The '80s were a decade of musical change. As the '70s disco stranglehold was broken, rock, gay, dance and pop music competed with funk and soul, romantic ballads and political protest, computerised music and controversy. The glamour of costume, greasepaint and cross-dressing was put to good use by New Romantic groups like Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, Culture Club and the Human League, while the world also looked to Britain for the most exciting pop acts such as the multi-million-selling Wham!, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Eurythmics and the Pet Shop Boys. Mainstream dance music was at its peak, spearheaded by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and their stable of artists, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley, were all chart-topping names. From the USA came the artist of the decade, Michael Jackson, while Madonna and Whitney Houston provided the 'Girl Power' of the '80s. The decade also saw the philanthropic side of the music industry as the stars responded to famine in Ethiopia with the charity records 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and 'We Are The World'. The'80s catered for all musical tastes, no matter how bizarre, and was far more eclectic than any other decade. From bubble-gum pop with Bucks Fizz to the stadium rock of Simple Minds,'80s Chart-Toppers brings a comprehensive year-by-year, month-by-month guide to the hottest sounds of the decade.

A look back at 150 (fifty from each decade) of the essential subjects from each of the exciting decades of change ... the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s! Fifty Favs provides a detailed summary of the leading Pop Culture topics---the people, music, sports, movies, and events of those fabulous decades of Americana that many of us fondly remember. Available in paperback or electronic book. Please visit the author's website at www.50favs.com

Return to the glamorous decade that brought the world Footloose and The Breakfast Club, when legwarmers and shoulder pads were all the rage and nightclubs blasted classic tunes by Spandau Ballet and Wham! With hundreds of entries from A-Team, aerobics, Rick Astley, and Amadeus to Weird Science, yuppies, The Young Ones and ZZ Topp, be prepared to relive the punk, the glam, and everything in between using this complete guide to the most extravagant and fun decade of the 20th century.

While most successful sidemen are lucky to spend a decade in the music business, multi-instrumentalist Mark Rivera is working on his fifth. Best known as Billy Joel’s saxophonist as well as Musical Director for Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Rivera has shared the stage with some of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s greatest performers, including John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Tony Bennett, Sheila E., Joe Walsh, Hall & Oates, and Peter Gabriel. How does he do it while avoiding the typical pitfalls—falling out of favor with the band, burnout, depression? A devoted father and husband for nearly forty years, Rivera’s recollections in Sideman demonstrate that while he struggled to balance the two worlds—a rock ‘n’ roller circling the globe and a regular guy worried about putting food on the table—his body’s compulsion to always be playing music kept him in constant pursuit of “the next gig.” The sideman is put to the test as he recounts his past from the confines of a global pandemic, and the man accustomed to “keeping up with the music” is forced to put down his instruments and reflect. Full of optimism, humor, and candor, Rivera turns the spotlight on the sideman’s life, revealing not only what it takes to climb the industry ladder (and stay there), but something more surprising: a bit of ourselves rocking out amongst all those superstars.

An indispensable guide to the best - and the worst - pop music of the 1980s.

From Aaliyah to ZZ Top, author Jimmy Correa covers it all in The Trivia Book of Rock 'N' Roll Music: The 80s and 90s-an essential guide to musical factoids. The easy-to-read multiple choice format makes trivia fun while you learn interesting tidbits about all types of music and artists from the 80s and 90s, including pop, country, R & B, one-hit wonders, and the British and foreign invasions. Enjoy questions such as the following: This romantic song by Chris DeBurgh was featured in the 1988 soundtrack of the movie Working Girl, starring Melanie Griffith Sir Mix-A-Lot, the male rapper, charted this song about the female body part that he likes the most Eric Clapton had a hit with this song in 1992 that was written in tribute to his son LeAnn Rimes, the talented, young country singer, gained her stardom by recording this song about loneliness at the tender age of fourteen Marc Cohn recorded this hit song in 1991 about a journey in the Delta Blues Correa draws on his extensive collection of music paraphernalia to share his love of music with others in The Trivia Book of Rock 'N' Roll Music: The 80s and 90s. Long live rock 'n' roll!

This comprehensive guide is a must-have for the legions of fans of the beloved and perennially popular music known as soul and rhythm & blues. The latest in the definitive All Music Guide series, the All Music Guide to Soul offers nearly 8 500 entertaining and informative reviews that lead readers to the best recordings by more than 1 500 artists and help them find new music to explore. Informative biographies, essays and “music maps” trace R&B's growth from its roots in blues and gospel through its flowering in Memphis and Motown, to its many branches today. Complete discographies note bootlegs, important out-of-print albums, and import-only releases. “Extremely valuable and exhaustive.” – The Christian Science Monitor

In Terminated for Reasons of Taste, veteran rock critic Chuck Eddy writes that "rock'n'roll history is written by the winners. Which stinks, because the losers have always played a big role in keeping rock interesting." Rock's losers share top billing with its winners in this new collection of Eddy's writing. In pieces culled from outlets as varied as the Village Voice, Creem magazine, the streaming site Rhapsody, music message boards, and his high school newspaper, Eddy covers everything from the Beastie Boys to 1920s country music, Taylor Swift to German new wave, Bruce Springsteen to occult metal. With an encyclopedic knowledge, unabashed irreverence, and a captivating style, Eddy rips up popular music histories and stitches them back together using his appreciation of the lost, ignored, and maligned. In so doing, he shows how pop music is bigger, and more multidimensional and compelling than most people can imagine.

This respected regional travel series introduces the first star-rated guide to Southern California, recommending the very best restaurants and lodgings. Maps.