Dead Kennedys routinely top both critic and fan polls as the greatest punk band of their generation. Their debut full-length, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, in particular, is regularly voted among the top albums in the genre. Fresh Fruit offered a perfect hybrid of humor and polemic strapped to a musical chassis that was as tetchy and inventive as Jello Biafra’s withering broadsides. Those lyrics, cruel in their precision, were revelatory. But it wouldn’t have worked...

When the first edition of this book was published in 2004 it caused enormous controversy with author Joel McIver's account of Metallica's rise and fall exposing the multiple myths that had surrounded the band for years. For the first time a book dared to tell the unvarnished truth about their early life on the San Francisco circuit their heyday as the world's most uncompromising metal band and the notorious controversies which plagued their later years. Napster Playboy Rehab St...

Newly updated to include his critically acclaimed post-millennial work, this look at Tom Waits - both the reality and the myriad myths - reveals the man behind the curtain. A tale of how a self-taught, drunken hipster in roach-killers and a dirty beret has influenced a generation of musicians with his sound, warmth, and willingness to take chances, this biography shows how he has moved between sideshow barker and evocative troubadour with ease, recording almost 20 albums that range from ca...

Teenage punk self-taught musician bandleader session man smoker drinker multi-millionaire David Grohl has achieved a rare feat a rock n roll double crown having been a member of two hugely successful and influential bands Nirvana and The Foo Fighters. Loaded with candid interviews and hard truths about Grohls life in music this is the first comprehensive biography of an icon whose career charts rock and rolls rise and fall over the past two decades. Details his drumming and touring with Qu...

This eBook tells the story of how three young men made themselves into one of the most popular bands in the world, and how their distinctive sound has come to influence a whole new generation of guitar groups.This eBook draws upon the memories of a host of band associates, including Larry Livermore, the founder of Lookout Records and former band mate of Tre Cool, who was an important figure during the bands early days, and John Lucasey, the owner of Studio 880 where the band recorded their...

The basis for the new hit documentary 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything, now streaming on Apple TV+.A rollicking look at 1971, rock’s golden year, the year that saw the release of the indelible recordings of Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, the Who, Rod Stewart, Carole King, the Rolling Stones, and others and produced more classics than any other year in rock history.The Sixties ended a year late. On New Year...

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...

'A fantastic tribute to an amazingly creative musical period . . . An instant pop classic, worthy of a place on your shelves beside the handful of music books that really matter.' John McTernan, Scotland on SundayPunk revitalized rock in the mid-seventies, but the movement soon degenerated into self-parody. Rip It Up and Start Again is the first book-length celebration of what happened next: post-punk bands who dedicated themselves to fulfilling punk's un...

Alan Cross is the preeminent chronicler of popular music.Here he provides a history of U2.This look at the band -- "Four Hearts Beat as One" -- is adapted from the audiobook of the same name.

What links Lead Belly, Lonnie Donegan and Black Betty? Whose gravestoneinspired Phil Spector's first hit? And for which song did Johnny Rotten replace the singer from Def Leppard?The rich history of popular music is built on a foundation of classic songs. From Tin Pan Alley to the Brill Building, Bob Dylan to Kurt Cobain, and Joni Mitchell to Amy Winehouse, gifted songwriters have crafted a cherished body of music that has become part of our...

This is the uncensored independent guide to the music of Bob Dylan. This authoritative eBook encompasses the complete inside story of the man and his music, tracing the Bob Dylan story from his early folk roots through to the world wide musical phenomenon that we know today. Also included is an in-depth track-by-track analysis of his studio albums.Made with complete editorial freedom, this powerful independent eBook has not been authorised or vetted by Bob Dylan or his management.

An explosive, groundbreaking album that crowned a new king of rock in just 33 minutesBefore Elvis Costello was one of Rolling Stone’s greatest artists of all time, before he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was Declan P. McManus, an office drone with a dull suburban life and a side gig in a pub rock band. In 1976, under the guidance of legendary label Stiff Records, he transformed himself into the snarling, spectacled artist who defied ...