History & Criticism

The follow-up to The McCartney Legacy, Volume 1, the most complete work on the life and work of Paul McCartney ever published. Volume 2 continues to paint the portrait of one of the world’s greatest musicians, his work post-Beatles, and his life from 1974 to 1980.

In more than 40 stories from the glory days of rock’n’roll, featuring Lou Reed, Elton John, Sting and The Clash, Allan Jones remembers a world that once was....

In They Just Seem a Little Weird, veteran entertainment journalist Doug Brod offers an eye- and ear-opening look at a crucial moment in music history, when rock became fun again and a gig became a show....

After more than two decades of research and travels, Christophe Lebold, who befriended the poet and spent time with him in Los Angeles, delivers a stimulating analysis of Cohen’s life and art.

Filled with interviews with key players such as Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, and dozens more, as well as breakout bios of notorious characters, lists, and more, The History of Gangster Rap is the be-all-end-all book that contextualizes the importance of gangster rap as a cultural phenomenon....

A stunning, in-depth look at the power and poetry of one of the most consequential rappers of our time....

Paul McCartney and John Lennon described him as the Beatles' "favorite group", he won Grammy awards, wrote and recorded hit songs, and yet no figure in popular music is as much of a paradox....

This is the story of an important period in rock music, but also of the harsher results of the sixties....

A monumental, revealing narrative history about the legendary group of artists at the forefront of West Coast hip-hop: Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur....

This is the never-before-told story of the musical revolution that happened right under the nose of the Reagan '80s - when a small but sprawling network of bands, labels, fanzines, radio stations, and other subversives reenergized American rock....

A stunning musical biography of Stevie Nicks that paints a portrait of an artist, not a caricature of a superstar....

Explains how Americans came to believe they had learned the truth about rock 'n' roll, a truth shaped by the Cold War anxieties of the fifties, the countercultural revolutions (and counter-revolutions) of the sixties and seventies, and the end-of-history triumphalism of the eighties....

Joel Selvin tells the definitive story of the Rolling Stones' infamous Altamont concert in San Francisco, the disastrous historic event that marked the end of the idealistic 1960s....

In this first of a groundbreaking multivolume set, THE MCCARTNEY LEGACY, VOL 1: 1969-73 captures the life of Paul McCartney in the years immediately following the dissolution of the Beatles, a period in which McCartney recreated himself as both a man and a musician....

Lorraine Byrne Bodley takes a detailed look into Schubert's life, and provides an insightful biography of the great composer, revealing his complex and fascinating private life alongside his musical genius....

In this concise and engaging excursion through the songs of one of the world's greatest pop stars, Critchley melds personal narratives of how Bowie lit up his dull life....

Without Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen might not be who he is today. The natural follow-up to Springsteen’s hugely successful album The River should have been the hit-packed Born in the U.S.A....

In 1992, the Screaming Trees were expected to become the next big band to come out of the Seattle music scene during the heyday of grunge. Except it never happened....

Not for You is the first full-length treatment of Pearl Jam's odyssey and importance in the culture, from the '90s to the present....

Dan Hancox tells the remarkable story of how a group of outsiders from the margins of urban life went on to create a genre that has become a British institution. Here, for the first time, is the full story of grime....

Ted Gioia's History of Jazz has been universally hailed as a classic - acclaimed by jazz critics and fans around the world....

As the young tape at the famed Olympic Sound Studios in London, Phill learned the ropes from experienced engineers and producers....

Acclaimed music journalist and New York Times best-selling author Joel Selvin was there for much of the turmoil following Jerry Garcia's death, and he offers a behind-the-scenes account of the ebbs and flows that occurred during the ensuing two decades for the Grateful Dead....

Here is the extreme story of the indestructible LA group, from their early funk days to eventual success as one of America’s top-selling bands.....

The first book dedicated solely to exploring his creative work, Man in the Music guides us through an unparalleled analysis of Jackson’s recordings, album by album....