Marc Bolan was the very first superstar of the 1970s. As the seductive focus of T. Rex he revelled in fame and fortune, released a string of classic records before tragically losing his way. The fatal car accident in 1977 cut short his planned comeback as a punk rocker, but also served to fix Bolan as the definitive icon of the Glam years. Bolan's music and chameleonic style were to influence a generation of future bands. In his various guises he could be a beatnik, a mod, a punk, a hippie and a Glam hero. This biography of a pop obsessive draws from interviews with many friends and colleagues including broadcaster John Peel, brother Harry and band members Mickey Finn and Bill Legend.

Music.

*** By the Sunday Times bestselling author of BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY *** From mod folk artist to flower power pixie elfin to the king of glam rockers, Marc Bolan was the ultimate chameleon. His far-reaching musical and stylistic influence is more relevant today than ever with hits such as 'Ride A White Swan', 'Children Of The Revolution', 'Get It On' and 'Hot Love' as fresh and exhilarating as when first released. At the peak of his popularity during his lifetime Bolan was outselling Jimi Hendrix and The Who, and yet relatively little is really known about the hypnotic, enigmatic 20th century boy turned 21st century icon. At last, in the 35th anniversary year of his tragic death, Marc Bolan represents the definite biography. Here rock biographer, Lesley-Ann Jones, paints a meticulous portrait of the T-Rex front man. From his childhood growing up in Hackney to his untimely death at the age of 29, Bolan's life was one of relentless experimentation and metamorphoses. Hallucinogenic drugs, wizardry and levitation, alcoholism, tax evasion and a spectacular fall from grace were to punctuate his short life, as he continued to strive to reinvent himself and his music over and over again. Lesley-Ann has been granted access to those who knew Bolan best, including his partner and the mother of his only son, Gloria Jones and his brother, Harry Feld.

Roland knows more about Bolan than any other living being, (Tom Hibbert, New Music News) Marc Bolan was the biggest pop star in post-Beatles Britain and in 1972 the Beatles acknowledged Bolan and his group T.Rex as their natural successor. His singles outsold the combined sales of Jimi Hendrix and The Who. But just when Bolan was at the summit of his success it all went sour. This is the incredible story of Marc Bolan's rollercoaster rise to fame and his resurrection as the selfstyled 'Godfather of Punk' that promised to put him back on top until the fatal accident in 1977 which cut short his life and hopes of a comeback - an accident mysteriously accurately predicted by Bolan himself. Paul Roland chronicles the life and music of the vibrato-voiced glam rock idol and 20th century boy who created some of the most instantly appealing and enduring songs of the 70s - 'Ride A White Swan', ''Hot Love', 'Get It On', 'Telegram Sam', 'Children of the Revolution' and 'Solid Gold Easy Action' - in what appears to have been a fevered rush to cheat Fate. Cosmic Dancer is a truly definitive account of one of the most colourful and contradictory characters in rock, and features a cover by the renowned artist George Underwood and is illustrated with many rare and previously unpublished photographs. This is going to be my year Everybody remembers Rudolph Valentino and I am determined that everybody will remember me. (Marc Bolan 1977) I never had any competition except from Marc Bolan I fought like a madman to beat him. (David Bowie) Sometimes I get a funny feeling inside me that I shan't be here very long and I'm not talking in terms of things like success. It frightens me sometimes. (Marc Bolan 1971) I am my fantasy. I am the 'Cosmic Dancer' who dances his way out of the womb and into the tombI'm just a rock and roll poet man who's just bopping around on the side I've always been a wriggler. (Bolan 1971)

This text presents a comprehensive and up-to-date reference work on popular music, from the early 20th century to the present day.

T-Rex icon Marc Bolan day-by-day through super stardom to tragic car crash death.

Forty years after his tragic death, this homage to Marc Bolan pays tribute to one of the pioneers of the glam rock movement. Marc Bolan was the wizard who brought magic to rock music - his heart beat to the rhythm of rock. Moving from early folk influences and songs on the mythology of Tolkien, he transformed himself into a unique, sparkling and effervescent glam-rock icon. His boogie roots combined with Marc's own natural glitter dust, and propelled him forward on an adventure, with fortunes that were to ebb and flow over a decade. His diamond-studded halo was extinguished on 16 September 1977, at a time when his music was in the ascendancy. The annals of history are strewn with stories of artists who passed away in shocking circumstances of those that died too young, from substance abuse, mysterious illnesses or even murder. Sometimes, the shock of their passing immediately elevates their standing in cultural memory and cements their work in a favourable light. Marc Bolan died at twenty-nine years of age, in a tragic car crash - an accident that could have been avoided. However, it took many years for people to start appreciating what Marc Bolan brought to a rock music scene in the early seventies which had stagnated in some corners after the explosion of creativity in the sixties. Yet, gradually, acclaim has grown for how he enriched the period, bringing colour and humour to an increasingly leaden genre. Much like Hendrix before him, and Cobain after him, his natural charisma and striking beauty have underpinned his status as a dreamlike bard, an enigmatic pin-up whom boys wished they looked like and girls wished they were with. Yet it was his scorching talent as a performer and songwriter which have formed the bedrock for longevity as a legend. Including rare and unpublished photographs, and works of Marc's own poetry, this book is put together by a true, original fan - one who followed Marc Bolan on tour, who bought every piece of vinyl he released and who was fortunate enough to have made Marc's acquaintance during the peak of his career. Published forty years on from Bolan's death, Beautiful Dreamer is unashamedly a book of love, a book that every Marc Bolan fan will identify with, because it paints a picture of the man that the fans idolised, worshipped and continue to cherish to this day.

Main description: In Modris Eksteins's hands, the interlocking stories of Vincent van Gogh and art dealer Otto Wacker reveal the origins of the fundamental uncertainty that is the hallmark of the modern era. Through the lens of Wacker's sensational 1932 trial in Berlin for selling fake Van Goghs, Eksteins offers a unique narrative of Weimar Germany, the rise of Hitler, and the replacement of nineteenth-century certitude with twentieth-century doubt. Berlin after the Great War was a magnet for art and transgression. Among those it attracted was Otto Wacker, a young gay dancer turned art impresario. His sale of thirty-three forged Van Goghs and the ensuing scandal gave Van Gogh's work unprecedented commercial value. It also called into question a world of defined values and standards that had already begun to erode during the war. Van Gogh emerged posthumously as a hero who rejected organized religion and other suspect sources of authority in favor of art. Self-pitying Germans saw in his biography a series of triumphs-over defeat, poverty, and meaninglessness-that spoke to them directly. Eksteins shows how the collapsing Weimar Republic that made Van Gogh famous and gave Wacker an opportunity for reinvention propelled a third misfit into the spotlight. Taking advantage of the void left by a gutted belief system, Hitler gained power by fashioning myths of mastery. Filled with characters who delight and frighten, Solar Dance merges cultural and political history to show how upheavals of the early twentieth century gave rise to a search for authenticity and purpose.

Considerable attention has been given to the EMI Abbey Road Studios in St Johns Wood, particularly because of their association with the Beatles. In contrast, very little has been written about their great rivals Decca, who had recording studios in nearby Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead. This book will explore the history of Decca and specifically the Studios, where thousands of records were made between 1937 and 1980. Klooks Kleek, meanwhile, ran from 1961 to 1970 in the Railway Hotel, next door to the Decca Studios. Dick Jordan and Geoff Williams, who ran the club, share their memories here. With artists including David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones and The Moody Blues at Decca, and Ronnie Scott, The Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and Sonny Rollins at Klooks, this book records a unique musical heritage. Containing more than fifty photographs, many of which have never before appeared in print, it will delight music lovers everywhere.

This book is the first to explore style and spectacle in glam popular music performance from the 1970s to the present day, and from an international perspective. Focus is given to a number of representative artists, bands, and movements, as well as national, regional, and cultural contexts from around the globe. Approaching glam music performance and style broadly, and using the glam/glitter rock genre of the early 1970s as a foundation for case studies and comparisons, the volume engages with subjects that help in defining the glam phenomenon in its many manifestations and contexts. Glam rock, in its original, term-defining inception, had its birth in the UK in 1970/71, and featured at its forefront acts such as David Bowie, T. Rex, Slade, and Roxy Music. Termed "glitter rock" in the US, stateside artists included Alice Cooper, Suzi Quatro, The New York Dolls, and Kiss. In a global context, glam is represented in many other cultures, where the influences of early glam rock can be seen clearly. In this book, glam exists at the intersections of glam rock and other styles (e.g., punk, metal, disco, goth). Its performers are characterized by their flamboyant and theatrical appearance (clothes, costumes, makeup, hairstyles), they often challenge gender stereotypes and sexuality (androgyny), and they create spectacle in popular music performance, fandom, and fashion. The essays in this collection comprise theoretically-informed contributions that address the diversity of the world’s popular music via artists, bands, and movements, with special attention given to the ways glam has been influential not only as a music genre, but also in fashion, design, and other visual culture.