In London's most salacious and opulent nightclub, you can look but you can't touch... 16-18 Beak Street was once filled with dancing showgirls in glitzy costumes performing to over 100 people a night. Murray's Cabaret Club night after night forged fantasies for deadened aristocrats, served dishes of dreams to Arab businessmen, and provided refuge for hounded celebrities. Founder 'Pops' Murray introduced London to the cabaret floorshow, hiring an army of dancers, musicians and seamstresses to make sure that everything was perfect from the dancers' painted nails and intricate costumes, to the polished wood walls and the gleaming glass stage. However the spell was broken in 1963 when the Profumo Scandal erupted - a love triangle between a Murray's showgirl named Christine Keeler, Britain's Minister of War and a Soviet spy, all at the height of the Cold War. The club opened in the height of the Jazz Age 1913 when Jack May, an American who had worked in New York's nightclubs, founded the club and named it 'Murrays' after a sensationally luxurious restaurant-cum-dancehall on Broadway. Between each floor show number, variety acts of conjurors, comedians, acrobats and the like would perform, but things started shaking up during the war years and into the 1950s when gambling dens and clip joints and strip licensing laws changed Soho nightlife. Superbly well illustrated throughout there is a typical nude tableau vivant, girls backstage in their underwear, glamour poses with feathered headdresses and tiny sequined bikinis, playlists like the Andrews Sisters? Sabre Dance from 1948, a sexy milkwoman full of inuendo, and best of all in our opinion is the extensive catalogue gallery of Ronald Cobb's costume drawings in full colour with Carmen Miranda brightly coloured costumes to semi-clad witches, stocking tops, see-through costumes, suspenders fabulous floaty costumes and more. A fantastical catalogue of design, all in rich colour, hundreds of images. 232pp, 19 x 24.5cm.
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'A Visual History of the World's Greatest 250 Rock Acts' with striking, colour-coded infographics, the book provides an overview of every aspect of each band's story. See at a glance which musicians featured when, what instruments they played, which label the act was with and when, the album release dates and who played on which album. Photographs of key members past and present supplement the engaging text, and founder and current members are highlighted for immediate recognition in this masterful book which is arranged alphabetically. For more than 50 of the biggest acts there is a stunning display of iconic photographs charting their dramatic changes in appearance, and relating each iconic look to albums of the same period. The Animals 1962-1969, Anthrax 1981-present, Arcade Fire 2001-present, Arctic Monkeys 2002-present, the Bee Gees 1960-2011, Buffalo Springfield 1966-2011, Bob Dylan 1959, Emmerson Lake & Palmer 1970-2010, Jefferson Airplane/Starship 1965-present, The Triffids 1978-1989, U2 1978-present to ZZ Top 1969-present etc etc. With label abbreviations, websites, Grammy Award winners, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees and performer directory, this is the ultimate peerless rock encyclopaedia, era by glorious era. Super weighty softback, packed with colour photos, 24.6 x 17.6 x 4.3cm.
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A unique tribute from David Bowie's official photographer and creative partner, Mick Rock, compiled in 2015, with Bowie's blessing. In 1972, David Bowie released his groundbreaking album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. With it landed Bowie's Stardust alter ego: a glitter-clad, mascara-eyed, sexually ambiguous persona who kicked down the boundaries between male and female, straight and gay, fact and fiction into one shifting and sparkling phenomenon of '70s self-expression. Together, Ziggy the album and Ziggy the stage spectacular propelled the softly spoken Londoner into one of the world's biggest stars. A key passenger on this glam trip into the stratosphere was fellow Londoner and photographer Mick Rock. Rock bonded with Bowie artistically and personally, immersed himself in the singer's inner circle, and, between 1972 and 1973, worked as the singer's photographer and videographer. This collection brings together spectacular stage shots, iconic photo shoots, as well as intimate backstage portraits. With a 5-phase lenticular cover of different headshots, it celebrates Bowie's fearless experimentation and reinvention, while offering privileged access to the many facets of his personality and fame. Through the aloof and approachable, the playful and serious, the candid and the contrived, the result is a passionate tribute to a brilliant and inspirational artist whose creative vision will never be forgotten. 23.8 x 33.3cm, 300 pages. Text in English, French and German. New from Taschen. The cover features a tipped-in A4 size five colour image that actually moves when tilted of Ziggy and faces of David Bowie. Could be removed from the front cover of the hardback book.

In 1922, three men - only one of whom had previously heard of 'broadcasting' - founded the BBC. In doing so, Arthur Burrows, Cecil Lewis, and John Reith set out to accomplish something utterly bold: using what had been a weapon of war - Marconi's wireless - to remake culture for the good of humanity. 20 years later, when George Orwell famously quit the Corporation, he decided he was done 'doing work that produces no result'. Yet the BBC is now one of Britain's most beloved institutions. Stars once fainted at the microphone; now a select few spend their Saturdays waltzing for the nation's entertainment in front of studio cameras. From Daleks to Desert Island Discs, the BBC has blazed a trail for British entertainment. Yet it has also always been at the forefront of global change, both breaking and covering the most important stories of the century on Panorama and BBC News. The first in-depth history of the iconic radio and TV network that has shaped our past and present. Tennis from Wimbledon, the Beatles and the Stones, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Morecambe and Wise and Eastenders - for 100 years, the British Broadcasting Corporation has been the preeminent broadcaster in the UK and around the world, a constant source of information, comfort, and entertainment through both war and peace, feast and famine. The BBC has broadcast to over 200 countries and in more than 40 languages. Mixing politics, espionage, the arts, social change, and everyday life, The BBC is a vivid social history of the organization that has provided both background commentary and screen-grabbing headlines and now facing massive social change, streaming services and competition. Illus, 656 pages.

Juxtaposing the literature of jest against court records, sermons, and conduct books, Brown employs a witty, entertaining style to propose that non-elite women used jests to test the limits of their subjection. She also shows how women's mocking laughter could function as a means of social control in closely watched neighbourhoods. While official culture beatified the sheep-like wife and disciplined the scold, jesting culture often applauded the satiric shrew, whether her target was priest, cuckold, or rapist. Brown argues that listening for women's laughter can shed light on both the dramas of the street and those of the stage: plays from The Massacre of the Innocents to The Merry Wives of Windsor to The Woman's Prize taught audiences the importance of gossips' alliances as protection against slanderers, lechers, tyrants, and wife-beaters. Other jests, on the ale-house, cuckold jokes, female gossip, cony-catching pamphlets, ballads, jigs, and plays show women revelling in tales of female roguery or scoffing at the perverse patience of Griselda. As Brown points out, some women found Griselda types annoying and even foolish: better be a shrew than a sheep. Medieval line art illus, Cornell University Press 280 page paperback.

With her eyebrow raising tight clothes, generosity of heart, and a take no crap attitude, here's an inspiring, passionate exploration of the life and work of Dolly Parton, and her deep significance for generations of working-class women. Well into her 70s she continues to grace awards stages, arenas and talk shows where women of a certain age are rarely seen. Yet not so long ago, Dolly was best known by many people as the punch line of a boob joke. So, what happened? In this affectionate, sharply insightful book, Sarah Smarsh charts Dolly's meteoric rise against the backdrop of her working-class poverty, growing up in rural Kansas wheat fields and airplane factories in the Great Smoky Mountains, to stardom in Nashville and Hollywood, from girl singer manipulated by powerful men and famous for her assets up front, to self-made mogul of business, literacy and philanthropy, Smarsh crafts a resonant portrait of Dolly's cultural importance, above all for the often-unheard women who populate her songs: struggling mothers, pregnant teenagers, diner waitresses with deadbeat boyfriends. Candid, intimate and searching. Remainder mark, 188 pages.

Gallop around the cosmos with Captain James T. Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Doctor McCoy and the USS Enterprise. This celebration of the legacy of the most iconic and beloved sci-fi franchise Star Trek dares to boldly go where no man has gone before. This official poster collection includes 32 removable posters measuring a huge 27.94 x 35.56cm. They include promotional posters for Star Trek the Motion Picture, a stylised 1960s poster of William Shatner's face shouting in black and white with the slogans Star Trek, Obsession, Shatner; Spock making the Vulcan salute hand gesture, the Enterprise orbiting a spectacular mustard and yellow-coloured planet, Kirk in the Captain's Chair looking pensive, and a posed photograph with his crew among the images from the TV series and film franchise. Huge softback.

Frank Sinatra said 'his pitch was right on the nose; his word annunciations letter perfect.' From a poverty-stricken upbringing in war-torn Britain, to a steady rise to fame as a beloved entertainer, Matt Monro was one of our most iconic singers. During a career that saw him battle the highs and lows of the entertainment industry, Matt Monro recorded the very first James Bond theme song (From Russia with Love), represented Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest and Royal Command, recorded the international hits Born Free, Walk Away, Softly as I Leave You, and Portrait of my Love, and many more. But his life had its share of tragedy and Monro had his own personal demons to battle even at the height of his fame. Here his daughter presents this intimate portrait drawing on over 200 interviews from the most important characters in Matt's life. She exposes the man behind the voice, telling the story of how Terry Parson overcame poverty, prejudice and alcoholism to arrive at the very heart of the post-war British entertainment industry as the unforgettable Matt Monro. There is exclusive correspondence quoted between some of the biggest names in the music business and Matt, and a rich array of personal anecdotes. An affectionate and honest bumper biography in paperback of 788pp with many photos.

In this "droll and very British" memoir, guitarist/songwriter Richard Thompson describes the founding of the band Fairport Convention and life on the road in its heyday. Thompson grew up in a typical 1960s suburban house, with its radiogram and G-Plan furniture. Aged 11 in 1960, Thompson was inspired by Cliff Richard's backing group The Shadows to dream of owning a Fender Stratocaster guitar. His dad brought home a damaged instrument, mended it, and Thompson acquired a beginner's manual. His first guitar teacher, Pete, disappeared when the squat he lived in was razed to the ground, but in spite of setbacks, by the age of 18 Thompson was a competent electric guitarist. His break came when he met Simon Nicol of the Electric Shuffle Orchestra who lived in a big house called Fairport on Hampstead's Fortis Green. Renaming themselves "Fairport Convention" they performed covers of the Byrds and Lovin' Spoonful and started to get bookings. In 1967 Fairport opened for Pink Floyd, a gig memorable for the fact that Floyd's Syd Barrett overdosed on LSD and Dave Gilmour had to play his guitar parts behind stage. Record producer Joe Hopkins of Sound Techniques, who had stage-managed Newport when Dylan went electric, signed Fairport up at that gig. Soon they were doing weekly live shows at Speakeasy, where Jimi Hendrix joined them onstage a few times. Looking down on the Beatles as mere pop artists, Richard refused a birthday party invite from Paul McCartney but with hindsight was embarrassed by his snobbery. In 1969 a fatal road accident killed Richard's girlfriend Jeannie and their superb drummer Martin Lamble. The band eventually reformed and meanwhile Richard's songwriting reflected his new interest in spirituality. Following his marriage to Linda in 1973 the couple made a life-changing pilgrimage to Mecca. The book ends with the decline of folk rock, the end of his marriage and the search for a new direction. Remainder mark, 326pp, paperback with entire lyrics of songs quoted in the text at the back.

The stories of the Beatles and the Stones are so familiar that we take it for granted that British kids always played guitars and wrote their own songs. But it was skiffle that put guitars into the hands of the post-war generation, and this well-researched book aims to place that empowering moment in its cultural context, illuminating the period when British jazz-based pop music gave way to music created by teens for teens. The author associates the period after the war with Elvis, Cliff, Tommy Steele, smog, carbolic soap and Izal medicated toilet paper. Then Lonnie Donegan came along with a washboard and kicked off the whole revolution. Tony Donegan, as he was in his early years, started by playing banjo with Chris Barber and his New Orleans jazz band. Back in London with a restyled name after National Service in Vienna, his first solo engagement was described in Melody Maker as a "cowboy-styled blues vocal - really dreadful". Although skiffle emerged from the trad jazz scene, it was never going to be accepted by purists, but soon both Ken Colyer's legendary Jazzmen and its offshoot the Chris Barber Jazz Band were recording skiffle. In 1955 "Rock Island Line" was Donegan's most iconic hit at a time when the word "rock" in a title was a guarantee of cool. Sales of guitars rocketed from 5000 to 250,000 a year. Against a backdrop of the Cold War politics, rock'n'roll riots and a new and a newly assertive working class youth, Billy Bragg charts for the first time in depth the history and impact of the legacy of Britain's original pop movement. It's a story of jazz pilgrims and Blues blowers, Teddy Boys and beatnik girls, coffee bar bohemians and refugees from the McCarthyite witch hunts who sparked between them a revolution that shaped pop culture. The 1958 musical Expresso Bongo was a snapshot of the moment when the British musical scene moved from adults to teens. When the Beatles topped the charts in 1964 their drummer Ringo Starr had a background in skiffle, and the same was true of members of the Animals, Manfred Mann, Freddie and the Dreamers, Herman's Hermits and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, while Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin had played in a skiffle group aged 13. Skiffle led the kids out of post-war austerity to create some of the best pop, rock and folk music of the following decades. 431 pages, photos.