Throughout the 1970s, Emerson Lake & Palmer were phenomenally prolific. Not only that, but each of their albums brought something new and innovative to the minds of their many fans. From the early days of the band and their iconic performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970, to Love Beach and beyond, this book documents the amazing journey of a band whose legacy not only continues to attract a loyal following, but who are still held in high regard by their peers. Historic documentation of some of the band's under-reported gigs, and context surrounding each of their albums throughout the seventies - it's all in here as Laura Shenton MA LLCM Dip(RSL) offers a detailed and comprehensive exploration.

By the end of 1973, Deep Purple Mk2 was no more. Ian Gillan had been replaced by David Coverdale on vocals whilst Roger Glover had been replaced by Glenn Hughes on bass and vocals. It left the nucleus of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice to take Deep Purple in a new direction, which eventually came to a halt with the Mk4 line-up in 1976. With Deep Purple In Rock (1970), Fireball (1971), Machine Head (1972) and Who Do We Think We Are (1973) to Mk2's credit, many fans lived in hope that one day, the band would get back together - with the music press occasionally courting the odd rumour that it would happen! Finally, in April 1984, the reunion of Deep Purple Mk2 was announced. Fans had got their wish. Or had they? With the landscape of rock and pop music having changed since the band's success in the seventies, and with each member of Deep Purple Mk2 having nurtured very different careers as individuals by that point, a reunion was never going to be plain sailing! In this this book, Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL examines the merits and challenges of what it was for Deep Purple Mk2 to get back together in the eighties. Included is a critical analysis of Mk2's second round of albums: Perfect Strangers (1984), The House Of Blue Light (1987) and The Battle Rages On... (1993).

From producing her own albums, to designing her own stage performances, Kate Bush has been an innovator throughout her career. With hits such as 'Wuthering Heights', 'Babooshka' and 'Running Up That Hill', her music has always been ethereal and her endearing image has often been regarded as one of mystique. The creativity and the conviction with which she has made her music continue to be an inspiration to not only her legions of fans, but many of her peers. In celebration of Kate's entire career to date and complemented with a narrative by Laura Shenton MA LLCM Dip(RSL), this visual biography is packed with photos - many of which haven't been published before (including several from her 1979 tour).

There's no denying that throughout the 1970s, Jethro Tull were at the top of their game. With iconic albums such as Aqualung (1971), Thick As A Brick (1972), Songs From The Wood (1977) and Heavy Horses (1978) to their credit, the band had majestically earned their place as vital pioneers and contributors within the spectrum of progressive rock music. By the 1980s, the popularity of progressive rock had declined amongst the record-buying public. Any band wishing to continue the success they had enjoyed throughout the previous decade couldn't afford to rest on their laurels. And so arises an essential question: How did Jethro Tull fare in the 1980s? Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL provides a detailed exploration into each of Jethro Tull's albums from the eighties, offering a critical analysis of the band's achievements, challenges, and sound.

Endearingly, the differences between Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson were key ingredients in what would become the musical and writing chemistry of Supertramp - a band that made a fascinating and diverse contribution to music. From their first commercial breakthrough in 1974 with Crime Of The Century, they exceeded their own expectations with the colossal success of Breakfast In America in 1979. But it was never a smooth journey. With ups and downs financially, commercially and in terms of their working relationship, Supertramp lived the highs and lows of the music business. From local gigs to many highly demanding tours, this book documents it all. As Roger Hodgson once said, "The music always came pretty easily. Both the music and the lyrics come from the same place. For me, composing is literally losing myself in the music. I let the inspiration just come naturally. It is a very magical process. When I start hearing melodies, then I just start singing and the words start coming. The words will have something to do with what I am going through in my life, or what's in my heart at the time. I will have an idea of what the song's about and then work with the melody."

From humble beginnings in Teignmouth, Devon on England's South West Coast, since the band's inception around twenty-five years ago Muse has grown into one of the biggest bands in the world. Since the release of debut album Showbiz in 1999, Muse has gone on to mega status, selling out stadiums around the globe. From a band that was helped in the nineties with a GBP150 grant from the Prince's Trust, they have escalated into leading torch bearers for twenty-first century rock music. Never shy to acknowledge influences from the past, Muse has also created its own unique style from blending numerous music genres into their own defining image. Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard have remained together through thick and thin; time and time again producing huge selling albums and sold out concert tours. This Visual Biography is a wonderful keep-sake souvenir portraying the band's rise to superstardom, right up to 2019's Simulation Theory tour. The largely, previously unpublished photos are complimented with a 15,000 word band history by music author Laura Shenton.

Hailing from Los Angeles, Sparks relocated to England in 1973. The following year saw the release of their two career-defining albums - the breakthrough LP Kimono My House and the follow-up Propaganda. In this unique book, author Laura Shenton, takes us on a phenomenal journey through 1974 - the year that saw Sparks go from an obscure, underground album to chart stars. Both albums were UK top ten hits, and three singles released in 1974 all made the top 20 with the biggest hit being 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us', which reached No. 2 on the UK charts. Built around the images and talents of brothers Ron and Russell Mael, this book looks in-depth at the meteoric rise to stardom for this hugely idiosyncratic, quirky and challenging band that has developed a huge cult following. With detailed research Sparks 1974 sets the scene by covering the band's beginnings in Los Angeles, before chronicling 1974 via the recordings, live concerts, interviews and numerous TV appearances that resulted as a consequence of their instantaneous success from the release of Kimono My House. Sparks 1974 is the first new book on the band in a decade, and the first to focus solely on their most successful year.

After their last studio album in 1991 and the tour that followed it, fans have eagerly awaited a Dire Straits reunion ever since. Whilst the likelihood of that remains incredibly slim, this book is a celebration of the band and their amazing musical accomplishments — with 'Sultans Of Swing', 'Private Investigations' and 'Money For Nothing' being just the tip of the iceberg! From the early days of playing at London's Hope & Anchor in 1977, to the dizzying heights of the 1985-86 Brothers In Arms tour and beyond, this book documents it all. With vintage interviews and reviews aplenty, the story of Dire Straits is one that needs to be told and this mammoth book is the most comprehensive biography of the band yet published. Not only is the band’s story covered in detail through the narrative — this lavish coffee table book is also visually stunning — printed on high quality art paper and illustrated throughout with numerous photos and items of memorabilia making this a highly desirable Dire Straits collectible.

It started off so well. As Jon Lord enthused in the October 1975 issue of Melody Maker: 'Tommy can't be so bad for us with so many good ideas. All I can say is when you hear the album (Come Taste The Band) you'll change your mind. Whether you like the music or not, you'll have to realise that Deep Purple now have an excitement in their playing that they haven't had in a long time...' Despite calls of 'we want Blackmore' when Deep Purple Mark four played live, there was so much more to American guitarist Tommy Bolin than being Ritchie Blackmore's replacement. As a result, the purpose of this long-overdue biography is to readdress the existing narrative of Tommy Bolin's legacy. As well as discussing objectively Tommy's time with Deep Purple, Laura Shenton offers an insight into his musical achievements in his own right outside of the band, which include two cult rock albums in Teaser and Private Eyes. He also had a stint in The James Gang and made numerous guest appearances, where his versatile and virtuosic skills as a guitarist were utilised, before his untimely death in 1976 at the shockingly young age of 25

This mammoth tome chronicles Jethro Tull's career from the outset to the end of the seventies. From the late sixties - a vital period where the group dynamics were established, Chronicles delves extensively into the history. Vintage gig and album reviews, contemporary quotes from band members, rare advertisements documenting how they were billed alongside their peers, it's all in here. Aside from the 140,000-word narrative, this is also a stunningly visual book adorned with countless photos, many of them previously unpublished. Preserving the detailed history of a band as influential as Jethro Tull is a vital endeavour. Archiving matters and to many fans out there, so does the fascinating story of Jethro Tull. Shenton has pulled it all together to make this an indispensable addition to Jethro Tull's bibliography.

Ritchie Blackmore once said, "You can't get any better than Cozy, you know. He's always up there on stage going crazy, he always pushes me on when I look round. He always gives me that incentive to play because Cozy won't let anybody take it easy." He wasn't wrong. Cozy Powell was a talented, reliable and versatile drummer. A drummer of such calibre that he played with Jeff Beck, Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Whitesnake, Emerson and Lake, Black Sabbath and Brian May as well as being a hugely in-demand session player. But before all that he initially came to prominence with three Mickie Most produced top twenty singles under his own name. An extraordinary feat for an instrumentalist, and a drummer at that. Cozy Powell's career as a musician is a story that needs to be told. Author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL has a Masters degree in music and provides an insightful angle on Cozy Powell's abilities along with detailed research that presents Powell's career in all its glory.

If any band deserves to have homage paid to them with a lavish, limited edition photographic book, look no further than Emerson Lake and Palmer. With their origins going back to the late sixties, these three highly talented individuals portrayed the very essence of musical excesses. Drawing on countless images and items of memorabilia this large format 224-page book is a treasure trove for the ELP devotees. Crammed full of live and off stage shots ELP Together and Apart is exactly that — in words and visuals it portrays Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer from their days with The Nice, King Crimson, Arthur Brown’s Crazy World and Atomic Rooster, through the ELP years, as well as documenting their solo work and other outside projects. It also includes loads of super cool memorabilia including backstage passes, gig posters, media adverts and much more, all reproduced on high quality art paper. This is one future collector’s item that every self-respecting ELP fan will want to own. Rounding it off, ELP Together and Apart is topped and tailed with 15,000 words by musicologist and author Laura Shenton. ELP Together and Apart will prove to be the perfect companion and a valuable addition to any fan’s collection.

On 26th March 1971 at Newcastle City Hall, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake & Carl Palmer performed their version of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition. An iconic classical piece given an innovative spin by the talented trio, it was released as an album following the success of their second studio album, Tarkus. In many ways, Pictures At An Exhibition is the underdog of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's longstanding discography - so much so that there was uncertainty surrounding whether or not it was going to be released at all! And yet, despite the band's uncertainties surrounding the LP at the time, it is now vital - both in terms of ELP's history and in the wider sense of how it bridged a gap between rock and classical music. It certainly wasn't the first album to do this but it is nevertheless a relevant and important part of such discourse. In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on ELP's Pictures At An Exhibition from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time, how it compares to Mussorgsky's original piece and what it means in terms of ELP's legacy today.

For The Stranglers, 1977 was a vital year. Not quite punk, certainly not pop and often at odds with live audiences and the music press alike, their approach was such that nothing could stop them. With hits like 'Peaches', 'No More Heroes' and 'Something Better Change', there was everything to play for despite a variety of confrontations and controversies. With two commercially and musically strong albums - Rattus Norvegicus (their debut) and No More Heroes - released within just months of each other, the story of The Stranglers in 1977 is one that needs to be told. With vintage interviews and reviews in abundance, this book comprehensively documents it all with immense detail.

By 1979, the Ronnie James Dio era of Rainbow was no more. The accessible sound of the band's Down To Earth album signified Ritchie Blackmore's explicit intention to go in a more commercial direction. By 1982, with a more secure and cohesive line-up, Rainbow were not only in a good position commercially, but at a strong peak musically. And that's where Straight Between The Eyes comes in. In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Rainbow's sixth studio album from a range of angles including how it came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Rainbow's legacy today.

Released in 1980, bold and original, Remain In Light features a fascinating blend of African-inspired music and innovative use of recording technology. Hosting the hit single 'Once In A Lifetime', it was an album that commanded attention. As Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison put it, "Remain In Light was the beginning of a new vision. It was a very creative period and really amazing." In this book, Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Remain In Light from a range of angles including how the album came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Talking Heads' legacy today.