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Music

Last Chance Texaco

£20.00

This troubadour life is only for the fiercest hearts, only for those vessels that can be broken to smithereens and still keep beating out the rhythm for a new song.

 

Last Chance Texaco is the first-ever no-holds-barred account of the life of two-time Grammy Award-winner Rickie Lee Jones, in her own words. It is a tale of desperate chances and impossible triumphs, an adventure story of a girl who beat the odds and grew up to become one of the most legendary artists of her time, turning adversity and hopelessness into timeless music.

 

With candour and lyricism, the ‘Duchess of Coolsville’ (Time) takes us on a singular journey through her nomadic childhood, to her years as a teenage runaway, through her legendary love affair with Tom Waits, and ultimately her longevity as the hardest working woman in rock and roll. Rickie Lee’s stories are rich with the infamous characters of her early songs – ‘Chuck E’s in Love,’ ‘Weasel and the White Boys Cool,’ ‘Danny’s All-Star Joint’ and ‘Easy Money’ – but long before her notoriety in show business, there was a vaudevillian cast of hitchhikers, bank robbers, jail breaks, drug mules, a pimp with a heart of gold, and tales of her fabled ancestors.

Life on Tour with Bowie

£7.99

On 11 January 2016, the world was stunned to wake up to the news that David Bowie had died the day before. A genuine icon, he left behind a body of work among the most important in music history. But only a lucky few were privileged to know the man behind that mystique, and know him well. Sean Mayes was one of them.

 

In 1978, Sean toured the world with David Bowie, in what was one of the most important periods in the artist’s history. Travelling first class and performing each night with one of the world’s greatest rock stars at the height of his fame was an amazing experience – fortunately, Sean had the foresight to document it.

Marr’s Guitars

£45.00

‘Guitars have been the obsession of my life … they’ve been a mission and sometimes a lifeline’ – Johnny Marr

 

The guitarist’s guitarist, Johnny Marr redefined music for a generation. His ringing arpeggios and chordal innovations helped elevate The Smiths to be one of the most influential and important British bands of all time.

 

Tracing Marr’s career from his teenage years to his recent work on the Bond soundtrack, Marr’s Guitars showcases the most significant of Marr’s superb collection of electric and acoustic guitars, revealing through them the evolution of his iconic sound and style of playing. Each guitar is identified with a crucial moment, a specific song or a particular sound, and each embodies a key aspect of Marr’s lifelong passion.

 

Renowned photographer Pat Graham presents each instrument as a full portrait, supported by micro shots highlighting the specific details that make each one unique, while Johnny Marr himself reveals in his accompanying commentary on what tracks and at which shows the guitars were played. Many of the guitars are closely associated with Marr, such as the Rickenbacker 330, the Gibson ES-355 and the Johnny Marr Signature Fender Jaguar. Some were passed down to him, including Nile Rodgers’ Stratocaster, Bryan Ferry’s Roxy Music Hagstrom and Bert Jansch’s Yamaha. Others are guitars once owned by Marr that have since been passed on to the next generation of guitar heroes, including the Stratocaster used by Noel Gallagher on ‘Wonderwall’ and the Gibson Les Paul Goldtop used on In Rainbows by Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien.

 

Punctuating the photography of the guitars and the accompanying commentary are contextual studio, backstage and onstage shots. Together, they make Marr’s Guitars a unique cultural history of modern music and guitar playing told through the prism of Johnny Marr’s experiences and achievements.

 

This edition of Marr’s Guitars is a casebound hardback book with printed imitation cloth and is manufactured in the UK.

Metallica: The Early Years & The Rise of Metal

£5.00

This book shows the birth and rise of the monster known as Metallica and will link the band and the American metal scene with the famed New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement in the UK and metal originators such as Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.

 

 

Metallica’s early success was built on strong live performances and fierce thrash metal riffs. With the remarkable passion and drive of drummer/founder Lars Ulrich, Metallica became the biggest American metal band in the world and the legacy of those first four albums lives on to this day. This book tells the story of how that remarkable global triumph started, with interviews with people who were there, saw those early gigs and numerous other eye-witnesses to the incredible story.

 

 

This is the first book to explore the early years of Metallica, containing exclusive and original interviews with key players and the journalists that brought Metallica to the UK. Plus, in-depth insights into Metallica’s groundbreaking first four albums and an exploration of the San Fran Bay Area thrash scene of the 1980s

Musical Truth

£12.99

With a signed bookplate

 

This extraordinary retelling of Black British history will dazzle readers of all ages.

 

A history book with a twist, structured around a playlist of twenty three songs, listed chronologically. Each song is a jumping off point for deeper social, political and historical analysis, tracking key moments in Black history, and the emotional impact of both the songs and the artists who performed them. The book redefines British history, the Empire, and post colonialism, and invites readers to immerse themselves in music and think again about the narratives and key moments in history that they have been taught up to now.
Targeted at upper middle grade to YA, this is a book that will also attract a much wider adult audience, which is why we are going out first in a gift format.

Neil Young – Greatest Hits: Easy Guitar

£16.98

Canadian born singer-songwriter Neil Young is best recognized for his deeply personal lyrics, his impressive and distinctive guitar work, and his almost instantly recognisable unique singing voice. Throughout what has been a varied career, Young has experimented with a wide range of genres, including soul, swing, jazz and electronica, however his best known work falls into one of two distinct styles: an acoustic, country-influence folk-rock, with songs like Heart Of Gold and Old Man ; or a grinding hard-rock sound, such as in Cinnamon Girl and Southern Man . Available here is a fantastic selection of Neil Youngs greatest hits and most influential songs, compiled in one amazing collection, for Easy Guitar Tab. Includes photos and lyric sheets.

Of Metal and Man

£4.80

‘James Hetfield is a guitarist of otherworldly ability… this book tries to understand, de-mystify and even humanise a rock legend who, for most of his career, has remained impenetrable.’

 

Metallica’s ascension from thrash metal obscurity to becoming arguably one of the greatest rock bands the world has ever known, can be directly attributed to its lead singer and guitarist, James Hetfield. Having sold 110 million records worldwide and with an impressive eight Grammy Awards to their name, Metallica is undoubtedly a commercial triumph, but what of the man behind the music?

 

Of Metal and Man is the newly revised biography of this rock legend, offering an exclusive insight into the life and career of one of Metallica’s founding members. Author Mark Eglinton charts the hidden complexities of the relationships within the band, exploring the effects that global fame has had on Hetfield and his cohorts. Eglinton sheds light on both the highs of worldwide success and the lows of addiction and alcohol abuse, giving details of exclusive first-hand interviews with key figures from the band’s inner circle.

 

Dramatic and compelling, and now with newly updated material, this is the definitive biography of James Hetfield – singer-songwriter, guitarist and co-founder of a band which has changed the face of rock, the world over.

Play Guitar With… The Best Of Metallica

£20.99

Learn to Play Guitar with monsters of metal and masters of mayhem, Metallica, on 12 of their greatest tracks! This is a comprehensive and complete tutorial featuring a music book and two CDs. On the CDs you will find two specially recorded professional soundalike tracks for each song, the first featuring a full demonstration with guitar showing exactly how the song should sound. The second version is a full backing track without guitar for you to play along! The matching music book contains both standard notation and tablature for every song plus chord symbols and complete lyrics for vocalists.

Print + Production Finishes for CD + DVD Packaging

£6.50

Print and Production Finishes for CD and DVD Packaging delves into the physical packaging for CDs and DVDs, exploring formats, bindings, casings, materials, textures and finishes. From movie to music packaging, the book explores the creative inspiration behind the package, including artwork, typography, materials, printing techniques and formats. It also goes into detail about practical considerations and restrictions, such as record company stipulations and the inclusion of essential materials and budgets.

Rock On

£5.90

How would you like a six-figure marketing job at the hallowed record label that signed everyone who counts in the last fifty years of pop music? Before you answer, we’ll throw in a plush office, a hip assistant and a bottomless expense account.

 

When Dan Kennedy is hired by a major label he thinks he has been handed a pass to the secret kingdom of rock and roll. In reality, he has walked into an episode of The Office. Whether directing a gangsta rapper’s video or battling his better judgement to create a campaign celebrating twenty-five years of Phil Collins’ love songs, he’s in way over his head. And from the looks of those around the boardroom, he’s not alone.

 

Cameos by aging pop stars, dinosaur music-biz kingpins, hip-hop thugs, Iggy Pop and others make up the cast of this brilliant power ballad to rock and roll, office life and all the wage slaves who’ve done their damndest to hide from Human Resources when the axe falls.

 

If you have ever bought a record, worked in an office, tried to get into a creative industry or suspected that some things are not all they’re cracked up to be, Rock On will make you laugh more than you thought possible.

Shout! The True Story of the Beatles

£6.50

The first and best Beatles biography, Norman had close working relationships with each of the Fab Four, having interviewed them many times since 1965 and observed first hand the events that led to the split during 1969-70. The resulting book contained unique insights into the rise of the Beatles, their final years, the chaos of Apple and the collapse of hippy idealism.

 

Now fully updated, and written with all of Norman’s trademark verve and skill, this is an essential book for anyone with an interest in pop music, the Sixties and the pleasures and perils of god-like fame.

Sundog

£8.00

Scott Walker is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant, serious and intelligent of artists today. As one of the greatest lyricists of the 20th century and front man of globally loved pop trip, The Walker Brothers, Walker commands huge devotion. A major event, Sundog is the first ever selection of Walker’s lyrics curated by the artist himself, published for the first time with a stunning introduction by Eimear McBride. Walker’s iconic lyrics will proudly follow in the footsteps of other famous musicians who have been published by Faber & Faber, including Jarvis Cocker, Billy Bragg, and Van Morrison.

Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay

£7.50

Let legendary rock manager Simon Napier-Bell take you inside the (dodgy) world of popular music – not just a creative industry, but a business that has made people rich beyond their wildest dreams.

 

He balances seductive anecdotes – pulling back the curtain on the gritty and absurd side of the industry – with an insightful exploration of the relationship between creativity and money.

 

This book describes the evolution of the industry from 1713 – the year parliament granted writers ownership over what they wrote – to today, when a global, 100 billion pound industry is controlled by just three major players: Sony, Universal and Warner. Inside you will uncover some little-known facts about the industry.

The Beatles – Complete Scores

£84.99

A fitting tribute to possibly the greatest pop band ever – The Beatles. This outstanding hard-cover edition features over 1100 pages with full scores and lyrics to all 210 titles recorded by The Beatles. Guitar and bass parts are in both standard notation and tablature. Also includes a full discography. Songs include: All You Need Is Love * And I Love Her * Baby You’re a Rich Man * Back in the U.S.S.R. * The Ballad of John and Yoko * Blackbird * Can’t Buy Me Love * Come Together * Drive My Car * Eleanor Rigby * From Me to You * Glass Onion * A Hard Day’s Night * Help! * Hey Jude * I Saw Her Standing There * I Want to Hold Your Hand * Michelle * Penny Lane * She Loves You * Twist and Shout * Yesterday * and many more. The book is packaged in its own protective box. A must-own for any serious Beatles fan or collector.

The Beatles – Get Back

£40.00

The book opens in January 1969, the beginning of The Beatles’ last year as a band. The Beatles (The White Album) is at number one in the charts and the foursome gather in London for a new project. Over 21 days, first at Twickenham Film Studios and then at their own brand-new Apple Studios, with cameras and tape recorders documenting every day’s work and conversations, the band rehearse a huge number of songs, culminating in their final concert, which famously takes place on the rooftop of their own office building, bringing central London to a halt.

 

The Beatles: Get Back tells the story of those sessions through transcripts of the band’s candid conversations. Drawing on over 120 hours of sound recordings, leading music writer John Harris edits the richly captivating text to give us a fly-on-the-wall experience of being there in the studios. These sessions come vividly to life through hundreds of unpublished, extraordinary images by two photographers who had special access to their sessions-Ethan A. Russell and Linda Eastman (who married Paul McCartney two months later). Also included are many unseen high-resolution film-frames, selected from the 55 hours of restored footage from which Peter Jackson’s documentary is also drawn.

 

Legend has it that these sessions were a grim time for a band falling apart. However, as acclaimed novelist Hanif Kureishi writes in his introduction, “In fact this was a productive time for them, when they created some of their best work. And it is here that we have the privilege of witnessing their early drafts, the mistakes, the drift and digressions, the boredom, the excitement, joyous jamming and sudden breakthroughs that led to the work we now know and admire.” Half a century after their final performance, this book completes the story of the creative genius, timeless music, and inspiring legacy of The Beatles.

 

“It would be fair to say that today Let It Be symbolizes the breaking-up of The Beatles. That’s the mythology, the truth is somewhat different. The real story of Let It Be has been locked in the vaults of Apple Corps for the last 50 years.” – Peter Jackson

The Beatles’ Let It Be

£9.99

The recording sessions for Let It Be were actually begun as rehearsals for a proposed return to live stage work for the Beatles, to be inaugurated in a concert at a Roman amphitheatre in Tunisia. Here, Steve Matteo delves deep into the complex history of these recording sessions. He talks to many of the people involved in the recording of these songs, and the accompanying documentary. And he also looks at the Spector-less version of the album released in 2003. 33 1/3 is a series of short books about critically acclaimed and much-loved albums of the last 40 years. Focusing on one album rather than an artist’s entire output, the books dispense with the standard biographical background that fans know already, and cut to the heart of the music on each album. The authors provide fresh, original perspectives, often through their access to and relationships with the key figures involved in the recording of these albums. By turns obsessive, passionate, creative, and informed, the books in this series demonstrate many different ways of writing about music. (A task that can be, as Elvis Costello famously observed, as tricky as dancing about architecture.) What binds this series together, and what brings it to life, is that all of the authors – musicians, scholars, and writers – are deeply in love with the album they have chosen. Previous titles in this now well-established series have beaten sales expectations and received excellent review coverage – the third batch is sure to continue this success.

The Complete Book of Electric Blues Guitar

£28.50

This all-inclusive anthology of performers and playing styles from the last 80 years is the most authoritative and comprehensive source of blues guitar available today. Through rare photos and explanations of styles, tunings and equipment, Dave Rubin gives you insight behind the playing of the world’s greatest bluesmen. Artists covered include: Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Albert King, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, and many more. This book also features over 130 professionally-produced audio tracks demonstrating the styles. Spiral comb bound so book will lay flat. Audio is accessed online using the unique code inside the book and can be streamed or downloaded.

The Dark Side of the Moon

£5.00

The Dark Side of the Moon is one of rock’s most fully realised and elegant concept albums, and a stunning exploration of the madness, anxiety and alienation rooted in the band’s history – and particularly in the tragic tale of their one-time leader Syd Barrett. Drawing on interviews with bass guitarist and chief songwriter Roger Waters, guitarist Dave Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason, and the album’s supporting cast, The Dark Side of the Moon is a must-have for those who want to know more about one of the most compelling, commercially successful and mysterious albums ever made.

The Dark Stuff

£6.99

A new edition as part of the Faber Greatest Hits – books that have taken writing about music in new and exciting directions for the twenty-first century.

 

In The Dark Stuff Nick Kent profiles twenty-two of the most gifted and self-destructive talents in rock history. From Brian Wilson to Syd Barrett, the Rolling Stones to Neil Young, Iggy Pop to Lou Reed, he offers intimate portraits that are unimaginable in the world of today’s market driven music business.

The Deep Purple Family: Vol 1

£14.99

Renowned rock author Martin Popoff’s exhaustive and detailed timeline of Deep Purple milestones – often to the day – looks at the band’s influences, cultural milieu, tours, recording sessions, charts, singles, certification news, break-ups, personal stuff, trivia, mixed with lots of artist quotes to add to the entries, turning the book into a quasi-oral history but loaded with factual matter.But this book is not just about Deep Purple but the whole family of bands that surrounds it. Weaved in and out of the story are the dastardly diaries of Rainbow, Whitesnake, Ian Gillan Band, Gillan, Paice Ashton Lord, all the solo projects, guest slots, even Captain Beyond, Warhorse, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ Superstar, Bedlam, Elf, Episode Six, The Outlaws, and Trapeze.The book also touches on a whole host of other artists including the likes of Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Nazareth, Moxy, Silverhead, Hard Stuff, Lord Sutch, Warpig, Vanilla Fudge, Brian Auger, Judas Priest, James Gang, Angel and Legs Diamond – but always with contextual explanation that make this book such a fascinating read and an absolute smorgasbord of facts surrounding one of the greatest rock bands’ of all time.

The Little Black Songbook: Bob Dylan

£15.99

This is a pocket-sized collection of Dylan’s hits presented in chord songbook format. It includes complete lyrics, chord names and a hand chord box reference sheets – features over 60 Dylan classics! The songs include: “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”; “All Along the Watchtower”; “Blowin’ in the Wind”; “Lay Lady Lay”; “Hurricaine”; “Like a Rolling Stone”; “Mr. Tambourine Man”; and “This Wheel’s On Fire”.