Omnibus Remastered – serie

'Incredibly detailed' - The GuardianAs a core member of Kraftwerk, some of the most beautiful, era-defining music has been co-composed by Karl Bartos. From ‘The Robots’ to ‘Computer Love’ and ‘Tour De France’ to Kraftwerk’s 1982 number-one single ‘The Model’, Bartos’s deft hand has shaped the contemporary musical landscape we know today.In The Sound of the Machine, Bartos speaks candidly about his life in Kraftwerk. He recalls his experiences in the Kling Klang studios during the recording process and the joy, passion and synergy of the group.Cerebral and witty, Bartos’s narrative journeys through his post-war childhood in Germany, his early musical ventures and his parallel career as a teacher. Offering a fascinating insight into both a band and a man at the forefront of musical innovation over the last 55 years, Bartos looks to the future, sharing his hopes and fears for today’s musical culture.

This is a true insider's commentary on one of rock's most influential bands, with a Foreword by Benjamin Myers (The Offing, Gallows Pole).Everett True is responsible for bringing Nirvana, Hole, Pavement, Soundgarden and a host of other bands to public attention. He introduced Kurt to Courtney, performed on stage with Nirvana on numerous occasions and famously pushed Kurt onto the stage of the Reading Festival in 1992 in a wheelchair.This is the true story written by the only journalist allowed into the Cobain house immediately after Kurt's death. True reveals the details of what the legendary band was really like, what happened to Cobain in Olympia and Seattle, how Kurt first met Courtney, and gives the lowdown on the scenes, the seminars, the live dates, the friends and the drug dealers surrounding the grunge explosion.Nirvana continues to exert an enormous power on popular music as new generations discover the poignancy in their music.

'A masterwork' - Roger SteffensPeter Tosh: the rude boy, the radical,the Rasta. A founding member of The Wailers and a compelling recording artistin his own right, Tosh was much more than Bob Marley's bandmate. Anuncompromising firebrand, he was Jamaica's most controversial star.In this, the very first and definitivebiography of Tosh, esteemed reggae journalist John Masouri explores one ofreggae's most extraordinary stories. This story ended in violence in 1987, whenTosh was brutally murdered. In the aftermath, rumours swirled about hisinvolvement in Kingston's criminal underworld.Steppin' Razor draws on hundreds ofinterviews with those who knew Peter Tosh best, including Bunny Wailer andother close associates. Tracing Tosh's recording career from The Wailers tointernational acclaim, Masouri details his encounters with Eric Clapton and JoeCocker and his volatile relationships with Bob Marley and Lee 'Scratch' Perry.Tosh's darker side is also revealed - from his fascination with the occult to,in unprecedented detail, the events surrounding his tragic, untimely andmysterious death.

The biography of George Clinton, one of music's most fascinating, colourful and innovative characters, featuring a new cover and foreword by critic Miles Marshall Lewis. The most comprehensive history of the life, music and cultural significance of a great Black music pioneer and the era which spawned him.Clinton stands alongside James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone as one of the most influential Black artists of all time who, along with his vast P-Funk army took black funk into the US charts and sold out stadiums by the mid 1970s with his mind-blowing shows and legendary Mothership extravaganzas.The book contains first hand interview material with Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Jerome Bigfoot Brailey, Junie Morrison, Bobby Gillespie, Afrika Bambaataa, Jalal Nuriddin (Last Poets), Juan Atkins, John Sinclair, Rob Tyner (MC5), Ed Sanders (The Fugs), Chip Monck ("The Voice of Woodstock") plus other P-Funk associates and friends.An insiders' view of the rise of Parliament and Funkadelic from the doowop era and LSD-crazed early shows through to P-Funk's huge rise, the era of the Mothership and beyond.

Dear Boy is the best-selling biography of Keith Moon, rock's greatest drummer and wildest character. Hailed by critics as one of the most compelling rock stories ever told, the book traces with striking accuracy Moon's remarkable journey from his working-class North West London childhood, through The Who's glory years, to his California high life, and his tragic, premature death in 1978 at the age of just 32.In researching a life now distorted by myths of debauchery and comic anarchy, Tony Fletcher compiled poignant interviews with over 120 of Moon's friends, family and musical associates. The result is a searingly personal portrait of a boy who never grew up, and who changed the lives of all who knew him.This remastered edition features many photographs from personal and Who archives, as well as a new foreword from Keith's daughter, Mandy Moon.

'An irresistible biography' Evening StandardIt remains the greatest comeback in music history. The Lazarus-like saga of Elvis Presley’s fall and rise, from Army discharge through Sixties Hollywood hell to divine black-leather resurrection.As 1968 dawns, the once ‘King’ of rock’n’roll faces cultural oblivion, a fading star lost in a 24/7 delirium of women, pills and holy mumbo-jumbo, isolated from an America unravelling in its own chaos of war, racism, riots and assassinations. Until, against all odds, his world and theirs collide in the performance of his life.First published four years before Baz Luhrmann’s dramatisation of events in the Oscar-nominated 2022 biopic Elvis, Simon Goddard’s The Comeback is no less a vividly cinematic, pelvic-thrusting blockbuster. This Remastered edition includes a foreword from musician and journalist Bob Stanley.

While she once made headlines with her hedonistic lifestyle, part of Nicks' irresistible appeal is her youthful vulnerability and mystical aura, making her an artist with whom fans have an unbreakable emotional connection.Crowned 'The Reigning Queen Of Rock And Roll' by Rolling Stone, and with gold and quadruple platinum solo albums under her beaded belt, Stevie Nicks has enjoyed the ultimate in rock 'n' roll success in her life as a recording artist - but this charmed life has come as a result of hard graft, self-belief and a devotion to creativity above all; hers has been a journey of intense highs and lows.This book, a celebration of the Stevie Nicks phenomenon, takes us on her journey from peripatetic mid-West childhood to her explosion onto the music scene as chiffon-swathed rock goddess, right up to present day. Including exclusive interviews with some of Stevie's associates and collaborators from over the years, author Zoe Howe explores the mystique while retaining the magic of this modern-day musical sorceress and wise woman of rock.

Peter Freestone was Freddie Mercury's personal assistant and closest confidante for the last twelve years of Mercury's life. Freestone lived with Mercury in London, Munich and New York and was by his side when he died. In this deeply personal book, Freestone paints a striking portrait of Mercury, revealing a sensitive, vulnerable soul hidden behind the world-conquering superstar persona.The two first met at the Biba department store in the early 1970s when Queen were still relatively unknown and remained friends throughout the journey to the band's global superstardom. Freestone witnessed the generosity, the excess and the celebrity friends who came and went.From the famous names - including Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor and Rod Stewart - to the shadowy army of lovers, fixers and hangers-on, Freestone saw them all play their part in Mercury's life. This is the ultimate insider's account of who Freddie Mercury truly was behind closed doors.

'[An] absorbing study of an ultra-talented country music icon' MOJOSmart Blonde tells the remarkable story of Dolly Parton's rise from a poor, East Tennessee childhood to superstardom in the male-dominated world of 1960s Nashville. With charm, determination and unparalleled talent, Parton built not only a musical legacy, but a multifaceted business empire.Stephen Miller's biography depicts Dolly's meteoric ascent in sparkling technicolour, crafting a narrative as dazzling as the woman it celebrates. A deeply researched and entertaining portrait, Smart Blonde is full of energy and quick humour, doing justice to a strong woman who has always steered her own course.Through rare interviews with those closest to Parton, including family members, musicians and long-time collaborators, Smart Blonde provides intimate glimpses into her famously private world. This Remastered edition covers Dolly's enduring marriage to Carl Dean until his death in 2025, her lifelong friendship with Judy Ogle and much more.

Wild, defiant and creative, The Slits were ahead of their time. Despite their innovative fusion of genres – from dub reggae to punk, funk and free jazz – they were often dismissed as unserious and ‘unable to play’. However, their influential album Cut would galvanise generations of women to challenge the status quo.Author Zoë Howe tells the story of this remarkable band through interviews with The Slits, their friends and their collaborators, including Don Letts, Dennis Bovell, the Raincoats, Budgie, PiL guitarist Keith Levene, the Pop Group’s Gareth Sager and many more.The book’s original publication in 2009 was noted for catalysing a reunion between Viv Albertine and the original bandmembers before Ari Up’s death. This warm, thorough document of the Slits phenomenon celebrates the legacy, spirit and creativity of this seminal band. This expanded and updated Remastered edition features new interview material and a foreword by punk singer-songwriter and academic, Helen McCookerybook.