Author:Joe Banks

Peter Hammill’s career now stretches back over almost sixty long years, during which he has made over twenty albums with VDGG and more than thirty solo records. This weighty volume, clocking it at over five hundred pages, takes an in depth look at the work of this visionary musician, providing an intimate portrait of both the artist and the man himself. In this assiduous examination, the author dissects the work of this maverick who very rarely repeats himself, delving into the underlying inspiration for the music as well as the end results on record. The book focuses primarily on his years on the Charisma label in the 70s, but does include a brief look at the following years, along with many previously unseen photographs. It’s certainly an impressive and immersive read, with plenty of interviews with collaborators and contemporaries, and the fact that the whole thing is beautifully presented on top quality glossy paper is the icing on the cake. This thoughtful study, very detailed and yet still highly readable, is a fitting tribute to this imaginative far sighted artist, a true musical pioneer and iconoclast, and provides a thorough and nuanced critical appreciation of his work.

Length » Continue Reading.

Author:Richard Houghton

6th December marks 56 years since The Rolling Stones headlines a Free Festival held at Altamont Speedway in California. The events of that day have been well documented, and are often held up as “the point the 60s dream ended”. Thing is, the Altamont show was a tack on to the Stones 1969 US Tour – added in response to criticism of ticket prices for the Tour which spanned November 1969.

The Rolling Stones had released Beggars Banquet at the end of 1968 – it would be the last to feature Brian Jones. Jones appears in some shape on a number of the tracks, but his appearance at the sessions was unpredictable, and his contribution sporadic. Also at the end of 1968, the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was created – a concept that intended to create “the new shape of the rock-and-roll concert tour” (plus with no scheduled tour planned, it was a way to give additional marketing boost to Beggars Banquet). This was to be the last time Brian Jones appeared with the band he started They had not visited America since 1966, and like The Beatles found the experience to be restrictive and not » Continue Reading.

Author:Martin Barre

Martin Barre’s autobiography is an enjoyable romp through his life and career brought to life by inset boxed anecdotes telling of fun on the road and in the studio. Martin starts at the beginning and we have a well-paced look at childhood, school and his early love of music which clearly prevails to this day. There’s lots about Tull of course, with an unflinchingly honest look at his contribution to, and departure from, the band. Finally he covers his subsequent session/side man work and launching and running his own band.

Reports from those who have met him always say what a nice bloke he is and that comes across here. He’s quite honest about things he didn’t like but his positive outlook prevails. There’s plenty on guitar and gear nerdery for those who like that sort of thing, and despite the universal recognition by his peers, even those who don’t seem to like anyone (looking at you Richie Blackmore), he is consistently generous in his praise of others and modest about his own achievements.

The book seems to be written by Martin himself – having heard him interviewed a few times (and indeed having interviewed him myself on » Continue Reading.

Author:Stuart Bailie

I vaguely recall reading Belfast journalist Stuart Bailie’s articles in the NME back in the nineties, but his work had long gone from my memory until this new collection of his writing over the past forty years reached me. He begins with an interesting and quite detailed look back at his overall career, before presenting a series of his best pieces culled from the various outlets his journalism appeared in between 1985 and 2025. This superb collection gives us some first hand insights in to what it was like to be a music writer in the heady days when the music press was in its pomp and far beyond, with encounters with the likes of Tom Waits, Oasis, The Manic Street Preachers and Radiohead. I feel though that the very best of his writing, the cream of the crop, is reserved for Irish musicians such as U2, The Pogues, The Waterboys and Van Morrison, all of whom he seems to share a great deal of empathy with. This is a really good read, which I’d highly recommend to connoisseurs of music journalism, and as the more recent pieces amply illustrate this wordsmith has lost none of his skill » Continue Reading.

Author:Paul Lynch

It takes something very special for me to write a review of a novel. I read a lot, and as this is at heart not a literary forum, I generally keep my thoughts on the latest Patricia Lockwood (unreadable) or Cormac McCarthy (chewy, a lot of physics) to myself. Occasionally however a novel comes along so remarkable that I just want everybody to read it. Of Lynch’s previous novels I’d read Beyond The Sea, a tale of poverty and survival at sea in South America and admired his prose without feeling that engaged by the subject matter. I couldn’t shake the thought that at heart this was constructed and planned – a series of aesthetic choices rather than necessary.

A Prophet Song is a world away. This is something Lynch has put everything into, a story he absolutely has to tell. Though published in 2023, its relevance has – awfully – only grown over the last two years. His story is set in contemporary Ireland, in which a set of political circumstances have brought into power a far-right party, and from the perspective of a professional middle-class Dublin family the novel charts a country’s descent into civil » Continue Reading.

Author:Derek Shulman

The former Gentle Giant vocalist and indeed founding member, and latterly record company executive, takes us through the journey of his life in this autobiography, co-authored with music journalist and author Jon Wiederhorn. He leads us from his childhood days through to life on the road with Simon Dupree & The Big Sound and on to the formation of Gentle Giant, a band whose complex intricate music still holds its own today despite being recorded in the heyday of prog over fifty years ago. He has some interesting recollections of the recording of their albums and the inner politics of the band, although they eventually seemed to call it a day on amicable enough terms. Managing the band gave him a good insight into the workings of the record industry, so after its dissolution it was quite an easy and natural transition to move over to the other side of the fence to begin work as an A&R man. Spotting and snapping up an unsigned young band called Bon Jovi got him off to a flying start in his new career, and he was soon climbing the ranks, along the way signing up artists such as Dream Theater » Continue Reading.

Author:Steve Pilkington, George Haffenden, Joe Matera

This is a revised edition of a book on Maiden that originally appeared in 2020, which has been updated to include their most recent album, 2021’s Senjutsu, as well as for an overall polishing up. As the years go by, the band seem to get bigger and better, both in terms of albums and their epic live shows, although like many of the biggest metal bands these days, such as Metallica, they seem to spend more time on the road than in the studio. This is a really first class telling of their tale, from humble beginnings as part of the NWOBHM, right through their long career, As well as looking at each album track by track, the author gives some interesting background as to what was happening behind the scenes in the band, and also takes a look at their iconic artwork. This very readable entertaining book makes for an informative companion for both the diehard fan and the more casual listener, mixing facts and analysis with anecdotes and opinion, and is certainly well worth seeking out.

I don’t know an awful lot about The Temptations other than the obvious singles such as » Continue Reading.

Author:Ross Montgomery

The year is 1910 and Halley’s Comet is in the sky. At a stately home on World’s End, a tidal island off the Cornish coast, the Viscount is convinced this heralds a series of natural disasters and has accordingly ordered the house to be completely sealed from the outside world, with all his extended family, guests and servants inside. Alas, his elaborate precautions prove to be in vain as he is found murdered in his study the next morning. It falls to a newly appointed butler, fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn’t commit, and an irascible 80 year old foul mouthed family matriarch, to investigate, alongside an incompetent detective from Scotland Yard who is more hindrance than help. This is a classic ‘locked room’ mystery, but the plot, which at times resembles a giant game of Cluedo, is liberally infused with humour, which sometimes borders on farce, as this undynamic duo dig into the family’s secret past in a race against time before the killer can strike again. This is an unusual but irresistible novel, a gleeful adventure with some unique characters and a sprinkle of wickedness, which will appeal to lovers of the whodunit » Continue Reading.

Author:Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah continues her excellent series of Poirot mysteries with this new title, the sixth in the series. It is New Year’s Eve of 1932, and Poirot and his good friend Inspector Catchpool, a sort of fusion of Hastings and Japp, arrive on the Greek island of Lamperos for a supposed post-festive break. They are guests of the founder of a quasi religious new age type group, whose core belief is that true enlightenment can only be achieved when all past misdemeanours are forgiven. When each guest anonymously writes a new year’s resolution, one is revealed to be a plan to murder one of the other guests. Sure enough, the house is awoken by screams in the early hours of New Year’s Day and it seems the resolution has been all too quickly fulfilled. Poirot and Catchpool investigate in this ingeniously plotted thriller, which is full of red herrings and misdirections, although the clues are all there if your little grey cells can spot them. The persona of Poirot is superbly recreated, and indeed the book is full of sharply drawn character sketches, in this cleverly executed evocation of the Golden Age of Crime. A vintage Christie style » Continue Reading.

Author:Graeme Thomson, Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill

A companion piece to Graeme Thomson’s excellent “Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds”, this takes the form of first-person interviews with the founding (and still current) creative hub of the band.

Each short chapter tackles a subject. Jim writes an intro, Graeme transcribes solo interviews with both Jim and Charlie. It’s all very conversational in tone and covers everything you could want to know about the rise, fall, and rise again of the post-punk-Euro-art-stadium-rockers, their backgrounds, personal lives, and the passage of time as they face turning 70.

With short chapters, it is an easy read, easy to put down and pick up, and gallups along over 300+ pages. My PDF copy had no pictures, which was a shame.

Length of Read:Medium

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

Whereas “Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds” covered the how from Graeme’s point of view. This one covers the why from Jim & Charlie’s POV.

One thing you’ve learned

The inspiration for their signature tune, ‘Themes for Great Cities’, was the Tornados / Joe Meek’s ‘Telstar’

Author:Tom Doyle

A decent Ringo biography in the mould of Philip Norman’s biographies of his 3 bandmates is long overdue. Perhaps Norman has one in the works. In the meantime there is this new and comprehensive tome written by Tom Doyle, published in the UK on 31st October. (My copy was purchased from a bookseller who clearly hadn’t checked the publication dates of his new stock).

Tom Doyle has form in this kind of endeavour, having previously written books about Kate Bush, Elton John, Billy Mackenzie and Paul McCartney, none of which I’ve read, so I am unfamiliar with his style of writing. His biography of Ringo clocks in at 384 pages and gives equal weight to Ringo’s pre- and post-Beatles career as well as covering his time in the Fab Four. The Beatles part of the story treads familiar ground with anecdotes and snippets of the band’s history that have inevitably been written about before. The book follows an ‘episodic mosaic’ pattern detailing specific aspects of Ringo’s story, rather than being a straight chronology. Chapters are short and seldom follow on from each other. The author did interview Ringo for the book, and the content of those interviews » Continue Reading.

Author:Peter James

A new instalment in the long running Roy Grace series of police procedural thrillers sees the detective move outside his usual manor of Brighton. Instead, the action is set mainly in and around Buckingham Palace with King Charles and Queen Camilla both unusually appearing as characters. The action begins when the Royal Train is derailed in Sussex in an apparent attempt to assassinate the Queen. As Grace attempts to track down the plotters, he gradually realises there is far more going on that it originally appears on the surface. James has certainly done a lot of research into how the Royal Household operates and the inner workings and layout of Buckingham Palace, and this fast paced classic thriller really delivers the goods. There’s more focus on the actual investigation itself and rather less than usual on Grace’s family life, which makes it easy to read as a standalone novel, and would make it a good entry point for a newcomer dipping into this series for the first time. As well written as ever, with all the usual cast of now familiar supporting characters, and painstakingly researched, this is a super addition to this series which at times in » Continue Reading.

Author:Mark Blake

“There are three sides to every story: my side, your side and the truth. And no one is lying”. Blake kicks this oral history off with Roberts Evans line from “The Kid Stays In The Picture” and by the end of the book it’s hard to imagine a more apt quote.

“Shine On” is the latest work from this prolific music writer, whose previous subjects include The Who, Queen, Fleetwood Mac and Peter Grant. This is his 3rd Floyd related tome, after “Pigs Might Fly” and “Us And Them” which focuses on Hipgnosis, designers of many iconic album sleeves including “Dark Side Of The Moon”. This book draws on material gathered by Blake stretching back to 1992.

As someone whose record collection has largely been untroubled by Floyd, I’m some way away from the target audience of this type of book (published just head of the 50th anniversary of “Wish You Were here), but nonetheless I found it a really absorbing read. Blake has pulled off the neat trick of telling the Floyd story in a way that manages to be both detailed and snappy.

Whilst Blake has gathered a wealth of material from Waters, Gilmour, Mason and » Continue Reading.

Author:Frederick Forsyth with Tony Kent

I remember reading The Odessa File when I was a teenager, having previously recently finished his only other novel at the time, The Day of The Jackal. Almost unbelievably that was fifty three years ago, but, inspired by the rise of the far right in the USA and Germany, Forsyth, who sadly passed away earlier this year, decided the time was right to revisit the story but bring it right up to date. He is ably assisted by thriller writer Tony Kent, who I haven’t come across previously – I’m not sure who wrote what, or if perhaps Forsyth came up with the plot and overall structure and Kent did the legwork of the bulk of the writing, but it doesn’t affect the quality of the novel at all. The grandson of the hero of the original book is a journalist living in Berlin, and joins the dots to connect a terrorist attack on a German football stadium with the murder of an old man in the dementia ward of a local hospital. The plot spreads across the Atlantic to encompass the suspicious death of a leading US senator, and it soon appears Odessa was » Continue Reading.

Author:Bob Mortimer

Comedian, angler and Middlesborough supporter Bob Mortimer returns with this super new standalone novel, showcasing once again his wacky sense of humour alongside his skill at creating a good plot. Once again, he uses the template of an ineffectual male hero paired with an energetic go-getting girlfriend. Matt has recently lost his job and his cat, and it seems his girlfriend has left him too just as they are about to be made homeless. However, it’s always darkest before the dawn, and out of the blue he is offered a new job, which comes with accommodation in a luxurious apartment. He hopes this new development will tempt his girlfriend to return, but it seems she may not actually have left of her own accord after all. The plot, as they say, thickens as the story gradually unfolds, and it seems the old adage that ‘if something appears too good to be true then it probably is’ may be about to be borne out. I really enjoyed reading this story with its engaging characters and droll dialogue, and the ending certainly took me by surprise. This is a really well put together novel, so if you like a good » Continue Reading.

Author:Iron Maiden (Foreword by Steve Harris, Backword by Bruce Dickinson)

Produced to mark the 50th Anniversary of the band that have basically become the embodiment of Heavy Metal. If a non-HM fan was asked to name one band of the genre, the answer would more than likely be Iron Maiden. In a 45 year recording career, they have sold somewhere between “huge amounts” and “sh*tloads” of albums, toured almost every year and every continent, played to audiences ranging from 3 men and a dog to 250,000 punters, suffered line-up changes but not as many as contemporaries (as a recoding unit: 3 singers, 4 guitarists, 2 drummers, and 1 bass player), and just kept going in their own way. And it is that one bass player (step forward Mr Steve Harris) who has driven the band from the pubs in East End London to stadiums of the world, wrote many of the songs, and generally protected and coveted the Iron Maiden template and name. And to think, without the burning ambition – that’s the last time I lever an IM song title into this review, honest – Steve Harris could’ve gone down the professional football route (it was an option) or » Continue Reading.

Author:Dan Brown

The author’s first novel in eight years sees the welcome return of long standing character Robert Langdon. Accompanying his partner, a celebrated academic, to a lecture in Prague, events suddenly spiral out of control when she disappears without trace from their hotel room. His investigations lead him into the depths of a city steeped in mystery and ancient folklore, a city dominated by its castles, churches and labyrinthine catacombs. As you’d expect, there are plenty of arcane puzzles, hidden clues and cryptic codes to work out as he seeks to solve the mystery while fighting not just for his own life but also for the future of humanity itself. This is an entertaining and enthralling read where every chapter seems to end on a cliffhanger, imploring you to read just a few more pages before putting out the bedside light. Brown certainly knows how to keep the tension and excitement building, with the pages virtually turning themselves, and if you enjoyed his previous novels you’ll find lots to like here in what will undoubtedly be one of the year’s best sellers.

Length of Read:Long

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

Earlier books in the series, thrillers.

One thing » Continue Reading.

Author:Andrew Darlington, Brian J Robb

With the recent passing of Chris Dreja, it seems somehow appropriate that this detailed look at the career of The Yardbirds has coincidentally appeared. They are to be honest a bit before my time, so I’m only really familiar with the hit singles such as For Your Love and Shape of Things. Of course, they were the launchpad for the careers of Page, Clapton and Beck, but there was a lot more to their music than being a proving ground for up and coming ace guitarists, as this deep dive into their career, which leaves no stone unturned, amply demonstrates. An interesting read for fans of the band, and pleasingly one that doesn’t just focus solely on the height of their career when they were in their musical ascendancy.

Around the time of Infected and Mind Bomb, I followed Matt Johnson;s music quite closely, as he really seemed to have his finger on the pulse. I must confess my attention waned after those albums, as indeed seemingly did his as their records become more sporadic as the years passed, with him appearing to have retired from music for good after 2000’s Naked Self set. To » Continue Reading.

Author:Robert Galbraith

This is now the eighth volume in this long running series, which as I’m sure everyone knows by now is authored by JK Rowling. Although it’s by no means the longest book in the series, it still clocks in at a hefty 900 pages, but despite its length, the reading time seems to pass remarkably quickly as one is quickly caught up in the events of the unfolding narrative. A man is found dead, his corpse dismembered, in the vault of a silver shop which is located next to a Freemason’s Hall and which specialises in Masonic silverware. The police are convinced they know the deceased’s identity, but out of the blue a woman who is convinced the body is that of her missing partner contacts Strike. As investigations progress, it soon becomes apparent that there are other missing people who would also fit the bill, and before long four potential murders are being investigated. As the labyrinthine case evolves, circumstances become more dangerous for Strike and his partner, Robin Ellacott, and alongside this he must also confront his unspoken feelings for her as she becomes increasingly committed to her own boyfriend. This is another excellent read in » Continue Reading.

Author:Richard Osman

After a break last year, Richard Osman reunites us once again with the Thursday Murder Club for a fifth instalment of their adventures. It’s been a quiet year for the elderly gang, with Elizabeth still mourning the loss of her husband. Joyce, however, has a wedding to plan for her daughter, but the case begins when the Best Man mysteriously disappears after the celebrations, taking with him half of the code needed to access a fortune in Bitcoin. Suspects abound, including his business partner, a poverty stricken aristocrat and a career criminal. Meanwhile, in a second thread, Ron’s family is threatened by a vicious estranged son in law. Osman cleverly weaves the two plot lines together in this cosy but nonetheless exciting thriller, with a clever and unexpected denouement at the climax. Along the way, he returns to themes that will be familiar to those who have read the previous books, and actually to anyone really – loneliness is bad, family and friends are good, your body and mind beginning to fail you as the years pass isn’t much fun, but by sticking together and helping each other the passage through the later years in life can be » Continue Reading.

Author:Billy Bragg (Edited by Iain Key)

Billy Bragg wrote the foreword to the recent A People’s History Of The Clash, and now teams up with Iain Key (the author of The Clash tome) to release his own People’s History. This is the history (from early days learning guitar with next door neighbour Wiggy) told by those who saw it from street parties, to any club that would host a gig, to the back of a Volvo, and from the stage of Wembley Stadium. And when one of those voices is Billy himself, the oral history becomes partial autobiography. Despite his well recorded activism and outspokenness, I’m not convinced the “real” Billy Bragg is recognised. This book comes as close to revealing just who is Billy Bragg than any of the many passages, Wikipedia entries, biographies (and I’ve read a few). And who is he? Just a bloke from Barking with a belief in himself, those around him, fairness, justice, and the ability not to see himself as any better than anyone else. It’s not an “against the odds I made it” or “poor me, the hardship I’ve suffered” tale, but there is a certain fight for his voice to be » Continue Reading.

Author:Felix Francis

When I was younger, so much younger than today, I used to (and sill do in fact) love a good thriller. One fine day, a friend lent me a Dick Francis novel, which I’d previously avoided as I wasn’t a follower of the sport of kings, and I was somewhat surprisingly hooked. I went back and read all the earlier titles, and since then have always kept up with the new ones. As age caught up with him, Francis recruited his son Felix to collaborate with him, and eventually, after his father’s passing, he took over the mantle and wrote the more recent novels alone, although they are still branded as ‘Dick Francis novels’. Although they are all standalone works, certain characters do periodically reappear, this new book featuring private investigator Sid Halley who has cropped up in a good few previous titles. Here, a young Irish female jockey whose career is very much on the up, is forced to flee to England to escape a jealous controlling boyfriend. Unsurprisingly, he pursues her across the Irish Sea, intent on destroying her career and reputation. Halley is asked by her father to step in, and reluctantly agrees only to » Continue Reading.

Author:Mick Herron

A welcome return to Slough House for all Jackson Lamb fans with the ninth novel in the series, the first visit proper since 2022’s Bad Actors. After the slight detour taken in the last book, the standalone but very much connected The Secret Hours, Herron picks up the narrative shortly after the events described in that tale, with the usual gang of miscreants and misfits all present and correct. River is still trying to get back to full health in the hopes of returning to active duty, while the others continue to while away the interminable hours on pointless tasks under Lamb’s watchful eye. When a book is noticed to be mysteriously missing from River’s late grandfather’s library, he, being at a semi permanent loose end, is sent to investigate further. Meanwhile an attempt is made to blackmail The Park by threatening to expose its complicity in murders committed during the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, a threat, which First Desk Diana Taverner soon realises, could be turned into an opportunity to settle some long standing old scores. This is an excellent addition to the series, as cleverly plotted as always, high on action and thrills » Continue Reading.

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.