Martin Aston

4AD est un label légendaire. Créé en 1980 à Londres, il est l’emblème de la scène alternative effervescente des deux décennies suivantes. C’est d’abord la figure énigmatique dIvo Watts-Russell, décou

4AD est un label légendaire. Créé en 1980 à Londres, il est l’emblème de la scène alternative effervescente des deux décennies suivantes. C’est d’abord la figure énigmatique dIvo Watts-Russell, décou

Popular musics gay DNA is inarguable, from Elvis in eye shadow and Little Richards Tutti Frutti to The Velvet Undergrounds subversive rocknroll and Bowies ambisexual alien Ziggy Stardust; from kd langs female Elvis to Kurt Cobain in a dress; from Noughties lesbian icon Beth Ditto to Lady Gagas Born This Way manifesto. But if collected essays and/or features have addressed gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender singers, songwriters, musicians and songs, no book has yet comprehensively and authoritatively drawn together all the threads to explore this as an unfolding, historical narrative: to tell the story of how music came out, from the days when homosexuals were deeply in the closet, but the love that once dared not speak its name sings it, and on daytime radio to boot.This story will reveal which songs have coded messages about sexuality, and which proudly declared the truth, including examples of heterosexual songwriters and singers who chose to address same-sex issues, from Rod Stewarts The Killing Of Georgie - the first UK number one with a gay theme - to Suedes Animal Nitrate. The narrative will unfold against a backdrop of historic social and political shifts, as LGBT rights pushed for visibility and equality, from the closet of the Fifties to the struggle and setbacks of the Sixties, the liberation of the Seventies, the mainstream invasion and AIDS crisis of the Eighties, the advances of the Nineties and the more immersed scene of the Noughties. These artists have indeed changed the world as we know it. Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache is a story for a wide audience, not just the LGBT community but a broad spectrum of music lovers who are fascinated by these characters, events, stories and songs. It is also a very timely tale, given the prominence of same-sex issues such as marriage equality, alongside the retrogressive steps in places such as Russia and parts of Africa, where songs encapsulating the gay/lesbian experience mirror those of the Sixties, signifying how the journey from illegality and bigotry to freedom is still far from over.

Libro del año según NME, Rough Trade y Times Literary SupplementLa historia de 4AD, el sello de Bauhaus, The Birthday Party, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance, Modern English, The Wolfgang Press, Xmal Deutschland, Clan of Xymox, Pale Saints, Lush, Ultra Vivid Scene, Throwing Muses, Pixies, Red House Painters, The Breeders, Belly, Mojave 3...A contracorriente: La historia de 4AD es el libro definitivo sobre el iconico sello discografico britanico, probablemente el mas original, arriesgado y que mas influencia ha tenido a lo largo de las decadas. Desde su creacion en 1980, en los albores del postpunk, el enigmatico fundador de 4AD, Ivo Watts-Russell, persiguio una vision particularmente original, singular y obsesiva; una aventura artistica mas alla del mero ejercicio comercial que rehuia tendencias y que, gracias al talento de Vaughan Oliver y su equipo, engendro un estilo unico de diseño de portadas de discos totalmente rompedor e impactante.A partir de un trabajo sin parangon en la literatura musical, con mas de cien entrevistas con los artistas y el personal del sello, Martin Aston sigue el curso de los años decisivos de 4AD, desde sus inicios con grupos de la talla de Bauhaus, The Birthday Party, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil y Dead Can Dance hasta su consolidacion a finales de los ochenta, cuando ficha a bandas estadounidenses imprescindibles como Pixies, Red House Painters, Throwing Muses o The Breeders. Sin embargo, a pesar del exito creciente, un cumulo de rencillas, colapsos emocionales y concesiones comerciales forzadas a raiz de la invasion de la musica alternativa en el mainstream dejaron a 4AD a la deriva y a Watts-Russell sumido en una depresion que lo llevaria a romper con todo y desaparecer en el desierto de Nuevo Mexico.

The first official account of the iconic record label. An NME Book of the Year 2013 A Rough Trade Book of the Year 2013 A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2013 This Mortal Coil, Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Throwing Muses, Breeders, Dead Can Dance, Lisa Germano, Kristin Hersh, Belly, Red House Painters. Just a handful of the bands and artists who started out recording for 4AD, a record label founded by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1979, a label which went on to be one of the most influential of the modern era. Combining the unique tastes of Watts-Russell and the striking design aesthetic of Vaughan Oliver, 4AD records were recognisable by their look as much their sound. In this comprehensive account concentrating on the labels first two decades (up to the point that Watts-Russell left), music journalist Martin Aston explores the fascinating story with unique access to all the key players and pretty much every artist who released a record on 4AD during that time, and to its notoriously reclusive founder. With a cover designed by Vaughan Oliver this is an essential book for all 4AD fans and anyone who loved the music of that time.

Libro del año según NME, Rough Trade y Times Literary Supplement La historia de 4AD, el sello de Bauhaus, The Birthday Party, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance, Modern English, The Wolfgang Press, Xmal Deutschland, Clan of Xymox, Pale Saints, Lush, Ultra Vivid Scene, Throwing Muses, Pixies, Red House Painters, The Breeders, Belly, Mojave 3... "A contracorriente: La historia de 4AD" es el libro definitivo sobre el iconico sello discografico britanico, probablemente el mas original, arriesgado y que mas influencia ha tenido a lo largo de las decadas. Desde su creacion en 1980, en los albores del postpunk, el enigmatico fundador de 4AD, Ivo Watts-Russell, persiguio una vision particularmente original, singular y obsesiva; una aventura artistica mas alla del mero ejercicio comercial que rehuia tendencias y que, gracias al talento de Vaughan Oliver y su equipo, engendro un estilo unico de diseño de portadas de discos totalmente rompedor e impactante. A partir de un trabajo sin parangon en la literatura musical, con mas de cien entrevistas con los artistas y el personal del sello, Martin Aston sigue el curso de los años decisivos de 4AD, desde sus inicios con grupos de la talla de Bauhaus, The Birthday Party, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil y Dead Can Dance hasta su consolidacion a finales de los ochenta, cuando ficha a bandas estadounidenses imprescindibles como Pixies, Red House Painters, Throwing Muses o The Breeders. Sin embargo, a pesar del exito creciente, un cumulo de rencillas, colapsos emocionales y concesiones comerciales forzadas a raiz de la invasion de la musica alternativa en el mainstream dejaron a 4AD a la deriva y a Watts-Russell sumido en una depresion que lo llevaria a romper con todo y desaparecer en el desierto de Nuevo Mexico.