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Iain Matthews –A People’s History is an oral history of one of Britain’s leadingsinger-songwriters. One of the founding members of folk-rock pioneers FairportConvention, Iain left the band in 1969 to further a career in music that nowspans almost 60 years. He created thechart-topping act Matthews Southern Comfort in 1970, who had a number onesingle with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock’, and in the 50-plus yearssince is widely acknowledged as one of the torchbearers responsible forbringing American folk and country music to British audiences.

Welcome Back MyFriends - A People's History of Emerson, Lake & Palmer is an oral historyof one of the giants of the British progressive rock world. As ELP, KeithEmerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer had five Top Ten UK albums, including a No.1 with 1971's Tarkus, and a UK No.2 single with 1977's 'Fanfare for The CommonMan'. With an estimated 48 million album sales worldwide, including nineRIAA-certified gold albums in the USA, ELP remain one of the biggest bands ofthe 1970s. Famed for the flamboyant stage antics of Emerson on the Hammondorgan and Moog synthesiser, and mixing elements of classical and jazz musicwith symphonic rock, over 100 different ELP concerts are remembered through thememories of more than 400 fans in this fully authorised history of the band.

Tell Everyone – A People's History of The Faces is a lavishly illustrated collection of memories of one of the most celebrated bands in British rock history. The Faces formed in 1969 when singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood quit the Jeff Beck Group to team up with the remaining members of 60s chart toppers the Small Faces – Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones – whose own lead singer had left. Inheriting fans from their previous bands, the Faces went on to play over 500 concerts. At one point they were acclaimed the greatest live rock act in the world, ahead of the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Faces shows could be brilliant or shambolic, depending on just how much alcohol they had imbibed. Legendary BBC DJ John Peel, an early champion of the band, named a 1973 Faces gig at Sunderland Locarno his all-time favourite live concert. The Faces had three Top 10 UK singles and a number one album with Ooh-La-La. In 1971, Rod's single 'Maggie May' and album Every Picture Tells a Story topped the UK and US charts simultaneously, making him the first solo act to achieve this feat. It catapulted his career into an orbit that, along with Ronnie Wood joining the Rolling Stones, ultimately led to the Faces break up in 1975. Written and compiled by Richard Houghton, this book brings together over 500 previously unpublished accounts of live Faces concerts. Fully illustrated with over 150 fan images, this is a book that tells the Faces story as it's never been told before.

Jimi Hendrix - The Day I Was There is the story of the world's most flamboyant guitarist in the words of over 500 fans. With memories from his early career in the US through to his untimely death in September 1970, this is Jimi's story up close and personal. What emerges is a portrait of a man who could do things with the guitar that his peers had never even imagined, let alone thought possible, but who off stage was a kind and considerate soul. With tales of being dumped as support act to The Monkees, burning guitars and smashing amplifiers, but also talking to fans and sharing cigarettes and guitar playing tips, this is Jimi at Monterey, Woodstock and the Isle of Wight. This is Jimi is you've never read about him before.

Sandy Denny- A People’s History tells the story of the woman heralded by her peers as Britain’s greatest ever female singer. Sandy Denny is the only vocalist apart from Robert Plant to appear on a Led Zeppelin album. But her duet on ‘The Battle Of Evermore’ is just one of many achievements by the woman who was twice voted ‘Best British Female Singer’ (in 1970 & 1971) by readers of Melody Maker magazine. Sandy brought an air of magic to the stage every time she sang, whether as a member of Fairport Convention, with her band Fotheringay or as a solo singer. This book captures memories of those performances and pays tribute to her beautiful voice, to her endearing personality and to her exceptional songwriting talent. Sandy’s song ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes?’ has been covered by more than 100 artists, and her music is still being discovered and interpreted by artists in the almost half a century since her untimely death in 1978 at a tragically young age. Compiled by Sandy’s daughter, Georgia Rose Lucas, and fully approved by the estate of Sandy Denny, this book contains a wealth of memories and memorabilia. Contributors include: Richard Thompson, Rufus Wainwright, Mary Black, Barbara Dickson, Joe Boyd, Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg, Linda Thompson, Joan as Policewoman, Richard Digance, Iain Matthews, Christine Collister, Gordon Giltrap, Aine Furey, Chris Blackwell & Julianne Regan.

More than 400 fans, friends and colleagues tell their stories of seeing, knowing and working with Bob Dylan, from his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota right through to finding Jesus - with first hand accounts of seeing him live from the smallest of venues to festivals and arenas.From early recording sessions through the 1966 tour, from the rural seclusion of Woodstock to turning gospel, this book reveals a contemporary view of the younger Dylan. Fans, friends and colleagues who were there take you back to an amazing era with personal photographs, memorabilia, anecdotes and stories that have never been published before.

In November 1969the Rolling Stones toured the United States for the first time in three years.Gone from the band was founder member Brian Jones, replaced by Mick Taylor fromJohn Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Gone too were the Top Ten-laden 30-minute sets playedover inadequate PA systems to crowds of screaming, gawping teenagers. In theirplace was a fully-fledged 75-minute rock show drawing heavily on the new Stonesalbums Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed, utilising innovative lighting andstaging. Led by the Glimmer Twins - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - theRolling Stones rocked across America on a 24-date tour whose essence iscaptured in the live album Get Yet Ya-Ya's Out, heralded by many as the finestlive rock album of all time. From anunpublicised opening night in Fort Collins, Colorado through to the tragicevents at Altamont, California a month later, Everybody Seems To Be Ready(taking its title from Chip Monck's nightly stage introduction for the band)mixes contemporaneous press reports with previously unpublished first-handaccounts to present the story of a tour that has gone down in history as thefirst rock tour of the modern era in the words of the people who were there.

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love is a people's history of the biggest band in the world in rock, telling their story in the words of over 750 fans and more than 250 photos over 400 pages. Formed in 1968 by Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page, who recruited singer Robert Plant, drummer John 'Bonzo' Bonham and John Paul Jones to the cause, this is the Zeppelin story as recounted by concert goers, fans, roadies and others who encountered the band on the road.Led Zeppelin toured North America relentlessly in the early part of the seventies, sometimes putting on shows that fans recall as the best gig they ever saw. With memories from Robert Plant's earliest appearances as a performer in 1965, including all the British, European and North American tours plus a trip Down Under in 1972, through to Knebworth in 1979, the final Over Europe tour of 1980 and the 2007 reunion show at London's O2 Arena, where 20 million fans applied for fewer than 20,000 tickets, this book charts Zep's career in all its glory and infamy.This is a fresh take on the career of the band that has sold over 300 million albums worldwide and thrilled tens of thousands of concert-goers throughout the 1970s. Been a long time...

An oral history of the Faces, the 1970s rock legends whose line up featured Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, told in the words of over 500 fans.

An oral history of Fairport Convention in the words of over 300 fans

In the UK in the 1970s, there was no bigger band than Slade. With six number 1 singles (three straight in at number 1) and 17 consecutive top 20 hits, Slade were the most successful British group of the 1970s measured on singles sales. But Slade were also a phenommon live. Vocalist & guitarist Noddy Holder, guitarist Dave Hill, bassist & violinist Jim Lea and drummer Don Powell had been playing together since 1966 (initially as The N' Betweens and then Ambrose Slade) and seasoned performers by the time of their breakthrough hit in 1971. Slade's live concerts were something to behold, and this book captures them in performance in the words of over 300 fans. The journey goes from the boot-stomping skinhead days of 'Get Down and Get With It', through the chart-topping glam rock era of 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now' and 'Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me', and onto their ultimately unsuccessful mid-'70s attempt to break America before the chicken-in-a-basket doldrums of their career and the original line-up called it quits in 1992. These stories will make you laugh, cry and be transported back to the early 1970s, when Slade were all over the radio, the TV and the news. This is Slade loud and raucous, with Nod's distinctive vocals, Dave's crazy stage outfits and Jim's virtuoso guitar and violin playing, all held together by Don's solid drumming. With forewords from Seventies Glam Rockers Suzi Quatro and The Sweet's Andy Scott, and packed with contributions from a host of celebrity admirers including John Coughlan (Status Quo), Rick Buckler (The Jam), Gered Mankowitz, Damian O'Neill (Undertones/That Petrol Emotion), Andy Kershaw, Ray Laidlaw (Lindisfarne), Mick Talbot (Style Council/Dexy's Midnight Runners), Jim Bob (Carter USM), Dave Hemingway (Housemartins/Beautiful South), Roddy Byers (The Specials), Mathew Priest (Dodgy), JC Carroll (The Members), Gary Crowley, Carl Hunter (The Farm), Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff), Nik Kershaw, Bob Young (Status Quo) and Dave Wakeling (The English Beat), this is a Slade book unlike any other. If you grew up in the 1970s, you will have heard a Slade song on the radio every few minutes. And if you walk into a UK shopping centre or supermarket any time from mid-November onwards, you'll be sure to hear the Slade song that is now as much a part of Christmas as Santa Claus…

All Our Loving – A People's History of The Beatles takes the reader back to Liverpool in the 1950s and accompanies John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr on their journey to stardom. It begins with John and Paul's fateful first meeting at Woolton Village Fete in July 1957 and ends at Candlestick Park, San Francisco in August 1966. In less than ten years, The Beatles had conquered the world, leaving behind a glittering legacy of popular songs and concert memories that fans have carried with them for years. There was no YouTube or Instagram then, no smartphones and selfies. Concert memories were made in the mind's eye and captured in fans' hearts and diaries, their stories shared with family and friends but otherwise unheard. Now The Beatles story can be told afresh with the publication of almost 500 of these memories of seeing the Fab Four in concert. All Our Loving will take you back to the 1960s, when post-war black-and-white Britain was turning technicolour. Beatlemania brought long hair for boys and marked the start of the Swinging Sixties, with mini-skirts, birth control pills and London – and The Beatles – at the centre of everything.

Over 300 fans, friends and collaborators nominate songs written by David Gedge, lead singer and front man with 'semi-legendary' Leeds Indie band The Wedding Present

Wish You Were Here – A People's History of Pink Floyd takes the reader on a trip back in time (without the aid of acid) to the psychedelic Sixties, when London was tuning in, turning on and dropping out and when Pink Floyd were at the heart of what was happening in the music capital of the world. With concert memories going back to the earliest Floyd shows, in 1966, through to the last appearance of the band at Live 8 in London's Hyde Park in 2005, this is the Pink Floyd story in the words of over 500 fans, with eyewitness accounts from around the globe of seeing in concert one of the most legendary bands of all time. It's the story of Syd Barrett's founding of the band and of his genius and burn out; of the move by the band from the singles charts and into recording and performing the multi-million selling albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall; of the gruelling world tours and the increasing tension between band members Roger Waters and David Gilmour that fuelled the creative genius of the band and which continues to spark to this day, nearly 20 years since the band last played live together. More than 300 different gigs are recalled by fans who remember the music, the light show and the aural adventure of a Pink Floyd concert along with the wine, the magic mushrooms and the window pane acid. Floyd concerts were not captured on smartphones. Concert memories were an aural and visual experience made in the mind's eye. Now these stories, previously shared only with family and friends, are told anew.

This Guitar Has Seconds To Live is an oral history of The Who. They smashed Rickenbackers, hotel rooms and occasionally each other. Never before had a band caused such wanton destruction on stage as The Who. Never before had a band smashed their instruments into pieces, or used feedback as a weapon to manipulate their audiences. But there had never been a band like The Who before, and no other band has ever brought the same level of danger, excitement, chaos and sheer volume to live performance as The Who. From singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend and bassist John Entwistle starting out as The Detours in 1962, until the untimely death of their legendary drummer Keith Moon in 1978, this is the story of over 300 explosive Who concerts told through more than 500 eyewitness accounts. It charts their rise from their West London roots to become one of Britain's top chart acts (with 14 Top Ten hits) and a gig schedule that saw them play virtually everywhere in the UK before conquering North America and the world via mammoth concert tours and attention-grabbing appearances at the Monterey, Woodstock and Isle of Wight festivals. The Who's albums Tommy, Who's Next and Quadrophenia all rank in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The Who's legacy is undiminished by time. And the sound of feedback runs through this book as fans and admirers of the band recount seeing them in action through a series of fascinating and heartwarming anecdotes and photographs.

When Rush concluded their R40 tour in 2015, the many fans of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart knew extensive touring was off the agenda. Drummer Neil had indicated his distaste for being on the road. But for almost five years fans hoped for a one-off reunion gig or a festival appearance. With Neil's untimely death in January 2020 at the age of 67, those dreams of a return to live performance were shattered. Across more than 40 years, the power trio that had sold 40 million albums worldwide and played in excess of 2,400 shows around the world were no more. Until 2026, when childhood friends Geddy (singer, bassist & keyboards) & guitarist Alex announced the Fifty Something tour. With previously unseen photos and fan memorabilia, this book brings together over 500 eye witness accounts of Rush live from 1974 to 2015, allowing the reader to recapture the experience of seeing the greatest ever power trio live in action with The Professor behind the drum kit.

An oral history of rock band The Who told through more than600 eyewitness accounts of seeing the band live

CropredyCapers - Another People's History of Fairport Convention brings together the memoriesof over 250 fans of the pioneers of British Folk-Rock in a collection ofstories told from the perspective of the front row seat. FairportConvention were formed in 1967 and their story now stretches back more than 57 years.Their annual festival, Fairport's Cropredy Convention, held in a field inCropredy in Oxfordshire, regularly attracts more than 12,000 festival goers andhas been going for over 45. CropredyCapers follows on from 2022's highly regarded GonnaSee All My Friends and is another slice of Fairport history in the words offans, with stories of seeing and meeting the band in its many guises over theyears. There are tales going back to the very beginning of Fairport and talesfrom the band's 2024 Winter tour. Packedwith fan photographs and hundreds of items from the archive of Fairportarchivist Ian Burgess, this really is a treasure trove of memories for anyFairport fan to savour.

An oral history of the band Pink Floyd in the words of over 500 fans

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.

Solid Bond In Your Heart is an oral history of The Jam.They exploded onto the British music scene in 1977 with the single 'In The City' in 1977 and departed just six years later in 1982. More than 300 fans recall The Jam in action at over 100 different concerts in Malcolm Wyatt's account of Woking's finest, the latest title in the 'people's history' series of music books from Spenwood Books, retelling the story of iconic bands in the words of fans.Breaking through as part of the British punk scene and topping both the UK singles and album charts four times, The Jam's commercial success then is matched by the affection in which the band are still held now. Mourned by some who think Paul Weller's decision to break up the band in 1982 was rash, and celebrated by those who think that decision was courageous, The Jam remain musical heroes for thousands of British music fans. This is their story.

It's Time The Tale Were Told - A People's History of The Smiths is the story of one of the UK's most influential indie bands in the words of over 500 fans. From memories of their earliest club shows through to the last ever gig at London's Brixton Academy, this is a portrait of The Smiths as painted by the fans. With personal photographs, memorabilia, anecdotes and first-hand accounts of more than 100 gigs, readers will get a front row view of the indie music legends. Based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Marr, The Smiths' 1985 album Meat Is Murder topped the UK album charts and their other three studio albums reached No 2. The band broke up in 1987 and have resisted invitations to reunite.

The Stranglers: Live (Excerpts) is an authorised oral history of the Stranglers in the words of over 400 fans, with first hand accounts of shows from their days playing at the Hope & Anchor pub in London through to shows in 2022.

In 1985 Scottish rockers Simple Minds topped the Billboard100 with ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, performing the song at Live Aidin Philadelphia the same year. In 1989 they reached No 1 in the UK with thesingle ‘Belfast Child’. With ten Top 10 UK albums, including four charttoppers, the band have sold over 60 million records over a glittering 40-yearcareer. Heart of the Crowd is an official oral history of Simple Minds.With an introduction by lead singer and founder Jim Kerr, the book mixes fananecdotes with stories from band members and other collaborators.There are more than 800 memories, from the band’sformative years in the 1970s through to concerts in 2020. The stories combinewith previously unseen fan photographs of the band in performance and examplesof collectable memorabilia to make a fascinating and enjoyable read.Simple Minds remain one of the biggest concertattractions in the world.

Billy Bragg - APeople's Historyis an authorised oral history of the British singer-songwriter and political activist in thewords of people who have been moved by his music. Containing over 400 fanmemories of seeing Billy in concert, on a demonstration or on TV, BillyBragg - A People's History is the story of the Bard of Barking as it'snever been told before. Whether singing aboutlove in 'A New England', domestic violence in 'Levi Stubbs Tears' or political activismin 'There is Power in a Union', Billy Bragg has been inspiring fans through hismusic and sparking political debate with his opinions for more than 40 years. With memorabilia fromBilly's personal archive and contributions from the man himself, Billy Bragg- A People's History will span Billy's career in music, from his days withthe punk-inspired Riff Raff through to the present day. The book will includeanecdotes of seeing Billy in concert or encountering him as an activist, aswell as Billy's reflections on his long career.

All The Young Punks is an oral history of The Clash. The Clash graduated from sweaty London clubs in the punk explosion of 1976 to become an internationally acclaimed rock act playing arenas and sports stadia. With singer Joe Strummer at the helm and Mick Jones writing guitar riffs that mixed glam rock with uptown Jamaica, The Clash turned the excitement level up to 11 every time they hit the stage.Remembered for Strummer’spolitical pronouncements, anthems like ‘White Riot’, ‘Complete Control’ and ‘IFought The Law’ and hit singles including ‘Bank Robber’, ‘Should I Stay OrShould I Go’ and ‘Rock The Casbah’, The Clash were the only band that matteredfor a whole generation. 40 years after they split comestheir story as over 300 fans recall almost 150 different shows. This book capturesin words the sights no Clash fan will ever forget: the spittle-fuelled passion ofsinger-guitarist Joe Strummer, hanging off the microphone stand whilst stampinghis foot; guitarist Mick Jones racing back and forth across the stage; PaulSimonon throwing shapes and a thunderous bass line into the mix; and drummerTopper Headon holding it all together with a ‘boom boom’ six-gun beat. With a foreword by BillyBragg, this is a Clash book unlike any other.

With a foreword by Jam drummer Rick Buckler, The Jam - The Day I Was There tells the story of The Jam in the words of over 400 fans. With memories from the earliest shows at clubs and pubs around Woking and London, and then their UK and American tours before their last ever gig in Brighton on 11 December 1982.Told from the perspective of fans, promoters, studio engineers, photographers and support acts, the book includes personal photographs, memorabilia, anecdotes and stories that have never been published before.Between 1977 and their split in 1982, The Jam released six albums and 18 singles, including four UK numbers 1s. They were the biggest band in Britain.

David Bowie - A People's History features more than 350 eyewitness accounts from fans who saw him live in concert, from colleagues who played music and worked with him and from friends. From his early shows in Bromley - through the 182-date Ziggy Stardust tour and the 12 other major tours across the world - this is a unique perspective on the David Bowie story. It places him in the context of the times he lived through and his place in the lives of those who saw him. The book features a wealth of fascinating stories, memorabilia and photographs that have never been published before - making this book a unique portrait of one of the most influential musicians of this era.