Showing results by author "Bob Stanley" in All Categories

A nostalgic journey through Britain's obsession with the Christmas number one, told through twelve iconic chart-toppers Twelve songs, seventy-five years and a nation's chart obsession Every December, Britain waits for the one chart result that still matters: the Christmas number one. In an age...

Pop music didn't begin with the Beatles in 1963, or with Elvis in 1956, or even with the first seven-inch singles in 1949. There was a pre-history that went back to the first recorded music, right back to the turn of the 20th century . . . Let's Do It is the first book to tell the definitive story of the birth of pop, from the invention of the 78 rpm record at the end of the 19th century to the beginnings of rock and the modern pop age.

Casanova…Don Juan…Charlie McCarthy? Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen achieved stardom playing both straight man and comedian with his wooden alter ego Charlie McCarthy. The Charlie McCarthy Show was one of radio’s top-rated shows for nearly two decades. Button down and bow-tied, the gentlemanly Bergen would never behave improperly with a lady. Charlie, on the other hand, is frisky, flirtatious, and brave enough to bring his game to guests Bette Davis and Hedy Lamarr, among others.

Over a prolific 40-year career, The Fall created a world that was influential, idiosyncratic and fiercely original - and defied simple categorisation. Their front man and lyricist, Mark E Smith, spun opaque tales that resisted conventional understanding; The Fall's worldview was an education in its own right. Who wouldn't want to be armed with a working knowledge of M R James, shipping-dock procedures, contemporary dance, Manchester City and Can? The group inspired and shaped the lives of those who listened to and tried to make sense of their work.

Yeah Yeah Yeah is a landmark and addictive work that audaciously charts the entire story of pop music. Unlike other books, it comprehensively covers the genre's history, spanning from the advent of the music charts in the 1950s to the digital transition of the year 2000. It covers an astonishing range of artists, from Billy Fury and Roxy Music to TLC and Britney, including giants like Led Zeppelin and Donna Summer. This book will remind you exactly why you first fell in love with pop.

Relive the highs (and the lows!) from fifty years of English football as recalled by some of the game's all-time great players, managers and commentators.1. Stanley Matthews: The Matthews FA Cup Final, 1953 (Read by Sean Bean) 2. Nobby Stiles: Man Utd win the European Cup, 1968 (Read by Nobby...