Thomas Dolby is a five-time Grammy nominee, whose 'She Blinded Me With Science' reached number 5 on the US Billboard charts in 1982, appeared in Breaking Bad, and was even covered by The Muppets...Based on his meticulous notes and journals, The Speed of Sound chronicles Dolby's life in the music business during the eighties; in Silicon Valley through the nineties, and at the forefront of the mobile phone revolution around the turn of the millennium – it was Dolby who created the syn...

It is 1913, and the plutocrats of the New York Yacht Club have amassed more power and wealth than the US Treasury itself.Davey and Jacob Haskell, brothers from a poor lobster fishing community in Maine, have a single shot at greatness when they try out for the sailing crew of a NYYC millionaire’s luxury racing yacht.Honor, betrayal, and the cruelty of an egomaniacal skipper put the brothers’ family loyalties to the test as they set out to expose a dark secret covered up for...

A sociologist explores the many ways that digital natives' interaction with technology has changed their relationship with people, places, jobs, and other stabilizing structures and created a new way of life that is at odds with the American Dream of past generations. Digital natives are hacking the American Dream. Young people brought up with the Internet, smartphones, and social media are quickly rendering old habits, values, behaviors, and norms a distant memory--creating the greatest g...

The remarkable story of rising to the top of the music charts, a second act as a tech pioneer, and the sustaining power of creativity and art.Thomas Dolby's hit songs "She Blinded Me with Science" and "Hyperactive!" catapulted him to international fame in the early 80's. A pioneer of New Wave and Electronica, Thomas combined a love for invention with a passion for music, and the result was a new sound that defined an era of revolutionary music. But as record compan...

With a new introduction by Nick RhodesThe talent. The charisma. The videos. From their 1981 hit "Planet Earth" to their latest number-one album, All You Need Is Now, John Taylor and Duran Duran have enchanted audiences around the world. It's been a wild ride, and—for John in particular—dangerous. John recounts the story of the band's formation, their massive success, and his journey to the brink of self-destruction. Told with humor, honesty—and pa...

A Rolling Stone Top 10 Best Music Books of the Year“That’s what I’m talking about…Of all these memoirs, Dancing With Myself was the only one that stimulated my envy—made me want to be Billy Idol for five minutes….He’s a genuine romantic, writing in a kind of overheated journalese about his London punk rock roots…and then falling head over heels for America.” —James Parker, The New York Times Book ReviewIn this high...

The definitive history of Pink Floyd, one of the world's greatest bands, by founder Nick Mason.'One of the greatest stories in the pantheon of rock' Guardian'Wise and witty' Ian Rankin'A miracle' Ruby WaxOne of the most fascinating rock bands ever, Pink Floyd was formed in 1965. After a year in the London 'underground' experimenting with revolutionary techniques such as lights that ...

Includes full set lists not included in the physical edition.In this final installment of his internationally bestselling three-part memoir—including The Hacienda and Unknown Pleasures—British rocker Peter Hook focuses on the 1980s New Wave and Dance Punk scene and the rise of one of the most influential bands of the Second British Invasion: New Order.Resurrected from the ashes of Joy Division after the suicide of its le...

Alan Cross is the preeminent chronicler of popular music.Here he provides a history of David Bowie's career from his start as Davy Jones through the end of the millennium.This look at Bowie -- "Shape-shifter, Actor, Artist, Gay Icon" -- is adapted from the audiobook of the same name.

'The book is f***ing BRILLIANT! Just arrived NYC and wanked myself laughing. Literally tears. Irritated looks all around. What a great writer you are. It's a classic. You absolutely got the whole shite early 70s thing down precisely as it was. Names, smells, sounds, looks, the food, drink, girls, boys! Mega! Well done.' - Bob GeldofIn a sodden tent at a '70s festival, the teenage Mark Ellen had a dream. He dreamt that music was a rich meadow of possibility, a liberating leap to a s...

Do you remember trying to solve the Rubik's cube whilst dressed in your He-Man picture pyjamas?Did you try to make 'cool' sound effects with your mouth like Jones from Police Academy?Or maybe you swooned over Scott and Charlene's (aka Jason and Kylie's) wedding of the year?If that sounds like you, there's no mistaking you were a child of the eighties. Rev up your DeLorean, switch on the Flux Capacitor and take a cruise back through...

George Michael is an enigma. While he is one of the most open and vocal pop superstars on the planet, he also fiercely protective of his privacy. From the formation of Wham! In 1981 he immediately found fame and fortune beyond his wildest dreams. His music formed the soundtrack to the 1980s and he achieved all of this despite growing up in a dysfunctional family where his father openly proclaimed that George had no talent.Wham! split in 1986 but Michael went on to greater things as...