The Ramones were the hard-hitting New York punk band that erupted in nervy 1974 when a serial killer terrorised the city and civic bankruptcy loomed.From their beginnings in Queens and the burgeoning punk scene at CBGB’s, through the excitement of their first album, a brush with Phil Spector and more than two thousand concerts over a 22 year period, The Ramones always were a force to be reckoned with.This is their full story told in dramatic graphic style: the in-fighting, ...

From their 1974 debut at New York's premier punk dive through the classic albums and blistering live sets The Ramones cut an unforgettable swathe through two decades of pop setting the scene for punk and hardcore with honed-down songs and ferocious 20 minute sets but always putting the music first. Seen through the eyes of the people who were there at the time including musicians managers producers publicists and New York punk scenesters this book shows the heroic Ramones staying faithful ...

'Enlightening' - Stephen KingTHE FINAL WORD ON THE GENIUS AND MISCHIEF OF THE RAMONES, TOLD BY THE MAN WHO KEPT THE BEAT – AND LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT.When punk rock reared its spiky head in the early seventies, Marc Bell had the best seat in the house. Already a young veteran of the prototype American metal band Dust, Bell took residence in artistic, seedy Lower Manhattan, where he played drums in bands that would shape rock music for decades to come, including Wayne County, ...

Black Flag were the pioneers of American Hardcore, and this is their blood-spattered story.Formed in Hermosa Beach, California, in 1978, for eight brutal years they made and played brilliant, ugly, no-holds-barred music on a self-appointed touring circuit of America’s clubs, squats, and community halls. They fought with everybody: the police, the record industry and even their own fans. They toured overseas on pennies a day and did it in beat-up trucks and vans.Spray Pa...

When Nirvana first exploded onto the music scene in 1991 with the anthemic 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', few people could've predicted their subsequent global impact. No one knew then that Nevermind would become one of the seminal albums of the decade, selling over 30 million copies worldwide and spearheading a whole new 'grunge' movement. In so doing, the band's lead singer Kurt Cobain was transformed into one of music's most enduring and iconic figures.As drummer for the British group Capta...

Of all the straight talking bands thrown up in the Seventies punk explosion, none talked straighter than The Clash. Fiercely proud of their rebel status, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon rarely wavered in their commitment to spreading a message of social justice through their music. Here’s what they said at the time, and after it was over.Author Nick Johnstone presents The Clash, in their own words...Parental advisory note: Explicit contents....

A fascinating insider's account of the notorious three months that turned the British music industry on its head.Here is the story of how the Sex Pistols shocked and shamed EMI—the UK's most revered and profitable record company—and ended up £40,000 the richer thanks to manager Malcolm McLaren's cunning business strategy.Author Brian Southall is the former EMI PR executive who was there during the whole infamous Sex Pistols/EMI affair. For the first time, he now tells the w...

Crass was the anarcho-punk face of a revolutionary movement founded by radical thinkers Penny Rimbaud and Steve Ignorant.When punk ruled the waves, Crass waived the rules and took it further, putting out their own records, films and magazines and setting up a series of situationist pranks that were dutifully covered by the world's press. Not just another iconoclastic band, Crass was a musical, social and political phenomenon.Commune-dwellers who were rarely photographed and...

As lead singer of The Pogues and as a solo artist, Shane MacGowan is a defining figure of modern Irish music. Among the greatest songwriters of his generation, he has infused traditional Irish folk with the spirit of punk and a bleary-eyed romanticism to create a compelling and unique musical brew. Joe Merrick's biography is an incredible story, sometimes sad, sometimes wonderful, and often soaked in a mixture of alcohol and genius.

The Sex Pistols’ story is one of opportunity and outrage; arising from the chaotic slums of the punk movement, Jonny Rotten and Sid Vicious typified the anarchy and anger of their generation like none-other. In little over three years the Sex Pistols had transformed popular music and paved the way the likes of the Ramones and The Clash to gain recognition and acceptance in their wake.In a revolutionary flurry the band mocked and shunned the Briti...

The shimmering, muscular guitar pop of The Smiths shone like a beacon through the eighties as they took up the mantle of the best British band since The Beatles. Their unparalleled musicality inspired a generation of popular bands including Oasis, the Stone Roses and Radiohead. Johnny Marr was the genius behind that revolutionary sound. Manchester-born Marr has proved to be a gun-slinger without equal, a guitarist who rode the longest highways to find the most thrilling sounds and who buil...

Dexys Midnight Runners were one of the most misunderstood and overlooked groups of the 1980s. At the centre of it all, their front man and originator, Kevin Rowland, had a reputation for maintaining control and domination over Dexys at all costs.In the first comprehensive history of the band, author, Richard White, has conducted in-depth interviews with former members on the experience of being a Midnight Runner. Shedding light on the Dexys legend, including the fractious ...