The Glasgow Gigs

If rock 'n' roll royalty comes to your city, you have to see them. Right? You have to meet them. Right? But when football gets in the way, and The Apollo bouncers throw a spanner in the works, your plans may just go slightly pear-shaped. The Glasgow Gigs veers recklessly across four decades, visiting legendary venues like The Glasgow Apollo, The Barrowland and The Dinner Hall of Garthamlock Secondary School. It soaks up the festival atmospheres of Mayfest and Celtic Connections and criss-crosses the city's streets, all in search of a bloody good night out! Did the starry-eyed schoolboy who saw Slade in the 70s, really become a refined and sophisticated concert hall goer in the noughties? Yeah, right. Did one night with The Clash in the 80s inspire him into a life of protest and activism? Hmmm... Did The Humpff Family really go out of their way to avoid him? There's only one way to find out. The Glasgow Gigs does exactly what it says on the... er, cover. But we mustn't remain slaves to the dreaded Boundary Charge. Wouldn't it be nice to stretch out, to breathe in the fresh air of the countryside and the not-so-fresh air of the capital? Fancy a trip to The Bonny Banks, or the rugged beauty of Perthshire? Jump in, the engine's running, and so is the meter.

Great Breaks Glasgow is a compact travel guide that combines snappy text with full-colour photography to highlight the very best that this lively city has to offer. The Walks and Tours section suggests various routes around the city to discover the key sights that you will not want to miss; from an artistic amble around the West End and Southside on the Mackintosh Tour, to a trip through Glasgow's industrial heritage via the Old Fruitmarket and City Halls on the Merchant City Tour. Each walk offers a selection of places to eat and drink as you go and clear maps plot all the major sights. The Overview chapter offers some historical context to your trip and suggests some venues to experience Glasgow's vibrant entertainment scene along the way. The Travel Tips section lists the active pursuits and themed holidays you could try, along with essential practical information and hotel recommendations. Glasgow's Top 10 helps you to plan how best to spend your time and experience the very best of this Scottish city.

After discovering a derelict record plant on the edge of a northern English city, and hearing that it was once visited by David Bowie, Karl Whitney embarks upon a journey to explore the industrial cities of British pop music. Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, Glasgow, Belfast, Birmingham, Coventry, Bristol: at various points in the past these cities have all had distinctive and highly identifiable sounds. But how did this happen? What circumstances enabled those sounds to emerge? How did each particular city - its history, its physical form, its accent - influence its music? How were these cities and their music different from each other? And what did they have in common? Hit Factories tells the story of British pop through the cities that shaped it, tracking down the places where music was performed, recorded and sold, and the people - the performers, entrepreneurs, songwriters, producers and fans - who made it all happen. From the venues and recording studios that occupied disused cinemas, churches and abandoned factories to the terraced houses and back rooms of pubs where bands first rehearsed, the terrain of British pop can be retraced with a map in hand and a head filled with music and its many myths.

'This book is about one of my all-time heroes, Mr Nelson Riddle. It makes for fascinating reading and I am enjoying it very much.' SIR MICHAEL PARKINSON NELSON RIDDLE was possibly the greatest; one of the most successful arrangers in the history of American popular music. He worked with global icons such as Peggy Lee, Judy Garland and many more. And in a time of segregation and deep racial tensions in the US, he collaborated with leading black artists such as Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald, forming close, personal friendships with both. He also wrote successful TV themes and Oscar-winning film scores. A complex and often forlorn genius, he will forever be remembered for his immortal work with FRANK SINATRA, but like fine wines his later vintage was just as palatable, if somewhat of a surprise.

"A respectful, but vibrant account of Lynott's rambunctious life and sad end whets the appetite." Uncut ****

The comic autobiography of 2014 A comedian's autobiography? I wonder if he's ever used humour to deflect from his insecurities? To avoid being bullied? Is there heartache behind the humour? I wonder if he's a manic-depressive? Tears of a clown? Yes, all of that. Discover the hilarious life-story of one of Britain's best-loved comedians in Kevin Bridges' brilliant memoir. 'First of all, I have never written a book before, you probably haven't either, so there we have it; a connection is established between reader and writer . . .' Aged just 17, Kevin Bridges walked on stage for the first time in a Glasgow comedy club and brought the house down. He only had a five-minute set but in that short time he discovered that he really could earn a living from making people laugh. Kevin began life as a shy, nerve-ridden school-boy, whose weekly highlights included a cake-bombing attack by the local youths. Reaching his teens, he followed his true calling as the class clown, and was soon after arrested for kidnapping Hugh Grant from his local cinema on a quiet Saturday night. This was a guy going somewhere - off the rails seeming most likely. Kevin's trademark social commentary, sharp one-liners and laugh-out-loud humour blend with his reflections on his Glaswegian childhood and the journey he's taken to become one of the most-loved comedians of our time. '. . . Hopefully now you'll take this over to the till and I can accompany you for the next wee while. That's the benefit of book shops, reading the little bit and then deciding if the author deserves to be part of your carefully selected 3 for 2 deal, or part of your plane journey, train journey, your next bath, your next shite.' Praise for Kevin Bridges: 'The Best Scottish Stand up of his Generation.' The Scotsman 'A wonderfully dry and deadpan Glaswegian comic . . . one the most exciting talents to have emerged from Scotland since Billy Connolly' Guardian 'Kevin Bridges might just become the best stand-up in the land . . . he will go and deliver a one-liner that you want to jot down and frame' The Times 'Wonderfully sharp, assured stand-up from the preternaturally gifted young comic' Independent

Barrowland: A Glasgow Experience charts the amazing resurrection of the legendary rock concert venue from its humble beginnings as a popular Glasgow dance hall through its commercial decline in the 1960s and beyond until it was reinvented in the early '80s as a concert venue that remains feted by fans and artistes alike. This book documents many of the gigs to have been held in the Barrowland, complete with reminiscences about backstage shenanigans and fascinating contributions from many of the musicians who have played there, as well as from fans who cherish memories of unforgettable concerts. Packed with interviews from the stars of popular music past and present, Barrowland: A Glasgow Experience allows readers to take a trip down memory lane and remember their favourite gigs at the world-famous venue in Glasgow's East End.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Where do you come from? It's one of the most basic human questions of all. But there is another question, which might sound a wee bit similar but is actually very different: What do you come from? And, let me tell you, that question can take you all sorts of strange places...' In Made in Scotland, legendary comic and national treasure Billy Connolly returns to his roots, reflecting on his life, his homeland and what it means – then and now – to be Scottish. Full of Billy's distinctive humour, Made in Scotland is a hilarious and heartfelt love letter to the place and the people that made him.