DAVE THOMPSON

Block Buster! explores the incredible story of glam and hard rock legends The Sweet, still one of the best-loved bands of the Seventies. A journey back to a spangled age when men were men and women were often men in disguise. An age when the Sweet were pioneers, stepping out in areas where none had dared to go and transforming Thursday-night television into a pornographic pantomime that has never been repeated. Featuring exclusive interviews with all four original members, Block Buster! tells the story of the Sweet as they lived it, a vibrant helter-skelter of drama and detail. The book also includes a full worldwide discography.

Initially written off as a fad, Glam Rock has survived and thrived since its early-Seventies heyday and now stands as a uniquely influential period of pomp, glitz, glamour and parent-unfriendly fashion. The first half of the decade saw an explosion of colour and melody that provided the perfect counterweight to the otherwise grim conditions the UK found itself in at the time. Children Of The Revolution charts this six-year period, month by month, and tells the story of a few glitter and feather-obsessed would-be rock stars who started a musical movement that proved profitable, hit-packed and not without its share of decadence and scandal. The story charts the rise (and occasional fall) of such names as T Rex, David Bowie, Wizzard, Slade, the Bay City Rollers, Mud, Sweet, David Essex, Suzi Quatro, Mott the Hoople, Sparks, Kenny, Alvin Stardust and hundreds more - all of whom have lived longer in the public conscious than they could ever have imagined. First-person interviews combine with the intimate diary-like text to impart all the breathless excitement of an unrepeatable era.

Jeff Beck stands alongside fellow ex-Yardbirds Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton as one of the greatest electric guitarists Britain has ever produced. His work in the past three decades has encompassed progressive, soul, jazz-rock and instrumental music, winning him the accolade of the guitarists guitarist from innumerable musicians magazines.Yet despite his eclectic output and many collaborators, fans and critics alike hark back to the short-lived Jeff Beck Group of the late 1960s, featuring Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood on bass, as his greatest single contribution to rock music. Some go as far as to say that Truth, their first album from 1968, was the first true heavy metal album, a prototype that set the style for countless (and inevitably less talented) outfits to follow.Award-winning author Dave Thompson has put together the first analysis of this seminal work by a notoriously reclusive character, drawing on existing and new interviews with those who were there or thereabouts to give an incisive view of a rock band that enjoyed a short, sweet and highly influential life.

The first ever biography of one of the most remarkable bands in rock history. Since the moment they emerged into the mainstream in 1974, armed with the hit ""This Town Aint Big Enough for Both of Us"", The Sparks - brothers Ron and Russell Mael - have endeared themselves to successive generations of fans, not only with their wry humour and quirkiness, but also with a lyrical and musical inventiveness that sees them listed among the most influential acts ever. Originally published to celebrate 40 years of this incredible act and 35 years of hits.

In 2009 Phil Spector, the legendary record producer, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson. It was an ignominious climax to a life of staggering highs and scarcely believable lows. Wall of Pain, Dave Thompsons biography of Phil Spector, has now been updated to include important details of the seemingly interminable trial.The architect of the Wall Of Sound, Spectors already iconic status in the music world was enhanced by his work with The Beatles. Writer and producer of countless hits, his innovative genius in the studio revitalised music production in the 1960s and changed the way we listen to music forever.But there was always a dark side to Phil Spector. His success became over-shadowed by his reputation for eccentricity and excess, his fractious personality and fascination with handguns eventually proving a lethal combination.Featuring interviews from those closest to him, including former wife Ronnie Spector, Wall of Pain concludes the painful tale of pops tortured genius.