History & Criticism

*NEW EXTENDED MIX EDITION FEATURING EXTRA CHAPTERS*Nominated for Audiobook of the Year at the 2024 ARIAS Awards'Love this book! It triggers so many memories of the rave era. Thoroughly recommended.' - FATBOY SLIM 'Captures the hedonism and humour of the...

A tell-all biography of the epic in-fighting of the Grateful Dead in the years following band leader Jerry Garcia's death in 1995The Grateful Dead rose to greatness under the inspired leadership of guitarist Jerry Garcia, but the band very nearly died...

One of the music world's pre-eminent critics takes a fresh and much-needed look at the day Dylan "went electric" at the Newport Folk Festival, timed to coincide with the event's fiftieth anniversary. On the evening of July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan...

'An incredible photographer and good friend' -RINGO STARR The definitive collection of the breathtaking Beatles photographs of Terry O'Neill.Iconic photographer Terry O'Neill worked with the Beatles across five decades, capturing the band at the...

The follow-up to The McCartney Legacy, Volume 1, the most complete work on the life and work of Paul McCartney ever published. Volume 2 continues to paint the portrait of one of the world's greatest musicians, his work post-Beatles, and his life from...

In this first of a groundbreaking multivolume set, THE MCCARTNEY LEGACY, VOL 1: 1969-73 captures the life of Paul McCartney in the years immediately following the dissolution of the Beatles, a period in which McCartney recreated himself as both a man and...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA BOOK OF THE YEAR PICK IN THE TIMES: 'Captivating'A ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR: 'In-depth and inspiring''Beautifully compiled ... the perfect festival experience' SUNDAY TIMESGlastonbury 50 is the authorised,...

Pink Floyd are one of the most innovative and enduringly successful bands in history. 1973's Dark Side of the Moon, though far from the first concept album, established a new model for quasi-symphonic, long-form investigations into the human condition...

#2 UNCUT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023In 1979, 2 Tone exploded into the national consciousness as records by The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The Beat, and The Bodysnatchers burst onto the charts and a youth movement was born.2 Tone was black and white: a...

What Britain refined, America defined. Assembled by two key figures at the heart of the movement and told through the voices o musicians, artists, iconoclastic reporters and entrepreneurial groupies, PLEASE KILL ME is the full decadent story of the...

'I was spotty, wore an anorak, had biro-engraved flared blue jeans with "purple" and "Sabbath" written on the thighs, and rode an ear-splittingly uncool moped. Oh yes, and I wanted to be a drummer...' Bruce Dickinson...

An entertaining, definitive and in-depth study of prog rock, with a new cover and a foreword by Steve Hackett (Genesis). Progressive rock, a genre formed out of a creative surge in the late Sixties and throughout the Seventies. Made by young musicians...

With a foreword by Paul McCartney'It's semi-devotional -- a really special place' Florence Welch'There are certain things that are mythical. Abbey Road is mythical' Nile RodgersMany people will recognise the famous zebra crossing. Some visitors may have...

The John Rutter Christmas Piano Album brings together eight of the composer's best-loved seasonal choral pieces as piano transcriptions, made by John Rutter himself, for performance use or enjoyment at home. Designed for pianists at early intermediate...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781627310673Author Ika JohannessonFormat PaperbackPage Count 240Imprint Feral House,U.S.Publisher Feral House,U.S.

A stunning celebration of the rich culture and fascinating history of Ireland featuring ten Irish illustrators. Discover everything that makes the Irish isle so special - from its famous landmarks to its myths and ...

Learn about the world's greatest classical compositions and musical traditions in The Classical Music Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Classic...

A Rough Trade Book of the Year The Sunday Times bestseller The much-anticipated first book from Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler With over 70 million records sold, heavy metal...

Grunge, also known as the 'Seattle Sound', emerged from the Pacific north-west in the early part of the 1980s. With the unexpected success of Nirvana's single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' in 1991, grunge became a household word overnight and launched an...

An Independent Best Non-Fiction Book for 2024 "A vibrant, multifaceted portrait of a music enigma" Guardian "A powerful portrait of Joni Mitchell" Irish Independent "Displays a bracing rigour and an...

The untold story of a British institution 'Brilliant.' Alan Johnson 'Compelling.' David Kynaston 'The beer drinkers' Bill Bryson.' Times Literary...

Photographs and Reflections by Paul McCartney'Millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget for the rest of my life.'In 2020, an extraordinary trove of nearly a thousand photographs taken by Paul McCartney on a 35mm...

A Guardian Guide Cultural Book of the Year 2023An Irish Times Music Book of the Year 2023'A deep, engrossing history' The Observer'A fascinating deep dive' Jeremy DellerFrom the illicit reggae blues dances and acid-rock free festivals of the 1970s,...

Since the dawn of modernism, visual and music production have had a particularly intimate relationship. From Luigi Russolo's 1913 Futurist manifesto L'Arte dei Rumori (The Art of Noise) to Marcel Duchamp's 1925 double-sided discs Rotoreliefs, the 20th...

'To see The Clash on the White Riot tour was like discovering how to be a rock star: you just did it yourself. You didn't wait for someone to come and discover you. That was the most important thing that came out of punk... We came home and we cut our...

The definitive history of the revolutionary Greenwich Village music scene, which fostered some of the most iconic musicians in American history--and fought for its identity every step of the way.Although Greenwich Village takes up less than a square mile...

The must-read memoir from the visionary figure behind Manchester's legendary music scene, from The Hacienda to The Warehouse Project. Tales From the Dance Floor is an electrifying journey into the heart of...

Rob Young's Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music is a seminal book on British music and cultural heritage, that spans the visionary classical and folk tradition from the nineteenth-century to the present day. 'A thoroughly enjoyable read...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781915841452Author Richard EvansFormat PaperbackPage Count 528Imprint Omnibus PressPublisher Omnibus PressWeight(grams) 499gDimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm *...

The Beatles landing in New York in February 1964 was the opening shot in a cultural revolution nobody predicted. Suddenly the youth of the richest, most powerful nation on earth was trying to emulate the music, manners and the modes of a rainy island...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781935243083Author Bertrand Harris BronsonFormat HardbackPage Count 594Imprint Loomis House PressPublisher Loomis House PressWeight(grams)...

Idiosyncratic.Iconoclastic.Acerbic.Hilarious.The influence of Tom Hibbert's music writing across print, radio, TV and podcasts is incomparable. From his genre-defining work at Smash Hits to his 'Who the Hell ... ?' profiles for Q magazine and beyond,...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781458421975Author Howard MasseyFormat HardbackPage Count 376Imprint Hal Leonard CorporationPublisher Hal Leonard CorporationWeight(grams)...

In this breathtaking cultural history filled with exclusive, never-before-revealed details, celebrated rock journalist Joel Selvin tells the definitive story of the Rolling Stones' infamous Altamont concert, the disastrous historic event that marked the...

Trent Reznor rode into music mythology on "Pretty Hate Machine", powered by Futurist industrial pistons and covered in ice-spiked synth hooks shined by new wave robots. Then there was his voice. Whispered verses and screamed hooks before Kurt Cobain...

When Bruce Springsteen went back on the road in 1984, he opened every show by shouting out, "one, two, one, two, three, four," followed by the droning synth chords of "Born in the USA". Max Weinberg hit his drums with a two-fisted physicality that cut...

During a decade that defined progressive rock, 1973 was a pivotal year. Influential bands like Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, The Electric Light Orchestra and King Crimson released some of their best-selling albums and there was a...

From the stylist behind David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust look, an electrifying peek behind the curtains during a legendary chapter of pop culture history.'Suzi Ronson was there as Bowie transitioned from suburban folkie to world superstar and genius. Few can...

'You never knew what you were going to be confronted with when you went on Later...' Nick Cave 'Later... is a voyage of discovery for us as well as the viewers' Dave Grohl Dave Grohl and Alicia Keys loved it, Bjoerk...

Electronic music evokes new sensations, feelings, and thoughts in both composers and listeners. Opening the door to an unlimited universe of sound, it engages spatialization as an integral aspect of composition and focuses on sound transformation as a...