Spider from Mars

Spider from Mars
Author: Woody Woodmansey
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2017-01-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1250117623

In January 2016, the unexpected death of David Bowie rocked the globe. For millions of people, he was an icon celebrated for his music, his film and theatrical roles, and his trendsetting influence on fashion and gender norms. But no one from her inner circle has told the story of how David Jones—a young folksinger, dancer, and aspiring mime—became one of the most influential artists of our time. Drummer Woody Woodmansey is the last surviving member of Bowie’s band The Spiders from Mars which helped launch his Ziggy Stardust persona and made David Bowie a sensation. In this first memoir to follow Bowie’s passing, Spider from Mars reveals what it was like to be at the white-hot center of a star’s self-creation. With never-before-told stories and never-before-seen photographs, Woodmansey offers details of the album sessions for The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and Aladdin Sane: the four albums that made Bowie a cult figure. And, as fame beckoned by eventually consumed Bowie, Woodmansey recalls the wild tours, eccentric characters, and rock ‘n’ roll excess that eventually drove the band apart. A vivid and unique evocation of a transformative musical era and the enigmatic, visionary musician at the center of it, with a foreword by legendary music producer Tony Visconti and an afterword from Def Leppard's Joe Elliot, Spider from Mars is for everyone who values David Bowie, by one of the people who knew him best. " ... those interested in rock history won’t want to miss this slice of music history." - Publishers Weekly

Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust

Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust
Author: Ken Scott
Publisher: Alfred Music
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Rock music
ISBN: 9780739078587

Shares memories of Ken Scott's days working as a producer with the Beatles, David Bowie, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, Duran Duran, The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, America, Devo, Kansas, The Tubes, Missing Persons, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham, Dixie Dregs and Stanley Clarke.

Mick Ronson - The Spider with the Platinum Hair

Mick Ronson - The Spider with the Platinum Hair
Author: Weird & Gilly
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre
Total Pages: 443
Release: 2017-04-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1786065053

Mick Ronson was a lot more than just the guitarist for Ziggy Stardust. This fully updated first biography is full of first-hand recollections by those who were closest to him including a foreword by his wife Suzi and a hand-written speech by his daughter Lisa. During the five years it has taken to collate this work, authors Weird and Gilly have spoken to over fifty family members, close friends and colleagues including exclusive interviews with Suzi Ronson, David and Maggi Ronson (brother and sister), Minnie Ronson (mother), Steve Popovich (manager), Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Ian Hunter, Chrissie Hynde, Glen Matlock, Cherry Vanilla, Steve Harley, Bob Harris, Joe Elliott and a host of others. As a result, this book provides a deeply intimate and compelling insight into the life and times of an extraordinarily talented guitarist. A man who was tender and caring off the stage, yet fierce and electrifying on it. Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Ian Hunter and Annette Peacock are just a few of the names that were to become associated with the Mick Ronson legend. He toured with Bob Dylan, played with Mott The Hoople, worked with Lou Reed and produced an impressive number of albums with arresting originality. From his days as a mobile grocer to his performances at Wembley Stadium, this minutely detailed biography also includes scores of unpublished photographs and unseen rarities including: a hand-written six-page autobiography by the man himself, love letters to his first girlfriend, family album photographs and an exhaustive discography. After losing his battle with cancer, Mick passed away in the spring of 1993 at the young age of 46. This book is a salute to his remarkable music and legacy. Fully revised and updated with scores of new unpublished photographs and even more rare memorabilia. 'I was struck by the enormity of Mick's contribution to every record he played on - arrangements, incredible guitar, beautiful backing vocals, classical piano - he did it all, and he was northern and glamorous'

The A to X of Alternative Music

The A to X of Alternative Music
Author: Steve Taylor
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2006-09-27
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780826482174

Covers those bands and artists who have rejected the mainstream in favor of innovation, originality and the pursuit of their own unique musical identity.

Moonage Daydream

Moonage Daydream
Author: David Bowie
Publisher:
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2005-10
Genre: Rock musicians
ISBN: 9780958247092

Widely recognised as one of the most significant and prolific music photographers of the Seventies and the only photographer authorised to record the whole of Ziggy's career from early 1972 to the end of 1973, Mick Rock's camera caught more of the Ziggy legend than any other. Rock followed David Bowie into hotel rooms and dressing rooms, on the road and socialising with musicians and friends including Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger. Also included are previously unseen images from the studio sessions for the Pin Ups records sleeve and the four pioneering music videos that Rock directed and filmed for Bowie.

David Bowie: The Golden Years

David Bowie: The Golden Years
Author: Roger Griffin
Publisher: Omnibus Press
Total Pages: 633
Release: 2016-12-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0857128752

David Bowie: The Golden Years chronicles Bowie’s creative life during the 1970s, the decade that defined his career. Looking at the superstar's life and work in a year by year, month by month, day by day format, and placing his works in their historical, personal and creative contexts. The Golden Years accounts for every live performance: when and where and who played with him. It details every known recording: session details, who played in the studio, who produced the song, and when and how it was released. It covers every collaboration, including production and guest appearances. It also highlights Bowie's film, stage and television appearances: Bowie brought his theatrical training into every performance and created a new form of rock spectacle. The book follows Bowie on his journeys across the countries that fired his imagination and inspired his greatest work, and includes a detailed discography documenting every Bowie recording during this period, including tracks he left in the vault. The Golden Years is an invaluable addition to the Digital shelves of any true Bowie fan.

When Ziggy Played the Marquee

When Ziggy Played the Marquee
Author: Terry O'Neill
Publisher:
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2019-07
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9781788840590

* Rare and unseen images from Terry O'Neill's unprecedented access to David Bowie's last performance as Ziggy Stardust, including candid backstage shots* New and original interviews from a host of people who witnessed the last performance, including Geoff MacCormack - one of Bowie's long-time friends and "Spider"; Suzy Ronson - Mick's wife and stylist; Ken Scott - sound engineer and producer; Ava Cherry - backing vocals, and many more* Includes a neon acetate coverWhen Ziggy played The Marquee Club in Soho, London, in October 1973, most of those invited to the small venue did not realize that this would be the last performance David Bowie would ever give as Ziggy Stardust. Terry O'Neill, celebrated photographer, was given unprecedented access to document the event. O'Neill captured Bowie and his crew backstage as they went through costume changes, and Bowie transformed into the character he'd soon put to rest. On stage, dodging television cameras and lights, O'Neill snapped the incredible stage presence for which Bowie and his crew had become renowned. O'Neill remembers of Bowie: "He became a character on stage. As much as a person takes a role in a play for the West End or on Broadway, learning the lines, putting on the costumes - this was, I think, the way Bowie treated his stage. This night at the Marquee, I witnessed a modern-day Hamlet - and it was Ziggy Stardust". Award-winning music writer Daniel Rachel interviews key contributors of the day, including O Neill, Ava Cherry, Amanda Lear and Geoff MacCormack along with new insights and memories from fans who were in the audience who played witness to this incredible moment.

Strange Stars

Strange Stars
Author: Jason Heller
Publisher: Melville House
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2018-06-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1612196977

A Hugo Award-winning author and music journalist explores the weird and wild story of when rock ’n’ roll met the sci-fi world of the 1970s As the 1960s drew to a close, and mankind trained its telescopes on other worlds, old conventions gave way to a new kind of hedonistic freedom that celebrated sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. Derided as nerdy or dismissed as fluff, science fiction rarely gets credit for its catalyzing effect on this revolution. In Strange Stars, Jason Heller recasts sci-fi and pop music as parallel cultural forces that depended on one another to expand the horizons of books, music, and out-of-this-world imagery. In doing so, he presents a whole generation of revered musicians as the sci-fi-obsessed conjurers they really were: from Sun Ra lecturing on the black man in the cosmos, to Pink Floyd jamming live over the broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing; from a wave of Star Wars disco chart toppers and synthesiser-wielding post-punks, to Jimi Hendrix distilling the “purplish haze” he discovered in a pulp novel into psychedelic song. Of course, the whole scene was led by David Bowie, who hid in the balcony of a movie theater to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey, and came out a changed man… If today’s culture of Comic Con fanatics, superhero blockbusters, and classic sci-fi reboots has us thinking that the nerds have won at last, Strange Stars brings to life an era of unparalleled and unearthly creativity—in magazines, novels, films, records, and concerts—to point out that the nerds have been winning all along.