Eeverything old is new again. Well, okay, no everything. Just everything about music Pearl Jam, Joe Jackson, Phil Collins, Roxy Music and members of Pink Floyd. Read all about them:
Pearl Jam: Every album, every song
By Ben L. Connor
EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pearl Jam are the last people standing from the alternative rock big bang of the 90s. They were introduced to one of the best-selling and most iconic albums of the decade, and their subsequent albums broke sales records around the world. To date they have sold over 30 million albums worldwide, as many as such iconic artists doors, Tom Petty AND Hurry. As those artists did, Pearl Jam built an intense cult following who feel personally connected to the band. They tour constantly and are known for the quality of their live shows. While they have a huge fan base, they have also collaborated with rock legends and helped raise the profiles of young artists. They fight for social justice causes even when it costs them in other areas. And through it all they continue to release amazing music. However, for many they remain an artifact of the nineties, the epitome of the angry Gen X stereotype. Going through their entire discography track by track, covering their origins in the Seattle scene, their musical development and how the pop culture context around them has changed, this book will argue that Pearl Jam are not only one of the greatest bands of their generation, but one of the greatest bands of all time.”
Pink Floyd Solo: Every Album, Every Song
By Mike Goode
EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Although multi-million selling albums such as Dark Side of the Moon, I wish you were here and The Wall are rightly at the forefront of Pink Floyd canon, solo work of all five members – Syd Barrett, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters AND Rick Wright — is a largely undocumented and fascinating aspect of the band’s ongoing history. It’s certainly diverse, from Barrett’s Wednesday album in the early 70s The madman laughsthrough Waters’ solo concepts to Gilmour’s seminal post-Millennium releases such as Tap that Lock. And lest we forget the underappreciated contribution that Mason and Wright made Pink Floyd, their solo works are also represented, along with the sessions and production duties each Floyd member has undertaken over the years – some of which might raise an eyebrow or two! The innovative nature of Pink FloydHis music has been kept alive and well on all the solo members’ releases and has long been crying out for analysis – something this book delivers with compelling enthusiasm and insight. Listing every studio track they’ve released – placing them in chronological order – this is the perfect book for those wanting to delve deeper into Pink Floyd.”
Joe Jackson: Every album, every song
By Richard James
EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Joe Jackson is a singer, songwriter, composer and performer who has twisted and turned his career through multiple genres and continues to release great albums 40 years after his initial success. To some he is ‘Angsty Young Man’, forever linked to two hit singles; Is she really dating him?AND It’s Different For Girls. Other memories may stretch further to include pop gems Step outside AND It broke us in two from the early 1980s. By the 1990s he had apparently faded from the limelight. Stardom never seemed to be Jackson’s central ambition; he has been happier to follow his muse. There is much, much more to this talented musician and this book covers every aspect of a brilliant, unpredictable and fiercely independent recording career. From the early successes of ‘new wave’, through unexpected ‘cover’ albums, film soundtracks, impressive conceptual works, to classical compositions. All these are interspersed with more excellent songs always written with wit and courage. Jackson is the constant musical explorer. For those who have stayed the course, this book describes each of his ports of call so far; if you are not familiar but want to know more, jump on board. You won’t regret it.”
Phil Collins in the 80s: The Decade
By Andrew Wild
EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Phil Collins was everywhere in the 1980s. He had more US Top 40 hits than any other artist during the 1980s: 14 as a solo artist and 11 with Genesis, along with two No. 1 albums. Add to that, 25 solo and group hits and eight No. 1 albums. 1 in the UK. He also recorded with various artists such as Peter Gabriel, John Martyn, Fried, Robert Plant, Mike Oldfield, Marty Webb, Al Di Meola, Adam Ant, Eric Clapton, Phil Bailey, Band Aid, Marilyn Martin, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Chaka Khan AND Tears For Fear — 35 more albums or standalone singles, some of which were massive global hits. He also found time, somehow, to tour with Plant and Clapton in addition to his extensive touring duties with Genesis and as a solo artist. And he performed in Direct help – both concerts. That’s about 600 live shows between 1980 and 1989. There’s no doubt the guy was busy in that period! His ubiquity between 1980 and 1989 spans 10 years of great music – and this book examines Collins’ output during these tumultuous years.”
Roxy Music in the 1970s: The Decade
By Dave Thompson
EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Between 1972 and their first split in 1976 (and then again after their 1979 reunion), Roxy Music were arguably the most exciting, ambitious and vibrant band in the country – a lead four-piece vocalist Bryan Ferryguitarist Phil Manzaneratrumpet Andy Mackay and the drummer Phil Thompson (but also featuring, at various times, Brian Eno AND Eddie Jobson) who emerged during the long, hot summer of 1972 glam rock, but who could never be easily pigeonholed. The biggest records they made became, in turn, some of the biggest records of the era. Virginia Plain, Pajamas, Life on the road, all i want is you, Love is a Drug, WASTE AND Dance Away were the hits, but even the deepest cuts on the band’s first five albums became anthems for a generation. Roxy were no ordinary band in other ways too, as Ferry, Manzanera, Mackay and Eno all embarked on solo careers – which, between them, were responsible for a complex catalog of songs spanning from 1930s ballads to electronica distant future, from WagnerS ‘ The Valkyries to David BowieS ‘ Low. This book encompasses all of that, documenting the stories of the band and band members, while analyzing and detailing every album and song released by the Roxy family over the decade.”
The Vibe Traders: The Sound Makers of Jamaican Folk Music
By Ray Hitchins
EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vibe Traders provides an insider’s perspective on the development of Jamaican folk music, researched and analyzed by a 30-year veteran with a wide range of experience in performance, production and academic study. This rare perspective, drawn from interviews and ethnographic methodologies, focuses on the actual details of music-making practice, rationalized in the context of the economic and creative forces driving music production in the country. Focusing on the work of audio engineers and musicians, recording studios and recording models, Ray Hitchins emphasizes a music-making methodology that is recognized as different from that of Europe and North America. The book leads to an expansion of our understanding of how Jamaican folk music emerged, developed and functions, thus providing a compelling example of the important relationship between music, technology and culture that will appeal to a wide range of scholars.