Tag: book review

RELEASE YEAR: 2024  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/postcards-from-scotland-scottish-independent-music-1983-1995 This one is a rather fascinating piece of work that examines and tells the story of a hugely interesting phenomenon that took place in Scotland in the eighties and early nineties, namely that of Scottish post-punk and its closely related genres within that geographical area. Author Grant McPhee has basically…

RELEASE YEAR: 2024  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/nirvana-the-true-story Another excellent entry in Omnibus Press’ Remastered series is the classic Nirvana: The True Story by Everett “The Legend” True, the renowned music journalist who experienced the Nirvana phenomenon in ways that would leave most others green with envy. Just to list a few examples,  True introduced Kurt to Courtney…

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/kate-bush-under-the-ivy-omnibus-remastered Omnibus Press recently launched the perfectly titled Remastered series, which sees some of the older and most popular entries in their catalog having been updated and expanded upon. One of those is the beautifully written and evocative Under the Ivy, which offers an incredibly sympathetic and heartwarming portrait of the…

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/dream-machines-electronic-music-in-britain-from-doctor-who-to-acid-house Dream Machines by author Matthew Collin is quite literally a dream come true for anyone interested in the subject of British electronic music – regardless of whether one is merely curious about the phenomenon or harbor much more than just a passing interest in its gloriously labyrinthine history. Exhaustively researched,…

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/sniffin-glue-and-other-rock-n-roll-habits-published-29-february-2024 The legendary British underground fanzine titled Sniffin’ Glue . . . and Other Rock ‘n’ Roll Habits formed an essential part of the early punk scene (primarily in the UK) and was driven by a deep-seated love and admiration for the then-burgeoning milieu that began to form and take proper…

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-life-and-times-of-little-richard-the-authorized-biography-published-22-february-2024 Sporting a brand-new cover as well as a comprehensive overview of Richard’s recorded works and photos from the rock ‘n’ roll pioneer’s own archive but containing the same fast-paced and captivating story, this edition of the classic The Life and Times of Little Richard has lost none of its power…

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/white-knuckles-the-life-of-gary-moore-published-on-8th-september-2021?_pos=1&_sid=672ce29c4&_ss=r Being the huge fan and admirer of Martin Power’s epic book on Jimmy Page titled No Quarter that I am, I was naturally rather psyched and excited when a copy of White Knuckles landed on my doorstep. The role and significance of the immortal and sadly missed Gary Moore cannot…

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/what-have-we-got-the-turbulent-story-of-oi What Have We Got? by author Simon Spence is a most illuminating, thought-provoking, and perfectly balanced overview of the origins and evolution of the Oi! music genre and the whole scene revolving around that both in the UK and abroad. In some ways highly controversial and infamous yet also underappreciated…

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/heady-daze-the-mission-years-1985-1990-published-on-25th-august-2022 This scribe was madly in love with the inimitable Wayne Hussey’s previous autobiography (or rather the first part of what is presumably a trilogy), namely the brilliant and ridiculously entertaining Salad Daze from 2019. His latest literary output, Heady Daze, picks up where its predecessor ended, and as its title…

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/anymore-for-anymore-the-ronnie-lane-story-published-24th-august-2023 Anymore for Anymore: The Story of Ronnie Lane is a moving and most interesting piece of gripping music literature that sheds light on a hugely skilled musician and songwriter who was held in high esteem by his friends and peers yet somehow came across as an overlooked or underappreciated musical…

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/mud-ride-a-messy-trip-through-the-grunge-explosion-signed-edition-published-on-8th-june-2023 Renowned Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner recently published this fantastically entertaining, engaging, and sincere autobiography of his, and this humorous page-turner (see what I did there?) does an absolutely splendid job at chronicling the birth and evolution of grunge and how the Seattle scene came into being and eventually exploded into…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/beatles-1963-published-on-13th-october-2022 1963 was undoubtedly one of the most eventful and action-packed years in Beatles history and saw the group evolve into a global and widespread phenomenon that cemented their legend. This beautiful hardback sees author Dafydd Rees explore that hallowed year in great detail and essentially provides the reader with an…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/chuck-berry-an-american-life-published-on-8th-november-2022 Much has been written about rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry over the years, but few books feel as comprehensive and in-depth as this evocative 415-page gem by RJ Smith does. Beautifully written and capable of transporting the reader back in time to bygone eras, this is quite the page-turner.…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/listening-to-the-music-the-machines-make-the-electronic-pop-revolution-1978-1983-published-on-27th-october-2022?_pos=1&_sid=d27e49c6e&_ss=r This excellent examination of the birth and rise of electronic pop music in Britain by author Richard Evans combines a fresh approach to the success and longevity of the genre with a thorough analysis of its cultural impact and why it resonated with the post-punk generation back in the late…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.wymeruk.co.uk/webshop/books/album-in-depth-series/the-stranglers-la-folie-%E2%80%94-in-depth/ The first time yours truly came across the uncompromising and legendary The Stranglers was when ‘Golden Brown’ appeared in Guy Ritchie’s movie Snatch, and that song prompted me to explore the group’s catalogue and especially 1981’s La Folie, which was a rewarding experience. Now, the thing is that there is…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/ Renowned musician and songwriter Kid Congo Powers, whose musical resume is rather impressive and includes stints with the Cramps, The Gun Club, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, published this deeply evocative and engrossing memoir of his via the brilliant Omnibus Press a few months ago. If you did…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022   BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-jam-1982-published-on-17th-november-2022 What a marvelous piece of work this visually stunning book on that tumultuous yet highly productive year in The Jam’s life that was 1982 is. That was the fateful year when front man Paul Weller decided to lay The Jam to rest following an intensely creative spell from 1977…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: http://www.martinpopoff.com/html/killing-the-dragon-dio-in-the-90-and-2000s.html Renowned author and music critic Martin Popoff never fails to impress and inspire me thanks to the quality and depth of his written works. Killing the Dragon: Dio in the ’90s and 2000s is no exception to that rule. This one is actually the kind of book that I had…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.wymeruk.co.uk/webshop/books/album-in-depth-series/rainbow-straight-between-the-eyes-in-depth/ Author Laura Shenton has written an impressive number of books in a relatively short amount of time, and one of the reasons why they are so enjoyable to read (apart from being incredibly well-researched, that is) is that she narrows her focus quite considerably in her work and delves deep…

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/ Following the publication of last year’s “Bowie Odyssey 71”, yours truly had been eagerly awaiting its follow-up, and what a treat it now is to be able to tell you that we are dealing with a sparkling new literary gem here. Simon Goddard’s story is an engrossing account of Bowie’s…