On 25th July, breaking news revealed that Michael Jackson, King of Pop, was dead. Fans and the media watched in shock as the story unfolded: doctors had lost the battle to save him after he had collapsed from a heart attack. In a cruel twist of fate, he had passed away before he got the chance to make his final curtain call in the form of 50 planned sell-out shows at London's O2 Arena. From a very young age, Michael's exceptional music ...
BUZZCOCKS | THE COMPLETE HISTORY is the bible for fans of the legendary Manchester band who gave birth to the independent record movement and released some of the greatest punk records of all time.<br>By distinctively combining sardonic wit, romanticism and timeless tunes, they produced such classics as 'Orgasm Addict', 'What Do I Get?' and 'Ever Fallen in Love?' Their split in 1981 only heightened their reput ...
Iron Maiden are without one of heavy metal's most successful indie bands. From their first album in 1980 they have led the way in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with Billboard pointing out they have 'always been an underground attraction'. Though other pioneering peers like Metallica have been around on the scene just as long provided their own innovations metal and advanced the genre to a mainstream level, it was Iron Maiden ...
Melissa Bell is the mother of X Factor winner Alexandra Burke. But her own life story is even more remarkable that that of her daughter and is truly inspiring in its own right. From the age of four, music filled every corner of Melissa's life: she could play the piano, was constantly singing and even ran her own 'radio station' from the upstairs window of the house, calling out to passers-by and begging them to stop and listen. It ...
Never have so many famous drummers been gathered together in one place! Drummer and writer Spike Webb has spent more than three years meeting fellow drummers in bars, clubs and cafes, shooting the breeze for a couple of hours and extracting anecdote after anecdote for posterity. This is truly a labour of love – and somebody had to do it. In this book you'll meet drummers like Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Don Powell (Slade), Adam Facek (Babysham ...
In 1991, five wannabe Mancunian musicians came together to form Oasis. The band went from obscurity to become a global phenomenon in the space of a year, achieving worldwide recognition and selling over 70 million records. Pre Oasis, drummer Tony McCarroll joined The Rain, linking up with guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, bassist Paul McGuigan and singer Chris Hutton. Hutton was later replaced by Liam Gallagher who in turn brought bro ...
"When David sat down later, he tucked one leg up under him and I noticed that the sole of his shoe was as clean as the day he’d bought it. OK, maybe the shoes were new, but it struck me that he hardly ever sets foot in the street. It’s all hotel, limousines, sterilized airports – the life I was about to lead. I shivered, feeling poised at the top of a rollercoaster about to sweep across the world."<br>In 1978, Sean Mayes toured the wo ...
Bursting onto the music scene in the 70's, Chas 'n' Dave released songs that spoke about life in London, using their own accents rather than the fashionable but fake transatlantic twang. They knew that if they wrote and sang about their own experience rather than simply making up the bollocks that was normally expected then people would be interested. With hits like «Gertcha», «Rabbit», «The Sideboard Song» and «Margate», they cre ...
Noel Gallagher is as well-known for his singer-song writing talent as he is for his controversial, outspoken statements and his tempestuous relationships. With the renowned Britpop band, Oasis, Noel found worldwide acclaim and influenced the musical style of a generation. At the forefront of the Britpop movement in the Nineties, Noel was responsible for writing some of the big anthems of the period, including 'Wonderwall' and 'Cha ...
