{"title":"Books by Lesley-Ann Jones","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781789465532","title":"The Stone Age","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author Lesley-Ann Jones\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn 12 July 1962, the Rollin' Stones performed their first-ever gig at London's Marquee jazz club. Down the line, a 'g' was added, a spark was lit and their destiny was sealed. No going back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese five white British kids set out to play the music of black America. They honed a style that bled bluesy undertones into dark insinuations of women, sex and drugs. Denounced as 'corruptors of youth' and 'messengers of the devil', they created some of the most thrilling music ever recorded. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, their sound and attitude seem louder and more influential than ever. Elvis is dead and the Beatles are over, but Jagger and Richards bestride the world. The Stones may be gathering moss, but on they roll. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYet how did the ultimate anti-establishment misfits become the global brand we know today? Who were the casualties, and what are the forgotten legacies? Can the artist ever be truly divisible from the art? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLesley-Ann Jones's new history tracks this contradictory, disturbing, granitic and unstoppable band through hope, glory and exile, into the juggernaut years and beyond into rock's ongoing reckoning . . . where the Stones seem more at odds than ever with the values and heritage against which they have always rebelled. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGood, bad and often ugly, here are the Rolling Stones as never before.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43128090788018,"sku":"9781789465532","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57685796716917,"sku":"9781789465464","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781789465532.jpg?v=1792598987"},{"product_id":"9781399721776","title":"Fly Away Paul","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'No other book has come close to capturing so well what Paul McCartney is about, nor described so vividly his mental breakdown when the Beatles separated, nor his need for Linda to nurse him back to good health...  fascinating; \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e an extraordinarily brilliant book.' SIMON NAPIER-BELL\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Brava. ' ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The most brilliant journalism ...  Captivating.' STEVE HARLEY, COCKNEY REBEL\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Amazing... meticulous ' JOHNNIE WALKER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first definitive account of Paul McCartney's time in Wings.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo comprehensive biography of the time Paul McCartney spent with Wings  has ever been published.  A period often dismissed as McCartney's 'missing' years, in fact the band  lasted  for a decade: two years longer than the Beatles, and wielded such impact and influence that they at one point achieved the  status as the biggest live band in the world.  \u003ci\u003eBand on the Run\u003c\/i\u003e sold over 6 million copies worldwide and became EMI's biggest selling album of the 1970s in the UK.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMusic biographer Lesley-Ann Jones has met McCartney many times and knew his late wife Linda. Here she shows how crucial Linda was to the evolution of Wings - at great cost to herself given the ridicule she was to encounter. But Linda saw that McCartney needed the band in the wake of the break up of the Beatles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on extensive interviews and her trademark meticulous research,  the author shows how this period in Paul McCartney's career was to become crucial not only to his development as an artist, but to his very survival.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204309057714,"sku":"9781399721776","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399721776_edb9b72c-8c95-4b09-b0f3-6561a4cb5e0d.jpg?v=1786019522"},{"product_id":"9781529362367","title":"Love of My Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'EYEWITNESS GOLD' SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWHO - OR WHAT - WAS THE REAL LOVE OF FREDDIE MERCURY'S LIFE? THE SENSATIONAL NEW BIOGRPHAY OF QUEEN'S FRONTMAN \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMillions of Queen and screen fans who watched the Oscar-winning film \u003ci\u003eBohemian Rhapsody\u003c\/i\u003e believe that Mary Austin, the woman he could never quite let go of, was the love of Freddie Mercury's life. But the truth is infinitely more complicated.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBest-selling biographer and music writer Lesley-Ann Jones explores the charismatic frontman's romantic encounters, from his boarding school years in Panchgani, India to his tragic, final, bed-ridden days in his magnificent London mansion. She reveals why none of his love interests ever perfected the art of being Freddie's life partner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn\u003ci\u003e Love of My Life\u003c\/i\u003e, the author follows him through his obsessions with former shop girl Mary, German actress Barbara Valentin and Irish-born barber boyfriend Jim Hutton. She explores his adoration of globally fêted Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé. She delves into his intimate friendship with Elton John, and probes his imperishable bonds with his fellow band members. She deconstructs his complicated relationship with the 'food of love' - his music - and examines closely his voracious appetite for - what some would call his fatal addiction to - sex. Which of these was the real love of Freddie Mercury's life? Was any of them? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on personal interviews and first-hand encounters, this moving book brings to the fore a host of Freddie's lesser-known loves, weaving them in and out of the passions that consumed him. The result, a mesmerising portrait of a legendary rock star, is unputdownable. \u003ci\u003eLove of My Life\u003c\/i\u003e, published during the year of the 30th anniversary of his death and that would have seen his 75th birthday, is Lesley-Ann's personal and compassionate tribute to an artist she has revered for as long as she has written about music and musicians.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204681400498,"sku":"9781529362367","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529362367_a6b9c0ac-33c9-479f-8436-eeed61667ab8.jpg?v=1786023148"},{"product_id":"9781789468038","title":"Songbird","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author Lesley-Ann Jones\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScandalous affairs and public divorce. Addiction and fiery passion. And of course, the iconic song writing...\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChristine McVie - born Christine Perfect - was the quintessentially English rock star, as both the backbone and the beating heart of Fleetwood Mac.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStraddling the band's incarnations to achieve global fame alongside Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and John McVie, the classic line-up, she wrote and performed many of their greatest hits.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs famous for their occasionally life-threateningly decadent lifestyles as for their musical brilliance, they were held together by this strong, constant figure whom they dubbed 'the mother' of the band. It was Christine who contained the flock, regrouped them when they went AWOL, focused and blended their talents and always got them back on track.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd yet, as the 'engine' of the band during their \u003ci\u003eRumours\u003c\/i\u003e era - an album that unwittingly charted the complete romantic disintegration within the band - Christine's personal life was every bit as tempestuous as those of her bandmates, weathering affairs, divorce, addiction and fiery passion, all of which bled into her now iconic song-writing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTold by an author who herself was friends with Christine, and with new contributions from those who knew her best, \u003ci\u003eSongbird\u003c\/i\u003e offers a true insider's view, and deep psychological insight into Christine as a both a woman and a musician - the first, the only, the ultimate picture of a rock legend and a national treasure.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":55206166856053,"sku":"9781789468038","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57685840462197,"sku":"9781789467215","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781789468038_3fe995b3-f180-4984-89a6-65a3887e9db2.jpg?v=1792599048"},{"product_id":"9781444733693","title":"Bohemian Rhapsody","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e***\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE OSCAR-WINNING, GOLDEN-GLOBE-WINNING FILM.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Exactly the sort of tribute Mercury himself would have wanted' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'No one has captured better than Lesley-Ann Jones the magical, enchanting dualism of Freddie Mercury'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Truly definitive, truly Freddie, an energetic, entertaining and essential account'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSir Tim Rice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'This book grabs you with its opening, then builds. Insight and anecdote in perfect harmony'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSimon Napier-Bell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'At last a massive tribute to a massive talent'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSteve Harley, Cockney Rebel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is the definitive biography of Freddie Mercury, \u003c\/b\u003ewritten by award-winning rock journalist Lesley-Ann Jones, who toured widely with Queen and formed lasting friendships with the band. Now, having secured access to the remaining band members and those who were closest to Freddie from childhood to death, Lesley-Ann has written the most in-depth account of one of music's best loved and most complex figures. Meticulously researched, sympathetic, unsensationalised, the book focuses on the period in the 1980s when Queen began to fragment, before their Live Aid performance put them back in the frame.  In her journey to understand the man behind the legend, Lesley-Ann Jones has travelled from London to Zanzibar to India.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePacked with exclusive interviews and told with the invaluable perspective that the twenty years since Mercury's death presents, \u003ci\u003eBohemian Rhapsody\u003c\/i\u003e is the most up-to-date portrait of a legendary man.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56299729486197,"sku":"9781444733693","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781444733693_f893519d-b0ef-4425-b5e9-f69d04dac8af.jpg?v=1786020766"},{"product_id":"9781444758795","title":"Ride a White Swan","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBy the \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom mod folk artist to flower power pixie elfin to the king of glam rockers, Marc Bolan was the ultimate chameleon. His far-reaching musical and stylistic influence is more relevant today than ever with hits such as 'Ride A White Swan', 'Children Of The Revolution', 'Get It On' and 'Hot Love' as fresh and exhilarating as when first released. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the peak of his popularity during his lifetime Bolan was outselling Jimi Hendrix and The Who,  and yet relatively little is really known about the hypnotic, enigmatic 20th century boy turned 21st century icon. At last, in the 35th anniversary year of his tragic death, Marc Bolan  represents the definite biography. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere rock biographer, Lesley-Ann Jones, paints a meticulous portrait of the T-Rex front man. From his childhood growing up in Hackney to his untimely death at the age of 29,  Bolan's life was one of relentless experimentation and metamorphoses. Hallucinogenic drugs, wizardry and levitation, alcoholism, tax evasion and a spectacular fall from grace were to punctuate his short life,  as he continued to strive to reinvent himself and his music over and over again. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLesley-Ann has been granted access to those who knew Bolan best, including his partner and the mother of his only son, Gloria Jones and his brother, Harry Feld.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56299852890485,"sku":"9781444758795","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781444758795_b70998f3-b00a-4b44-8e5f-551ca52734e6.jpg?v=1786020948"},{"product_id":"9781789464191","title":"Who Killed John Lennon?","description":"Late on 8 December 1980, the world stopped turning for millions when news broke that its best-loved rock star had been gunned down in cold blood in New York City. But who, or what, really killed him? And when did the 'real' John Lennon die?Peeling back the layers, acclaimed music biographer and journalist Lesley-Ann Jones tracks the highs and lows that led Lennon to relocate to New York, where he was shot dead on the street outside his apartment building that fateful winter night. Using fresh first-hand research, unseen images and exclusive interviews with those who knew Lennon best, the author's search for answers in this enthralling exploration offers a gripping, 360-degree view of one of our most iconic music legends, four decades on from his tragic death.   There have been countless books about the Beatles and John Lennon. There has never been one quite like this.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307019383157,"sku":"9781789464191","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781789464191_693a879f-78df-455c-a57d-d805c82bf01d.jpg?v=1786026725"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-lesley-ann-jones.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}