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Between 1978 and 1982 Ian Gillan didn't so much reinvent himself; in fact he returned to his rock 'n' roll roots with his revitalised band, simply called Gillan.Aided by Colin Towns from the previous outfit, the Ian Gillan Band, and the rock solid John McCoy, Gillan started off running where Deep Purple had left off. With a settled lineup that included Mick Underwood and Bernie Torme, Gillan had numerous hit albums and even singles, with regular appearances on the UK's leading TV music show Top of the Pops.But the usual frictions that dog most bands from time to time led to the departure of the wild and flamboyant Torme and the introduction of Janick Gers for the final chapter that culminated with the band's last show at London's Wembley Arena.Having interviewed most of the band members, Martin Popoff takes us on a detailed ride, documenting the band's remarkable but frantic five-year-journey.

This is the fourth of NettieBaker’s highly acclaimed and entertaining books. In this one she tackles thechallenge of documenting every show by Cream, the legendary band formed by herfather Ginger with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton. Cream lasted just over twoyears (July 1966 - November 1968). They briefly got together again for the Rock& Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1993, and finally made it to theirexciting and well-documented 2005 reunion.Thoroughresearch answers once and for all questions of how Cream formed, were theyCream or The Cream? What really happened when they jammed with Hendrix? Why didthey split up? And much more, debunking many tired old myths in the process.Nettie was really there at the time (offering behind the scenes tit bits) andhas also drawn on the contemporary accounts of how Cream was experienced on theday both by fans and the musicians themselves. As Nettie says, “Crucially,these were very young men who found themselves living in interesting times.”Throw outeverything you thought you knew about them; get to know the young Ginger, Jackand Eric and be prepared for a few surprises. Cream could never have existedand achieved such an enduring legacy without having a deep and profoundfriendship at its core. They were brothers.

In Walking in the Shadow ofthe Blues: The Whitesnake Story—the first ever full biography of theband—top music writer Martin Popoff tells the tale of rock legend DavidCoverdale, from his Deep Purple roots to the two distinct incarnations of hismega-popular creation.Whitesnakebegan life as a UK-based blues rock outfit, until the lad from England’s chillyeast coast transported the act to America’s sunny west coast in search of fame,fortune, big videos and even bigger hair. Coverdale found them all, and 1987’sself-titled album went eight times platinum in the US alone before the band’sbright star waned in the face of grimy grunge.In this book—Popoffconducted 30 interviews of major characters, including Coverdale himself, topiece together the band’s roller-coaster history. He follows their storythrough the hirings and firings, the splits and reunions and the image changeswhich have enabled Coverdale, through his Whitesnake vehicle, to positionhimself firmly within the pantheon of hard rock greats.If you’verocked out to anthems like “Here I Go Again,” “Fool For Your Loving,” “Still OfThe Night” or “Slow An’ Easy,” this is essential reading.Yes, for thejob at hand, Popoff interviewed (and many of them multiple times), DavidCoverdale, Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Micky Moody, Adrian Vandenberg, SteveVai, John Kalodner, Doug Aldrich, Keith Olsen, Ian Paice and many others, todeliver his usual album by chapter, with every song touched upon. So, what areyou waiting for... Come An’ Get It!

German heavy metal heroes Accepthave been headbanging their way around the world since 1979, creating along theway three of the finest metal albums of all time in Restless and Wild, Ballsto the Wall and Metal Heart, with 1981’s Breaker even servingas a cult favourite of those in the know.Fronted bydiminutive shrieker Udo Dirkschneider, the band crafted an intelligent andprofessional sound somewhere along the axis from AC/DC to Judas Priest, whichfound Accept going gold on the strength of their superlative Balls to the Wallrecord of 1983.Acrimonybetween Udo and the guys caused the shocking ouster of their lead singer for1989’s Eat the Heat, and a reunion in the ‘90s didn’t last, causingrenewed tensions before getting back with Mark Tornillo belting it out, andbeyond.Accept havecreated a trio of rock-solid records that finds the band back in charge andcranking out anthems new and old on stages the world over.Come celebrate the career of heavy metal’sbeloved Teutonic terrors, in this updated version of the first book ever on theband in any language. It’s guaranteed that Popoff’s celebrated song-by-songanalysis will have you scurrying back to the catalogue screaming for anotherlove-bite, faster than a shark out of the dark and headbanging over the courseof many long neon nights.

With JonKlein and Martin McCarrick now full-blown members, Siouxsie and The Banshees embarkon one of its most creative and ambitious odysseys, culminating in themultidimensional complexities of the 1988 album Peepshow. Both lyricallyand musically, the Banshees continue to confound expectation with theirprogressively sophisticated and erudite artistry, yielding the groundbreakingsingle ‘Peek-A-Boo’ and propelling the Banshees to number one on the AmericanBillboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Live, the Banshees continue to be a breathtaking entity;the theatricality of their stage shows paralleling the grandiosity of theirsongs. However, the revolving door of personnel changes again threatens toderail the band, this time in the form of their (mis)management, until TimCollins starts to unpick and stabilise the Banshees’ shambolic financialaffairs. Amplifying the strained relations, the first majorrupture between founder members Siouxsie and Steven Severin, while on tour,leads to the Banshees’ hiatus between the end of the Peepshow gigs in December1988 and the release of  ‘Kiss Them ForMe’ in May 1991, reaching the Modern Rock Tracks number one slot for the secondtime; a noticeable divergence from their volatile chart fortunes in the UK.There is a resurgence of The Creatures’ activity, and thealbum Boomerang is released in 1989. At the same time, Severin composesthe film score for director Nigel Wingrove’s Visions Of Ecstasy film. Invited to play the inaugural Lollapalooza tour in Julyand August 1991 alongside bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction andButthole Surfers, the Banshees consolidate their growing popularity in the USAand go down a storm! Convening for two more studio albums, Superstition(1991) and The Rapture (1995), as well as the 1992 Twice Upon A Time:The Singles compilation album, the Banshees go to Hollywood, co-writing thesong ‘Face To Face’ with composer Danny Efman for the 1992 Tim Burton-directedfilm Batman Returns. With tranches of time between activities becomingincreasingly prolonged, it begs the question: have Siouxsie and The Banshees, aband that have stayed the course against often insurmountable odds since 1976,finally reached their journey’s end?

Rock And Roll Survivor charts all the ups and downs of Del Bromham - guitarist, singer and songwriter for the rock band Stray. Del's story takes you back on his 'Time Machine' to share recollections of his life. Born, and growing up in the 1950s. Becoming a teenager in London during the 'swinging 60s'. Forming his first band and learning his musical apprenticeship playing the clubs at the age of fourteen years in his brothers group. Constantly on tour with Stray he recalls tales of Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmister and touring with Kiss and Rush to name but a few. Meeting the Mafia Boss Joe Pagano. His associations with Wilf Pine and Charles Kray (elder brother of the infamous Kray twins) at the offices of the equally infamous Don Arden, along with Arden's daughter Sharon (who became Osbourne). Charting the ups and many downs of being a musician over fifty years in the music business. With forewords by life-long Stray fans, The Damned's Captain Sensible and Iron Maiden's Steve Harris, this is a true rollercoaster ride.

Song-by-song,album-per-chapter book looking at the exemplary catalogue of King Diamond’sdevilish original band, from Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath inthe eighties to a vastly under-rated run of top-shelf reunion records in the nineties.The King Diamond catalogue gets a more informallook-in along the way, but most of this is about the hard, spooky work thatwent into one of the classiest metal catalogues of all time.

First published in 2002, RoyDavies’ Rainbow Rising was the first biography of Ritchie Blackmore’sRainbow. It chronicled the beginnings, break-ups and numerous line-up changesof Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow up to 1997. The biography was a starting pointand was well-received. Overthe two decades since its publication, Roy has spent an enormous amount of timecontinuing his research of this much-loved band, which returned for a series ofconcerts between 2016-19.Roy’s research has been nothing short of phenomenal which has resultedin a massive 230,000 words, which are now split over three volumes, of whichthis is the first part, making this the most extensive and undisputed finalword on Rainbow.

First published in 2002, RoyDavies’ Rainbow Rising was the first biography of Ritchie Blackmore’sRainbow. It chronicled the beginnings, break-ups and numerous line-up changesof Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow up to 1997. The biography was a starting pointand was well-received. Overthe two decades since its publication, Roy has spent an enormous amount of timecontinuing his research of this much-loved band, which returned for a series ofconcerts between 2016-19.Roy’sresearch has been nothing short of phenomenal which has resulted in a massive230,000 words, which are now split over three volumes, of which this is the secondpart, making this the most extensive and undisputed final word on Rainbow.

First published in 2002, RoyDavies’ Rainbow Rising was the first biography of Ritchie Blackmore’sRainbow. It chronicled the beginnings, break-ups and numerous line-up changesof Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow up to 1997. The biography was a starting pointand was well-received. Overthe two decades since its publication, Roy has spent an enormous amount of timecontinuing his research of this much-loved band, which returned for a series ofconcerts between 2016-19.Roy’sresearch has been nothing short of phenomenal which has resulted in a massive230,000 words, which are now split over three volumes, of which this is thefinal part, making this the most extensive and undisputed final word on Rainbow.

By the end of 1973, Deep Purple Mk2 was no more. Ian Gillan had been replaced by David Coverdale on vocals whilst Roger Glover had been replaced by Glenn Hughes on bass and vocals. It left the nucleus of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice to take Deep Purple in a new direction, which eventually came to a halt with the Mk4 line-up in 1976. With Deep Purple In Rock (1970), Fireball (1971), Machine Head (1972) and Who Do We Think We Are (1973) to Mk2’s credit, many fans lived in hope that one day, the band would get back together — with the music press occasionally courting the odd rumour that it would happen! Finally, in April 1984, the reunion of Deep Purple Mk2 was announced. Fans had got their wish. Or had they? With the landscape of rock and pop music having changed since the band’s success in the seventies, and with each member of Deep Purple Mk2 having nurtured very different careers as individuals by that point, a reunion was never going to be plain sailing! In this this book, Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL examines the merits and challenges of what it was for Deep Purple Mk2 to get back together in the eighties. Included is a critical analysis of Mk2’s second round of albums: Perfect Strangers (1984), The House Of Blue Light (1987) and The Battle Rages On… (1993).

Bob Sawyer - one time guitarist with both Iron Maiden & Praying Mantis tells his story covering the previously unchartered depths of the early days of both bands with all the gigs recalled from Bob's own archive, including previously unpublished photos. This unique account details Bob's musical journey from the early seventies to being the guitarist in Iron Maiden during the band's formative years in the mid-seventies - before they had even signed a record contract. The band gigged relentlessly in an around their native East end of London, where they regularly played the pubs and clubs such as the Cart & Horses and Bridge House. Although Bob left Iron Maiden before they were signed to EMI, the advent of a surge in this genre dubbed the New Wave of British Heavy Metal saw Bob touring with one of the chief exponents Praying Mantis as part of the 1980 Metal For Muthas Tour that included bands such as Motorhead, Saxon and Samson, as well as his former band Iron Maiden. Bob also picked up with Iron Maiden again when Praying Mantis toured as the support act on Maiden's first headlining tour. Bob kept diaries, which now published in this book, give a great behind the scenes look at the formative days of not just these bands but of the enduring heavy metal movement as well.

This long-awaited treatise on Montrose and Gamma is first and foremost the story of the five Montrose and four Gamma records, their making and baking, the hirings and firings, the superlative delivery live.Within the detailed analysis, one of course gets to celebrate with the author Montrose classics like `Rock the Nation’, `Make it Last’, `Rock Candy’, `Bad Motor Scooter’, `I Got the Fire’, `Matriarch’ and `Jump on It’, along with the entirety of the Gamma years, including the top-shelf Gamma 2, an album Popoff considers the equal to the earth-shattering first Montrose album of 1973.But there’s a darker turn to this extensive tribute as well, as we look at Ronnie’s shocking suicide in 2012, before we correct the record, so to speak, looking at his legacy as articulated by those who played with him and knew him best. All told, it’s a rough ride, with unsettling doses of negativity, but once our tale winds down, there are more than enough lessons on creativity to satisfy any lover of the arts, particularly those centred around the type of six-string mayhem cooked up by the hero of our story, Ronnie Montrose.

The year 1972 saw the release of Jethro Tull's iconic album, Thick As A Brick. A song spanning two whole sides of the LP with no gaps in between, Thick As A Brick was unusual even by so-called progressive rock standards at the time. Ironically, even though band leader Ian Anderson joked that the album was intended as "a bit of a spoof", it has gone on to be remembered as a masterpiece of the genre nearly fifty years later.In this book, music author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in depth perspective on Thick As A Brick from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Jethro Tull's legacy today.As the author explains: "Basically, the book covers how the album was made, what was going on with the music in terms of the artist's intentions, how it did musically and commercially and what happened next."The narrative is essentially driven by contemporary interviews with the artists with small bits of music theory where relevant... in some cases they delve into the structure / key signatures / time signatures, based on the original sheet music without straying away from being an engaging read for non-musicians.

For Kate Bush, and indeed many in her strong fanbase, The Kick Inside is the album that started it all. Her 1978 debut was certainly attention grabbing; it propelled her to fame and got the ball rolling for a phenomenal career as a much appreciated musician and admired female talent. With the iconic 'Wuthering Heights', the young Kate had captured people's imagination with her original songwriting style and of course, her unique voice.In this book, music author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in depth perspective on The Kick Inside from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Kate Bush's legacy today.As the author explains: "Basically, the book covers how the album was made, what was going on with the music in terms of the artist's intentions, how it did musically and commercially and what happened next."The narrative is essentially driven by contemporary interviews with the artists with small bits of music theory where relevant... in some cases they delve into the structure / key signatures / time signatures, based on the original sheet music without straying away from being an engaging read for non-musicians.

In 1974, Stormbringer was a pivotal album for Deep Purple. The second one made by the Mk3 lineup of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale, it was ultimately the album that would see Blackmore call it a day with Deep Purple until the Mk2 line-up reformed in 1984. Blending a range of styles across heavy rock, funk and soul, Stormbringer is a very unique Deep Purple album and there is a lot to be said about the story behind it. In this book, music author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in depth perspective on Stormbringer from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Deep Purple's legacy today.As the author explains: "Basically, the book covers how the album was made, what was going on with the music in terms of the artist's intentions, how it did musically and commercially and what happened next."The narrative is essentially driven by contemporary interviews with the artists with small bits of music theory where relevant... in some cases they delve into the structure / key signatures / time signatures, based on the original sheet music without straying away from being an engaging read for non-musicians.

A quietly spoken, true English eccentric with something of a rebellious streak, Tony Stratton Smith initially charmed and blustered his way into the music business as a manager during the early 1960s and a few years later, when the record labels stopped playing by what he believed to be the rules, he simply went and formed his own -The Famous Charisma Label - and set about spinning the record business on its head. An independent label like no other, it is fair to say that without Strat's total belief and unwavering long-term support there would be no Genesis - Phil Collins has said as much - and a long line of artists owe Tony a similar debt of gratitude, from Monty Python to Malcolm McLaren, Lindisfarne to Sir John Betjeman, Vivian Stanshall to Julian Lennon.A former sports journalist and close friend to Jimmy Greaves and Sir Matt Busby (Strat narrowly missed a seat in the Munich Air crash) he later became a popular figure in the horse racing world. But making money was never very high on Tony's agenda, simply a means to an end that enabled him to fund the music and mayhem that brought him so much enjoyment. Strat was never happier than when the artists that he had so carefully nurtured were fulfilling their creative potential, delighting in working with the talents of Peter Gabriel, Alan Hull, Clifford T. Ward, Howard Werth and Peter Hammill. Ultimately, what he really cared about were the people, the creativity, about imagination, inspiration and risk, and the sheer joy to be had in bringing all those elements together, lighting the Charisma-pink touch paper and standing back, glass in hand, to watch what might happen when the sparks began to fly.

Denim and Leather is 260 pages of biker metal hail after hail, with two four-page photo sections, loads of fresh interview content, all the facts and dates and even some of the hot disputes.As the back cover crows... Stand Up and Be Counted!Now that there's no more Motorhead, it's up to Iron Maiden and Saxon to uphold the fine tradition of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, something both bands have been doing for over 40 years now. Indeed, 2020 marked the 40th anniversary of Saxon's landmark Wheels of Steel album, a record we celebrate in this book with much reverence and many pints of ale clinked between headbangers clad in both denim and leather.Of course there's more than that but not everything! Indeed, Denim and Leather: Saxon's First Ten Years focuses on the band's golden era, Saxon's prodigious first decade of output. Saxon, Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, Denim and Leather, Power & the Glory, Crusader, Innocence Is No Excuse, Rock the Nations and Destiny each are dedicated stand-alone chapters, inside of which Popoff deconstructs every song across both sides of the original vinyl, while not forgetting bonus tracks and B-sides, as well as the live material along the way, including the beloved The Eagle Has Landed album.It's a glory-bound Saxon-fest that is long overdue, and it is the hope of the author that at the end of this sometimes critical examination that the reader returns to these records with new reflections on the NWOBHM and some of the detrimental things that came after for many bands, the heroes of our story included.

On 26th March 1971 at Newcastle City Hall, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake & Carl Palmer performed their version of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibition. An iconic classical piece given an innovative spin by the talented trio, it was released as an album following the success of their second studio album, Tarkus. In many ways, Pictures At An Exhibition is the underdog of Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s longstanding discography — so much so that there was uncertainty surrounding whether or not it was going to be released at all! And yet, despite the band’s uncertainties surrounding the LP at the time, it is now vital — both in terms of ELP’s history and in the wider sense of how it bridged a gap between rock and classical music. It certainly wasn’t the first album to do this but it is nevertheless a relevant and important part of such discourse.In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on ELP’s Pictures At An Exhibition from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time, how it compares to Mussorgsky’s original piece and what it means in terms of ELP’s legacy today.

In 1994, Korn’s self-titled debut album marked their arrival. It was dark and brash and it demanded attention, as did their second album in 1996, Life Is Peachy. Good going for a new band, but in 1998, Follow The Leader saw Korn’s success and notoriety accelerate exponentially. With constant demand for the singles, ‘Got The Life’ and ‘Freak On A Leash’ on MTV, Korn exceeded their own expectations. For both the band and their fans, this was the start of something exciting, albeit turbulent.In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Follow The Leader from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Korn’s legacy today.

Released in 1978, This Year’s Model was Elvis Costello’s second album and his first with The Attractions. Abundant in clever songwriting that often-made bold observational statements (even about the music industry itself!), This Year’s Model grabbed the attention of both UK and US audiences.In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on This Year’s Model from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Elvis Costello’s legacy today.

When Kate Bush shot to fame in 1978, her public image was that of a sweet young woman who sang about Cathy out on the windy moors, full of melancholy and yearning for Heathcliff. It was charming, inoffensive and, although eccentric, subtle enough to come across as endearing or at least, not challenging. When Kate’s fourth studio album, The Dreaming, was released in 1982, all of that changed. It is an album that some critics loved to hate — and that’s why it matters.In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on The Dreaming from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time, and what it means in terms of Kate Bush’s legacy today.

This biographical work spans Duran Duran's career from their beginning in 1978 until the present day. Having sold over 100 million albums, Duran Duran's story is one of both success and durability. Despite a few line-up changes throughout the years, the band has kept faithful to its ideals and continues to sell records and fill large concert arenas wherever they tour. From the classic years of the early eighties with hits such as "Planet Earth", "Girls on Film", "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Save a Prayer" and "Rio", through the late eighties and the nineties with guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and back again with the classic "Fab Five" line-up, right through to the present day and the most recent album release, Paper Gods, Reach Up For The Sunrise chronicles all the highs and lows of this hard-working and still hugely popular band.

For Jethro Tull, 1975 would prove to be a fascinating year. With Aqualung and Thick As A Brick behind them, and with A Passion Play and War Child having been met with a mixed critical reception, their next album, Minstrel In The Gallery is the product of a band who kept on going and who weren't afraid to explore. Minstrel In The Gallery is abundant in innovative musical ideas and insightful lyrics. Recorded in sunny Monte Carlo and described by Sounds as "a pleasant surprise", the album is a fascinating combination of acoustic and heavy rock teamed with a strings section, and of course, flute.In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Minstrel In The Gallery from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Jethro Tull's legacy today.

Slaves And Masters is arguably one of the most divisive albums in Deep Purple's history. A product of Ian Gillan's sacking from the band and the recruitment of former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, in 1990, Slaves And Masters divided the fanbase enormously. But with four fifths of the classic MKII line-up at the helm and a desire to recapture the live feeling in the studio, that had been a hallmark of their seventies' albums, was it really the worst Deep Purple album as some fans claim?In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Deep Purple's thirteenth studio album from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Deep Purple's legacy today.

Time marches on: by 2022 it will have been fifty years since the release of the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St. and the epic, infamous American tour the band undertook to promote that album. 2022 also marks the 60th anniversary year of the formation of the band. The Rolling Stones In America is published in time to mark both of these anniversaries.Why were the Stones so successful in the States when so many other English bands failed to make their mark? Why was the band so drawn towards American blues music? What was their relationship with the burgeoning American counter-culture? What really happened at Altamont, and why? It could be argued that a marker for the end of the Sixties era might be the Stones' infamous 1972 American tour. So much had changed in the three years since their last American tour that the 1972 tour might deserve deeper attention than it had previously been given; perhaps it might even be as significant as other events that cultural historians traditionally identify to mark the end of the long 1960s - such as Richard Nixon's re-election for a second Presidential term in November 1971, the Watergate scandal and impeachment of 1973 that ended Nixon's presidency, or the American military withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973, with the war ending in defeat in 1975. This hugely detailed tome addresses those questions, making this a unique addition to the Rolling Stones' bibliography.

The album that made a huge star out of David Bowie in 1972 and introduced his Ziggy Stardust persona, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars is iconic for many reasons. Featuring the much-loved ‘Starman’, ‘Moonage Daydream’ and ‘Five Years’, the story of Bowie’s fifth studio album is one that needs to be told in detail.In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Bowie’s legacy today.

From school punk to modern day film producer, Richard Jobson has lived a full and colourful life. A harrowing incident as a child left him suffering with epilepsy but he was a mere fifteen-year-old when he launched the punk rock band The Skids in 1977 with his songwriting partner Stuart Adamson. With hit singles including the immortal 'Into The Valley', after four albums The Skids folded and Jobson formed The Armoury Show whilst Adamson had moved on to form the successful eighties band Big Country.In this cathartic story, Jobson talks candidly about the many trials and tribulations that have shaped his life. He talks openly of his breakdown during the making of The Skids' third album The Absolute Game, detailing the suicidal thoughts going through his mind at the time. More pertinent than he could have imagined given that writing partner Stuart Adamson was to take his own life two decades later. They had remained friends following The Skids break-up and their relationship is explored in detail throughout. In the 1980s Jobson became a familiar face on television as a presenter and film reviewer for Sky Television. In June 2013, he was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor of Arts) from Edinburgh Napier University. Today he is a successful filmmaker but his life has also gone full circle. In 2017 he reactivated The Skids. A successful UK tour prompted demand for more shows in 2018 as well as the band's first new album for over three decades, making this the perfect time to write his memoirs of his time in the band.Into The Valley is a riveting read and a perfect illustration of how one man overcame his disability to become successful in the world of music and film. A first hand account of the late 1970s and early 80s that will appeal not only to punk rock fans but to anyone identifying with Jobson's triumph over adversity.

By 1979, the Ronnie James Dio era of Rainbow was no more. The accessible sound of the band’s Down To Earth album signified Ritchie Blackmore’s explicit intention to go in a more commercial direction. By 1982, with a more secure and cohesive line-up, Rainbow were not only in a good position commercially, but at a strong peak musically. And that’s where Straight Between The Eyes comes in.In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Rainbow’s sixth studio album from a range of angles including how it came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Rainbow’s legacy today.