Book and CD. The story of Badfinger is among the most tragic in the history of rock'n'roll. They were championed by the Beatles, yet their two principal songwriters committed suicide. An expose of the music business, Without You also serves as a tribute to the band's work. This revised edition includes a CD of over 72 minutes of music and interviews, 300 photos, complete listing of studio dates and concerts, and a discography.
Generally regarded as one of the most tragic tales in the history of rock music, the story of Badfinger makes for an impressively sombre Hollywood-style film script. A Welsh and Liverpudlian hybrid, the band were signed to Apple Records, became protégés of The Beatles and produced four global hit singles. Two of its members also co-wrote the now perennial pop standard ‘Without You’, covered most notably by Harry Nilsson. Yet Badfinger found themselves plagued by ruinous misfortune and through a combination of unscrupulous business management, record label neglect and just plain bad luck, the dream soon lay in tatters with the band’s story ultimately culminating in the suicides of two of its members, Pete Ham and Tom Evans. This book helps redress the band’s legacy and refocuses some much-needed attention on the brilliance of their music. It casts a keen critical eye over their entire musical output – albums and singles – recorded and released during their lifetime. This detailed and definitive guide not only examines and assesses the recordings but also provides valuable historical context for each album and while not ignoring the financial and legal issues that blighted the band, this book ultimately focuses on Badfinger’s considerable musical legacy. Robert Day-Webb graduated from the University of Birmingham and subsequently worked in the publishing industry for sixteen years, undertaking a wide variety of editorial and writing roles. A self-confessed music, movie and TV buff, Robert has also had several personal reflection essays published in a number of music and TV-related anthology books. He currently lives in Gloucester, UK, with his wife, Marie, their two children, Joshua and Lauren, and an extremely oversized CD collection.
This Rock Fantasy, the expanded edition, bridges the love between band-mates with the Pop-Paranormal, set to a killer soundtrack. After years of depression following the death of his soul brother, Tomas Alvers finds himself in Heaven. Guided by the angel Gabriel, Tomas sets out on a Dantean adventure, hoping to reunite with his beloved lead singer.
In celebration of the 45th anniversary of The Dark Side of the Moon, Bill Kopp explores the ingenuity with which Pink Floyd rebranded itself following the 1968 departure of Syd Barrett. Not only did the band survive Barrett’s departure, but it went on to release landmark albums that continue to influence generations of musicians and fans. Reinventing Pink Floyd follows the path taken by the remaining band members to establish a musical identity, develop a songwriting style, and create a new template for the manner in which albums are made and even enjoyed by listeners. As veteran music journalist Bill Kopp illustrates, that path was filled with failed experiments, creative blind alleys, one-off musical excursions, abortive collaborations, general restlessness, and—most importantly—a dedicated search for a distinctive musical personality. This exciting guide to the works of 1968 through 1973 highlights key innovations and musical breakthroughs of lasting influence. Kopp places Pink Floyd in its historical, cultural, and musical contexts while celebrating the test of fire that took the band from the brink of demise to enduring superstardom.
Jimi Hendrix. Janis Joplin. Jim Morrison. Brian Jones. Kurt Cobain. Founding bluesman Robert Johnson. All died at 27. Their stories, as well as those of ill-fated members of the Grateful Dead, The Stooges, Badfinger, Big Star, Minutemen, Echo & the Bunnymen, and The Mars Volta, are here presented for the first time as a profound and interlocking web that reaches beyond coincidence to the roots of artistic causality and fate.
"If you know what you want, I'll get it for you. If you don't know what you want, I'll do it for you." Todd Rundgren. Few record producers possess the musical facility to back up such a bold promise, but in over forty-plus years behind the glass, Todd Rundgren has willed himself into becoming a not only a rock guitar virtuoso, an accomplished lead vocalist, and a serviceable drummer, vocal arranger and keyboard player, but also a master of perhaps his greatest instrument of all, the recording studio. Throughout his career, Rundgren has ping-ponged between the worlds of producer and recording artist with varying degrees of critical and commercial success. After learning his craft as a songwriter and arranger, with Nazz, Rundgren gained attention for engineering recordings by The Band. His reputation was cemented by a string of noteworthy productions beginning in 1971 with Sparks, and continuing with classic albums for Grand Funk, The New York Dolls, Badfinger, Hall & Oates, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith Group, Psychedelic Furs and XTC. All of this alongside his own solo albums – such as, Something/Anything, A Wizard A True Star and Hermit Of Mink Hollow – on which he played and sang virtually everything, and a series of albums by his band, Utopia. Researched and written with the participation and cooperation of Rundgren himself, Todd Rundgren: Sounds Of The Studio is a fascinating and authoritative trip through the land of flickering red lights inhabited by a studio wizard – and true star – who has rarely enjoyed a proper victory lap along the many trails that he has blazed. Draws upon exclusive new interviews with Robbie Robertson, Patti Smith, XTC, Sparks, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman, Cheap Trick, Grand Funk, The Psychedelic Furs, The Tubes, Steve Hillage, all members of Rundgren's legendary band, Utopia, and many other key Rundgren associates.
Applelog 5th Edition is the only complete resource for collectors of U.S. and Canadian Apple recordings and related material, including: • Albums • Singles • E.P.'s • Compact Disc's • 4-Tracks • 8-Tracks • Cassettes • Reel-to-reels • Apple reissues • Apple Advertisements • Apple Studios • Details on unreleased items • Apple Memorabilia • Foreign Apple Records • Special Interest Items, and more!
Generally regarded as one of the most tragic tales in the history of rock music, the story of Badfinger does indeed make for an impressively sombre Hollywood-style film script. A Welsh and Liverpudlian musical hybrid, the band was signed to Apple Records, became protégés of The Beatles, produced four global hit singles and two of its members co-wrote the now perennial pop standard 'Without You' (covered most notably by both Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey). Yet, despite all this and having the music world seemingly at its feet, the band found itself plagued by ruinous misfortune and through a combination of unscrupulous business management, record label neglect and just plain bad luck, the dream soon lay in tatters with the band's story ultimately culminating in the suicides of two of its members, Pete Ham and Tom Evans. However, there is a lot more to the band's story than just the obvious tragedy and the aim of this book is to help redress the band's legacy and refocus some much-needed attention on the brilliance of their music, rather than just the trials and tribulations that perpetually dogged them. Badfinger on track ... casts a keen critical and analytical eye over the band's entire musical output - albums and singles - recorded and released during its lifetime. This detailed and definitive guide will not only examine and assess the recordings but will also provide valuable background history and context for each album. Whilst not ignoring the managerial, financial and legal machinations and issues that blighted the band, this book will ultimately focus the spotlight on the band's musical legacy.
A photographic look into the world of vinyl record collectors—including Questlove—in the most intimate of environments—their record rooms. Compelling photographic essays from photographer Eilon Paz are paired with in-depth and insightful interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions, including Gilles Peterson and King Britt, as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. Driven by his love for vinyl records, Paz takes us on a five-year journey unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community.
