On Track
Format
Format
User Rating
User Rating
Release Date
Release Date
Date Added
Date Added
Language
Language
ebook
(0)
Stackridge
Every Album, Every Song
by Alan Draper
Part of the On Track series
In the early 1970s, a strange apparition began to appear on the stages of a vibrant UK gig circuit in the shape of a band of West Country troubadours, rejoicing under the odd name of Stackridge. Their music presented an extraordinary mix of styles, containing genres as diverse as folk, classical, progressive rock, jazz, pop and music hall.
Alan Draper traces the ever-diverging and remerging paths of the core four Stackridge songwriters: Andy Davis, James Warren, Mutter Slater and Crun Walter, both within and without Stackridge. It's a trip that spans half a century of recording. Commencing with their eclectic debut album Stackridge in 1971, it proceeds via many fascinating musical paths and occasional cul-de-sacs.
The band's 1970s heyday was marked by many personnel reshuffles and after their dissolution in 1976, James Warren and Andy Davis combined to form The Korgis, who scored worldwide hits with 'If I Had You' and the much-covered standard 'Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime'. Also taking in The Korgis, Mutter Slater Band and Davis and Warren solo projects, our trip finally arrives in the 21st century as Stackridge returned for a second career and a heroes' welcome from their dedicated fan base.
Alan Draper is a writer and musician living in Fareham, Hampshire, UK with his wife Radiance. Starting his musical career as the guitarist with The Alsatians in 1978, he wrote both sides of their 1980 single. His song 'Complications' featured on the album Rocking With The Renees by The Gymslips, a top twenty hit on the independent chart in 1983. His first solo album Earth Magic appeared in 1989, followed by Ascension Day in 1999, both displaying folk, classical and progressive rock influences. Prescription, an album featuring his covers of Stackridge rarities was released in 2007, raising money for the Macmillan Nurses Fund.
ebook
(0)
Horslips
Every Album, Every Song
by Richard James
Part of the On Track series
Foreword by Barry Devlin
Five-piece Horslips are arguably the greatest band in Irish rock music history, producing truly special, unique music in the 1970s. By joining literary craft and their cultural heritage with a fusion of traditionally inspired music with rock instrumentation, they created a genre of music which became known as 'Celtic Rock'.
Horslips also pioneered an 'in-house' approach to the rock music business, controlling their stage presentation, graphic design, record pressing and concert promotion. Their finest albums – The Tain, and The Book Of Invasions – adapted legendary and historic texts with compelling music. Elsewhere the life and times of Turlough O'Carolan, The Famine and emigration provided a conceptual backdrop to Dancehall Sweethearts, Aliens, and The Man Who Built America.
But the band broke up in 1980. Reconvening in the next century, after the 'longest tea break in history', they produced a new 'acoustic covers' album, played stadium-filling gigs and television performances, and recorded two live albums. With a foreword by bassist/vocalist Barry Devlin, this book celebrates (and sometimes criticises) the creative waves that Eamon Carr, Barry Devlin, Johnny Fean, Jim Lockhart, and Charles O'Connor gave us.
Richard James immersed himself in music as soon as he got his first real six-string at the age of ten. Previously chained to a desk for a living, he broke free, armed with a music degree from the Open University and a Licentiate Diploma in Classical Guitar from the Royal School of Music, and proceeded to roam the East Midlands as a freelance guitarist and music teacher. He lives with his wife in Leicestershire, UK, and when not involved with music, he enjoys foreign travel and playing chess badly.
ebook
(0)
Iron Maiden
Every Album, Every Song
by Steve Pilkington
Part of the On Track series
Mention the words' heavy metal' and chances are one of the first names you'll get back is Iron Maiden. From their early days as front-runners of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal in 1980, through to their epic and progressive works of more recent times, the band have been all things to all men in the metal world. Such is their profile that even the non-metal fan would probably cite them as a key example of the genre. This book lifts the lid on every single track recorded by the band, album by album, from the punk-ish debut with original vocalist Paul DiAnno, via the glory years fronted by Bruce Dickinson, through to the band's most recent albums Book Of Souls and Senjutsu.
By way of facts, anecdotes, analysis and a dollop of opinion, Steve Pilkington provides both an informative companion for the die-hard fan and a perfect road-map for the more casual listener to follow. From 'Prowler' to 'Hell On Earth', through each and every line-up change, this is every Number recorded by The Beast – the ultimate recording history of Iron Maiden.
Steve Pilkington is a music journalist, editor and broadcaster. He was Editor in Chief for the Classic Rock Society Magazine Rock Society and is now co-administrator of the rock website Velvet Thunder as well as presenting a weekly internet radio show called A Saucerful Of Prog. Before taking on this work full-time, he spent years writing for fanzines and an Internet music review site on a part-time basis. He has recently published Deep Purple and Rainbow On Track, The Rolling Stones On Track and Supertramp – Crime Of The Century, all for Sonicbond, and has also written the official biography of legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap. He lives in Wigan, Lancashire, UK.
ebook
(0)
Nirvana
by William E. Spevack
Part of the On Track series
Despite being active for less than a decade and releasing just three studio albums during their short tenure, Nirvana's overwhelming musical and cultural impact on the world cannot be understated. Within such a narrow timespan, the famous trio made themselves synonymous with what came to be known as grunge; a potent mix of melodic punk and heavy metal that evolved in America in the mid-1980s. Combined with the band's anti-glam, battered image and Kurt Cobain's lyrical themes of social alienation and world apathy, Nirvana rallied the youth with anthemic, head-banging singalongs and introspective dirges, providing a haven for those feeling lost and abject. Thirty years after the shocking death of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana still dominate the musical conversation and their influence continues to be far-reaching.
This book aims to justify such a strong legacy with a detailed analysis of every song from Nirvana's three studio albums, as well as non-album singles, B-sides and any other outliers. In addition, tracks from live and compilation albums will be considered in this appraisal of a band that managed to showcase so much in such little time. They only reveal more as the years go by – as this assessment will prove.
William E. Spevack has been published in the magazines Laptop, CPU, and PC Upgrade as well as the music website AlternativeNation.net. His first book, Keep On Shining: A Guide Through the Music of Love & Arthur Lee, was published in December 2021, and the wrote Green Day On Track for Sonicbond Publishing in 2023. He is a Bard graduate and a passionate music fan, who enjoys writing about music, playing sports, playing keyboards and reading music history books that focus on the music specifically. He lives in New York City.
ebook
(0)
Neil Young 1963-1970
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
In the realm of singer-songwriters, few have been as influential as Neil Young, whose music has always been creative and relevant throughout six decades. Neil is a chameleon for whom boundaries of genres do not exist. Throughout a long career that continues to this day, he has delved into folk, country, r&b, rock 'n' roll, grunge, hard rock, electronic and pop and made them his own. But the sixties were his launch pad. This book follows his music through that seminal period when he played with The Squires, Mynah Birds, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crazy Horse and The Stray Gators. During this seminal period, Young wrote or co-wrote some of his greatest songs, including 'I Am A Child', 'Southern Man', 'Helpless' and – most importantly – 'Ohio'. He was also involved in some seminal albums, including his eponymous debut solo album, After The Gold Rush and Déjà Vu. This is the story of how one of the most seminal artists of the last fifty years learned his trade, by delving in detail into every band, every twist and turn, and every track.
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction and taught the first 'History of Rock Music' classes in the UK. He was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicentre for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Roy Harper. He was introduced to Captain Beefheart in 1967 and attended that first amazing gig at Middle Earth. He never fully recovered but now lives happily in East Yorkshire, UK.
ebook
(0)
Thin Lizzy On Track
Every Album, Every Song
by Graeme Stroud
Part of the On Track series
Thin Lizzy emerged as a four-piece in Dublin as the 1960s drew to a close, when guitarist Eric Bell and keyboard player Eric Wrixon, both from Belfast, encountered a band named Orphanage, which included Dubliners Brian Downey on drums and charismatic frontman Philip Lynott. The band evolved through a number of incarnations, through psychedelic power trio of the early years via classic four-piece guitar-toting rockers of the Live And Dangerous era, and ending with their incarnation as heavy metal heroes. With the ever-present Lynott and Downey at its core, Thin Lizzy rose to become one of the most powerful and iconic rock bands in Europe, before the erosive effects of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle took their toll.
This book presents a history of the band through its music. It covers every song released through official channels, presented in context. From the difficult early years of the early 1970s, which did produce the surprise hit single 'Whisky In The Jar', via their breakthrough album Jailbreak and the heavy rock excesses of the early 1980s, this book follows the evolution of Thin Lizzy and its stellar cast of guitarists, from start to finish, through their music, track by glorious track.
Graeme Stroud is a musician and writer, having played lead guitar in bands and also solo projects since the 1970s. He has written on websites and blogs on many subjects, both musical and non-musical, for several years. He was a reviewer, interviewer and feature writer for Rock Society magazine for five years, specialising in the blues and rock genres. Since 2019, he has performed interviews and written feature articles, gig and album reviews for the rock website VelvetThunder.com. His first book, Status Quo — Song By Song was published in 2017. He lives in Kent, UK.
ebook
(0)
Toto on track
Every album, every song
by Jacob Holm Lupo
Part of the On Track series
Turn on the radio anytime, anywhere in the world, and sooner or later you will hear 'Africa'. Along with just a handful of songs by other artists, Toto's worldwide hit is one of the most ubiquitous musical works of our time, written by a group of musicians who grew up together in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Together they helped define the sound of the late 70s and 80s, appearing on numerous hit records by Michael Jackson, Boz Scaggs and Steely Dan.
But it was together, as Toto, that they found their true form, fashioning a fine blend of funk, hard rock, pop and progressive rock. 'Hold the Line', 'Rosanna' and 'Pamela' are just a few of their other iconic hits. However, from the early days, Toto were a target for the music press, who disdained their slick chops and polished sound — all at odds with the post-punk and new wave aesthetics prevalent at the time. Yet Toto have always persevered, driven by their love for the music, and their fans' love for them. Lately, Toto has been riding a renewed wave of popularity — fuelled by hard touring — not to mention a belated restitution from the rock media.
This book discusses each of their albums in detail, track by track, from their smash-hit debut to 2015's magnificent Toto XIV.
ebook
(0)
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Every Album, Every Song
by Andrew Wild
Part of the On Track series
The music of Crosby, Stills and Nash and especially their 1969 self-titled debut album, exemplified the Woodstock generation — three men, three voices, one common view of freedom and justice. However, their decision to recruit Neil Young before their first public performance fundamentally altered the CSN band dynamic. Worldwide acclaim and success followed: their first three albums, released 1969-1971, have sold almost 30 million copies. In 1974 they embarked on the biggest stadium tour then attempted, playing baseball and football stadiums and racetracks across the US to thousands of fans. They were also pop stars, securing nine top 40 singles in the USA between 1969 and 1982. And yet today, with Neil Young regarded as a musical legend, via a classic back catalogue, his colleagues Crosby, Stills and Nash, remain far less acclaimed.
They comprised Crosby: the drug-addled hippy with weird songs and golden voice, Stills: the bluesman and guitar genius and Nash: the hard-as-nails balladeer with a strong social conscience. Together, at their best, they were unbeatable. This book tells you why, aiming to set things straight, with an album by album analysis of CSN's five studio albums, as well as the three they made with Neil Young.
Andrew Wild is a music collector and experienced writer with nine books to his name. His books include The Solo Beatles (Sonicbond 2020) and Queen On Track (Sonicbond 2018). He lives in Rainow, Cheshire, UK.
ebook
(0)
The Zombies
Every Album, Every Song
by Emma Stott
Part of the On Track series
Most lauded for the gorgeously baroque Odessey And Oracle, and the ageless singles 'She's Not There' and 'Time Of The Season', The Zombies were at the forefront of The British Invasion, recording music described by Tom Petty as 'so original it hurt'. The Zombies On Track voyages through every release, beginning with their first incarnation in the 1960s and uncovering how a US number one and a film appearance with Laurence Olivier were no guarantees of continued chart success. Poor publicity, unwise management and bad timing almost killed off the band, yet sublime songwriting and a lucky break with Al Kooper reanimated them …
The book recounts their many afterlives, including the posthumous RIP, the story behind the 'counterfeit' Zombies, their first reunion with the album New World and everything in between hidden in the depths of the band's complex history, and considers how their later incarnation has sustained success more effectively than the original line-up. Drawing on both archive interviews and new conversations with Argent and Blunstone to mark the release of The Zombies' latest album – the critically acclaimed Different Game – this book proves why The Zombies not only have an immortal back catalogue but are also still making vital music today.
Emma Stott missed out on the 1960s and the 1970s and she still isn't over it, so writing about the greatest decades in rock music helps with her loss. She also writes about literature and education, being an English teacher by day in Manchester, UK, where she forbids any 'dark sarcasm' in her classroom.
ebook
(0)
Ralph McTell
Every Album, Every Song
by Paul O. Jenkins
Part of the On Track series
Best known for his international hit' Streets Of London', Ralph McTell has recorded over 300 songs in a career that spans more than 50 years. Due to his considerable melodic and lyrical gifts, a good many of McTell's compositions surpass 'Streets' in quality and have won him the admiration of fans and critics alike.
Heavily influenced by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and dozens of American country-blues artists, McTell eventually found his own voice. Distinct themes emerge in his works, including compassion, optimism, fathers and sons and the struggles faced by musicians and other artists who portray not just what life is but how it feels. While his soothing voice and delicate guitar skills make his songs enjoyable to so many, McTell tempers such grace with a definite edge. Many of his best works are protest songs.
A portrait painter, McTell's canon is populated by dozens of memorable figures that spring both from his experiences and his imagination. Yet, upon listening to his recordings, perhaps the most fascinating character that emerges is McTell himself. In this album-by-album, track-by-track review of his career, readers meet both the man and the musician as the elements of his craft are explored.
Professor Paul O. Jenkins is the University Librarian at Franklin Pierce University (New Hampshire, USA). He is the author of three books and served as the co-editor of Teaching The Beatles (Routledge, 2018). Besides writing liner notes for Ralph McTell's 2006 box set The Journey, Jenkins recently published a detailed examination of John Prine's songs in Popular Music And Society. He believes that human emotions can most effectively be shared and explored through the medium of music.
ebook
(0)
Wishbone Ash 1970-1982
Every Album, Every Song
by Eddie Reid
Part of the On Track series
Wishbone Ash were formed in London in 1969 by Andy Powell, Martin Turner, Steve Upton and Ted Turner. They spent the 1970s touring constantly, creating a distinctive, original sound, with twin lead guitars often playing in harmony. They are best known for the music recorded by the band's original members from 1970 to 1973, known as 'Mark One', and Argus, released in 1972, is often considered their finest album. 'Mark Two' of the band, which saw original guitarist Ted Turner replaced by Laurie Wisefield, continued their success until 1980. A developing musical landscape in the early 1980s led to further changes in personnel and musical direction, including the departure of original bassist and lead vocalist Martin Turner.
Combining original interpretation and analysis with historical research, this book explores the twelve studio albums and significant live albums that Wishbone Ash released from 1970 to 1982, along with all the bonus material which has since been issued from that era. It references the background, inspiration, and milestones that have shaped the band's musical journey, so whether you are already a fan or someone who would like to find out more about the band and their rich, expressive, and inspiring legacy, this book is for you.
Eddie Reid is a writer, visual artist and musician. He has been obsessed with rock music for over 40 years, has attended many gigs, including seeing the Wishbone Ash 'Mark Two' lineup, and maintains an extensive album collection. Over the years, he has played as a guitarist in several bands. Since 2017, he has been writing an A-Z blog about rock music. This is his first book. He lives on the east coast of the Scottish Borders, UK, with his wife and family.
ebook
(0)
The Temptations: 1960 - 1978
Every Album, Every Song
by George Haffenden
Part of the On Track series
As one of the greatest acts to come out of the Motown Record Corporation, the influence of the Temptations cannot be overstated. The 'Classic Five' line-up of Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin created a catalogue of hits that endures to this day. Aided by William 'Smokey' Robinson and, later, Norman Whitfield, the group produced classics such as 'Get Ready', 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg', and, of course, 'My Girl'. This line-up only lasted four years, but they created a hugely impressive legacy.
The introduction of Dennis Edwards to the group in 1968 coincided with a new style of music for them, produced by Whitfield, dubbed 'psychedelic soul'. Inspired by Sly & The Family Stone, this new sound gave the group a second act of new hits. However, by 1972, only Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin would remain from the 'Classic Five' line-up, and the hits were becoming more elusive.
This book explores their releases from their founding to 1978, when the group had endured further personnel challenges and a change in record label. It examines the group's triumphs and struggles during this period and tells a remarkable story of persistence and longevity.
The author
Born and raised in Sussex, George Haffenden grew up listening to his parents' record collection and developed a deep admiration of soul, funk, and disco. He spent his formative years shunning current trends in music, instead collecting obscure records, largely by the Temptations. He is now a content designer and the curator of the blog The Funk & Soul Revue, writing reviews and in-depth pieces on the history of soul. He's also interviewed several of the great soul icons, including George Clinton, Patti LaBelle and members of the Whispers, The Stylistics, and The Temptations.
ebook
(0)
Spirit
Every Album, Every Song
by Rev. Keith A. Gordon
Part of the On Track series
Even in an age of unparalleled innovation and artistic freedom, Spirit stood head and shoulders above their 1960s-era rock 'n' roll contemporaries. Perhaps only Love shared the same sort of expansive and adventurous artistic vision as the five guys in Spirit, whose disparate and diverse musical backgrounds led them to explore the outer regions of rock 'n' roll as the band incorporated elements of the blues, folk, R&B, and jazz into their heady brew of psychedelia-tinted hard rock. Although they never experienced the level of commercial success that their talents and innovative music deserved, few bands since have matched Spirit in eccentricity, originality, intensity, and instrumental virtuosity.
For all their creative accomplishments, Spirit's legacy is that of a half-forgotten band whose name is seldom brought up in 'classic rock' discussions. Spirit on track corrects this oversight, revisiting the band album by album, song by song, from their ground-breaking self-titled 1968 debut and their masterpiece, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus , through the break-ups and reunions and solo efforts of the lean years until their resurgence in the 1990s with albums like Tent of Miracles. More than a mere album guide, this book recounts 30 years of the trailblazing artistry of Spirit.
The 'Reverend of Rock 'n' Roll,' Rev. Keith A. Gordon has been writing about classic rock and blues music for 50 years, his words appearing in over 100 publications worldwide including Creem, Blues Music Magazine, Live! Music Review, and the Rock and Roll Globe. A former All Music Guide contributor, Gordon has written 25 previous music-related books including Anarchy In The Music City!, The Other Side of Nashville, and Scorched Earth: A Jason & the Scorchers Scrapbook. The Reverend lives in Buffalo, NY, with his wife of 33 years and their two 'boogaloo' beagles. You'll find him online at www.thatdevilmusic.com.
ebook
(0)
Mike Oldfield
by Ryan Yard
Part of the On Track series
It can be difficult for an artist to have such overwhelming success so early into their career as Mike Oldfield did. To this day, his name is forever synonymous with his debut album Tubular Bells. Mike followed this album with three further long-form works in the 1970s, before venturing off along other musical paths. However, the 1980s saw further success both in the albums and singles charts, while recent years have seen a return to lengthier pieces, often via sequels to his most famous work, with his most recent album being Return To Ommadawn in 2017. The music of Mike Oldfield touches his listeners in ways that can be hard to describe. It bridges the gap between many musical cultures, including pop, progressive rock, classical, world music and dance. In the meantime, Oldfield has always stayed alert to current technological trends. In this book, Ryan Yard looks at the entire catalogue of albums to uncover what it is that makes his music so astonishing. Every track from each album is critiqued, offering long term fans a different perspective while enticing new fans to explore such a remarkable catalogue of music. In doing so, this book provides an invaluable companion to this unique and hugely talented musician. Ryan Yard is a Composer, Pianist and Teacher. He has recorded five studio albums drawing upon his love of progressive rock, electronica and classical music, working with artists such as Tom Newman, producer of Tubular Bells and Les Penning, who played recorder on Oldfields UK hits 'Portsmouth' and 'In Dulci Jubilo'. Ryan teaches piano, music theory and composition and has established himself as a transcriptionist having worked on a large collection of Mike Oldfield music alongside works from other artists such as Yes and Vangelis. He lives and works in Shropshire.
ebook
(2)
The Beatles 1962-1966
by Alberto Bravin
Part of the On Track series
Other than I Me Mine and some minor overdubs, The Beatles entire EMI/Apple catalogue was recorded in fewer than seven years: from 4 September 1962 through to 20 August 1969. Twelve albums, twenty-two singles, two standalone EPs, 213 songs. That in itself is remarkable enough. But the quality of the music, the rapid development of musical complexity and the innovations in studio production lifted The Beatles above every other band. The Fab Four were not always fab. But that some writers take the time and expend energy to point this out and purposefully diss perfect songs such as Yesterday merely serves to remind us that, most of the time, The Beatles were unarguably brilliant. Authors Andrew Wild and Alberto Bravin have listened to, digested and discussed the entire Beatles back catalogue to remind them why they love their music. How do they affect us today? Answer: they were bloody good. They still are. This first volume covers the period 1962 to 1966 from 'Love Me Do' to 'Tomorrow Never Knows', and the early albums that were different in the UK and the USA to Rubber Soul and Revolver, marking four years of outstanding, groundbreaking music.
Andrew Wild is a British writer, collector and long-time Beatles fan who recalls hearing the Red and Blue albums in the mid-1970s and has been in love with their music ever since. He has copies of every known Beatles outtake and live concert recording. His thorough and exhaustive study of every song performed or recorded by the band Four Sides Of The Circle was republished in 2024. He has written numerous music-related books, including several in the On Track series, about artists as diverse as The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Collins and Dire Straits. He lives in Rainow, Cheshire, UK.
Alberto Bravin is a musician, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is the lead singer of the progressive rock band Big Big Train. Alberto was previously a member of the highly-regarded Italian progressive rock band PFM Premiata Forneria Marconi from 2015 to 2022 and for many years he also played with his The Beatles tribute band Marshmallow Pies. He lives with his family in Trieste in the north-east of Italy. This is his first book.
ebook
(3)
Iron Maiden On Track
Every Album, Every Song
by Steve Pilkington
Part of the On Track series
Mention the words' heavy metal' and chances are one of the first names you'll get back is Iron Maiden. From their early days as front-runners of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal in 1980, through to their epic and progressive works of more recent times, the band have been 'all things to all men' in the metal world. Such is their profile that even the non-metal fan would probably cite them as a key example of the genre. This book lifts the lid on every single track recorded by the band, album by album, from the punk-ish debut with original vocalist Paul DiAnno, via the glory years fronted by Bruce Dickinson, through to the sprawling double-disc epic Book Of Souls.
By way of facts, anecdotes, analysis and a dollop of opinion, Steve Pilkington provides both an informative companion for the die-hard fan and a perfect roadmap for the more casual listener to follow. From 'Prowler' to 'Empire Of The Clouds', through each and every line-up change, this is every Number recorded by The Beast, the ultimate recording history of Iron Maiden.
ebook
(0)
Anthony Phillips 1977–1990
Every Album, Every Song
by Alan Draper
Part of the On Track series
In the mid-1960s, two notable bands emerged from the rarified cloisters of Charterhouse Public School in rural Surrey: The Anon, with guitarists Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford and The Garden Wall, a unit driven by the duo of Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks. Following the 1966 end-of-term school concert, these two bands merged, leading to the first lineup of Genesis. Phillips remained with Genesis until July 1970, when stage fright and ill health forced him to quit. He embarked on a long course of musical self-improvement that would produce an impressive technique on both guitar and keyboards, leading to a flourishing solo career, commencing with his first solo album, The Geese & The Ghost, in 1977.
In this book, Alan Draper looks at Anthony Phillips' solo output, from his 1977 debut album through to his most successful long-form work, Slow Dance, in 1990 and the various Private Parts And Pieces collections. Also included are the two Archive Collection albums, released after this date, as they contain previously unheard material from the pre-1990 period. In the 21st century, Phillips' albums have become widely available via beautifully packaged box sets, providing the perfect opportunity to explore his impressive body of work once again.
Alan Draper is a writer and musician living in Fareham, Hampshire, with his wife, Radiance. Starting his musical career as guitarist with The Alsatians in 1978, he wrote both sides of their 1980 single: 'Teen Romance'/'Our Man In Marrakesh'. His song 'Complications' featured on the album Rocking With The Renees by The Gymslips, a top twenty hit on the independent chart in 1983. His first solo album Earth Magic appeared in 1989, followed by Ascension Day in 1999, both displaying folk, classical and progressive rock influences. He is also the author of Stackridge: On Track and The Divine Comedy: On Track.
ebook
(0)
Steve Hackett
Every Album, Every Song
by Geoffrey Feakes
Part of the On Track series
Guitarist Steve Hackett first came to many fan's attention when he joined Genesis in 1971. Following seven excellent albums with the band, he went his own way in 1977. He had already kick-started his solo career with the critically acclaimed Voyage of the Acolyte in 1975, but 25 studio albums have followed, making him the most prolific member of the classic Genesis line-up. In the 1980s, he also formed the successful GTR band with Yes guitarist Steve Howe. Steve Hackett's solo work has embraced rock, prog, classical, blues, pop, jazz and world music, while his most recent electric album At The Edge of Light released in 2019, is perhaps his best since the classic Spectral Mornings in 1979. On stage, he has kept the Genesis flame burning brightly, performing the band's classic material from the 1970s, alongside his solo work.
This book examines, in detail, each one of Steve's studio albums, including Under A Mediterranean Sky, released in 2021 and traces his long and varied musical history. Collaborations, live albums and compilations are also discussed, making this the most comprehensive guide to the music of Steve Hackett yet published. Whether the reader is a diehard fan or someone wishing to catch-up on his post-Genesis work, this book is essential reading.
Geoffrey Feakes is an author and music journalist. He has published two previous books, The Moody Blues On Track in 2019 and The Who On Track in 2020. He has been a writer for the Dutch Progressive Rock Page since 2005 with hundreds of reviews and interviews to his credit. He first saw Steve Hackett on stage with Genesis in 1972 and has followed his career ever since. He lives in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK.
ebook
(0)
Linda Ronstadt: 1969 – 1989
Every Album, Every Song
by Daryl Richard Lawrence
Part of the On Track series
Linda Ronstadt is one of the most important women in the history of popular music. Starting her solo career in 1969, she redefined what a music superstar could be by expanding her repertoire from her country rock roots, to cross over to success with mainstream pop music, and then evolving into more diverse genres such as operetta, American jazz standards, and mariachi.
This work provides a track-by-track breakdown of the first twenty years of her solo career when her output totaled an amazing 17 albums. Transcending genres and applying her own vision to not only her career, but each song she interpreted, Linda Ronstadt garnered a wide fan base and had massive commercial success with albums such as Heart Like A Wheel and Living In The USA.
Those familiar with her work, as well as those entirely new to it, will find something to discover through this analysis of her output up to 1989. All the best-known hits are covered in this volume; however, the real fun is finding new favorites by visiting or revisiting lesser-known works. So sit back, put some of her songs on, crack this book open, and indulge in the voice that sold over 100 million records worldwide.
The author
Daryl Richard Lawrence holds a Master of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. When not occupied with his museum operations job, he spends his time reading, writing, volunteering for the local historical society, and podcasting about Marvel comics. Daryl resides in the almost always wintry Minnesota, USA, and dotes upon his pet rabbits, who mostly tolerate the many keyboard clicks it takes to write a book. His writing ranges from music reviews to historical biographies. A lifelong classic rock fan, he is overjoyed at sharing his passion for artists and their songs.
ebook
(0)
Caravan
Every Album, Every Song
by Andy Boot
Part of the On Track series
Caravan have a history that stretches back over half a century, with a catalogue of music that ranges from progressive rock classics to pop gems that really deserved to be hits. Lumped into that strange category known as 'the Canterbury Sound'.
This book traces their history, track-by-track, over eighteen canonical albums, stopping off to examine the plethora of live and BBC session releases that have swollen their back catalogue like a girl who grows plump in the night. Beginning with their pop-psych debut on Verve, continuing through the run of classic and revered albums on Decca/Deram that forged their reputation and then on the albums that saw them move towards pop and be swept up by the tides of fashion, it ends with the decades of reunions that saw fewer albums, but a refinement of the sensibilities that define their unique sound.
With ever-present Pye Hastings on guitar, vocals and songwriting and the late Richard Coughlan on drums, the band has also been defined by the skills of viola player Geoff Richardson and the Sinclair cousins – David on keys and Richard on bass. But this is not to belittle the contribution of every musician and songwriter whose talents have combined to make this most English of bands just that little bit special.
Andy Boot began his writing career on Kerrang! where he tried to write as little about metal and as much about prog as possible. A varied career followed, including non-fiction books on film, true crime and psychic phenomena, as well as novels in sci-fi and thriller franchises. In later years, development work in documentary and unscripted TV kept him away from the printed word, but the chance to put down in print all those thoughts about a band who have made him happy since he was fourteen was just too good to resist. He lives in Essex, UK.
ebook
(0)
The Allman Brothers Band
Every Album, Every Song
by Andrew Wild
Part of the On Track series
In 1973, the Allman Brothers Band were one of the most popular in America. They headlined the Watkins Glen Summer Jam – attended by 600,000 people – and their album Brothers and Sisters was number one for five weeks. The group made the cover of Newsweek and Rolling Stone named them 'band of the year'.
Always a strong live draw, in the two years prior to Watkins Glen, they released one of the greatest live albums of all time and lost two founding members in motorcycle accidents, including guitar genius Duane Allman. Drug use and a ruinous 1976 court case forced the band apart, but a three-album reunion between 1978 and 1982 rekindled some of the old fire. It was with their twentieth anniversary and second reformation in 1989 that provided a degree of stability.
Their legacy of eleven studio albums and six contemporaneous live albums include classics such as their self-titled debut, the sophomore Idlewild South, the definitive live document At Fillmore East and the astounding final album Hittin' The Note from 2003.
The music of the Allman Brothers is the pure distillation of the four main ingredients of American music: blues, rock, jazz and country. At their best, they transcended genre: they just were.
Andrew Wild is an experienced writer, music collector and film buff with many books to his name, including recent publications about Queen, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and Crosby, Stills and Nash. His comprehensive study of every song recorded and performed by The Beatles between 1957 and 1970 was published by Sonicbond in 2019. He lives in Rainow, Cheshire, UK.
ebook
(0)
Nektar
Every Album, Every Song
by Scott Meze
Part of the On Track series
Of all the British bands that rose to fame in rock's golden age, Nektar remain the most mysterious and least documented. Because they chose to base themselves in West Germany, commentators in their native land tended to overlook them. They're all but excluded from prog's official narrative even though Remember The Future is a classic and one of very few European art rock albums to succeed in the USA.
This book reveals Nektar as much more than just a hit LP, celebrating works of equal stature which seemed to pour effortlessly from the players. Whether you know only the 1970s albums that show the band at the pinnacle, or you've followed their progress under leaders Roye Albrighton and now Derek Moore, here is everything you need to complete your understanding of an intriguing band as distinctive as their artwork and as dazzling as their light show.
It documents how Germany was both boon and bane for the band, how America tore them apart and pulled them back together, and how from Journey To The Centre Of The Eye to The Other Side, Nektar have a vision and a connection that brings them much closer to our lives than any other band of their stature.
Scott Meze's many guises include music critic, science fiction author, and folk horror poet. For him, Nektar are the perfect nexus between the space rock that shifts the animal part of his brain out into the wonder of the universe and the prog that keeps his humanity grounded in the sheer inventive brilliance of our species. Scott abandoned the drippy dells of Somerset, UK, for the steamy swamp of Tokyo decades ago, and neither he nor his wife have a clue what he's doing here.
ebook
(0)
The Chic Organisation
Every Album, Every Song
by Chris Sutton
Part of the On Track series
This book charts all of the albums which feature The Chic Organisation, helmed by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. As well as records under the Chic name, the duo also wrote, produced and played on albums by Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Debbie Harry, Johnny Mathis, Sheila B., Madonna, Odyssey, Carly Simon and David Bowie, amongst many. Appearing on these records was a regular pool of talented singers and musicians. So, sharing their thoughts are Eddie Daniels, Sammy Figueroa, Jean Fineberg, Stan Harrison, Bill Holloman, Kenny Lehman, Ellen Seeling, Roger Squitero and Jessica Wagner. Alva Chinn, who appeared on the front of the debut Chic album, also contributes, as does Tony Wright, who designed the Take It Off cover.
Every album and song is reviewed all together for the first time. There is also a section on further listening, which features records with a slightly lesser Chic presence for those who want to dig a little deeper. The book also features the more recent work of the rebranded Nile Rodgers & Chic. While many will know of the extent of Chic's influence and work, it will likely come as a surprise to even more. Whether you are a hardcore fan or are keen to delve below the surface, this book is for you. Le freak c'est Chic!
Chris Sutton has been a fan of the Chic Organisation since they first emerged in 1977. He feels their peak remains the two C'est Chic and Risque albums. He is the manager of Smethwick Heritage Centre, for whom he has written several publications. This is his sixth book for Sonicbond, following on from books on Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Sparks and two on Alice Cooper. He is also a regular contributor to PowerPlay Magazine and has contributed to a TV documentary on Alice Cooper.
ebook
(0)
Procol Harum
Every Album, Every Song
by Scott Meze
Part of the On Track series
Few artists have had as great an impact with their debut single as Procol Harum. Mesmerising and perplexing in equal measure, 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' remains the perfect distillation of the possibilities of psychedelia in that brief period when British pop seemed to promise a summer of love that would last forever. But as this book reveals, from the start, Procol Harum envisioned a post-psychedelic landscape of the heartsick and bewildered. Through Gary Brooker's classically inspired melodies and soaring, soulful vocals, lyricist Keith Reid told harrowing stories of voyages into the darkness of the soul, through graveyards of the damned, and to the depths of madness, via classic albums like A Salty Dog and Grand Hotel.
Aided by musicians of the calibre of organist Matthew Fisher and guitarist Robin Trower, Procol Harum invented and mapped out the interplay of those two instruments, soon to explode into prog rock's epic structures, and pioneered the integration of band and orchestra that helped break the boundaries separating young musicians and the establishment. It's all here in Scott Meze's guide, from the first note to the last of a legacy that cries out to be heard.
Scott Meze is a psychedelic music obsessive born in Britain but based in Tokyo, the music connoisseur's capital of the world. Scott Meze has never knowingly tripped the light fandango. However, he did once successfully chat up a girl by reciting 'The Miller's Tale' to her. He is the author of books on Soft Machine and Nektar in the On Track series.
ebook
(0)
Rolling Stones 1963 to 1980
Every Album, Every Song
by Steve Pilkington
Part of the On Track series
The Rolling Stones. Still going strong and defying the doubters, over 55 years since their formation, they possess a longevity almost unheard of in popular music – especially with three of the five original members still present.
The majority of people, however, would surely consider their work during the 1960s and 1970s to be their most creative, influential and original, from the early R&B material through the psychedelic experimentation of Their Satanic Majesties Request, the country/blues flavourings of Beggars Banquet , the louche swagger of Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main Street through to the mature and sophisticated feel of the more complex Goats Head Soup. With 'new boy' Ron Wood replacing Mick Taylor in 1975, the band returned to basics a little more with the album Black And Blue and a resultant world tour which saw over a million people apply for tickets to a run of six Earl's Court shows in 1976.
The band have continued as a major force since the turn of the '80s, but it is that period up to 1980 which this book looks at, studying in depth every single song released during the band in that time, via factual, anecdotal and critical analysis. It's only rock and roll, but this is the ultimate study.
Steve Pilkington is a music journalist, proof-reader and broadcaster. He is Editor in Chief for the Classic Rock Society magazine Rock Society, and contributes to other publications such as Prog. Before taking on this work full-time, he spent years writing for fanzines and an Internet music review site on a part-time basis. He has recently published Black Sabbath – Song By Song (Fonthill, 2018), Deep Purple and Rainbow - On Track (Sonicbond, 2018) and has written the official biography of legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap. He lives in Wigan, Merseyside.
ebook
(1)
Leonard Cohen
Every Album, Every Song
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
An enigma, Leonard Norman Cohen was possibly the most improbable bohemian intellectual singer/songwriter in music history. He was the working-class hero, the people's poet, the suicidal lamenter of doom and a purveyor of popular songs. But the truth is even more complex. Throughout his life, there were juxtapositions of the most unlikely life choices and influences. To have fashioned a mishmash of ideas, styles and influences into a successful, long-lasting musical career is nothing short of amazing.
He blended secular, mystical, sexual and religious themes into ambiguous poetic tapestries and devised an intricate, unique musical style. He possessed a deep baritone voice that, although mesmerising, was sometimes in danger of sounding monotonous. Leonard was able to fuse these elements into a distinctive amalgam that somehow worked on many levels. He did not look the part, play the game or conform to any rules, but Leonard touched hearts and minds all over the world, while writing some remarkable songs, including 'Hallelujah' and 'Suzanne'.
Focusing equally on his popular early albums, the more experimental mid-period and his final, late-career renaissance, this book analyses and interprets every album and every individual song to shed light on the phenomenon of Leonard Cohen.
The Author
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction and taught the first History of Rock Music classes in the UK. He was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicentre for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Roy Harper. He now lives happily in East Yorkshire, UK.
ebook
(1)
Gong Revised and Updated
Every Album, Every Song
by Kevan Furbank
Part of the On Track series
Every now and then a band comes along that defies convention, refuses to be pigeon-holed, thumbs its nose at comfy predictability and blows raspberries at commercial wisdom. That band is Gong. From 1970 to the present day, Gong have ploughed a unique musical furrow - part progressive rock, part spacey psychedelia, part proto-punk, ambient trance, drum 'n' bass and absurdist political performance art.
In this revised edition, long-time fan Kevan Furbank examines all the Gong albums from Magick Brother in 1970 to 2023's Unending Ascending and chronicles the stories behind each recording. He examines the songwriting, arrangements and mythology that inspired each track, with new insights from, amongst others, the current fantastic Gong line-up, bassist Mike Howlett, violinist Graham Clark and guitarist Josh Pollock.
…He salutes the many great musicians who have passed through Gong in the last 50-odd years, including guitar hero Steve Hillage, drummer Pierre Moerlen, flute and sax maestro Didier Malherbe and, of course, whimsical visionary and Gong founder Daevid Allen. The author also discusses the off-shoots of the Gong family tree - including Mother Gong, Gongmaison and Pierre Moerlen's Gong.
If you have never heard any Gong, this book is the perfect introduction. If you have, you will want to go back and revisit the glorious music this band has made.
Now happily retired, Kevan Furbank was Managing Editor of Reach Ireland, publishers of the Irish Daily Mirror and the Irish Daily Star and a journalist on local and national newspapers for more than 40 years. He has published books on local history and written stories, articles and columns on practically every subject under the sun. This is his fifth book for Sonicbond. His music tastes encompass prog, rock, folk and jazz and, in his spare time, he likes to pretend he can play, guitar, bass, ukulele, bouzouki and keyboards. He is married with two grown-up daughters and lives in Northern Ireland.
ebook
(0)
The Damned
Every Album, Every Song
by Morgan Brown
Part of the On Track series
The Damned are a great British rock n' roll institution. They have helped to plot the course of guitar music over the last 45 years, putting UK punk on record for the first time in 1976, and going on to lay the groundwork for the hardcore, Goth, post-punk, indie-pop and horror-punk movements that have thrived in their wake. Ever underestimated by critics, their string of classic albums has nevertheless been hugely influential, from the trailblazing punk of Damned Damned Damned to the epic, eclectic sprawl of The Black Album, through the glossy dark-pop of Phantasmagoria, to the genre-spanning triumph of the recent Evil Spirits and beyond.
In this book, Morgan Brown takes a fascinating, deep dive into each of the band's groundbreaking records, unearthing the stories and inspirations behind them. He picks apart their musical building blocks and examines both the creative process and the creators themselves; early visionary leader Brian James, iconic frontman Dave Vanian, madcap genius Captain Sensible, volatile percussive dervish Rat Scabies and many more. Curious new listeners and long-time enthusiasts alike will find this book the perfect companion on a voyage of discovery into the strange, chaotic, wonderful world of The Damned.
Morgan Brown has been an active part of the UK punk scene for over twenty years as a guitarist, drummer and songwriter. His various bands have toured widely, sharing bills with many of the genre's leading lights, including, on numerous occasions, The Damned. He is a self-confessed music nerd, enjoying a wild assortment of pop, jazz, folk, heavy metal, country, and whatever else takes his fancy. He is also an avid consumer of sci-fi and crime fiction and is a regular contributor to Hark! The 87th Precinct podcast, which is dedicated to the detective novels of Ed McBain. He lives in Liverpool, UK.
ebook
(0)
Captain Beefheart
Every Album, Every Song
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
Captain Beefheart (Don Vliet) was undoubtedly the creator of the most bizarre and wonderful music. A child prodigy sculptor, he applied his artistic approach to music, creating 'aural sculptures'. After befriending Frank Zappa in high school, they collaborated on a teenage rock opera and science fiction/fantasy film entitled Captain Beefheart vs The Grunt People. It was from this film that Don took his name. His Magic Band started out as a blues group in the mid-sixties, but soon, with lysergic propulsion, surreal poetry, free-form jazz, polyrhythms and African beats, they established themselves at the forefront of West Coast acid rock.
A series of hugely inventive albums, including the infamous Trout Mask Replica, and some legendary live performances, established them as the foremost avant-garde rock band. Few bands were as influential, with The Beatles, The Fall, PJ Harvey and Tom Waits all paying homage, and as a result, The Magic Band have inspired a myriad of tribute bands and created a mythology like no other. This book sets the history of the band in context, analysing every track and attempting to interpret both the music and Don Vliet's poetry. It is essential reading for diehard fans and the Beefheart-curious alike.
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction and taught the first 'History of Rock Music' classes in the UK. He was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicentre for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Roy Harper. He was introduced to Captain Beefheart in 1967 and attended that first amazing gig at Middle Earth. He never fully recovered but now lives happily in East Yorkshire, UK.
ebook
(0)
Judas Priest
Every Album, Every Song
by John Tucker
Part of the On Track series
Many would argue that Judas Priest's most creative and influential period ran from their first release in 1974 until frontman Rob Halford shocked the metal world by quitting in May 1992, following the Painkiller tour. By then, Judas Priest had fourteen albums to their name, with chart success in both the UK and USA, and had grown in stature and image from a kaftan-wearing rock band with pretensions of being the next Queen, to purveyors of a leather and studded, full-force, heavy metal onslaught. Copied by many but surpassed by none, Judas Priest came to symbolise the very essence of heavy metal music. By the time of UK hit British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance, their breakthrough album in the USA, their look and sound was being replicated by many young hopefuls, as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal spawned the next generation of metal bands worldwide.
Judas Priest - On Track. From Rocka Rolla to Painkiller studies Judas Priest's varied output in detail. Musicians inspired by the band explain what Judas Priest and their albums meant to them, and the late Chris Tsangarides, whose first break came with the Sad Wings Of Destiny sessions, offers his insight into one of the world's greatest heavy metal bands.
A keen writer and photographer, John Tucker's first live review was published in the American fanzine Metal Rendez-Vous in 1983. Moving to London later that year, he started contributing to a number of fanzines, and also wrote Neat Records' in-house magazine Lead Weight. His first book Suzie Smiled – the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal appeared in 2006, and since then he's written Never Surrender (with Biff Byford), Am I Evil? (with Brian Tatler), Whitesnake – The Definitive Biography (with Simon Robinson), Neat & Tidy – The Story Of Neat Records and 5 Years Of Brofest.
ebook
(0)
Marc Bolan and T. rex
Every Album, Every Song
by Peter Gallagher
Part of the On Track series
For many, T. Rex founder Marc Bolan remains forever frozen in time as the poster boy of glam, the pop-rock genre he effectively launched with his March 1971 Top of the Pops appearance to promote 'Hot Love', the band's first number one single. But this is to view him through too narrow a focus. In John's Children he flirted with modernist art-rock. He sang folk songs of an otherworldly England in Tyrannosaurus Rex. He became a teen idol while dominating the singles and album charts and he also experimented with his unique brand of interstellar soul. Finally, he proclaimed himself 'The Godfather Of Punk' and became its patron, touring with The Damned and giving several major new wave acts their first television exposure.
This book examines all aspects of Bolan's career, from the genre-defying My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair… through the transitional A Beard Of Stars and T. Rex albums, the misunderstood Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow and the should-have-been comeback Futuristic Dragon. Along the way, it discusses Unicorn, the defining document of the Tyrannosaurus Rex years, and the essential T. Rex trilogy of Electric Warrior, The Slider and Tanx.
During the day Peter Gallagher is a lecturer in Events Management, but at night can be found scribbling away in his man-cave. Having talked about writing for decades it is only recently he decided to do something about it, with 2020 seeing the publication of his first short story and the commissioning of his first book. His favourite bands include T. Rex, The Ramones, and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, none of whom he has seen in concert. He Lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
ebook
(0)
The Cure
Every Album, Every Song
by Matthew R. Davis
Part of the On Track series
Few bands can claim anything like the longevity, sincerity, and sheer creative breadth of The Cure. From their beginnings as literate punks through their early bleak masterpieces that ended with Pornography (1982), to the pop years that followed and their worldwide success with the mercurial Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987) and the monolithic Disintegration (1989), they have built a reputation as idealistic iconoclasts and sustained a dearly devoted audience that hangs on Robert Smith's every impassioned word.
Their epic live sets regularly include deep cuts from every era and run the gamut from unabashed romanticism to harrowing sorrow, from dance to dirge and back again. As prolific in the studio as they are on stage, their history is littered with remarkable B-sides, rare tracks, live records, remixes, and more. This book examines the entirety of The Cure's quixotic catalogue, from the surly departures of Three Imaginary Boys (1979) to the triumphant return of Songs Of A Lost World (2024) and all points in between. For every mood, there's a Cure song to match, and you'll find it here.
Matthew R. Davis is a Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author and musician from Adelaide, South Australia. He has published one hundred short stories and eight books to date, including the horror collections If Only Tonight We Could Sleep and Songs of Shadow, Words of Woe. He was the vocalist/bassist and lead songwriter in Blood Red Renaissance, has supported Anathema and Queensrÿche with icecocoon, and has written even more songs than appear in this book. A diehard Cure fan since the age of nineteen, he shares his life (and love for the band) with the award-winning artist Meg Wright, aka Red Wallflower.
ebook
(0)
U2
Every Album, Every Song
by Eoghan Lyng
Part of the On Track series
U2 were Formed at a Dublin Secondary School by Adam Clayton, Bono, The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr. Like most bands, they wanted to be among the best in the world. By 1991, with Achtung Baby in the pipeline and War, The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree behind them, they were arguably deserving of that intention. Yet there was more to the band than the stadium records that made their fans deliriously happy and the music's creators artistically and lucratively fulfilled. Their second album, October, opened the four-piece into a spiritual journey that fed their later work. Their double album Rattle and Hum proved one of the greatest torchbearers of American music of its time. And then there were Zooropa and Pop - dance-oriented albums that showed the initially punk-oriented quartet exploring effects, sounds and territories that few of their contemporaries dared contemplate.
That they should exist forty years after their debut is testament to the will, fortitude and versatility U2 hold. Their most recent works Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience have proven their most reflective and perhaps their most autobiographical. What lies next for U2 only the band know, but this book delves into their past work, without leaving a passenger behind.
The author
Eoghan Lyng is a music writer and pop fanatic. Having spent a life listening to idiosyncratic pop, Lyng honed this fascination into something more tangible. His writing credits include New Sounds, We Are Cult, Culture Sonar, The Phacemag, DMovies, The Irish Post and The Digital Fix. He has interviewed Pete Best, Denny Laine, Jeff Wayne, Rat Scabies, Eric Stewart, Chris Thomas, Kristin Hersh, Arthur Matthews and Ian La Frenais. Lyng intends to continue his musical journey by exploring new and exciting artists, without losing interest in the bands that have led him here. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.
ebook
(0)
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Every Album, Every Song
by Tony Thompson
Part of the On Track series
Creedence Clearwater Revival were a San Francisco band of the 1960s that had nothing to do with Human Be Ins, Timothy Leary, or the Summer of Love. They were, for a time, the most popular band in the US but never scored a number one hit. They were headliners at Woodstock but didn't appear in the film or on the soundtrack LP. They shared a radical 'back to basics' sensibility with The Band but were not embraced by the emerging rock press with anywhere near the same enthusiasm. While the punks were hunting dinosaur bands to extinction in 1977, Richard Hell covered one of their songs on his debut album. In the 1980s, as their songs became staples of 'classic rock' radio, they were revered by underground bands like The Gun Club, The Minutemen and The Scientists. As Butch said to Sundance, 'Who are those guys?'
In this book, a track-by-track analysis of all the band's recorded output, Tony Thompson rolls up the sleeves on his plaid shirt and prepares to answer the big questions. Who's Jody? What is chooglin'? Where is Green River? Why can't the singer leave Lodi? Who was the fortunate son? Is the bathroom on the right?
Tony Thompson is a Canadian writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of The Doors on track (Sonicbond 2021), Summer of Monsters (Walker Books 2014), and Shakespeare: The Most Famous Man in London (Black Dog Books 2009). His articles on books, music and education have appeared in The Age, The Australian, The Daily Review Australia, toppermost.co.uk and Eureka Street. He is a well-regarded speaker and has been a regular guest at the Melbourne Writers Festival and other literary events throughout Australia. He plays blues harmonica with great enthusiasm.
ebook
(0)
Dream Theater
Every Album, Every Song
by Jordan Blum
Part of the On Track series
No other band has affected modern progressive metal as deeply or widely as American quintet Dream Theater. Formed at Berklee College of Music as Majesty in 1985 by guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy, and bassist John Myung, the group have spent thirty years repeatedly pushing new boundaries and reinventing their identity. Although other acts – such as Queensrÿche and Fates Warning – paved the way for the prog-metal subgenre, Dream Theater were, without doubt, the first to meld influences from both metal and progressive rock into a groundbreaking blend of quirky instrumentation, extensively complex arrangements, and exceptional songwriting. Whether with subtly or overtly, they've since left their mark on just about every progressive metal band that has followed.
In this book, Jordan Blum examines every Dream Theater studio album, and their behind-the-scenes circumstances, to explore how the group impacted the genre with each release. Whether classics of the 1990s like Images and Words and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, benchmarks of the 2000s like Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Octavarium, or even thrilling modern efforts like A Dramatic Turn of Events and Distance Over Time, every sequence of albums contributes something crucial to making Dream Theater's legacy nothing short of astonishing.
Jordan Blum is an Associate Editor at PopMatters, holds an MFA in Creative Writing, and is the founder/Editor-in-Chief of The Bookends Review, an independent creative arts journal. He focuses mostly on progressive rock/metal and has contributed to many other publications, including Sonic Perspectives, Paste, Progression, Metal Injection, Rebel Noise, PROG and Sea of Tranquility. He is the author of Jethro Tull On Track, published by Sonicbond in 2019. Finally, he records his own crazy ideas under the pseudonym Neglected Spoon. When he's not focused on any of that, he teaches English courses at various colleges. He lives in Philadelphia, PA, USA.
ebook
(0)
UFO
Every Album, Every Song
by Richard James
Part of the On Track series
UFO, the legendary band which have been gracing the world's stages for the last 50 years, have given us more than their fair share of superb quality hard rock songs including 'Doctor, Doctor', 'Rock Bottom', 'Shoot Shoot', 'Too Hot To Handle', and 'Only You Can Rock Me'. And that was just during the Seventies!
Albums such as Force It, Obsession, The Wild, The Willing, And The Innocent, Walk On Water and You Are Here are acknowledged as classics of the melodic hard rock genre, and their live masterpiece Strangers In The Night regularly features at or near the top of rock music polls. UFO's history can be delineated by the guitarists who have passed through their ranks. Phases in the band's career include: the early 'Space Rock' stumblings; their astonishing development with the brilliant, mercurial Michael Schenker; the consolidation and first downfall during Paul Chapman's tenure; subsequent re-launches and crash-landings; a troubled reformation of the Schenker line-up and the final, mostly settled, version with Vinnie Moore.
This book explores each of the band's 23 studio albums, and, of course, Strangers. Every song is analysed in detail and opinions are numerous in this passionate critique of one of Britain's best loved and most influential rock institutions.
Richard immersed himself in music as soon as he got his first real six string at the age of 10. Previously chained to a desk for a living, he broke free, armed with a music degree from the Open University and a Licentiate Diploma in Classical Guitar from the Royal School of Music, and proceeded to roam the East Midlands as a freelance guitarist and music teacher. He lives with his wife in Leicestershire, UK, and when not involved with music he enjoys foreign travel and playing chess badly.
ebook
(0)
The Incredible String Band
Every Album, Every Song
by Tim Moon
Part of the On Track series
The Incredible String Band evoke love and devotion to all those who fall under their spell. Their world is not ours, but a land of mythical creatures and fey beings.
This book looks at all their recorded output from the first album which saw the turning point from the mix of old time American music and Scottish dance tunes to the first steps in songwriting, through albums which still maintain a legendary reputation, 5000 Spirits and Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. Looking at their increasingly eclectic instrumentation and fantastical songwriting, there is also fresh look at the slightly lesser-known albums that followed and the later version of the band that moved steadily towards the rock mainstream before imploding in 1974. There is also a look at the albums that appeared when the band briefly reformed in the 21st century and a run through the best of the posthumous live albums and compilations of unreleased material.
The band went from major success to cult status. They suffered mockery in the punk period to finally becoming a highly respected band, whose albums still sell steadily to this day. This book will follow that journey and examine every stop along the way.
Tim Moon was born in 1953 in the village of Shelf in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Music was around the house in the form of LPs of musicals and Frank Sinatra, and then one day his father brought home an acoustic guitar, spurred on by the British skiffle boom. Tim was mesmerised and his interest was aroused again by the emergence of The Beatles which prompted him to acquire his own guitar. Tim has written for various music publications and presents a couple of folk based radio programmes. He gigs, acts and is otherwise happily retired in his seaside home in Filey, North Yorkshire, UK.
ebook
(0)
Roy Harper
Every Album, Every Song
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
Roy Harper must be one of Britain's most undervalued rock musicians and songwriters. For over fifty years, he has produced a series of innovative albums of consistently outstanding quality, putting poetry and social commentary to music in a way that extends the boundaries of rock music. His 22 studio albums and 16 live albums, made up of 250 songs, have created a unique body of work.
Roy is a musician's musician. He is lauded by the likes of Dave Gilmour, Ian Anderson, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Joanna Newsom, Fleet Foxes and Kate Bush. Who else could boast that he has had Keith Moon, Jimmy Page, Dave Gilmour, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Chris Spedding, Bill Bruford and Steve Broughton in his backing band? Notable albums include Stormcock, HQ and Bullinamingvase.
Opher Goodwin, Roy's friend and a fan, guides the reader through every album and song, providing insight into the recording of the songs as well the times in which they were recorded. As his loyal and often fanatical fans will attest, Roy has produced a series of epic songs and he remains a raging, uncompromising individual.
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction. He taught the first 'History of Rock Music' classes in the UK. Opher was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicenter for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to the Doors, Captain Beefheart and, of course, Roy Harper. He befriended Roy in 1967 and has not only attended hundreds of gigs but was a privileged guest In Abbey Road studios for the recording of some of Roy's seminal albums. He lives in East Yorkshire, UK.
ebook
(0)
Green Day
Every Album, Every Song
by William E. Spevack
Part of the On Track series
Green Day are one of rock history's greatest and most successful bands. Singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool have been together creating rock music with a punk heart for over three decades. The trio has reigned supreme, shattering previously conceived notions of how commercially successful a punk rock band can be, by helping extend the boundaries of the genre by adding excellent pop/rock songwriting. Green Day harnessed alternative music's creativity with a passion and fire that ignited two of rock's best albums, the influential Dookie, which sold 20 million copies, and the culturally important rock opera American Idiot, which sold 16 million and went on to become a Broadway show.
In their 30-plus years, Green Day revolutionized rock musically and lyrically, inspiring countless bands. During the 1990s, they lead the pop-punk charge, and in the 2000s, they inspired a second generation of fans and bands through a lyrically intelligent and musically complex style of hard rock. Green Day: On Track takes a journey through the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame band's career, analyzing every album and song in their remarkable catalogue.
William E. Spevack has been published in the magazines Laptop, CPU, and PC Upgrade as well as the music website AlternativeNation.net. His first book, Keep On Shining: A Guide Through the Music of Love & Arthur Lee, was published in December 2021. He is a Bard graduate and a passionate music fan, who enjoys writing about music, playing sports, playing keyboards and reading music history books that focus on the music specifically. He lives in New York City.
ebook
(0)
The Human League: And the Sheffield Electro Scene
Every Album, Every Song
by Andrew Darlington
Part of the On Track series
Sheffield in the late-1970s was isolated from what was happening in London in the same way that Liverpool had been in 1963. A unique generation of electro-experimental groupings evolved in the former Steel City around Cabaret Voltaire and The Future. The Future split into two factions, Clock DVA and The Human League, the latter splitting into two further factions - Heaven 17 and The Human League as we now know them, fronted by Philip Oakey with Joanne Catherall and Susan Sulley.
Dare became one of the most iconic albums of the eighties; the album by which The Human League are most instantly recognised. It is an ambitious record, both driven and voracious, with giddy grenades of inventiveness. A triumph of content over style, at once phenomenally commercial and gleefully avant-garde.
The American success of 'Don't You Want Me', accelerated by the high-gloss video, which exploited the band's visual appeal, heralded what was soon termed the 'second British invasion'. It was the first of two singles by the band to top the US charts.
This book tells the full story, from the scene's origins in Sheffield, through the full arc of the very early Heaven 17 albums and the complete Human League discography into the twenty-first century.
Andrew Darlington watched the very first episode of Dr Who and he also watched the most recent episode. Whatever academic potential he may once have possessed was wrecked by an addiction to loud rock 'n' roll and cheap science fiction, which remain the twin poles of what he laughingly refers to as his writing career. He is most proud of his parallel universe collection A Saucerful Of Secrets. His latest book is The Hollies on track (Sonicbond, 2021) and his writing can be found at Eight Miles Higher via andrewdarlington.blogspot.co.uk.
ebook
(1)
Bob Dylan: 1962 – 1970
Every Album, Every Song
by Opher Goodwin
Part of the On Track series
Bob Dylan is the magician who sprinkled poetic fairy dust onto the popular music of the early sixties. His songwriting sparked a revolution and changed rock music forever.
The diminutive poet/singer claimed he was merely a 'song and dance man', but Dylan altered popular music from intellectually bereft teenage rebellion into a serious adult art form worthy of academic study.
Dylan headed for the sixties as a Little Richard rock 'n' roller but soon turned acoustic folkie. After absorbing the music and words of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson and Brecht, he became a vagabond social troubadour. Basking in Rimbaud, he transformed into a poetic symbolist before later immersing himself in lysergic beat surrealism. The chameleon of Dylan in the sixties was bewildering to his followers. His first album was a raw debut folk/blues. He followed this with three acoustic poetic gems, three ground-breaking surreal, electric wonders and four that were more mundane and country tinged.
But by the mid-sixties, he was a strung-out polka-dotted rock star. He crashed (physically and mentally) before leaving the sixties as a clean-cut country crooner. Dylan had mutated more times than a trilobite. Dylan's ground-breaking music changed the world and his amazing story is revealed by exploring the eleven albums that he released between 1962 and 1970.
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction and taught the first 'History of Rock Music' classes in the UK. He was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicentre for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Roy Harper. He now lives happily in East Yorkshire, UK.
ebook
(0)
Status Quo: The Frantic Four Years
Every Album, Every Song
by Richard James
Part of the On Track series
'Status Quo? All their songs sound the same and they only know three chords' Really?
This retrospective of one of Britain's most successful bands takes this lazy criticism and puts it to the sword. Spanning the period 1970 to 1984, the creative peaks and troughs of all the songs recorded by 'The Frantic Four' are examined in detail by a fan who can play guitar a bit, and also knows his Bach from his byte.
Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster, and John Coghlan withstood the slings and arrows of unending criticism to become a national institution, even playing to royalty along the way. After their early, psychedelic-influenced and fleeting pop success, Quo underwent a dramatic and natural re-invention, unleashing a series of innovative albums and hit singles, such as 'Down Down' and 'Rockin' All Over The World' that established their unique sound and style.
Relentless touring, changes in musical direction, unwise choices of producer, substantial substance abuse, and personality clashes all played their part in the collapse of the classic line-up before a brand re-launch in 1986 that enjoys continued success to the present day.
Status Quo – The Frantic Four Years on track examines the band's groundbreaking first era with critical detail and honest opinions.
Richard James immersed himself in music as soon as he got his first real six-string at the age of ten. Previously chained to a desk for a living, he managed to escape and armed with a music degree from the Open University and a Licentiate Diploma in Classical Guitar from the Royal School of Music, now roams the East Midlands as a freelance guitarist and music teacher. He lives with his wife in Leicestershire, UK, and when not involved with music he enjoys travel, playing chess badly, and inventing new ways to tease his cats. This is his third book, following UFO On Track and Tom Petty On Track, both published in 2021.
ebook
(0)
REO Speedwagon
Every Album, Every Song
by James Romag
Part of the On Track series
Once, there were four university students who started a rock band named after a firetruck. Five and a half decades later, REO Speedwagon are still going strong, still drawing massive crowds, and, thankfully, have no plans to stop. With classic albums like the multi-platinum You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish and the ten million-selling Hi Infidelity, REO conquered America's heartland, then the nation, and finally – as a ten-year 'overnight sensation' – the world. It was the rock tunes like 'Golden Country' and 'Back on the Road Again' that built their reputation before the ballads like 'Keep on Loving You' and 'Can't Fight this Feeling' brought them global fame. REO have sold over 40 million records under their own name and are featured on the soundtracks to scores of films and television programs, including Supernatural and Ozark.
REO Speedwagon on track shines a light on the band's lengthy career. This book delves into the tracks on each of their 16 studio albums, their official live releases, and several compilations, while also providing a glimpse of some of the band members' outside projects, creating a comprehensive companion to the music of this American institution.
James Romag grew up in the American Midwest and has been a classic rock fan since long before it came to be known by that term. He is an avid concert-goer, particularly those featuring loud, screaming rock and roll guitars. James works for an investment firm and is a US Air Force veteran. He has a degree in publishing, has edited several books and published a handful of short stories. This is his first book for Sonicbond. James lives in Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where he's careful not to get caught when the wind comes up and the sun goes down.
ebook
(0)
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Every Album, Every Song
by Georg Purvis
Part of the On Track series
Whether you know him as Howard Coward, Napoleon Dynamite, or the Emotional Toothpaste, and are familiar with his work with The Attractions, The Confederates, or The Imposters, Elvis Costello's career has always been about reinvention and his vast catalogue of over 30 studio albums since 1977 is a testament to his prolificacy.
However, this book focuses on his most acclaimed and accessible work, recorded mostly with The Attractions (Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas, and Bruce Thomas) between 1977 and 1986, although some other high-profile friends – Nick Lowe, Billy Sherrill, and T-Bone Burnett, among others – show up along the way. From his modest solo beginnings as a pub rocker with attitude on My Aim Is True to his cacophonous epitaph to The Attractions on Blood & Chocolate, this book follows a hectic and, at times, baffling career trajectory that often ignored commercial fame and fortune in favour of artistic freedom and expression.
Elvis Costello and The Attractions – On Track explores every album, every song, and every non-album B-side or contemporary cast-off from the band's all-too-brief whirlwind decade of existence.
Georg Purvis is the author of Queen: The Complete Works and Pink Floyd In the 1970s. His first Elvis Costello albums were This Year's Model and When I Was Cruel, both purchased at the same time in 2002. He has seen Elvis live about a dozen times since 2007 and is always thrilled to report that each concert had been spectacularly different from the previous one. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Meredith, and their two cats, Spencer and William.
ebook
(0)
Cardiacs
Every Album, Every Song
by Eric Benac
Part of the On Track series
When Tim Smith died in July of 2020, he left behind a legion of adoring fans and an honorary doctorate in music. Not bad for someone who never had a top ten hit and who's music was so infamous during its heyday, that some magazines not only refused to review his work, but edited out praise from fellow musicians. But who was Tim Smith?
He was the composer, guitarist, singer, and lyricist for cult band Cardiacs. Working in the 1970s up to 2008, Smith and his rotating band of musicians created some of the most intricate and original music of all time. They combined punk energy, prog complexity, ska rhythms, heavy metal drama, and much more with an absurd and satirical lyrical stance, while creating a confrontational on-stage image that inspired as many as it appalled.
Eric Benac examines each Cardiac album (including the never-re-pressed, cassette-only releases) and side projects, like the sublime prog-folk of Sea Nymphs, the warped psychedelics of Spartley's Japs, and the twisted brit pop of Tim's solo album. Each song is discussed both musically and lyrically, making this the first full analysis of the work of this unique band.
The author:
Eric Benac is a freelance writer. He has over a decade of experience as a professional writer, including three years as a journalist and ten years as a marketing and blogging expert. Beyond his paid work, Eric enjoys writing poetry, short stories, novels, plays, and music reviews. In his spare time, Eric records Zappa and Cardiacs-influenced electronic pop as Gergy 12. His first book was Frank Zappa On Track, also for Sonicbond. He lives in Holt, Michigan, USA.
ebook
(1)
The Doors
Every Album, Every Song
by Tony Thompson
Part of the On Track series
The Doors remain one of the most original acts in the history of Rock and Roll. However, their actual music is sometimes overshadowed by the cult of Jim Morrison. Those with long memories will recall a point in the 1980s when he went from lead singer of an old band to a signifier of cool known as 'Morrison.' His image appeared everywhere on t-shirts, posters, and in the film The Lost Boys, adorning a wall in Keifer Sutherland's vampire cave. A biopic in the 1990s attempted something like realism but managed only to dramatize the legend of the 'Lizard King'. Meanwhile, outside of a few high rotation tracks on 'classic' rock stations, most of their work took a back seat to Jim's ever-growing status as a cultural icon.
This book dusts off the vinyl and puts on the headphones for a sustained reappraisal of the band's musical career. Hidden gems, deep cuts, overrated top ten hits and an enigmatic series of album closers are all subjected to late night interrogations. Let's head to Venice Beach circa 1965, pick up a Fender bass organ on the way, take a face from the ancient gallery and walk on down the hall!
Tony Thompson is a Canadian writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of Summer of Monsters (Walker Books, 2014) a novel about Mary Shelley's early life, and Shakespeare: The Most Famous Man in London, (Black Dog Books, 2009). His articles on books, music, and education have appeared in The Age, The Australian, The Daily Review Australia, toppermost.co.uk, and Eureka St. He is a well-regarded speaker and has been a regular guest at the Melbourne Writers Festival and other literary events throughout Australia. He plays blues harmonica with great enthusiasm.
ebook
(0)
The Jam
Every Album, Every Song
by Stan Jeffries
Part of the On Track series
From the band's first single, 'In The City' in April 1977, to their last, 'Beat Surrender' in November 1982, The Jam went from new wave wannabees to arguably the biggest band in the UK. The Jam on track covers every song released by the group during their five-and-a-half-year career on the Polydor label that saw them have thirteen top twenty singles and five top ten albums in the UK. The book also includes the pick of demos and little-known recordings from various compilation albums after the band's demise. Each song is looked at from a musical and lyrical point of view and includes contemporary comments from Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler, plus music critics and those working closely with the band.
Album and single sleeves, as well as TV and video appearances, are part of the mix as Stan Jeffries looks at what made The Jam one of Britain's most respected acts, while demonstrating how their legacy continues to this day. For both the dedicated and the curious, this book guides you through the career of one of Britain's musical giants.
Stan Jeffries, Sheffield born and fled. North, to Newcastle, where he lived and worked for seven years and wrote The Encyclopaedia of World Pop Music 1980-2001 in his spare time. He spent a dozen or so years touring the globe with any band who'd have him. Laughably, he called this a job. His first Jam album was All Mod Cons and his first Jam show was in Leicester during the 1979 Setting Sons tour. Currently, he lives in Andalusia, Spain, where he struggles to make himself understood by the natives.
ebook
(0)
The Pretenders 1978–1990
Every Album, Every Song
by Richard Butterworth
Part of the On Track series
Dinner with David Bowie, a kiss from Jackie Wilson, close encounters with Iggy Pop, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. She was not even 20, still less a rock goddess, but Chrissie Hynde wasn't hanging around. The talented, charismatic writer-singer escaped Ohio for Britain in 1973, hoping to form a rock'n'roll band. She befriended journalist Nick Kent, designer Vivienne Westwood, hustler Malcolm McLaren and famous musicians from Nick Lowe to Lemmy. She wrote for The NME and narrowly avoided becoming Mrs. Sid Vicious. Meeting Pete Farndon, James Honeyman-Scott and Martin Chambers, Chrissie finally realised her dream: The Pretenders, one of the world's most exciting, enduring and best-loved rock groups.
The Pretenders proved revelatory, lashing hard rock to the sexy, sassy swagger of streetwise punk and catchy, chart-busting pop. 'Brass In Pocket' was a worldwide hit. America took to its heart the ex-pat from the Heartlands, as Chrissie became an international star and a reluctant flagbearer for rock's sisterhood.
Weathering tragic loss, The Pretenders have continued to make great music. Combining dry wit with diligent research and a deep knowledge of rock music, Richard Butterworth appraises The Pretenders' turbulent, vital early years: from Chrissie's arrival in Britain, through the band's 1978 birth to 1990 and their fifth album. Enjoy the ride.
The Author:
Richard Butterworth's grown-up career began in advertising, first as a paste-up artist, later as a graphic designer. Settling on copywriting, for years he reaped the pleasures, pains and penury of freelancing. As a lifelong believer in the healing and redemptive power of music, however, he knew that humankind's highest art-form would eventually saddle up and ride him into the sunset. Today Richard lives in Cornwall with his partner Sue, a golden retriever and CD shelf-space in managed but perpetual decline. He still reads and writes about the music he loved before he was a grown-up.