Make them listen to it two more times. Get them to explain why they never bothered with it before. Then ask them to review it.What began as a simple whim quickly grew in popularity, and now Ruth and Martin’s Album Club has featured some remarkable guests: Ian Rankin on Madonna’s Madonna. Chris Addison on Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Brian Koppelman on The Smiths’ Meat is Murder. JK Rowling on the Violent Femmes’ Violent Femmes. Bonnie Greer on The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Martin Carr on Paul McCartney’s Ram. Brian Bilston on Neil Young’s Harvest. Anita Rani on The Strokes’ Is This It. Richard Osman on Roxy Music’s For Your Pleasure. And many, many more.Each entry features an introduction to each album by blog creator Martin Fitzgerald. What follows are delightful, humorous and insightful contributions from each guest as they have an album forced upon them and – for better or worse – they discover some of the world’s favourite music.Ruth and Martin’s Album Club is a compilation of some of the blog’s greatest hits as well as some exclusive material that has never appeared anywhere before. Throughout, we get an insight into why some people opt out of some music, and what happens when you force them to opt in.

    

    As he learned valuable lessons in self-sufficiency, taking responsibility, and how to avoid (for the most part but not always) getting punched in the face by irate hippies, Larry also found his place and made his home in the far-flung, disjointed and eccentric community he encountered in the anarchic realm that begins where Highway 101’s tattered tarmac dissolves into the dust of Spy Rock Road.

    Suspended for a few seconds, they float in their own space and time with their own hidden prospects. For want of a better term, we call these moments “magical” and when we remember them they are cloaked in a halo of special meaning.’For 14-year-old Johnny Clegg, hearing Zulu street music as plucked on the strings of a guitar by Charlie Mzila one evening outside a corner café in Bellevue, Johannesburg, was one such ‘magical’ moment. The success story of Juluka and later Savuka, and the cross-cultural celebration of music, language, story, dance and song that stirred the hearts of millions across the world, is well documented. Their music was the soundtrack to many South Africans’ lives during the turbulent 70s and 80s as the country moved from legislated oppression to democratic freedom. It crossed borders, boundaries and generations, resonating around the world and back again. Less known is the story of how it all began and developed. Scatterling of Africa is that origin story, as Johnny Clegg wrote it and wanted it told. It is the story of how the son of an unconventional mother, grandson of Jewish immigrants, came to realise that identity can be a choice, and home is a place you leave and return to as surely as the seasons change.

    Freak Out the Squares is Russell's exceptionally witty, unusual and enlightening account of the heady times being a key member of Britpop's best-loved and most enduringly relevant band. The first account of life in Pulp, it takes as its starting point the band's reunion tour in 2011, which culminated in a triumphant Glastonbury performance. It's packed with good stories about Britpop luminaries, including Jarvis of course, and digs back into Pulp's origins in Sheffield and to their glory days at the height of Britpop. Russell Senior is a man too smart to have ever been a pop star. And Pulp were too odd a band ever to have become so big. But we can only be grateful that he was, and they did – and that Freak Out the Squares tells the story in Russell's inimitable, entertaining and fascinating way.

    This inspirational novel "Catching Fire," is the sequel to "The Hunger Games" and the second part in Suzanne Collins' trilogy. The Capitol faces the start of a revolution and an impending civil war as it struggles to maintain control over its 12 districts. Katniss narrates her story and shows readers what it means to be a survivor fighting for freedom and independence. Find out what you can expect from "Catching Fire" with the help of this comprehensive review. With quotes from well-known critics and descriptions of the novel's strengths and faults, you can dive into this engaging sequel with a broader perspective. Collins snares her readers' attention with action scenes and romantic undertones in a post-apocalyptic setting. "Catching Fire" offers lessons about revolution and encourages readers to question the impact of modern-day media, including reality TV and the news. Learn about the author's inspirations for the trilogy before you continue the engrossing story of Katniss, a girl who invoked a rebellion with her passion and survival tactics.

    

    From different counties in Ireland, Maggie Qualter and Richard Terrett both sail to America as young adults in 1870 after surviving Ireland’s Great Hunger as children. Maggie works as a maid for a wealthy family. Richard finds work in a tannery. After the death of the young wife he loves passionately, Richard marries Maggie with the help of a deceptive go-between who brews trouble in their marriage that never goes away. They raise three children in the midst of Irish American culture, the Catholic Church, and Richard’s battles for the workingman in the Knights of Labor. Their daughter Mary dreams of being a nun, while Josie seeks the freedom of big-city life in Boston. Neither reckons on the future she will face, Mary as a wife and mother of nine children and Josie as a single working woman. Tom escapes factory life by joining the Navy, manages to see the world in the midst of two wars, and comes home to marry his sweetheart and start a new life. Their stories are both remarkable and familiar to everyone whose ancestors made their way to and in America.The events in the Terretts’ lives are as they emerge from the public record. But their inner lives, their thoughts, their relationships, their words are imagined as a route to understanding these five complicated and fascinating people

     Steel's First Temper: Jill "Reaper" Repeth must complete a tough rescue mission on a Meme asteroid base while beginning to train a new protégé, Joseph "Bull" ben Tauros. A Hotter Forge: Bull and Reaper are assigned to capture one of the Pure Race, but a Blend throws a monkey wrench into their plan, forcing them into a no-win battle. What Price Humanity? Vincent "Vango" Markis awakes to find himself blind and helpless. Soon it become apparent that he and his fellow pilots are trapped in a situation with no choices and only one way out. A slightly shorter version was previously published in Jerry Pournelle's anthology There Will Be War X. Plague Wars: Decade One - The Eden Plague - Reaper's Run - Skull's Shadows - Eden's Exodus - Apocalypse Austin - Nearest Night Plague Wars: Alien Invasion - The Demon Plagues - The Reaper Plague - The Orion Plague - Cyborg Strike - Comes the Destroyer - Forge and Steel Plague Wars: Stellar Conquest - First Conquest - Desolator - Tactics of Conquest - Conquest of Earth - Conquest and Empire

    Fate has taken away everything former hot-shot Air Force pilot J.D. Rivera ever held dear--his family, his fiancée and his career. Inheriting his crazy aunt's broken down ranch in Los Rios, Arizona, is the last thing he wants. For J.D. the ranch is just another bad memory. But if he doesn't take over the ranch, all the people who work there will lose their jobs. And the one person who'd believed in him would cry in her grave. SHE COULD LOSE EVERYTHING... A traumatic experience caused Madeline Inglewood to withdraw from life, but now she's determined to change all that. Maddy believes her new job teaching English to Spanish speaking workers at the Tripplehorne Ranch is perfect for her new start. But when she arrives, her employer is dead--and the new owner is man with a secret. He's also dark, handsome, and if locals are to be believed--dangerous. And he has no interest in hiring an English teacher. But when sparks fly between J.D. and Maddy, love...redemption...and second chances are theirs for the taking...if they can let down their defenses long enough to trust each other. "Full of surprises. The pages seem to turn themselves. When a story engages my mind as well as my emotions, I know I'm hooked." 5 Stars --The Romance Reader

    He'd left the boxing ring with his body intact and he was content with his new job at Elite Security. But the chiseled-to-perfection heartthrob didn't have who he wanted... Maxine "Maxi" Rizzo had always prided herself on being independent and in complete control of her life...well, at least she thought she was. The gorgeous, blue-eyed publicist clearly wasn't in control of her life when the stalking had started a few weeks ago... With her life in serious danger, Maxi would have to let someone else take care of her for once; but she never knew that he would be her safety. Can she let go and finally give in to her heart's desire? Can Billy convince her that all he wants...is her? All He Needs – Zach & Stephanie Sexy, newly single, former Marine Andrew Charles Elliot IV, aka Ace, was ready for a life with no drama and no one to answer to. After a broken engagement and twelve years in the Corps he hoped his fresh start in Harper's Crossing would be just what he needed. But after laying eyes on his new neighbor, he knew all he really needed was her... Stephanie Holland excelled at taking care of others both at work as a nurse and as an incredible big sister to her twin siblings. The gorgeous redhead had no room to think of anyone else...that is until he moved next door... After years of putting the needs of others before her own, would she be able to surrender to the idea of someone taking care of her? Would Ace be able to convince her that he wanted to be there for her--mind, body and soul? Could he make her see that she was All He Needs? All He Feels – Dax & Ginny One night sealed their fate... Virginia "Ginny" Valentine didn't think she could feel so connected to another person after one night of "just talking." The beautiful and famous country singer had everything in her life...everything but that connection. And after experiencing it for the first time, she wanted more, and she wanted it with him... Dax Archer felt it the second he laid eyes on her. From that moment, the bodyguard and former Marine knew he had to make her his in every way possible. But when she disappeared from his life after leaving only a note to say she'd never forget him, he didn't know how... With some time set aside to create new music, Ginny was also ready to create something special with the man that consumed her every waking thought. After being reunited with the woman who owned him mind, body and soul, he was ready to make her feel all that he felt and more... All He Desires – Nate & Eliza Former Army Ranger and cyber security specialist Nate Holmes was a genius in all things computers. The sexy, muscled Adonis could fix any technical problem he was faced with, but when it came to matters of the heart, there was one issue he couldn't face...how he felt about her... Eliza Young thought she'd put Harper's Crossing in her rear view, but when a job opportunity opens up, the beautiful brunette is forced to return to her hometown and the setting of her unrequited first true love... He thought he'd missed his chance, she thought she'd never had one. After ten years, fate had finally reunited Nate and Eliza, but the question remains--what do you do when you get a chance to get it right this time? Will Nate have the courage and heart to claim her and...All He Desires...

    Includes lead sheets for such standard vocal repertoire pieces as: Yesterday * I'm Beginning to See the Light * and I Heard it Through the Grapevine. Maximize your vocal potential with this outstanding guide

    Sauveur, Quebec, and New York City. He’s intimately familiar with the route, from its topography to its emotional touchstones—each mile nearly etched into his psyche. The starting point, nestled in the Laurentian Mountains, is an hour northeast of Montreal, and home to a large part of his fabled upbringing with its rich maternal lineage and musical legacy. It’s also loaded with some good ol’ fashioned baggage. The end point, New York, like for so many before and after him, serves as a storied stomping ground for his rise as an artist and person, independent of his family. It’s an ever-alluring, but uneasy place, as it’s dished out equal measures of validation and indifference throughout their testy relationship. In Road Trip Elegies, Rufus sets out on the trek with his usual personal effects: a treasure trove of memories; a razor-sharp-wit; and big appetite for healthy self-reflection. But on this particular trip, he’s packed two additional items to help navigate the experience: something to record himself with, and, someone to talk to. For the latter, Rufus has tapped his therapist. Yes, Mark the Analyst. (Hey, why not go for the best?) What ensues over the course of three one-hour episodes is a captivating, detailed, and candid coming of age story—an artist’s awakening—shared by a man who uniquely understands from whence he came and how it’s all played out ever since. As satisfying or soulful a premise that may be, Rufus is the consummate showman, Road Trip Elegies offers its listeners much, much more.If Elegies is anchored in Rufus’s driving excavation as an artist and son (his beloved mother, Canadian folk icon Kate McGarrigle, is an essential and enduring force in his life), the title is truly lifted and made whole by its spectacular musical counterpart. Generously woven throughout the duration of the drive, each live cut (more than twenty tracks in total) is plucked from an exquisite, recent set of performances some 3,000 miles west. Captured at McCabe's Guitar Store, a music venue in Los Angeles, the three-night run was designed specifically to accompany and punctuate moments and themes derived from his Road Trip. Backed by a tightknit, 4-piece band, including his sister, Lucy Wainwright Roche (vocals), Petra Haden (vocals/violin), and featuring top-notch stage banter throughout, Rufus seamlessly moves between a sweeping breadth of songs that span generation, genre, and timbre. Many tunes penned by his own notable family members, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, or his distinguished folk writing father, Loudon Wainwright III; others are gorgeously Rufus-ized versions of standards from the stage, the Great American Songbook or more modern classics. Cue: Dylan’s "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall," and Barry Gibb’s always welcome "Islands in the Stream." Enveloped in the warmth of devoted fans and a host of admiring special attendees (Burt Bacharach, Jessica Chastain, Mike Stoller, Shirley Maclaine, Chris Guest, Darren Criss, Anjelica Huston, Jackson Browne, and Vandyke Parks to name-drop a few) the performance, throughout, conveys a fantastic sense of both intimacy and electricity.By the time Rufus approaches the City, we’ve been richly serenaded with beautiful melodies courtesy of the West coast, and moving stories down the state thruway. Driving solo now (don’t worry, his intrepid therapist was safely dropped off in Westchester), Rufus is admittedly, fully loopy: emotionally drained but highly entertaining. The final leg has the remarkably palpable vibe of just Rufus and you, working in parallel, looking to land closure. Total catharsis is of course out of reach, but Rufus’s Road Trip Elegies is a bold and beautiful testament to the power of not compartmentalizing our various parts, or striving to disown our past, but rather, willfully embracing the full extent of us; seeking to grasp and contain even our most challenging of pieces, to arrive, more completely, at peace of mind.©2020 Rufus Wainwright (P)2020 Audible Originals LLCShow less

    disbanded in 2011. It offers by far the most detailed account of their formative years―the early lives of the band members, their first encounters with one another, their legendary debut show, early tours in the back of a van, initial recordings, their shrewdly paced rise to fame. The people and places of ‘the South’ are crucial to the R.E.M. story in ways much more complex and interesting than have been presented thus far, says Lurie, who explores the myriad ways in which the band’s adopted hometown of Athens, Georgia, and the South in general, have shaped its members and the character and style of their art. The South is more than the background to this story; it plays a major role: the creative ferment that erupted in Athens and gripped many of its young inhabitants in the late 70s and early 80s drew on regional traditions of outsider art and general cultural out-thereness, and gave rise to a free-spirited music scene that produced the B-52’s and Pylon, and laid the ground for R.E.M.’s subsequent breakout success. Lurie has tracked down and interviewed numerous figures in the band’s history who were under-represented in or even absent from earlier biographies, and they contribute previously undocumented stories as well as casting a fresh light on the familiar narrative.

    One experience that would take some beating is that endured by Baxter Dury.When punk rock star Ian Dury disappeared to make films in the late 80s, he left his teenage son in the care of his roadie, in a rundown flat in Hammersmith. But this was no ordinary roadie; this was the Sulphate Strangler. The Strangler, having taken a lot of LSD in the 60s, was prone to depression, anger and hallucinations. He was also, as the name suggests, a drug dealer. What could possibly go wrong?In a period that we can now only imagine, a young Baxter ricocheted from one adventure to another, narrowly swerving one disaster only immediately to collide with another. At times, his situation was perilous in the extreme - the world is lucky to have him at all. CHAISE LONGUE is an intimate account of those escapades, evocatively illuminating a bohemian west London populated with feverishly grubby characters. Narrated in Dury's candid tone, both sad and funny, this moving story will leave an indelible imprint on its readers.