Clinton Heylin

In this enthralling history of punk and grunge, Clinton Heylin describes how the word 'punk' was coined by revered rock journalist Lester Bangs, and charts the rise and fall of the movement, from the explosion of the Sex Pistols to the death of Kurt Cobain. Tracing punk's origins on three continents - from the pubs of England to the clubs of New York and Cleveland, Sydney and Brisbane - as well as looking at individual bands, Heylin explores the groups who were the scenemakers, along with the underground networks established to assault the mainstream. Eloquent, enthralling, endlessly informative, Babylon's Burning will find a home in every music fan's library.

En junio de 2007 se cumplió el cuadragésimo aniversario del álbum Sgt. Pepper`s Lonely Hearts Club Band, para muchos la obra cumbre de los Beatles y, de acuerdo con buena parte de la crítica especializada, el disco de rock-pop más influyente de todos los tiempos. Su audaz combinación de estilos y tonos, su sorprendente estructura unitaria, sus innovaciones instrumentales, orquestales e incluso técnicas, la extraña mezcla de lirismo melódico y energía rítmica aliñada con elementos psicodélicos o sinfónicos y la estudiada ambigüedad de las letras produjeron en el mundo de la música popular una conmoción que no se ha apagado del todo hasta nuestros días. En muchos sentidos y con muy sólidas razones puede afirmarse que Sgt. Pepper ?s abrió caminos todavía transitados cuyo destino final apenas podemos adivinar. Clinton Heylin narra la gestación del álbum desvelando sus fuentes de inspiración y analizando el contexto cultural que lo hizo posible, aclara sus alusiones y despeja muchos mitos o equívocos alimentados desde el primer momento por sus numerosos exégetas, analiza su poderosa influencia en grupos y cantantes de muy variado pelaje (Bob Dylan, los Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, los Rolling Stones, etc.) y describe su fulminante impacto en una sociedad ávida de cambios y quimeras. Heylin, en definitiva, explica todas las claves de Sgt. Pepper`s como clásico del rock y como fenómeno sociocultural.

A definitive history of American punk rock.Exhaustively researched and packed with unique insights, this history journeys from the punk scene's roots in the mid-1960s to the arrival of "new wave" in the early 1980s. With a cast that includes Patti Smith, Pere Ubu, Television, Blondie, the Ramones, the MC5, the Stooges, Talking Heads, and the Dead Boys, this account is the definitive story of early American punk rock. Extraordinarily balanced, it tells the story of the music's development largely through the artists' own words, while thoroughly analyzing and evaluating the music in a lucid and cogent manner.First published in 1993, this was the first book to tell the stories of these then-little-known bands; now, this edition has been updated with a new discography, including imports and bootlegs, and an afterword detailing the post-1970s history of these bands. Filled with insights from interviews with artists such as Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, David Byrne, Patti Smith, and Richard Hell, this book has long been considered one of the essential reads on rock rebellion.

This is the second volume in Clinton Heylin's magisterial survey of the songs of Bob Dylan. The first volume - "Revolution in the Air" which is now available in paperback - charted the rise of Bob Dylan from his first jottings to the full expression of genius in songs such as "Hard Rain Gonna Fall" and "The Times They Are a Changin". "Still on the Road" begins in 1974 with "Blood on the Tracks", the album filled with masterworks such as "Tangled Up in Blue" and "Simple Twist of Fate" that heralded a watershed in Dylan's creative journey, and continues to chart his never-ending fascination with music and the art of song up to 2006's "Modern Times". Praise for "Revolution in the Air": 'Beg, steal, borrow ...a compelling history of Dylan's mercurial song writing' - Mojo, 5-star review. 'Better than any biography could ever be, and a crucial Dylan book' - Jonathan Letham. 'Valuable resource' - "Observer." 'A gripping new book by Dylan scholar Clinton Heylin so is so far in the deep end that its borderline insane . . [yet] has been devoured with a ravenous, insatiable appetite, and I have even made notes in the margin' - Mark Ellen, "Word." 'Terrifically interesting for Dylan nuts' - "Sunday Herald." 'Manna for completists' - "Metro." 'True to form, Heylin digs deepoway deepointo the songs, mixing cold hard facts with illuminating anecdotes' - Mark Smith, managing editor, Acoustic Guitar.

Bob Dylan has always regarded himself as a songwriter: 'I am my words', he wrote in 1964. This book charts Dylan's rise as a writer, where he gained his inspiration, the burst of energy which produced some of his most famous songs as well as the lesser known stories behind the more iconic verses.