Rock History

Released in 1974, Sweet Home Alabama has become synonymous with Southern rock. From its opening guitar riff, it is instantly recognizable, a raucous, irreverent defense of a Deep South state and its segregationist governor against the jabs of Neil Young. But the roots of Lynyrd Skynyrd's best-selling anthem go much deeper than regional pride or resentment of a fellow rocker.

A guitarist fires off riffs. A drummer pounds out primal rhythms. Fans scream along to a booming chorus. These are the sounds of rock. When rock 'n' roll first shook up young audiences, parents and politicians screamed in protest. But artists soon used the music to make protests of their own. Since rock's birth in the 1950s, its sounds have been blasted from garages to stadiums. The music can be the soundtrack to rebellion, a tool for self-expression, or just a way to bang your head.

The story goes that under the influence of blues and rock and roll, Britain suddenly started making spectacularly great music in the 1960s like some clever, quick-learning cultural satellite of America. But Britain’s mid-20th-century pop music explosion didn’t happen from a standing start. The reasons, both dazzling and multifaceted, appear to lie deeper than those legendary deliveries of blues records to Liverpool’s port and the legacy of music halls.

Welches weltbekannte Mädchen nicht einmal einen Imbißstand unter ihrem Pseudonym aufmachen durfte (Girl from Ipanema); mit welchem Handbuch man einen Top-Ten-Hit schreibt (3 A.M. Eternal); und weshalb man von seiner eigenen kreativen Leistung am Ende oft nichts hat (Bitter Sweet Symphony)...

In this new audiobook, broadcaster and music writer Alan Cross narrates the definitive history of Sonic Youth. Cross succeeds once again in revealing the fascinating history behind the music in the same compelling way we've come to expect from his long broadcasting career.

In this new audiobook, broadcaster and music writer Alan Cross narrates the definitive history of Oasis. Cross succeeds once again in revealing the fascinating history behind the music in the same compelling way we've come to expect from his long broadcasting career.

In this excerpt from her historically significant autobiography first published in 1889, American suffragette, educator, and president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union Frances Willard gives us a deeper understanding of the ethos of the woman’s temperance movement, as well as the day to day struggles and triumphs of the movement in the US at the time.

Is planet Earth flat? Is California an island? Can you mix other metals to make gold? At one time science supported wild notions like these! But later studies proved these ideas were nonsense. Discover science's biggest mistakes and oddest assumptions about geology and ecology, and see how scientific thought changed over time.

In this new audiobook, broadcaster and music writer Alan Cross narrates the definitive history of The Sex Pistols. Cross succeeds once again in revealing the fascinating history behind the music in the same compelling way we've come to expect from his long broadcasting career.

The Journey of the Rolling Stones: Rock and Roll Legends is a comprehensive and in-depth look at one of the most iconic and influential bands in music history. Written by experts in the field, this book explores the roots and beginnings, rise to fame, and enduring legacy of the Stones, capturing the essence of what makes this band so special and enduring.

An all-seeing Moon rock of almost impossible age, called Bok, has been looking down at our blue and green planet for millennia. Geologists - people who study rocks - have a saying: 'rocks remember.' During his time, Bok has witnessed some truly wondrous things. Created in the earth-shattering collision four and a half billion years ago that led to the formation of the Moon, he has seen stars burst into being and meteors streak through the solar system. He has seen his own Moon surface be transformed with craters, and he has watched a fiery planet transform into the haven we know today.