The Songs The Beatles Gave Away' was inspired by the 2009 BBC Radio 2 documentary of the same name on which Colin worked with/for Bob Harris and his wife, Trudie Myerscough-Harris. For his book, Bob and Trudie have kindly given Colin permission to access the interviews they conducted in 2008/9 with Sir Paul McCartney, Sir George Martin, Cilla Black, Mary Hopkin, Jackie Lomax, Billy Hatton and others. Previously only small extracts from these exclusive interviews have ever been available but now, for the first time, these gems are accessed in full. Among the last interviews they gave, Sir George and Cilla spoke candidly about their work and experiences. To read their words is a moving reminder not only of their individual talents but of a period in recent musical history, the impact of which, still resonates to this day. Since making the original Radio 2 documentary Colin has been able to speak to artists who did not contribute directly to the programme such as Billy J. Kramer, Peter Asher, Megan Davies of The Applejacks and John Clay who played with the Black Dyke Mills Brass Band in 1968 when Paul McCartney visited Saltaire, in Yorkshire, to record 'Thingumybob', an instrumental tune, he had written especially for a brass band to play. For extra background detail, and to further contextualise the songwriting of John, Paul and George, Colin has unearthed extensive interviews he conducted with Astrid Kirchherr and Klaus Vormann before he became custodian of the Lennon house in Liverpool in 2004. He has also spoken with eye-witness, and former member of the Plastic Ono Band, Alan White who played on many Apple recording sessions. 'The Songs The Beatles Gave Away' is illustrated with photographs of records culled from Colin's private collection of original 45rpm vinyl singles, together with photographs kindly donated to the project by his friends, some of his own personal photographs as well as many promotional photographs from the period. While encompassing the origins of the Beatles as a group and the emergence of John, Paul, and George as composers, the central focus of 'The Songs The Beatles Gave Away' is on tunes John, Paul and George wrote for other artistes rather than just for The Beatles themselves. As such the stories featured here are not about 'covers' of songs the Beatles had already released. It is about songs The Beatles did not release commercially or even record at all during the active lifetime of the group. Such 'giveaways' were unique and each song and its singer are discussed in detail and side stories and background explored. This is the first time a book focusing on this aspect of The Beatles' legacy has been attempted.

Virtuality has entered our lives making anything we desire possible. We are, as Gorillaz once sang, in an exciting age where ‘the digital won’t let [us] go…’ Technology has revolutionized music, especially in the 21st century where the traditional rules and conventions of music creation, consumption, distribution, promotion, and performance have been erased and substituted with unthinkable and exciting methods in which absolutely anyone can explore, enjoy, and participate in creating and listening to music. Virtual Music explores the interactive relationship of sound, music, and image, and its users (creators/musicians/performers/audience/consumers). Areas involving the historical, technological, and creative practices of virtual music are surveyed including its connection with creators, musicians, performers, audience, and consumers. Shara Rambarran looks at the fascination and innovations surrounding virtual music, and illustrates key artists (such as Grace Jones, The Weeknd), creators (such as King Tubby, Kraftwerk, MadVillain, Danger Mouse), audiovisuals in video games and performances (such as Cuphead and Gorillaz), audiences, and consumers that contribute in making this musical experience a phenomenon. Whether it is interrogating the (un)realness of performers, modified identities of artists, technological manipulation of the Internet, music industry and music production, or accessible opportunities in creativity, the book offers a fresh understanding of virtual music and appeals to readers who have an interest in this digital revolution.

This longitudinal study weaves the complex stories of many disparate musics into an account of quests for identities that illuminates Lombok's history, its complex religious and ethnic composition, and its current political circumstances. It focuses on agents, musicians and leaders on the ground, and the socioreligious and artistic changes that transformed many music forms. The book outlines the years of political difficulty for music and years of transition and government interventions to remake musics, and identifies the emerging ideologies and developments that laid the groundwork for a diversity of musics - traditional, Islamic, popular - to simultaneously exist in an unprecedented way.

'This is the most glorious of books. I am besotted by the life I never knew he had.' -Elton John 'Orgasmic. Every page of Scattershot is a delight, a joy, a name-dropper fan's delight. Divine. I couldn't put it down.' -Pete Townshend 'In Bernie Taupin's miraculous memoir Scattershot you'll meet legends, cowboys, geniuses, unforgettable faces in the night, shady purveyors of outrageous fortune, warriors of the heart, and most of all, Taupin himself. Hilarious and so emotionally true, Scattershot is like a letter from a cherished friend. You'll want to keep it close, so you can read it again and again.' -Cameron Crowe 'Touching. Charming. Humble. Witty. And exquisitely written. Taupin's words need no musical accompaniment. They sing with a poets voice.' -Gary Oldman 'Eloquent and inspiring, Scattershot is a freewheeling memoir that is as warm and evocative as Bernie Taupin's most memorable lyrics. A born storyteller, Taupin gives us the life of an artist whose outlook was shaped by a rare but fascinating blend of lifelong innocence and endless intellectual curiosity.' -Robert Hilburn, author of Johnny Cash: The Life "I loved writing, I loved chronicling life and every moment I was cogent, sober, or blitzed, I was forever feeding off my surroundings, making copious notes as ammunition for future compositions. . . . The thing is good, bad or indifferent I never stopped writing, it was as addictive as any drug." This is the memoir music fans have been waiting for. Half of one of the greatest creative partnerships in popular music, Bernie Taupin is the man who wrote the lyrics for Elton John, who conceived the ideas that spawned countless hits, and sold millions and millions of records. Together, they were a duo, a unit, an immovable object. Their extraordinary, half-century-and-counting creative relationship has been chronicled in biopics (like 2019's Rocketman) and even John's own autobiography, Me. But Taupin, a famously private person, has kept his own account of their adventures close to his chest, until now. Written with honesty and candour, Scatterhot allows the reader to witness events unfolding from Taupin's singular perspective, sometimes front and center, sometimes from the edge, yet always described vibrantly, with an infectious energy that only a vivid songwriter's prose could offer. From his childhood in the East Midlands of England whose imagination was sparked and forever informed by the distinctly American mythopoetics of country music and cowboys, to the glittering, star-studded fishbowl of '70s and '80s Beverly Hills, Scattershot is simultaneously a Tom Jones­-like picaresque journey across a landscape of unforgettable characters, as well as a striking, first-hand account of a creative era like no other and one man's experience at the core of it. An exciting, multi-decade whirlwind, Scattershot whizzes around the world as we ride shotgun with Bernie on his extraordinary life. We visit New York with him and Elton on the cusp of global fame. We spend time with him in Australia almost in residency at an infamous rock 'n' roll hotel in an endless blizzard of drugs. And we spend late, late night hours with John Lennon, with Bob Marley, and hanging with Frank Sinatra. And beyond the world of popular music, we witness memorable encounters with writers like Graham Greene, painters like Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali, and scores of notable misfits, miscreants, eccentrics, and geniuses, known and unknown. Even if they're not famous in their own right, they are stars on the page, and we discover how they inspired the indelible lyrics to songs such as "Tiny Dancer," "Candle in the Wind," "Bennie and The Jets," and so many more. Unique and utterly compelling, Scattershot will transport the reader across the decades and around the globe, along the way meeting some of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century, and into the vivid imaginings of one of music's most legendary lyricists.

This book discusses WWI-era music in a historical context, explaining music's importance at home and abroad during WWI as well as examining what music was being sung, played, and danced to during the years prior to America's involvement in the Great War. Why was music so important to soldiers abroad during World War I? What role did music-ranging from classical to theater music, rags, and early jazz-play on the American homefront? Music of the First World War explores the tremendous importance of music during the years of the Great War-when communication technologies were extremely limited and music often took the place of connecting directly with loved ones or reminiscing via recorded images. The book's chapters cover music's contribution to the war effort; the variety of war-related songs, popular hits, and top recording artists of the war years; the music of Broadway shows and other theater productions; and important composers and lyricists. The author also explores the development of the fledgling recording industry at this time. Provides an excellent resource for students investigating music during the First World War as well as for adults interested in WWI-era history or music of the pre-twenties Documents the variety of reasons songs were sung by soldiers in wartime-to cheer themselves up, boost courage, poke fun at or stimulate hatred of their enemies, or express grievances or protest against the war or against authority Covers stage music of the WWI era, including music hall (British), vaudeville, revues, operettas, and musicals

Singing together is a tried and true method of establishing and maintaining a group's identity. Identity, Intertextuality, and Performance in Early Modern Song Culture for the first time explores comparatively the dynamic process of group formation through the production and appropriation of songs in various European countries and regions. Drawing on oral, handwritten and printed sources, with examples ranging from 1450 to 1850, the authors investigate intertextual patterns, borrowing of melodies, and performance practices as these manifested themselves in a broad spectrum of genres including ballads, popular songs, hymns and political songs. The volume intends to be a point of departure for further comparative studies in European song culture. Contributors are: Ingrid Akesson, Mary-Ann Constantine, Patricia Fumerton, Louis Peter Grijp, Eva Guillorel, Franz-Josef Holznagel, Tine de Koninck, Christopher Marsh, Hubert Meeus, Nelleke Moser, Dieuwke van der Poel, Sophie Reinders, David Robb, Clara Strijbosch, and Anne Marieke van der Wal.

In the World War II era, big bands and swing music reached the heights of popularity with soldiers as well as friends and loved ones back home. Many entertainers such as Glenn Miller also served in the military, or supported the war effort with bond drives and entertaining the troops at home and abroad. In addition to big band and swing music, musicals, jazz, blues, gospel and country music were also popular. Chapters on each, along with an analysis of the evolution of record companies, records, radios, and television are included here, for students, historians, and fans of the era.

Includes a timeline of the music of the era, an appendix of the Broadway and Hollywood Musicals, 1939-1945, and an appendix of Songs, Composers, and lyricists, 1939-1945. An extensive discography and bibliography, along with approximately 35 black and white photos, complete the volume.

Footprints of the Dance - An Early Seventeenth-Century Dance Master's Notebook by Jennifer Nevile provides new, fascinating and detailed information on the life of an early-seventeenth-century dance master in Brussels. The dance master's handwritten notebook contains unique material: a canon of dance figures and instructions for an exhibition with a pike; as well as signatures and general descriptions of his students, ballet plots and music associated with dancing. Reproduced for the first time are facsimile images of all the dance-related material, with transcriptions and translations of the ballet plots and instructions for the pike exhibition. The dance master is revealed as an active choreographer and performer, with strong ties to the French court musical establishment, and interested in fireworks and alchemy.