Best of
Rock-N-Roll

2011

This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography, And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx


Nikki Sixx - 2011
    This Is Gonna Hurt is part photo, part journal - but all Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling snapshots and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness,and determination that shape his work. Told with the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times bestseller The Heroine Diaries , This Is Gonna Hurt chronicles Sixx's experience, from his early years filled with toxic waste to his success with Motley Crue, his death from an OD and rebirth to his addictions to music, photography, and love. Love story, bad-ass rock tell-all, social commentary, family memoir, This Is Gonna Hurt offers the compelling insights of an artist and a man struggling to survive, connect, and find a happy ending-a search that fuels Sixx's being. 'I want to take you on the journey I am on, in real time', Sixx writes. If you don't deal with your demons, they will deal with you, and it's gonna hurt.

Metalion: The Slayer Mag Diaries


Jon Kristiansen - 2011
    The pages of the magazine became a written gospel for the fledgling extreme metal underground, combining eye-ripping graphics, brutally honest writing, and a relentless and sick sense of humor. As black metal rose to prominence in Norway in the 1990s, Slayer Magazine remained the final word on the moods and motivations of those dark times. This book is densely illustrated with early candid photos of classic heavy metal bands including Kreator, Mayhem, Emperor, Darkthrone, Napalm Death, and Morbid Angel. In addition to rare archival material unseen in decades, the book includes unreleased and exclusive interviews and artwork, including historical photographs, and never-before-seen portrait photography by editor Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen.

Fine Fine Music


Cassie J. Sneider - 2011
    Memoir. FINE FINE MUSIC is a collection of stories about the other side of rock and roll and coming of age in the land that time forgot. Lake Ronkonkoma is stuck in 1981, an alcoholic blackout of unnatually tan people waxing their Camaros to Foreigner on cassette and knowing the words to every Billy Joel song whether you want to or not. From an internship making Seamonkey costumes, a childhood fear of My Buddy dolls, and a heartbreaking crush on Aerosmith, funny lady Cassie J. Sneider delivers her tales of growing up in a land of fist-pumping Snookies with the antagonistic wit of a record store clerk.

Gig Posters Volume 2


Clay Hayes - 2011
    It’s a mad jam of illustration and photography, collage and typography, bringing the contemporary music scene to exciting visual life for a generation of fans who’ve grown up in the post-album-art era.Gig Posters Volume 2 showcases bold artistic riffing by a hundred of today’s most talented designers, including David V. D’Andrea, Peter Cardoso, Graham Pilling, Tyler Stout, Marq Spusta, and Nashville’s legendary Hatch Show Print. You’ll peek inside their portfolios and hear the backstage stories of how these incredible art-and-music creations came to be.You’ll also find 101 perforated and ready-to-frame posters promoting the most dynamic musical acts of the twenty-first century, from the Black Keys, Flight of the Conchords, Ice-T, and My Morning Jacket to Norah Jones, the Avett Brothers, Coheed & Cambria, and many, many more.It’s an awesome compendium of pop-art-history in the making—and it’s also just what the walls of your apartment or office have been waiting for.

Crazy Train: The High Life and Tragic Death of Randy Rhoads


Joel McIver - 2011
    He first came to international prominence in 1979, when he was recruited from the cult metal band Quiet Riot to play with Ozzy Osbourne, who had been fired from Black Sabbath for his drink and drug addictions and was in urgent need of a co-writer to kickstart a solo career. How and why Ozzy and Randy went on to find enormous success is one of the key themes of Crazy Train, named after the first and most famous Osbourne/Rhoads co-composition. It was Randy's pioneering combination of neo-classical soloing, catchy riffage and unforgettable songwriting which propelled Ozzy. The two albums that Randy recorded with Quiet Riot and the two with Ozzy showcase the young guitarist's immense ability, although the full extent of his talent may never have been revealed. In 1982 he died in an air crash. The parallels between Crazy Train and the author's best-selling To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton (Jawbone 2009) are intentional and obvious. Both books deal with a musical prodigy who died tragically in his mid-20s; both men have a vast following and a profile which has risen in the years since their deaths; and both men have a large coterie of friends, family and associates prepared to tell their stories for the very first time.

Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal


Eddie Trunk - 2011
    Eddie discusses his most essential bands, his unique personal experiences with them, his favorite “Stump the Trunk” anecdotes and trivia, as well as his favorite playlists. Whether you’re a classic Metallic and Megadeath metalhead or prefer the hair metal of old-school bands like Bon Jovi or Poison, this book salutes those who rock.

Rock Seen


Bob Gruen - 2011
    From taking early photos on tour with Ike and Tina Turner, to capturing the early CBGB/Max’s Kansas City scene to covering current stadium rockers such as Green Day, Gruen has always been at the right place at the right time—and he’s always gotten the shot. In this lavish monograph, Gruen has curated his favorite photographs from his career, with intimate captions and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Featuring such illustrious acts as the Clash, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, Ramones, and more, and including an introduction by the legendary Debbie Harry of Blondie, this collection is a must-have for all fans of rock and roll.Praise for Rock Seen:“Rock Seen offers a disarmingly natural look at icons like Blondie and Cher before the era of the posed rock-star portrait kicked in.” —Entertainment Weekly “Rock Seen . . . hits the high points on and off the stage in rock’s past four decades.” —USA Today “Go backstage with 40 years’ worth of rock-and-roll images from the legendary lens of Bob Gruen, who was once John Lennon’s personal photographer. From over-the-top action shots of Elton John’s acrobatics to private pics of Lennon and Yoko in bed with baby Sean to boozy plane rides with the Sex Pistols, the glossy pages act as your VIP pass to the rock-star lifestyle you’ve dreamed of.” —Marie Claire “The official monograph of rock and roll’s most famous photographer, Rock Seen is a must-have for all rock fans.” —RollingStone.com  “Gruen had a front-row seat to the rise of many rock legends [from] Elton John to Green Day.” —New York Post “If you want to give the gift of great music photos, you honestly cannot do better than these thrilling images from Bob Gruen’s forty-year-long career as one of rock’s iconic photographers” —Creative Loafing “It all came flooding back when I opened Bob Gruen’s beautiful new book, Rock Seen, a sparkling collage of live concert shots and portraits from the last forty years.” —Irish Echo

Green Day Revealed


Ian Shirley - 2011
    This visually stimulating coffee-table book is organized chronologically and covers all the major events in Green Day's still vibrant career, accompanied by revealing and evocative images of the band - from the early days to American Idiot's appearance on Broadway.

Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell with Black Sabbath


Tony Iommi - 2011
     Iron Man reveals the man behind the icon yet still captures Iommi’s humor, intelligence, and warmth. He speaks honestly and unflinchingly about his rough-and-tumble childhood, the accident that almost ended his career, his failed marriages, personal tragedies, battles with addiction, band mates, famous friends, newfound daughter, and the ups and downs of his life as an artist.Everything associated with hard rock happened to Black Sabbath first: the drugs, the debauchery, the drinking, the dungeons, the pressure, the pain, the conquests, the company men, the contracts, the combustible drummer, the critics, the comebacks, the singers, the Stonehenge set, the music, the money, the madness, the metal.

Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History


Mike Evans - 2011
    After enjoying initial success as a British blues band, Fleetwood Mac became wildly popular.

Sons of Roland


Nicole Antonia Carro - 2011
    It follows bass player turned music mogul Edward Houlihan as he recounts The Visitors' meteoric rise to greatness, their wild escapades and their tragic demise. It's a story that must be told, and there is no one better to tell it than the Sons of Roland themselves…Forty years of sex, drugs and rock & roll explode to reveal the secrets and mysteries surrounding the most bizarre chapter in the history of rock & roll music, proving that Elvis is Dead, Paul is Alive and so are the Sons of Roland. About the Author:Nicole Antonia Carson is a locally-established playwright in the Central Florida area. Sons of Roland is her debut novel. The story and characters in Sons of Roland are greatly inspired by Nicole's lifelong love of classic Rock & Roll music, most of which is considerably older than she is.

B-Sides and Broken Hearts


Caryn Rose - 2011
    April 15, 2001 should have been just another Sunday night. But a news headline landing in Lisa's email inbox changes everything: "Joey Ramone is dead." The death of one of her teenage heroes serves as an long-overdue wake-up call causing Lisa to examine her life and how she's lived it, from her youth as a poet on the streets of the East Village to 10 years later, all grown up with a career and a fiance. Add to the mix Jake McDaniel, lead singer of million-selling, critically-regarded Seattle band Blue Electric, known better to Lisa as the starving renegades who lived next door to her when she first arrived in Seattle. In the midst of an unexpectedly heated argument with the fiance over the historical relevance (or not) of the Ramones - which forces Lisa to face the truth about her relationship - Jake writes and invites Lisa to LA. Throwing what seems like half her cd collection in the car, along with a wardrobe consisting of high heels, jeans and t-shirts, Lisa starts driving from Seattle to LA in the middle of the night, accompanied by music, memories, and the ghosts of the past. Arriving in LA, she finds refuge, but also collides with her past, present and future; decisions need to be made, and this time, Lisa stands her ground.

Footprints


Dino Scatena - 2011
    2010 saw the end of an era in Australian music, with Powderfinger playing their last concert together, so this November Hachette Australia will proudly publish FOOTPRINTS, the official authorised biography of the band. Written with journalist Dino Scatena, the up-until-now very private members of the band have opened up to detail the full history of Powderfinger. From their early days at the Orient Hotel to packed stadiums around the country and multiple Aria awards, this illustrated edition will feature the never-before-seen photos of the local Brissie boys who became Aussie rock icons.

Stuart Adamson: In a Big Country


Allan Glen - 2011
    Stuart Adamson: In a Big Country tells the story of how a teenager who was raised in a small Fife village released his first single at 19, wrote three Top 40 albums in the next three years and was written off as a has-been at 23, but then went on to form a new band and sell more than 10 million records worldwide, touring with the Rolling Stones and David Bowie. Although Stuart Adamson was one of the most respected and popular figures in the music industry, his personal life was complex - depression, alcoholism and estrangement - and ultimately tragic, ending with his suicide in a Hawaiian hotel in December 2001.

The Raging Storm: The Album Graphics of StormStudios


Storm Thorgerson - 2011