Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant

Author: Gary Steel

Publisher: On Track

Published: 2020-03

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 9781789520583

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They lasted only a decade and never lit up the world's charts, but progressive rock connoisseurs always knew what today's audiences are now beginning to discover: that Gentle Giant belong in the pantheon of great bands of the era. At times edgy and experimental but also capable of great beauty (not to mention some of the greatest riffs known to man), the group's explorations of medieval music gave their sound unique character. But it was the thrilling complexity of their compositions - which Frank Zappa might have called the "statistical density" of their writing - together with the instrumental ability of its players that make their music as potent today as they were at their peak nearly 50 years ago. This book takes a microscopic look at each of Gentle Giant's eleven studio albums and provides fresh assessments of the many live and 'odds'n'sods' recordings, as well as rounding up existant DVD/Blu-ray documentary and performance footage. In doing so, it tells the story of one of progressive music's most fascinating groups and the thrilling - and occasionally tortuous - ride the Shulman brothers and key band-mates like Kerry Minnear and Gary Green experienced along the way.

Tropic of Kansas
Tropic of Kansas

Author: Christopher Brown

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2017-07-11

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 0062563823

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“Timely, dark, and ultimately hopeful: it might not ‘make America great again,’ but then again, it just might.”—Cory Doctorow, New York Times bestselling and award winning author of Homeland Acclaimed short story writer and editor of the World Fantasy Award-nominee Three Messages and a Warning eerily envisions an American society unraveling and our borders closed off—from the other side—in this haunting and provocative novel that combines Max Barry’s Jennifer Government, Philip K. Dick’s classic Man in the High Castle, and China Mieville’s The City & the City The United States of America is no more. Broken into warring territories, its center has become a wasteland DMZ known as “the Tropic of Kansas.” Though this gaping geographic hole has no clear boundaries, everyone knows it's out there—that once-bountiful part of the heartland, broken by greed and exploitation, where neglect now breeds unrest. Two travelers appear in this arid American wilderness: Sig, the fugitive orphan of political dissidents, and his foster sister Tania, a government investigator whose search for Sig leads her into her own past—and towards an unexpected future. Sig promised those he loves that he would make it to the revolutionary redoubt of occupied New Orleans. But first he must survive the wild edgelands of a barren mid-America policed by citizen militias and autonomous drones, where one wrong move can mean capture . . . or death. One step behind, undercover in the underground, is Tania. Her infiltration of clandestine networks made of old technology and new politics soon transforms her into the hunted one, and gives her a shot at being the agent of real change—if she is willing to give up the explosive government secrets she has sworn to protect. As brother and sister traverse these vast and dangerous badlands, their paths will eventually intersect on the front lines of a revolution whose fuse they are about to light. “Futurist as provocateur! The world is sheer batshit genius . . . a truly hallucinatorily envisioned environment.”—William Gibson, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author

Pink Floyd All the Songs
Pink Floyd All the Songs

Author: Jean-Michel Guesdon

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2017-10-24

Total Pages: 592

ISBN-13: 0316439231

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The newest addition to the best-selling All the Songs series details the unique recording history of Pink Floyd, one of the world's most commercially successful and influential rock bands. Since 1965, Pink Floyd been recording sonically experimental and philosophical music, selling more than 250 million records worldwide, including two of the best-selling albums of all time Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. While much is known about this iconic group, few books provide a comprehensive history of their time in the studio. In Pink Floyd All the Songs, authors Margotin and Guesdon describe the origin of their nearly 200 released songs, details from the recording studio, what instruments were used, and behind-the-scenes stories of the tensions that helped drive the band. Organized chronologically by album, this massive, 544-page hardcover begins with their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the only one recorded under founding member Syd Barrett's leadership; through the loss of Barrett and the addition of David Gilmour; to Richard Wright leaving the band in 1979 but returning; to Roger Waters leaving in 1985 and the albums recorded since his departure, including their 2014 farewell album, The Endless River, which was downloaded 12 million times on Spotify the week it was released. Packed with more than 500 photos, All the Songs is also filled with stories fans treasure, such as Waters working with engineer Alan Parsons to employ revolutionary recording techniques for The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios in 1972 or producer Bob's Ezrin's contribution in refining Water's original sprawling vision for The Wall.

Eagles on track
Eagles on track

Author: John Van der Kiste

Publisher: Sonicbond Publishing Ltd

Published: 2023-05-12

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 1789522951

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Eagles began as a backing group for vocalist Linda Ronstadt before striking out on their own. All being accomplished vocalists, musicians and songwriters, they jointly set themselves the goal of ‘number one singles and albums, great music, and a lot of money’. With guitarist Glenn Frey and drummer Don Henley as the combined driving force, by 1975 they had topped the singles and album charts at home and found major success in Britain and across the world, while establishing themselves as America’s foremost band. The global success of Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 and Hotel California, to this day the first and third best-selling albums in America of all time, proved impossible to surpass, and after several line-up changes, they disbanded in 1980. A resumption in 1994 was cemented with the live/studio album Hell Freezes Over, followed in 2007 by Long Road out of Eden, their first studio album for 28 years. After Frey’s death in 2016, they recruited new members maintaining a live schedule that continues to this day. This book recounts the band’s rise, fall and rise again, with a detailed look at every track on each studio and live album, plus an overview of original songs and cover versions recorded but never officially released. John Van der Kiste has published over ninety books, mostly historical biography and music, including 1970: A Year in Rock, and titles on Mott the Hoople and Ian Hunter, Free and Bad Company, and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in the 1970s for Sonicbond’s Decades series. He has reviewed books and records for the local and national press and fanzines co-founded and edited the 70s fanzine Keep on Rockin, and written booklet notes for CD reissues from EMI and other labels. A former DJ and performer with various groups, he also co-wrote one track on Riff Regan’s Milestones (2015), and played harmonica on London’s The Hell for Leather Mob (2020). He lives in Devon, U.K.

All The Songs
All The Songs

Author: Philippe Margotin

Publisher: Hachette+ORM

Published: 2012-03-20

Total Pages: 769

ISBN-13: 1603763716

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In this lively and fully-illustrated work, two music historians break down every album and every song ever released by the Beatles, from "Please Please Me" (U.S. 1963) to "The Long and Winding Road" (U.S. 1970). All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the Beatles and their music. This first-of-its-kind book draws upon decades of research, as music historians Margotin and Guesdon recount the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, the recording process, and the instruments used. Here, we learn that one of John Lennon's favorite guitars was a 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri, which he bought for £100 in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. We also learn that "Love Me Do," recorded in Abbey Road Studios in September 1962, took 18 takes to get right, even though it was one of the first songs John and Paul ever wrote together. And the authors reveal that when the Beatles performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, John's microphone wasn't turned on, so viewers heard only Paul singing. The hundreds of photographs throughout the book include rare black-and-white publicity stills, images of Beatles instruments, and engaging shots of the musicians in-studio. All the Songs is the must-have book for the any true Beatles fan.

Toto On Track
Toto On Track

Author: Jacob Holm Lupo

Publisher: Sonicbond Publishing Ltd

Published: 2020-06-05

Total Pages: 163

ISBN-13: 1789520851

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Turn on the radio anytime, anywhere in the world, and sooner or later you will hear 'Africa'. Along with just a handful of songs by other artists, Toto’s worldwide hit is one of the most ubiquitous musical works of our time, written by a group of musicians who grew up together in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. Together they helped define the sound of the late 70s and 80s, appearing on numerous hit records by Michael Jackson, Boz Scaggs and Steely Dan. But it was together, as Toto, that they found their true form, fashioning a fine blend of funk, hard rock, pop and progressive rock. 'Hold the Line', 'Rosanna' and 'Pamela' are just a few of their other iconic hits. However, from the early days, Toto were a target for the music press, who disdained their slick chops and polished sound – all at odds with the post-punk and new wave aesthetics prevalent at the time. Yet Toto have always persevered, driven by their love for the music, and their fans’ love for them. Lately, Toto has been riding a renewed wave of popularity – fuelled by hard touring – not to mention a belated restitution from the rock media. This book discusses each of their albums in detail, track by track, from their smash-hit debut to 2015's magnificent Toto XIV. Jacob Holm-Lupo is a musician and journalist from Norway. He has written extensively about progressive rock, hard rock and AOR, including the book Blue Öyster Cult on track for Sonicbond, published in 2019. With his own bands White Willow and The Opium Cartel he has released ten albums, and he runs a recording and mixing studio. He is also active on the Classic Album Sunday circuit where he has, among other things, covered Toto IV and The Seventh One. He lives on an island with his wife, two children, a rabbit and a dog.

Carpenters On Track
Carpenters On Track

Author: Paul Tornbohm

Publisher: Sonicbond Publishing Ltd

Published: 2024-05-15

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 178952220X

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The brother and sister team of Karen and Richard Carpenter rank as one of the most successful acts in pop music history. Between the first Carpenters’ album released in 1969 and their final studio album together in 1981, they achieved three Grammy awards, 18 hits in the US Top 20 (and ten in the UK) and multiple platinum discs, leading to eventual sales of over 100 million copies worldwide. Although the group’s career was brought to a tragic and premature end by the untimely death of Karen Carpenter in 1983, they remain a much-loved band. The Carpenters crafted their own distinctive sound with multi-part harmonies and lush arrangements. A unique singer and gifted interpreter of songs, Karen was also passionate about playing the drums, with Richard’s talents extending to keyboards, singing, composing, arranging and producing. This book explores the background to each of their studio albums and classic singles, as well as their solo recordings, live albums and compilations of rare tracks. From their earliest recordings in a jazz trio through to Richard’s reinterpretations of their best-known songs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and as a solo pianist, this appraisal looks at over 55 years of Carpenters material. Paul Tornbohm is a songwriter and musician. As befits a Carpenters fan, he has recorded an album of his songs, August Afternoons, with his sister Cathy on lead vocals. A former member of the ‘ghost-rock’ group Piano Magic, Paul has also released the solo EP Down an English Lane. Additionally, he composes for Spontaneous Productions, a theatre company in Sydenham, London. Paul has a Masters in music production from Kingston University, teaches music qualifications at a sixth-form college in Surrey and lives in Crystal Palace, London, with his wife, the composer Yumi Mashiki. This is his first book.

Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys
Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys

Author: Mark Dillon

Publisher: ECW Press

Published: 2012-06-01

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13: 1770901981

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“A vivid account . . . Young and old fans alike will enjoy” (Publishers Weekly). This book offer a unique journey through The Beach Boys’ long, fascinating history by telling the stories behind fifty of the band’s greatest songs from the perspective of group members, collaborators, fellow musicians, and notable fans. Filled with new interviews with music legends such as Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Alan Jardine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, Randy Bachman, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Lyle Lovett, Alice Cooper, and Al Kooper, and commentary from a younger generation such as Matthew Sweet, Carnie Wilson, Daniel Lanois, Cameron Crowe, and Zooey Deschanel, this story of pop culture history both explores the darkness and difficulties with which the band struggled, and reminds us how their songs could make life feel like an endless summer.

Van Halen on track
Van Halen on track

Author: Morgan Brown

Publisher: Sonicbond Publishing Ltd

Published: 2023-05-12

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 178952296X

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Van Halen are arguably America’s greatest-ever rock n’ roll band. From inauspicious roots as a backyard covers outfit, they went on to revolutionise and revitalise heavy rock, creating a world-conquering blend of heavy metal power, punk energy and pop hooks. Armed with staggering musical virtuosity and irresistible charisma, they sold millions of records and spawned legions of imitators. From their humble origins and meteoric rise, through some dark, troubled years, to their triumphant rebirth, the band produced a remarkable body of work. In this thorough and illuminating book, Morgan Brown guides us song by song through the band’s classic albums, charting their development from Sunset Strip upstarts to multi-platinum stadium rockers and beyond. We’ll examine the music’s ingredients and inspirations and meet the characters behind the songs, including visionary guitar genius the late Edward Van Halen, motormouth master showman David Lee Roth, and his replacement, powerful vocalist Sammy Hagar, who ushered in a new era for the band. Equally suitable for inquisitive new listeners or long-time fans, this book is both an in-depth guide to and an enthusiastic celebration of the career of a truly legendary band. Feel like diving in? Well, as Roth said, go ahead and jump! Morgan Brown is the author of one previous title in the On Track series on The Damned and has been an active part of the UK music scene for over twenty years as a guitarist, drummer and songwriter. He is a self-confessed music nerd, enjoying a wild assortment of punk, pop, folk, jazz, heavy metal, country and whatever else takes his fancy. He is also an avid consumer of sci-fi and crime fiction and is a regular contributor to Hark! The 87th Precinct Podcast, which is dedicated to the detective novels of Ed McBain. He lives in Liverpool, UK.

All Music Guide
All Music Guide

Author: Vladimir Bogdanov

Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 1508

ISBN-13: 9780879306274

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Arranged in sixteen musical categories, provides entries for twenty thousand releases from four thousand artists, and includes a history of each musical genre.