McLeods Booksellers

Pick Up & Play, Guitar Chords by Jake Jackson

$19.99 NZD

Category: Music | Series: Pick up and Play Ser.

All the key chords, in every key, organised as a chord per page, this is a flexible, comprehensive solution for anyone learning or playing the guitar at any level. This no-nonsense, easy to carry, concealed spiral book will fit into a gig bag, flight case or hand bag with the minimum of fuss.

Drum Course For Beginners

$14.99 NZD

Category: Music

Australia Rocks: Remembering the Music of the 1950s to 1990 by Lucy Desoto

$49.99 NZD

Category: Music

Australian rock music has a rich history of performers and bands that have created not just the soundtrack for Australian lives but have also shaped the international music scene. In the early days of the 1950s and '60s, Australian rock saw performers like Johnny O'Keefe and The Easybeats. The 1970s saw Cold Chisel and AC/DC, among others, performing to packed halls locally. AC/DC turned this into international success, blasting through three decades of touring and performing. However, it was only in the 1980s and 1990s that Australian rock truly made its mark on the international stage with iconic bands such as Men at Work, Midnight Oil and INXS. Australia Rocks brings the bands and the times to life through unique photographs and evocative text. Written by a rock musician, it also goes beyond the 'big names' to highlight the many independent, often lesser-known performers who played such an integral part in shaping the industry, and shines a light on how rock music was not only influenced by global events (the Vietnam War, for example) but also formed part of enormous cultural shifts (the Swinging Sixties, the protest movement, etc.). From the demure dance halls of the 1950s to the smoke-filled pubs of the 1970s and the packed concerts of the 1990s and beyond, Australia Rocks will have music lovers dusting off their vinyl collection and remembering the good times. ...Show more

Serving The Servant - Kurt Cobain by Danny Goldberg

$37.99 NZD

Category: Music

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death comes a new perspective on one of the most compelling icons of our time-and the only book written by someone who knew him. In early 1991, top music manager Danny Goldberg agreed to take on Nirvana, a critically acclaimed new band from the undergrou nd music scene in Seattle. He had no idea that the band's leader, Kurt Cobain, would become a pop-culture icon with a legacy arguably at the level of that of John Lennon, Michael Jackson, or Elvis Presley. Danny worked with Kurt from 1990 to 1994, the most impactful period of Kurt's life. This key time saw the stratospheric success of Nevermind, which turned Nirvana into the most successful rock band in the world and made punk and grunge household terms; Kurt's meeting and marriage to the brilliant but mercurial Courtney Love and their relationship that became a lightning rod for critics; the birth of their daughter, Frances Bean; and, finally, Kurt's public struggles with addiction, which ended in a devastating suicide that would alter the course of rock history. Throughout, Danny stood by Kurt's side as manager, and close friend.Drawing on Goldberg's own memories of Kurt, files that previously have not been made public, and interviews with, among others, Kurt's close family, friends, and former bandmates, Serving the Servants sheds an entirely new light on these critical years. Casting aside the common obsession with the angst and depression that seemingly drove Kurt, Serving the Servants is an exploration of his brilliance in every aspect of rock and roll, his compassion, his ambition, and the legacy he wrought-one that has lasted decades longer than his career did. Danny Goldberg explores what it is about Kurt Cobain that still resonates today, even with a generation who wasn't alive until after Kurt's death. In the process, he provides a portrait of an icon unlike any that has come before. ...Show more

Bruce Springsteen - The Stories Behind the Songs by Brian Hiatt

$65.00 NZD

Category: Music

Bruce Springsteen is the rare recording artist who is both an iconic figure and an acknowledged master of music and lyrics. Songs like "Blinded by the Light," "Born to Run," "Hungry Heart," and "Dancing in the Dark" have made him a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning artist and earned him an enormous cult-li ke following among generations of fans. In Bruce Springsteen, Brian Hiatt, a senior editor at Rolling Stone, examines these songs and all the others that Springsteen has written and performed on his studio albums from 1973 to the present, resulting in a unique look at the legendary rocker's methods, along with historical context, scores of colorful anecdotes, and around 150 photographs. Hiatt has interviewed Springsteen himself numerous times in the past and has conducted many new interviews with musical collaborators for this book--from longtime producers to members of the E Street Band--to create an authoritative and profusely illustrated journey through Springsteen's entire songbook and career. ...Show more

Robert Doisneau: Musicians by Robert Doisneau; Clementine Doroudille

$60.00 NZD

Category: Music

With camera in hand, master photographer Robert Doisneau crisscrossed Paris to capture intimate moments with star musicians such as Eartha Kitt in a jazz club, Django Reinhardt at home, and Yehudi Menuhin backstage, or with locals at a neighborhood dance or jamming together in a brass band. He was commi ssioned for portraits of Georges Brassens, Juliette Gréco, Charles Aznavour, or Claude François, and he immortalized a new generation of musicians in the 1980s including Rita Mitsouko, Les Négresses Vertes, Pierre Schaeffer, and Pierre Boulez. Doisneau's lifelong friend Maurice Baquet with his cello formed a photogenic duo on impromptu outings that gave rise to iconic images. Doisneau's passion for the energy and joy inherent in the music world comes alive on the page in images that cover the musical spectrum, from classical and jazz to be-bop to the roots of modern rap and alternative rock. This book-curated by the photographer's granddaughter to accompany an exhibition at the Philharmonie de Paris that will include music by Moriarty and scenography by Stephan Zimmerli- features more than one hundred photographs, many previously unpublished, that showcase the artist's mastery in editing, special effects, photomontage, collage, photo distortions, and splits. ...Show more

Learn to Play the Ukulele, 2nd Ed by Bill Plant; Trisha Scott

$39.99 NZD

Category: Music

Learn to Play the Ukulele, 2nd Edition will teach anyone how to play the ukulele overnight. No prior musical experience is assumed. Beginners learn how to hold the instrument, position the hands, strumming techniques, basic chords, and beyond. An enclosed CD guides the reader through a series of exercis es, which are organized in progressive fashion (practicing one strum and slowly building to more complicated rhythmic patterns). The CD also includes a variety of charming songs that readers will be able to strum along with (starting with one/two chords and progressing on to more complex). Encouraging tips are included as well as fun/interesting trivia and sidebars about the ukulele. Music theory is included, but the emphasis is on getting up to speed and on with the fun of playing quickly. ...Show more

When Ziggy Played Guitar - David Bowie, the Man Who Changed the World by Dylan Jones

$30.00 NZD

Category: Music

On 6 July 1972, David Bowie, with a flame-orange cockade quiff, lavishly applied make-up, wearing a multi-coloured jumpsuit that looked as though it were made from fluorescent fish skin, and carrying a brand spanking new blue acoustic guitar, made his third appearance on Top of the Pops. It was this per formance that properly resonated with Bowie's audience, and caused a seismic shift in the zeitgeist, embedding the Ziggy Stardust persona into the nation's consciousness. In When Ziggy Played Guitar, Dylan Jones looks back at one of the most influential moments in pop history, and the birth of an icon. ...Show more

Queen: Album by Album by Martin Popoff

$45.00 NZD

Category: Music | Series: Album by Album Ser.

A thoughtfully curated and gloriously illustrated retrospective of the band's studio releases, Queen, comes just in time for the 45th anniversary of their debut LP and biopic. Formed in 1970, Queen went on to become one of the most popular--and most successful--rock bands of all time. Even following the untimely death of beloved and magnetic frontman Freddie Mercury, and nearly 50 years after their formation, interest in the band has continued, evidenced by scores of reissues, arena tours with surviving members, and a feature-film biopic. In this new installment in Voyageur Press's Album by Album series, rock journo Martin Popoff convenes a cast of 19 Queen experts and superfans to discuss all 15 of the band's studio albums (including their soundtrack for the 1980 film Flash Gordon). Panelists include Queen experts, rock journalists, musicians, and record industry figures. The results are freewheeling discussions delving into the individual songs, the circumstances that surrounded the recording of each album, the band and contemporary rock contexts into which they were released, and more. The engaging text of this beautifully designed book is illustrated throughout with rare live performance and candid offstage photography, as well as scads of rare Queen ephemera. The Album by Album series is a unique approach to the rock bio, injecting the varied voices of several contributors. The results have even the most diehard fans rushing back to their MP3 players (or turntables) to confirm the details and opinions expressed ...Show more

Backstage Passes by Joanna Mathers

$39.99 NZD

Category: Music

New Zealand music was made on beer-stained stages, in grimy toilets and smoky back rooms. Backstage Passes charts the stories of the countries most celebrated live music venues. Hookers, heroin, cocaine, killings, sex in alleyways, punch-ups on dance floors - live music was the nexus around wh ich a cultural history happened. Backstage Passes has the inside story on what it was like to be part of a vibrant scene when New Zealand was a rural backwater. First-hand accounts from muscicians, fans and bar owners bring each chapter to life. The beating heart of the book is the music and the spaces within which the music was played. Rock, pop, reggae, punk and hip-hop, every genre has its heroes and villians, it's successes and casualties. Backstage Passes is a tribute to all the characters whom sizzled up the stage, worked the doors, poured the beers and danced to the beat. ...Show more

Should I Stay or Should I Go? And 87 Other Serious Answers to Questions in Songs by James Ball

$19.99 NZD

Category: Music

What is love? How soon is now? Is there life on Mars?How do you solve a problem like Maria? They're some of the most famous questions ever asked. But do you know the answer to them? In Should I Stay or Should I Go?, award-winning journalist James Ball travels from the economic status of doggies in windo ws, to what war is good for and what becomes of the broken hearted to find out the definitive, fascinating and hilarious answers.In doing so he uncovers what we have always known - pop music is the key to life itself. ...Show more

The Chain - 50 Years of Fleetwood Mac by Pete Chrisp

$65.00 NZD

Category: Music

Lavishly illustrated story of 50 years of Fleetwood Mac by respected music journalist.Fifty years later, as they prepare for their gigantic farewell world tour throughout 2018, they remain one of the biggest bands of all time - a position they have held since 1977 when, with the help of John's wife, Chr istine McVie, and two virtually unknown American musicians called Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, they released an LP titled Rumours that went on to become the world's best-selling album. That, in itself, is a remarkable story. Now consider the highs and lows, the successes and failures, the personal turmoil, tragedy and heartbreak through which this band has journeyed over the last 50 years ... and the story of Fleetwood Mac becomes one of pure drama. The greatest ever rock 'n' roll soap opera ...Show more