‘... an instant classic and a required part of the library of anyone fascinated with the record business.’ – Danny Goldberg, bestselling author of Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain Chess Records tested their acquisitions out on people waiting at a nearby bus stop: if the crowd were bopping, they had a hit. Sub Pop rejection letters start with the harsh, yet funny, ‘Dear Loser’. Atlantic Records signed Led Zeppelin on Dusty Springfield’s recommendation. Labelled with Love is an odyssey through your record collection and the world beyond it, from the Jazz Age to punk, the civil rights movement to Thatcherism, the Beatles to Britpop, and Ella Fitzgerald to The Ramones. Long-time music obsessive Andy Bollen tracks popular music through the influential labels that have shaped the last eighty years, chronicling each company with the passion of a fan but the eye of a satirist. This is an informative and revealing look at the leading labels, bands and music that rocked our worlds and shaped our lives.

SOUND OF THE CROWD: A DISCOGRAPHY OF THE '80s is the ultimate record collector's guide to the 1980s. In the era of multi-formatting, picture discs, coloured vinyl, multiple remixes, funny shaped records and tiny CDs you could lose down the back of the sofa, this book lists every format of every single, EP and album released in the UK in the 1980s by over 140 of the decade's biggest acts, from ABBA to Paul Young. This fourth edition has been fully revised and expanded to include even more acts than ever before, with additional sections to cover Band Aid-style charity congregations and compilation albums from the early '80s K-Tel efforts through to the Now That's What I Call Music series and its competitors. Compiled by Steve Binnie, editor of the '80s music website Sound of the Crowd and writer, producer and co-host of the unconventional '80s chart show Off The Chart, broadcast weekly on Mad Wasp Radio.

THE ART OF NOISE offers an unprecedented collection of insightful, of-the-moment conversations with twenty-seven great British songwriters and composers. They discuss everything from their individual approaches to writing, to the inspiration behind their most successful songs, to the techniques and methods they have independently developed to foster their creativity. Contributors include: Sting * Ray Davies * Robin Gibb * Jimmy Page * Joan Armatrading * Noel Gallagher * Lily Allen * Annie Lennox * Damon Albarn * Noel Gallagher * Laura Marling * Paul Weller * Johnny Marr * and many more Musician-turned-author Daniel Rachel approaches each interview with an impressive depth of understanding—of the practice of songwriting, but also of each musician's catalog. The result is a collection of conversations that's probing, informed, and altogether entertaining—what contributor Noel Gallagher called "without doubt the finest book I've ever read about songwriters and the songs they write." The collected experience of these songwriters makes this book the essential word of songwriting—as spoken by the songwriters themselves.

Compiles career biographies of over 1,200 artists and rock music reviews written by fans covering every phase of rock from R & B through punk and rap.

BBC Radio 6 Music is the place for alternative music – and this is the quiz for its fans. From indie pop and iconic rock to trip hop, electronica and dance, these questions will test your knowledge of the last 60 years of floor-fillers, cult classics and the best B-sides to the limit. Including dedicated quizzes on your favourite 6 Music shows, like Lauren Laverne's People's Playlist, Guy Garvey's Finest Hour, Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service and more, find out how much you can really call yourself the king of rock n' roll.

The influential rock musician Elvis Costello is recognized for the impressive breadth and scope of his music. His collaborations with such musicians as Tony Bennett and the Count Basie orchestra, however, attest to the many contradictions that define Elvis Costello, the punk rocker. This important guide to his music and career contains over 800 bibliographic citations and a complete discography of Costello's commercially released recordings. The discography, divided into two sections, separately details Costello's career as performer and composer. A brief biography traces his critically acclaimed career and highlights both the influences on his music and the myriad ways in which his music has influenced others. The vast information compiled in this guide to further research is as interesting and diverse as Costello's career. Rock music scholars, musicologists, and Costello enthusiasts will appreciate the videography/filmography, bibliography of musical scores, and list of electronic resources that supplement the extensive discography and annotated bibliography. A works index and a general index make it easy to cross-reference and locate specific information.

Longlisted for the Penderyn Music Book Prize Over the course of a thirteen-album and multi-award-winning career with Squeeze, it was clear from the very beginning that Chris Difford has few peers when it comes to smart, pithy lyricism. In Some Fantastic Place, he charts his life from his childhood in south London to becoming a member of one of Britain's greatest bands and beyond. Along the way Chris reveals the inspiration and stories behind Squeeze's best-known songs, and his greatest highs and lows from over four decades of making music.

'Full of uplifting advice, practical wisdom and kind intelligence: I certainly felt more fabulous after reading it.' Elizabeth Day 'Brilliant - absolutely brilliant!' Lorraine Kelly 'A witty, warm, wise and illuminating guide to how to be your best self, inside and out. Deliciously upbeat and brimful of positivity, it's a perfect roadmap for the years ahead. I loved it.' Mariella Frostrup 'Finally a book that challenges our tedious fixation with youth and turns the old rules about ageing upside down and inside out. With practical advice and spiritual insights, Destination Fabulous offers the kind of life-affirming guidance for womanhood I only wish I had known when I was 20.' Chioma Nnadi, vogue.com 'Anna Murphy joyfully reframes the gift of growing up, and older.' Kenya Hunt 'A joyous celebration of the pleasures of growing older, and an empowering manifesto for changing our attitudes to age.' Justine Picardie 'Perhaps the most important thing I have learned when it comes to appearance is that looking your best self is, more than anything, about what is going on inside. The more fully realised you are, the more you find your purpose, the more that will shine out of you and the better you will look.' Anna Murphy From the Fashion Director of The Times comes a wise, inspiring and invigorating guide to making the most of life as a grown-up woman - from the practical (how to dress your best) to the existential (how to feel your best). At 50, Anna Murphy feels more visible than at any point in her life to date. Her new book, Destination Fabulous, is the toolkit you need to embrace your age and celebrate the wisdom and inner beauty that comes with it. It's not about impossible goals. It's not about running a marathon (unless you want it to be). It's not about denying the ageing process, nor attempting to erase its signs. It's not about letting everything go, either. It's about balance. It's about the possible and the present. And it's about the future you want. How do you lift and smooth your face naturally? Should you go grey, and, if so, how? How do you deal with menopause? Anna combines her knowledge from years of writing about fashion and beauty with her openness to the alternative ways of thinking found in disciplines such as yoga and Chinese medicine. For her natural is always best. As for fashion, Anna knows better than anyone that this can be the ultimate route into surfacing the true you. She shares all her tricks for finding your way to a wardrobe that will transform not just the way you look but the way you feel. And she shares the highlights of her conversations over the years with super-stylish agers such as Iris Apfel and Miuccia Prada. How have they got it right? Drawing on the wisdom of writers as diverse as Pema Chödrön and Eckhart Tolle, Dorothy Rowe and Osho, Nora Ephron and Mary Oliver, she writes about saying goodbye to what doesn't serve you and welcoming what does; about forging relationships that work for you as well as others; and about finding your purpose, whether in your personal or professional life. Discover how the bumps on her road have helped her find her way to her true path. Her hope is that this book will help you to find yours, too.

(Book). This entertaining book presents the U.S. and U.K. Top 20 charts side by side, month by month showing how rock and pop developed on each side of the Atlantic. Fully updated, it lists the hits from 1954 through 2003. Alongside every song listing, readers will find important facts such as the artist's name and nationality, current and previous month's chart position, record label, weeks on the chart, and simultaneous position on the other side of the pond. Includes an alphabetical listing of song titles with artists, and an alphabetical listing of artists with song titles and chart-entry dates, enabling easy cross-referencing to help you track down any Top 20 record since 1954.

(Book). Based on the official Top 20 charts from Billboard in the US and NME/Music Week in the UK, this entertaining book shows at a glance the monthly international status of the hits. The fully updated and revised fourth edition lists the charts since they began in January 1954 all the way through December 2000. Each song is listed with artist name and nationality, current and previous month's chart position, record label, weeks on the chart, and simultaneous position on the "other side of the pond." Special symbols indicate million-sellers, plus artists' first and most recent hits. All stars and songs are indexed separately, making it especially easy to pinpoint any Top 20 hit. Includes 200 photos, plus new pop trivia and star gossip!