Charismatic and flamboyant, Vivian Stanshall was a natural frontman for The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. The eccentric group who satirised trad jazz, pop and rock, reached number 5 with 'I'm The Urban Spaceman' in 1968. A punishing schedule of tours and television followed, including work with the future Monty Python team. The following year, broke and burned out, the Bonzos split up, leaving behind a loyal cult following.Vivian launched into a myriad of solo projects in music, film and theatre, giving himself several nervous breakdowns in the process. His comic masterpiece, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, was heard in radio, on an album, and then hit the big screen. Vivian wrote the musical Stinkfoot, was narrator on Tubular Bells and provided lyrics for Steve Winwood. In person, he was just as multi-faceted, by turns the erudite artist and the truculent Teddy Boy, breathtakingly rude. A powerful figure, tall, red-haired and never less than extravagant in his fashion, Vivian Stanshall was a hell-raiser of legendary reputation – ably assisted through much of the 1970s by Who drummer Keith Moon. Vivian drove the many who loved him to the limit, struggling with terrible tranquilliser and alcohol dependency. He died at home in a house fire in 1995. The story of his turbulent life is utterly compelling.

Bono (U2) once said, "More than any other band, The Who are our role models." Starting as a simple four-piece 'mod' band in the early 1960s, The Who went on to conquer the world with their unique and supremely powerful music that transcended any genre and appealed to fans across the world. The original lineup of Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend and John Entwhistle honed their sound and recorded some milestone albums in rock history: Live at Leeds, Tommy and Quadrophenia are just some of the legendary records they released.

Chameleon, entertainer, actor, and iconoclast. It would be difficult to think of a rock star who had a more varied and influential career than David Bowie and the list of bands and musicians who have been influenced by Bowie reads like an A to Z of popular music. But Bowie himself skilfully and consistently maintained his credibility as the most innovative performer of his generation by staying one jump ahead of the many who sought to imitate him. Classic Tracks - David Bowie explores this icon in detail. While his many artistic incarnations are known, few knew David Bowie the man, and as this book will show, through its exploration of his diverse body of work, the only real constant factors in his career was his incredible voice, his imagination and his supreme talent for artistic reincarnation. Every track of each of his albums is examined in great detail, giving you an insight to both the music, and the enigmatic man who created it.

An unknown and highly medicated pundit concocts a seemingly fool-proof plan to pull himself from economic hardship suffered during the market crash of '08, and resurrect his failed business ventures: by bequeathing his personal financial responsibilities in this world, to his 'Other Life Possibility, ' who has proven far more successful while existing in the other possible world... And with whom, the narrator develops a friendship, of sorts. However, when a copy of the un-named author's book (not yet completed or published in his world) turns up in the other life possibility's world, a zombie problem ensues, resulting from the implementation of the narrator's proposed economic theory of 'Giving Alaska to China, ' to square the national debt... Thus, the two must work together, 'himself, ' to right the wrongs occurring in both possible worlds as they proceed toward the Mayan-predicted Apocalypse of 2012.

Yes have now been on the rock circuit for almost 40 years. Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Chris Squire and Bill Bruford are just some of the star names who helped make the band one of the greatest-ever names in classic rock. Their turbulent story spans the early days of pub and club gigs, international supergroup status in the heyday of rock, and various line-ups since. An updated edition of the bestselling biography of Yes to include the historic return of Rick Wakeman to the classic Yes line-up and their ongoing highly successful tour of America.

Wrestler turned rock manager, the late Peter Grant made his name as the manager of Led Zeppelin, helping to turn them into rock's biggest attraction by the mid 1970s. Author Chris Welch tells Grant's story from his childhood in war-torn London, to him becoming a bouncer, doorman and wrestler known as Prince Mario Alassio. He became tour manager of Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers and Gene Vincent and The Animals before taking on The Yardbirds who eventually became Led Zeppelin. The book reveals the facts about his suspended prison sentence, his dispute with the group over unpaid royalties and his retiring from the music industry a rumoured heroin addict. Written with the full co-operation of Grant's family and friends to give an insight into the most fabled and feared man in the music business.

Marc Bolan burst onto the music scene in the late 1960s, an elfin hippie who sang otherworldly tunes about unicorns. Two years later, he formed legendary band T. Rex and pioneered glam rock in Britain. Co-written by Bolan's first manager, this definitive biography traces Bolan's life from the early struggles to his emergence as a teen idol on par with the Beatles, to his untimely death at age 29. Written with the cooperation of the Marc Bolan Fan Club and Bolan's first wife, this book covers every corner of a blazing, too-brief life.