Martin Popoff

Nazareth's whole career documented in words by Martin Popoff and crammed full of live and off-stage shots and memorabilia that portray the band's journey through the decades. A future collector's item that every self-respecting Nazareth fan will want to own.

In the follow-up to his Judas Priest: Decade of Domination book, which looked at the band's career from inception through the Defenders of the Faith album of 1984, Martin Popoff now tackles the band's incendiary "hair metal" years through to the triumphant return to form of 2018's Firepower. In between, Popoff tackles the live albums, Glenn Tipton's solo excursion, Fight, Two and Halford... all that good stuff that resulted from the Metal God's split with the band before his celebrated return to the throne. Turbo, Ram It Down, Painkiller, Jugulator, Demolition, Angel of Retribution, Nostradamus, Redeemer of Souls, Firepower... this is the story of nine records all quite different from each other, and all the details and tales in between. What results is the story of more than thirty years of Priest history, including the making of 1990's Painkiller, a record considered by a younger generation of Priest fans to be the greatest slammin' collection of metal anthems the band ever concocted and rocked. Judas Priest: Turbo 'til Now includes extensive colour commentary from Popoff's many chats over the decades with those who were there, including Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, Ian Hill, Scott Travis, Ripper Owens and Richie Faulkner, along with producers Tom Allom, Chris Tsangarides and Roy Z. The result is the most in-depth examination of Judas Priest's late '80s to present-day output ever attempted.

When the world thinks of heavy metal in its pure, potent, undiluted form, it is none other than the Metal Gods, Judas Priest, that instantly come to mind. Chrome and black leather, studs and whips and chains, a chopper on stage to announce the coming… these are the tools of the trade for Rob Halford and his legendary band of Birmingham bashers. Indeed, the Priest are the bringers of metal’s biggest anthems. “Breaking the Law,” “Living after Midnight,” “Exciter,” “Electric Eye,” “Victim of Changes,” and especially “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”… these are songs woven into the fabric of metal’s wild ride, Priest having been there since its origins, revving up crowds as superstars certainly for 30 years of that run. Lifelong fan and preeminent metal historian Martin Popoff examines the Priest’s rich legacy from 1974 to 1984, album by album, anthem by anthem, in this hugely expanded update on the early years portion of his long out-of-print Heavy Metal Painkillers book. Having interviewed all the principals in the band repeatedly over the years, Popoff gives a first-hand account of Priest’s rocky, often comical ride through the ‘70s, and through the gold and platinum records of the ‘80s, expertly detailing the long road to the arena headline status the band now enjoys as heavy metal’s proudest ambassadors. Judas Priest: Decade of Domination includes extensive commentary from reclusive drummer Les Binks, along with new interview footage from Tom Allom, Chris Tsangarides, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, Rob Halford, and various other insiders who are part of the Priest saga during this hallowed, golden era. Also included are tons of memorabilia shots, live photography and two tipped-in colour sections. To reiterate, this is the most extensive analysis ever in book form of: Rocka Rolla, Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather, Unleashed in the East, British Steel, Point of Entry, Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith—song by song, lots of stories, looking at licks and fills, and what’s in the right channel and left, lyric analysis… the deepest dive ever on these records.

Denim and Leather is 260 pages of biker metal hail after hail, with two four-page photo sections, loads of fresh interview content, all the facts and dates and even some of the hot disputes. As the back cover crows... Stand Up and Be Counted! Now that there's no more Motorhead, it's up to Iron Maiden and Saxon to uphold the fine tradition of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, something both bands have been doing for over 40 years now. Indeed, 2020 marked the 40th anniversary of Saxon's landmark Wheels of Steel album, a record we celebrate in this book with much reverence and many pints of ale clinked between headbangers clad in both denim and leather. Of course there's more than that but not everything! Indeed, Denim and Leather: Saxon's First Ten Years focuses on the band's golden era, Saxon's prodigious first decade of output. Saxon, Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, Denim and Leather, Power & the Glory, Crusader, Innocence Is No Excuse, Rock the Nations and Destiny each are dedicated stand-alone chapters, inside of which Popoff deconstructs every song across both sides of the original vinyl, while not forgetting bonus tracks and B-sides, as well as the live material along the way, including the beloved The Eagle Has Landed album. It's a glory-bound Saxon-fest that is long overdue, and it is the hope of the author that at the end of this sometimes critical examination that the reader returns to these records with new reflections on the NWOBHM and some of the detrimental things that came after for many bands, the heroes of our story included.

The conclusion to the definitive biography of the rock 'n' roll kings of the North. Includes two full-color photo inserts, with unearthed photos of the band. "A must for Rush fans." -- Library Journal on Anthem, book one of the Rush Across the Decades trilogy In this conclusion to his trilogy of authoritative books on Canada's most beloved and successful rock band, Martin Popoff takes us through three decades of "life at the top" for Rush's Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Though this era begins with the brisk-selling Roll the Bones and sees throngs of fans sell out international tours, there is also unimaginable tragedy, with Peart losing his daughter and his wife within the space of ten months and, two decades later, succumbing to cancer himself. In between, however, there is a gorgeous and heartbreaking album of reflection and bereavement, as well as a triumphant trip to Brazil, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and -- some say surprisingly -- the band's first full-blown concept album to close an immense career marked by integrity and idealism.

Part one of the definitive biography of Rock 'n' Roll's kings of the North ... now in paperback Includes two full-color photo inserts, with 16 pages of the early days of the band on tour and in the studio. With extensive, firsthand reflections from Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart, as well as from family, friends, and fellow musicians, Anthem: Rush in the '70s is a pointed and detailed portrait of Canada's greatest rock ambassadors. The first of three volumes, Anthem puts the band's catalog, from their self-titled debut to 1978's Hemispheres (the next volume resumes with the release of Permanent Waves) into both Canadian and general pop culture context and presents the trio of quintessentially dependable, courteous Canucks as generators of incendiary, groundbreaking rock 'n' roll. Fighting complacency, provoking thought, and often enraging critics, Rush has been at war with the music industry since 1974, when they were first dismissed as the Led Zeppelin of the north. Anthem, like each volume in this series, celebrates the perseverance of Geddy, Alex, and Neil: three men who maintained their values while operating from a Canadian base, throughout lean years, personal tragedies, and the band's eventual worldwide success.

Popoff's detailed timeline takes us through more than fifty years of massive rock history from this much-loved band. This differs from previous Uriah Heep books through the inclusion of so many previously unpublished photos, along with rare memorabilia and artefacts that makes this an indispensable addition to the vast Uriah Heep catalogue.

Part two of the definitive biography of the rock 'n' roll kings of the North In the follow-up to Anthem: Rush in the '70s, Martin Popoff brings together canon analysis, cultural context, and extensive firsthand interviews to celebrate Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart at the peak of their persuasive power. Rush was one of the most celebrated hard rock acts of the '80s, and the second book of Popoff's staggeringly comprehensive three-part series takes readers from Permanent Waves to Presto, while bringing new insight to Moving Pictures, their crowning glory. Limelight: Rush in the '80s is a celebration of fame, of the pushback against that fame, of fortunes made -- and spent... In the latter half of the decade, as Rush adopts keyboard technology and gets pert and poppy, there's an uproar amongst diehards, but the band finds a whole new crop of listeners. Limelight charts a dizzying period in the band's career, built of explosive excitement but also exhaustion, a state that would lead, as the '90s dawned, to the band questioning everything they previously believed, and each member eying the oncoming decade with trepidation and suspicion.

Drawing on several thousand images this large format 240-page book is a treasure trove for Thin Lizzy devotees-crammed full of live, off-stage shots and memorabilia that portray the band's journey through the decades. Complimented with words by Lizzy biographer Martin Popoff. The perfect companion and a valuable addition to any fan's collection.

In this scintillating sequel to Sabotage! Black Sabbath in the Seventies, Martin Popoff blows up the kaleidoscopic narrative of the Sabs over the ensuing twenty years, dissecting each and every of the band's ten studio albums and two (and-a-half) live albums produced over that time period. So this is the book where we hear the gripes, snipes, swipes and thumbs-up likes from Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Tony Martin and finally once more Ozzy Osbourne, as they remark upon this institution coddled by the anchor of the band Tony Iommi, who valiantly held Black Sabbath together through many years of blood, sweat and Tyrs. Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules, Live Evil, Born Again, Seventh Star, The Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, Tyr, Dehumanizer, Cross Purposes, Forbidden and finally, extensively broken down, Reunion... they're all here, song by song, the hirings and the firings highlighted and explained. Incorporating talk from over 60 interviews conductive with band members and other relevant parties over 25 years, make no mistake-this is the most in-depth examination of the band during this timeframe ever executed. So come one and all, re-love modern-era Black Sabbath all over again-you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much dastardly doom there is from Tony Iommi that you need to know and embrace once again.

This new tome by the hugely prolific Canadian author Martin Popoff is a detailed re-write and expanded edition of his 2005 publication English Castle Magic. In fact the book is 50% bigger, a whopping 120,000 words and 318 pages including two swell colour photo sections. Sensitive To Light is without doubt the most comprehensive Rainbow biography to date and is based around multiple interviews the author has conducted with most of the key band members over many years including Ritchie Blackmore, as well as Roger Glover, Tony Carey, Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner, along with those who are sadly no longer with us, namely Cozy Powell Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain and Craig Gruber. Loads more research has also gone into this new publication which is brought bang up to date with the Ronnie Romero era live shows and new songs, following Blackmore’s decision to rejuvenate Rainbow in 2016, almost twenty years on from the last incarnation that had concluded in 1997. From the raw and fiery Dio years, through the criminally under-rated Down to Earth album, the smooth crooning Joe Lynn Turner era and into one final somewhat forgotten record fronted by Doogie White, it’s all examined here, track by track, fascinating tale by trick. Ritchie Blackmore and his reputation is legion. But is it warranted? This is the book you should read to find out why as we look at the man’s career as reigning lord over the constantly evolving consortium of monster talents known as Rainbow.

Quite simply, Martin Popoff’s Sabotage! Black Sabbath in the Seventies marks the most intensive analysis of Black Sabbath’s first eight albums ever attempted. This is a big book—129,000 words long, every song analysed in detail, loads of first-hand interview footage from close to 50 interrogations. In the baking, Popoff interviewed all of the principles—Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward—repeatedly, along with myriad other folks who are part of this remarkable tale. Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage, Never Say Die and Technical Ecstasy… these are the building blocks of heavy metal, and within these awesome audio chapters, Popoff breaks down each and every song on each of these reverberating and cannonating records, while Geezer offers explanation of the lyrics, Bill poetically explains why these songs resonate and Tony and Oz look on with their characteristic sense of bemusement. Also touched upon are the band’s torrid troubles with money and management and drugs and booze, as well as tour tales, album cover stories and production tips ‘n’ tricks. Also included are two four-page sections of colour plates. All told, it’s everything needed to send the reader back to the catalogue, headphones on, for a second listen of this landmark run of records spanning 1970’s self-titled debut to 1978’s Never Say Die, the shambling, controversial last gasp before Ozzy’s shocking ouster from the ranks.

In This Means War: The Sunset Years of the NWOBHM, Martin Popoff and dozens of his UK rock buddies document the frenzied fruition years of the movement, namely 1981 and 1982, and then the many facets that caused the genre to implode by the end of 1984, with cracks in the armour beginning to appear the previous year. Why did metal disappear in Great Britain with the first hungover light on January 1, 1985? And where exactly did it go? The answers are enclosed, in the words of those who were there... and then nowhere fast! Utilizing his celebrated oral history method—rich with detailed chronological entries to frame the story—Popoff blasts through all of the big events from 1981 to 1984, in this action-packed book that serves as concluding volume to Wheels of Steel: The Explosive Early Years of the NWOBHM—same easy reading format, same attention to documenting the subject at hand with visuals from the glorious era. And by the way, this one’s way more packed with historical images, with more substantive text as well. It’s a beefy follow-up and conclusion to the well-received volume one, and the two together serve as a grand and exhaustive study of this momentous metal movement. So come join Martin, along with dozens of the rockers themselves, as they together tell the tale of this ersatz genre’s maturity and demise, a demise that is ultimately laced with the pride that a platform had been created on which metal was to thrive for all of the rest of the loud `n’ proud `80s.

The year was 1979, and a brash new breed of heavy metal-maker was busy shovelling dirt over the death of punk, while simultaneously mourning the waning energies — or outright demises — of hard rock’s earlier heroes, namely Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep. In Wheels of Steel: The Explosive Early Years of the NWOBHM, Martin Popoff charts the long ramp-up to this detonation of headbanging mania through the late `70s, arriving at the penultimate first years of this flash phenomenon — namely 1979 and 1980. Utilising his celebrated oral history method — rich with detailed chronological entries to frame the story, Popoff blasts through all of the reasons the NWOBHM had to happen, and then drops down on all the singles, albums, live events and conceptual trends studding those remarkable two years, an era that essentially marks a coming-out party for heavy metal. Come join Martin, along with dozens of his old school headbanging buddies, as they together tell the tale of this ersatz genre’s birth and mischievous, defiant adolescence — heavy metal would forever be transformed, and Wheels of Steel celebrates plainly and yet powerfully, all the reasons why.

Rock City, Narita, Fire Down Under, Restless Breed, Born in America... These are the pioneering, superlative heavy metal records that represent the classic first decade of Brooklyn’s Riot’s, before the band would break up, eventually storming back with Thundersteel and The Privilege of Power, existing to this day as Riot V after the shocking death from Crohn’s disease of guitarist and leader Mark Reale. Riot’s is a tale of opportunities missed, of a band ahead of the curve, and of a band from which both its classic era lead singers — Guy Speranza and Rhett Forrester — are now dead, as is, of course, Mark Reale, a quiet man who, fatefully, wanted to leave the business to others and just play his heavy metal. But this book is not just about the ’75 to ’85 period of the band that spawned one of the finest metal records of all time, 1981’s Fire Down Under. Even if the classics framed by those ten years get the full, dedicated chapter, track-by-track Popoff treatment, the subsequent rich and substantial catalogue of the band is discussed as well, right up to the present day where Riot shines on. But still, the focus is on songs like `Warrior’, `49er’, `Road Racin’’, `Outlaw’, `Don’t Hold Back’, `Altar of the King’, `Violent Crimes’, `Vigilante Killer’ and of course the insanely anthemic `Swords and Tequila’, as we celebrate a New York institution that is perhaps the shining example of the term, “honorary New Wave of British Heavy Metal” band.

It’s one of the great debates in musicology and the answer is as complicated as it is hotly contested. Popoff’s Who Invented Heavy Metal? provides the most detailed, well argued, reasonable, ridiculously complete, and most lively and readable telling of the early history of heavy metal yet, arming the argumentative headbanger with all the facts and figures one needs on hand to win those bar room bets around this provocative question. Ultimately, Who Invented Heavy Metal? aims to be a book that doesn’t limit itself to heavy metal fans. The book provides wide instructional scope of teachable moments through unfolding, subconscious, telling by osmosis of the very history of heavy metal’s origins through events inside the genre but, surprisingly, many events outside of its own kerranging reverberations. Divided into four parts: Trace Elements: 1250 BC - 1966, beginning with the Battle Of Jericho through shocking concerts in ancient Greece, Vikings, Paganini, the blues, the invention of the electric guitar and why Little Richard, Elvis, Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis — but most notably, Johnny Burnette, might be called the first headbangers. Lead: 1967 - 1969: Discussing extreme vocals, distortion, feedback, guitar heroes, psychedelics, amplification, the first riffs, the first power chords and the first heavy metal songs. Steel: 1970: where Martin argues for the “real” or “correct” answer to the titular question being Black Sabbath given their groundbreaking Black Sabbath album, but also that band’s Paranoid, Uriah Heep’s debut, and most important of this set of three, Deep Purple’s In Rock. Dozens of other bands are discussed as well. Titanium: 1971: In the final stretch Popoff talks about the wildest, heaviest full albums of 1971. Readers should come away with a new way to look at this question, whether they become convinced of Martin’s arguments completely or not!

This long-awaited treatise on Montrose and Gamma is first and foremost the story of the five Montrose and four Gamma records, their making and baking, the hirings and firings, the superlative delivery live. Within the detailed analysis, one of course gets to celebrate with the author Montrose classics like `Rock the Nation’, `Make it Last’, `Rock Candy’, `Bad Motor Scooter’, `I Got the Fire’, `Matriarch’ and `Jump on It’, along with the entirety of the Gamma years, including the top-shelf Gamma 2, an album Popoff considers the equal to the earth-shattering first Montrose album of 1973. But there’s a darker turn to this extensive tribute as well, as we look at Ronnie’s shocking suicide in 2012, before we correct the record, so to speak, looking at his legacy as articulated by those who played with him and knew him best. All told, it’s a rough ride, with unsettling doses of negativity, but once our tale winds down, there are more than enough lessons on creativity to satisfy any lover of the arts, particularly those centred around the type of six-string mayhem cooked up by the hero of our story, Ronnie Montrose.

Taking cue from the do-it-yourself attitude of their country’s punk movement, Britain’s up-and-coming heavy metal bands that comprised the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) were not content to wait for record labels to come knocking. Instead, they took to issuing their own music, typically in the form of 7 inch singles but also 12s and full-length album, many indie, some on small labels, and some on the major labels smart enough to get on board (essentially EMI and MCA). Martin Popoff, writer of more record reviews than anybody in history across all genres), has undertaken the task of documenting virtually every record large and small from heavy metal’s most fabled period (beginning essentially in `79 with a hard stop at 1983) providing catalogue information, mini reviews as only he can do, plus a gob of thumbnails of those wonderful 7” picture sleeves and LP covers. Additional features: * Includes hundreds of rare 45 picture sleeve and album cover images. * Every record rated out of 10. * Layout designed so that LPs are distinguished from 7”, 10” and 12” singles/EPs. * Label, year of release and catalogue number for almost every entry. * Two appendices, displaying all 9’s and 10’s for singles as opposed to LPs.

Having written the first book ever on UFO, 2005’s long out-of-print Shoot Out the Lights, Martin Popoff, author of over seventy rock books, has now greatly expanded and rewritten the later years material from that title, bringing us now Lettin’ Go: UFO in the `80s & `90s. Popoff brings to the project new interviews with the key members throughout the decades, along with a substantial amount of new research to offer what is now the only book to focus on the eighties and nineties era of the band that saw huge turbulence amongst the ranks. Utilising his celebrated one album per chapter method, Popoff analyses the complete catalogue from the period of the band where initially Paul Chapman takes over from the departed Michael Schenker for the albums. No Place To Run, The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent, Mechanix and Making Contact. The journey takes us through the albums following the departure of Chapman and bassist Pete Way and concludes with 1995’s Walk On Water that sees the classic line-up reunited with Schenker back on guitar before he sensationally walked out on the band after just four shows of the supporting tour. In and around Popoff’s famed meticulous analysis of the catalogue, look for lots of tour talk, revealing nightmares surrounding the band’s business, and warnings about how the twin demons of drugs and alcohol can slow a band’s progress on the way to the top.

A thoughtfully curated and gloriously illustrated retrospective of the band’s studio releases, Queen, comes just in time for the 45th anniversary of their debut LP and biopic. Formed in 1970, Queen went on to become one of the most popular—and most successful—rock bands of all time. Even following the untimely death of beloved and magnetic frontman Freddie Mercury, and nearly 50 years after their formation, interest in the band has continued, evidenced by scores of reissues, arena tours with surviving members, and a feature-film biopic. In this new installment in Voyageur Press’s Album by Album series, rock journo Martin Popoff convenes a cast of 19 Queen experts and superfans to discuss all 15 of the band’s studio albums (including their soundtrack for the 1980 film Flash Gordon). Panelists include Queen experts, rock journalists, musicians, and record industry figures. The results are freewheeling discussions delving into the individual songs, the circumstances that surrounded the recording of each album, the band and contemporary rock contexts into which they were released, and more. The engaging text of this beautifully designed book is illustrated throughout with rare live performance and candid offstage photography, as well as scads of rare Queen ephemera. The Album by Album series is a unique approach to the rock bio, injecting the varied voices of several contributors. The results have even the most diehard fans rushing back to their MP3 players (or turntables) to confirm the details and opinions expressed!