Blackstar Theory takes a close look at David Bowie's ambitious last works: his surprise 'comeback' project The Next Day (2013), the off-Broadway musical Lazarus (2015) and the album that preceded the artist's death in 2016 by two days, Blackstar. The book explores the swirl of themes that orbit and entangle these projects from a starting point in musical analysis and features new interviews with key collaborators from the period: producer Tony Visconti, graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook, musical director Henry Hey, saxophonist Donny McCaslin and assistant sound engineer Erin Tonkon. These works tackle the biggest of ideas: identity, creativity, chaos, transience and immortality. They enact a process of individuation for the Bowie meta-persona and invite us to consider what happens when a star dies. In our universe, dying stars do not disappear - they transform into new stellar objects, remnants and gravitational forces. The radical potential of the Blackstar is demonstrated in the rock star supernova that creates a singularity resulting in cultural iconicity. It is how a man approaching his own death can create art that illuminates the immortal potential of all matter in the known universe.

The first scholarly discussion on the band, Pearl Jam and Philosophy examines both the songs (music and lyrics) and the activities (live performances, political commitments) of one of the most celebrated and charismatic rock bands of the last 30 years. The book investigates the philosophical aspects of their music at various levels: existential, spiritual, ethical, political, metaphysical and aesthetic. This philosophical interpretation is also dependent on the application of textual and poetic analysis: the interdisciplinary volume puts philosophical aspects of the band's lyrics in close dialogue with 19th- and 20th-century European and American poetry. Through this widespread philosophical examination, the book further looks into the band's immense popularity and commercial success, their deeply loyal fanbase and genuine sense of community surrounding their music, and the pivotal place the band holds within popular music and contemporary culture.

By reinterpreting 20th-century poetry as a listening to and writing through noise, The Poetics of Noise from Dada to Punk constructs a literary history of noise through poetic sound and performance. This book traces how poets figure noise in the disfiguration of poetic voice. Materializing in the threshold between the heard and the unheard, noise emerges in the differentiation and otherness of sound. It arises in the folding of an "outside" into the "inside" of poetic performance both on and off the page. Through a series of case studies ranging from verse by ear-witnesses to the First World War, Dadaist provocations, jazz modernist song and poetry, early New York City punk rock, contemporary sound poetry, and noise music, The Poetics of Noise from Dada to Punk describes productive failures of communication that theorize listening against the grain of sound's sense.

Following the success of Complete Rock Family Trees, Pete Frame documents the story of The Beatles. The trees unfold alongside photographs and memorabilia to document the Liverpool scene. Other froups featured are Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers, and The Swinging Blue Jeans.

Once the domain of a privileged few, the art of record production is today within the reach of all. The rise of the ubiquitous DIY project studio and internet streaming have made it so. And while the creative possibilities available to everyday musicians are seemingly endless, so too are the multiskilling and project management challenges to be faced. In order to demystify the contemporary popular-music-making phenomenon, Marshall Heiser reassesses its myriad processes and wider sociocultural context through the lens of creativity studies, play theory and cultural psychology. This innovative new framework is grounded in a diverse array of creative-practice examples spanning the CBGBs music scene to the influence of technology upon modern-day music. First-hand interviews with Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), Bill Bruford (King Crimson, Yes) and others whose work has influenced the way records are made today are also included. Popular Music, Power and Play is as thought provoking as it will be indispensable for scholars, practitioners and aficionados of popular music and the arts in general.

Bob Dylan's ways with words are a wonder, matched as they are with his music and verified by those voices of his. In response to the whole range of Dylan early and late (his songs of social conscience, of earthly love, of divine love, and of contemplation), this critical appreciation listens to Dylan's attentive genius, alive in the very words and their rewards.

"Fools they made a mock of sin." Dylan's is an art in which sins are laid bare (and resisted), virtues are valued (and manifested), and the graces brought home. The seven deadly sins, the four cardinal virtues (harder to remember?), and the three heavenly graces: these make up everybody's world -- but Dylan's in particular. Or rather, his worlds, since human dealings of every kind are his for the artistic seizing. Pride is anatomized in "Like a Rolling Stone," Envy in "Positively 4th Street," Anger in "Only a Pawn in Their Game" ... But, hearteningly, Justice reclaims "Hattie Carroll," Fortitude "Blowin' in the Wind," Faith "Precious Angel," Hope "Forever Young," and Charity "Watered-Down Love."

In The "New Yorker, Alex Ross wrote that "Ricks's writing on Dylan is the best there is. Unlike most rock critics -- 'forty-year-olds talking to ten-year-olds, ' Dylan has called them -- he writes for adults." In the "Times (London), Bryan Appleyard maintained that "Ricks, one of the most distinguished literary critics of our time, is almost the only writer to have applied serious literary intelligence to Dylan ..."

Dylan's countless listeners (and even the artist himself, who knows?) may agree with W.H. Auden that Ricks "is exactly the kind of critic every poet dreams of finding."

How did Melbourne earn its place as one of the world's 'music cities'? Beginning with the arrival of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, this book explores the development of different sectors of Melbourne's popular music ecosystem in parallel with broader population, urban planning and media industry changes in the city. The authors draw on interviews with Melbourne musicians, venue owners and policy-makers, documenting their ambitions and experiences across different periods, with accompanying spotlights on the gendered, multicultural and indigenous contexts of playing and recording in Melbourne. Focusing on pop and rock, this is the first book to provide an extensive historical lens of popular music within an urban cultural economy that in turn investigates the contemporary nature and challenges of urban music activities and policy.

Play everyone's favorite songs with this collection of the most memorable hits of the 1960s, '70s, and early '80s Classic rock fans will have a blast applying their talent to more than 40 enduring songs made famous by legendary artists like The Beatles, David Bowie, Journey, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Rush, The Who, and more. The arrangements in this collection capture the essence of the original recordings in fun, easy piano renditions that are great for solo performance or sing-alongs. Titles: 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (Paul Simon) * Africa (Toto) * All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix) * All My Love (Led Zeppelin) * Behind Blue Eyes (The Who) * Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell) * Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann's Earth Band) * Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan) * Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen) * Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel) * Closer to the Heart (Rush) * Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest) * Do You Feel Like We Do (Peter Frampton) * Don't Stop Believin' (Journey) * Faithfully (Journey) * Fool in the Rain (Led Zeppelin) * From Me to You (The Beatles) * Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) (Parliament) * Going Up the Country (Canned Heat) * The Great Gig in the Sky (Pink Floyd) * I Love L.A. (Randy Newman) * I Saw Her Standing There (The Beatles) * Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) * Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney) * Love Reign O'er Me (The Who) * Money (Pink Floyd) * Nights in White Satin (The Moody Blues) * Paranoid (Black Sabbath) * P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) (Parliament) * Pinball Wizard (The Who) * River (Joni Mitchell) * Saturday in the Park (Chicago) * She Loves You (The Beatles) * She's a Rainbow (The Rolling Stones) * The Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel) * Space Oddity (David Bowie) * St. Stephen (Grateful Dead) * Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) * Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen) * Tom Sawyer (Rush) * Uncle John's Band (Grateful Dead) * A Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum) * Wild Hors

Has the global phenomenon that is Pop Idol completely ruined pop music, or is it just the natural revolution of a genre of music that has always been manufactured? From Tin Pan Alley via The Monkees and finally to boy bands, this is the complete history of the most successful genre of music ever.;Manufactured acts have been the money-spinning mainstay of the pop industry for decades. "Bubblegum: The History of Plastic Pop" takes a decade-by-decade look at some of the music industry's more cynical creations from the 1950s to the 21st century, encompassing acts such as The Monkees, The Bay City Rollers and The Spice Girls, as well as the phenomenon that is Pop Idol and its siblings. This revealing study includes interviews with the movers and shakers of the pop world and the artistic armies behind their successes, including Chinn and Chapman, Stock, Aitken and Waterman, Simon Fuller, Paula Abdul and Cathy Dennis. The result is a comprehensive look back at some of the fly-by-nights of pop and a DIY guide to becoming a pop star, listing the dos and don'ts of making it in the pop music industry.

Finally A hip, fun and culturally relevant series of music appreciation books, perfect for modern music-loving families who want to take advantage of this era of exploding musical access Get a personal guided tour through an amazing historical back-catalog of music that was previously unavailable. "Music Lab: We Rock "" A Fun Family Guide for Exploring Rock Music History" is a guided tour through thrilling corners of the musical universe that should not be missed This book highlights great songs in rock history, shares insights and stories on the artists, details the social and historical influences at play, and offers fun activities for families to do together. Detailed listening guides help music fans understand song structure, lyrics, and instrumentation. Related listening lists introduce readers to other exciting artists in similar genres. Set into 52 "music labs," these stories can be explored at will by individuals and families or used as a curriculum for community groups and educators. There really are no other books out there like thisa that are music appreciation books for a general audience that focus on popular musica so pick up yours today and soon have your whole family singing "We Rock." Upcoming volumes on Blues & Jazz and DJs, Dance, and Electronica are forthcoming."

Rock Atlas has hundreds of stories which deliver a fresh, new insight into the lives of the UK and Ireland's rock and pop stars. This fact-packed look at rock and pop, from an entirely different perspective, throws up many new revelations about our favourite musicians. When you ve finished reading the stories, you can visit the places. Every one of the book's 800 entries is followed by directions for how to find the iconic venues, record shops, statues, album cover shoots, childhood homes and festival sites.

There is no denying that the last couple of years have been tough for all of us. Life has changed drastically due to the Covid 19 pandemic, and this includes rock icons. Suzi Quatro has never had a regular job. Being a rock and roll musician is what she has been doing her whole life. Then suddenly, everything changed, and instead of constantly being on tour, she found herself at home. Suzi is never one to sit around idling her time and the pandemic produced an album that has done very well indeed. It has also produced her third hardcover coffee table book, sharing her thoughts as the days and the weeks passed. Full to the brim with private photographs in colour, Suzi lets us in to her life in this window of time when the world changed. Her thoughts about the state of life as she sees it is meant as an inspiration to us all. "The third in my series of illustrated coffee table books, 1 year in lockdown,1 year on this roller coaster called life, 1 year where you can go through every single emotion you have in 5 minutes. Sometimes you smile, sometimes you cry, many times you just hit the wall. I faithfully did my instagram posts every morning sharing my feelings and tribulations, trying to lift people's spirits. It helps to share. It helps to know you're not alone. Enjoy my moods! ( I blame being a Gemini!!) Suzi Quatro"

What happens in our unconscious minds when we listen to, produce or perform popular music? The Unconscious - a much misunderstood concept from philosophy and psychology - works through human subjects as we produce music and can be traced through the music we engage with. Through a new collaboration between music theorist and philosopher, Smith and Overy present the long history of the unconscious and its related concepts, working systematically through philosophers such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, psychoanalysts such as Freud and Lacan, to theorists such as Deleuze and Kristeva. The theories offered are vital to follow the psychological complexity of popular music, demonstrated through close readings of individual songs, albums, artists, genres, and popular music practices. Among countless artists, Listening to the Unconscious draws from Prince to Sufjan Stevens, from Robyn to Xiu Xiu, from Joanna Newsom to Arcade Fire, from PJ Harvey to LCD Sound System, each of whom offer exciting inroads into the fascinating worlds of our unconscious musical minds. And in return, theories of the unconscious can perhaps takes us deeper into the heart of popular music.

Released in 2008, J-pop trio Perfume's GAME shot to the top of Japanese music charts and turned the Hiroshima trio into a household name across the country. It was also a high point for techno-pop, the genre's biggest album since the heyday of Yellow Magic Orchestra. This collection of maximalist but emotional electronic pop stands as one of the style's finest moments, with its influence still echoing from artists both in Japan and from beyond. This book examines Perfume's underdog story as a group long struggling for success, the making of GAME, and the history of techno-pop that shaped it. 33 1/3 Global, a series related to but independent from 33 1/3, takes the format of the original series of short, music-basedbooks and brings the focus to music throughout the world. With initial volumes focusing on Japanese and Brazilian music, the series will also include volumes on the popular music of Australia/Oceania, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and more.