MUSIC

Taylor Swift's stratospheric rise to mega stardom is the story of the century. Charming fans straight out the gate as a teen country music sensation, Swift has gone on to dominate the music industry as a pop titan.

She is the first woman to have four albums in the Billboard chart's Top Ten at the same time, is the recipient of fourteen Grammys and forty American Music Awards and her recent Eras tour broke records to become the first music event to surpass $1 billion in revenue, making it the highest-grossing tour in history.

From the bustling streets of Dublin in 1976 to the grandest arenas on the planet, follow U2's extraordinary ascent as they transform from a group of ambitious young musicians into global music icons.

Music journalist Bradley Morgan delves deep into the band's early days, offering an intimate look at their formation and the roots of their distinctive sound. From Boy to The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby and beyond, witness how each album marked a creative evolution and cemented their status as musical pioneers.

From lead singer and guitarist of the Wailers, to his international solo success in the 1970s, Bob Marley is largely credited with the popularization of Reggae music worldwide. Having died in 1981, Marley's legacy is clearly evident within society today, and the recent biopic, One Love (2024), achieved widespread success.

Amidst the chaos that was the Sex Pistols, it's often forgotten just what a powerful band they were, and what great records they made. The Sex Pistols were no ordinary group.

Their story might be short, and not without its casualties, but their legacy is undoubted; one listen to their ferocious, raw rock and roll will soon tell you that. No British band since the Beatles has done as much to shape the nation. Musically, the Pistols' impact was enormous and continues to resonate; they didn't just kick down doors; they trashed the music industry's house. For a band who (really) only released one album and four incandescent singles - "Anarchy in the U.K.," "God Save the Queen," "Pretty Vacant" and "Holidays in the Sun" - they gave birth to a sea of imitators and inspired a DIY aesthetic still alive today. Not bad for a band that 'couldn't play.'

Formed in 1965, the four-piece of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick Mason fused English pastoral whimsy with electrifying instrumental voyages. Their gigs at underground clubs, such as UFO and Middle Earth, are the stuff of psychedelic legend. But Barrett's days were numbered, and in 1968 his drug dependency led to his replacement by guitarist David Gilmour, cementing the line-up that would persist through most of the band's career.

Fully illustrated throughout, Pink Floyd: Behind The Music is a history of a band moulded by the vision of its various members.

Joy Division and New Order: two globally successful groups that defied their times and overturned the musical landscape.

First, there was Joy Division, their music reflecting the bleak urban landscape of 1970s Manchester and singer Ian Curtis’s melancholic introspection. Then came New Order, rising from Joy Division’s ashes after the death of Curtis. Their music bridged the chasm between indie and dance, inspiring a generation and making their club, The Haçienda, a legendary destination.

Go behind the scenes with stunning photography, and hear from key figures including Bernard Sumner, Stephen Hook, and Peter Morris via archive interviews.

This handsome biography is simply a must for fans, charting Harry Styles's career to date, from X Factor audition to global acclaim.

One of the most-streamed and most-followed celebrities of the twenty-first century, Styles is undoubtedly the breakout pop star of our times.

From the ashes of Nirvana, Dave Grohl rose as a one-man band with a self-titled album: Foo Fighters. Now, almost 30 years on, and having recruited (and lost) additional band members, Grohl's vision has grown into a rock solid outfit that, despite the tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022, is still playing music to its legions of fans across the world.

Paying homage to the band's enduring longevity, this updated edition of Foo Fighters: The Band That Dave Made is a comprehensive look at their career from backstory to their most recent album.

Blondie were the most successful rock act to emerge from New York's seminal and anarchic downtown punk scene of the mid-70s. Their beautiful and multi-talented lead singer, Debbie Harry, became the most photogenic and photographed rock performer of all time. Picture This is a startling and energetic record of the band that spawned power pop at the peak of their success. It explores in depth, both visually and verbally, the unique natural charm and charisma of Debbie's Punk Marilyn Monroe persona in its prime, and her successful reinvention of that persona for Blondie's glorious comeback of recent years.

Robert Shelton met Bob Dylan when the young singer arrived in New York in 1961. He became Dylan's friend, champion and critic. His book, first published in 1986, was hailed as the definitive unauthorized biography of this moody, passionate genius. Shelton tells the intimate and first-hand story of Dylan's formative years in Greenwich Village NYC, and it is the only biography that has been written with his active cooperation.
Following his Nobel Prize for Literature Award in 2016, Dylan's standing is higher than at any time since the 1960s and Shelton's book is now seen as a classic.