The definitive account of this elusive actor, MARLON BRANDO offers a penetrating look at Brando's evolving persona and legendary roles: the volcanic Stanley Kowalski of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, the sensitive rebel of THE WILD ONES, and the iconic Don Corleone of THE GODFATHER, achieving unparalleled critical acclaim for his many memorable characters. Bosworth probes the influence of Brando's alcoholic parents on his acting, his decades of psychoanalysis, and his tumultuous personal relationships. Here, from rebellious unknown to reluctant idol to falling star, is the complex, charismatic genius who changed the face of acting.
Over 30 landmark interviews, accounts, and memoirs of The Beatles and their entourage, recording how they inadvertently became counter-culture’s figureheads and changed society.
The pieces include Paul Johnson’s ‘The Menace of Beatlism’, Maureen Cleave’s ‘Beatles Bigger than Christ’ feature, the News of the World feature suggesting The Beatles were spent forces – just before they unleashed Sergeant Pepper on the world – interviews with their entourage and main loves; plus latter-day contributions from the likes of Paul Gambacinni, Dave Marsh, Greil Marcus.
Also included is a chronological tracing of each Beatles album and single, and analysis of all Beatles movie releases and television appearances.
At one point in this zany retelling of the worst film in the world, The Room by man of mystery Tommy Wiseau (James Franco, who also directs), a peeved script supervisor in the shape of Seth Rogen says something along the lines of: “Let’s go to a bar and erase all memory of today.” Which is a pretty accurate description of my post-match analysis of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber’s screenplay which is itself based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Wiseau’s co-star Greg “Baby Face” Sestero (Dave Franco whose radiant smile more than lives up to his character’s nickname).
To be clear, James Franco’s performance is a hoot: his accent a cross between Charlie Chan and Count Dracula; his physicality the bastard child of Ozzie Osbourne and a zombie from Night of the Living Dead; his age a movable feast identical to whoever is standing before him; and the financial backing for his six million dollar vanity project shrouded in mystery. And it’s obvious that he and his brothers Dave and Tom, not to mention a conveyor belt of A-listers in small cameo roles (Bryan Cranston, Judd Apatow and Zac Efron to name but three) are having a hoot. But for the audience, the hoot-o-meter rarely strays from titter to belly laugh.
Bob Dylan’s impact on popular music has been incalculable. Having transformed staid folk music into a vehicle for coruscating social commentary, he then swept away the romantic platitudes of rock ‘n’ roll with his searing intellect.
From the zeitgeist-encapsulating protest of ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ to the streetwise venom of ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, and from the stunning mid-sixties trilogy of albums – Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde – to Time Out of Mind, his stunning if world-weary comeback at the age of 56, Dylan’s genius has endured, underpinned by the dazzling turn of phrase that has made him the pre-eminent poet of popular music.
Because Dylan’s achievements have no equal, his career is the most chronicled in rock history. Here, Sean Egan presents a selection of the best writing on Dylan, both praise and criticism. Interviews, essays, features and reviews from Dylan intimates and scholars such as John Bauldie, Michael Gray, Nat Hentoff and Jules Siegel are interspersed with new narrative and reviews of every single album to create a comprehensive picture of the artist whose chimes of freedom still resound.
Foo Fighters emerged from the morass of suicide and potent musical legacy that was Nirvana to establish themselves against all odds as one of the most popular rock bands in the world.
Deflecting early critical disdain, Dave Grohl has single-handedly reinvented himself and cemented his place in the rock pantheon. This is his story, from his pre-Nirvana days in hardcore band Scream to his current status as a festival conquering, Grammy winning, platinum-selling grunge legend.
Across the entire body of Foo Fighters albums, the whole legendary Nirvana tale, the pre-history in the nascent Seattle scene and Grohl's flirtations with Queens of the Stone Age and his supergroup side-project Them Crooked Vultures, this is an utterly comprehensive, insightful chronicle of Dave Grohl's remarkable life.
Drawing on new interviews with key figures in the Grohl story, this definitive biography of one of modern rock's most influential figures includes the stories of the multi-platinum opus Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, 2011's Wasting Light, which saw Grohl reunited with Nirvana producer Butch Vig and Sonic Highways, their ambitious homage to coast-to-coast US classic rock.
Grace Kelly gave up her acting career for the real-life role of Princess Grace of Monaco. In just four years she had made eleven movies, three of them with Alfred Hitchcock. Grace Kelly Film Stills is a celebration of her immortal beauty and an oblique tribute to “Hitch”.
The German Centre for Aviation and Space Travel created very precise digital pictures of thirteen mountains with the aid of satellite photographs taken from a height of several hundred kilometres. Scientists used these to produce models of the terrain, which were finally turned into photorealistic, ‘virtual’ views from perspectives and heights that had been hitherto impossible.
They capture all the individual features of these giant mountains as an almost tangible reality – the third dimension as a brand new experience. The location of the virtual camera at various places in the topographical map gives a precise picture of the three-dimensional form of each mountain, while infographics and descriptions of the geology, glaciology, geography and climatology detail its individual characteristics.
These mountain portraits are completed by personal accounts written by some of the finest climbers in the world and accompanied by a selection of authentic photographs. The accounts from different eras join together with the latest satellite technology, the history of climbing, and the geographical background knowledge to create a unique and comprehensive picture of the mountains and their trail-blazing climbers.
This vainglorious introduction given to The Rolling Stones on stage by an excitable roadie was almost immediately accepted as a simple statement of fact. It was already evident that Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Co. were, as their first manager Andrew Loog Oldham had claimed, ‘a way of life’.
The Stones’ defiance of convention made them the figureheads of a questioning new generation, and drove the Establishment to imprison them. This enduring rebel aura and the unmistakeable craft evident in classic records such as Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Women and Brown Sugar ensured subsequent generations of diehard fans, establishing the band as the biggest box office attraction the world has ever seen.
The Mammoth Book of The Rolling Stones provides a comprehensive collection of reviews, analysis, interviews and exposés – both archive and contemporary, favourable and critical, concise and epic – of these extraordinary cultural icons as they pass the astonishing milestone of 50 years as rock’s pre-eminent band.
Many millions of words have already been written about Guns N’ Roses, the old line-up, the new line-up. But none of them have ever really gotten to the truth. Which is this: Guns N’ Roses has always been a band out of time, the Last of the Giants. They are what every rock band since the Rolling Stones has tried and nearly always failed to be: dangerous. At a time when smiling, MTV-friendly, safe-sex, just-say-no Bon Jovi was the biggest band in the world, here was a band that seemed to have leapt straight out of the coke-smothered pages of the original, golden-age, late-sixties rock scene.
‘Live like a suicide’, the band used to say when they all lived together in the Hell House, their notorious LA home. And this is where Mick Wall first met them, and became part of their inner circle, before famously being denounced by name by Axl Rose in the song ‘Get in the Ring’.
But this book isn’t about settling old scores. Written with the clear head that 25 years later brings you, this is a celebration of Guns N’ Roses the band, and of Axl Rose the frontman who really is that thing we so desperately want him to be: the last of the truly extraordinary, all-time great, no apologies, no explanations, no giving-a-shit rock stars. The last of his kind.
As an artist and persona, Jim Morrison epitomized the late 1960s, bridging a burgeoning counterculture and popular culture, while acting out the iconoclastic rage, rampant libido, and spectacular flameout of a tumultuous era. The music he created with The Doors has sold over 50 million records worldwide—with over 13 million in the last decade alone, as their songs have been embraced by a new generation. But despite Morrison’s seminal importance, there has not yet been an authoritative biography that does justice to him and his creative legacy. Until now.
Stephen Davis, the preeminent rock biographer and author of the classic Led Zeppelin history Hammer of the Gods (over 600,000 copies sold in three editions, and a #1 New York Times bestseller), has uncovered never-before-seen documents, conducted dozens of original interviews, and scoured Morrison’s unpublished journals and recordings to write the definitive biography of a misunderstood legend. Jim Morrison is packed with startling new revelations about every phase of his life and career, from his troubled youth in a strict military household to his blossoming as a rock icon among the avant-garde LA scene to his voracious drug abuse and secret sexual experiments. Davis also investigates one of the greatest mysteries in rock history—the circumstances surrounding Morrison’s mysterious and unsolved death—as he pieces together new evidence to tell the true and heartbreaking story of Morrison’s last tragic days in Paris.
Compelling and unforgettable, Jim Morrison is destined to become a classic.
Mick Wall moves on from Led Zeppelin to produce a definitive doorstop on Metallica.
Alongside contemporaries Slayer, Megadeath and Anthrax, Metallica came to prominence in the eighties as one of the ‘big four’ of thrash metal. Metallica were to thrash, though, what the Sex Pistols were to punk. Nearly thirty years on, their tale is one of alcohol, rule breaking and tragically early death. But allied to that are colossal sales figures for their records — they are the fifth-highest selling recording artists of all time – and members with backgrounds that touch on jazz and classical music. Metallica, in fact, have garnered more critical acclaim than any heavy rock band since Led Zeppelin.
Fresh from the critical and commercial success of WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH, Mick Wall takes a similar informed look at the band, a group he has known on and off since their formation in 1981.
Self-described as a 'spotty, chubby, ginger teenager' with a love for Damien Rice and Nizlopi, Ed Sheeran was never an obvious bet to become a global superstar. And yet that's exactly what he's achieved, winning plenty of awards (and hearts) along the way. But how did a young musician go from selling CDs from his rucksack to becoming the millennial record-breaking international stadium act?
Tracing his story from his bohemian childhood in Yorkshire and Suffolk to the release of his third album Divide, music journalist David Nolan chronicles Sheeran's musical life and times. Featuring exclusive interviews with friends, relatives, musical collaborators and key figures in his rise to stardom, Divide and Conquer tells the story of how Ed Sheeran went from school drop-out to one of the world's most successful musicians.
Adele: The Biography treces her story from humble childhiid in London through to the phenomenal success of her first two albums, 19 and 21 and the making of her most recent work, 25.
As dazzling as the decade they dominated, The Beatles almost single-handedly created pop music as we know it. Today, their songs are cited as seminal influences by stars like Oasis and Blur. Eloquently giving voice to their time, The Beatles quite simply changed the world.
Fully updated to include material from The Beatles Live at the BBC and the Anthology series, this acclaimed book goes back to the heart of The Beatles - their records. Drawing on a unique resource of knowledge and experience to 'read' their 241 tracks - chronologically from their first amateur efforts in 1957 to 'Real Love', their final 'reunion' recording in 1995 - Ian MacDonald has created an engrossing classic of popular criticism in which the extraordinary songs of The Beatles remain a central and continually surprising presence.
Here, for the first time, is the story of Pink Floydfrom the inside out. With 116 million albums sold worldwide and 25 years on the pop charts to their credit, Pink Floyd is one of the most successful rock groups in history, yet their storyuntil nowis one of the least known. The only continuous member of the band through its entire 40-year history, Nick Mason has witnessed every twist, turn, and sommersault from behind his drum kit. The journey begins with the band's origins as the darlings of London's late 1960s underground and the creation of the classic Pink Floyd sound, all the way through to The Wall and those legendary stadium shows. Here are the players who shaped the band's history and the story behind the storythe inside perspective on, for example, the deterioration and departure of Syd Barrett; the overwhelming success of The Dark Side of the Moon and the resulting pressures and conflicts within the band, including the rift with Roger Waters; and Nick and David Gilmour's decision to put their reputations on the line and continue as Pink Floyd. Packed with rare photographs and vintage Floyd graphics from Nick Mason's extensive private archive, Inside Out is an eye-opener for both veteran fans and those just discovering the group. And, in keeping with the classic Floyd style, the book's cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson, creator of such iconic images as the Dark Side pyramid. Always candid, by turns poignant and funny, Nick's own memories are augmented with extensive research and interviews, making Inside Out a comprehensive history of one of the most brilliant and imaginative bands the world has knownand a masterly memoir of rock and roll.
The final word on the only name synonymous with heavy metal – Black Sabbath.
Way back in the mists of time, in the days when rock giants walked the earth, the name Ozzy Osbourne was synonymous with the subversive and dark. Back then, Ozzy was the singer in Black Sabbath, and they meant business. A four-piece formed from the ashes of two locally well-known groups called The Rare Breed (Ozzy and bassist Geezer Butler) and Mythology (guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward), all four founding members of the original Black Sabbath grew up within half-a-mile of each other.
This biography tells the story of how they made that dream come true – and how it then turned into a nightmare for all of them. How at the height of their fame, Sabbath discovered they had been so badly ripped off by their managers they did not even own their own songs. How they looked for salvation from Don Arden – an even more notorious gangster figure, who resurrected their career but still left them indebted to him, financially and personally. And how it finally came to a head when in 1979 they sacked Ozzy: ‘For being too out of control – even for us,’ as Bill Ward put it.
The next 15 years would see a war break out between the two camps: the post-Ozzy Sabbath and Ozzy himself, whose solo career overshadowed Sabbath to the point where, when he offered them the chance to reform around him again, it was entirely on his terms. Or rather, that of his wife and manager, daughter of Don Arden – Sharon Osbourne.
Iggy Pop’s life has been one of extraordinary highs and terrifying lows. Infamous for his wild ways, he is also a towering figure of the rock scene – hugely influential, charismatic and provocative. Every ‘mad, bad, dangerous to know’ rock star owes a debt to him, and the stories of his shocking behaviour are legendary. But Iggy Pop is also, to a large extent, a construct, the alter ego of the quietly spoken and intriguing Jim Osterberg: the kid voted ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ by his classmates. So what turned this charming, well-mannered, straight-A student into a poster child for rock ‘n’ roll debauchery?
Iggy Pop: Open up and Bleed reveals the truth behind the myths. Former MOJO editor Paul Trynka tracked down the star’s friends, family, lovers and fellow musicians, conducting over two hundred and fifty interviews, unearthing countless new stories about Iggy’s rollercoaster life, his music and his often misunderstood friendship with David Bowie. From this impeccable research he creates a fascinating portrait of a man at war with the world and with himself. The book also features dozens of never-before seen photos.
This fascinating autobiography of the country music legend recounts the highs and lows, the struggles and hard-won triumphs of his remarkable life.
The story takes us from Johnny Cash’s childhood on an Arkansas cotton farm to his early years at Sun Records. We read of his life on the road and meetings with, and performances for, world leaders. There is also the darker side of his life: the years of addiction to amphetamines and pain killers, a suicide attempt and the spiritual awakening that pulled him through.
He looks unsparingly at his turbulent past, but remains a man of honesty, humility and humour. His memoir reveals his friendships with Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Billy Graham.
From the record-breaking success of 1991’s ‘Black Album’ to the band’s reinvention with the Load/Reload albums; from bassist Jason Newsted’s shock departure to the group’s subsequent meltdown as laid bare in the documentary Some Kind of Monster; from the Lulu album with Lou Reed to their hugely expensive feature film Through the Never, the second half of the Metallica story has been as eventful and controversial as it has triumphant.
'The first comprehensive history of every aspect of reggae (and) it could be the last that talked to those who were there at stage one...Bradley leaves no stone unturned in a coruscating rollercoaster ride through murder, major label gripes, ganja paranoia and racism, ending with Luciano hoping for a return to good songs and good singers. And if UB 40 get a mention, I missed it. Isn`t that recommendation enough for you?' Mojo
'Switches between informed analysis and intoxicating aural history...With epic contributions from major players such as PrinceBuster, Horace Andy, Bunny Lee and Dennis Bovell' GQ
'Fascinating...written with passion, style and gusto. This is a book many musicians would benefit from reading' Jah Wobble, Independent on Sunday
'A compelling social and musical history running from Fifties soundsystem roots to contemporary dancehall...filled to the brim with anecdotes to keep the most hardened music-head happy' Face
'A classic...Hilarious in places, peppered with social and historical comment in others, this is a fascinating account detailing how reggae evolved in Jamaica and became a global phenomenon' New Nation
Ten produkt jest zapowiedzią. Realizacja Twojego zamówienia ulegnie przez to wydłużeniu do czasu premiery tej pozycji. Czy chcesz dodać ten produkt do koszyka?
