Author:Ian Macdonald
From the author of the acclaimed Revolution in the Head, Ian MacDonald takes us on a journey through the music of the sixties and seventies. Starting with one of the most important assessments of Bob Dylan to appear in print for many years, these essays range from the psychedelia of the Beatles and the rebellion of the Rolling Stones to the political activism of John Lennon, the 'dark doings' of David Bowie and the spiritual quest of Nick Drake. In the central essay of this collection, The People's Music, MacDonald argues that the emergence of the Beatles in the early sixties changed the world of music for ever, as the power in the industry shifted to the audience.
Combining a close reading of the music with a detailed understanding of the times, this collection confirms Ian MacDonald's reputation as one of Britain's most important music journalists. Enlightening and entertaining, The People's Music is music writing as its best.
A triumph - compelling, seductive, delightful
—— Nick HornbyAn unprecedented critical feat... The most powerful and enlightening work on British pop since Jon Savage's England's Dreaming
—— Time OutNo book has ever taken us closer to the actual music of The Beatles... A brilliant piece of work
—— Tony ParsonsThe most sustainedly brilliant piece of pop criticism and scholarship for years. Essential
—— Q MagazineWelles might seem a difficult subject for a new biography. The legend is already pretty much written in stone. Callow's achievement is threefold: he embraces his subject with such gallumphing energy that the extraordinary power of his subject is conveyed as if for the first, fascinating time; he attempts a sober reassessment, trying to get an honest measure of someone who seemed larger than life...and he provides a genuinely interesting actor's view of the actor
—— Nigella Lawson , The TimesThis is the Robbie Williams book
—— Hot Stars, OK!If you're a big fan, you'll love it - even if he's not your fave singer, it's still a wicked read. Guaranteed to make you giggle, so take a peak
—— MizzCaptivating . . . an emotional memoir . . . The author takes readers on a roller-coaster ride from the height of Hollywood fame to his darkest days . . . In one heartbreaking passage, Reeve writes how he wanted to die after his Memorial Day accident until his wife urged him to live
—— New York Daily NewsInspiring
—— Los Angeles Times