Kirjahaku

When LA musicians Russell and Ron Mael moved to Britain in 1973, they hit the pop world as Sparks and looked like Oddballs, even in the context of the Glam Rock movement that made them welcome. Soon defined by their weird and wonderful 1974 single This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us from the Kimono My House album, Sparks went on to release 21 albums over four decades, each record inhabiting a bizarre world of it's own. Their songs were peppered with puns and pop culture nods, as well as nostalgia and jokey images, all mixed up in a kaleidoscope of musical references ranging from rock to glam to disco. The paperback edition of the critically acclaimed biography. The Sparks story is now celebrated in this book, Daryl Easlea's exploration of their extraordinary career drawing on hours of new interviews and research. Talent is an Asset comes as close as possible to pinning down the quicksilver nature of two gifted musicians who have gone out of their way to remain unpredictable and elusive, forever entrenched behind a dazzling gallery of jokes, impersonations and musical eccentricities.

Slade were the most iconic group of the 1970s glam rock era. Although the original quartet – Dave Hill, Noddy Holder, Jim Lea and Don Powell – ceased working as a unit in the nineties, memories of the group remain strong, thanks mainly to their remarkable, enduring, festive single, 'Merry Xmas Everybody'. But there is so much more to the band than just that one record. Whatever Happened To Slade? is the first serious biography of the group in over three decades. It details the complete story of this singular band, as well as the personal histories of the four individuals who combined to turn Slade into a genuine phenomenon. Whatever Happened To Slade? charts their emergence from the 1960s beat boom, their initial successes, their epoch-making glam heyday, the group’s attempts to crack America, Slade In Flame, their bleak, retrospectively adored film, their re-emergence as hard rocking heavyweights, through to their final dissolution and post-Slade careers. Drawing on hours of new interviews and meticulous research, with a foreword by Bob Geldof and an afterword by Jim Moir, Whatever Happened To Slade? reassesses a band that won hearts and perforated eardrums across four incident-filled, bittersweet decades.

With their era-defining music and instantly recognisable look, Chic’s reputation as pioneers of disco has endured long after the movement itself. After their initial success in the 1970s with classics such as `Good Times’, `Le Freak’ and `I Want Your Love’, Chic disbanded in 1983, with founding members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards becoming in-demand producers. After Edwards’ tragic early passing in 1996, Nile Rodgers’ involvement in Daft Punk’s 2013’s smash hit `Get Lucky’ catapulted Chic back to international acclaim. And now, from curating Meltdown in 2019 to headlining festivals all over the world, Nile Rodgers and Chic have arguably never been more popular. Covering the sweet successes and fallings out of favour, the creative process and encounters with Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Madonna and others, the acclaimed Everybody Dance explores the highs and the lows of Chic’s journey in fascinating detail. With a new foreword by Duran Duran founding member John Taylor and a host of new interviews with Nile Rodgers, Johnny Mathis and many others, to add to those with Ahmet Ertegun, Bryan Ferry and David Bowie, this edition bring their enthralling journey up to date. A must-read for any disco fan, Everybody Dance: Chic and the Politics of Disco is the essential story of the legendary band who still get us lost in music, over four decades on.

Peter Gabriel rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career. His 1986 album, So, is his most commercially successful, and the album's biggest hit, Sledgehammer, won a record nine MTV Awards. He has also been involved in various humanitarian efforts and won numerous music awards throughout his career, including Brits and Grammies and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010. Includes hours of new interviews with key friends, musicians and aides. This new edition is fully updated.

Beyonce Knowles first rose to fame as lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the most successful girl groups of all time. Since striking out on her own as a solo artist in 2003, with her multi-platinum debut album Dangerously in Love, Knowles' career has gone from strength to strength. This biography tells the full story of a fantastically talented artist, detailing the ups and downs of her early career with Destiny's Child, the group's success and disbandment, her move into the solo spotlight and the commercial and critical acclaim that has followed. The book also examines key events in Beyonce's personal life A--including her marriage to hip-hop entrepreneur Jay-Z.

Foreword by Martyn Ware (Heaven 17, The Human League) Tina Turner: singer, trailblazer, icon. One of the best-known and most-beloved performers of all time, Simply Tina documents her life, career and relationship with celebrated music photographer, Paul Cox. When Paul Cox captured Tina's legendary 1983 comeback performance with Heaven 17 on Channel 4's The Tube, it was the beginning of a friendship that would last for over two decades. During that time, Paul was commissioned to photograph Tina on numerous video shoots and live performances. This unique and intimate collection contains a variety of never-before-seen images, telling the story of Tina's career through a mixture of live photos, video shoots, promo shots, candid images and sessions in the recording studio, as well as a few featuring some such high-profile names as David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams and many more.

Slade were the most iconic group of the 1970s glam rock era. Although the original quartet – Dave Hill, Noddy Holder, Jim Lea and Don Powell – ceased working as a unit in the nineties, memories of the group remain strong, thanks mainly to their remarkable, enduring, festive single, 'Merry Xmas Everybody'.But there is so much more to the band than just that one record. Whatever Happened To Slade? is the first serious biography of the group in over three decades. It details the complete story of this singular band, as well as the personal histories of the four individuals who combined to turn Slade into a genuine phenomenon. Whatever Happened To Slade? charts their emergence from the 1960s beat boom, their initial successes, their epoch-making glam heyday, the group’s attempts to crack America, Slade In Flame, their bleak, retrospectively adored film, their re-emergence as hard rocking heavyweights, through to their final dissolution and post-Slade careers. Drawing on hours of new interviews and meticulous research, with a foreword by Bob Geldof and an afterword by Jim Moir, Whatever Happened To Slade? reassesses a band that won hearts and perforated eardrums across four incident-filled, bittersweet decades.