Many bands may lay claim to inventing or popularising the term `heavy metal', but few would deny that Black Sabbath have defined the genre in the minds of many, and have come to embody its popular image. From the `classic' first decade with singer Ozzy Osbourne, through the Ronnie James Dio period and the oft-overlooked later albums, the Sabbath name has always been a trademark of quality, despite some less celebrated, though often fascinating, periods. To commemorate the final retirement of the band, lifelong devotee Steve Pilkington takes the reader through every song on every one of the band's studio albums, taking in the highs and occasional lows, as well as looking at the cover artwork and stories behind the albums. He also discusses live recordings and DVD releases. The result will surely be regarded as the most exhaustive guide to the band's music yet produced, as critical opinion rubs shoulders with facts, trivia and anecdotes to provide the ultimate guide to this legendary band. Whether you are a hard core fan, or simply want a guide to what lies beyond `Paranoid', this book is for you.

Everyone has their favourite Monty Python sketches, often quoted almost verbatim, whether it is 'the Parrot Sketch', 'the Cheese Shop' or 'Blackmail' - amongst many. Likewise the Python films, the mere mention of which might solicit quotes like ‘Tis but a flesh wound’ or ‘He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy’. But what lies beyond these well-remembered favourites? How many remember the 'Fresh Fruit Self Defence' sketch, or 'the Fish-Slapping dance'? Or even such almost-forgotten curios as 'Blancmanges Playing Tennis', 'The Olympic Hide And Seek Final' and 'The Batley Townswomen’s Guild Re-enacting Pearl Harbour'. This book will shine a light on all of these often-hilarious - but occasionally misfiring - curios. As well as the films and all 45 TV episodes, the record albums are also analyses for their content and how they differed from the TV show, as well as the books which came out as spin-off merchandise - but were never less than brilliantly entertaining for all that. How did Python come to be, what tensions were there between its stars, and what was the atmosphere like when the crew reunited to make the films long after they had left their TV show days behind them? All this will get an answer and much, much more... Now, do you want to read for five minutes, or the full half-hour?

Think about Led Zeppelin and the image coming to mind would be of them straddling the world as the archetypal 'rock gods', defining the 1970s like no other artist did. Dig deeper though, and there's a lot more to Zeppelin than hard rock and bluster, with folk and blues strongly threading through their catalogue from the very beginning. This book digs into every Led Zeppelin track recorded during their decade-long existence before John Bonham's death brought down the curtain, by way of facts, anecdotes, analysis and a small dose of humour here and there. From the likes of 'Kashmir', 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'Whole Lotta Love' and their ilk, which have entered the public consciousness, down to the deeper cuts which only the fans will know, this book covers them all, while also taking a look into the stories behind the often ground breaking cover art, and the way the albums came to be recorded. Celebrating the triumphs and the arguable lower points, this is an alternative history of the band, told via the most important element - the music itself - which has influenced so many down the years. The history of led Zeppelin is a wild ride. This book shows you why

Incredibly, Uriah Heep have now been active for a full fifty years. However, few would argue that the period which has come to define them the most, and during which they were at their most influential, was 1970-1980. During this decade they released an incredible thirteen studio albums and a legendary double live album, as well as having a regular turnaround of musicians in all but the guitar and keyboard roles. During this remarkable decade, there were the first three albums, as the band sought to find a stable line-up, followed by the classic run begun by the Demons And Wizards album featuring the definitive Box/Hensley/Byron/Kerslake/Thain line-up. When charismatic frontman David Byron departed, there was a period of some uncertainty, but still some remarkable music was made. In this book the reader will be taken on a year-by-year journey through that decade, looking at the albums, the often gruelling touring schedules and the ups and downs of the relationships within the band. Never quite attaining the sales and success of some of their rivals at the time, Uriah Heep nevertheless released some of the most extraordinary music of the decade - and this book takes you through it all.

Guitarist Gordon Giltrap is the epitome of what is often referred to as a `musician's musician', in that the respect in which he is held by his peers speaks volumes for his ability and influence. Beginning his career as a solo acoustic guitarist and vocalist in the late 1960s, it was 1976 before the name Gordon Giltrap came into the public eye with the release of his landmark album Visionary, and album and single chart success followed over the next few years with the albums Perilous Journey and Fear Of The Dark, as he formed The Gordon Giltrap Band to perform these progressive rock-tinged works in the live environment. By now a wholly instrumental performer, his greatest commercial success came with his signature piece Heartsong, which followed up its chart success by being picked up by the BBC for use as the theme tune to their long-running Holiday programme. Following this, Gordon retreated largely to the acoustic realm with his next few albums, and retained a devoted hardcore following, as well as the aforementioned admiration of some of the biggest names in modern guitar music. Coming from the humblest of childhoods in South East London, Gordon's life in and out of the spotlight has proved to be a rollercoaster of highs and lows and one which ultimately transcends even his musical achievements as a story of human triumph and tragedy

The Rolling Stones: Still going strong and defying the doubters, over 55 years since their formation, they possess a longevity almost unheard of in popular music - especially with three of the five original members still present. The majority of people, however, would surely consider their work during the `60s and `70s to be their most creative, influential and original, from the early R&B material through the psychedelic experimentation of Their Satanic Majesties Request, the country/blues flavourings of Beggars Banquet , the louche swagger of Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main Street through to the mature and sophisticated feel of the more complex Goats Head Soup. With `new boy' Ron Wood replacing Mick Taylor in 1975, the band returned to basics a little more with the album Black And Blue and a resultant world tour which saw over a million people apply for tickets to a run of six Earl's Court shows in 1976. The band have continued as a major force since the turn of the `80s, but it is that period up to 1980 which this book looks at, studying in depth every single song released during the band in that time, via factual, anecdotal and critical analysis. It's only rock and roll, but this is the ultimate study

There were a lot of very different bands peddling their wares in the progressive rock 'golden age' of the 1970s - some tending toward symphonic grandeur, other towards jazz fusion, and others still ploughing the more immediate end of the spectrum. There were the left-field eccentrics and the tricky 'difficult' bands. Apart from it all, however, there were Van Der Graaf Generator. In a decade stuffed with a wild array of influences, styles and instrumental line-ups, there can be few tending quite so near to the definition 'unique' as the four musicians who made up the 'classic' line-up of Van Der Graaf. For a start, there was the astonishing songwriting and vocals of generally accepted 'leader' Peter Hammill, but there was much more behind that to set these men apart. Their unparalleled instrumental make-up saw little or no guitar and no bass guitar, while organist Hugh Banton handled the bass parts on pedals, David Jackson pioneered an astonishing saxophone style, playing two instruments at once, electric rather than miked up, and using a full effects pedalboard. Drummer Guy Evans filled in - well, everything else. It was and remains a sound quite like no other. This book documents their incredibly influential first decade as prog's ultimate 'outsiders'. It's quite a ride.

Mention the words `heavy metal' with regards to the past four decades, and chances are one of the first names you'll get back is Iron Maiden. From their early days as front-runners of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal in 1980, through to their epic and progressive works of more recent times, via 30 years fronted by Bruce Dickinson broken up by a short period with Blaze Bayley, the band have been 'All Things To All Men' in the metal world. Such is their profile that even the non-metal fan would probably cite them as a key example of the genre. This book lifts the lid on every single track recorded by the band, album by album, from the punk-ish debut album with original vocalist Paul DiAnno through to the sprawling double disc epic Book Of Souls. By way of facts, anecdotes, analysis and a dollop of opinion, author Steve Pilkington provides both an informative companion for the die-hard fan and perfect road-map for the more casual listener to follow. From `Prowler' to `Empire Of The Clouds', through each and every line up change, this is every Number recorded by The Beast - the ultimate recording history of Iron Maiden.

* The first book to combine the "classic" output of Deep Purple and Rainbow into one book in such detail. * 2018 sees the 50th anniversary of the first Deep Purple album "Shades of Deep Purple." * Deep Purple have remained active until this day, and a version of Rainbow reformed for live shows in 2015, to considerable media attention. * Written by a respected journalist and magazine editor. Few would deny that Deep Purple were one of the most influential and popular heavy rock bands to emerge from the melting pot of the late `60s, going through several line-up changes, and stylistic shifts, before splitting up for the first time in 1976. Talismanic guitarist Ritchie Blackmore carried the spirit on in many ways when he formed Rainbow after leaving Purple in 1975, particularly with his partnership with legendary singer Ronnie James Dio. This is an exhaustive guide to the band's music, as critical opinion rubs shoulders with facts, trivia and anecdotes to provide a fascinating `alternative history' of these revered bands . Whether you are a hardcore fan or simply want a guide through the world which lies beyond Smoke on the Water, this book is for you.