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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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 1978, the landscape of pop music had changed considerably since Jethro Tull’s earlier hit albums Aqualung (1971) and Thick As A Brick (1972). Punk, disco and new wave were in and progressive rock’s heyday was over. Despite all of this, during the year of the band’s tenth anniversary, a cohesive line-up of Jethro Tull worked happily together to release the successful studio album, Heavy Horses.In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Heavy Horses 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.

Released in 1980, bold and original, Remain In Light features a fascinating blend of African-inspired music and innovative use of recording technology. Hosting the hit single ‘Once In A Lifetime’, it was an album that commanded attention. As Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison put it, “Remain In Light was the beginning of a new vision. It was a very creative period and really amazing.”In this book, Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Remain In Light 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 Talking Heads’ legacy today.

With riots, prison sentences and equipment stolen, 1980 and the earlier part of 1981 was an incredibly turbulent time for The Stranglers. Their misfortune provided the press with excellent stories but rarely was their music written about. Understandably, with its paranoid exploration of extraterrestrial themes, The Gospel According To The Meninblack hadn’t really caught on.With everything to play for when it came to making the next album, La Folie – and indeed the hit single, ‘Golden Brown’ – it would see The Stranglers back at the top of their game.In this book, Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on La Folie 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 The Stranglers’ legacy today.

Deep Purple In Rock is, as its iconic cover suggests, a landmark in rock music. From its opening moments of mayhem to its final crash into incoherent noise, it is a fuzzbox fuelled masterpiece with not a single wasted moment. Its release was also a watershed moment for the band, a defiant and irrevocable statement that they were going in a different direction from that followed on their first three albums. It would be wrong, however, to suggest that the album came from nowhere. Not only was it one side in a musical debate that had been raging within the band, but its antecedents can be traced through both Deep Purple's earlier releases and those of some of the source bands from which the principal players were drawn. Sculpting In Rock takes up that challenge, exploring the roots of the album, placing it into its proper context to consider how it was produced as well as why it was produced. Part history, part essay, part memoir, the book is essential reading for any fan of Deep Purple, In Rock or the exciting, uncompromising, genre of which it is arguably the masterpiece.

The Damned are forever in the history books as the first UK punk band to get an album out. Damned Damned Damned was a flamethrower of a record, led by the incendiary violence of “New Rose” (first UK punk single as well) and “Neat Neat Neat,” two shocking punk anthems that defined the golden era of the new wave more purely pogo-mad than anything outta The Clash or the Sex Pistols.And the mayhem never let up, with the band already breaking up and reforming (another first!) by 1979 for one of the greatest punk albums of all time, Machine Gun Etiquette (by the way, The Damned were also the first UK punk band to tour America). More punch-ups and gratuitous vandalism ensued as the band expanded its palette through the years. Popoff has wanted to write Lively Arts: The Damned Deconstructed for decades, and now that it’s finished, he’s been all over video and radio calling it his favourite and best book he’s ever done. For in it, Popoff got to analyse monastically — headphones and repeat button at the ready — every damned Damned song across all the albums and every EP and single. This herculean task represented a joy of an exercise from a penmanship point of view, but it was most satisfying in a proselytizing sense — Martin wants everybody joining him in poring over The Damned catalogue in minute detail. Let this long-suffering band of scrapping, scratching cats in a sack know how important and beloved they are before they’re all dead!

Throughout the 1970s, Emerson Lake & Palmer were phenomenally prolific. Not only that, but each of their albums brought something new and innovative to the minds of their many fans.From the early days of the band and their iconic performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970, to Love Beach and beyond, this book documents the amazing journey of a band whose legacy not only continues to attract a loyal following, but who are still held in high regard by their peers.Historic documentation of some of the band’s under-reported gigs, and context surrounding each of their albums throughout the seventies – it’s all in here as Laura Shenton MA LLCM Dip(RSL) offers a detailed and comprehensive exploration.

Pete Brown is a lot of things. A major songwriting talent who was responsible for Cream's classic musical moments, important collaborations with Jack Bruce and such notable experiments in jazz and rock as The Battered Ornaments, Graham Bond and countless progressive music groups. A talented poet who helped pioneer the emerging UK Beat scene in the sixties, making history with his earliest performances and going poetic toe to toe with the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Gregory Corso. He was also a child of war and the memories of The Blitz are still with him to this day. He is an anarchist at heart who believes in the mantra of telling it like it is and has done as much through the decades of a songwriter, musician, producer and poet. Within certain circles Pete Brown is a legend, a creative force of nature who is constantly on the move to the next big thing. To much of the world, Pete Brown is an unknown quantity, known for his Cream fame and not much else. With this book, Pete Brown: The Poet Who Rocks, the creative whirlwind will be on full display. This is Pete Brown. Now his story can be told.

The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in 1956, only seven countries participated. In 2022 forty-one countries took part making it the biggest song competition in the world today.Over 161 million people tuned into watch the 2022 competition. This book isn't about the song contest as a whole, it solely concentrates on the United Kingdom entries from the first artist, Patricia Bredin in 1957, up to the last, Sam Ryder, who represented the United Kingdom in 2022. The statistics of each year, referencing the artists, compositions, venues and final placings, from the highs of winning to the lows of last place and even zero points make interesting reading.This book is a must for any die-hard Eurovision fan to add to their collection.