“Collecting vinyl is an addiction. Nothing beats listening to vinyl and pouring over the cover art and inner sleeve. The first album that I ever bought was Led Zeppelin II when I was 13. I have at least 40 different versions of it now.” — Ross Halfin 

Led Zeppelin released only eight studio albums and no singles over the course of their 12-year career, but to date there are more than 1,000 official singles and 2,000 LPs in the market. 

This definitive volume illustrates in full colour some of the rarest and most interesting vinyl releases, including one-of-a-kind rarities, bizarre regional variations, official albums and bootleg recordings of legendary concerts, sometimes featuring handmade artwork or colored vinyl. All the vinyl, labels and covers have been documented by photographer Ross Halfin in superb detail, and are annotated with details of their release. 

In addition, the book includes over forty pages of the most up-to-date comprehensive discography ever compiled on the band, with forensic detail. All known album and single vinyl releases from around the world are listed with catalogue numbers, release or recording dates and additional notes. 

A labour of love, Led Zeppelin Vinyl is a must-have for fans of the group and vinyl enthusiasts. It is a paean of praise to vinyl artwork and graphic design: the illustrations are explosive and surreal, playful, experimental and subversive, interpreting multiple artistic disciplines with flair and wit.

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The Little Book of the Beatles is a superb book of quotations by, and about, the band that revolutionised popular music the world over. A perfect companion for Beatles fans everywhere, this collection of bite-sized quips helps capture exactly what made the Fab Four so special. From insightful quotes by fellow artists, collaborators and friends, to words of wit and wisdom from John, Paul, George and Ringo themselves, you’ll find more than 170 amusing and inspiring soundbites inside.

‘I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition.’
John Lennon, 1970.

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Bob Dylan: All the Songs focuses on Dylan’s creative process and his organic, unencumbered style of recording. It is the only book to tell the stories, many unfamiliar even to his most fervent fans, behind the more than 500 songs he has released over the span of his career. Organized chronologically by album, and updated to include all of his most recent work including the 2020 release of his 39th album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, Margotin and Guesdon detail the origins of his melodies and lyrics, his process in the recording studio, the instruments he used, and the contribution of a myriad of musicians and producers to his canon.

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Renegade Snares is the definitive book on drum x26 bass music. Pieced together using original interviews conducted with all the scene s main players, it traces the history of jungle/drum x26 bass from its early roots in soundsystem culture and rave music right through to the present day. With its hyper-speed breakbeats, warping bass pressure, and vast spectrum of sounds, drum x26 bass quick spawned a whole new movement in youth culture. What began as an outlaw street reverberation from the inner cities of Britain developed into a Mercury-winning, chart-topping, world-conquering genre in just a few short years. The frontier-breaking sorcery that emanated from its foundational producers and DJs pushed new levels of sonic science into the music world, and it has influenced all other electronic music genres in assorted ways. From the shock of the new to a global phenomenon, drum x26 bass has morphed from frowned-upon marginalisation to establishment approval — and back again. A multicultural triumph, it is a story of resistance and resilience that takes in pioneers such as Goldie, Roni Size, Kemistry x26 Storm, Photek, Fabio x26 Grooverider, and many more renegade mavericks — even, at one point, David Bowie. With vivid descriptions of key tracks and a detailed lineage of the scene s development, Renegade Snares traces the genre s gestation while also examining its musical twists and turns, worldwide spread, and enduring popularity. And, ultimately, it asks: surely a genre of music with such a significant grounding in black music culture, developed by so many black pioneers in its formative years, could never be whitewashed . . . could it?

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Get set to party with 70 great records-organized by theme, from Rockin’ to Beats, Mellow to Jazzy & Bluesy-spanning the 1950s to today. Each entry features liner notes on the album and two accompanying boozy beverage recipes that complement the music.

Among the featured albums are: Are You Experienced? (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Toys in the Attic (Aerosmith), Synchronicity (The Police), Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morisette), The B52s (The B52s ), Gipsy Kings (The Gipsy Kings), Violator (Depeche Mode), Ready to Die (The Notorious B.I.G.), Play (Moby), Lemonade (Beyoncé), Coat of Many Colors (Dolly Parton), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John), So (Peter Gabriel), Whitney Houston (Whitney Houston), Oops!…I Did it Again (Britney Spears), Getz/Gilberto (Stan Getz and João Gilberto), A Love Supreme (John Coltrane).

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The second in this new series, The Virgin Book of Hit Singles is the most-up-to-date and comprehensive record of the music charts available today and a perfect, collectable complement to The Virgin Book of Hit Albums and The Virgin Book of Top 75 Charts.
Now improved and fine-tuned, and drawn from the Official Charts Company Data since 1952, The Virgin Book of Hit Singles features the most comprehensive, easy to read and accessible music chart data and information. It’s all here — expanded artist biographies, side notes of interest, label and catalogue numbers, peak positions, number of weeks on chart and weeks at number one. Also includes EP charts.
The Virgin Book of Hit Singles is essential reading, and reference, for any music lover.

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Julian Cope’s highly acclaimed autobiography and its long-awaited sequel in one extraordinary volume.

Julian Cope shot to fame with eighties band ‘Teardrop Explodes’ during the Punk era. Hailed as a visionary by those people who recognise his genius and a madman by those who find him perplexing, he has become a cult figure in the music world.

Head-On/Repossessed is written in Cope’s own inimitable style and follows his journey through a time of incredible change within the music industry.
Head-on is the highly acclaimed autobiography that The Observer viewed as “book of the year” when it was first released. Repossesed picks up in 1983 where Head On ends and continues up until 1989.

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‘A Christmas cracker’ – Record Collector

So here it is…

The perfect gift for music lovers of all ages, The Official Christmas No. 1 Singles Book is jam-packed with facts, figures and photos to get your toes tapping along to the sounds of seven decades of festive chart-toppers.

Have you ever wondered how many Christmas number ones actually have the word ‘Christmas’ in their title? Or how many TV talent-show winners have claimed the festive top spot?

Do you know which artist has racked up the most Christmas number ones? Or which single is the biggest-selling seasonal chart-topper of all time?

Can you name the only song to have topped the Christmas chart twice by two different artists? Or the only artist to have been Christmas number one twice with the same song?

The answers to all these questions – plus many more – can be found in this exclusive festive companion, published in conjunction with the Official Charts Company.

With a fully illustrated double-page spread for every year since the UK singles chart began in 1952, Michael Mulligan’s fun and authoritative journey through the Christmas archives will delight curious browsers and dedicated pop nerds alike. Featuring top-ten countdowns, fascinating trivia about the highest-charting Christmas singles and plenty of entertaining infographics, this is the ideal family stocking-filler, celebrating all that is wonderful, whimsical and unpredictable about the festive season’s most hotly contested musical event.

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A complete and harmonious history of music, from prehistory to the present day!

Have you ever wondered how blues influenced rock music? Or why jazz went Latin? Classical or rock, everyone has their favourite music style, but how did your top choice come about? If you find yourself asking these musical questions and more, then this may be the book for you!

Music is a compelling and richly illustrated history of the most unifying art form in the world. Explore the roots of all genres from chants of the middle ages through the grandeur of the classical period to the modern rhythm of blues, jazz, hip-hop, and pop. Music includes illustrated histories of instruments and listening suggestions for each musical genre. Spectacular galleries display families of instruments from around the world, while special features showcase the evolution of key instruments, such as the piano and the guitar, and profile iconic innovators such as Mozart, Billie Holiday, and David Bowie. Charting every musical revolution, from bone flutes to electronica and from jazz to hip-hop, this visually stunning history of music will hit the right note, whether you are into pop or rock, or disco or rap, classical or opera.

Explore the magical world of music like you’ve never known it before, and discover:

-Revolutionary musical developments outlined step by step
-Biographies profiling the lives and works of groundbreaking musicians
-Collection spreads feature families of instruments, such as the gamelan
-“Story of” spreads chart the evolution of individual instruments
-Key Works boxes provide listening suggestions for different music styles
-Illustrated glossary clearly explains musical terminology and genres

This magnificent book about music charts and explains the entire global history of music, whether it’s music in the Middle Ages, to the Sounds of Soul, music in the Romance period to Renaissance and so much more. This new edition of Music has been updated with the latest facts and information, including the latest on streaming music, with specially-comissioned photography including a Stradivarus guitar, the earliest cello known to survice and a guitar used personally by Bob Dylan!

A must-have volume for musicians, music students or simply those wanting to learn about the history of their favourite music genre or their chosen instrument, Music is sure to delight!

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Hours of Fun-Filled Facts & Trivia Questions! – Special Launch Price

This trivia book begins with the precursors to musical theatre throughout the world and narrows to the island we will come back to time and time again: Manhattan. We explore each thrilling decade and then cover grander topics that span the years. Each chapter begins with a series of multiple-choice and true or false questions with the answers following on the next page. After testing your knowledge, peruse the “Did You Know” section for quirky anecdotes, fun facts, and important records to add to your knowledge.

Grab a copy and test yourself on your knowledge of Broadway theatre! Whether you’re a Fosse fan, more of a Golden-Age gal, or you cry yourself to sleep listening to Next to Normal, you’ll strengthen your knowledge of the history of American musical theatre and the remarkable people who have made it happen.

Let’s see how much you know about Broadway! Scroll up and buy now.

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