For the first time, John Lennon: 1980 Playlist examines the music this legendarily figure was listening to in the year of his creative rebirth, and how that music impacted his life. Reggae, new wave, blues, country, R & B, early rock and roll, ambient and gospel; John listened to it all and loved it all. Readers will learn:* What John thought about punk bands like the Clash and the new wave music so popular in 1980.* That John's eclectic musical taste made him an unlikely fan of Bing Crosby, Noel Coward, and even Morris Albert's schmaltz classic "Feelings."* How Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley each inspired John to write a new song of his own in 1980. * How songs by Queen and the B-52s inspired John to re-enter the recording studio for the first time in five years.* The event that spurred John and Yoko to return to the studio just a couple of weeks after Double Fantasy was released.* The Doobie Brothers track that lent its title to one of John's Double Fantasy songs.* The rock, disco, funk, country, and pop songs John was listening to that year.John Lennon: 1980 Playlist examines the music of an incredibly diverse list of artists that provided the soundtrack to John's final year including David Bowie, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Jermaine Jackson, the Knack, Kate Bush, Devo, B.B. King, Yoko Ono, Elvis Costello, the Vapors, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Bobby Darin, Christopher Cross, Olivia Newton-John and the Cars, to name but a few. In John Lennon: 1980 Playlist readers will learn not only what John had to say about these artists, but how their music resonated in John's life, sometimes even influencing crucial decisions he made that year. All of this is placed in the context of the time, the turbulent year of 1980.Even the most jaded of Beatlemanics will learn something new in John Lennon: 1980 Playlist.Even the most jaded Beatlemaniacs will discover new information and insights in John Lennon: 1980 Playlist!

For Lennon, 1980 had begun as a ceaseless shopping spree in which he and wife Yoko Ono fell into the doldrums of purchasing blue-chip real estate and indulging their every whim. But for John, that pivotal year would climax in several moments of creative triumph as he rediscovered his artistic self in dramatic fashion, only to be cut down by an assassin's bullets on Monday, December 8th, 1980, in the prime of a new life that was only just beginning to blossom.

A searing, surreal novel that blends fantasy and reality—and Beatles fandom—from one of literature’s most striking contemporary voices, author of the international sensation City of Bohane It is 1978, and John Lennon has escaped New York City to try to find the island off the west coast of Ireland he bought eleven years prior. Leaving behind domesticity, his approaching forties, his inability to create, and his memories of his parents, he sets off to calm his unquiet soul in the comfortable silence of isolation. But when he puts himself in the hands of a shape-shifting driver full of Irish charm and dark whimsy, what ensues can only be termed a magical mystery tour. Beatlebone is a tour de force of language and literary imagination that marries the most improbable elements to the most striking effect. It is a book that only Kevin Barry would attempt, let alone succeed in pulling off—a Hibernian high wire act of courage, nerve, and great beauty.

Sounds LIke Teen Spirit is the first book ever on songs that appear to have "borrrowed" their melodies from earlier songs. Readers will experience many "aha!" moments when they discover the sources of their favorite songs.

In this beautiful and haunting debut novel in verse, called “a tender piece on connectedness” in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, a Japanese-American girl struggles with the loneliness of being caught between two worlds when the tragedy of 9/11 strikes an ocean away. Eleven-year-old Ema has always been of two worlds—her father’s Japanese heritage and her mother’s life in America. She’s spent summers in California for as long as she can remember, but this year she and her mother are staying with her grandparents in Japan as they await the arrival of Ema’s baby sibling. Her mother’s pregnancy has been tricky, putting everyone on edge, but Ema’s heart is singing—finally, there will be someone else who will understand what it’s like to belong and not belong at the same time. But Ema’s good spirits are muffled by her grandmother who is cold, tightfisted, and quick to reprimand her for the slightest infraction. Then, when their stay is extended and Ema must go to a new school, her worries of not belonging grow. And when the tragedy of 9/11 strikes, Ema, her parents, and the world watch as the twin towers fall… As her mother grieves for her country across the ocean—threatening the safety of her pregnancy—and her beloved grandfather falls ill, Ema feels more helpless and hopeless than ever. And yet, surrounded by tragedy, Ema sees for the first time the tender side of her grandmother, and the reason for the penny-pinching and sternness make sense—her grandmother has been preparing so they could all survive the worst. Dipping and soaring, Somewhere Among is the story of one girl’s search for identity, a sense of peace, and the discovery that hope can indeed rise from the ashes of disaster.

Births, deaths and marriages, No1 singles, drug busts and arrests, famous gigs and awards... all these and much more appear in this fascinating 50 year almanac.Using a page for every day of the calendar year, the author records a variety of rock and pop events that took place on a given day of the month across the years.This Day in Music is fully illustrated with hundreds of pictures, cuttings and album covers, making this the must-have book for any pop music fan.

Rolling Stone interviews conducted in 1970 and published in 1971.