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...

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...

An intimate, magisterial biography of David Bowie, drawn from over 180 interviews with friends, rivals, lovers, and collaborators—“the ultimate oral history of the artist’s life and musical journey” (Billboard)“There have been many books about David Bowie, both before and after his death, but GQ editor Dylan Jones’s is among the best, as well as the most revelatory.”—The GuardianTracing David Bowie’s life from the...

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.

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...

In 1982, aged twenty-three, Simon Parkes paid £1 for a virtually derelict building in Brixton. Over the next fifteen years he turned it into Britain's most iconic music venue. And now he's telling his story: full of fond - and wild - reminiscences of the famous musicians who played at the venue, including Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Lou Reed, The Ramones, New Order, the Beastie Boys and The Smiths.This is about one man's burning desire for success against the odds, his passion for...

This is the powerful, detailed and enlightening biography of the iconic composer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist - the inimitable Prince.Prince was an icon. A man who defined an era of music and changed the shape of popular culture forever. There is no doubt that he was one of the most talented and influential artists of all time, and also one of the most mysterious. On 21st April 2016 the world lost its Prince; it was the day the mus...

Guy Pratt's life as bass player to the stars. The book behind the successful comedy show.Guy Pratt came of age just as playing bass became cool, with the likes of Paul Simonon and Bruce Foxton. Having dallied with Funkapolitan, Pratt suddenly found himself on Top of the Pops and supporting David Bowie with smooth Australian outfit Icehouse.At a ludicrously young age Guy Pratt became a sought after bass player to the stars, finding himself crawling from stud...