More Than the Music
More Than the Music features twenty-seven unique jazz stories--stories that came about through my own experience. Most of them began so long ago, even as far back as the 1950s during my teenage years. In those days, jazz was still the new kid on the block, at least on my block. It was something most people knew nothing about--including me--so I watched, listened, and learned. By the time I reached New York City in 1967 and began aging out of my twenties, many of the people who had previously just been names on records or in books were now people I had met, worked with, and were getting to know on a personal level. I've picked out thirty-one terribly talented and fascinating music-oriented men and women with whom I had more than a simple working relationship; these were people who helped shape my life, some in significant ways. Once, they were all well-known--some only in the music world, others far beyond it. Their stories are detailed in twenty-five chapters from when time moved a little slower--before we were bound by TikTok's clock or 280-character tweets--because, once upon a time, we weren't always in such a hurry. I have purposely mixed it up. While most were jazz musicians, others came from different worlds: a CIA director (Edwin M. Ashcraft), a famous movie star (Clint Eastwood), a noted poet (Allen Ginsberg), a famous industrialist (Sherman M. Fairchild), a legendary talent scout and social activist (John Hammond), a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and academic (Mel Powell), and the world's foremost music festival producer (George Wein). And yet, it was the music that brought all of us together, and I consider myself very lucky to have known them.
Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl is one of the most respected musicians of the 21st Century. From his early days in the 1980s punk scene, he initially established himself as one of the greatest rock drummers of his generation. He then survived the chaos of Nirvana to establish his own songwriting voice as singer and guitarist for Foo Fighters. With hits such as 'Everlong', 'Learn to Fly', 'Times Like These' and 'Best of You', Foo Fighters have dominated modern rock for the past three decades. Outside of his band, Grohl is the ultimate rock & roll hype man, playing in side-projects with famous friends, and boosting the profiles of undervalued underground acts and up-and-coming artists alike. And yet, Grohl's music is strangely underappreciated. Gatekeeping alt-rock fans dismiss it, while critics are often more interested in his tragic backstory than his songs. This book is the first to cover the entirety of Foo Fighters' discography, as well as Grohl's various experimental side projects. By reviewing every song in depth, it reveals that Foo Fighters have more impressive and more varied music than what you hear on the radio, and there is far more to Grohl than his reputation as 'The Nicest Man In Rock'.
Chic Organisation
This book charts all of the albums which feature The Chic Organisation, helmed by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. As well as records under the Chic name, they also wrote, produced and played on records by Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Debbie Harry, Johnny Mathis, Sheila B., Madonna, Odyssey, Carly Simon and David Bowie, among many. Appearing on these records was a regular pool of talented singers and musicians. So, sharing their thoughts are Eddie Daniels, Sammy Figueroa, Jean Fineberg, Stan Harrison, Bill Holloman, Kenny Lehman, Ellen Seeling, Roger Squitero and Jessica Wagner. Alva Chinn, who appeared on the front cover of the debut Chic album, also contributes, as does Tony Wright, who designed the Take It Off cover. Every album and song is reviewed all together for the first time. There is also a section on further listening, which features records with a slightly lesser Chic presence for those who want to dig a little deeper. The book also features the more recent work of the rebranded Nile Rodgers & Chic. While many will know of the extent of Chic's influence and work, it will likely come as a surprise to even more. If you are a hardcore fan or alternatively, somebody who wants to know more, this book is for you. Le freak c'est Chic!
Berghain Nights
A pulsing, personal, and fabulous ride through the music and culture of an iconic nightclub scene. Fascinated by Berlin nightclub Berghain's strange techno and stranger goings-on, Liam Cagney journeys through techno's history, from Detroit to Tokyo, and explores Berlin club culture in all its color and intensity. Berghain Nights is the result. From kinky parties in the labyrinthine KitKat Club to the smoky gloom of Tresor's repurposed bank vault, to the psychedelic lab of Cocktail d'Amore, Berghain Nights not only captures the excitement of Berlin club culture but also asks how techno in a queer club context can help people strip away their inherited hang-ups to find a truer self. Berghain Nights is about spiritual frenzy and soulful music, countercultural urgency, and capitalistic cash-ins. It's a story of the most notorious club in the world and of a scene that, enthralling thousands every weekend, feeds billions annually into Berlin's economy. In the midst of it all is the story of a person who, having gone through life feeling like an alien, finds himself in the most alien place imaginable--and feels at home there.
Have Horn, Will Travel
Have Horn, Will Travel is the first full-length biography of tenor saxophone virtuoso and in-demand sideman Herman "Junior" Cook, chronicling his life and impact from his Pensacola, Florida, origins to his New York City-based career. Best known for his association with pianist Horace Silver's iconic quintet from 1958 to 1964, Cook continued as a mainstay in some of jazz's hardest-driving ensembles--with trumpeters Blue Mitchell, Freddie Hubbard, and Bill Hardman; drummers Louis Hayes and Elvin Jones; and the McCoy Tyner Big Band, among others--through the decades until his death in 1992. Highlights of Cook's life and career are retold from meticulous research and interviews with friends and musicians who knew and played with him, including Mosaic Records founder Michael Cuscuna, SteepleChase Records founder Nils Winther, and Cook's right-hand bandmate and roommate, vocalist Timmy Shepherd. The book also relays some of Cook's "lessons"--best practices of musicianship that young jazz fellow travelers learned from his example as a master musician in the 1980s New York City jam session scene. Those lessons embody the sense of deep community and the apprenticeship tradition of twentieth-century jazz--a tradition that some musicians perceive is now lacking. Have Horn, Will Travel offers the reader a window into the life of arguably one of jazz's great underrated practitioners, laying bare the triumph and tragedy of a musician whose career largely missed the spotlight and the marquee. While the name of Junior Cook is unknown to many who have heard his signature tenor on several of Horace Silver's heralded compositions--including "Sister Sadie," "Blowin the Blues Away," and "Cookin' at the Continental"--he was the inspiration of many of his contemporaries and marshaled a generation of young musicians into the jazz idiom while living a sideman's life.
The Who
The Who defined a generation and rocked the world. "My Generation," "Pinball Wizard," and "Baba O'Riley" are some of the most well-known tracks in rock history. The rock opera Tommy, the genre-defining Live at Leeds, and the classic Quadrophenia are just some of The Who's albums. The band's original lineup had an amazing 15-year span, as they toured their way around the globe, performing live and recording until the death of drummer Keith Moon in 1978. Then John Entwhistle died in 2002, but the remaining founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend continue to tour. Won't Get Fooled Again takes you on the journey with the band as they conquered the world: from small London clubs to Madison Square Garden, from seven-inch vinyl releases to multimillion-selling albums, all the way to recognition as global rock gods. The stories behind the music with an album-by-album analysis and accompanied by images from many of the most well-known contemporary rock photographers gives a unique insight into one of the most influential groups in the history of rock music.
Stray Kids
From humble beginnings on JYP's Stray Kids survival show to conquering international stages, Stray Kids have surpassed K-pop fame to become a global sensation. This ultimate fan book delves into their whirlwind rise to stardom, self-produced music, and how they've become empowering role models for millions worldwide. Their album 5-Star shattered records, while the Maniac world tour sold out arenas worldwide, proving their influence extends beyond music and impacts pop culture as a whole. Known for their bold mix of EDM, hip-hop, and introspective themes, Stray Kids are reshaping the K-pop landscape, led by the in-house production team 3RACHA. The group's fearless innovation has garnered them legions of dedicated fans across continents. With over 10 billion streams on music platforms, and numerous Daesangs and Billboard Music Awards, their influence is only set to grow, making them unstoppable in the ever-expanding world of K-pop. So what better way to celebrate the phenomenon that is Stray Kids than through this beautifully illustrated book, packed with intimate insights and illustrations that explore their incredible journey and groundbreaking music.
Stop Press Hits - How the UK Pop Charts Became Front Page News 1956-69
Get the Led Out
The ultimate book for the ultimate fan of the ultimate band: Led Zeppelin, who continues to enthrall every new generation who encounters their music, now updated and revised. Led Zeppelin fans of all ages will covet this in-depth, lushly illustrated coffee-table book on their favorite group. The book starts with a unique day-by-day timeline that reveals quirky insider details, achievements, and exploits. Thirty-plus rare, candid interviews follow, featuring Zeppelin members and other musicians and industry insiders, including Jason Bonham (drummer and son of legendary Zeppelin drummer John Bonham), Chris Squire (Yes), Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Alice Cooper, Paul Rodgers, and music industry legends Eddie Kramer, Danny Goldberg (Swan Song Records, Vice President) and Ron Nevison. The book is illustrated throughout with photographs, reproductions of memorabilia from a major private Zeppelin collector, and specially commissioned artworks by noted album cover artist Ioannis. It also features a comprehensive discography. This new edition with 48 pages of new material on updates with the band since the original book was published in 2012, includes coverage of the reunion concert film in 2012 at the O2 in London, Celebration Day; the presidential Kennedy Center Honors appearance in 2012; new interviews and new photography; three new artworks by Ioannis; an updated timeline and discography; and a fresh, bold cover design.
Donizetti: Lucia Di Lammermoor
Donizetti's opera, based on Walter Scott's novel, is a staple of the bel canto operatic repertoire and famed above all for its vocally challenging and frequently reinterpreted 'mad scene' that precedes the lead character's death. This handbook examines the impact Lucia has had on opera and investigates why, of all of Donizetti's seventy operas, this particular work has inspired so much enthusiastic interest among scholars, directors and singers. A key feature is the sheer mutability of the character Lucia as she transforms from a lyric bel canto figure to a highly charged coloratura femme fatale, fascinating not just to opera historians but also to those working on sound studies, literary theories of horror and the gothic, the science of the mind, gender theory and feminist thought. The book places Lucia within the larger contexts of its time, while underlining the opera's central dramatic elements that resonate in the repertoire today.
Inside the Moment
Fans of blues, soul, jazz, rock & roll, and R&B are passionate and devoted. Inside the Moment is for readers who love American music based on these African American traditions as well as appreciate fine-art photography. This book brings to light photojournalist Joe Rosen's 45-plus-year body of photographic work, which has largely been unseen until now. Presented are the author's new and powerful images of both famous and lesser-known artists, which will further the reader's insight and enjoyment. The author adds his own historical context and personal accounts while photographing the artists, enhancing the impact of the images. Longtime music fans will see fresh images of favorites--such as John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and Buckwheat Zydeco--and perhaps discover new artists to listen to and enjoy. Newcomers will see strong, moving images and also read the author's memorable first-person encounters, leading them to music genres and artists that may be new to them.
The Cure
The story of The Cure: a tall tale of a truly unique British band.The Cure's story is a fantastical pop fable, but their trajectory has not been one of unbroken success. Along the way, their uneven, uneasy pop odyssey has taken in fierce intra-band tensions and fall-outs, numerous line-up changes and even a bitter court case that saw original group members feuding over payments and ownership of the band's name.There has been alcoholism, substance abuse and countless long, dark nights of the soul, many of which have been translated into luscious dark-rock symphonies.From gawky teenage art-punks in Crawley to gnomic, venerable rock royalty with 30 million record sales to their name, their journey has been a scarcely believable, vivid pop hallucination. A Perfect Dream is the tall tale of a truly unique British band. It's the story of The Cure.This fully updated edition includes a deep dive into the band's long-awaited 14th studio album released in 2024: Songs of a Lost World.
