More than thirty years after The Beatles split up, the music of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison lives on. What exactly were the magical ingredients of those legendary songs? why are they still so influential for today's bands? This groundbreaking book sets out to exlore The Beatles' songwriting techniques in a clear and readable style. It is aimed not only at musicians but anyone who has ever enjoyed the work of one of the most productive and successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. Author Dominic Pedler explains the chord sequences, melodies and harmonies that made up The Beatles' self penned songs and how they uncannily complemented the lyrical themes. He also assesses the contributions that rhythm, form and arrangement made to the Beatles unique sound. Throughout the book the printed music of the Beatles' songs appears alongside the text, illustrating the authors explanations. The Songwriting Secrets of The Beatles is an essential addition to Beatles literature - a new and perceptive analysis of the music itself itself as performed by what Paul McCartney still calls 'a really good, tight little band'.

The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2015 gives biographical information and contact details for some of the most talented and influential artists and individuals from the world of popular music. Now in its seventeenth edition, there are over 7,000 biographies charting the careers and achievements of artists in pop, rock, folk, jazz, dance, world, country music and much more. Key Features: - each entry includes full biographical information: principal career details, recordings and compositions, honours and contact information where available - each entrant is given the opportunity to update his or her information - spans the full range of the popular music industry, from rock to jazz and dance to country - provides information on established names as well as up-and-coming artists - a directory section provides details of music festivals, awards, organizations within the industry, and digital music sources - for ease of reference, the book includes an index of music group members. In one accessible volume this title offers users a vast collection of information on the most famous and influential people in the popular music industry.

Turn on any classic rock station and you'll soon hear a song that Ken Scott worked on. As one of the preeminent recording engineers and producers of the 20th century, Ken has garnered gold, platinum, and diamond record sales awards; multiple Grammy nominations; and even a Clio award (for his recording of the classic Coke ad "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"). Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust shares Ken Scott's intimate memories of working with some of the most important artists of the 20th century while crafting a sound that influenced generations of music makers.

Ken's work has left an indelible mark on hundreds of millions of fans with his skilled contributions to Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album. As producer and/or engineer of six David Bowie albums (including the groundbreaking Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars) as well as other timeless classics, the sound Ken crafted has influenced several generations of music makers that continues to this day. Ken captured the sonic signatures of a who's-who of classic rock and jazz acts, including Elton John, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, Duran Duran, The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, America, Devo, Kansas, The Tubes, Missing Persons, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham, Dixie Dregs, and Stanley Clarke.

This is his story, complete with funny, provocative, and oh-so-honest tales of the studio, stage, and even an infamous swimming pool incident. Never-before-seen photographs and technical details make this book a must-have for every music fan.
"This is easily the best book of its sort I've ever read, and it works on so many levels?it's got great stories that give us insights into some of the biggest names in music; it offers a history of recording technology and techniques from the late '60s to the present; and coursing through it all is an unflinching and often self-deprecating biography of our hero as he negotiates the perils, pitfalls and triumphs of a life in the m

An inside look at women graffiti artists around the world Since the dawn of Hip Hop graffiti writing on the streets of Philadelphia and New York City in the late 1960s, writers have anonymously inscribed their tag names on trains, buildings, and bridges. Passersby are left to imagine who the author might be, and, despite the artists' anonymity, graffiti subculture is seen as a "boys club," where the presence of the graffiti girl is almost unimaginable. In Graffiti Grrlz, Jessica Nydia Pabon-Colon interrupts this stereotype and introduces us to the world of women graffiti artists. Drawing on the lives of over 100 women in 23 countries, Pabon-Colon argues that graffiti art is an unrecognized but crucial space for the performance of feminism. She demonstrates how it builds communities of artists, reconceptualizes the Hip Hop masculinity of these spaces, and rejects notions of "girl power." Graffiti Grrlz also unpacks the digital side of Hip Hop graffiti subculture and considers how it widens the presence of the woman graffiti artist and broadens her networks, which leads to the formation of all-girl graffiti crews or the organization of all-girl painting sessions. A rich and engaging look at women artists in a male-dominated subculture, Graffiti Grrlz reconsiders the intersections of feminism, hip hop, and youth performance and establishes graffiti art as a game that anyone can play.

This book highlights the role of Romani musical presence in Central and Eastern Europe, especially from Krakow in the Communist period, and argues that music can and should be treated as one of the main points of relation between Roma and non-Roma. It discusses Romani performers and the complexity of their situation as conditioned by the political situations starkly affected by the Communist regime, and then by its fall. Against this backdrop, the book engages with musician Stefan Dymiter (known as Corroro) as the leader of his own street band: unwelcome in the public space by the authorities, merely tolerated by others, but admired by many passers-by and respected by his peer Romain musicians and international music stars. It emphasizes the role of Romani musicians in Krakow in shaping the soundscape of the city while also demonstrating their collective and individual strategies to adapt to the new circumstances in terms of the preferred performative techniques, repertoire, and overall lifestyle.

With sales of over 200 million albums, AC/DC is not just the biggest rock band in the world, it's a family business built by three brothers: George, Malcolm and Angus Young. As with any business, some people prospered while others got hurt along the way. The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC is unlike any AC/DC book you've read before. Less a biography, more a critical appreciation, it tells the story of the trio through 11 classic songs and reveals some of the personal and creative secrets that went into their making. Important figures from AC/DC's long journey to the top open up for the very first time, while unsung heroes behind the band's success are given the credit they are due. Accepted accounts of events are challenged while sensational new details emerge to cast a whole new light on the band's history - especially their early years with Atlantic Records in the United States. Former AC/DC members and musicians from bands such as Guns N' Roses, Dropkick Murphys, Airbourne and Rose Tattoo also give their perspectives on the Youngs' brand of magic. Their music has never pulled its punches. Neither does The Youngs. After 40 years, AC/DC might just have got the serious book it deserves.

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Brilliant. The unwritten Bowie book that needed writing' CAITLIN MORAN 'Splendid. Provides plenty of evidence of Bowie's restless, rummaging intelligence, and his pleasure in the fact that books allow readers to slip into someone else's skin and try it on for size' THE TIMES 'A witty and enlightening analysis of Bowie's 100 essential books . . . A handy, amusing, light-touch precis' OBSERVER 'What is your idea of perfect happiness?' 'Reading.' 'What is the quality you most like in a man?' 'The ability to return books.' Three years before he died, David Bowie made a list of the one hundred books that had transformed his life - a list that formed something akin to an autobiography. From Madame Bovary to A Clockwork Orange, the Iliad to the Beano, these were the publications that had fuelled his creativity and shaped who he was. In Bowie's Books, John O'Connell explores this list in the form of one hundred short essays, each offering a perspective on the man, performer and creator that is Bowie, his work as an artist and the era that he lived in. Brilliantly illustrated throughout and the perfect gift for Bowie fans and book lovers, Bowie's Books is much more than a list of books you should read in your lifetime: it is a unique insight into one of the greatest minds of our times, and an indispensable part of the legacy that Bowie left behind.

This reference work includes an examination of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's selection process, a review of the annual induction ceremony, and provides career biographies of 149 Hall of Fame inductees from the artists and producers to the record company founders and deejays. It details the turbulent history of the museum's choice of locale and the internal politics involved in the induction process. The only work of its kind on the topic, this reference provides valuable information for the scholar, researcher, and rock enthusiast, and includes a comprehensive listing of each year's inductees. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, much like the music it honors and promotes, had controversial beginnings. Politics and contention continue to affect the inductee selection process. Talevski provides an in-depth, chronological study of the museum's history including a detailed summary of the conception and rise of "rock and roll." This unique collection of historical data and anecdotes surrounding the ceremonies provides information unavailable elsewhere.

Music Saved Them, They Say: Social Impacts of Music-Making and Learning in Kinshasa (DR Congo) explores the role music-making has played in community projects run for young people in the poverty-stricken and often violent surroundings of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The musicians described here - former gang members and so-called "witch children" living on the streets - believe music was vital in (re)constructing their lives. Based on fieldwork carried out over the course of three-and-a-half years of research, the study synthesizes interviews, focus group sessions, and participant observation to contextualize this complicated cultural and social environment. Inspired by those who have been "saved by music", Music Saved Them, They Say seeks to understand how structured musical practice and education can influence the lives of young people in such difficult living conditions, in Kinshasa and beyond. "... a tribute to the persistence, engagement and courage of the people in these projects, who can be proud that their work is now exposed to a global audience, not just of researchers but also to practitioners around the world who could learn from and be inspired by these hitherto unknown projects." -John Sloboda, Research Professor, Guildhall School of Music & Drama "This book is very moving but never sentimental, one of the best accounts of music's real transformative capacities that I have come across." -Lucy Green, Emerita Professor of Music Education, University College London Institute of Education

In Crossing Bar Lines: The Politics and Practices of Black Musical Space James Gordon Williams reframes the nature and purpose of jazz improvisation to illuminate the cultural work being done by five creative musicians between 2005 and 2019. The political thought of five African American improvisers-trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Ambrose Akinmusire, drummers Billy Higgins and Terri Lyne Carrington, and pianist Andrew Hill-is documented through insightful, multilayered case studies that make explicit how these musicians articulate their positionality in broader society. Informed by Black feminist thought, these case studies unite around the theory of Black musical space that comes from the lived experiences of African Americans as they improvise through daily life. The central argument builds upon the idea of space-making and the geographic imagination in Black Geographies theory. Williams considers how these musicians interface with contemporary social movements like Black Lives Matter, build alternative institutional models that challenge gender imbalance in improvisation culture, and practice improvisation as joyful affirmation of Black value and mobility. Both Terence Blanchard and Ambrose Akinmusire innovate musical strategies to address systemic violence. Billy Higgins's performance is discussed through the framework of breath to understand his politics of inclusive space. Terri Lyne Carrington confronts patriarchy in jazz culture through her Social Science music project. The work of Andrew Hill is examined through the context of his street theory, revealing his political stance on performance and pedagogy. All readers will be elevated by this innovative and timely book that speaks to issues that continue to shape the lives of African Americans today.

Through the lens of popular music in and from Hong Kong, "Sonic Multiplicities" examines the material, ideological, and geopolitical implications of music production and consumption. Yiu Fai Chow and Jeroen de Kloet draw on rich empirical research and industry experience to trace the worldwide flow of popular culture and the people who produce and consume it. In doing so, the authors make a significant contribution to our understanding of the political and social roles such circulation plays in today's world--and in a city under cultural threat in a country whose prominence is on the rise. Just as important, they clear a new path for the study of popular music.

Made in Italy serves as a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to the history, sociology, and musicology of contemporary Italian popular music. Each essay, written by a leading scholar of Italian music, covers the major figures, styles, and social contexts of pop music in Italy and provides adequate context so readers understand why the figure or genre under discussion is of lasting significance to Italian popular music. The book first presents a general description of the history and background of popular music, followed by essays organized into thematic sections: Themes; Singer-Songwriters; and Stories.

"This varied collection of essays traces the intertwining of modern Paganisms with popular music through a wide variety of genres. An important contribution to our understanding of emergent Pagan cultures, and a very exciting book." - Sabina Magliocco, California State University "Pop Pagans: Paganism and Popular Music is a crucial contribution to the study of spirituality and music. The wide-ranging coverage and theoretical perspectives presented here provide an essential baseline for approaching this dynamic intersection of expressive forms." - Holly Everett, Memorial University, Canada Paganism is rapidly becoming a religious, creative, and political force internationally. It has found one of its most public expressions in popular music, where it is voiced by singers and musicians across rock, folk, techno, goth, metal, Celtic, world, and pop music. With essays ranging across the US, UK, continental Europe, Australia and Asia, Pop Pagans assesses the histories, genres, performances, and communities of pagan popular music. Over time, paganism became associated with the counter culture, satanic and gothic culture, rave and festival culture, ecological consciousness and spirituality, and new ageism. Paganism has used music to express a powerful and even transgressive force in everyday life. Pop Pagans examines the many artists and movements which have contributed to this growing phenomenon.

"This varied collection of essays traces the intertwining of modern Paganisms with popular music through a wide variety of genres. An important contribution to our understanding of emergent Pagan cultures, and a very exciting book." - Sabina Magliocco, California State University "Pop Pagans: Paganism and Popular Music is a crucial contribution to the study of spirituality and music. The wide-ranging coverage and theoretical perspectives presented here provide an essential baseline for approaching this dynamic intersection of expressive forms." - Holly Everett, Memorial University, Canada Paganism is rapidly becoming a religious, creative, and political force internationally. It has found one of its most public expressions in popular music, where it is voiced by singers and musicians across rock, folk, techno, goth, metal, Celtic, world, and pop music. With essays ranging across the US, UK, continental Europe, Australia and Asia, Pop Pagans assesses the histories, genres, performances, and communities of pagan popular music. Over time, paganism became associated with the counter culture, satanic and gothic culture, rave and festival culture, ecological consciousness and spirituality, and new ageism. Paganism has used music to express a powerful and even transgressive force in everyday life. Pop Pagans examines the many artists and movements which have contributed to this growing phenomenon.

In the 1960s rock 'n' roll music began crossing the Atlantic Ocean--with The Beatles and The Who leading the British Invasion of the United States--and the Pacific Ocean, as American and European rock slowly began to take hold in Japan. This insightful study from visionary rock musician Julian Cope explores what really happened when Western music met Eastern shores. The clash between traditional Japanese values and the wild renegades of 1960s and 1970s rock 'n' roll is examined, and the seminal artists in Japanese post-World War II culture are all covered. From itinerate art-house poets to violent refusenik bands with penchants for plane hijacking, this is the story of the Japanese youths and musicians who simultaneously revolutionized a musical genre and the culture of a nation.

We All Want to Change the World provides a cogent and fascinating evaluation of post-World War II American commercial music and its complex, multi-faceted impact on the world of politics. Tom Waldman offers articulate and compulsively readable insights into such issues as: John Lennon and Yoko Ono's fiercely political period and its decidedly mixed effect on both of their careers and the causes they championed; the violence that erupted over the Sex Pistols' performance of "God Save the Queen" at Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee; Ronald Reagan's misinterpretation of "Born in the USA"; popular song and feminism and gender issues in the political sphere; the recent trend of rock tunes being reworked as campaign songs, such as Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," and Sam and Dave's "Dole Man"; and much more. There is also extensive commentary on the events of September 11th, when many of the biggest names in the history of rock music took part in two benefits to raise money for the victims' families and to lift the spirits of the country.

New York Puerto Ricans have been an integral part of hip hop culture since the very beginning: from 1970s pioneers like Rock Steady Crew's Jo-Jo, to recent rap mega-stars Big Punisher and Angie Martinez. Yet, Puerto Rican participation and contributions to hip hop is frequently downplayed, if not completely ignored. When their presence has been acknowledged, it is usually misinterpreted as a defection from Puerto Rican culture and identity into the African American camp. But, Rivera argues, nothing could be further from the truth. Through hip hop, Puerto Ricans have simply stretched the boundaries of Puerto Ricanness and latinidad.

THE ULTIMATE EDITION - EXPANDED AND UPDATED WITH MORE THAN 70,000 WORDS OF NEW MATERIALCritically acclaimed in its previous editions, The Complete David Bowie is recognized as the foremost source of analysis and information on every facet of Bowie's work. The A-Z of songs and the day-by-day dateline are the most complete ever published. From his boyhood skiffle performance at the 18th Bromley Scouts' Summer Camp, to the majesty of his final masterpiece Blackstar, every aspect of David Bowie's extraordinary career is explored and dissected by Nicholas Pegg's unrivalled combination of in-depth knowledge and penetrating insight.* The Albums - detailed production history and analysis of every album.*The Songs - hundreds of individual entries reveal the facts and anecdotes behind not just the famous recordings, but also the most obscure of unreleased rarities - from 'Absolute Beginners' to 'Ziggy Stardust', from 'Abdulmajid' to 'Zion'.* The Tours - set-lists and histories of every live show.* The Actor - a complete guide to Bowie's career on stage and screen.* Plus - the videos, the BBC radio sessions, the paintings, the internet and much more.

As far as legendary rock bands go, The Who ranks alongside the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Penning the Who's enduring rock anthems and bringing those songs to life with some of the most frenetic and destructive guitar performances ever witnessed, Pete Townshend proved that his excess matched his talent, and left in his wake bottles, syringes, groupies, and trashed hotel rooms as his band brought their music to an equally energized generation. Biographer Giuliano spills the beans on Townshend's childhood, his battles with band members during the Who's glory days as mod gods, his strange devotion to the Indian mystic Meher Baba, and the many unexpected turns his creative activities have taken in between the band's several break-ups and reunions.

The underground is a multi-faceted concept in African American culture. Peterson uses Richard Wright, KRS-One, Thelonius Monk, and the tradition of the Underground Railroad to explore the manifestations and the attributes of the underground within the context of a more panoramic picture of African American expressivity within hip-hop.

The focus of this collection of essays is the powerful interaction between popular music and multimedia: film, television, music video and video games. Written by a diverse group of scholars and published within the last fifteen years, the essays examine new theories and methodologies and offer opportunities for thinking across disciplines, media and hierarchies. The volume also expands the arena within which we can explore the ever-increasing and mutually affective ways that popular music and other media intertwine, reflecting and shaping perceptions, values and identities.