Teenage Kicks My Life As An Undertone

Michael Bradley joined his school friend's group in Derry, Northern Ireland in the summer of 1974. They had two guitars and no singer. Four years later the Undertones recorded 'Teenage Kicks', John Peel's favourite record, and became one of the most fondly remembered UK bands of the post punk era. Sticking to their punk rock principles, they signed terrible deals, made great records and had a wonderful time. They broke up in 1983 when they realised there was no pot of gold at the end of the rock and roll rainbow. His story is a bitter-sweet, heart-warming and occasionally droll tale of unlikely success, petty feuding and playful mischief during five years of growing up in the music industry. Wiser but not much richer, Michael became a bicycle courier in Soho after the Undertones split. "Sixty miles a day, fresh air, no responsibilities," he writes. "Sometimes I think it was the best job I ever had. It wasn't, of course."

A true story of making a difference: “What does your family stand for? Read this book—it will change your life” (Daniel H. Pink). It all started when fourteen-year-old Hannah Salwen had a “eureka” moment. Seeing a homeless man in her neighborhood at the same moment when a glistening Mercedes coupe pulled up, she said “You know, Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.” Until that day, the Salwens had been caught up like so many of us in the classic American dream—providing a good life for their children, accumulating more and more stuff, doing their part but not really feeling it. So when Hannah was stopped in her tracks by this glaring disparity, her parents knew they had to do something. As a family, they made the extraordinary decision to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half its size, and give half of the sale price to a worthy charity. What began as an outlandish scheme became a remarkable journey that transported them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone. In the end they learned that they had the power to change a little corner of the world—and found that it changed them, too. “You feel lighter reading this book, as if the heavy weight of house and car and appliances, the need to collect these things to feel safe as a family, are lifted and replaced by something that makes much more sense.” —Los Angeles Times

*** 'Lots of great stories... A fascinating insight.' -JOHN MAHER, Buzzcocks 'Perfectly executed, highly detailed, incredibly interesting.' -HENRY ROLLINS, Black Flag 'Pete and Buzzcocks were there right from the beginning.' -BERNARD SUMNER, Joy Division, New Order When Pete Shelley, lead singer of legendary punk band Buzzcocks, passed away in 2018 we lost the chance to hear one of music's brightest stars tell his story. Or so it seemed. Now, recordings have surfaced of a series of remarkable interviews in which Pete tells the story of his life, his band and his place at the beating heart of the punk explosion in fascinating detail. Recorded over a series of late-night calls with a close friend, the tapes hear Pete talk song-by-song through Buzzcocks releases to reveal the personal memories behind the music and the inspiration for masterpieces such as 'Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)' and 'What Do I Get?'. Published for the first time and with the blessing of Pete's estate, Ever Fallen In Love: The Lost Buzzcocks Tapes is a tribute to a founding member of punk and a chance to hear one of music's true visionaries tell his own story at last. 'A true gentleman and a great artist and songwriter.' -PETER HOOK, Joy Division, New Order 'Shot through with self-doubt and mild regret, Pete Shelley's lovesick pop classics have a bittersweet charm that will forever speak to the young romantic' -JOHN COOPER CLARKE 'Buzzcocks were the blue touchpaper for my love of music. Pure pop met punk and the result was perfection.' -TIM BURGESS, The Charlatans

Formed in the 1960s, progressive rock band Procol Harum are best known for their multimillion-selling single ""A Whiter Shade of Pale"" which is the most played record by a British artist of the last 70 years. This book features exclusive interviews with band members as well as with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, film director Alan Parker, former managers, DJs and many others. It tells the story of their formation in Essex in the 60s, their split on the 10th anniversary in 1977 and their reformation in 1991. This enthralling account details one of the costliest court cases in British music history whereby a judge awarded a 40% share in the copyright of ""A Whiter Shade of Pale"" to a former organist of the band. The band's history is brought right up to date with details of recent album releases and tours over the last decade.

Spirit of 76 "provides a previously unseen view of the beginning of the punk movement, with portraits of the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Subway Sect and The Damned at the very beginnings of their careers--the only color photographs from this first wave of British punk (as well as many black-and-white images.

A tragic act of violence echoes through a small Minnesota town in this “powerful mystery” (The Christian Science Monitor). On the Minnesota prairie in the late 1980s, a drought season is pushing family farms to the brink. Against this backdrop, Little Wolves follows the story of a father searching for answers after his son shoots a local sheriff dead, while the same crime haunts a woman—a pastor’s wife and a scholar of early Anglo-Saxon literature—for reasons of her own. A penetrating look at small-town America from the award-winning author of The Night Birds, this book weaves together literary elements of folklore and Norse mythology while being driven by a riveting murder mystery.

Robyn Schneider's The Beginning of Everything is a witty and heart-wrenching teen novel that will appeal to fans of books by John Green and Ned Vizzini, novels such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and classics like The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye. Varsity tennis captain Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe. As Kirkus said in a starred review, "Schneider takes familiar stereotypes and infuses them with plenty of depth. Here are teens who could easily trade barbs and double entendres with the characters that fill John Green's novels." Funny, smart, and including everything from flash mobs to blanket forts to a poodle who just might be the reincarnation of Jay Gatsby, The Beginning of Everything is a refreshing contemporary twist on the classic coming-of-age novel—a heart-wrenching story about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

FAITH DEVILIN: A poor, outcast child in Prescott, Louisiana, she'd always adored the town's golden boy from afar. But he called her white trash that sultry Southern night when his rich, respected father disappeared, along with her pretty Mom. Now Faith wanted to hate Gray Rouillard...not to feel a powerful surge of desire. But she couldn't quench her passion, any more than she could hide the truth about the past she had waited so long to unravel. GRAY ROUILLARD: Even when he raised hell, he did it with style. Reckless, charming, and backed by Rouillard money, Gray controlled the town of Prescott -- and Devlin was a name he never wanted to hear again. But when he gazed at Faith Devlin, all he saw was a swirl of tangled sheets and her silken flesh beneath him. To care for her was impossible, unthinkable...because Gray Rouillard planned to use all his power to ruin her.