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Michael Head

Ciao Ciao Bambino - Signed Edition

    For over forty years, Michael Head has been creating inspirational music that is rooted in the streets of Liverpool. He formed Pale Fountains with his friend Chris McCaffrey in the early 1980s, and then after McCaffrey tragically died from a brain tumour, he went on to create Shack with his brother John. But during a career that has been beset with tragedy, addiction, loss and bad luck, Head has continued to create exceptional music - and in 2022 he had his biggest commercial success with The Red Elastic Band's Dear Scott.

    This is Head's story. It is a story of growing up in Liverpool, of thwarted dreams, self-sabotage, chronic substance abuse, homelessness and brushes with death. It is also a story of an under-appreciated genius, of transcendental songs and the healing power of art and music and family and love.

    This is the life-affirming story of Michael Head, told in his own poetic voice, a man who walked barefoot over broken glass for forty years before the world caught up with what the faithful already knew: this man is Britain's greatest songwriter.

    Franklyn Addo

    A Quick Ting On: Grime

      From pirate radio to Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage, journalist and rapper Franklyn Addo pens an extraordinary narrative of the history, present and future of Grime music. The influence of Grime on contemporary British culture is difficult to understate. From fashion trends and evolving language to potent political statements, Grime is a musical juggernaut that has reverberated far throughout British society.

      Chronicled for the first time in powerful literary prose, Addo intelligently documents the genre's cultural explosion and investigates how it became the voice of a generation. A phenomenal insight into the captivating and electrifying genre that has taken the British music scene by storm, A Quick Ting On: Grime is an essential and long-awaited read for Stormzy aficionados and grime newcomers alike.

      Ian Wade

      1984: The Year Pop Went Queer

        In 1984, pop came out of the closet - even if not all of the artists felt that they could - and, in the process, charted the course of the rest of the decade. In 1984: The Year Pop Went Queer, writer and musician Ian Wade charts where these artists, including Queen, George Michael, David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Madonna - who all enjoyed chart success in 1984 - were during that epoch-making year. It studies the impact these groundbreaking musicians had before, during and after on the gay community and popular culture, and it demonstrates how they were able to break down barriers, raise consciousness and set in motion the first nascent ripples in a pond that are still being felt today. As a backdrop, it explores the strides made in the name of the cause and how the wider surrounding culture reacted with equal parts glee, bafflement and disgust.

        Luke Haines

        Freaks Out! : Weirdos, Misfits And Deviants - The Rise And Fall Of Righteous Rock 'n' Roll

          The followers - this book is not for you. The salt of the earth - this book is not for you. The worthy - this book is not for you.

          The ideologists - this book is not for you. Hedonists and bohemians - this book is not for you. The middlebrow - this book is not for you.

          The highbrow - this book is not for you. Dilettantes - this book is not for you. 1970s middle school RE teachers - this book is not for you.

          The England football team (women's and men's) - this book is not for you. The litanists - this book is not for you. Gatekeepers - this book is not for you.

          Gamekeepers - this book is not for you. (Not even for the poachers...)The curators - this book is not for you. The left, the right - this book is not for you.

          The list-makers - lists are for shoppers not rockers, and this book is not for you. This is not a list - this is a manifesto, and this book is for ... the Freaks.

          Musician and author Luke Haines embarks on an odyssey through the ages, exploring how the 'freaks' infiltrated modern culture - and almost won the rock 'n' roll wars - only to lose to the rise of Cool Britannia and TV 'talent' shows that turned the strange and the outsiders into fodder for laughter. In this ultimate celebration of freakdom, Haines tells the story of pivotal freaks - including Johnnie Ray, Gene Vincent, Hank Marvin, Syd Barrett, the Incredible String Band and Big Youth - through the prism of rock 'n' roll and explains how freaks infiltrated wider culture through history in the form of the Cathars, the Ranters, Hells Angels and the Yippies. Part memoir, part manifesto, Freaks Out! is a righteous alternate history of rock 'n' roll.

          Tony Fletcher

          A Light That Never Goes Out : The Enduring Saga Of The Smiths

            To this day, they were, their fans believe, the best band in the world. Critics and sales figures told a similar story. Yet for all their brilliance and adoration – their famously energetic live shows routinely interrupted by stage invasions – The Smiths were continually plagued by their reticence to play the game, and by the time of 1987’s Strangeways Here We Come, they had split.

            Tony Fletcher's A Light That Never Goes Out - part celebration, part paean – moves from Manchester in the nineteenth-century to the present day to tell the complete story of The Smiths. The product of extensive research and unprecedented access, it will serve to confirm The Smiths as one of the most important and influential rock groups of all time.

            Julian Cope

            Head-On/Repossessed

              Julian Cope's highly acclaimed autobiography and its long-awaited sequel in one extraordinary volume. Julian Cope shot to fame with eighties band ‘Teardrop Explodes' during the Punk era. Hailed as a visionary by those people who recognise his genius and a madman by those who find him perplexing, he has become a cult figure in the music world.

              Head-On/Repossessed is written in Cope's own inimitable style and follows his journey through a time of incredible change within the music industry. Head-on is the highly acclaimed autobiography that The Observer viewed as “book of the year” when it was first released. Repossesed picks up in 1983 where Head On ends and continues up until 1989.

              Carli Munoz

              A Fool's Journey : To The Beach Boys And Beyond

                Cutting his musical teeth in a Puerto Rican jazz club in the 1960s, Carli Munoz came of age during the countercultural flowering of that era; he lived for music, knowledge, and the mind-expanding magic of LSD. Wanting to expand creative horizons for his successful psychedelic rock band, Munoz flew to New York on a whim with 11 dollars in his pocket and embarked on a deep dive into the gritty scene of gigs, girls, and trips, struggling to fill his pockets with dollars and his belly with food. Free-falling into the dark underbelly of the city, Munoz ended up homeless and penniless until an epiphany on the subway brought him back to the surface. On the cusp of a new decade, Munoz moved to LA to fight for a new life and a second chance. Hanging out in Houdini's old mansion in Laurel Canyon, he watched the free-loving idealism of the '60s melt into the disco-and-cocaine-saturated hedonism of the '70s, until one day he found himself on tour with the Beach Boys. He became close friends with Dennis Wilson - a friendship that ranged from pranking each other to working on an album together to watching him spiral irretrievably into self-destruction. He witnessed the feud between Mike Love and the Wilsons firsthand, as well as the unchecked instability of Brian Wilson. Despite the chaos and power struggles within the band, Munoz was able to create enthralling music with them, as well as with some of the other popular musicians of the '70s, including Wilson Pickett, the Association, George Benson, and Peter Cetera. Populated with an eclectic cast of artists, musicians, clairvoyants, record producers, hippies, hobos, and superstars, A Fool's Journey is a vivid snapshot of an era-defining moment that will never be repeated. Although Munoz toured with the Beach Boys for ten years and partied with rock stars, he was also just an island kid from Puerto Rico, forever in exile, forever 'the other.' The story of his journey is as compelling as it is timely.

                Third Man Books Present

                Maggot Brain (Issue #14)

                  The Fall 2023 issue is jam-packed! Cover boy HARRY SMITH shines thanks to a cheeky, never-before published photo by Allen Ginsberg. We celebrate the life and work of the self-described “ethnopharmacologist” just in time for the release of John Szwed’s illuminating biography and Smith’s first one-person art exhibition, at the Whitney, with three killer, well-illustrated features (on his Anthology of American Folk Music, an interview by Marc Masters with Szwed, and a terrific dive into Smith’s relationship with fellow visual artist and filmmaker Jordan Belson by Raymond Foye). Also in this issue: Andy Beta on the reissue of a forgotten LOU REED record. Excerpts from two revelatory works—ANDY ZAX’s Extinctophonics, and CHRISTINA WARD’s Holy Food. Kathy Lindenmayer witnesses a show by BOYGENIUS. An archival interview with fabric arts pioneer and Bauhaus OG, ANNI ALBERS. An illustrated ADVANCE BASE tour diary by Owen Ashworth. Tamara Palmer considers the oddball career arc of ORBITAL. v Andy Beta goes deep on TETSU INOUE. Nate Lippens goes off on RENE RICARD and other obsessions. And Michelle Dove on CAT POWER’s sense of humor! Plus illustrations throughout by MARLY BEYER; and columns by LUCY SANTE, MIMI LIPSON, DWIGHT PAVLOVIC, and editor MIKE McGONIGAL; tributes to SIXTO RODRIGUEZ, ESP SUMMER, and PEE-WEE HERMAN; and the triumphant return of the UNSTAPLED column, with reproductions of a contemporary basketball fanzine.

                  Ian Broudie

                  Tomorrow's Here Today : Lightning Seeds, Football And Cosmic Post-Punk

                    'One of the greatest rock 'n' roll stories of the past 50 years recounted with warmth and wisdom' - Hot PressFew musicians have lived a musical life as rich as the songwriter and producer Ian Broudie. From recording the glorious uplifting psychedelic pop of his band The Lightning Seeds to producing bands like Echo & The Bunnymen and The Fall, Ian has journeyed from the energy and potential of the 1970s punk scene to the madness of '90s indie - and out the other side. Throughout nearly fifty years of making music, he has had a front-row seat working with generations of fantastic musicians in the creation of countless groundbreaking records. In Tomorrow's Here Today, he reveals what he has learnt about creativity, how to work with musicians touched by genius and what it is like to stumble through an exploding industry without losing sight of your dreams. Along the way, Ian shares how he wrote the million-selling album Jollification and how - along with the comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner - he wrote and recorded the only single in chart history to reach number one in the UK on four separate occasions. 'Three Lions' has since become the undisputed unofficial anthem of English football, soundtracking heartbreaking defeats as well as the wondrous victories of the Lionesses. Following 2022's long-awaited Lightning Seeds comeback, Ian reflects on a life of cosmic adventures spent in thrall to the power of music.

                    The Gaslight Anthem

                    History Books

                      Like so many of the most essential rock bands, The Gaslight Anthem have a rare gift for finding glory in the inescapable pain of being alive. On their new album History Books—their first new music in over nine years—the New Jersey-bred four-piece bring their soulful breed of punk to ten thrilling songs exploring everything from mortality to mental illness to the more precarious dimensions of human connection. In the tradition of their seminal sophomore album The ’59 Sound, The Gaslight Anthem’s sixth full-length ultimately achieves the tremendous feat of hitting every raw nerve while endlessly inspiring wildly triumphant singing-along.

                      “A lot of this record is questioning all the bad stuff we see in the world and the difficult things we go through in life, and asking how to deal with it,” says vocalist/guitarist Brian Fallon, whose bandmates include drummer Benny Horowitz, bassist Alex Levine, and lead guitarist Alex Rosamilia. “I think the answer is that we’re all in this together and that somehow makes it okay, even when it’s anything but easy. The main message of the album is empathy.”

                      The first release from their own Rich Mahogany Recordings (a label distributed via Thirty Tigers), History Books finds The Gaslight Anthem working with acclaimed producer/engineer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Death Cab for Cutie) and recording at his Bridgeport, CT-based Tarquin Studios. Featuring a guest appearance from longtime Gaslight Anthem champion Bruce Springsteen, History Books matches its unfussy yet gracefully crafted sound with the force-of-nature energy that’s defined the band since getting their start playing basement shows back in the mid-aughts.

                      “Making this album clarified that we want to keep doing what we’ve always done—because no one else can do it in quite the same way, and that’s something I’ve started to become very proud of,” says Fallon. “At the end of the day it’s just rock-and-roll music, but I really do believe it can have a positive impact on people’s lives. I think there’s so much beauty and magic in that.”

                      TRACK LISTING

                      1. Spider Bites
                      2. History Books
                      3. Autumn
                      4. Positive Charge
                      5. Michigan, 1975
                      6. Little Fires
                      7. The Weatherman
                      8. Empires
                      9. I Live In The Room Above Her
                      10. A Lifetime Of Preludes

                      Michel Faber

                      Listen : On Music, Sound And Us

                        'I'm not here to change your mind about Dusty Springfield or Shostakovich or Tupac Shakur or synthpop. I'm here to change your mind about your mind.' There are countless books on music with much analysis given to musicians, bands, eras and/or genres. But rarely does a book delve into what's going on inside us when we listen.

                        Michel Faber explores two big questions: how we listen to music and why we listen to music. To answer these he considers biology, age, illness, the notion of 'cool', commerce, the dichotomy between 'good' and 'bad' taste and, through extensive interviews with musicians, unlocks some surprising answers. From the award-winning author of The Crimson Petal and the White and Under the Skin, this curious and celebratory book reflects Michel Faber's lifelong obsession with music of all kinds.

                        Listen will change your relationship with the heard world.

                        Lesley-Ann Jones

                        Fly Away Paul : The Extraordinary Story Of How Paul McCartney Survived The Beatles And Found His Wings

                          the remarkable account of Paul McCartney's time in Wings and ascent into solo stardom, by renowned music biographer Lesley-Ann JonesNo comprehensive biography of the time Paul McCartney spent with Wings has ever been published, until now. A period often dismissed as McCartney's 'missing' years, in fact the band lasted for a decade: two years longer than the Beatles, and wielded such impact and influence that they at one point achieved the status as the biggest live band in the world. Band on the Run sold over 6 million copies worldwide and became EMI's biggest selling album of the 1970s in the UK.

                          Music biographer Lesley-Ann Jones has met McCartney many times and knew his late wife Linda. Here she shows how crucial Linda was to the evolution of Wings - at great cost to herself given the ridicule she was to encounter. But Linda saw that McCartney needed the band in the wake of the break up of the Beatles.

                          Drawing on extensive interviews and her trademark meticulous research, the author shows how this period in Paul McCartney's career was to become crucial not only to his development as an artist, but to his very survival.

                          Jane Duffus

                          These Things Happen : The Sarah Records Story

                            This is the definitive history of Sarah Records; the Bristol-based label that signed the acts no major label would touch but who you wanted to hear.

                            Sarah put out a board game, produced cut 'n' paste fanzines and stuck two fingers up to the mainstream music industry. Sarah was your secret world and it was located in the heart of Bristol. Sarah Records lasted for seven years, nine months and 11 days.

                            In These Things Happen, those who were there at the beating heart of the indie-pop world reveal the deepest, darkest secrets of what really went into making Sarah’s pop masterpieces. Featuring almost 130 interviews, including at least one member of every single band (as well as the world exclusive first interview with Christine of Christine’s Cat fame), this book is an oral history of a defining moment in pop history.

                            Who stripped naked on stage to another band’s drum solo? Why did Julian Knowles sleep with his boots on his stomach in Hull? Whatever happened to Mr James C Urchin? All of these burning questions and more will be answered in this book. With no tatty old gig flyer left unturned in the pursuit of exposing the true political pop pandemonium that went on in the wonderful world of Sarah Records.

                            Mark Hodkinson

                            No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy : Memoirs Of A Working-Class Reader

                              Mark Hodkinson grew up among the terrace houses of Rochdale in a house with just one book. Today, Mark is an author, journalist and publisher. He still lives in Rochdale but is now surrounded by 3,500 titles, at the last count.

                              No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy is his story of growing up a working-class lad during the 1970s and 1980s. It's about the schools, the music, the people - but pre-eminently and profoundly the books and authors that led the way and shaped his life. It's about a family who didn't see the point of reading, and a troubled grandad who taught Mark the power of stories.

                              It's also a story of how writing and reading has changed over the last five decades.

                              STAFF COMMENTS

                              Laura says: This is a fantastic book. A beautifully written tale of growing up in a northern town in the 70s and 80s and discovering the power of books and music. There's also a lovely thread running through the book of Mark's relationship with his grandad. Maybe it resonated so much with me as I'm of a similar age, but I think regardless of when or where you grew up, this is a really wonderful read.

                              Paul Rees

                              Shooting Star : The Definitive Story Of Elliott Smith

                                'Elliott was one of the best songwriters of our day and a formidable musician.' - Beck'There's an undercurrent of real sadness in a lot of his music ... and that's just really the way he was.' - Steve Drozd, Flaming Lips'I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous.' - Elliott Smith, speaking in 1997In 2003, Steven 'Elliott' Smith died from two stab wounds to the heart. To this day, the autopsy evidence remains inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of homicide.

                                Either way, this tragic end to Elliott's short-lived though prodigiously talented life became the dark denouement of a story riddled with depression, mental illness, addiction and chronic substance abuse. Yet it is also a story of worldwide critical acclaim, of Oscar nominations and of some of the finest recorded music of the late twentieth century. Now, two decades after Elliott's death, Shooting Star seeks to encapsulate the many complexities of this shy, funny, engaging, enigmatic musician and his desperately troubled soul.

                                With contributions from those closest to Elliott who have not previously spoken about their friend, this masterful biography places the singer-songwriter's vulnerabilities and decline within the broader context of all that he achieved: the sheer, stark beauty of the records he made and the resounding impact they went on to have across a whole spectrum of contemporary music. This is the definitive account of Elliott Smith - a once-in-a-generation artist.

                                Third Man Books Present

                                Maggot Brain (Issue #12)

                                  The cover feature celebrates the enduring, luminous genius of DOLLY PARTON, with a revealing conversation between Caryn Rose and Lynn Melnick on how her music quite literally saved Melnick’s life. ALSO IN THE ISSUE: OCTAVIA BUTLER – The very full transcript of editor Mike McGonigal’s lengthy, in-depth talk with the sci-fi feminist visionary, from 1997. The entire transcript has never appeared in print. ROLIN-POWERS – The great Michelle Dove on what makes these avant-folk lovebirds tick, and why you should care. THE CLEAN + HAMISH KILGOUR – An epic, archival interview with the band from 15 years ago, plus a fresh look thanks to Michael Galinsky at why Hamish meant so much to so many. The Clean were our favorite contemporary rock band. FRED TOMASELLI – Many pages of his delightful reworkings of New York Times front pages, plus an insightful interview with one of our finest contemporary artists. CRAZY DOBERMAN – Erick’s Bradshaw delivers an epic, well-illustrated tour diary of a brief jaunt with these noise greats. Plus also – Composer TAYONDAI BRAXTON by Katy Henricksen! – a meaty, beautiful feature on DR. PETE LARSON by Fred Thomas, worlds collide! – An amazing LUCY SANTE column! – Cassette tapes! – Reissue of the issue is the ‘Saturn 2’ comp of obscure Midwestern ‘90s shoegaze! – The Bay Area’s deliriously good new band GALORE by Jessica Beard! – A beloved celebrity writes in to Mimi Lipson’s advice column! – A lengthy excerpt from a great unpublished novel by DAVID GORDON! – Editor Mike McGonigal’s tribute to Tom Verlaine! – And we think that’s everything, hard to really know, as we always pack so much into every issue because we love you!

                                  Scott G. Shea

                                  All The Leaves Are Brown : How The Mamas & The Papas Came Together And Broke Apart

                                    "An expertly-researched, densely detailed, and likely definitive bio ... The book that finally tells the full story of the music and madness that was the relatively brief--but era-defining--lifespan of the Mamas and the Papas."--Houston Press

                                    "Given the personal lives of these singers, Scott Shea's book might qualify for the horror genre rather than history or biography. But then there's the music--which was startling, distinctive, and unforgettable. For a generation, these songs have served as monuments to major moments in life. All the Leaves Are Brown is a hard read for its sorrow, but rewarding for its insights into the art of a unique and profoundly influential band."-- Mike Aquilina, songwriter, TV host, and co-author of Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth

                                    "Scott Shea takes us on the wild ride that was The Mamas & The Papas with terrific detail, refreshing honesty, and perhaps best of all, a true love of their music. All the Leaves Are Brown had me from page one."--Sheila Weller, author of New York Times bestseller Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation

                                    "The Mamas & The Papas' story is wilder than any work of fiction and Scott Shea is the first author to tell it objectively and in full. This is a book I could not put down."--Bill Flanagan, author of Fifty in Reverse: A Novel

                                    Drawing on previously published memoirs of band members and new interviews with those who knew them, radio producer Shea crafts an impersonal but intriguing compilation of the accounts, song development, and relationship entanglements that led to the fast rise and extraordinary fall of the Mamas & the Papas. The book primarily focuses on John Phillips, from his troubled childhood as the son of an abusive, alcohol-addicted parent, to his complicated first marriage and his attempts to become a serious folk musician. Then Phillips met aspiring model Michelle Gilliam, and their relationship became the catalyst for his best-known songs, "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday." Phillips soon brought Cass Elliot into the group, along with tenor Dennis Doherty. As a band, the Mamas & the Papas recorded five albums, with 10 hits, in the 1960s. Drugs, affairs, jealousies as Mama Cass becomes the breakout star, and an embarrassing set as the closing act for Phillips's Monterey International Pop Festival soon led to the band's demise. VERDICT Shea's matter-of-fact journalistic style prevents sensationalism from overtaking this study of the Mamas & the Papas' powerful influence and importance.

                                    Third Man Books Present

                                    Maggot Brain (Issue #13)

                                      Maggot Brain is a quarterly magazine edited by Mike McGonigal, a prominent writer from Detroit. The magazine is full-color and consists of over 100 pages filled with exceptional content, including art, music, literature, unpublished archival material, and more. Its unique feature is that it solely exists in print form. Contents of Maggot Brain #13: The cover showcases a fresh design, as the magazine's logo changes every three issues. It highlights a captivating live photograph of the iconic musician Prince.

                                      Highlighted columns in this issue: A delightful contribution by Lucy Sante, a renowned contemporary nonfiction writer who has been featured in every previous edition, making her our favorite. The return of the hip-hop column, featuring Paula Perry this time. An insightful reissue column focusing on the band Moss Icon from the 1990s, written by Fred Thomas. Mimi Lipson's exceptional advice column. A feature on Kim Jung Mi, a Korean pop psych legend. Dorothy Berry shares her experiences as a Black individual in experimental music spaces. Maggot Brain #13 is now available, and the magazine is thrilled to present its readers with this exciting edition. The new cover design perfectly complements the stunning live shot of Prince, and readers can expect a diverse range of engaging content within its pages.

                                      Chris Blackwell

                                      The Islander : My Life In Music And Beyond

                                        'An adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary' - BONOAs the founder of Island Records, fabled music producer Chris Blackwell has discovered and worked with some of the most important musicians of the second half of the twentieth century - from Steve Winwood to Cat Stevens, Bob Marley to Grace Jones, U2 to Roxy Music, plus countless others. He is also widely credited with having brought reggae music to the world stage. Now, as reflects on his life, Blackwell takes us back to the island where it all began: Jamaica - the place where his family once partied with the likes of Noel Coward, Ian Fleming and Errol Flynn and where, as Jamaican local music began to adopt contemporary American trends, Blackwell's burgeoning musical instincts flourished.

                                        It was also the birthplace of the now-legendary Island Records, founded by Blackwell in 1959. Five years later, while living in London selling Jamaican records to Caribbean immigrants, Blackwell came across the vocal talents of teenager Millie Small, who he paired with the song 'My Boy Lollipop'. The producer added a ska beat and released what would be a worldwide hit.

                                        But this was just the beginning of a truly remarkable career. In this fascinating memoir, including up to fifty photos supplied by Blackwell's team, the music icon will discuss the many artists he's worked with over the years, as well as unpicking the initiatives, decisions and risks that ultimately brought such success to both Blackwell and his esteemed musical collaborators.

                                        Nick Cave

                                        The Sick Bag Song - Reprint

                                          The Sick Bag Song chronicles Cave's 22-city journey around North America in 2014. Racked by romantic longing and exhaustion, Cave teases out the significant moments - the people, the books and the music - that have influenced and inspired him, and drops them into his sick bag. The book began its life scribbled onto airline sick bags and later evolves into a restless contemporary epic, exploring love, loss, inspiration and memory.

                                          Bob Stanley

                                          Bee Gees : Children Of The World

                                            The world is full of Bee Gees fans. Yet, for a band of such renown, little is known about Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb. Weren't two of them twins? Didn't one of them marry Lulu? Where does Andy fit into the Gibb family tree? And why did they storm out of that Clive Anderson interview?People tend to have their favourite era of the Bee Gees' career, but many listeners are also conscious that there is more to uncover about the band.

                                            This book will provide the perfect route in, pulling together every fascinating strand to tell the story of a group with the imagination of the Beatles, the pop craft of ABBA, the drama of Fleetwood Mac and the emotional heft of the Beach Boys. Uniquely, the Bee Gees' tale spans the entire modern pop era - they are the only group to have scored British top-ten singles in the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s - and includes world-conquering disco successes like 'Stayin' Alive' and 'More Than a Woman', both from the soundtrack of hit film Saturday Night Fever. But the Bee Gees' extraordinary career was one of highs and lows.

                                            From a vicious but temporary split in 1969 to several unreleased albums, disastrous TV and film appearances, and a demoralising cabaret season, the group weren't always revelling in the glow of million-selling albums, private jets and UNICEF concerts. Yet, even in the Gibbs' darkest times, their music was rarely out of the charts, as sung by the likes of Al Green, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, and Destiny's Child. Capturing the human story at the heart of the Bee Gees, this book will be a lyrical and stylish read, delighting hardcore fans with its details while engaging casual pop readers who simply want to know more about this important and enigmatic group.

                                            Nige Tassell

                                            Whatever Happened To The C86 Kids? : An Indie Odyssey

                                              In 1986, the NME released a cassette that would shape music for years to come. A collection of twenty-two independently signed guitar-based bands, C86 was the sound and ethos that defined a generation. It was also arguably the point at which 'indie' was born.

                                              But what happened next to all those musical dreamers? Some of the bands, like Primal Scream, went on to achieve global stardom; others, such as Half Man Half Biscuit and the Wedding Present, cultivated lifelong fanbases that still sustain their careers thirty-five years later. Then there were the rest, who ultimately imploded in a riot of paisley shirts, bad drugs and general indifference from the record-buying public. Now, for the first time, music journalist Nige Tassell tracks down the class of C86 and recounts their stories, both tragic and uplifting.

                                              Yet, while the pursuit of long-lost musicians can often manifest as earnest hagiography, Tassell's unique, light-hearted approach makes this a very human story of ambition, hope, varying degrees of talent and what happens after you give up on pop - or, more precisely, after pop gives up on you. It's a world populated by bike-shop owners, architecture professors, dance-music producers, record-store proprietors, birdwatchers, solicitors, caricaturists and even a possible Olympic sailor - and let's not forget the musician-turned-actor gainfully employed as Jeremy Irons' body double... More than simply the tale of the tape, Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids? is an exploration of C86's wide-reaching and often surprising legacy.

                                              Nick Cave

                                              The Complete Lyrics : 1978-2022

                                                The complete lyrics from cultural icon and bestselling author Nick Cave, spanning his entire career to date, with a new foreword by Andrew O'HaganFrom Nick Cave's writing for The Birthday Party, through highly acclaimed albums like Murder Ballads, Henry's Dream, DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!! and Ghosteen, this is a must-have book for all fans of the dark, the beautiful and the defiant - for all fans of the songs of Nick Cave. 'The greatest living songwriter' NME'A glowing wire, a mainline to meaning ad feeling and art' New Yorker'Nick Cave is a true lyrical master. He can conjure empathy and hope out of thin air, light out of darkness' Cillian Murphy'His lyrics - so rich in the toils of love, so committed to memory and everlasting presence - are the best-made of his generation' Andrew O'Hagan'A poetic craftsman' Will Self'Alternative rock legend' Billboard'Cave's genius rings loud and clear' Evening StandardCover art by Aleksandra Waliszewska

                                                John Robb

                                                The Art Of Darkness: A History Of Goth - SIGNED EDITION

                                                  The first ever complete overview of Goth culture will be released in 2023.

                                                  Finally, after a decade of work, countless interviews and immersing himself into the culture, John Robb's definitive book is a journey far into The Art Of Darkness. The first in-depth book on Goth is a deep dive into the enduring culture and the social, historical and political backdrop that created the space for The Art Of Darkness to thrive.

                                                  680 pages with interviews with the likes of Andrew Eldritch, Killing Joke, Bauhaus, The Cult, The Banshees, The Damned, Einsturzende Neubauten, Danielle Dax, Johnny Marr, Trent Reznor, Adam Ant, Laibach, The Cure, Nick Cave and many others, this is a deepdive and walk on the dark side and into the very heartland of Goth.

                                                  Every generation has got to deal with the blues - embrace the melancholy. Find a beauty in the darkness, a poetry in sex and death...Whether it’s the Roman love of ghost stories, European macabre folk tales of the Middle Ages, Romantic poets, or the original Gothic tribes sacking the Eternal City, a walk on the dark side has always had its attractions. In the post-punk period, Generation Xerox saw music, clothes and culture come together to create one of the most enduring pop cultures of them all that still resonates to this day..
                                                  Goth.
                                                  It may have been a retrospective term for a scene that was already thriving, but its back story goes back millennia. The book starts with the fall of Rome and ends with Instagram and Tik Tok influencers, taking diversions through Lord Byron, European folk tales, Indian sadhus, Gothic architecture, Romantic poets, philosophers and idealists before coalescing through the dark end of the Sixties’ youthquake, and then blooming like Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs Du Mal in the post-punk period.

                                                  Defying the broken heartland of the post-industrial cities, the semi-forgotten satellite towns and the grim real politic of the Thatcher years, this was a post-punk culture full of dark dance and a death disco. The music soundtracked the style and a Stygian obsidian soundtrack fused the many fragments of culture that had been flirted with in the post-war pop narrative; a darker culture that began to coalesce around the holy trinity of the Doors, the Velvets and the Stooges in the late Sixties before flirting with glam rock, being amplified by punk, exploding as Goth, and then splintering into electronic dance music, industrial, psychobilly and new Goth, before finally filtering through dystopian Hollywood blockbusters, modern literature and throughout the modern world.

                                                  In the late Seventies, Goth culture emerged around a clutch of bands who found a new form of beauty in the apocalyptic foreboding, as a new youth tribe took glam rock from the catwalk to the cobbles and onto their own dance floors, creating their own art of darkness.


                                                  Third Man Books Present

                                                  Maggot Brain (Issue #11)

                                                    Maggot Brain is a full-color, quarterly magazine edited by noted Detroit scribe Mike McGonigal: 100+ pages packed with phenomenal content – art, music, literature, unpublished archival material, and more – with a simple promise to only exist on the printed page.

                                                    ON THE COVER: This issue is dedicated to the memory of astral traveling saxophone colossus PHAROAH SANDERS, with a tremendous evaluation of his most important work by the great music writer Andy Beta as the cover feature, rare images by Leni Sinclair, and a brief remembrance by film director Jeff Feuerzeig.

                                                    COLUMNS: - Lucy Sante - New column is about her collage practice, which was unknown until recently. Unsurprisingly it’s great work. - Mimi Lipson – Returns with another advice column filled with warmth, humor, and even advice.

                                                    JAZZ ROUNDTABLE – with Ben Jaffe, Sam Cohen, Bekah Flynn, and Makaya McCraven: New Orleans’ entire history as refracted through the work of Charlie Gabriel of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, an absolutely deep and important piece we are so stoked for.

                                                    THINKING FELLERS – An overview related to new reissues, written by none other than your favorite writer from Bananafish.

                                                    SOME CHURCHES – Amazing images of small churches, rural and urban, from the collection of the Library of Congress.

                                                    ALSO FEATURING: MICK COLLINS – Tremendous career-spanning feature on the Gories/Dirtbombs frontman by the great RJ Smith. LAMBCHOP – A great new album for Merge and an expansive theater piece Kathy Lindenmayer goes deep with leader Kurt Wagner. XV – Detroit’s new no wave supergroup deconstructs an interview, with musician Adam Taub. GHOST RIDERS – ‘60s/‘70s North American downer psych-pop/ garage “Coming of Age Garage Ballads,” Glen Morren turns in a lengthy overview. ERNEST HOOD – A feature on the heralded Pac NW ambient composer, amazing ephemera to choose from courtesy the RVNG peeps. THE HI RHYTHM SECTION - Tennie, Charles, and Leroy! An often hilarious feature by Jason Gross from Perfect Sound Forever. EDEL RODRIGUEZ – Contemporary Cuban-American graphic artist interviewed by Britt Daniel from Spoon – they’ve collaborated together. WEDNESDAY KNUDSEN – An overview of the work of this genius rural Massachusetts- based contemporary zone folk goddess, by Michelle Dove. ALPACA BROTHERS – In depth feature by Matt Goody (whose new book on Flying Nun’s history is a must). MATTHEW DICKMAN – The great skater poet and poet/skater, introduced by Alex Behr. CHARLES GILLAM SR – Gabe from Desert Island interviews the New Orleans-based music obsessive and folk artist. KING KONG – Former Homestead Records honcho Ken Katkin is here with ten trenchant observations on a reunion show by Louisville’s finest.

                                                    Rick Rubin

                                                    The Creative Act : A Way Of Being

                                                      Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day and then ages out. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable.

                                                      Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn't, he has learned that being an artist isn't about your specific output; it's about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone's life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, there are few more important responsibilities.

                                                      The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distils the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime's work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments - and lifetimes - of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.


                                                      Johnny Cash

                                                      Forever Words : The Unknown Poems

                                                        Since his first recordings in 1955, Johnny Cash has been an icon in the music world. In his newly discovered poems and song lyrics, we see the world through his eyes. The poetry reveals his depth of understanding, both of the world around him and within - his frailties and his strengths alike.

                                                        He pens verses in his hallmark voice, reflecting upon love, pain, freedom, fame and mortality. Illustrated with facsimile reproductions of Cash's own handwritten pages, Forever Words is a remarkable addition to the canon of one of America's heroes. His music is a part of our collective history, and here he demonstrates the depth of his talent as a writer.

                                                        Edited and introduced by Paul Muldoon, with a foreword by John Carter Cash, this is a book sure to delight and surprise fans the world over.


                                                        Third Man Books Present

                                                        Maggot Brain (Issue #10)

                                                          Cover art by Detroit-based graphic artist Lucy Cahill depicts Wanda Jackson as an alien because why not; with additional recent works by her inside the issue.

                                                          Glasgow’s justly beloved Belle & Sebastian, hot on the heels of a US tour and their best record in ages, deliver unto us decades’ worth of posters and ephemera, with an interview with Suart Murdoch on the history of the group’s aesthetics.

                                                          Novelist and longtime friend David Gordon lets us run the full text of his archival talk with celebrated painter and author Duncan Hannah (RIP – and yes he goes into detail about the Lou Reed incident described in Please Kill Me).

                                                          Kevin Esquire spent hours with Motown’s almost-star from the 1960s and ’70s, Christina Carter, and we have unpublished archival images and many amazing anecdotes.

                                                          Speaking of Motown, did you know that the son of the great Marxist/ Black liberation activist CLR James was in “mixed race” band Odyssey, who had a record on Motown? We have a great feature on that.

                                                          Fascinating discussion between guitarist-singer-songriter-innovators Chris Forsyth and Steve Wynn.

                                                          We have an amazing excerpt from Ben Berton’s new book on Dan Treacy and the TV Personalities, detailing how the first 7” came together and John Peel inadvertently named the band.

                                                          Nate Carlson goes deep on the Tony Iommi era of Black Sabbath.

                                                          Why Buffy Saint-Marie matters, now more than ever, by writer and musician Emily Pothast.

                                                          One of our favorite writers, Sara Jaffe, tells us how her own grandfather wrote the song “I’m My Own Grandpa”! No, really! That alone is worth admission.

                                                          Plus also too – there’s a terrific and long and excellently illustrated feature on the country and experimental steel guitarist Barry Walker Jr by Tom Humphrey. Our SF Indie Scene Report: 2022 is so well done that it’s going to knock your socks off. Plus Lucy Sante and Mimi Lipson and the tape column and Katie Lass on her soon-to-be classic ‘Hypnopomp’ LP and the great Jay Ruttenberg on Sessa, whew. Plus also of course beautiful images galore, and more besides.

                                                          Third Man Books Present

                                                          Maggot Brain (Issue #8)

                                                            Maggot Brain is a full-color, quarterly magazine edited by noted Detroit scribe Mike McGonigal: 100+ pages packed with phenomenal content – art, music, literature, unpublished archival material, and more – with a simple promise to only exist on the printed page. The cover feature is an epic, really long timeline of images and interview with the modern king of arts portrait photography, Michael Lavine. 

                                                            Amazing archival images by Gail Butensky and reflections on Pavement + what we think is the band’s first new interview in a decade in anticipation of their reusion shows and events later this year

                                                            •Tom Scharpling talks about prog rock with Matt Berry

                                                            •a lengthy interview with the SF-based dreamy pop band Cindy by editor Mike McGonigal + Reuben Radding’s killer photos and review of a recent show in Brooklyn by Chicago’s Irreversible Entanglements

                                                            • Ana Gavrilovska on why sax player and drone composer Lea Bertucci matters +Sara Jaffe on how essayist Aisha Sabatini Sloan is a genius

                                                            Third Man Books Present

                                                            Maggot Brain (Issue #7)

                                                              The Winter 2021/22 issue of Third Man Books & Records’ MAGGOT BRAIN magazine (DEC/ JAN/ FEB) is extra packed with killer stuff.

                                                              • THE FRONT COVER is a gorgeous 1981 backstage photo of LOU REED, subject of a phenomenal feature by former NY Rocker contributor LISA JANE PERSKY

                                                              INSIDE you will also find:
                                                              • GRATEFUL DEAD: KURT VILE tries to explain them to none other than TOM SCHARPLING
                                                              • A special new piece about the making of the Velvet Underground’s LOADED
                                                              • MYRIAM GENDRON: Track by track guide to her highly anticipated second album
                                                              • LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY: Reprint of the best feature we ever read about him, by ERIK DAVIS
                                                              • KINKE KOOI: Recent works on paper
                                                              • MICHAEL HURLEY: Talks to old friend TARA JANE O'NEIL on Hurley's first studio album in years
                                                              • DOUG HENNING: The magician’s radical roots in Canada’s thriving 1970s prog/glam scene
                                                              • SISTER ROSETTA THARPE: Why she rules so hard, but there’s no need to call her the “godmother of rock 'n' roll” again, thanks
                                                              • GRETCHEN GONZALES DAVIDSON: The mystery and mastery of Detroit’s drone warrior, by Destroy All Monsters’ CARY LOREN
                                                              • THE GOATS: The 1990s’ most forgotten hip-hop collective?
                                                              • DEAN WAREHAM: A multi-page comic strip by MARLY BEYER, on drinking coffee with Dean and Britta and why his new solo record is so excellent
                                                              • PHEW: Japanese experimental artist gets the ANDY BETA treatment
                                                              • ORCHESTRE TOUT POUISSANT MARCEL DUCHAMP by the great SARA JAFFE

                                                              Third Man Books Present

                                                              Maggot Brain (Issue #6)

                                                                Maggot Brain is a full-color, quarterly magazine edited by noted Detroit scribe Mike McGonigal: 100+ pages packed with phenomenal content – art, music, literature, unpublished archival material, and more – with a simple promise to only exist on the printed page.

                                                                This issue contains pieces on: Bikini Kill, Boris, Endless Boogie, New Kingdom, The Clean, ELO, Archie Shepp, Echo and the Bunnymen, Primal Scream, The Guerilla Girls, Planetary Peace

                                                                ON THE COVER:
                                                                Amazing unseen image of Bikini Kill live at CBGB in 1990, by MIKE GALINSKY, with accompanying lengthy photo essay exploring indie-rock in the early 1990s, including behind-the-scenes, unpublished black-and-white film images of Sonic Youth, Unwound, Mary Timony, Sleepyhead, Half Japanese, and more.

                                                                Third Man Books Present

                                                                Maggot Brain (Issue #5)

                                                                  Maggot Brain is a full-color, quarterly magazine edited by noted Detroit scribe Mike McGonigal: 100+ pages packed with phenomenal content – art, music, literature, unpublished archival material, and more – with a simple promise to only exist on the printed page.
                                                                  Cover story: Why feminist punk pioneers the Raincoats still matter.

                                                                  • Unseen, amazing photos of AC/DC from their first US tour in 1977.
                                                                  • Celebrated indie auteur filmmaker Jim Jarmusch’s playful newspaper collages -- great interview plus lots of never before seen images!
                                                                  • Brilliant Americana guitarists Marisa Anderson and William Tyler on their debut collaboration.
                                                                  • Composer Terry Riley and percussionist Hamid Drake on the importance of husband and wife spiritual jazzers Moki and Don Cherry.
                                                                  • 14 pages of rare comics by Pee Wee's Playhouse designer Gary Panter -- Jimbo goes to jail!
                                                                  • Mike Turner talks.

                                                                  The Future Sound Of London

                                                                  Music For 3 Books

                                                                    Over the past 5 years, The Future Sound of London have released three A6 booklets, filled with stories of FSOL's past, images and accompanied by 20 mins of music. For the first time, these have now been put these together to form a 1 hour seamless journey.


                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                    1. Viewed From Outside
                                                                    2. The Whispering Masses
                                                                    3. Orrery
                                                                    4. Fracti
                                                                    5. Episode
                                                                    6. Magnify Within The Thought
                                                                    7. Replace I With You
                                                                    8. Viewed From Trains
                                                                    9. External Limits
                                                                    10. To Become Silent
                                                                    11. Skylines
                                                                    12. Turbulent Haze
                                                                    13. Restricted Conversation Between Occupants
                                                                    14. Take Umbrage
                                                                    15. Outsourced
                                                                    16. Viewed From Pedestrian's Angle
                                                                    17. Desseminate

                                                                    Third Man Books Present

                                                                    Maggot Brain (Issue #4)

                                                                      Maggot Brain is a full-color, quarterly magazine edited by noted Detroit scribe Mike McGonigal: 100+ pages packed with phenomenal content – art, music, literature, unpublished archival material, and more – with a simple promise to only exist on the printed page.

                                                                      CONTENTS
                                                                      ● LUC SANTE on 'Crawdaddy' magazine
                                                                      ● Debut publication of often hilarious and always droll memoirs by STUART MOXHAM (Young Marble Giants, Gist, solo, etc)
                                                                      ● Murat Cem Mengüç' dramatic tale of when SUN RA and the Arkestra visited Istanbul, Turkey in 1990
                                                                      ● The fantastic and true story of electro-pop pioneer, runway model, and Eve Babitz-ish character ANN STEEL, which has never fully been told before now. ● In conversation with comedy guru TOM SCHARPLING in advance of the publication of his moving and hilarious new autobio.
                                                                      ● Archival interview by Steve Lafreniere with 'Honeymoon Killers' star SHIRLEY STOLER.
                                                                      ● Overviews of new music from DAVID NANCE, PATRICIA BRENNAN, and PHAROAH SANDERS with FLOATING POINTS. We're so enamored with the Floating Points/Sanders collaboration that we had no less than Andy Beta go off on it at length, for what is our first "real" record review (as we're a quarterly, that's not something we'll do too often but the stars aligned.)

                                                                      Adult Books

                                                                      Grecian Urn

                                                                        Adult Books is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based writer and multi-instrumentalist Nick Winfrey. With the help of childhood friends Sina Salessi (drums) and Alex Galindo (guitar/synth), Winfrey crafts lyric-driven dark pop gems that recall the hook-heavy guitar work of Johnny Marr, the just-below-the-collar angst of Mission of Burma, and the doomsday bellow of early Echo and the Bunnymen.

                                                                        After a well-received string of bedroom demos and cassettes, Adult Books released their first full-length album, Running from the Blows , in 2016, trading in their previous home-recorded sounds for a cleaned-up act that allowed Winfrey’s pop savvy and understated lyrical wit to shine through. Two years of heavy touring followed, after which Winfrey found himself both burned out and uninspired by the business of music.

                                                                        Following a much-needed hiatus, Adult Books is finally ready to share their sophomore LP, Grecian Urn . Recorded with Jonny Bell (Crystal Antlers) and mastered by Dave Cooley (Animal Collective, J Dilla) , Grecian Urn was crafted over the course of nearly two years; however, the seeds of the album were sown more than a decade earlier. When sitting down to write Grecian Urn , Winfrey revisited old demos, forgotten voice memos and unfinished fragments of songs to create something wholly new.

                                                                        The end result is a self-assured and intensely personal album that places Winfrey’s evocative images and economic storytelling approach front and center. A loose concept album of sorts, Grecian Urn draws on classical Mediterranean imagery and mythos as a means of exploring Winfrey’s past traumas and struggles with chronic anxiety.


                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                        1) Innocence
                                                                        2) Receiver
                                                                        3) Grecian Urb
                                                                        4) Holiday
                                                                        5) Florence
                                                                        6) 100 Dreams
                                                                        7) Apologies
                                                                        8) Cassy
                                                                        9) Adriatics
                                                                        10) Sparrows On The Razor Wire

                                                                        Third Man Books Present

                                                                        Maggot Brain (Issue #2)

                                                                          OVER FEATURE is a three-parter on MOONDOG. Our editor’s phone interview with him from 1998, some amazing never-before-seen-images, and crucially this series of archival interviews from 1953.

                                                                          SHANA CLEVELAND The singer-songwriter / La Luz leader’s hand-written / illustrated tour diary chronicles a European tour with her own newborn baby, and it’s really unlike anything you’ve seen or read before. 

                                                                          GAINESVILLE RIOT ‘88 On tour supporting ‘Bug,’ the immense DINOSAUR JR’S laconic wall of sound helped to start a riot at their show in a Florida university hall. Thankfully our old pal Kevin Arrow was there with slide film in his camera to capture the event. These images have never been seen before.

                                                                          The Books

                                                                          Thought For Food (2016 Reissue)

                                                                            And so it began. When multi-instrumentalists and sound enthusiasts Paul de Jong and Nick Zammuto first came together, they surely could not have foreseen their debut album, Thought For Food, becoming such a beloved genre-defying masterpiece, an album that rests firmly in countless Top 100 Albums of the Decade lists. Filled with endearing and enduring songs, the Books revisit their wide-eyed beginnings with this remastered Thought For Food, repackaged with all-new artwork and expanded to include lyrics for every song for the first time ever. Carefully and thoughtfully remastered from the original mixes by Zammuto at his new studio outside his home in Vermont, TFF now boasts a warmth and clarity that surprisingly reveals an increased harmonic depth. Having combined and refined their compositional and recording processes over the course of four albums, addressing the technical limitations of these earlier recordings offers the chance to marry the technical, musical and emotional aspects of these songs in a way like never before. To be sure, the differences are subtle, but for a band who have transformed minutiae into modern art, that subtlety is downright sublime. 

                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                            1. Enjoy Your Worries, You May Never Have Them Again (4:06)
                                                                            2. Read, Eat, Sleep (3:49)
                                                                            3. All Bad Ends All (2:42)
                                                                            4. Contempt (3:22)
                                                                            5. All Our Base Are Belong To Them (4:18)
                                                                            6. Thankyoubranch (5:05)
                                                                            7. Motherless Bastard (4:11)
                                                                            8. Mikey Bass (2:56)
                                                                            9. Excess Straussess (2:08)
                                                                            10. Getting The Done Job (3:49)
                                                                            11. A Dead Fish Gains The Power Of Observation (1:08)
                                                                            12. Deafkids (1:09)

                                                                            GoodBooks

                                                                            Control

                                                                              Goodbooks release their eagerly anticipated debut album which includes re-recordings of the Transgressive 7" single "Walk With Me", free download "Turn It Back" plus singles "Leni", "Illness" and the new single "Passchendaele". It's a potent mix of dreamy, soaring melodies and arty, rhythmical tightness that never fails to excite. Fans of Maximo Park, Pulp, Franz and even Talking Heads should find something here. It's constantly surprising, fresh, clever pop that moves as much as it thrills.


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