Books like The Complete David Bowie by Nicholas Pegg

A definitive study of rock ’n’ roll and its role in American culture, updated in a fourth edition with a new introduction and an expanded discography that now includes CDs.

An appreciation of David Bowie – artist, lyricist, performer, icon What made Bowie special? What made him the cultural icon he is today? And what made millions of people around the world tune into his peculiar wavelength and find exactly what they'd been looking for all along? These are the questions asked by Simon Critchley in this keen-eyed, moving and textured tribute to Bowie. Each of the two dozen deceptively short chapters looks at Bowie from a new angle, slowly unfolding the enigma that was his artistic life into a celebration of what made him unique. From the author's earliest childhood exposure to the bizarre musical and sexual contours of Ziggy Stardust right through to the supernova glow of Blackstar, and covering everything in between, Critchley traces the development of Bowie's music and lyrics to tell the story of how he tapped into zeitgeist - and into our hearts. Growing up in working-class suburban England, the young Critchley was instantly drawn to this creature from another planet, 'so sexual, so knowing, so strange'. Now a celebrated philosopher who Jonathan Lethem has called 'a figure of quite startling brilliance', Critchley draws on a plethora of cultural and philosophical touchpoints, as well as his own intensely personal response to the music, to paint an essential portrait of Bowie as songwriter, poet, performer and icon. (Source: [Serpent’s Tail](https://serpentstail.com/work/on-bowie/))

Invisible Republic traces the recordings Bob Dylan and the Band made in 1967 at Big Pink, exploring how these secret basement sessions reflected Dylan’s musical evolution and the cultural tensions of the 1960s.

Tracing Bowie's life from the English suburbs to London to New York to Los Angeles, Berlin, and beyond, Jones describes a man profoundly shaped by his relationship with his schizophrenic half-brother Terry; an intuitive artist who could absorb influences through intense relationships and yet drop people cold when they were no longer of use; and a social creature equally comfortable partying with John Lennon and dining with Frank Sinatra. By turns insightful and deliciously gossipy, it will transform our understanding of both artist and art.

One of the most protean figures in rock music, David Bowie remains, even when lying low, a source of endless fascination to his considerable fanbase. What is the state of his health? Is he working on a new album? Will he tour again? And the story of his life is one of amazing and tireless self re-invention. But it is fifteen years since the last comprehensive biography, and more than time for a new one. Marc Spitz has now produced just that. Long enough to cover every aspect of Bowie's life, but equally not an oversize product of obsession, this is a readable, quirky, assiduous book that every Bowie fan will want to read.

Explore David Bowie's extraordinary 50‑year career, his lasting influence on rock music and the wider creative world, and how his innovative style and prolific output earned him international acclaim and over 140 million album sales.

Interviews with the Beach Boys, their collaborators, and fans reveal the stories behind fifty of the band's songs, including "Surfin' U.S.A.," "California Girls," and "Good Vibrations."

An intimate oral history of rock legend Warren Zevon, told by his wife Crystal Zevon and drawn from over eighty interviews with music and cultural icons.