History & Criticism

Following the success of their instantly iconic double LP, London Calling, The Clash set out to do something "triply outrageous." Named after the Nicaraguan rebels who successfully overthrew an authoritarian dictator, Sandinista! consists of 36 songs...

Leonard Bernstein was arguably the most highly esteemed, influential, and charismatic American classical music personality of the twentieth century. Conductor, composer, pianist, writer, educator, and human rights activist, Bernstein truly led a life of...

Experience the passion and drama of the world's greatest operas with this sumptuously illustrated visual guide.Immerse yourself in more than 400 years of the world's most celebrated operas and discover the fascinating stories behind them. Explore the...

This book presents a lively account of the Cambridge folk music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Long out of print, ""Baby, Let Me Follow You Down"" is a classic in the history of American popular culture. The book tells the story of the folk...

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES, GRAMMY-NOMINATED BESTSELLERA SUNDAY TIMES, GUARDIAN, OBSERVER, ROLLING STONE, AND ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself-by band members...

A welcome collection of piano transcriptions made by the composer himself, featuring eight of his best-loved choral pieces spanning the last 40 years. Designed for pianists at early intermediate level, the collection provides skilful and approachable...

Most know that the legendary English rock band the Who performed concerts at ear-splitting volume, smashed their instruments, and became one of the worlds most influential groups. Their period from 1964 to 1976 saw the creation of such classic songs as...

'It's just another song to me. I've written 1,000 of them and it's really just another one.' Jimmy Webb 'When I heard it I cried. It made me cry because I was homesick. It's just a masterfully written song.' Glen Campbell The sound of 'Wichita...

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 ...

This is a thoroughly researched study of the origins of the New York City punk scene, focusing on Television and their extraordinary debut record. Two kids in their early twenties walk down the Bowery on a spring afternoon, just as the proprietor of a...

for soprano and baritone soloists, SATB chorus, and orchestra This significant seven-movement work from Cecilia McDowall presents an imaginative pairing of extracts from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci with texts from the Latin Missa pro defunctis...

Between 1972 and their first break-up in 1976 (and then again following their 1979 reunion), Roxy Music were arguably the most exciting, ambitious and vivacious bans in the land - a core four piece of vocalist Bryan Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera, horn...

In the late 1970s, aggressive, young bands are forming across Britain. Independent labels are springing up to release their music. But this isn't the story of punk. Forget punk. Punk was a flash in the pan compared to this. This is the story of the New...

Do you know your power ballads from your punk anthems? Can you identify the dons of dance, or the professors of pop? The NOW That's What I Call Music Quiz Book will put your music knowledge to the test as you puzzle your way through the last thirty five...

'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...

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...

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...

Everyone remembers their first NOW album. Since NOW That's What I Call Music Volume 1 was released in 1983 on double vinyl and double cassette, NOW has become synonymous with pop music and has featured some of the most iconic artists of the last three...

In Please Please Tell Me Now, bestselling rock biographer Stephen Davis tells the story of Duran Duran, the quintessential band of the 1980s. Their pretty boy looks made them the stars of fledgling MTV, but it was their brilliant musicianship that led to...

Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most unfathomable composers in the history of music. How can such sublime work have been produced by a man who seems so ordinary, so opaque - and occasionally so intemperate?In this remarkable book, John Eliot Gardiner...

A comprehensive biography of the brilliant jazz composer and pianist Bill Evans This enthralling book is the first biography in English of Bill Evans (1929-1980), one of the most influential of all jazz pianists. Peter Pettinger, himself a concert...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9781907222672Author Rose SimpsonFormat PaperbackPage Count 256Imprint Strange Attractor PressPublisher Strange Attractor Press

This five-volume graded series of organ music by J. S. Bach (2 volumes for manuals only; 3 volumes for manuals and pedals) provides a wonderful selection of pieces for all players. The whole is an authoritative and fully practical introduction to this...

A radical new book by journalist, critic and BBC Radio 3 broadcaster Kate Molleson, which fundamentally changes the way we think about classical music and the musicians who made it on a global scale.'Wonderful . . . This is a book of discovery that...

For 13 years, Peter Hince lived the rock 'n' roll dream. As head roadie for Queen he had a front row seat and backstage pass to some of the greatest moments in music.Now, he is opening up his incredible archive and sharing hundreds of photographs and...

THE LOUDER THAN WAR #1 BOOK OF THE YEARA ROUGH TRADE, THE TIMES, MOJO, UNCUT, THE HERALD BOOK OF THE YEARThis is not a book about a rock band. This is not even a book about Mark E Smith. This is a book about The Fall group - or more precisely, their...

On the night of Sunday, April 23, 1961 Judy Garland made history. That's no hyperbole. Surrounded by a throng of ecstatic fans (3,165 to be exact), the legendary performer delivered a concert in Carnegie Hall the live recording of which became, upon...

There's no template for making it as a globally successful pop group. Some of the ingredients remain constant and beyond the music, there's a mix'n'match selection of premature death, drugs, drink, destroyed friendships, lukewarm solo projects and...

Singing Like Larks opens a rare window onto the ancient song traditions of the British Isles, interweaving mesmerising lyrics, folklore and colourful nature writing to uncover the remarkable relationship between birds and traditional folk music. Birds...

A Telegraph Book of the YearA Guardian Book of the YearA Shindig Book of the Year A Virgin Radio Book of the YearAwarded the certificate of merit in the 2023 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for ExcellenceIn 1970, pop was in trouble. The...

Opening with the psychedelic haunts of the 1960s New York pop art scene and closing more than half a century later with the rise of post-club happenings, Temporary Pleasure shows how nightlife spaces have evolved to meet the needs of their generation,...

The Tastemaker charts the singular life of a man who has been at the beating heart of music's most iconic moments for over sixty years and features stories of his time working with everyone from the Beatles to the Ronettes and Elton John to the Rolling...

Celebrate the legendary guitars and amps of Fender (R)with this authoritatively written, lavishly illustrated, and officially licensed history of the company and the culture it inspired. Originating in Leo Fender's modest radio and amplifier repair shop...

Sonic fiction is everywhere: in conversations about vernacular culture, in music videos, sound art compositions and on record sleeves, in everyday encounters with sonic experiences and in every single piece of writing about sound. Where one can find...

'You hold in your hand a miracle. A book about a passion, and the hipsters, oddballs and old heads who share it, written by one of their number, albeit a ludicrously erudite one' - Danny Kelly A revival of interest in vinyl music has taken place in...

The Sweet's look, sound and attitude became an instantly recognisable hallmark of the early 1970s glam rock era. But the band did not start the 1970s as a glam band and certainly didn't finish as one. This book charts the band's journey through the...

Ubiquitous in the music world, Fender (R) guitars and amplifiers are also icons in popular culture, their shapes and sounds instantly recognizable. Authoritatively written and lavishly illustrated, Fender 75 Years is the officially licensed anniversary...

Best known for his international hit, 'Streets of London', Ralph McTell has recorded over 300 songs in a career that spans more than 50 years. Due to his considerable melodic and lyrical gifts, a good many of McTell's compositions surpass 'Streets' in...

Copeland Forbes is one of the most consequential figures in the history of modern Jamaican music. Through his roles as personal and tour manager for some of the most iconic personalities in music, Forbes has been a witness to and a participant in some of...

From his allegiance to punk rock in his adolescence to becoming an essential voice on music and culture, Kelefa Sanneh makes a deep study of how popular music unites and divides us. Distilling a career's worth of knowledge, he explores the tribes music...