The brash and outrageously funny autobiography of music legend Frank Zappa--now in trade paperback. Here is the real story of how he became the state of the art in weirdness, as only he can tell it: wild rock 'n' roll road stories, confrontations with bureaucratic idiocy, and more. Black-and-white photographs and line drawings throughout.

When times are particularly difficult, and you are likely to slip into despair, some of the greatest pop songs can provide true comfort to make it through the pain. The problem with advice in general is that we often don't take it. The great thing about advice songs is that you can kick back and listen to someone else coach you through a tough situation while rocking out at the same time. Marcus Kraft's bestsellers Don't Eat the Yellow Snow and Don't Talk Just Kiss struck a chord with music lovers. This sparked the idea for the Get off the Internet Postcard Block. In the footsteps of this popular postcard block, we present a new collection of postcards, using the same iconic design as the books. They contain the best advice from the most iconic pop songs. Surprise your friends or family with one of the 20 pieces of advice collected in these postcard blocks.

'Probably the most ambitious, generous and thorough volume about a musician to see publication' Mouth Magazine The authorised companion to the music of Nick Drake, compiled, composed and edited by Cally Callomon and Gabrielle Drake, with contributions from Nick's friends, critics, adherents, family and from Nick Drake himself. Remembered For A While is not a biography. It is, rather, an attempt to cast a few shards of light on Nick Drake the poet, the musician, the singer, the friend, son and brother, who was also more than all of these. We hope it will accompany all those in search of an elusive artist, whose haunting presence defies analysis. The book contains: * In-depth interviews with many of Nick's friends, most notably Paul Wheeler, Nick's close friend from Cambridge days, a singer-songwriter who, of all Nick's friends, perhaps best understood, from personal experience, Nick's journey through musical creation to despair and back again. * A selection of photos from all eras - some never seen before - with reproductions of documents such as the scrapbook Molly Drake kept of her son's press cuttings, and the original and rejected album covers. * Images of Nick's handwritten and typed lyrics, including the lyrics of some songs for which the music has never been found. * Newly commissioned pieces by Nick's friends Jeremy Harmer, Brian Wells, Robin Frederick and the poet Will Stone. Contributions also from the sleeve designer Michael Trevithick, Island Records's Ann Sullivan and the photographer and artist Nigel Waymouth. *Extracts from Nick's letters - part of an extensive correspondence that exists between Nick and his parents, which charts their relationship from the time he first went to boarding school until the time he came home, when his depression had settled upon him and he felt he had nowhere else to go. From this point, Nick's life was documented by his father, Rodney Drake, who kept a detailed diary, as he and his wife Molly struggled to understand their son's state of mind and how to help him. Passages from this poignant record are included. * A short musical guide to each song's key and tuning to accompany the lyrics, together with an explanatory interpretation of Nick's guitar performance, the result of several years close study by singer-songwriter Chris Healey. * A comprehensive guide to all of Nick's live performances. * And a lengthy essay by noted music critic Pete Paphides, which includes interviews with Nick's musical collaborators and friends - his producer Joe Boyd, his recording engineer John Wood and his orchestrator, the late Robert Kirby - as well as descriptions of the recording process of each album.

From "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)?" to a list of all song titles containing the word "werewolf," Rock Music in American Popular Culture II: More Rock 'n'Roll Resources continues where 1995's Volume I left off. Using references and illustrations drawn from contemporary lyrics and supported by historical and sociological research on popular cultural subjects, this collection of insightful essays and reviews assesses the involvement of musical imagery in personal issues, in social and political matters, and in key socialization activities. From marriage and sex to public schools and youth culture, readers discover how popular culture can be used to explore American values. As Authors B. Lee Cooper and Wayne S. Haney prove that integrated popular culture is the product of commercial interaction with public interest and values rather than a random phenomena, they entertainingly and knowledgeably cover such topics as: answer songs--interchanges involving social events and lyrical commentaries as explored in response recordings horror films--translations and transformations of literary images and motion picture figures into popular song characters and tales public schools--images of formal educational practices and informal learning processes in popular song lyrics sex--suggestive tales and censorship challenges within the popular music realm war--examinations of persistent military and home front themes featured in wartime recordingsRock Music in American Popular Culture II: More Rock 'n'Roll Resources is nontechnical, written in a clear and concise fashion, and explores each topic thoroughly, with ample discographic and bibliographic resources provided for additional research. Arranged alphabetically for quick and easy reference to specific topics, the book is equally enjoyable to read straight through. Rock music fans, teachers, popular culture professors, music instructors, public librarians, sound recording archivists, sociologists, social critics, and journalists can all learn something, as the book shows them the cross-pollination of music and social life in the United States.

The Beatles and Duke Ellington's Orchestra stand as the two greatest examples of collaboration in music history. Thomas Brothers delivers a portrait of the creative process at work, demonstrating that the cooperative method at the foundation of these two artist-groups was the primary reason for their unmatched musical success. While clarifying the historical record of who wrote what, with whom and how, Brothers brings the past to life with photos, anecdotes and more than thirty years of musical knowledge, and analysis of songs from "Strawberry Fields Forever" to "Chelsea Bridge". Help! describes in rich detail the music and mastery of two cultural leaders whose popularity has never dimmed, and the process of collaboration that allowed them to achieve an artistic vision greater than the sum of their parts.

One of the most important documentaries on rock music ever published, this is EMI Records' official diary-format history of every Beatles recording session. Now in paperback. Researched from hundreds of unreleased Abbey Road archive tapes, featuring thousands of previously unpublished studio documents and interviews with many of the key recording personnel. The book is filled with over 350 color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations, including rare photos by Linda McCartney and the first facsimile reproductions of Abbey Road recording sheets, tape boxes, album sleeve roughs, memos, contracts, press releases and much more.

First published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This limited printing, hardcover 40th anniversary edition includes: -an exclusive new interview with lead singer Simon Le Bon -a Rio timeline -a newly designed book cover by Rio album sleeve designer, Malcolm Garrette -vintage Duran Duran photos and ads -and much more... In the '80s, the Birmingham, England, band Duran Duran became closely associated with new wave, an idiosyncratic genre that dominated the decade's music and culture. No album represented this rip-it-up-and-start-again movement better than the act's breakthrough 1982 LP, Rio. A cohesive album with a retro-futuristic sound-influences include danceable disco, tangy funk, swaggering glam, and Roxy Music's art-rock-the full-length sold millions and spawned smashes such as "Hungry Like the Wolf" and the title track. However, Rio wasn't a success everywhere at first; in fact, the LP had to be buffed-up with remixes and reissued before it found an audience in America. The album was further buoyed by colorful music videos and a cutting-edge visual aesthetic, both of which established the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees as leaders of an MTV-driven second British Invasion. Via extensive new and exclusive interviews with band members and other figures who helped Rio succeed, this book explores how and why Rio became a landmark pop-rock album, and examines how the LP was both a musical inspiration-and a reflection of a musical, cultural, and technology zeitgeist.

Ariana Grande captured the hearts of a nation with her One Love Manchester concert. Less than a fortnight after a terrorist killed twenty-two people at her Manchester show, the petite princess stood tall at her tribute concert that united and healed a shaken nation. She was the emotional core of a powerful evening that reminded us all of music's redemptive power. But who is Ariana Grande? This candid book traces the US pop star's story from her childhood in Florida, through her teenage years on Broadway and Nickelodeon, and on to her gleaming pop career which has seen her described as 'the new Mariah Carey'. This unauthorized biography tells the songbird's eventful and inspirational story in full for the first time, and shows how she became an award-winning, chart-topping pop idol, as well as an empowering inspiration for a generation of girls. It reveals that there is more to Ariana than the celebrity we all think we know, explaining how her smooth transition from a squeaky-clean teenage pop product to a sophisticated, bold artist was powered by a restless and resilient personality. A must read for all her fans, this is a full, unflinching portrait of a pop sensation and inspiring, uncompromising woman - the small, sassy girl with the ponytail who conquered the world.

The currency is fame, and it's bigger than money, more desired than power.
Each season "American Idol" delivers on a promise whose epic scope is unparalleled in the annals of competition: to take an unknown dreamer from the middle of America and turn him or her into a genuine star. It has become not only the biggest show on television, but the biggest force in all of entertainment; its alumni dominate the recording charts and Broadway, win Academy Awards, and sweep up Grammys. In fact, "American Idol" has reshaped the very idea of celebrity.
But it didn't start out that way. When the little singing contest debuted as a summer replacement on the U.S. airwaves, it was packed between reruns and low-cost filler. The promise that it would find America's next pop star produced a hearty round of guffaws from the country's media critics. Now, some ten years and millions of records later, no one is laughing.
"American Idol: The Untold Story" chronicles the triumphs and travails, the harrowing backstage drama and the nail-biting onstage battles that built this revolutionary show. In this revealing book, veteran journalist Richard Rushfield goes deeper inside the circus than any reporter ever has. Candid interviews with "Idol" alumni, including Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell, shed new light on the show that changed the entertainment industry. And because Rushfield had full access to the people who created the show, starred in it, and kept it atop the pop culture pyramid, this book is the first to take Americans behind the curtain and tell what has really been happening on the world's most watched and speculated-about stage.

This book explores the relationships between popular music, technology, and the changing media ecosystem. More precisely, it looks at infrastructures and practices of music making and consuming primarily in the post-Napster era of digitization - with some chapters looking back on the technological precursors to digital culture - marked by the emergence of digital tools and platforms such as YouTube or Spotify. The first section provides a critical overview of theories addressing popular music and digital technology, while the second section offers an analysis of the relationship between musical cultures, taste, constructions of authenticity, and technology. The third section offers case studies on the materialities of music consumption from outside the western core of popular music production. The final section reflects on music scenes and the uses and discourses of social media.

This thoroughly revised third edition of Allan F. Moore's ground-breaking book, now co-authored with Remy Martin, incorporates new material on rock music theory, style change and the hermeneutic method developed in Moore's Song Means (2012). An even larger array of musicians is discussed, bringing the book right into the 21st century. Rock's 'primary text' - its sounds - is the focus of attention here. The authors argue for the development of a musicology particular to rock within the context of the background to the genres, the beat and rhythm and blues styles of the early 1960s, 'progressive' rock, punk rock, metal and subsequent styles. They also explore the fundamental issue of rock as a medium for self-expression, and the relationship of this to changing musical styles. Rock: The Primary Text remains innovative in its exploration of an aesthetics of rock.

In "Subculture to Clubcultures" Steve Redhead responds to the separation of 'youth' and 'pop' in the 1980s and the fragmentation of the audience for popular music in the 1990s, arguing for a redefinition of the conceptual apparatus needed to explain the most recent developments in popular music culture - from the rise of 'Clubcultures' to the future of the popular music scene. The coverage in this book includes: the dance pop culture of the 1980s and 1990s; global youth culture as it was dynamized in this period by Garage, House, Electro, Techno and other contemporary dance music forms; and, the consequences of this for the continued importance of various forms of rock and pop music and a range of theoretical approaches to the economic and cultural condition of the postmodern.

The dawn of folk rock comes to life in Jerry Burgan's unforgettable memoir of the pre-psychedelic 1960s and the summer that changed everything. As a naive folksinger from Pomona, California, Burgan was thrust to the forefront of the counterculture and its aftermath. The Byrds, the Rolling Stones, the Mamas and Papas, Barry McGuire, Bo Diddley and many others make appearances in this 50th Anniversary reminiscence by the surviving cofounder of WE FIVE, the San Francisco electro-folk ensemble whose million-seller, "You Were On My Mind," entered the world two months before Bob Dylan plugged in an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival. Vying with the Byrds to record the first folk-rock hit, Burgan and his lifelong friend Mike Stewart embarked on a road they thought well paved by the latter's older brother, Kingston Trio member John Stewart. Little did they realize that they would join the largest-ever American generation in an ecstatic, sometimes tortured, journey of invention and disillusion. Wounds to Bind bears witness to a lost and hopeful convergence in American history-that missing link between the folk and rock eras-when Bob Dylan and Sammy Davis Jr. were played on the same radio station in the same hour. A survivor of the human realignments, tragedies and triumphs that followed, Burgan tracks down the demons that drove the genius of We Five cofounder Mike Stewart and sheds light on the 40-year enigma of what became of the band's reclusive lead singer, Beverly Bivens, a forerunner of Grace Slick, Linda Ronstadt, and Stevie Nicks.

There is simply no one like Cher. A mix of street smart, intelligence, talent and beauty, she's the celebrities' favourite celebrity and if you're not a Dolly Parton person, there's no doubt you're Cher obsessed. With six decades of No.1 hits, from Sonny and Cher days to her latest album (number 26) the Gold Dancing Queen in 2018, she's reinvented herself again and again. Turning her hand to serious acting in Silkwood, Mask, Moonstruck, The Witches of Eastwick and more, the multi-talented star had new award-winning film career in the 1980s, but yet again emerged as the 'Goddess of Pop' with dance-oriented pop-rock - and gaining a dedicated tribe of gay followers as a result. From LGBTQ rights to politics, from saving elephants to kitchen discos on TikTok, she's as engaged, relevant and controversial as she ever was - and she has a LOT to say for herself. Here is a collection of the funniest, sharpest, most deadpan quotes you'd expect from this authentic one-of-a-kind star who Time magazine named as 'Twitter's most outspoken (and beloved) commentator'. SAMPLE QUOTE: 'The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing - and then marry him.' - BCC Observer, February 2005

'WHICH IS THE BEST BAND I'VE BEEN IN? THE SMALL FACES WERE THE MOST CREATIVE, THE FACES WERE THE MOST FUN,THE WHO WERE THE MOST EXCITING. THESE WERE ELECTRIFYING DAYS IN MUSIC. WE WERE ALL UNTRIED, UNTESTED. WHAT WAS STOPPING US? NOTHING.' As drummer with the Small Faces, Faces and later The Who, Kenney Jones' unique sense of rhythm was the heartbeat that powered three of the most influential rock bands of all time. Beginning in London's post-war East End, Kenney's story takes us through the birth of the Mod revolution, the mind-bending days of the late-1960s and the raucous excesses of the '70s and '80s. In a career spanning six decades, Kenney was at the epicentre of many of the most exciting moments in music history and has experienced everything the industry has to offer. He jointly created some of the world's most-loved records, hung out with the Stones, Beatles, David Bowie, Keith Moon and Rod Stewart, and suffered the loss of close friends to rock 'n' roll excess and success. The legacy created by Kenney and his band mates has influenced acts as diverse as Led Zeppelin, the Sex Pistols and Oasis. Now, for the very first time, Kenney tells the full story of how a young Cockney Herbert played his part in the biggest social transformation in living memory - the people, the parties, the friendships, the fall-outs, the laughter, the sadness, the sex, drugs, and a lot of rock 'n' roll, while also opening up about his own deeply personal battles and passions, too. This is a vivid and breath-taking immersion into the most exciting era of music history and beyond.

In the late 70s, the Bee Gees spectacularly revived their career and, with their soundtrack to the Saturday Night Fever film, became the biggest disco group in the world. But when the disco boom crashed they went from icons to punch lines overnight. The band was inescapably frozen in time: all long, flowing manes, big teeth, falsettos, medallions, hairy chests, and skintight satin trousers, one finger forever pointing in the air. The Bee Gees would spend the next forty years trying to convince people there was more to them, growing ever more resentful of their gigantic disco success. We d like to dress Stayin Alive up in a white suit and gold chains and set it on fire, they said. Staying Alive finally lifts that millstone from around their necks by joyfully reappraising and celebrating their iconic disco era. Taking the reader deep into the excesses of the most hedonistic of music scenes, it tells how three brothers from Manchester transformed themselves into the funkiest white group ever and made the world dance. No longer a guilty pleasure but a national treasure.

Vogue has always been on the cutting edge of popular culture, and Vogue x Music shows us why. Whether they're contemporary stars or classic idols, whether they made digital albums or vinyl records, the world's most popular musicians have always graced the pages of Vogue. In this book you'll find unforgettable portraits of Madonna beside David Bowie, Kendrick Lamar, and Patti Smith; St. Vincent alongside Debbie Harry, and much more. Spanning the magazine's 126 years, this breathtaking book is filled with the work of acclaimed photographers like Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz as well as daring, music-inspired fashion portfolios from Irving Penn and Steven Klein. Excerpts from essential interviews with rock stars, blues singers, rappers, and others are included on nearly every page, capturing exactly what makes each musician so indelible. Vogue x Music is a testament to star power, and proves that some looks are as timeless as your favorite albums.

DIY House Shows and Music Venues in the US is an interdisciplinary study of house concerts and other DIY ('do-it-yourself') music venues in the US, such as warehouses, all-ages clubs and guerrilla shows, with its primary focus on West Coast American DIY locales. Focusing on DIY houses, music venues, social spaces, and local and translocal cultural geographies, the author examines how American DIY communities constitute themselves in relation to their social and spatial environment. The ethnographic approach shows the inner-workings of American DIY culture, and how the particular people within particular places strive to achieve a social ideal of an "intimate" community.

To many, it seemed as though Lizzo shot to fame overnight. But long-time fans, like author Billie Oliver, know this is hardly the case. Lizzo's story is one of tireless persistence, in an industry and media landscape where she was often made to feel like she didn't belong. Well, you better believe that never stopped Lizzo. Lizzobangers, her debut album, dropped in 2014 and piqued the interest of the American music industry. There were murmurs, and some collaborations (*cough* Prince *cough*). But it was from 2016 onwards, as Lizzo's hilarious online presence grew in step with her status as a body positivity and self-love advocate, that her ascent to global stardom began. All the while, Lizzo maintained her brand of I-don't-give-a-f**k sincerity that many of us now aspire to. Or at least enjoy watching. How many other artists can claim to have twerked on stages around the world while playing classical flute? This book offers 50 pieces of Lizzo's story as a tribute to an icon who truly shines (and lets us all shine too).

Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers' 1972 song "Roadrunner" captures the freedom and wonder of cruising down the highway late at night with the radio on. Although the song circles Boston's beltway, its significance reaches far beyond Richman's deceptively simple declarations of love for modern moonlight, the made world, and rock & roll. In Roadrunner, cultural theorist and poet Joshua Clover charts both the song's emotional power and its elaborate history, tracing its place in popular music from Chuck Berry to M.I.A. He also locates "Roadrunner" at the intersection of car culture, industrialization, consumption, mobility, and politics. Like the song itself, Clover tells a story about a particular time and place-the American era that rock & roll signifies-that becomes a story about love and the modern world.

The Beatles' North American tours turned the entertainment business on its ear and forever changed the landscape of the concert touring industry. In February 1964 after finally achieving a number-one hit in America the Fab Four came to the country with high hopes performing on the wildly popular EEd Sullivan ShowE in both New York City and Miami and playing concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Washington Coliseum. In just fifteen short days the Beatles conquered America. The Beatles made music-entertainment history with their North American tours from 1964 to 1966.THESome Fun Tonight! The Backstage Story of How the Beatles Rocked America: The Historic Tours of 1964-1966E is a comprehensive two-volume set which gives you a city-by-city synopsis of the group's activities as they traveled the United States and Canada for their groundbreaking series of concerts. From San Francisco's Cow Palace show on August 19 1964 through their last-ever live performances at that city's famed Candlestick Park on August 29 1966 these books cover the music and the madness that characterized the Beatles' three North American tours. With hundreds of photographs and images of rare memorabilia it is truly the definitive reference for what is arguably the most important period in the Beatles' long and winding career. You'll read about the behind-the-scenes negotiations the mayhem at the airports and hotels and the cheeky quotes delivered at the press conferences. You'll also read about the opening acts the concerts and the stories behind the shows through the eyes of the Beatles their entourage the promoters the emcees and the fans. Never before have the Beatles' North American concerts been covered in such depth.THIf you witnessed the mania firsthand you'll relive the excitement in the pages of these books. If you were born too late to be a part of those halcyon days you'll learn what it was like to be swept up and carried away by the phenomenon of the greatest musical act of all time. When all is said and done ESome Fun TonightE is a tribute to the fans a the first generation and beyond. Look carefully at the faces of the fans in this book; they may be your friends parents grandparents a or even you! a but together they made Beatlemania happen. Fasten your seat belt and enjoy this comprehensive history!