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...

The missing Manic - an authoritative look into the life and times of Richey Edwards, the Manic Street Preachers' guitarist who disappeared in 1995.The disappearance of Richey Edwards, troubled guitarist with the Manic Street Preachers, is one of rock and roll's great unresolved mysteries. His Vauxhall Cavalier was found abandoned in a service station car park near the Severn Bridge, a notorious suicide spot, in February 1995, a fortnight after Edwards had last been...

The perfect resource for the statistics junkies, tactics lovers, and analysis gurus who follow the beautiful game This book debunks a few long-standing myths from the world of soccer. It examines the aspects of the game that are often overlooked, ignored, and taken for granted, and explains how and why football is a sport which is regularly misinterpreted. After taking a look at legends from the past and trends for the future that are outlined here, readers will never watch the game in the...

“We’ve sort of flirted with greatness,” R.E.M.’s Peter Buck admitted. “But we’ve yet to make a record as good as Big Star’s Third.”Although Big Star were together for less than four years and had little commercial success, the influence of their three original albums—#1 Record, Radio City, and Third—continues to grow. Big Star bucked all the musical trends of the 70s. In an era of glam and prog rock they wrote catchy, radio-frien...

In August 1964 The Kinks released their third single. After a little noticed debut and a follow-up that had failed to chart at all, Pye Records were threatening to annul the group’s contract. But with its unforgettable distorted guitar riff, 'You Really Got Me’ went on to reach No.1, entering the US Top Ten later the same year. Followed by a string of hits, it marked the breakthrough of one of Britain’s most innovative and influential bands, and a turning point in the fortunes of two broth...

The inside story of The Jam and The Style Council by the man who oversaw their careers!Record industry executive Dennis Munday's frank account reveals the trials and triumphs of Paul Weller's career, from The Jam's first single in 1977 to the break-up of The Style Council in 1989. He also writes about Weller's post-style Council solo career with a unique insight.Working for Polydor, the author became a regular presence at the two groups' many recording sessions, effectively...

Goodnight and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Britain is a social history, a diary of a nation's changing culture, and an in-depth appraisal of one of our greatest broadcasters, a man who can legitimately be called the most influential figure in post-war British popular music.Without the support of John Peel, it's unlikely that innumerable artists - from David Bowie to Dizzee Rascal, Jethro Tull to Joy Division - would have received...

"A revelation...the most perceptive book written about an Australian rock figure" Sydney Morning HeraldWhen Bon Scott died in London in 1980, AC/DC were on the brink of becoming the world's biggest rock band. As the lightning bolt of lyrical inspiration behind their songs and frontman for their high voltage live performances, Bon was already a legend. In death, he became the ultimate Australian rock icon.Highway to Hell tells Bon Scott's s...

In 1976 music changed forever with the arrival of a self-empowering alternative to the bloated, sterile rock music of the day. From Cardiff to Caithness, from Portrush to Plymouth, bands promoted their own gigs, designed their own artwork and organised their own pressing and distribution. This exhaustive book, based on over 200 interviews with the participants, chronicles not only the good and the great, the icons of the punk movement, but celebrates some of the fantastic lost bands and mu...

Glasgow-born Alex Harvey's career began in the 1950s when he won a competition to become Scotland's answer to Tommy Steele (he dubbed himself 'Last of the Teenage Idols'). He was a devoted family man but in front of an audience he became an unforgettable entertainer - courageous, provocative and intense. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band eventually became one of the most exciting live acts of the 1970s, taking in Jacques Brel, rock and vaudeville.But Harvey's life offstage was beset...

Ever been thrown off the bus in the middle of a Swedish forest or asked to play at one of the UK's biggest music festivals with musicians you've just met who are covered in blood? If so you've probably been in The Fall. Dave Simpson made it his mission to track down everyone who has ever played in Britain's most berserk, brilliant group. He uncovers a changing Britain, tales of madness and genius, and wreaks havoc on his own life.

An accurate, detailed and fascinating account of the life of a man whose story should have been told in this much detail long ago. Author Mark Wilkerson interviewed Townshend himself and several of Townshend's friends and associates for this biography.