{"title":"Books by Sean Egan","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781916829206","title":"Decade of Dissent","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDuring the 1960s—a juncture in history when music was the meeting place for the ideas of the young and questioning—Bob Dylan stood head and shoulders in influence above all others. In telling the story of his first calendar decade as a recording artist, \u003ci\u003eDecade Of Dissent\u003c\/i\u003e provides a unique angle on an endlessly fascinating and truly peerless career.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDylan’s 60s recordings constitute a dizzying run that includes such landmark albums as \u003ci\u003eThe Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHighway 61 Revisited\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBlonde On Blonde\u003c\/i\u003e, the so-called ‘Basement Tapes’, and \u003ci\u003eJohn Wesley Harding\u003c\/i\u003e, and such classic songs as ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’, ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, ‘Just Like A Woman’, ‘Quinn The Eskimo’, ‘All Along The Watchtower’, and ‘Lay Lady Lay’. They set the template for his genius and encompass the bulk of his greatest work. The career arc they collectively describe saw Dylan effortlessly and repeatedly instigate revolution, by turns reinvigorating folk music, turning protest song mainstream, bringing the intellectualism and social conscience of folk to rock and pop, reasserting roots music over the excesses of psychedelia, and making country music respectable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough each of his new identities, Dylan’s dazzling lyrics established him as the poet laureate of the counterculture. All during this time he was engaged in a personal voyage that saw him first embrace the blandishments of fame and then emphatically reject them. His journey during this era from ambitious nobody to cultural icon back to willing background figure makes for one of the most extraordinary narratives in the history of recorded music. It features a fascinating supporting cast of collaborators and peers, from Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield to The Beatles and The Byrds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDylan now occupies an unparalleled role as venerated elder statesman of music, but through the twists and turns of his long career he has never quite regained the position he held during his insurrectionary first decade, when he was the most important artist in popular music—and, by extension, one of the most crucial figures in Western society. Drawing on exclusive interviews and packed full of fresh insights, \u003ci\u003eDecade Of Dissent\u003c\/i\u003e brings to life Dylan and his milieu at the point when he was making music that was not merely aesthetically magnificent but sociologically earthshaking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55412356579701,"sku":"9781916829206","price":16.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781916829206_83c29c73-fc71-4dcb-9f89-9d70569ca528.jpg?v=1786030211"},{"product_id":"9780760391730","title":"Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run","description":"\u003cb\u003eCelebrate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s masterpiece of American rock ’n’ roll with this handsomely produced and stunningly illustrated volume.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBruce Springsteen and Born to Run: 50 Years \u003c\/i\u003eis the definitive story of a landmark album in American rock music. In 1975, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band released what would become their breakthrough album and arguably the most lauded album of Springsteen’s long, illustrious career. \u003ci\u003eBorn to Run\u003c\/i\u003e has sold over 9 million copies and counting and continues to inspire musicians and music fans young and old from around the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this book, music journalist Sean Egan takes a deep dive into one of the legendary musician’s most famous albums on its 50th anniversary. Chapters cover Springsteen’s career prior to 1975, track-by-track analyses of each side, the studios where it was recorded, the supporting tour, and The Boss’s career after the LP. Illustrated with performance and off-stage photography as well as memorabilia, the book is presented as a slipcased hardcover. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpringsteen fans new and old can expect:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA deep dive into how the album came together and why it is regarded as a masterpiece\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrack-by-track analyses of the studio cut as well as insight into the many disregarded tracks and ideas leading up to its recording\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical insight and analysis about the state of rock in the mid-’70s and how Springsteen assembled a wildly talented group of musicians in the E Street Band\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe story of the battle between Springsteen and Columbia Records after his previous albums failed to ignite the public’s passion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnd much, much more\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis display-worthy book is a must for every Bruce Tramp’s collection. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Great Albums series\u003c\/b\u003e presents authoritative explorations of rock’s most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: \u003ci\u003ePink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Who \u0026amp; Quadrophenia\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePrince and Purple Rain\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eQueen \u0026amp; A Night at the Opera\u003c\/i\u003e, with more to come.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294800687477,"sku":"9780760391730","price":38.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780760391730_7765eaf0-c0c4-40f6-9e74-44853d5247e8.jpg?v=1786016316"},{"product_id":"9781800505377","title":"Long Agos and Worlds Apart","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Small Faces epitomised the maxim, \"Never mind the width, feel the quality.\" In their brief original lifespan, they released just three official albums and a dozen-and-a-half authorised non-album singles and B-sides. Yet more than five decades after the London quartet's split the phenomenal quality of that compact body of work has ensured a continuing and unassailable musical esteem bordering on legend.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGut-bucket vocalist Steve Marriott brought a bluesy grit to both compositions of gravitas and effervescent pop numbers. Bassist Ronnie Lane collaborated with him to form one of the most formidable songwriting partnerships of the era. Ian McLagan was an exhilaratingly blurred-fingered keyboardist. Kenney Jones brought up the rear with blistering drum patterns, with his rolls often used to provide an explosive fanfare to Small Faces singles. Such a talent-oozing line-up was virtually predestined to conjure excellence. 'Tin Soldier', their exquisitely sophisticated psychedelic-soul release of 1967, regularly appears in polls to decide history's greatest singles. However, the band are just as much loved for rip-roaring power-pop like 'Sha-La-La- La-Lee' and 'All or Nothing' and storming instrumental B-sides such as 'Grow Your Own' and 'Almost Grown'. Their acknowledged masterpiece is \u003cem\u003eOgdens' Nut Gone Flake (\u003c\/em\u003e1968), an album that was not only artistically superb but boasted a second-side narrative suite that paved the way for rock operas such as the Pretty Things' SF Sorrow and the Who's Tommy. Regardless of style, quality and innovativeness, the Small Faces' music was characterised by a life-affirming joyousness. All this explains why their catalogue is endlessly recycled and why their oeuvre has been disproportionately inspirational.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong Agos and Worlds Apart\u003c\/em\u003e covers the Small Faces' full, tumultuous story. Drawing on lengthy new interviews, it is a revealing, impartial, exhaustive and definitive exploration of the corpus and career of a truly great band.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307089441141,"sku":"9781800505377","price":26.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781800505377_994fc69c-8579-4b7d-a8c0-97e62c21b02c.jpg?v=1786027284"},{"product_id":"9781845299439","title":"The Mammoth Book of the Beatles","description":"\u003cp\u003eOver 30 landmark interviews, accounts, and memoirs of The Beatles and their entourage, recording how they inadvertently became counter-culture's figureheads and changed society.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe pieces include Paul Johnson's 'The Menace of Beatlism', Maureen Cleave's 'Beatles Bigger than Christ' feature, the News of the World feature suggesting The Beatles were spent forces - just before they unleashed Sergeant Pepper on the world - interviews with their entourage and main loves; plus latter-day contributions from the likes of Paul Gambacinni, Dave Marsh, Greil Marcus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlso included is a chronological tracing of each Beatles album and single, and analysis of all Beatles movie releases and television appearances.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313049317749,"sku":"9781845299439","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781845299439_285d548d-f644-4527-9fad-92a46a0b96fd.jpg?v=1786029276"},{"product_id":"eagles-and-hotel-california","title":"Eagles and Hotel California","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTake a stunning visual and narrative journey down the “dark desert highway” to explore the creation, legacy, and lasting cultural power of one of rock’s most iconic albums.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eA milestone celebration of rock history and myth, \u003ci\u003eEagles and Hotel California: 50 Years\u003c\/i\u003e offers fans and scholars a richly illustrated and deeply reported look at the Eagles and their landmark 1976 album \u003ci\u003eHotel California\u003c\/i\u003e. Alongside \u003cb\u003e200+ photos and images\u003c\/b\u003e, including rare studio, stage, and on-the-road photography and band memorabilia, veteran rock historian Sean Egan delivers a fresh analysis, exploring:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe tumultuous recording sessions\u003c\/b\u003e at the Record Plant (LA) and Criteria Studios (Miami) that gave birth to the album.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe songs that became generational anthems\u003c\/b\u003e—“New Kid in Town,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” and the title track with its now-famous guitar duel—and their cultural resonance across rock radio and beyond. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe casualties, the excesses, and the contradictions\u003c\/b\u003e of the L.A.\/desert-state rock scene: the band’s internal fractures, the golden age of studios, the paparazzi glare, and the trade-off between art and commerce.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHow the album’s 50th-year legacy plays out today\u003c\/b\u003e, and how the myth of the “Hotel” gets repurposed for new generations of fans.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePresented in a giftable slipcased hardcover format, \u003ci\u003eEagles and Hotel California: 50 Years\u003c\/i\u003e is a must-own book for enthusiasts of 1970s rock, delivering an in-depth glimpse into one of the most revered albums of all time and a reading experience that fuses music history with pop-culture myth-making.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Great Albums series\u003c\/b\u003e presents authoritative explorations of rock’s most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: \u003ci\u003ePink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBruce Springsteen and Born to Run\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePrince and Purple Rain\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eQueen \u0026amp; A Night at the Opera\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRun-DMC and Raising Hell\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Who \u0026amp; Quadrophenia\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBeastie Boys and Licensed to Ill\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eFleetwood Mac and Rumours\u003c\/i\u003e … with more to come!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57504987218293,"sku":"9781577157670","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781577157670.jpg?v=1786953907"},{"product_id":"boweries-and-blitzkriegs-safety-pins-and-swindles","title":"Boweries and Blitzkriegs, Safety Pins and Swindles","description":"Punk is the story of a musical scene, philosophical credo and clothing style that ping- ponged back and forth between the United States and the United Kingdom, engendering intertwined artistic excellence and transatlantic social revolution.   American punk started in the mid-1970s in the New York clubs Max‘s Kansas City and, especially, CBGB, spawning epoch-marking acts like Patti Smith, the Ramones, Television, Suicide, Talking Heads and Blondie. Simultaneously, across the Atlantic another vital young cohort emerged, chief among which were the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned and the Jam.   The British bands were more class- conscious and inclined to provocative lyrics and imagery, but both wings had in common a disgust with the decadence of a virtuosity-obsessed rock scene and a refusal to be intimidated by their own lack of technique. The two scenes would be given a joint title, one predominantly deriving from the equally raw mid-Sixties garage-rock genre.   Rock ‘n’ roll was once more young, fresh and a danger to cultural and musical orthodoxy. Moreover, the movement had a long tail. American bands were taken to UK hearts, especially the Ramones and Blondie. The British punk sound was adopted by a subsequent generation of American new wavers that included the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag and X. When in the Nineties Seattle’s uncompromising Nirvana began having number-one albums in the hitherto hidebound American mass market, punk had finally unequivocally turned the music industry on its head.   Boweries \u0026amp; Blitzkriegs, Safety Pins \u0026amp; Swindles is the first book to properly cover both American and British punk scenes. Assisting in this comprehensive chronicle are the people who were there at the time. Sean Egan has drawn on his quarter-century archive of interviews with principal punk musicians, producers and observers—much of which material is previously unpublished—to give granular detail and vivid colour to an account of a period of originality and excitement unsurpassed in the history of post-Elvis popular music.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57680086827381,"sku":"9781800509870","price":26.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781800509870.jpg?v=1792423100"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-sean-egan.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}