The Record Players

The Record Players book is a tribute to the obsessives, the playboys and to the musical eccentrics who founded the craft of DJing. The guys (and they are mostly all guys!) who developed wild new techniques for performing with recorded music, and revolutionised the way we create and enjoy it.

The DJs gave us new ways to have the times of our lives and built a worldwide industry of nightlife and dance music. From unsung pioneers to overheated superstars, these are the people who made playing records matter. The book is written by Bill Brewster, who is well known in the sphere for his excellent book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (not got one yet? They have some HERE).

The Record Players is a massive (almost 500 pages!) book published by Virgin that has been in and out of the Top Ten digital music books since it was published.

The book includes in-depth interviews with 50 of history's most significant DJs, including Fabio, Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Cool Herc, John Peel, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Shadow, Paul Oakenfold, Norman Cook, Pete Tong, Tiesto, Dreem Teem, Jeff Dexter and many more.

The DJs gave us new ways to have the times of our lives and built a worldwide industry of nightlife and dance music. From unsung pioneers to overheated superstars, these are the people who made playing records matter. The book is written by Bill Brewster, who is well known in the sphere for his excellent book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (not got one yet? They have some HERE).

The Record Players is a massive (almost 500 pages!) book published by Virgin that has been in and out of the Top Ten digital music books since it was published.

The DJs gave us new ways to have the times of our lives and built a worldwide industry of nightlife and dance music. From the unsung pioneers to the overheated superstars, these are the people who made playing records matter. The book is written by Bill Brewster, who is well known in the sphere for his excellent book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (not got one yet? they have some HERE).

The Record Players is a massive (almost 500 pages!) book published by Virgin that has been in and out of the Top Ten digital music books since it was published.

The DJs gave us new ways to have the times of our lives and built a worldwide industry of nightlife and dance music. From unsung pioneers to overheated superstars, these are the people who made playing records matter. The book is written by Bill Brewster, who is well known in the sphere for his excellent book Last Night a DJ Saved My Life (not got one yet? They have some HERE).

The Record Players is a massive (almost 500 pages!) book published by Virgin that has been in and out of the Top Ten digital music books since it was published.

This book was written in 2007 and is all about the stars he befriended, the rivalries in radio he endured, the friendships made, and broken, all told in Tony's own charming and candid style.

The book explores Tony's unique brand of playing, presenting and enjoying music; a refreshing story.

Without doubt, Tony is one of the best pitchmen ever heard on radio, but he is also one of the most sincere, whether talking about his love life or his beloved soul music, Tony is one of the most genuine and believable people in the business. Still going strong in 2020, and the key celebrant of Radio One's 50th birthday, Tony is once again heard nationally on FM and DAB on BBC Radio Two, and is more popular than ever.

Listen2MyRadio

One of the best all round web supply companies most suited to radio are Listen2MyRadio. Established in 2006 as the first free Shoutcast hosting company on the internet, Listen2MyRadio remains the biggest.

More than a million users have signed up to Listen2MyRadio's free and their premium services. They offer all aspects of streaming over the internet from servers in the UK, USA, Canada and Germany. There is a free access service which is supported by adverts, or by paying a monthly charge you can host up to 5,000 listeners. There is no limit on bandwidth.

Listen2MyRadio

Great new books about the music business

100 ROCK ALBUMS

TO OWN ON VINYL

There are way more than 100 Great Rock Albums, and placing them in some kind of order is incredibly difficult. Music is not a competition and there are no hard and fast criteria by which to judge the greatness of an album. All you can do is measure popularity, the artistic currency a record currently has with critics or the public. So what, then, is the point of this, The Greatest 100 Rock Albums to Own on Vinyl?

Think of it as a curation, an opinion poll, a beginner's guide, a celebration of some of the greatest music ever made, and a snapshot of a time. Nothing here is set in stone, and if we do this again the results will almost definitely be different. But right now, in 2020, these are the 100 albums that rock fans will want to own on Vinyl. The result is this book dedicated to some of the greatest records ever made, the albums that have soundtracked the lives of generations.

These Albums are chosen by the readers of Classic Rock Magazine and include all the greats AC/DC, Guns N Roses, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, David Bowie, Aerosmith and many more.

(Click the cover for more details)

Harry is aiming to regularly refresh this with interesting content - updated at least weekly - and all well worth reading. However, simply because he has some content ready to hand he is starting with some stuff associated with his various novels: 'Just in Time.' and coming soon, 'Just in Case' followed by 'Just One Day'. All three are fiction - thrilling in an easy and fairly laconic way-- someone reviewed 'Just in Time' as being : 'Think Peter Mayle on a world tour ',

Also some new stories and happenings from the very real world of Harry's journey from the swinging sixties world of journalism, to owning a music company and, in a surprise to him, over the next thirty years his company had top of the pop charts hit records in almost every country of the world. All the details are recalled and revealed in 'Sometimes Music is My Only Friend'.

'Pop music revealed' sounds a little tabloid overkill, but in the book, Harry does indeed 'reveal' ...'own up'...'confess,' to his somewhat chaotic and unwilling co-option by the Secret Services of both the UK's MI6 and Russia's KGB.

Then there's the true story of his visits to No.10 Downing Street not to mention the naked photo of Prime Minister Harold Wilson. (Not me guv.Honest!). So grab yourself a copy and come back soon; the global roller coaster will depart the station shortly!

Harry Buckle.

Tony Blackburn is probably one of the most recognizable disc jockeys in British radio. In this book Tony looks back on the time he has spent in radio and the media.

Tony began his radio career on the then newly launched RADIO CAROLINE in July 1964. After a couple of years he was shanghaied onto Caroline's competitor, Radio London, before coming ashore in 1967 to join the BBC Light Programme. His was the first voice to be heard on the BBC's Radio One when it launched, and became the best known DJ in Britain.

Many years hosting TV's Top of the Pops didn't make him immune from the BBC management's manic desire to control. He was sidelined to local radio for a while and then in 2016 the DG of the BBC, Lord Hall. fired him, but reinstated him later in the year.

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This book, Last Night a DJ Saved my Life was named after a 1982 hit for INDEEP. To celebrate 100 years of the art of Disc Jockeying, Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton have expanded and updated their classic book which tells a lot of the history of the DJ.

The role of a DJ seems to have been born on Christmas Eve, 1906 when Reginald Fessenden became the first person to play a record over the radio. A century later and the DJ is the central figure in popular music. From these humble 'talking jukebox' origins to today's DJ superstars earning rock star salaries with a fanbase to match, the history of the DJ is fascinating and unpredictable.

The story of these unlikely cultural icons takes the reader through the swinging sixties, through the sequinned revolution that was disco, via hip hop and house to mass-market global domination. The book is available by clicking on its cover, or from Amazon - HERE.

DJ like a Pro

without skipping a beat

The best selling guide to spinning and scratching is back! If you've ever spent hours in your bedroom with two turntables and an earful of tracks that sound off-beat or out of key, DJing For Dummies is the go-to guide for taking your skills to the next level.

Author John Steventon, a successful club DJ, walks you through the basics of mixing, the techniques and tricks you need to create your own DJ style and how to make DJing work for you. Covering both digital and old-school vinyl-based instruction, this guide covers all the latest DJ technology, equipment and software so you can get mixing and stay one step ahead of the crowd.

Brimming with expert advice and easy-to-follow explanations, the information in DJing For Dummies gives you everything you need to build a foolproof set and play to a live crowd.

* Nail down the basics and build on existing skills

* Sort through the latest kit and technology

* Try crossfading, beatmatching and scratching

* Mix tracks seamlessly to sound like a pro

If you're new to the game or looking to step up your skills and graduate to club work, DJing For Dummies has you covered!

100 years of the DJs

Rare Record Price Guide 2022

Record Collector Magazine

Without doubt the best resource for the latest information about the state of the sale of used vinyl records. This hefty tome lists over one hundred thousand (100,000) of the rarest records known to be 'on the market' in the UK, along with a good consolidation of the latest prices each is achieving when sold. This is a 1472 page monster!

RRPG is now in its 14th edition and covers all kinds of pop, soul, dance, rock and many more sub genres. Singles, albums, even CDs and 8 tracks are included, where these are appropriately rare. Rare and collectable UK releases with catalogue numbers, B-sides, release dates and current mint values for every UK single worth over £5, every EP (ask your dad!) over £10, each CD single with a value over £8, Album (LP) worth over £12 and CD album over £18

No matter how obscure your taste you'll find the most sought after items here. If your particular obsession is 50's rockabilly, 60's MOR, 70's jazz funk, 80's post punk, hip-hop, reggae, Northern Soul, British Jazz or today's indie bands. If it is collectable, and it was released in the UK, you'll find it in the Rare Record Price Guide!

The book comes out bi-annually, and previous year's editions still sell for quite hefty prices, illustrating what a valuable 'labour of love' this book is. Constantly revised and updated, no self respecting record collector or music fan should be without a copy. (This one is the 2022 version, the very latest edition)

1,000Years of a London street: Denmark Street

by Mike Read

The first of a series documenting London Streets and a thousand years of their respective histories. Denmark street is an iconic London thoroughfares, often known as Tin Pan Alley.

Mike has been a broadcaster for over 40 years, he spent 5 years presenting the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show from 1981 and has worked for a number of other radio stations. As a TV presenter, he's best known for Saturday Superstore and the music game show Pop Quiz. Mike is an Ambassador for the Prince's Trust and has won ten National Broadcaster of the Year Awards. He has been a household name in Britain for over 35 years having fronted three long-running TV series, Top of the Pops, Pop Quiz & Saturday Superstore.

Mike presented a new TV series, Tin Pan Alley, which ran for 8 weeks on Sky. During 2016 and 2017 he was writing, shooting, producing and presenting a six-part series, Jamaicaphiles. A best-selling author, he has had some forty books published. Mike has written several film scripts, had eight musicals staged and penned songs for over forty major artists as well as having several chart hits, twice topping the Singles Chart and recently writing a No.1 in the US Chart. 2019 sees his musical Great Expectations undertaking another national tour. He played himself in such TV favourites as Only Fools and Horses and Midsomer Murders and has interviewed 100s of major artists on his live TV show and on stage. This is Mike's 40th publication.

Annie Nightingale's memoir is driven by the righteous energy of discovery and passion for music. It is a portrait of an artist without whom the past fifty years of British culture would have looked very different indeed.

Hey Hi Hello is a greeting we have all become familiar with, as Annie Nightingale cues up another show on Radio One. Always in tune with the nation's taste, yet effortlessly one step ahead for more than five decades, in this book Annie digs deep into her crate of memories, experiences and encounters to deliver an account of a life lived on the frontiers of pop cultural innovation.

Hey Hi Hello:

Five Decades of Pop Culture from Britain's 1st Female DJ, by Anne Nightingale

Make Some Noise blends together practical advice and tools for learning the craft, along with an inspirational message that will help encourage you in regard to your own dreams and aspirations about becoming a DJ.

There are books on how to become a DJ, books that talk about beatmatching, mashups, how to perform in nightclubs even one that claims it can teach you everything in two hours. Make Some Noise is a complete DJ book that has been created on the cutting edge and goes beyond any current book on the subject. Yes, it teaches the basics, but it goes beyond the how-to, discussing DJing while playing with a live instrument as well as goal setting, marketing, and choosing your music genre.

The book also features a collection of one-page spotlights from some of the biggest DJs in the world, providing you with the opportunity to learn from the best of the best. These DJs include Infected Mushroom (1,073,271 likes on Facebook), Judge Jules (102,871 likes), R3hab (413,237 likes), Todd Terry (22,733 likes), DJ Chus (57,076 likes), Max Graham (180,293 likes), Umek (1,612,019 likes), Bingo Players (293,612 likes), and Prok & Fitch (22,663 likes).

NOTE This is a DVD-ROM

Make Some Noise

- how to become the ultimate DJ

by Scott Binder

David Rodigan:

My Life in Reggae

Dave Rodigan is one of the most influential and best-regarded DJs, of any genre. The word "legend" is often sprinkled about too lightly, but when it comes to this man, he's simply beyond legend.

David is one of the world's greatest ambassador of Jamaica's musical heritage, whose enthusiasm and keen insight has enlightened and entertained millions internationally over the past four decades.

Now, in his autobiography, and its crammed full of exhilarating events and encounters behind the scenes. He has met almost all the reggae world's finest creators, and now he divulges many of the professional insights to which he's been priviliged.

Essential reading for everyone who calls themselves a fan of reggae, ska, bluebeat or simply reggae.

Fascinating new music radio book

The story of how radio formats developed in the UK and the US, based on diverging music genres. This new book tells how rigid regulation held up radio in Europe while stations in the US mushroomed and grew, to be worth many times those in the UK, pro-rata to population. Over 130 radio formats based mainly on music are discussed - good primer for music and radio students as well as those in media.

Hundred page paperback book, available immediately

All You Need to Know About the Music Business by veteran music lawyer Don Passman (dubbed "the industry bible" by the Los Angeles Times) is now updated to address the biggest transformation of the music industry yet: streaming.

For more than twenty-five years, All You Need to Know About the Music Business has been universally regarded as the definitive guide to the music industry. Now in its tenth edition, Donald Passman leads novices and experts alike through what has been the most profound change in the music business since the days of wax cylinders and piano rolls. For the first time in history, music is no longer monetized by selling something but by how many times listeners stream a song. And that completely changes the ecosystem of the business, as Passman explains in detail.

Since the advent of file-sharing technology in the late 1990s to the creation of the iPod, the music industry has been teetering on the brink of a major transformation. streaming music has made it come to pass. Passman's comprehensive guide offers timely, authoritative information from how to select and hire a winning team of advisors and structure their commissions and fees; navigate the ins and outs of record deals, songwriting, publishing, and copyrights; maximize concert, touring, and merchandising deals; and how the game is played in a streaming world.

"If you want to be in music, you have to read this book," says Adam Levine, lead singer and guitarist of Maroon 5. With its proven track record, this updated edition of All You Need to Know About the Music Business is more essential than ever for musicians, songwriters, lawyers, agents, promoters, publishers, executives, and managers--anyone trying to navigate the rapid transformation of the industry.

All you need to know

about the music business

Click book cover for more information

Sometimes, music is my only friend

by Harry Buckle

Music books

POPTASTIC!

my life in radio

by Tony Blackburn

Registered in England and Wales # 8503418.

BOTBMini

Some new stories and happenings from the very real world of Harry Buckle's journey from the swinging sixties world of journalism to owning a music company and, in a surprise to me, over the next thirty years my company having top of the pop charts hit records in almost every country of the world. All recalled in 'Sometimes Music is My Only Friend'.

'Pop music revealed,' sounds like tabloid overkill, but in the book, I 'eveal / own up /confess to my chaotic, unwilling co-option by the Secret Services of both the UK's MI6 and Russia's KGB. Then there's the true-story of my visits to No.10 Downing Street and naked photos of Harold Wilson!

Ready, Steady, Go! mirrored the cultural upheaval and spirit of youthful optimism that gripped Britain in the mid Sixties. Within weeks of its debut in August 1963 the show became an essential television ritual for the newly confident British teenager setting trends and becoming a barometer for pop culture. This bold new approach was perfectly embodied in RSG!s 'stylist' presenter, Cathy McGowan.

The programme hosted the era's most important musical names - The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Otis Redding, etc. - as well as providing then unknowns like Donovan, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix with their first, TV exposure.

Using exclusive first-hand accounts, exhaustive research, and unseen photographs and rare memorabilia, this book examines Swinging London.

Click cover for more details

Written by veteran music lawyer Don Passman this has been updated to address streaming.

For more than twenty-five years, All You Need to Know About the Music Business has been universally regarded as the definitive guide to the music industry. Now in its tenth edition, Donald Passman leads novices and experts alike through what has been the most profound change in the music business since the days of wax cylinders and piano rolls. For the first time in history, music is no longer monetized by selling something but by how many times listeners stream a song. And that completely changes the ecosystem of the business, as Passman explains in detail.

Since the advent of file-sharing technology, the music industry has been teetering on the brink of a major transformation. streaming music has made it come to pass. Passman's comprehensive guide offers timely information from how to select and hire a winning team of advisors and structure their commissions and fees; navigate the ins and outs of record deals, songwriting, publishing, and copyrights; maximize concert and merchandising deals; and how the game is played in a streaming world.

As a dj and broadcaster on radio, tv and the live music scene, Annie has been an invigorating and necessarily disruptive force, working within the establishment but never playing by the rules. She walked in the door at Radio One as a rebel, its first female broadcaster, in 1970. Fifty years later she became the station's first CBE in the New Year's Honours List; still a vital force in British music, a dj and tastemaker who commands the respect of artists & listeners across the world.

Hey Hi Hello tells the story of those early, intimidating days at Radio One, the Ground Zero moment of punk and the epiphanies that arrived in the late 80s with the arrival of acid house and the second Summer of Love. It includes encounters with Bob Marley, Marc Bolan, The Beatles and recent interviews with Little Simz and Billie Eilish.

The

JIMMY PAGE

ANTHOLOGY

The ultimate book for all Led Zappelin fans and Jimmy Page admirers, in enduring hardback. Assembled by Jimmy, he says: " I wanted to include items from my personal archive that have played a part in my career over 60 years, to illustrate the detail behind the detail.”

- Jimmy Page

Price now reduced CLICK HERE

Record covers are a sign of our life and times. Like the music on the discs, they address such issues as love, life, death, fashion, and rebellion. For music fans the covers are the expression of a period, of a particular time in their lives.

Many are works of art and have become as famous as the music they stand for―Andy Warhol's covers, for example, including the banana he designed for The Velvet Underground.

This edition of Record Covers presents a selection of the best rock album covers of the 60s to 90s from music archivist, disc jockey, journalist, and former record-publicity executive Michael Ochs’s enormous private collection.

Both a trip down memory lane and a study in the evolution of cover art, this is a sweeping look at an underappreciated art form.

1000 Record Covers by Michael Ochs

Charting the history and development of pop music radio in the UK from the early days of Rock and roll to the present day, Neil March links radio's evolution to the surrounding social, political and cultural events. He also places radio's story in the context of the music that it helped give a voice to and which, in turn, shaped its journey. (Click book cover for more details)

Neil March is a promoter, broadcaster, author and musician. He promotes regular live events, Vanishing Point and Trust The Doc Live, mainly but not exclusively in London

Elvis left the building 44 years ago this year but his music lives on and is heard daily around the globe. Todd Slaughter ran his UK fan club and more, and fought for years to get Elvis to tour the UK and to use the Telstar satellite.

Todd was ubiquitous in the music world since the sixties and got embroiled with many of the movers and shakers. His story is an amazing one but a very personal one too, centered on Leicester - home of the UK Elvis empire.

The legendary events at Hemsby and other venues have starred many luminaries from Elvis' world, as well as key Radio Luxembourg and Radio One DJs too. Read many of Todd's fascinating stories from behind the scenes.

Radio fans will know Tood well from his frequent appearances on Radio Luxembourg - he now hosts the Elvis hour on Caroline Flashback each Thursday at 8pm.

Elvis & More is not simply a story of tales from many years ago - the Elvis Fan Club story is still a major part of many music fans lives today. A wonderful look inside the fun and sometimes the seedy parts of the music business, essential reading and available HERE.

Wonderful to see two of the Elvis FC team getting acknowledged for their dancing - check out Poppy and Sally's Passions of the Vein material (all over YouTube, with dance moves for many Northern Soul favourites). Read all about them in Elvis & More.

Elvis and More

by Todd Slaughter

Radio fans will know Tood well from his frequent appearances on Radio Luxembourg - he now hosts the Elvis hour on Caroline Flashback each Thursday at 8pm.