Baxter brought a jazz sensibility from his time with Steely Dan, whilesinger and keyboardist Michael McDonald introduced smooth, soulful texturesthat reshaped the group's identity. With Takin' It to the Streets and theGrammy-winning Minute by Minute, The Doobie Brothers became one of the fewbands able to bridge bar-band grit and radio polish without losing credibility.This book placestheir journey within the broader story of 1970s American music-a period ofgenre-blending, studio innovation and shifting cultural moods. Drawingconnections to contemporaries like Little Feat and Steely Dan, it explores howThe Doobies balanced experimentation with accessibility and why their songscontinue to resonate today. More than a bandbiography, it's a portrait of resilience and reinvention-how a group rooted inCalifornia's club scene learned to adapt, thrive and keep audiences listeningfor over fifty years.

For a few shortyears in the 1970s, the unique music of Focus entertained the world. Builtaround the prodigious instrumental talents of Dutch masters Jan Akkerman(guitar) and Thijs van Leer (keyboards and flute), the band produced threeclassic hit albums in quick succession between 1971 and 1974, at the same timescoring two worldwide hits with 'Sylvia' and 'Hocus Pocus'. The latter piece isas ubiquitous as tunes from the 70s get, distinctive for Akkerman's famous riffand van Leer's bizarre yodelling. Musical and personal tensions between the twoled to a split in early 1976, but the band limped on without Akkerman until1978. An unlikely revival in 1985 was a false dawn, and except for a few publicappearances, the duo have not played together since. Stephen Lambe's book guides the readerthrough the band's early history, dealing with all seven Focus albums from theera song by song, plus the eponymous 1985 comeback. It is an important pottedhistory of the band and an insight into the tensions which led to such acreative - if short-lived – peak. But the book also acts as an essential guideto the astonishing music the two men made together – and sometimes apart -while at the apex of their powers.

'Probably the most successful British musician most people have never heard of.' The TelegraphA self-taught musician, songwriter and producer, Steven Wilson grew up wanting to be a pop star. His early band No-Man signed to a major label, but instead he gained a dedicated following and chart success with Porcupine Tree, who eventually sold out London's Royal Albert Hall in 2010 before a revival after 12 years in 2022. Porcupine Tree are the subject of Nick Holmes' first book in this series.This book, the first of two volumes on Wilson, tackles the first ten years of his solo career, from his debut Insurgentes in 2008, up until 2017's bold and hugely successful To The Bone, via the award-winning Hand. Cannot. Erase. Wilson became known as the 'King Of Prog' since some of these albums feature long-form songs, virtuosic musicianship and complex concepts. But he has always enjoyed surprising his fans, and this part of his solo career also includes jazz, indie rock, pop and electronic music. Whatever the genre, his music shares strong melodies, profound lyrics, thoughtful concepts and high production values. This book is a forensic and illuminating analysis of Wilson's first five solo albums, associated EPs and bonus tracks.

When Black Sabbath parted ways with Ozzy in 1979, it could have all gone badly wrong for them. Instead, with Ronnie James Dio, fresh from Rainbow, they came back rejuvenised with a brace of albums which helped redefine rock and metal in the 80s. Two futher studio albums followed later, including one under their new moniker Heaven & Hell. Black Sabbath The Dio years looks at the three different Dio eras with every album and track put under the microscope, including all of the live albums and bonus tracks. The narrative of the band is often murky, especially in the year which led to the release of their debut Heaven And Hell. For the first time, this period is examined carefully to establish the sequence of events.Contributing to the book are three men who were involved in the production and engineering of the records- Joe Foglia, Mike Exeter and Wyn Davis. Each offers new insight into the working processes. Greg Hildebrandt also contributes the chilling story behind his painting, 'Mob Dream', which became the cover for Mob Rules.

In ten short years, Roxy Music made two of the most experimental albums in popular music history and one of the most smoothly romantic. Conceived by Bryan Ferry at the turn of the 1970s, the band released its first album, Roxy Music, to wide acclaim in 1972 and swiftly followed up with the ground-breaking single 'Virginia Plain'. Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera remained Roxy's core players over seven more albums, in three distinct phases. The debut and For Your Pleasure (1973) featured all manner of electronic weirdness from Brian Eno, while Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974), and Siren (1975) marked the peak of Ferry's songwriting and struck a delicate balance between edgy art and gorgeous craft. Finally, Manifesto (1979), Flesh + Blood (1980), and Avalon (1982), the last two without powerhouse founding drummer Paul Thompson, framed Ferry's tales of doomed romance within a sophisticated wash of sound that used the studio itself as an instrument.The members of Roxy Music have had long and distinguished careers outside the band, but nothing can surpass the eight albums they made together. This book tells the musical story of this most enigmatic of British bands.

Emerging from the anonymity of a Scottish new town in the early 1980s, The Jesus and Mary Chain have carved a path through alternative music that is as confrontational as it is hypnotic. Formed by brothers William and Jim Reid, the band fused sweet, 1960s-style pop melodies with walls of distortion, feedback, and drum-machine minimalism, creating a sound both nostalgic and dangerous.Their 1985 debut Psychocandy detonated like a cultural flashpoint-equal parts classic pop and sonic violence and the album quickly became a cornerstone of alternative and indie rock. Rather than repeat themselves, the band then pivoted on Darklands (1987), stripping away much of the distortion to reveal a more reflective core and an even stronger set of songs. From the slicker textures of Automatic (1989) to Honey's Dead (1992), the group continued to evolve, flirting with electronic rhythms and industrial sounds. Later releases showed a quieter, acoustic side before the band fractured after Munki (1998). Reuniting a decade later, the Reid brothers rewarded fans with Damage And Joy (2017) and Glasgow Eyes (2024),Those who are new to the group and hardcore fans alike will enjoy this tribute to their entire catalogue. Few bands have balanced noise and melody so elegantly.

One of rock and roll's iconic figures, Bruce Springsteen produced his most influential, and many would argue his greatest body of work from 1973 to 1987. During that time, he released eight studio albums, along with the mammoth live album Live/1975-1985. Among these records are five that are included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Born to Run, Nebraska, and Born in the U.S.A., all of which came out during the period covered by this book.American critic and musician David Starkey takes a deep dive into Springsteen's early catalogue, highlighting the brilliance of Springsteen's writing and composing, his flair for the dramatic, along with his profound commitment to the gruelling lives of working-class people-and occasionally pointing out moments when 'the Boss' isn't quite up to his own high standards. Starkey shares stories from Springsteen and those around him about the songs' creation, and looks closely at the musicians and musicianship that brought Springsteen's vision to life.Finally, Starkey's writing-concise yet wide-ranging, analytic yet witty-brings it all together, telling the familiar story of Bruce Springsteen in an entirely new way.

The British singer, songwriter and musician Peter Hammill is one of the key figures in the history of progressive rock. As the leader and main creative force of Van der Graaf Generator, he was behind some of the most powerful and compelling rock music of the 1970s, and since VdGG reformed in 2005 has continued to lead the group down a unique musical path. But Van der Graaf Generator are only part of the Peter Hammill story. Beginning with 1971's Fool's Mate and continuing all the way to 2021's In Translation, Hammill has carved out a lengthy solo career consisting of some 35 albums, plus many live albums and collaborations. The range of styles in evidence on these albums is remarkable, from baroque progressive rock to snotty proto-punk, angular new wave, delicate ballads, electronic experiments and he even wrote and recorded a full-length opera. This is the first book to offer an in-depth exploration of Peter Hammill's solo discography, revealing the sonic intensity and emotional turmoil that lie at the heart of his work. The book is an invaluable companion to Dan Coffey's Van der Graaf Generator On Track. AUTHOR: Richard Rees-Jones lives in Geneva, Switzerland, where he works for an international organization. He previously lived in Vienna and wrote the chapter on music for the Time Out Guide to Vienna. He has also written album reviews for the acclaimed music website The Quietus and for The Sound Projector magazine. He comes from Salisbury, south-west England, and studied English at Sussex University. He is married with two children. This is his first book.

1974 was probably the last of the 'golden years' of the first wave of progressive rock. It was a year in which the classic bands that came to define the genre released some of their most acclaimed albums, the long players that, more than 50 years later, are still cherished by discerning music lovers. Find an old proghead and watch their eyes light up at the mention of Relayer by Yes, King Crimson's Red, Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt, Hero And Heroine by The Strawbs, Supertramp's Crime Of The Century and You by Gong.In this indispensable book, music writer Kevan Furbank delves into the past to unearth the vinyl gems that made the miserable mid-Seventies more bearable. Travel with him to Hergest Ridge with Mike Oldfield, visit Todd Rundgren's Utopia, accompany Rick Wakeman on a Journey To The Centre of The Earth and discover why Hatfield And The North was more than just a British road sign.Furbank reveals how and why the albums were recorded and what inspired the songwriting, ranging beyond the music to the political and social upheavals of the time. Which cigarette company dictated the cover design for Camel's Mirage? Which motorway led to Kraftwerk recording Autobahn? How did Richard Nixon inspire Gentle Giant on The Power And The Glory? And why did Frank Zappa tell us not to eat the yellow snow?All these questions and more will be answered in 1974: Progressive Rock Comes Of Age. It may seem like the dim and distant past. But for many people, this music is still alive and kicking. As Peter Gabriel said in the year's double album epic from Genesis, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway: 'It is here. It is now.'

Ultravox made an indelible mark on the popular music of the 1980s despite never reaching number one at any point: famously, 'Vienna' stalled at number two, while their only other top five single was the zeitgeist-capturing 'Dancing With Tears in My Eyes', reaching number three in May 1984. Between 1981's 'Vienna' and 1984's 'Love's Great Adventure', Ultravox scored 12 Top 30 hit singles (17 reached the Top 40), and seven top ten album releases. Fronted first by John Foxx, then Midge Ure, Ultravox went from being an acclaimed but hitless art rock outfit to a Blitz-era chart-storming quartet. They also proved to be a formidable live band, mixing in-vogue electronic synthesisers with drums and guitar and Billy Currie's trademark classical violin. The band became one of the most successful acts of the era, capped by their 1985 appearance at the Live Aid concert. They also made their mark with arty, distinctive, and influential music videos.Having split following 1986's controversial U-Vox album, the 1980s Ultravox line-up regrouped in 2009, celebrating the 30th anniversary of 'Vienna' with a series of UK, US, and European tours. That led to a new, belated album, 2012's Brilliant. Every album, every song - this is Ultravox.

There’s more to Iggy Pop than The Stooges, wild tales and the occasional ‘Lust For Life’ sync in a commercial. Much of his solo career, spanning decades of reckless reinvention, is often overlooked, reduced to a handful of hits or dismissed as a footnote to his incendiary past. Yet there is a vast world to explore: the sheer variety of musical styles, the energy, the humour, the vivid imagery, the sharp social critique, the highs, the misfires, the unexpected detours and his collaborations with some of music’s biggest names.This book dives deep into Iggy’s solo output from 1977 to 1999, exploring every album track by track. It unpacks the music, lyrics, influences and the stories behind them. Fact-driven yet opinionated, it draws from interviews, archival material and trivia to trace the evolution of America’s ultimate rock’n’roll outlaw. Whether crooning over icy synths, bellowing over scuzzy guitars or delivering deadpan one-liners with a smirk, Iggy has never stopped moving. This is the sound of his journey.

'Just a city boy. Born and raised in South Detroit...' so begins the iconic 'Don't Stop Believin'' heard in countless karaoke bars and classic rock stations around the world. It is one of over 250 tracks discussed in Journey: On Track, which covers 50 years of recordings, from the extended jams of their early days to the heights of their popularity as an R&B-influenced powerhouse among America's arena rock gods, and beyond, to their controversial career in the 21st century without 'The Voice', Steve Perry.They were the brainchild of Walter 'Herbie' Herbert, the visionary who steered them through their most successful period. He built Journey from the remnants of Santana, keyboardist and singer Gregg Rolie, and guitar wunderkind Neal Schon. They surged into the limelight with singer Steve Perry. After adding keyboardist Jonathan Cain, they soared to superstardom. Their post-Perry history is filled with new music and the incredible story of Arnel Pineda.Critics dismissed them throughout their heyday as 'corporate rock', but they've somehow managed to thrive commercially and culturally on the heritage rock circuit, releasing new albums, and being inducted into the Rock Hall. They still fill arenas and stadiums with their legions of fans.

Few, if any bands, have been as prolific or consistently creative as Genesis were in the 1970s, both together and apart. Across that decade, the mothership released eight studio and two live albums, played a thousand concerts and launched the solo careers of four of its members. Through it all, they weathered the departures of Anthony Phillips, Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett, ending the decade as a self-contained trio of Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford, one that was about to become the biggest band in the world.For many though, the 1970s represents their artistic peak as a hothouse for incredible songwriters. It made for a combustible, heady brew when those talents were all harnessed in the service of the band, helping create the progressive rock genre, pioneering the multimedia concert experience, as well as making a rakishly worn daffodil the headgear of choice for the cognoscenti. Genesis began the decade by playing before an audience of one and asking if he had 'any requests?' and ended it by headlining the Knebworth Festival in front of 80,000 fans. This book tells the whole story of that tumultuous decade, on record and on stage, together and apart.

In 2024, DeepPurple celebrated the fortieth anniversary of their reunion by releasing their23rd album, =1. Some band members thought the 1984 reunion would fizzle outafter one album, but it flourished despite internecine strife, illness and theloss of two founders. As members approached eighty years of age, they producedalbums that went on to be among their most successful. This book tells this sometimes-bizarrepost-reunion story through their music and, to an extent, their touring.Neither were always completely successful, as the band seemed to be eithersearching for synergy in their sound or for a commercial product that did notsacrifice artistic integrity. The lyrics are especially valuable because theyreveal the hardship of the road and insights into their own growingfrustrations with a society they believed to be too woke, too violent, tooridiculous.  In doing this, the band hasnot just resurfaced but written a new story for a new audience.  All these things make this phase of DeepPurple an interesting study, not just of a band loved by so many but also ofmusicians who just wanted to play their music and sometimes found it was not assimple as that.

The Beatlespioneered so much in the recording studio during their short time together thatit's easy to forget that they formed their own record company in April 1968.Their business plan: to find and fund new musical talent. By the end of theyear Apple had signed James Taylor and struck lucky with Mary Hopkin. Themuch-admired Badfinger followed, along with albums by obvious associates (BillyPreston, Ravi Shankar, Yoko Ono) and not-so-obvious (John Tavener, Modern JazzQuartet, Radha Krishna Temple) with mixed financial and artistic success. But The Beatles were not businessmen and theearly optimism of shiny newness soon soured into chaos. Major acts such as 10ccand Crosby, Stills & Nash slipped through their fingers. Allen Klein wasappointed to sort out the mess, but disenfranchised nearly everybody. Paul leftThe Beatles and sued the others. In 1975, The Beatles' partnership was legallyterminated and Apple Records, a vanity label in all but name, was quietly putto sleep.Apple Of My Eye revisits each of the albumsand singles released by Apple between 1968 and 1975, underpinned by thebusiness and legal context of the last days of the world's greatest band.

Bob Seger began his career during the 1960s, fronting various bands in the Michigan area, a local hero who took almost a decade to break through to a national American audience. The in-concert Live Bullet, followed by the single and album Night Moves in 1976, established him as a major attraction at home and then internationally. Further success came with the singles ‘Hollywood Nights’ and the much-covered ‘We’ve Got Tonight’ and albums like Stranger In Town, the US number one Against The Wind and The Distance, while touring regularly with his backing outfit The Silver Bullet Band. He was regarded as one of the prime examples of ‘heartland rock’, embracing styles from rock’n’roll and soul to introspective ballads and country, and also had an out-of-character pop US number one in 1987 with ‘Shakedown’. Although less prolific in later years, altogether he released 18 studio albums and two live sets, spanning over half a century from his garage band beginnings in 1966 fronting The Last Heard, to his final set I Knew You When in 2017 and a farewell tour that ended two years later. This book examines every album track and single from his lengthy career.

CONSTELLATION “HEROES” is a track-by-track exploration of David Bowie’s 1977 album “Heroes”, one of the most forceful and elusive records of his career. Combining lyric interpretation, studio history, cultural context and legacy, the book examines how the record was made, what shaped its songs, and why it still resonates. The chapters move from the album’s abrasive opening tracks through the instrumental sequence and into the bonus material, drawing the divided city outside the studio into Bowie’s restless collage of language, sound and image. For readers drawn to the late-1970s arc that runs from The Idiot, Low and Lust For Life through the Isolar II Tour and Lodger, this is an immersive and deeply considered inquiry into the creative world surrounding “Heroes”. Discerning, imaginative and historically attuned, the book traces a web of connections from Chris Burden to Blackstar, from Tokyo to German Expressionism, from Cold War unease back to Bromley. Framed by Bowie’s Berlin era, it follows the currents that infused the album and offers the most expansive and searching reading of “Heroes” to date, a record still transmitting.‘A sharp and impressive quest through the many layers of “Heroes”. A must for any Bowie lover.’ – Eduard Meyer, sound engineer at Hansa Studios 1976–2003.‘A fascinating study of Bowie’s creative process, bringing an almost forensic insight into the ideas and influences behind the music.’ – Kevin Armstrong, guitarist with Bowie at Live Aid1985 and beyond.

In thebeginning, there was Led Zeppelin - and Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, theprogenitors of British heavy metal, a musical form that wildly expanded theterrain of rock in the early Seventies. And as that decade progressed, it beganto mutate, as Judas Priest fused heavy metal's intensity and dark emotion withunbridled theatricality and the power of twin guitars. The New Wave of BritishHeavy Metal was underway. Five young men from Sheffield - some of them still inschool - took that new sound and infused it with large doses of the glam they'dgrown up on - T. Rex, Queen, Davie Bowie - and blazed a trail into theEighties, leading NWOBHM into the new era of MTV.Taking the name Def Leppard, they broughtunprecedented energy and innovation to every song, to every show, thenpartnering with legendary producer Mutt Lange to become heavy metal's apostlesto top 40 radio - delivering an astonishing string of hit singles andmulti-platinum albums while setting new standards for arena rock. They'restill rocking the world today, a dozen albums in, touring the world and neverresting on their laurels. Heavy metal, NWOBHM, hair metal have all come andgone - but Def Leppard remain

Few would deny that Deep Purple were one of the most influential and popular heavy rock bands to emerge from the melting pot of the late 1960s. They went through several line-up changes and stylistic shifts, before splitting up for the first time in the mid-1970s. Talismanic guitarist Ritchie Blackmore carried the spirit on when he formed Rainbow after leaving Purple in 1975, particularly through his partnership with legendary singer Ronnie James Dio. Deep Purple reformed some years later, of course, but many consider this original, sometimes turbulent, decade to be their most significant.In this updated new edition, Steve Pilkington puts his focus on the period from Shades Of Deep Purple in 1968 through to the first dissolution of the band after Come Taste The Band in 1976, via such classics as Machine Head and In Rock. He also discusses the first four Rainbow studio albums, including the classic Rainbow Rising and the hit-laden Down To Earth album in 1979, taking a look at every song from every album in detail. He also discusses live recordings, plus DVD and video releases. Critical! opinion rubs shoulders with facts, trivia and anecdotes, making this alternative history the most exhaustive guide to the band's music yet produced.