Music books

Face It: A Memoir

Debbie Harry

‘I was saying things in songs that female singers didn’t really say back then. I wasn’t submissive or begging him to come back, I was kicking his ass, kicking him…

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Please Please Tell Me Now: The Duran Duran Story

Stephen Davis

Lifelong fans and interested newcomers will love this stunning biography of Duran Duran by the bestselling author of Gold Dust Woman and Hammer of the Gods.

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Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces

Laura Tunbridge

Laura Tunbridge offers an alternative history of Beethoven’s career, placing his music in contexts that shed light on why particular pieces are valued more than others, and what this tells…

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My Rock ‘n’ Roll Friend

Tracey Thorn

An exploration of female friendship and women in music, from the iconic singer-songwriter and bestselling author of Another Planet and Bedsit Disco Queen.

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Let’s Do It: The Birth of Pop

Bob Stanley

The must-read music book of the year: Bob Stanley’s prequel to Yeah Yeah Yeah, Let’s Do It is the only book that brings together all genres to tell the definitive…

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Why Patti Smith Matters

Caryn Rose

A radical exploration of the artistry and influence of Patti Smith: the Poet Laureate of Punk whose uninhibited creativity inspired an entire generation and triggered a cultural revolution.

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Bodies: Life and Death in Music

Ian Winwood

‘Finally, a book about the music industry that tells the truth. Anyone with any interest in the real stories behind the music they love should devour this visceral examination of…

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Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them

Tom Gatti (ed.)

Fifty great writers reflect on the albums that shaped them in this captivating collection curated by the New Statesman’s Tom Gatti

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Exit Stage Left: The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars

Nick Duerden

A quirky, thought-provoking look at the curious afterlife of pop stars.

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Lyrics

Bryan Ferry

The definitive collection of the Roxy Music frontman's iconic lyrics

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Sound Experiments: The Music of the AACM

Paul Steinbeck

A groundbreaking study of the trailblazing music of Chicago’s AACM, a leader in the world of jazz and experimental music.

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Devil in a Coma

Mark Lanegan

The COVID diaries of the alternative rock star and bestselling author of Sing Backwards and Weep

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Remain in Love

Chris Frantz

Remain in Love tells the story of two bands and a love story (and marriage) that survived them both

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Needles and Plastic: Flying Nun Records, 1981-1988

Matthew Goody

A richly illustrated Flying Nun discography - all the records from ‘Tally Ho!’ to Bird-Dog.

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Mudhoney: The Sound and The Fury from Seattle (Updated Edition)

Keith Cameron

Updated with a new chapter drawing on fresh interviews with the group, this book tells an unconventional tale of rock heroism about a band that missed out on superstardom but…

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Lovers Dreamers Fighters

Lo Carmen

A beautiful and moving memoir about passion, creativity and fearlessness from one of Australia’s true creatives, singer/songwriter Lo Carmen, inspired by the lives and careers of other remarkable Australian women…

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Kid A Mnesia: A Book of Radiohead Artwork

Thom Yorke,Stanley Donwood

A celebration of the process and artwork created for the Radiohead albums Kid A and Amnesiac.

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But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz

Geoff Dyer

‘A copy … ought to be on everybody’s Desert Island’ Independent

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Radiohead: Life in a Glasshouse

John Aizlewood

Radiohead are proof that selling records need not mean selling out and Life in a Glasshouse is their story

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Me: Elton John Official Autobiography

Elton John

The first and only official autobiography by the much-loved global icon Elton John.

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Nina Simone’s Gum: A Memoir of Things Lost and Found

Warren Ellis

From award-winning musician and composer Warren Ellis comes the unexpected and inspiring story of a piece of chewing gum. Featuring an introduction from Nick Cave.

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Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius

Harry Freedman

A spellbinding and unorthodox look into the life of Leonard Cohen, and the way his experiences with religion and spirituality produced one of the greatest musicians of our time.

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Harlem Nights: The Secret History of Australia’s Jazz Age

Deirdre O'Connell

From the wild jazz clubs of Prohibition-era LA to Indigenous women discovering a new world of black resistance, this anatomy of a scandal-fuelled frame-up brings into focus a vibrant cast…

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The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces

Susan Tomes

A fascinating history of the piano explored through 100 pieces chosen by one of the UK’s most renowned concert pianists

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The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

Paul McCartney

A self-portrait in 154 songs, by our greatest living songwriter

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Like Some Forgotten Dream: What if the Beatles Hadn’t Split Up?

Daniel Rachel

An award-winning music author takes a serious look at a playful question of pop history: what if the Beatles had created one more album?

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You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico

Jennifer Otter Bickerdike

A redemptive, myth-shattering biography of one of the twentieth century’s most underestimated creative and artistic forces.

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Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories: The Early Years

Michael Posner

The extraordinary life of one of the world’s greatest music and literary icons, in the words of those who knew him best.

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Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music

Archie Roach

A powerful memoir of a true Australian legend: stolen child, musical and lyrical genius, and leader.

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Paul Kelly: The Man, the Music and the Life In-between

Stuart Coupe

Australia’s best music writer examines the life of the Australian music legend - honest, revealing and a must-have for any Paul Kelly fan.

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Why Bowie Matters

Will Brooker

A unique, moving and dazzlingly researched exploration of the places, people, musicians, writers and filmmakers that inspired David Jones to become David Bowie, what we can learn from his life’s…

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The Beautiful Ones

Prince

The Beautiful Ones is the official story of Prince’s life, told through his own words, work, and personal effects, illustrated in beautiful colour full-colour. It will be an intimate, unconventional…

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Morning Glory on the Vine: Early Songs and Drawings

Joni Mitchell

Originally handcrafted in 1971 as a gift for friends, this edition of Joni Mitchell’s best-loved poems, illustrations, watercolours and hand-lettered song lyrics is now publicly available for the first time

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Year of the Monkey

Patti Smith

From the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train, a profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of…

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M Train

Ms Patti Smith

From the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids: an unforgettable odyssey of a legendary artist, told through the prism of caf.s and haunts she has worked in around the…

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How to Make Gravy

Paul Kelly

A memoir in a hundred songs - classy storytelling from Australia’s most prodigious singer-songwriter.

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Chronicles Volume 1

Bob Dylan

An unprecedented publishing event - the first volume in a series of memoirs by one of the most important and influential musicians and songwriters of our time.

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Heavier Than Heaven: The Biography of Kurt Cobain

Charles R. Cross

A commemorative edition, featuring new material of the definitive, bestselling biography to mark 25 years since Kurt Cobain’s death.

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Noise in my Head: Voices from the Ugly Australian Underground

James Kritzler

The Ugly Australian Underground documents the music, song writing, aesthetics, lives and struggles of 50 of Australias most innovative and creatively significant bands and artists at the creative peak of…

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Beastie Boys Book

Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz

A panoramic experience that tells the story of Beastie Boys, a book as unique as the band itself - by band members AD-ROCK and Mike D, with contributions from Amy…

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How Music Works

David Byrne

Based on author’s own work over the years with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and his myriad collaborators - along with journeys to Wagnerian opera houses, African villages, and anywhere music…

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Scar Tissue

Anthony Kiedis

In Scar Tissue Anthony Kiedis, charismatic and highly articulate frontman of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, recounts his remarkable life story, and the history of the band itself.

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Born to Run

Bruce Springsteen

Born to Run will be revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, but this book is much more than a legendary rock star’s memoir. This is a book…

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Janis: Her Life and Music

Holly George-Warren

The first biography of Janis Joplin to establish her as the rule-breaking trailblazer and complicated, gender-bending rebel she was - based on unprecedented access to her family, friends, forgotten archives…

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Just Kids

Patti Smith

Winner of the 2010 Non-Fiction National Book Award Patti Smith’s evocative, honest and moving coming-of-age story of her extraordinary relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe

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Life

Keith Richards

Once-in-a-generation memoir of a rock legend - the No. 1 SUNDAY TIMES bestseller.

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Music books

Face It: A Memoir

Please Please Tell Me Now: The Duran Duran Story

Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces

My Rock ‘n’ Roll Friend

Let’s Do It: The Birth of Pop

Why Patti Smith Matters

Bodies: Life and Death in Music

Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them

Exit Stage Left: The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars

Lyrics

Sound Experiments: The Music of the AACM

Devil in a Coma

Remain in Love

Needles and Plastic: Flying Nun Records, 1981-1988

Mudhoney: The Sound and The Fury from Seattle (Updated Edition)

Lovers Dreamers Fighters

Kid A Mnesia: A Book of Radiohead Artwork

But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz

Radiohead: Life in a Glasshouse

Me: Elton John Official Autobiography

Nina Simone’s Gum: A Memoir of Things Lost and Found

Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius

Harlem Nights: The Secret History of Australia’s Jazz Age

The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

Like Some Forgotten Dream: What if the Beatles Hadn’t Split Up?

You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico

Leonard Cohen, Untold Stories: The Early Years

Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music

Paul Kelly: The Man, the Music and the Life In-between

Why Bowie Matters

The Beautiful Ones

Morning Glory on the Vine: Early Songs and Drawings

Year of the Monkey

M Train

How to Make Gravy

Chronicles Volume 1

Heavier Than Heaven: The Biography of Kurt Cobain

Noise in my Head: Voices from the Ugly Australian Underground

Beastie Boys Book

How Music Works

Scar Tissue

Born to Run

Janis: Her Life and Music

Just Kids

Life