He was there at the beginning. When the Jam were signed by Polydor. In fact, he was the A&R man who signed them and stayed on with Paul Weller right through the Style Council years and has stayed close ever since. As such, Dennis Munday is the perfect person to put down on paper the story of Weller‘s music and career, which is exactly what he does. Its objective, dispassionate, yet with an inescapable affinity with its subject. All the main players are here - there's Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler, Mick Talbot and Steve White, Dee C Lee as well as the ever present strength and inspiration behind the scenes of Paul's father, John Weller. You'll find anecdotes and opinion, as well as a few secrets along the way. Munday doesn't avoid being controversial when he feels it necessary - but his respect and affection for Paul's music comes shining through. As he says, “If Paul didn't have real talent, he'd have been found out a long time ago”. For anyone with even a passing interest in Paul Weller this is top drawer. For a fan - like me - this is an essential purchase Rob Massey
Take yourself back to the mid seventies. To that bland, self-opinionated time of prog rock and mediocrite. And then remember what blew it all away. For me, it happened one night in the Summer of 1976 when The Sex Pistols appeared on “So It Goes”. Nothing would ever be the same again. But if you ever wondered what had led to that most monumental of musical revolutions, the answer is here. “Only Anarchists Are Pretty” is the story of the early days of the Pistols.
It runs from Malcolm MacLaren's return from America after managing the New York Dolls to the infamous Bill Grundy show. There's how they started, the audition of Johnny Rotten, the riotous early shows. And much more. Because what makes this fascinating is that its part-fictional, part fact. You don't know what is what. So, you start to ask yourself, did it happen this way? Did they really do that…..???? Find out for yourself. Get a copy - it's a great read. Rob Massey
The Soul Stylists - Paulo Hewitt with concept and introduction by Paul Weller
Not long after Paul Weller split The Jam, he spoke to Paulo Hewitt about the Soul Stylists. That continuing family of those with The Look that can be traced back to the immediate post-war years. This classic book was the outcome of that conversation. It traces the various cults from the jazz modernists of the forties, through the original mods, skinheads, northern soulers, soul boys and casuals.
It is all put together with anecdotes of those who were there at the time. It covers the clothes, the shops, the clubs. And its fascinating. It was first published in 2000 but it has lost none of its authenticity and interest. And it contains a Foreword and Epilogue from The Modfather himself. In the latter, he reflects on a day shopping in London in 1989 and applauds the fact that the music and The Look keep on renewing themselves with each new generation. And how right he is. This is one book that comes highly recommended from Sohostrut Towers. Rob Massey
Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Demise of English Rock
Britpop could be the last real British Youth Movement, indeed by 1998 it was all over only 3 years since its birth.Records sold in the millions, a new celebrity elite emerged, and Tony Blair's Labour Party found itself returned to government..Britpop! charts the rise and fall of the Britpop moment all the bands of the time talk to the writer John Harris in interviews the way with words and his slant on the time make a great read.
The Last Party - Britpop, Blair and the demise of English Rock - John Harris.
Have you ever asked yourself why Britpop died so quickly? Or how it linked with the political events of the time? Well, if these questions have crossed your mind, look no further than this book. John Harris was there or thereabouts while it was all going on. And he has a theory. Britpop died when Noel met Tony at Number 10. And the fact that “Be Here Now” (and “The Great Escape”) was not as great as its predecessors came in pretty handy too. Its been out a few years now, but is no less worth checking. “The Last Party” puts it all in context. With politics, with cultural developments, and with the musical history that underpinned it.
They're all here – Oasis, Blur, Elastica, Pulp. And their predecessors – The Jam, The Smiths, Suede, the under-achieving indie of the 80's. And wait until the final page and the reference to an “arrogant young pretender”. Then think about the likes of Pete Doherty, Preston and Alex Turner. And feel the rush of adrenalin at the realisation that the music you love just keeps renewing itself. This book has been updated once since publication, to take account of bands such as the Libertines. It could do with updating for the era of the Ordinary Boys and the Arctic Monkeys. All right, Harris isn't unbiased. He clearly leans towards the Blur side of the Britpop debate. But this is nonetheless one of the best books you'll read about the music and culture of the late twentieth century. Check it out. Rob Massey
1966 Uncovered a great book about the World Cup and the British Isles in the heady days of the 60's. The book kicks off with an interview with Sir Bobby Charlton in which he runs you through the highs and his lows of the 1966 matches,it runs through four chapters, the pictures are great.
Move sideways for a few Min's will you and I'll tell you about the most interesting book,called what else but 'The Modfather: My Life with Paul Weller' about Paul Weller, well I never , the author David Lines takes the reader through his teenage years. His passion for The Jam, and his obsession with Paul Weller ,it's well written this, what a great Idea....