The Who

Author: Geoffrey Feakes
Publisher: On Track
ISBN: 9781789520767
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
Formed in 1964 and still going strong in 2020, the Who are one of the most popular and enduring bands in the history of rock. The legendary debut album My Generation and a string of hit singles paved the way for Live At Leeds, hailed as the best live rock album of all time, and the best selling Who's Next. Powered by the phenomenal rhythm section of Keith Moon and John Entwistle, they earned a reputation as a premier live act and pioneered festival and arena performances. The rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia took popular music into uncharted territories and both inspired hit films. Despite regular infighting, breakups and the death of two key members, the band continued into the 21st century with the well received Endless Wire album and original members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend stage spectacular live shows to this day. This book examines each one of the band's studio albums, including the latest Who released in December 2019. Non-album tracks are also included and the book traces the band's long and diverse history. Compilations, live albums and soundtracks are also discussed, making this the most comprehensive guide to the music of the Who yet published. Whether the reader is a diehard fan or someone curious to see what lies beyond Tommy, this is essential reading.

Jethro Tull

Author: Jordan Blum
Publisher: Sonicbond Publishing
ISBN: 9781789520163
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
It's almost impossible to discuss the history of rock music without praising the monumental quality, impact, variety, and boldness of Britain's Jethro Tull. Named after an eighteenth-century agriculturalist - and not after their striking front-man Ian Anderson - the group almost immediately became one of the most ambitious, and significant acts in two subsections of the genre: progressive and folk rock. Officially formed in 1967, mastermind Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre and company initially forged a blues course before veering in a more diverse, and expansive direction. Their 1970s period - which is often considered their peak-took them close to progressive rock via iconic albums like Aqualung and Songs From The Wood plus lengthy narrative suites Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play, all hit albums on both sides of the Atlantic. Like numerous peers at the time (including ELP, Rush, Yes, and King Crimson), Tull then embraced the more commercially accessible demands of the 1980s - complete with a fair share of both synthesizers and hard rock. Album by album, this book examines the behind-the-scenes circumstances and motivations for each release via a track-by-track analysis to acutely observe why Jethro Tull were - and always will be - of invaluable 'benefit' to rock music.

Level 42

Author: Matt Phillips
Publisher: On Track
ISBN: 9781789521023
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
One of the most iconic and successful British bands of the 1980s, Level 42 are also arguably the ultimate 'fusion' unit, streamlining their energetic early jazz/funk/rock sound into slick, effortlessly-soulful pop music. Encompassing eleven studio albums, including twenty UK top 40 hits and two US top twenty singles, their catalogue, in many ways, defines the '80s but also reflects their musical virtuosity and vibrant eclecticism, peppering tracks with influences from Herbie Hancock, Return To Forever and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Emerging from the so-called 'Britfunk' scene, Level 42 developed from being one of the most electrifying live acts of the era to become a true songwriters' collective, delivering the effervescent, ubiquitous hits 'The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)', 'Something About You' and 'Lessons In Love'. Level 42 - on track is the first in-depth study of the band's illustrious catalogue, track by track, album by album, with recording information, musical analysis, studio gossip, full musician credits and contributions from Mark King and Gary Husband. The book also covers the solo projects of the band's many members. Level 42 - on track is a must for fans and those interested in the wider musical landscape of the 1980s and 1990s.

Joni Mitchell

Author: Peter Kearns
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781789520811
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 176

Book Description
In her long career, Canadian songstress Joni Mitchell has been hailed as everything from 1960s folk icon to 20th century cultural figure, artistic iconoclast to musical heroine, extreme romantic confessor to outspoken commentator and lyrical painter. While some criticised what they viewed as her seeming dismissal of commercial considerations, she simply viewed her trajectory as that of any artist serious about the integrity of their work. But whatever musical position she took, she was always one step ahead of the game, making eclectic and innovative music. Albums like The Ladies Of The Canyon, Blue, Hejira and Mingus helped define each era of the 1970s, as she moved from exquisitely pitched singer songwriter material towards jazz. Her past influence was obvious in the 1980s when hoards of assuming successors (some highly respectable) gathered her exotic breadcrumbs with a view to distilling their illusive compounds, while Joni simultaneously forged ahead. This book revisits her studio albums in detail from 1968's Song to a Seagull to 2007's Shine, providing anecdote and insight into the recording sessions, an in depth analysis along with a complimentary level of lyrical and instrumental examination.

Gentle Giant

Author: Gary Steel
Publisher: On Track
ISBN: 9781789520583
Category : Progressive rock music
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
They lasted only a decade and never lit up the world's charts, but progressive rock connoisseurs always knew what today's audiences are now beginning to discover: that Gentle Giant belong in the pantheon of great bands of the era. At times edgy and experimental but also capable of great beauty (not to mention some of the greatest riffs known to man), the group's explorations of medieval music gave their sound unique character. But it was the thrilling complexity of their compositions - which Frank Zappa might have called the "statistical density" of their writing - together with the instrumental ability of its players that make their music as potent today as they were at their peak nearly 50 years ago. This book takes a microscopic look at each of Gentle Giant's eleven studio albums and provides fresh assessments of the many live and 'odds'n'sods' recordings, as well as rounding up existant DVD/Blu-ray documentary and performance footage. In doing so, it tells the story of one of progressive music's most fascinating groups and the thrilling - and occasionally tortuous - ride the Shulman brothers and key band-mates like Kerry Minnear and Gary Green experienced along the way.

Tori Amos

Author: Lisa Torem
Publisher: On Track
ISBN: 9781789521429
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
In 1992, Singer, pianist and composer Tori Amos achieved fame with the intensely personal solid gold record, Little Earthquakes, the first of fifteen studio albums. Each new recording cut new ground both musically and thematically. Since then, Amos has performed world-wide, both as a soloist and also accompanied, by a rhythm section, an octet or an orchestra. Her projects have ranged from the musical, A Light Princess to the classically-inspired Night of Hunters. Grammy nominations include: Best Alt. Album for Under The Pink, Boys for Pele and From The Choirgirl Hotel and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for 'Strange Little Girls.' Amos was the first female artist to chart in the Billboard Top ten in Classical, Alternative and Rock genres simultaneously for Night of Hunters. Amos has also published two biographies: Piece by Piece and Resistance, which delve deeply into her songwriting strategies and political perspectives. She has been strongly involved in Native American issues and was the first spokesperson for RAINN, the largest, anti-sexual violence organization in the U.S. This book provides a track-by-track analysis of those essential recorded works, starting from Tori Amos' late 1980s synth-pop beginnings through 2017's illuminating Native Invader.

Radiohead On Track

Author: William Allen
Publisher: On Track
ISBN: 9781789521498
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
Formed at their Oxfordshire secondary school in the mid-eighties, Radiohead have gone on arguably to be not only the most important rock group of the 1990s, but also the most significant post-rock group of the new century. Few would have predicted such greatness when their 1993 debut Pablo Honey appeared, revealing an infatuation with The Pixies and, in 'Creep' featuring a lead single deemed 'too depressing to be playlisted on BBC Radio 1. They went on to deliver two of the era-defining albums of the '90s in The Bends and OK Computer, the latter in particular redefining what could be achieved in the realm of guitar- based rock. In the early 2000s they radically rewrote the rulebook both for themselves and for popular music, largely eschewing guitar rock for the experimental, electronic Kid A and Amnesiac. In 2016 they issued their ninth album A Moon Shaped Pool - the latest in a series of works that has seen the group restlessly finding new approaches to both composition and recording. This book examines each album (and each peripheral song, from singles, B-sides and EPs) with stories and analysis of every officially released track.

Iron Maiden

Author: Steve Pilkington
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781789520613
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
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.

Genesis

Author: Stuart MacFarlane
Publisher: On Track
ISBN: 9781789520057
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
From schoolboy band to sold-out stadium tours and worldwide album sales of over 100 million, Genesis were one of the defining progressive rock bands of the seventies, playing a huge part in shaping the genre. Over a career spanning forty years from formation to the world reunion tour of 2007, they developed and adapted through many changes, some of which polarized their existing fans but attracted countless new ones. While Foxtrot and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway helped define progressive rock, it was the three-piece line up of Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins that became the real hit-makers, with albums like Invisible Touch and We Can't Dance and massive hit singles like 'No Son of Mine' and 'Land of Confusion'. Fifteen studio and six live albums later, including five consecutive number ones and five consecutive top tens in the USA, fans still live in the hope of yet another reunion tour which so far hasn't been ruled out. This book takes the reader on a journey through their entire catalogue, taking each album in turn and examining every track. It is compiled from the viewpoint of a lifelong fan, and it is hoped that the book stirs many old memories, as it has done for the author, as well as providing some insight for more recent fans of the band.

The Cardiacs: Every Album, Every Song

Author: Eric Benac
Publisher: On Track
ISBN: 9781789521313
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Book Description
When Tim Smith died in July of 2020, he left behind a legion of adoring fans and an honorary doctorate in music. Not bad for someone who never had a top ten hit and who's music was so infamous during its heyday, that some magazines not only refused to review his work, but edited out praise from fellow musicians. But who was Tim Smith? He was the composer, guitarist, singer, and lyricist for cult band Cardiacs. Working in the 70s up to 2008, Smith and his rotating band of musicians created some of the most intricate and original music of all time. They combined punk energy, prog complexity, ska rhythms, heavy metal drama, and much more with an absurd and satirical lyrical stance, while creating a confrontational on-stage image that inspired as many as it appalled. Eric Benac examines each Cardiac album (including the never-repressed, cassette-only albums) and side projects, like the sublime prog-folk of Sea Nymphs, the warped psychedelics of Spartley's Japs, and the twisted Brit Pop of Tim's solo album. Each song is discussed both musically and lyrically, with a photo section containing original shots from Cardiacs fans.