Author:Kevan Furbank, Chris Sutton, Darren Johnson

The general consensus is that 1977 was a musical ‘year zero’, the year punk began and the old prog rock dinosaurs fell into extinction. A complete fallacy of course, because the prog scene continued unabated for those who were interested. A brief look at just some of the albums released by UK bands in that year reveals the likes of Animals, Going For The One, Works Vol 1 (and its inferior cousin vol 2), and Songs From The Wood, while the international stage provided A Farewell To Kings and The Grand Illusion among others. The book takes a look at these records alongside some rather less well known ones such as Ant Phillips The Geese and The Ghost and Gentle Giant’s The Missing Piece, giving first a potted history of the story so far before moving on to a more detailed examination of the albums themselves. I really enjoyed this book, it’s well researched and put together – and of course it covers music that I’m a huge fan of! There isn’t perhaps that much new insight to offer on the most famous pieces, but it brought to my attention a few albums I’d » Continue Reading.

Author:Thomas R Weaver

This compelling novel blends murder, mystery, political intrigue and the rise of AI, all set against a background of global climate change. The year is 2050 and the world is battling with catastrophic climate change, preceded a decade earlier by a severe heatwave in the Persian Gulf that claimed the lives on millions, including the wife of investigative journalist Marcus Tully. The core of the plot revolves around the impending election to choose a global leader tasked with dealing with the crisis engulfing the planet. The final two candidates are a morally ambiguous ex US President and the world’s first AI politician, Solomon. Tully recives information suggesting the heatwave that killed his wife was not a natural disaster, while simultaneously trying to find the truth behind the sudden death of Solomon’s creator. This is the author’s debut novel, and he creates a plausible future world while tackling weighty issues such as climate change and the impact of AI on society, and considering whether there are times when individual freedoms must be sacrificed for the sake of civilisation’s survival. This is a tautly paced thriller with elements of sci fi, that has plenty of twists and turns as » Continue Reading.

Author:Andrew Rooney, Ben L Connor, Karen Windle, Nick Assirati

One of the most enduring US hard rock bands, Aerosmith have been around for over half a century now, although there have been plenty of ups and downs along the way. Inspired by UK acts such as The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, they produced some great albums in the seventies – take a listen to the likes of Toys in the Attic, Rocks and Draw The Line. They lost their way in the early eighties when Joe Perry left, a time the band was in the thrall of substance abuse – check out the book Babysitting a Band on The Rocks for more on this period. However, a late career resurgence with massive selling records like Permanent Vacation and Pump in the late eighties saw the start of a decade where the band became bigger than ever, although at times the music became maybe a bit less hard edged and seemed designed to appeal to a more AOR audience with songs like Don’t Want To Miss A Thing. This exhaustive look at the band’s output covers all the albums song by song as well as delving into what was going on » Continue Reading.

Author:Irvine Welsh

The author returns to familiar territory with this new novel set in the immediate aftermath of the events of the original Trainspotting story. Renton, with the stolen loot, is holed up in an Amsterdam hotel trying to get clean, while a furious Sick Boy is attempting to find a new life in London. Meanwhile back in Edinburgh, Spud and Alison are scraping an existence at the rock bottom of society and Begbie continues to do what Begbie does, with retribution at the forefront of his thoughts. While Renton contemplates investing his ill-gotten gains in a night club venture, the amoral and manipulative Sick Boy can’t believe his luck when the daughter of a wealthy family succumbs to his dubious charms. With wedding bells on the horizon and a newly arrived baby, the life of his dreams is surely within reach. This uproariously funny, bawdy black comedy, set as the late eighties become the nineties, takes a look at what happens when young men begin to fall in love and form lasting relationships for the first time, for better and perhaps inevitably for worse. These enduring characters really are the archetypal gift that keeps on giving, and the pages » Continue Reading.

Author:Stephen King

I remember reading this excellent book when it first appeared in 2000. Now to mark its 25th anniversary, it’s been reprinted in this very stylish gilt embossed edition, complete with a brief new foreword from the man himself. It’s a combination of biography and tips for aspiring writers, providing a look at the basic tools of the trade for would be authors. Alongside this are some quite poignant memories from the author’s childhood, through the struggles of his early years as an up and coming writer and on to his near fatal accident in 1999. It’s a very readable book despite the rather serious title, sharing King’s own experiences not just in the world of writing but also in life itself, and he manages to achieve this is an entertaining and witty way, while simultaneously providing plenty of level headed hard won practical advice. Part memoir and part masterclass, this is a book that’s well worth seeking out as it provides a rare insight into the creative process, and gives a revealing view of the writer’s craft through the bad days and hard times to the sunny uplands of a completed work, all grounded in vivid memories of » Continue Reading.

Author:Alan Parks

Author Alan Parks, previously known for the award winning Harry McCoy novels, takes a break from that series with this new work. Set in Glasgow in 1941, we find Joe Gunner, an ex police detective, back home after being invalided out of the army. On arrival, he’s met by his former boss, and persuaded to investigate the discovery of a mutilated body. As he digs deeper, he comes into contact with bitter enemies and old flames, soon realising he’s caught up in a high level conspiracy that reaches to the very highest levels of government. There’s plenty of action, divided loyalties and clever plot twists to keep the reader gripped to the very last pages, and the ending suggests that the story will continue in subsequent books. All in all, this is a very enjoyable and gripping read, tautly paced with vividly realised characters, that authentically evokes life on the home front in war torn Glasgow – I’m already looking forward to discovering what the future holds for this intriguing battle scarred hard-bitten creation.

Length of Read:Medium

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

This is the first book in a new series, which should prove well worth following, » Continue Reading.

Author:Dylan Jones

This fascinating book takes a look at 21 key albums released in 1975, interspersing the detailed critiques of them with pieces of writing to set the music in, dare I say, a socio-political context, for change was very much in the air and musicians of all types were reflecting that in their work. Thus you get the likes of Young Americans, Autobahn and Still Crazy After All These Years interspersed with writing on Nixon, the Vietnam War and Margaret Thatcher, and Born to Run, Physical Graffiti and The Hissing of Summer Lawns alongside pieces on Harold Pinter, Jaws and Fawlty Towers. It makes you realise that 1975 was such a prolific year for what would become regarded as classic albums, as also featured are the likes of Blood On The Tracks, Katy Lied, Tonight’s The Night, Siren and Bob Marley’s Live at the Lyceum. In fact, there are numerous others that don’t even get a look in, Wish You Were Here springing to my mind, but I suppose the one album that pointed the way for what was to come in the following year was Patti Smith’s Horses. There’s an impressive amount of detail in the writing, with » Continue Reading.

Author:Andrew Wild

Subtitled The Progressive Rock Revival 1984 to 1989, this super book is a sequel and companion to last year’s excellent A Mirror of Dreams, which covered the years 1981 to 1983. Very engagingly written, it continues to trace the then resurgent UK prog scene through the lens of six key bands, Marillion, Pallas, Solstice, Twelth Night, IQ and Pendragon. All seemed to have a bright future ahead of them, with a combined 400 gigs played in 1984 alone, and it appeared the whole new prog scene was about to really break out in a big way. Alas, it wasn’t to prove as simple as that, with only Marilllion really making the transition from a cult following to a more mainstream rock audience. Perhaps it was that trying to update the archetypal progressive rock of its seventies heyday into a more modern sound made the music more difficult to categorise and market, and all important radio play was to prove nigh on impossible to come by. As the years slipped by, most of the bands to a greater or lesser extent began to fade, as ultimately did the once burgeoning and vibrant scene itself. One wonders what might have » Continue Reading.

Author:Doug Thornton, Opher Goodwin, Paolo Carnelli

Journey are one of those bands that were huge in the US but far less so here. Of course in recent times they’ve become known for the now ubiquitous Don’t Stop Believin’, but their most successful years really began with 1978’s Infinity album when Steve Perry was brought in on vocals to supplement Neil Schon’s guitar and Gregg Rolie’s keyboards. For me they’re a band where all I need is their greatest hits set as I found a lot of their music quite bland, but it certainly shifted plenty of units in their heyday, and even today they remain a big concert draw Stateside, although Perry is long gone of course. This well put together book takes a comprehensive look at all their albums as well as recounting the internal fallings out within the ranks over the years. Fans of the band will certainly enjoy this look at their long career.

I have to be in the right mood to listen to Leonard Cohen, maybe late at night after a long day. Over 15 studio albums his mesmerising deep baritone voice created rich tapestries blending religious, mystical, sexual and secular themes. Along the way, » Continue Reading.

Author:Matthew R Davis, Pete Woolliscroft, Brent Waltz

Last year saw the first studio album by The Cure since 2008, and showed the band have lost none of their vigour since their debut set way back in 1979. While reading this book, it’s inspired me to relisten to the whole of their back catalogue, and what a range of styles it covers, from the bleakest of gloom to the most danceable pure pop. This very comprehensive book covers all the studio albums of course, song by song, plus live sets, B sides, and every conceivable rarity and remix. It’s very well researched and is a really informative and entertaining read that will meet with the approval of their legions of fans, and relistening to albums you’ve not heard in years while you peruse it only adds to the enjoyment.

Pete Wooliscroft was a young engineer, then producer, making his way in the pivotal decade of the 1980’s. a period that saw the last great era of recording studios, but also a time when there were huge technological developments in recording equipment and techniques. Using diaries written at the time, he draws back the curtain on his work behind closed doors with » Continue Reading.

Author:Stephen King

Stephen King certainly seems to like the character he created in Holly Gibney. After a bit part appearance in the first novel in the Mr Mercedes trilogy, the private investigator has appeared now in a further six books including this new title. A serial killer is on a revenge mission to atone for the murder in prison of a wrongly convicted man. Meanwhile a controversial feminist and women’s rights activist on a speaking tour is being targeted by a vigilante stalker. As the stalker becomes bolder, Holly is hired as a bodyguard, alongside assisting police in the serial killer case. The propulsive plot of this ambitious mystery certainly grips the reader as the author cleverly intertwines the two threads of the tale, but this is King shorn of the supernatural and horror elements that usually feature in his work. The plot is well executed nonetheless, with the action well paced and the settings vividly drawn, while Holly is as quirky and likeable as ever with the evocative prose bringing all the characters, new and old, to life. I would say though that this is one of his most ‘American’ novels with the themes it develops and explores, and » Continue Reading.

Author:Stuart MacBride

After a series of standalone novels, Stuart MacBride marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Logan McRae in Cold Justice with the first addition to the series since 2019’s All That’s Dead. Whereas the aforementioned All That’s Dead focussed on Scottish nationalism, this new work sees the author turn his attention to the migrant crisis, racism and the hatred and fear stirred up by elements of the press. The usual supporting cast of Tufty, Rennie and of course Steel (now just weeks away from retirement) are all present and correct, as Covid decimates the force leaving just a skeleton staff on duty. When a migrant hotel is firebombed, there’s a huge climate change march in the offing and a body is found in the river, it’s all hands on deck, especially when the case of a missing person is unexpectedly thrown into the mix. With resources stretched to breaking point, McCrae and his merry band have it all to do to keep on top of their escalating caseload as one crisis follows another and things go from bad to worse. This is a first class read, a police procedural / thriller laced with plenty of the author’s » Continue Reading.

Author:Dante DiCarlo

London based musician and member of the tribute band ‘Who’s Next’ Dante DiCarlo has put together this comprehensive look at the studio albums released by The Who. He’s taken the reasonable decision to exclude the numerous compilations and live recordings, which unfortunately excludes one of their most seminal albums, Live at Leeds, and one wonders if the rules couldn’t have been a bit more flexible in that instance but there you go. He precedes each album by giving some detailed background on the creation and recording of the music, before giving his thoughts on each individual song, focussing in the main on the albums as they originally appeared rather than getting into bonus tracks added to subsequent reissues and box sets. He also includes the Odd and Sods album in his chronology as that comprised previously unreleased material. He’s a good entertaining writer, although as a non-musician myself the detail on chords, tunings, keys etc was a bit lost on me, but of course others may find that sort of information enlightening! He does offer some perceptive thoughts though on the songs, and isn’t afraid to give his opinion and call out material that wasn’t quite up to » Continue Reading.

Author:John Connolly

A new instalment in the long running Charlie Parker series finds the private investigator drawn into a tale of four children abducted from Mexico, who it initially appears are the offspring of the brutal head of a drugs cartel. However, it transpires all his family are safe and well, so just whose children are they and why is he so determined to recover them at any cost, eliminating anyone who gets in the way. Meanwhile, a former soldier, the boyfriend of a long standing acquaintance of Parker’s, suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a mobile phone that contains just one text message, ‘run’. The investigation into why he’s fled leads Parker, along with his associates Angel and Louis, into a dangerous world where he faces the drug lord’s ruthless agents and their accomplice, a mysterious woman. At the same time, strange foreboding events are occurring in the nether world inhabited by Parker’s daughter, which seem to portend some sinister developments in the near future. This is a very good addition to this series of novels, with Connolly keeping the action and suspense moving along at a brisk pace, carefully building the suspense while throwing in a good measure of » Continue Reading.