Mick Wall

" Era un maestro" , dijo David Bowie tras la muerte de Reed, ocurrida el 27 de octubre de 2013. A lo largo de su vida, Lou Reed recibió apelativos tan diversos como el" Padrino del punk" , el" Sumo Sacerdote del glam" , y todo tipo de motes terribles. Lo cierto es que Lou Reed arranco desde el punto donde lo habia dejado el rock. Antes de el, el rock tenia que ver con la diversion. Despues de el, el rock fue literario, sombrio, y por encima de todo inquietantemente honesto. La obra de Lou Reed no merece ocupar el mismo lugar que los Beatles y los Rolling Stones, sino al lado de William S. Burroughs, de Andy Warhol, y del mentor personal de Reed, Delmore Schwartz.

Mick Wall penetrates the closed world of Aussie rock legends AC/DC.AC/DC moved to Britain from Sydney in 1975, and soon set up a residency at Londons Marquee Club. Their short hair (including the odd mullet), loud rock and attitude chimed well with the lingering pub rock and soon-to-be punk crowd. They werent really a band for guitar solos, and singer Bon Scott was the original bike-riding, speed-snorting, fighting man. An ex-convict he lived life fast and short; he died in February 1980, just before BACK IN BLACK, their huge-selling album, took off and the second period of AC/DC (with Brian Johnson as lead vocalist) was ushered in. BACK IN BLACK has gone on to sell 45 million copies worldwide, and as the band have become a global phenomenon so their reclusiveness has increased. Mick Wall, the don of heavy metal writing, seeks to penetrate the wall around the Young brothers, and write the first authoritative, in-depth critical account of AC/DC.

Viajando por entre la neblina púrpura del idealismo y la paranoia de los años sesenta, Jimi Hendrix fue el hombre que hizo que Eric Clapton se planteara dejarlo, ante quien Bob Dylan se plegó en su cancion All Along the Watchtower, quien obligo a Miles Davis a replantearse su estilo convencional, y cuyo Star Spangled Banner marco Woodstock.Y cuando su estrella, que con tanta fuerza brillo, se extinguio tan prematuramente, su leyenda perduro en la musica y el misterio que rodeo a su muerte.Rompiendo con el tradicional formato de las biografias del rock, "Vida y muerte de Jimi Hendrix" es una exploracion oportunamente psicodelica y caleidoscopica de su vida y su muerte, y un viaje al oscuro corazon de los años sesenta. Mientras las groupies hacian cola, las drogas se volvian cada vez mas duras y el sueño de los sesenta ardia en el fuego y la sangre de la guerra de Vietnam, el asesinato de Martin Luther King y la eleccion del presidente Richard Nixon.El aclamado escritor Mick Wall, autor de "Led Zeppelin: Cuando los gigantes caminaban sobre la tierra", ha recurrido a sus entrevistas y a una exhaustiva investigacion para hacer el inimitable y novelesco relato de esta historia, el retrato definitivo del Dios de la Guitarra ante cuyo altar acuden a rezar otros reyes de la guitarra. La historia de Jimi Hendrix se ha contado ya muchas veces, pero nunca como esta.

"Era un maestro", dijo David Bowie tras la muerte de Reed, ocurrida el 27 de octubre de 2013. A lo largo de su vida, Lou Reed recibió apelativos tan diversos como el "Padrino del punk", el "Sumo Sacerdote del glam", y todo tipo de motes terribles. Lo cierto es que Lou Reed arranco desde el punto donde lo habia dejado el rock. Antes de el, el rock tenia que ver con la diversion. Despues de el, el rock fue literario, sombrio, y por encima de todo inquietantemente honesto. La obra de Lou Reed no merece ocupar el mismo lugar que los Beatles y los Rolling Stones, sino al lado de William S. Burroughs, de Andy Warhol, y del mentor personal de Reed, Delmore Schwartz.

Prince fue un icono universal. Un creador que definió una era musical y transformó el aspecto de la cultura popular para siempre. No hay duda de que logró convertirse en uno de los más prodigiosos e influyentes artistas de todos los tiempos, y tambien quiza en el mas misterioso. El 21 de abril de 2016, de manera inesperada, el mundo de la musica perdio a su Principe.Este libro ofrece una perspectiva de la vida de Prince, sin tabues ni concesiones, como nunca se habia hecho antes. Desde su traumatica infancia, en la que busco en la musica de manera obsesiva una via de escape a la infelicidad, hasta su ascenso al estrellato, pasando por un sinfin de rivalidades profesionales y, tambien, varios matrimonios fallidos. Y todo ello sin olvidar el fino analisis de sus renovados proyectos musicales a traves de comentarios del propio Prince, de sus musicos y de quienes lo conocieron en primera persona.Mick Wall, aclamado escritor musical autor de varios" bestsellers" , explora el contexto historico, cultural y personal que hizo posible el nacimiento de un artista original e irrepetible, cuyas proporciones tardaremos decadas en comprender.

Excellent ... paints an affectionate portrait of this unpretentious, humorous presenter who seems to have been loved by everyone who met him SUNDAY TIMESA leisurely stroll through the life of an "irreplaceable man" - [a] thoughtful, well-paced portrait OBSERVERA tribute biography of the hugely popular DJ and broadcaster John PeelJohn Peel was born in Cheshire in 1939 and, after National Service, he eventually went into broadcasting while travelling in America, where his Liverpool accent convinced them he must know the Beatles, and he was even present when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot. In 1967 he returned to the UK and joined Radio One at its start. His late-night radio shows were cult listening for music fans of all ages, and many bands admit that without his support, they would never have made it.While Radio One changed, he remained a constant factor in its schedules, and in 1998 he was awarded the OBE for his services to broadcasting. It was in that year that he also began his multi-award-winning show Home Truths on Radio Four. Mick Wall tells the story of arguably the most influential man in the history of British rock music, speaking to those who knew him well to build up a complete portrait of this hugely popular figure.

APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION has the best of Walls Kerrang! features, each bolstered by new, insightful post-scripts. You wont read a funnier rock book**** MOJOWall is firing on all cylinders CLASSIC ROCKThis hilarious tome is a collection of his finest moments... Wall had a great knack from getting under the skin of interviewees BIG ISSUEWhether its hanging around with Marillions Fish in Berlin, seeing Whitesnake fail to ignite 1985s Rock in Rio, talking through old times with Jimmy Page in his Berkshire pile or following Ozzy Osbourne to Moscow, there isnt a rock luminary that Wall hasnt cross-examined or kept the flame burning with at some point over the last thirty years. Here, amongst several pieces, he catches Lars Ullrich just on the cusp of world domination; has dinner with Ritchie Blackmore on the eve of a Deep Purple comeback; and is up all night in LA with W. Axl Rose.APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION gathers together Walls journalism for Kerrang!, for whom he was the star writer in their eighties heyday. It also features brand-new introductions to all the pieces, written with maybe less hair but also the benefit of twenty years hindsight.

Comprising a vivid and varied series of miniature biographies revealing profiles thought provoking essays and a multitude of previously unknown anecdotes and quotes Hercules The A to Z of Elton John is the perfect compendium for the casual fan or devoted connoisseur providing a funny comprehensive and fully alphabetised overview of the star s life and music Charting all the highs and lows the major record releases and the significant tours the strokes of genius and the bottoms of barrels this insightful portrait will cover serious subjects such as Elton s battle with the media his highly publicised addictions his route to sobriety his tangled love life and his struggles to come to terms with his sexuality hair loss and temper But as Elton himself always does so well in the hundreds of interviews he has given over the past half century his stories will also be told frankly and humorously his demons now conquered and his success unrelenting And at the heart of this book is a joyride through one of the all time greatest musical catalogues from a brilliant versatile glamorous and universally loved pop superstar

Explodes in to life from the opening paragraph RECORD COLLECTORThink you know the story of Jim Morrison and The Doors? This revelatory and explosive biography from critically acclaimed rock journalist Mick Wall will make you think again.The pick of the best guitar tomes: Walls account pulls no punches, cataloguing each of the primal scenes - early performances, indecent exposure, Jims sexuality, decline and death GUITARISTIn 1971, Jim Morrison was found dead in a club toilet in Paris. He was 27 years old. Since then, The Doors have been the subject of a mystery fuelled by sensationalised rumours and empty conjecture.In this definitive account of Jim Morrison and The Doors, critically acclaimed rock writer Mick Wall unravels the myths surrounding the iconic band and its frontman, and captures the unique and unforgettable spirit of the sixties. A brilliantly penetrating and long-overdue biography, Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre questions the idolisation of Jim Morrison and considers the story of The Doors in all of its uncomfortable truth.

An epic tale, told the way it should be RECORD COLLECTORThe book he was born to write CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINEAn entertaining read for long-standing fans and newcomers alike GUITARISTThe final word on the only name synonymous with heavy metal - Black Sabbath.Way back in the mists of time, in the days when rock giants walked the earth, the name Ozzy Osbourne was synonymous with the subversive and dark. Back then, Ozzy was the singer in Black Sabbath, and they meant business. A four-piece formed from the ashes of two locally well-known groups called The Rare Breed (Ozzy and bassist Geezer Butler) and Mythology (guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward), all four founding members of the original Black Sabbath grew up within half-a-mile of each other.This biography tells the story of how they made that dream come true - and how it then turned into a nightmare for all of them. How at the height of their fame, Sabbath discovered they had been so badly ripped off by their managers they did not even own their own songs. How they looked for salvation from Don Arden - an even more notorious gangster figure, who resurrected their career but still left them indebted to him, financially and personally. And how it finally came to a head when in 1979 they sacked Ozzy: For being too out of control - even for us, as Bill Ward put it.The next 15 years would see a war break out between the two camps: the post-Ozzy Sabbath and Ozzy himself, whose solo career overshadowed Sabbath to the point where, when he offered them the chance to reform around him again, it was entirely on his terms. Or rather, that of his wife and manager, daughter of Don Arden - Sharon Osbourne.

A passionate, pacey tome you should do anything for a copy of- Kerrang! "I never wanted to be a big star. I just wanted to be the biggest at what I do! Powerful, unstoppable, heavy - when that word still meant something good!" - Meat Loaf, as told to Mick Wall Everything in the story of Meat Loaf is big. From the place he was born (Texas); to the family he was born into (his father weighed 22 stone, his uncle weighed over 40 stone, while Meat Loaf himself weighed 17 stone before he was even in his teens); to the sound he made (a colossal collision between Richard Wagner, Phil Spector and Bruce Springsteen); and of course the records he sold - nearly 50 million in Britain and America alone.From a tumultuous childhood with an alcoholic father to the relentless abusive bullying he endured, nobody could have predicted Meat Loafs meteoric rise to fame. But when the messianic rock opera Bat Out of Hell was released in 1977, it became one of the biggest albums of all time, selling over 45 million copies worldwide to date. Its release marked the start of a rollercoaster ride of incredible highs and seemingly career-ending lows. By the 80s, Meat Loaf was battling with drug and alcohol addiction and escalating money problems. But just when it seemed like it was all over, the astonishing success of Bat Out of Hell II and the mega-hit Id Do Anything For Love (But I Wont Do That) marked an extraordinary new wave of success. Now, Mick Wall will bring this extraordinary story up to date, drawing on the hours he spent with Meat Loaf, both in interviews and on tour, as well as offering up a unique insight from those who have known him best.

Unflinching, forthright and full of wry humour as the man himself, and theres little praise greater than that CLASSIC ROCKWalls vision of Lemmy as a RocknRoll stalwart who made no concessions is vivid to the last GUARDIANIn The Ace of Spades, Motorheads most famous song, Lemmy, the born-to-lose, live-to-win frontman of the band sang, I dont want to live forever. Yet as he told his friend of 35 years, former PR and biographer Mick Wall, Actually, I want to go the day before forever. To avoid the rush.... This is his strange but true story. Brutally frank, painfully funny, wincingly sad, and always beautifully told, LEMMY: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY is the story of the only rocknroller never to sell his soul for silver and gold, while keeping the devil, as he put it, very close to my side. From school days growing up in North Wales, to first finding fame in the mid-60s with the Rockin Vicars; from being Jimi Hendrixs personal roadie (I would score acid for him), to leading Hawkwind to the top of the charts in 1972 with Silver Machine (I was fired for taking the wrong drugs); from forming Motorhead (I wanted to call the band Bastard but my manager wouldnt let me), whose iconoclastic album NO SLEEP TIL HAMMERSMITH entered the UK charts at No. 1.Based on Micks original interviews with Lemmy conducted over numerous years, along with the insights of those who knew him best - former band mates, friends, managers, fellow artists and record business insiders - this is an unputdownable story of one of Britains greatest characters. As Lemmy once said of Wall, Mick Wall is one of the few rock writers in the world who can actually write and seems to know anything about rock music. I can and do talk to him for hours - poor bastard.With the hard part of his journey now over, Lemmy is set to become a legend. LEMMY: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY explains exactly how that came to be.

Everyone from Sir Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page to Queens of the Stone Age now relishes the chance to share a stage with Dave Grohl and his legendary Foo Fighters. The question is: why? Musical depth? Not really. Major success? Well, yes. Despite no longer shifting albums in the same quantity as they did twenty years ago, this band can still fill stadiums the world over (when Daves not breaking his leg, of course).Long before Kurt Cobain died by suicide in 1994, Dave Grohl was planning for a life after Nirvana. The unflinching bright sunlight to Cobains permanent midnight darkness, Grohl had come from a similar broken home to his erstwhile band leader, but came out of the experience differently - brimming with positivity and a shrewd grasp of opportunities in the music industry.Did Grohl merely take the sonic blueprint of Nirvana and embellish it with a more life-affirming pop sheen? Of course he did. Every band in America that sold over a million records in the post-grunge 90s did the same. The difference was that Grohl had real credibility. And he knew it.With exclusive testimony from true insiders (including Krist Novoselic, Grohls bass-playing partner in Nirvana, ex-girlfirends, record company executives, tour photographers and confidantes), this book is an exploration of the real story behind Grohl and the Foo Fighters - the only serious literary biography of the group and its leader, one of the most famous and critically bulletproof rock figures of the 21st century.

Jimmy was a down-at-heel guitarist in New York, relying on his latest lovers to support him while he tried to emulate his hero Bob Dylan. A black guy playing white rock music, he wanted to be all things to all people.But when Jimmy arrived in England and became Jimi, the cream of swinging London fell under his spell. It wasnt that Jimi could play with his teeth, play with his guitar behind his back. It was that he could really play.Journeying through the purple haze of idealism and paranoia of the sixties, Jimi Hendrix was the man who made Eric Clapton consider quitting, to whom Bob Dylan deferred on his own song All Along the Watchtower, who forced Miles Davis to reconsider his buttoned-down ways - and whose Star Spangled Banner defined Woodstock. And when his star, which had burned so brightly, was extinguished far too young, his legend lived on in the music - and the intrigue surrounding his death. Eschewing the traditional rock-biography format, Two Riders Were Approaching is a fittingly psychedelic and kaleidoscopic exploration of the life and death of Jimi Hendrix - and a journey into the dark heart of the sixties. While the groupies lined up, the drugs got increasingly heavy and the dream of the sixties burned in the fire and blood of the Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King and the election of President Richard Nixon. Acclaimed writer Mick Wall, author of When Giants Walked the Earth, has drawn upon his own interviews and extensive research to produce an inimitable, novelistic telling of this tale - the definitive portrait of the Guitar God at whose altar other guitar gods worship.Jimi Hendrixs is a story that has been told many times before - but never quite like this.

Packed with war stories from a golden age of rock, and insights into the stars that made that music CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINEOn reading Getcha Rocks Off you realise just how drastically things have changed in the rock industry but books like this perfectly evoke what they were like. Good times... RECORD COLLECTORHanging out with rock stars, trying to steal their chicks, or throwing up over their guitars after launching into the hospitality a little too enthusiastically, Mick Wall spent much of the 1980s sprawled in limos and five-star hotels with the biggest rock bands in the world, including Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Van Halen, Motorhead and more. He was Kerrang! magazines star writer and the presenter of Monsters of Rock, his own weekly show on Sky TV, and the decade passed in a blur of hard drugs, hot women, and some of the heaviest people your mother definitely would not like. Depicting a world where vague concepts like the future are disdained in favour of nights that last a week and weeks that last forever, Getcha Rocks Off is a rock apocalypse Cider With Roadies, and a more frank and disturbing Apathy for the Devil. It is the kind of book you need to put on your leather jacket to read, open that bottle of Jack and reach for the Charlie. And let the good times roll...

Over ten years after WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH, Mick Walls seminal biography of the band, comes this major and extensively researched revision, which provides an unflinching look at life inside one of the biggest-selling rock bands of all time, and presents the definitive, final word on Led Zeppelin.They were the last great band of the sixties; the first great band of the seventies; they rose, somewhat unpromisingly, from the ashes of the Yardbirds to become one of the biggest-selling rock bands of all time. Mick Wall, respected rock writer and former confidant of both Page and Plant, unflinchingly tells the story of the band that wrote the rulebook for on-the-road excess - and eventually paid the price for it, with disaster, drug addiction and death. WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH reveals for the first time the true extent of band leader Jimmy Pages longstanding interest in the occult, and goes behind the scenes to expose the truth behind their much-hyped yet spectacularly contrived comeback at Londons O2 arena in 2007, and how Jimmy Page plans to bring the band back permanently - if only his former protege, now part-time nemesis, Robert Plant will allow him to. Wall also recounts, in a series of flashbacks, the life stories of the five individuals that made the dream of Led Zeppelin into an even more incredible and hard-to-swallow reality: Page, Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and their infamous manager, Peter Grant.

This could be heaven or this could be hell...So sings Don Henley on their biggest hit, Hotel California, and it is true that the Eagles story was one that blurred the ultimate Hollywood highs and subterranean LA lows beyond recognition. The band that embodied the American dream with globe-straddling success, impossibly luxurious lives, almost supernatural talent also descended into nightmare with bloodletting betrayal, hate-filled hubris, the skeletons of perceived enemies, brutally discarded lovers and former band mates left unburied on the road behind them. The story of the Eagles is a truly gothic American fable: one of ultimate power and rivers of money; of sex and drugs at a time when both were the lingua-franca of sophisticated So-Cal living; of a band who sang of peaceful easy feelings in public while threatening to kill each other in private.Now, for the first time, esteemed music biographer Mick Wall will provide the definitive insight into Americas bestselling band of all time, a band who have sold more records than Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones combined, exploring their meteoric rise to fame and the hedonistic days of the 70s music scene in LA, when American music was taking over the world.