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The Penguin Companion to Classical Music
By Paul Griffiths. 2004
This superbly authoratitive new work provides a comprehensive A-Z guide to some 1000 years of Western music. It explores in…
detail the lives and achievements of a vast range of composers, as well as looking at such key topics as music history (from medieval plainchant to contemporary minimalism), performers, theory and jargon. Throught Griffiths skilfully blends lightly worn scholarship with personal insight, whether examining the emotional colouring that different musical keys achieve or charting the rise and development of the symphony.The Peel Sessions: A story of teenage dreams and one man's love of new music
By Ken Garner. 2007
This is a story of teenage dreams, which, as any Peel fan knows, are hard to beat. Between 1967 and…
2004 John Peel picked over 2000 bands to come and record over 4000 sessions to be played on his radio show. Many were young and had never been in a recording studio before, for some it was the start of an illustrious career, for others it was the only recognition their musical talent ever got. For over 35 years the cream of British musical talent made the journey to the BBC's studio in Maida Vale, from Pink Floyd to Pulp, the Small Faces to the Smiths. And because John Peel was so respected his sessions took on a legendary status - they were a rite of passage that every new band wanted to go through. Unfettered by commerical pressure the Peel Sessions were a unique British institution - an archive of music that reflects one man's passion for finding and encouraging new music.Includes a full sessionography listing songs, band members and broadcast dates.Jarvis Cocker writing about his first Peel Session aged 18 (Wayne the drummer was 15):'We travelled down to Maida Vale in a van driven by a very strange man we'd contacted via a card pinned to the Virgin record shop noticeboard. We'd had to borrow lots of equipment from a band called The Naughtiest Girl Was a Monitor 'cause we didn't have enough stuff of our own. The session was to be produced by Dale Griffin, who used to be the drummer in Mott the Hoople; I seem to remember that he was wearing cowboy boots.I think the crisis point came when Wayne was attempting to get a home-made synth-drum to work that a friend of his at school had made out of a rubber burglar-alarm mat and an old electronic calculator - Dale Griffin looked at this 15-year-old kid crouching on the floor bashing what looked like a doormat with some wires coming out of it and just put his head in his hands. But to his credit, the session did get finished and after it, everything else started for me...'Paul Weller - The Changing Man
By Paolo Hewitt. 2007
Paolo Hewitt has known Paul Weller since they were both teenagers in the depths of Woking, through his ascent to…
fame with The Jam, the halcyon years of The Style Council and for all of his critically acclaimed solo career. Hewitt has even been the inspiration for some of Weller's songs - and he has extraordinary in-depth knowledge of the inspiration behind the rest.Once, when Hewitt interviewed Weller for a music magazine, he complained - 'I don't know why people ask me all these questions. All the answers are in my songs.' Largely unnoticed, Weller has used thirty-years of lyrics to explore his personal history and beliefs. Taking as his starting point these lyrics, alongside a lifetime's friendship, Paolo Hewitt shows us the real Paul Weller, the man inside the music.Overpaid, Oversexed and Over There: How a Few Skinny Brits with Bad Teeth Rocked America
By David Hepworth. 2020
The Beatles landing in New York in February 1964 was the opening shot in a cultural revolution nobody predicted. Suddenly…
the youth of the richest, most powerful nation on earth was trying to emulate the music, manners and the modes of a rainy island that had recently fallen on hard times.The resulting fusion of American can-do and British fuck-you didn’t just lead to rock and roll’s most resonant music. It ushered in a golden era when a generation of kids born in ration card Britain, who had grown up with their nose pressed against the window of America’s plenty, were invited to wallow in their big neighbour’s largesse.It deals with a time when everything that was being done - from the Beatles playing Shea Stadium to the Rolling Stones at Altamont, from the Who performing their rock opera at the Metropolitan Opera House to David Bowie touching down in the USA for the first time with a couple of gowns in his luggage - was being done for the very first time.Rock and roll would never be quite so exciting again.Over the Moon: My Autobiography
By David Essex. 2012
As a young schoolboy, David Essex dreamed of becoming a professional footballer, and was signed up by his beloved West…
Ham United, but as a teenager he developed a passion for music which set him on a very different path, and ultimately led to superstardom.It wasn't, however, an easy start. Scraping a living on the edges of show business was a hard slog, and he endured many disappointments. Then aged 23, he went along to an audition for a new musical called Godspell and won the role of Jesus that was to shoot him to fame. Within a year he was starring in the smash hit film, That'll Be the Day, and had written and recorded his first number one single 'Rock On'.It was the start of Essex Mania, and a long journey of undreamt of adventure. From Godspell to EastEnders it's been an amazing life. And here is David's full incredible story – in his own words.Our World: Our OFFICIAL autobiography
By Little Mix. 2016
Celebrate Little Mix's first UK number-one album - Glory Days - by reading the full story of the girls' astonishing…
rise to pop super stardom. Our World is full of exclusive photos and inspirational stories about Jade, Perrie, Jesy and Leigh-Anne's unique friendship.Little Mix are the UK's most successful girl band. They first found fame - and each other - on The X Factor in 2011. Five years later they have gone from strength to strength, achieving huge global success. With three platinum-selling albums in the UK and over 14 million record sales worldwide, the band are both adored by their fans and critically acclaimed for their brilliant music. In this book the girls share the real behind-the-scenes story of both their personal lives and their success. They reveal the many highs - what it feels like to perform in front of thousands of people; the excitement of seeing your music soar to Number One around the world - but also the lows. Through it all the girls have had each other, and their incredibly close friendship has grown stronger and stronger as the years have gone by. Now the girls are like sisters, and in this book they share their journeys and how it feels for your dreams to come true.Brimming with exclusive photos, this book shares with us the girls' innermost secrets - their hopes and dreams for the future, their families, their relationships, their style advice and above all their friendship. This book is Little Mix's story in their own words and tells you everything you need to know about their lives both in and out of the spotlight.A shout-out to all fans of Rak-Su - this is their story, from where it all began to where they…
are now, full of exclusive stories and pictures. Make it a special day. Make it a Rak-Su day! __________Rak-Pack! Are you ready for our official story?As long as we've been friends, we've been creating our unique sound of soul, R'n'B, Hip-Hop, Latin and Caribbean music.Keeping the momentum going from our X-Factor journey, we are now performing at sold-out arenas, making more music and having fun!So why not join us on the adventure? Unrivalled access to never-before-seen photos, intimate stories, and behind-the-scenes info - in our first and only memoir!_________Ashley, Jamaal, Myles and Mustafa shot to stardom in 2017 as the first ever male group to win the X-Factor. Since then, the soulful boys have been topping the charts with their eclectic sound, performing at sold-out arenas, touring with global sensation Little Mix, recording their first album and most recently dropping their brand new hit single, Pyro Ting.Join Rak-Su on their journey from ordinary North-West London lads, to victors of one of the world's biggest talent shows in their one and ONLY! OFFICIAL memoir, Our Journey.The Old Grey Whistle Test Quiz Book
By Mark Paytress. 2012
Bob Dylan. Tom Waits. Blondie. The Ramones. REM. The Who. Fleetwood Mac. Led Zeppelin. The list goes on and on.The…
Old Grey Whistle Test has played host to some of the biggest names in music and has assumed its rightful place at the pinnacle of rock history - but how much of a fan are you?Do you know your Bowie backlist? Could your knowledge of Lennon long-players stand up to scrutiny? And can you tell your glam rock from your hair metal? This collection delves deep into the Whistle Test archives to pose over 2,500 quiz questions on your favourite artists, from global megastars to obscure one-time guests on the show. Play in teams or test your own knowledge on questions covering a whole range of musical puzzles, from lost albums and banned songs to classic solos, one-hit wonders and more.The Official Radio 6 Music Quiz Book
By Nick Holt. 2016
BBC Radio 6 Music is the place for alternative music – and this is the quiz for its fans. From…
indie pop and iconic rock to trip hop, electronica and dance, these questions will test your knowledge of the last 60 years of floor-fillers, cult classics and the best B-sides to the limit. Including dedicated quizzes on your favourite 6 Music shows, like Lauren Laverne's People's Playlist, Guy Garvey's Finest Hour, Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service and more, find out how much you can really call yourself the king of rock n' roll.Nothing is Real: The Beatles Were Underrated And Other Sweeping Statements About Pop
By David Hepworth. 2018
Pop music’s a simple pleasure. Is it catchy? Can you dance to it? Do you fancy the singer?But what’s fascinating…
about pop is our relationship with it. David Hepworth is interested in the human side of pop. He’s interested in how people make the stuff and, more importantly, what it means to us. In this collection of essays written throughout his career, Hepworth shows how it is possible to take music seriously and, at the same time, not drain the life out of it. From the legacy of the Beatles to the dramatic decline of the record shop via the bewildering nomenclature of musical genres; with characteristic insight and humour Hepworth asks some essential questions about music and, indeed, life: is it all about the drummer; are band managers misunderstood; and is it appropriate to play ‘Angels’ at funerals?As Pope John Paul II said ‘of all the unimportant things, football is the most important’. David Hepworth believes the same to be true of music and this selection of his best writing, covering the music of last fifty years, shows you precisely why.‘This collection offers counterintuitive takes on everything from Sixties B-sides to wedding music’ - GQThe Nineties: What the F**ck Was That All About?
By John Robb. 1999
IF YOU REMEMBER THE NINETIES...YOU WERE THERE!The Rock 'N' Roll Fifties. The Swinging Sixties. The trashy Seventies. The money-grabbing Eighties.…
There is a neat bunch of clichés for every era, but THE NINETIES...What the f**k was that all about?John Robb takes us on a personal odyssey through the definitive pop cultural moments that shaped the decade in the UK.The Nightingale: ‘The nature book of the year’
By Sam Lee. 1819
'Wondering and wonderful. The nature book of the year.' JOHN LEWIS-STEMPEL'This lovely book is almost as thrilling as the bird's…
immortal song - balm for a troubled soul and a glimpse of paradise.' JOANNA LUMLEY______________________________Come to the forest, sit by the fireside and listen to intoxicating song, as Sam Lee tells the story of the nightingale.Every year, as darkness falls upon woodlands, the nightingale heralds the arrival of Spring. Throughout history, its sweet song has inspired musicians, writers and artists around the world, from Germany, France and Italy to Greece, Ukraine and Korea. Here, passionate conservationist, renowned musician and folk expert Sam Lee tells the story of the nightingale. This book reveals in beautiful detail the bird's song, habitat, characteristics and migration patterns, as well as the environmental issues that threaten its livelihood.From Greek mythology to John Keats, to Persian poetry and 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square', Lee delves into the various ways we have celebrated the nightingale through traditions, folklore, music, literature, from ancient history to the present day. The Nightingale is a unique and lyrical portrait of a famed yet elusive songbird.______________________________'Sam Lee has brought the poetic magic that has long enchanted so many of his musical fans into the written word. Allow yourself to glimpse the world Sam sees, to be part of his love affair with the nightingale, and you will no doubt be delighted.' LILY COLE'A wonderful book.' STEPHEN MOSS'A magical marriage of the lyrical and practical: a book that makes us want to seek out the nightingale and then reveals how we can.' TRISTAN GOOLEYNico: Life And Lies Of An Icon
By Richard Witts. 1970
Nico was revered as ‘the most beautiful creature who ever lived’. She was Andy Warhol’s femme fatale and the High…
Preistess of Weird, yet few knew her real name or her wretched origins. When she called herself ‘a Nazi anarchist junkie’, they thought she was joking.Bob Dylan wrote a song about her, Jim Morrison a poem, Jean Baudrillard an essay, Andy Warhol a film, Ernest Hemingway a story – yet she fought against the idolatry of men to assert her independence as a composer of dissident songs.Nico’s contribution as an artist (17 films and 7 LPs) was smothered by gossip of her alleged affairs with men and women, whether Jimi Hendrix or Jeanne Moreau, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones or Coco Chanel.She drifted through society like a phantom. Each era celebrated a different Nico – the top covergirl of the Fifties, the Siren of the Sixties (as The Times acclaimed her), the Moon Goddess of the Seventies, and the High Priestess of Punk when rock stars like Siouxsie Sioux and Pattie Smith acknowledged her pre-eminence. Ironically, they did so at the lowest point in her life. For behind the Garbo-esque veneer lived a lonely woman trying to stand autonomous in a fast-changing world, seeking to survive her heroin addiction and to cope with her tormented mother and her troubled son, his existence denied by his film-star father.In this pioneer biography, which Nico asked the author to write shortly before her outlandish death in 1988, Richard Witts uncovers the reasons for her subterfuge, and examines the facts surrounding her encounters with terrorist Andreas Baader, the Black Panthers, and the Society for Cutting Up Men. Exclusive contributions from artists such as Jackson Browne, Iggy Pop, Viva, John Cale, David Bailey, Siouxsie Sioux – and many others including her relatives, friends and enemies – make this the definitive biography of an icon who was not only a testament to an era but hitherto unrecognised influence on popular music and style.The New Pocket Kobbé's Opera Book
By Earl Of Harwood. 1999
The New Pocket Kobbe's Complete Opera Book is the world's leading reference work on opera, and (in the words of…
Bernard Levin) 'no single-volume operatic guide can possibly compare with it'. Kobbe is the only book which summaries the libretti of the world's opera, describes their music and gives a history of their performance within a single volume. But it is a large and relatively expensive book. The new pocket edition, at a price accessible to the huge new audience for opera, has been redesigned and extended, existing entries have been rewritten, and new operas included. The total number of works covered is now over 200, including important new works like John Adams Nixon in China, Harrison Birtwistle's Gawain and Thomas Ades's Powder Her Face, and a number of half-forgotten works that are now undergoing revival. Unlike the previous edition, it is now simply arranged, alphabetically by composer. Lord Harewood's strongly individual commentaries, together with his unparalleled knowledge of and enthusiasm for opera, make the New Pocket Kobbe a book no opera-goer can afford to be without.The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs
By Julia Bishop, Steve Roud. 2012
One of the Spectator's Books of the Year 2012'Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladiesFarewell and adieu to you…
ladies of SpainFor we've received orders for to sail for old EnglandBut we hope in a short while to see you again'One of the great English popular art forms, the folk song can be painful, satirical, erotic, dramatic, rueful or funny. They have thrived when sung on a whim to a handful of friends in a pub; they have bewitched generations of English composers who have set them for everything from solo violin to full orchestra; they are sung in concerts, festivals, weddings, funerals and with nobody to hear but the singer.This magical new collection brings together all the classic folk songs as well as many lesser-known discoveries, complete with music and annotations on their original sources and meaning. Published in cooperation with the English Folk Dance and Song Society, it is a worthy successor to Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L.Lloyd's original Penguin Book of English Folk Songs.'Her keen eye did glitter like the bright stars by nightThe robe she was wearing was costly and whiteHer bare neck was shaded with her long raven hairAnd they called her pretty Susan, the pride of Kildare'In association with EFDSS, the English Folk Dance and Song SocietyMy World in Motion
By Jo Whiley. 2011
Jo Whiley is someone millions of us recognise but very few of us know. Jo's a mother, sister, DJ, wife…
and music-industry insider who throughout her career - and in an age of fleeting celebrity - has earned the respect of her peers and fans by simply being herself and for her constant enthusiasm, be it for established rock 'n roll royalty or emerging talent. For Jo Whiley, it's all about the music.My World in Motion offers a unique opportunity to get to know the real Jo Whiley. From her musical epiphany (being carried over the crowd at a Clash concert) to when she became friends with John Peel at Glastonbury (over some very short shorts - his not hers) and interviewed Bono (surviving a power-cut on vodka). My World in Motion is an honest, funny, self-deprecating account of Jo's professional coming of age, and what it means to be a private person in a very public world.My Side of Life: The Autobiography
By Shane Filan. 2014
As a lead singer of Westlife, one of the most successful pop acts of all time, Shane Filan was on…
top of the world. Together with the band, he achieved an incredible 14 No.1 singles (a record beaten only by the Beatles) sold 44 million records and was adored by fans the world over.Everything he touched turned to gold, or so it seemed. Like many others, he had piled his fortunes into the Irish property boom and when the bubble burst, Shane struggled with mounting debt. Just ten days after Westlife’s final farewell concert, in front of a sold-out crowd of 80,000 fans, Shane was declared bankrupt with debts of £18 million – losing everything.But this wasn’t the end for Shane Filan – a devoted singer and family man, Shane circled back to his roots and a year later he launched his solo career. In My Side of Life Shane shares his story for the first time – his early years growing up as part of a large Irish family in Co. Sligo, the phenomenal success of Westlife and the ups and downs of their time together, the breakup of the band, his financial devastation, and finally going it alone as a solo artist.This is Shane’s side of the story.Music: The Business (8th edition)
By Ann Harrison. 2020
This essential and highly acclaimed guide, now updated and revised in its eighth edition, explains the business of the British…
music industry.Drawing on her extensive experience as a media lawyer, Ann Harrison offers a unique, expert opinion on the deals, the contracts and the business as a whole. She examines in detail the changing face of the music industry and provides absorbing and up-to-date case studies.Whether you're a recording artist, songwriter, music business manager, industry executive, publisher, journalist, media student, accountant or lawyer, this practical and comprehensive guide is indispensable reading.Fully revised and updated. Includes:· The current types of record and publishing deals, and what you can expect to see in the contracts· A guide to making a record, manufacture, distribution, branding, marketing, merchandising, sponsorship, band arrangements and touring· Information on music streaming, digital downloads and piracy· The most up-to-date insights on how the COVID-19 crisis has affected marketing· An in-depth look at copyright law and related rights· Case studies illustrating key developments and legal jargon explained.This essential and highly acclaimed guide, now updated and revised in its seventh edition, explains the business of the British…
music industry. Drawing on her extensive experience as a media lawyer, Ann Harrison offers a unique, expert opinion on the deals, the contracts and the business as a whole. She examines in detail the changing face of the music industry and provides absorbing and up-to-date case studies. Whether you’re a recording artist, songwriter, music business manager, industry executive, publisher, journalist, media student, accountant or lawyer, this practical and comprehensive guide is indispensable reading. Fully revised and updated. Includes: · The current types of record and publishing deals, and what you can expect to see in the contracts· A guide to making a record, manufacture, distribution, branding, marketing, merchandising, sponsorship, band arrangements and touring · The most up-to-date information on music streaming, digital downloads, online marketing and piracy· An in-depth look at copyright law and related rights· Case studies illustrating key developments and legal jargon explained.Music: The Essential Guide to the Law and the Deals
By Ann Harrison. 2007
This essential and highly acclaimed guide, now updated and revised in its fifth edition, explains the possibilities and pitfalls of…
the British music industry, from the developments in new media, privacy, sponsorship and sampling to the expanding role of the internet and the dominance of digital music. Drawing on her extensive experience as a media lawyer, Ann Harrison offers a unique, expert opinion on the deals, the contracts and the business as a whole. She examines in detail the changing face of the music business and provides absorbing case studies of huge stars such as Robbie Williams, Ms Dynamite and Elvis Presley. Fascinating, practical and comprehensive, this is the bible for the music industry and indispensable reading for any musical entrepreneur.