New memoirs or bios of Evan Dando, Ozzy Osbourne, Athur Baker, Jane Birkin, Frank Sinatra Jr., Pink Floyd and more. Photo-filled coffee-table tomes on U2, Radiohead, Iron Maiden, Queen, Cliff Richard, ’60s rock and Telecasters. And, of course, the usual crop of cash-in titles about Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan and other pop superstars. If you can’t find a book you dig next week, you don’t like music. Read all about ’em:
Rumors Of My Demise: A Memoir
By Evan Dando
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Evan Dando, front man of The Lemonheads and poster boy of Gen X, spills the true story of his band’s tumultuous history and what it was like to be famous in the pre-internet days in this candid, colorful, and unputdownable memoir. After Kurt Cobain’s passing in 1994, everyone expected Dando to be next. The singer, songwriter and actor started in the ’80s hardcore scene and went on to become a ’90s icon. Think of Dando, and you think of heroin chic, grunge and celebrity burnout. Perhaps known as much for his partying and boyish good looks, after two gold records and the kind of fame that you just can’t enjoy anymore, The Lemonheads cooled off and life went on. Dando grew up in Boston, the son of a lawyer and a model, and attended the prestigious Commonwealth School. Fame was never what motivated him but the lure of the wild life proved trickier to refuse. From sneaking into concerts as a child, to sleeping on floors in the punk rock days, to crashing at Johnny Depp’s place in Hollywood, he was right there in the thick of it. So much so, that social media once reported his death. Now, very much alive, sober, and enjoying a life in South America when he’s not on the road, Dando is going to tell his own story. His memoir will remind readers what was so great about the pre-internet ’90s: The innocence, the access, and the anonymity. Reclaiming the purity and exuberance of his early days and encapsulating the spirit of the era, this candid autobiography presents a portrait of an artist who lives wholly for his music, and one that makes no apologies for doing so.”
Last Rites
By Ozzy Osbourne
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I’m like, f*** no. If I’d been clean and sober, I wouldn’t be Ozzy. If I’d done normal, sensitive things, I wouldn’t be Ozzy.” At the age of 69, Ozzy Osbourne was on a triumphant farewell tour, playing to sold-out arenas and rave reviews all around the world. Then: Disaster. In a matter of just a few weeks, he went from being hospitalised with a finger infection to having to abandon his tour — and all public life — as he faced near-total paralysis from the neck down. Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy’s descent into hell. Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career, including his marriage to wife Sharon, as well as what it took for him to get back onstage for the triumphant Back To The Beginning concert, streamed around the world, where Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the final time. Unflinching, brutally honest, but surprisingly life-affirming, Last Rites demonstrates once again why Ozzy has transcended his status as The Godfather Of Metal and The Prince Of Darkness to become a modern-day folk hero and national treasure.”
Looking For The Perfect Beat: Remixing & Reshaping Hip-Hop, Rock & Rhythms
By Arthur Baker
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For 50 years as DJ, producer and remixer, Arthur Baker has been at the pioneering forefront of hip-hop, rock and electronic music. His unique and genre-defying sound can be heard on tracks by legendary artists like New Order, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, The Rolling Stones, Al Green, Pet Shop Boys, Quincy Jones, New Edition, Hall & Oates, Neneh Cherry, Mogwai and Fleetwood Mac. Starting as a club DJ and disco producer at the start of the ’70s in his native Boston, Baker moved to New York City in 1981. Through his early disco and hip-hop productions, he came to the attention of the most influential names in a music industry at the height of its powers. This would begin a career that would take him from the sweaty dancefloors of N.Y.C. to late-night studio sessions with Bob Dylan and to his celebrated anti-apartheid album Sun City, created with Little Steven Van Zandt. From the underground to the mainstream, Looking for the Perfect Beat is the unique story of an artist with a need to discover new sounds and new ways to move an audience — and who has influenced the sound of popular music for half a century.”
U2: Until The End Of The World
By Bradley Morgan
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Celebrate 50 years of U2, with this career-defining retrospective packed with interviews, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and splendid photography. Relish in over 150 essential images charting the band’s journey from performing in Dublin pubs to sold out arena tours. Follow along as music journalist Bradley Morgan delves deep into the history of U2, offering an intimate look at their formation and the origins of their unique sound. From Boy to The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby and beyond, witness through stunning black and white photography and behind-the-scenes stories how each album marked a creative evolution and cemented U2’s status as musical pioneers. Each page of this beautifully illustrated book goes beyond the post-punk music to explore U2’s profound commitment to social activism and their tireless efforts to make the world a better place. From Live Aid to Amnesty International, U2’s impact on global issues is as significant as their musical legacy. This retrospective also offers a rare glimpse into the personal lives and relationships of the band members. Get to know Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. as individuals, as friends, and as the driving forces behind U2’s enduring success. U2: Until The End Of The World is the definitive history of the band. This is a book that will captivate die-hard fans and newcomers alike, providing fresh insights into the band’s artistry, vision, and resilience.”
Pink Floyd Shine On: The Definitive Oral History
By Mark Blake
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bestselling music author Mark Blake has been an associate and collaborator of Pink Floyd for over 30 years. Shine On takes on the behemoth task of capturing the most comprehensive history of the band ever compiled, drawing on huge amounts of new, archive and unpublished interview material with David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. No other writer has interviewed the members of Pink Floyd as often nor as thoroughly, which is candidly apparent in this textured, gripping and consistently surprising biography. For the first time, the band’s story is told as an oral history with each chapter presented through the words the band, their friends, contemporaries and supporting musicians. The accessible structure and high level of detail means that the narrative is both approachable to casual readers and magnetic to the committed. Shine On is comprised of a significant amount of previously unpublished material, including a rare interview with Rosemary Breen lamenting that her younger brother Roger (aka Syd) Barrett, should have never become a musician, as well as exclusive new interviews with the band and their associates, reflecting on their enduring legacy and rather more complicated recent twists and turns in the bands story. Shine On is a skilful retelling of one of the most turbulent and enduring groups in rock music history, a complex history that only someone as skilled and insightful as Blake can navigate.”
Let Me Be Frank: The Extraordinary Life And Music Of Frank Sinatra, Jr.
By Bruce H. Klauber & Andrea Kauffman
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As an American singer, conductor, composer, and actor, Frank Sinatra, Jr. (1944–2016) had a long and successful music career and was recognized for his many contributions to American popular song. Yet, his own star has often been overshadowed by his world-famous father. The first book ever published about Frank Jr., Let Me Be Frank details how this complex and often misunderstood artist dealt with professional struggles, personal demons, and endless comparisons with his father to emerge as a thriving performer who finally made peace with the name Sinatra. Let Me Be Frank chronicles Frank Jr.’s life and music career, including the lifetime loyalty of his friends and bandsmen, and his notorious womanizing. It also, of course, details the challenging relationship with his father, including an incident with his father that may have changed Frank Jr. forever. He ran from comparisons to his father and lost work due to his refusal to sing his father’s songs. The book also details Frank Jr.’s kidnapping in 1963 when he was 19. Included are over 40 interviews with Frank Jr.’s friends, family, and colleagues. It also features a compelling narrative from Andrea Kauffman, Frank Jr.’s personal manager and close friend of 31 years, and an in-depth musical analysis of four decades of Frank Jr.’s recordings and stage shows. Let Me Be Frank finally sets the record straight about a brilliant man and a brilliant performer who never truly got the credit he deserved.”
It Girl: The Life And Legacy Of Jane Birkin
By Marisa Meltzer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Jane Birkin was synonymous with chic. Her effortless style and artistic legacy have been immortalized through her music and film career. And, of course, she was the inspiration behind one of the world’s most coveted bags, the Hermès Birkin. But who was the real woman behind the it girl? Bestselling author Marisa Meltzer sheds new light on Birkin’s enigmatic life and explores her profound influence on generations in a rigorously reported biography unlike any other. It Girl paints a vivid portrait of Birkin and her profound legacy, from her early years in 1960s London to her rise as a beloved celebrity in France, detailing personal challenges, her relationships with creative powerhouses, and the duality of her public and private selves. Based on interviews and deep archival research, Meltzer reveals the nuances of Birkin’s character: Her famously tempestuous romantic relationships, life with her three famous daughters, and the creative energy that drove her. It Girl tells the story of her indelible impact on femininity and style, and how what we think of as French girl style grew from her. Far from being just a muse, Birkin is at last given her well-deserved due.”
Daughter Of A Song: A Memoir
By Sarah Curtis
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Born in a Dust Bowl dugout on the hard, flat plains outside Lubbock, Texas, Sonny Curtis picked cotton as a kid, formed a band with his high school friend Buddy Holly, and opened shows for Elvis Presley — and that was just by the age of 22. Now at the end of his long career, Curtis is considered a rock ’n’ roll trailblazer. He toured the world with The Crickets and Waylon Jennings. He wrote the classic songs I Fought The Law, Love Is All Around (the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show), and the country standard I’m No Stranger To The Rain. Curtis left an impression on American myth and music that has gone heretofore undocumented. But to the author, Sonny was a loving if cryptic father as elusive as the spotlight itself. Part biography, part memoir, Daughter Of A Song braids together an insider’s perspective on an outsider’s life. With Sonny out on the road for long stretches, Sarah Curtis pieced his life and legacy together through research and recollection, following her father from the 1950s birth of rock ’n’ roll in West Texas to the 1960s Hollywood scene where Sonny met his wife, a Vietnam War protester and California hippie. The two of them would leave Hollywood behind for the rural Tennessee cattle farm where they raised Sarah. With vivid storytelling, cultural commentary, lyrical prose, and a dose of humor, Daughter Of A Song considers the complexities of fate and fame, the cultures we shape and the ones that shape us. It is the story of a man saved by art, and the daughter who must navigate to the center of his creativity to reckon with her own.”
Willie Nelson: All The Albums
By Geoffrey Himes
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Journey through Willie Nelson’s rebellious, prolific, and enduring career with this richly illustrated tour of the beloved singer-songwriter’s 100-plus albums. Few musicians or celebrities are as widely adored as Nelson. The legendary Texas singer-songwriter is still recording and performing music well into his nineties. In this photo-filled gift book, noted country/roots/Americana music writer Geoffrey Himes traces Nelson’s entire career through the lens of his albums. Along the way, read about Nelson’s film roles, notable collaborators, famous Fourth of July picnics, iconic Martin guitar Trigger, and involvement in causes like Farm Aid, biodiesel fuels, and marijuana legalization. The text, together with more than 250 images of Nelson on- and offstage, make for a unique and visually entertaining celebration of an American treasure who has transcended America’s increasing polarization to become a national treasure.”
Taylor Swift: Album By Album
By Kase Wickman, Joanna Weiss & Moira McAvoy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “If you’re a passionate Swiftie who wants to know everything about your favorite icon — especially her music — this luxuriously illustrated deep dive should take center stage. Featuring fresh insights from her first 11 studio albums — from Taylor Swift to The Tortured Poets Department — Taylor Swift: Album By Album mines her life, lyrics and music like nothing else before it. This book also features several chapters on all the Taylor’s Version albums released to date, with panel discussions from noted Swift scholars accompanied by vibrant photography that captures Swift in each and every era, from an aspiring country musician to the dominant global force she is today. Swift’s artistry, awards, and accolades are hard to encompass, from the youngest artist with a No. 1 song on the Hot Country chart to the first recipient of Billboard’s Woman Of The Decade award. Taylor Swift: Album Gy Album is more than just pretty pictures; it’s a door into how and why this talented musician continues to inspire fans around the world. Young or old, OG or new Swiftie, this book has it all.”
Taylor’s Version: The Poetic & Musical Genius Of Taylor Swift
By Stephanie Burt
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Taylor Swift has become a peerless superstar, ceaselessly productive and internationally beloved. From her teen country debut to her Eras tour and beyond, Swift’s career and her creations have captivated and bewitched us, opening up new ways to see both her life and our own. In Taylor’s Version, the poet and literary scholar Stephanie Burt offers an insightful and heartfelt critical appreciation of Swift, her body of work, and the community that her art has fostered. Drawing from her 2024 Harvard course, Taylor Swift & Her World, as well as from her years as a Swiftie, Burt examines Swift’s particular form of genius — not the destructive genius of tortured poets, but the collaborative and joyful genius of an artist who has mastered her craft. She highlights the ways Swift’s work remains at once intimate and relatable, portraying people we feel that we know and people we wish we could be, from the first loves and girlhoods on Fearless through the public and private angst of Midnights. Tracing a path through the Eras, Taylor’s Version shows what Swift has created, how it works, and why her songs will endure.”
Taylor Swift: Unofficial Search & Find
By Gus Morais
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This one-of-a-kind biography takes you on a visual exploration of Taylor Swift’s groundbreaking music career, celebrating every album era, iconic outfit, and unforgettable moment. From singing Tim McGraw at the start of it all to her Midnights confessionals, this search-and-find book is packed with Easter eggs that only her most loyal Swiftie fans will uncover. Dive into masterfully illustrated spreads, each inspired by a pivotal era in Taylor’s life from the self-titled debut through The Tortured Poets Department. Seek her out in the snake-adorned chaos of Reputation, find hidden treasures among the glitter-dusted allure of 1989, and follow a trail of butterflies and rainbows through the dreamy world of Lover. Each page brims with secret details and messages Swifties will recognize. This isn’t just a game or brain tease; it’s a love letter to Taylor’s evolution — from fearless teen to pop icon through heartbreaks, triumphs and re-recordings. Relive the defining moments that have shaped her narrative into America’s sweetheart, from her first Grammy win to her iconic vault-door teases and surprise album drops. Find your way through every glitter-drenched, heartbreak-tinged, revenge-laced era Swift has gifted us. Swipe on that red lipstick, blast your speakers, put on your friendship bracelets, and start your scavenger hunt.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source tinnitist.com ’
