When it comes to earthshaking songs—the ones that signal a tectonic shift in the current musical landscape—there is “Johnny B. Goode” . . . there is “Good Vibrations” . . . and there is "I Feel Love." A disco touchstone recorded by Donna Summer in 1976 and released on her fifth studio album, I Remember Yesterday, in 1977, "I Feel Love" is one of the most important records in music history, and one of the most influential."I Feel Love" topped charts the world over—including in the U...

Dave Thompson, author of Virgin's acclaimed Red Hot Chili Peppers biography, takes a new and very detailed look at the creation of one of the world's most influential bands. After all the streets of London had been covered in 'Clapton Is God' tributes, the three top rock instrumentalists of their time, all stars in their own right, came together to form Cream. Cream went on to become the first band to break openthe lucrative US market by dint of their live shows alone.Updat...

Offering a unique analysis and discussion of her life, career, and work, this is the true story of Patti Smith. Widely acknowledged as one of the most significant American artists of the rock age, an acclaimed poet, and a figurehead for many liberal political causes, Patti Smith went from an ugly-duckling childhood in postwar New Jersey to become queen of the 1970s New York art scene. Not a tell-all biography, this measured, accurate, and enthusiastic account of Smith's career is written f...

In 2009 Phil Spector the legendary record producer was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson. It was an ignominious climax to a life of staggering highs and scarcely believable lows. Wall of Pain Dave Thompson's biography of Phil Spector has now been updated to include important details of the seemingly interminable trial. The architect of the Wall Of Sound Spector's already iconic status in the music world was enhanced by his work with The Beatles....

London's Burning is the story of punk rock as it happened, stripped of hindsight and future legend, and laid bare. Here are the Damned and the Adverts on tour, the Sex Pistols swearing through their prime-time television debut, the Tom Robinson Band conducting a club full of skinheads through the anthem "Glad to Be Gay," rioting Rastas running through the carnage that closed the Notting Hill Carnival, Sid Vicious arguing about which was David Bowie's best song. At the same time, i...

First-ever look at the intertwining, outrageous lives of three rock legends.When Lou Reed and Iggy Pop first met David Bowie in the fall of 1971, Bowie was just another English musician passing through New York City. Lou was still recovering from the collapse of the Velvet Underground, and Iggy had already been branded a loser... Yet within two years they completely changed the face of popular music with a decadent glamour and street-level vibe. With Bowie producing, Reed's Tra...

Between 1972 and 1976. and then again following their 1979 reunion, Roxy Music were arguably the most exciting, ambitious and vivacious band in the world. They comprised a core four piece of vocalist Bryan Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera, horn player Andy Mackay and drummer Phil Thompson, but also featured, at different times, Brian Eno and Eddie Jobson. Emerging during 1972’s long, hot summer of glam rock, the band coud never be readily pigeonholed.The greatest records they made be...

Bad Reputation is the unexpurgated story of Joan Jett, the single most exciting rocker of the American 1980s, one of the biggest-selling acts of the age, and one of punk rock's most valued elder statespeeps.Through its pages, a welter of exclusive interviews and observations paint what might well be the last great tale of rock hedonism, but one that comes with a twist in its tail. The rockers are women, the groupies are guys. It could have been the plot line for a movie or...

Robert Plant: The Voice That Sailed the Zeppelin follows the iconic singer through his heights of fame with classic rock giant Led Zeppelin, his second life as a multimillion-selling solo artist, and his more idiosyncratic pursuits. A wealth of former associates lend their voices and recollections to an account that steps far beyond the tried and tested tales of Zeppelin's life and times.This all-new biography details Plant's early years as an unknown in Birmingham, Englan...

Redesign the Future of Work with Neurodiversity in MindBrainstorm: A Guide to Neurodivergent Talent and the Future of Work is a bold, practical guide to rebuilding work from the ground up. It shows that inclusion is more than the right thing to do, it is essential to business success. With raw honesty, sharp storytelling, and real-world tools, Brainstorm challenges tired corporate narratives and equips leaders, managers, and teams to unlock overlooked tale...

A veteran music journalist explores rock-n-roll's bayou roots in "a jolting 18-track joy ride [that] unlocks secrets and back-stories worth savoring" ( The Wall Street Journal).The bayou of the American south—stretching from Houston, Texas, to Mobile, Alabama—is a world all its own, with a rich cultural heritage that has had an outsized influence on musicians across the globe. In this unique study of marsh music, Dave Thompson goes beyond the storied stomp...

This ebook is now available from Bloomsbury Academic. Bloomsbury Academic publish acclaimed resources for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as the general reader, across a broad range of subjects including Archaeology, Art & Visual Culture, Biblical Studies, Business & Management, Drama & Performance Studies, Economics, Education, Film & Media, History, Linguistics, Literary Studies, Music & Sound Studies, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations, Psychology, Religious ...