Music Books

Listen with Father is a book about the transformative power of listening, and about how we remember those we have loved and lost.At four years old, Caroline Sanderson fell in love with the music of Mozart after listening to it wit…

The most famous living rock musician on the planet, Paul McCartney is now regarded as a slightly cosy figure, an (inter)national treasure. Back in the 1970s, however, McCartney cut a very different figure. He was, literally, a man…

A unique collaborative publication which documents the lyrics written by Nobel Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro for the platinum selling, Grammy nominated, Jazz singer Stacey Kent. A collection of all the song lyrics Kazuo Ishi…

We think we know John & Paul. We really don't.At the centre of The Beatles was the volatile, madly creative chemistry between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This is the story of how two young men merged their souls and multip…

The must-read music book of the yearand the first such history bringing together all musical genres to tell the definitive narrative of the birth of Pop from 1900 to the mid-1950s.Pop music didnt begin with the Beatles in 1963, or…

Long Live is a deep-dive into the cultural phenomenon of Swifties as well as the many facets of the artist herself. From MySpace comments to T-Party invites to Secret Sessions and beyond, it covers the evolution of Taylor as well …

A radiant new memoir from beloved artist and writer Patti Smith, author of the National Book Award Winner Just Kids. God whispers through a crease in the wallpaper, writes Patti Smith in this indelible account of her life as an ar…

A landmark account of Paul McCartney’s triumphant musical reinvention in the 1970s and the rise of one of the decade’s most iconic bands. This is the story, in their own words, of a band that came to define a generatio…

Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of …

Harry Freedman uncovers the spiritual traditions that lie behind Leonard Cohen's profound and unmistakable lyrics. The singer and poet Leonard Cohen was deeply learned in Judaism and Christianity, the spiritual traditions that und…

While the global history of the dictatorships, oppression, racism and state violence over the last century is well known - the role that music played in people's lives during these times is less understood.This book is a collectio…

When Miranda Sawyer interviewed Noel Gallagher in 1995, his gag wishing Damon Albarn would die of AIDS became front-page news. This fascinating pop history, exploring the mid-90s moment when British music suddenly meant everything…

How can a film score make you cheer, shiver, cry or punch the air? How do directors communicate their musical vision to composers? And when does a soundtrack take on a life of its own? Award-winning film critic Mark Kermode and ra…

Michael Bradley joined his school friend's group in Derry, Northern Ireland in the summer of 1974. They had two guitars and no singer. Four years later the Undertones recorded 'Teenage Kicks', John Peel's favourite record, and bec…

Embark on an extraordinary journey through the life, music and spiritual adventures of Yusuf/Cat Stevens, one of the iconic figures of our time. CAT ON THE ROAD TO FINDOUT is more than a memoir - it's a profound exploration of ide…

A companion to the #1 music podcast on Spotify, this book takes readers through the greatest hits that define a weirdly undefinable decade. The 1990s were a chaotic and gritty and utterly magical time for music, a confounding barr…

Formed as a New York City hardcore band in 1981, Beastie Boys struck an unlikely path to global hip hop superstardom. Here is their story, told for the first time in the words of the band. Adam "ADROCK" Horovitz and Michael "Mike …

For the first time, director Rob Reiner and co-creators Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer provide the full behind-the-scenes story of the making of the groundbreaking mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap and its upcom…

In early 1955, Colonel Tom Parker (the manager of the number-one country music star of the day) heard that an unknown teenager from Memphis had just drawn a crowd of more than 800 people to a Texas schoolhouse and headed south to …

A lively and engaging account of the legendary Irish folk music ensemble Ceoltóirí Chualann, and the first time that readers can see the groundbreaking concepts used by Seán Ó Riada and his band Ceoltóirí Chualann as they changed …

An intimate and evocative celebration of the life and legacy of music and political icon Sinéad O’Connor, featuring writers including Neko Case, Sinéad Gleeson, Rayne Fisher-Quann, Porochista Khakpour, and more.  More than thirty …

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 …

When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I'd previously only sketched in songs.The people, places, and possibilities in my life. Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Irelan…

Before his murder at twenty-five, Tupac Shakur rose to staggering artistic heights as the pre-eminent storyteller of the 90s, building, in the process, one of the most iconic public personas of the last half century.In this cultur…

A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times-bestselling author. An electrifying look at key moments in music and entertainment history between 1955 and 1979, which helped mo…

The only book that unlocks the deep meanings and themes of Taylor Swift's music and lyrics, era by era.For every fan whose heart beats to Swift's music, Into the Taylor-Verse will speak to you ';All Too Well.' From the early days …

Celebrated NPR music critic Ann Powers explores the life and career of Joni Mitchell in a lyrical style as fascinating and ethereal as the songs of the artist herself. What you are about to read is not a standard account of the li…

An updated and abridged edition of Bono’s bestselling memoir, including a new introduction by the author, Stories of Surrender is an unforgettable love story, a tribute to fatherhood, friendship, faith and music. Honest, irreveren…

I was only sixteen when I bought an electric guitar and joined a band. A year later, I formed an all-girl band called the Marine Girls and played gigs, and signed to an indie label, and started releasing records. Then, for eightee…

The Beatles landing in New York in February 1964 was the opening shot in a cultural revolution nobody predicted. Suddenly the youth of the richest, most powerful nation on earth was trying to emulate the music, manners and the mod…