Blackie Lawless began his career in music playing with bands such as Black Rabbit and Orfax Rainbow. In 1975, after Johnny Thunders left glam rock band New York Dolls in the middle of a tour of Florida, the band started auditioning for guitarists. Lawless was hired but only stayed for the remainder of the tour. After the tour, he went to California with bassist Arthur Kane and helped found Killer Kane. At that time, Lawless' stage name was "Blackie Goozeman" as stated on the back of Killer Kane's only EP. About a year later Kane returned to New York City but Lawless decided to stay in West Los Angeles. In 1976, he formed Sister, which also featured future W.A.S.P. guitarist Randy Piper. Lawless' stage antics at the time included lighting his boots on fire (a gimmick he later gave to Nikki Sixx) and eating live worms. Around 1978, a new lineup was assembled which included Sixx as bassist and Lizzie Grey on guitar. Later, Chris Holmes joined.
Following the success of his 2016 book Razama-Snaz! The Listener’s Guide to Nazareth, Robert Lawson returns with this meticulous reviewing of every Cheap Trick album, song by song. In his book, Still Competition: The Listener’s Guide to Cheap Trick, Lawson outlines the band’s significant television appearances, live shows, and more with the attention to detail only a super fan could provide. A dedicated follower, Lawson has assembled this reference guide out of a love of music and a dedication to fellow fans, but he is not without criticism (often humourously so) when the rockers fall short of his high expectations. He shines the spotlight indiscriminately, which makes him all the more credible a witness to the band’s lengthy career. Lawson also seeks input from some of the world’s greatest Cheap Trick and classic rock fans, who share stories from epic live shows. Fellow classic rock devotees will love this manual on Cheap Trick’s highs, lows, and everything in between.
“I have read pretty much every rock 'n' roll biography there is worth reading, and you never know what to expect when you pick up a new book. Well, let me tell you Mark Weiss has raised the bar for rock 'n' roll books with The Decade That Rocked. Mark has always been at the top of his field, and the level of detail and quality put into this book is the ultimate testament to his rock n' roll photographic legacy.” – Sebastian Bach “Mark is the real deal. He may not play the guitar, but that camera is his guitar. He’s a rockstar.” – Gene Simmons "Mark’s energy, his creativity, his drive, his positive attitude and his enthusiasm that make him one of the legends of rock photography. It’s why his work—both old and new—is still so in demand today. Mark Weiss inspires greatness in all he turns his camera lens on. But don’t take my word for it. Just look at the pictures in this book." – Dee Snider “His pictures say as much as the music” – Rob Halford “He was one of the guys. He wasn’t one of the 18 photographers you’d work with that day.” – Alice Cooper “He had that instinct, to recognize our energy and use his technical talent to capture it.” – Joe Perry “The Decade That Rocked breaches a level of intimacy that so many music photographers are lacking today. Each and every photo exemplifies the trust and the synergy between photographer and subject. You can feel the essence of the music in the live shots, just as vibrantly as you can feel the spirit and the essence of the musicians behind the scenes.” – Screamer Magazine Mark “Weissguy” Weiss set an unmatched standard for rock photography. Starting out as a teenager by sneaking into concerts with a neighbor’s 35mm camera, he embarked on a legendary career that took him around the globe and onto some of the most memorable album and magazine covers in rock history– featuring the likes of Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, and Mötley Crüe to Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, and KISS, and so many more. With 700+ photos, brand new interviews, and stories from Mark himself, Decade that Rocked is a monument to the photography, friendships, and legacy of an artist that helped define one of rock’s most iconic eras. This career-spanning collection features: A unique lens on the golden age of rock: Never-before or rarely seen photos of legends like Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, and Mötley Crüe to Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, and KISS, as well as countless others whose sound and image defined the era. Exclusive interviews: Ozzy Osbourne, Dee Snider, Nikki Sixx, Joe Perry, Rob Halford, and many more recall their memories of this era-defining decade. Untold Stories: Relive Mark’s unbelievable journey through rock history, from getting arrested for selling photos outside of Kiss concert to touring with legends like Van Halen, to photographing Bon Jovi’s infamous “Slippery When Wet” shoot, shooting backstage at Live Aid with Black Sabbath, and so many more. Definitive Lens: Creem magazine readers ranked Mark Weiss as rock’s top photographer of the 80s. His work has appeared on some of the most iconic album and magazine covers of all time. Captured from the unique vantage point of a photographer who lived and breathed the ’80s in all its grit and glory, The Decade That Rocked brings to life the no-holds-barred sounds and sights that changed the world of hard rock and metal forever.
During the disco drenched year of 1978, 62nd Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was home to L'Amour, a small, unassuming discothéque thriving on a local dance crowd. "Rock Nights" on Thursdays were first brushed off as a bad joke. But in less than a year, blindsided by scores of disgruntled heavy metal misfits, the punch-line of that bad joke swelled into a quarter-century-long tsunami of hell-raising mayhem that turned a faceless disco into the world's most famous heavy metal mecca. L'Amour: Rock Capital of B'klyn is a large format book jammed with over 1,000 full-color photographs, ticket stubs, and memorabilia representing the rich music history of the Brooklyn venue. Hundreds of full-color performance photos of the bands that hit the L'Amour stage are featured prominently in the book, as well as interviews with many of the musicians. Venue staff, club regulars, and show attendees contribute slices of club life. L'Amour: Rock Capital of B'klyn tells the story in stunning images and words of the famous heavy metal venue and its important contributions to the scene. If you are a heavy metal fan, or just a music history buff in general, this book is a must have.
