Auteur: Dave Thompson

Hearts of Darkness is the story of a generation’s coming of age through the experiences of its three most atypical pop stars. James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Cat Stevens could never have been consi …

Illustrations throughout …

The Sherlock Holmes FAQ is a one-stop guide to over a century’s worth of mystery, mayhem, and most of all, deduction. Digging deep inside the manifold worlds of Sherlock Holmes, the FAQ is a dramatic …

There are few modern animated television shows that could survive over a decade and a half and remain as funny… or as stupid… or as sick… or as depraved… today as when they started. Even fewe …

Football FAQ is a fast, furious, and opinionated guide to the world’s most popular game, an all-encompassing history that introduces readers to the biggest clubs, the greatest games, the finest playe …

Take a fast-paced survey of the ghosties, ghouls, and associated denizens of the country’s haunted history with Haunted America FAQ. Tracing local ghost stories back to Native American legends and th …

The Twilight Zone is among the most beloved shows in American television history, a pioneering fantasy behemoth that bridged the cultural gap between the 1950s and 1960s with thought-provoking myster …

The Rocky Horror Picture Show FAQ is the in-depth story of not only the legendary stage show and movie but of a unique period in theatrical history in the movie’s UK homeland as well as overseas. Roc …

Bad Reputation is the unexpurgated story of Joan Jett, the single most exciting rocker of the American 1980s, one of the biggest-selling acts of the age, and one of punk rock’s most valued elder stat …

When Lou Reed and Iggy Pop first met David Bowie in the fall of 1971, Bowie was just another English musician passing through New York City. Lou was still recovering from the collapse of the Velvet U …

It was, and it remains, the greatest rock band the world has ever seen, a giant from the moment of its inception until long after its demise. Even today, more than 30 years after its final flight, Le …

To some, he is the face behind classic Pink Floyd. To others, he is the temperament behind some of the greatest albums of the rock era. And to others still, he is one of the most original songwriters …

Robert Plant: The Voice That Sailed the Zeppelin follows the iconic singer through his heights of fame with classic rock giant Led Zeppelin, his second life as a multimillion-selling solo artist, and …

Soccer FAQ is a fast, furious, and opinionated guide to the world’s most popular game, an all-encompassing history that introduces readers to the biggest clubs, the greatest games, the finest players …

From tips for evaluating recordings, to lively discussions of bootlegs and piracy, to the history of recording formats, to collectible artists and more, The Music Lover’s Guide to Record Collecting c …

Block Buster! explores the incredible story of glam and hard rock legends The Sweet, still one of the best-loved bands of the Seventies. A journey back to a spangled age when men were men and women w …

The first ever biography of one of the most remarkable bands in rock history. Since the moment they emerged into the mainstream in 1974, armed with the hit ”This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us …

Initially written off as a fad, Glam Rock has survived and thrived since its early-Seventies heyday and now stands as a uniquely influential period of pomp, glitz, glamour and parent-unfriendly fashi …

By 1987, David Bowie was at a creative, critical and commercial low. His most recent album was dismissed by the music press, his latest tour written off as a disaster. Yet – almost 20 years later, Bo …

The films that society has termed pornographic have been with us for over a century now. Yet beyond a handful of scholarly tracts and a a few glancing references in certain Hollywood histories, there …

It is now 35 years since Deep Purple first came together and today – 14 musicians, 17 albums and millions of record sales later – the group remains a monster. This is the first book in 20 years to te …

By 1987, David Bowie was at a creative, critical and commercial low. His most recent album was dismissed by the music press, his latest tour written off as a disaster. Yet – almost 20 years later, Bo …

The films that society has termed pornographic have been with us for over a century now. Yet beyond a handful of scholarly tracts and a a few glancing references in certain Hollywood histories, there …

Explores the music of the region from the House of the Rising Sun to gator hunting with Amos Moses (the one-armed Cajun backwoodsman created by country songwriter Jerry Reed) to Bo Diddley, Nick Cave …

Offering a unique analysis and discussion of her life, career, and work, this is the true story of Patti Smith. Widely acknowledged as one of the most significant American artists of the rock age, an …

In 2009 Phil Spector, the legendary record producer, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson. It was an ignominious climax to a life of staggering highs and …

Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades. With a stage show that features guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, boa constrictors …

Dave Thompson, author of Virgin’s acclaimed Red Hot Chili Peppers biography, takes a new and very detailed look at the creation of one of the world’s most influential bands. After all the streets of …

Explores the music of the region from the House of the Rising Sun to gator hunting with Amos Moses (the one-armed Cajun backwoodsman created by country songwriter Jerry Reed) to Bo Diddley, Nick Cave …

Dancing Barefoot is the full and true story of Patti Smith, widely acknowledged as one of the most significant American artists of the rock ‘n’ roll era, a performer whose audience and appeal reach f …

As the creative force behind Berry Gordy Jr.’s Motown Records in the mid-Sixties, a writing credit from Holland Dozier Holland was virtually a guarantee of chart success. From ‘Stop! In The Name Of L …

There have been many books written about Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, but only by people who weren’t there. Walter Lure wasfrom the bands chaotic beginnings on New Yorks Lower East Side, th …

Here is a fascinating, all-encompassing journey through the life and career of one of America’s most influential, and literate, songwriters. Beginning with Simon’s earliest days as an aspiring teenag …

When it comes to earthshaking songsthe ones that signal a tectonic shift in the current musical landscapethere is ‘;Johnny B. Goode’ . . . there is ‘;Good Vibrations’ . . . and there is I Feel Love. …

Jeff Beck stands alongside fellow ex-Yardbirds Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton as one of the greatest electric guitarists Britain has ever produced. His work in the past three decades has encompassed pro …

Throughout the 1990s, Dave Thompson was the Seattle-based contributing editor to Alternative Press magazine Americas biggest-selling and most influential alternative rock monthlyand a regular contrib …

The Child Ballads are a series of over 300 traditional ballads from England and Scotland that, along with their American variants, were anthologized by folklorist Francis James Child in the nineteent …

By 1987, David Bowie was at a creative, critical, and commercial low. His most recent album was dismissed by the music press, his latest tour written off as a disaster. Fifteen years after becoming t …

Get on the vinyl train and learn about this captivating hobby Vinyl Record Collecting For Dummies teaches you how to start a collection, grow your collection, and make that collection sound excellent …

Get on the vinyl train and learn about this captivating hobby Vinyl Record Collecting For Dummies teaches you how to start a collection, grow your collection, and make that collection sound excellent …

Edgy, witty, and opinionated critical analysis of ‘;classic rock’ in the 21st century, discussing everything from modern remixes of classic albums (why?) to concert ticket prices, Record Store Day, t …

An in-depth and comprehensive guide to and history of music collecting, The Ultimate Guide to Vinyl and More traces the hobby from its beginnings over a century ago. The book features informative and …

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