Books in the On Track series

As well as examining all of ELO's recorded catalogue, the author has spoken to many people who have been involved with the band over the decades, uncovering along the way previously unseen photographs and new information about the group and their recordings, making this one of the most comprehensive guides to ELO ever published.

Pink Floyd are one of the most innovative, enduringly successful bands in history. Their influence is incalculable. 1973's Dark Side of the Moon, though far from the first concept album, established a new model for quasi-symphonic, long-form investigations into the human condition: a record of thoughtfully poignant lyrics and some of the most elegant, powerful, genre-defining rock music ever made. Formed in 1967 Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick Mason, helmed by the tragically brilliant Syd Barrett, fused English pastoral whimsy with electrifying instrumental voyages through inner and outer space. Their gigs at underground clubs, such as UFO and Middle Earth, are the stuff of psychedelic legend. Between 1968 and 1971, Barrett replaced by David Gilmour, their sonic inquiries were never braver: some delivered instantly; others revealed their treasures slowly; all played crucially distinctive parts in rock's development. During the 1970s, the music matured as the messages darkened. While Floyd continued to prove that emotional weight and cathartic release can be forged from deceptively modest arrangements, the band's live spectaculars reached a pitch of technical complexity and extravagance none has matched. With insightful analysis, objectivity and ironic wit, Richard Butterworth appraises afresh Pink Floyd's official recorded canon, from 'Arnold Layne' to The Endless River. and beyond, to 2022 and the first all-new Floyd music for 28 years.

Motorhead are arguably the greatest rock and roll band in history, but it took many years to win that accolade. This is the story of the band that refused to die. They started off as the Vengeful Bastard and they had a tough beginning. The band had to deal with wayward producers, hostile record companies, more than a couple of false starts.

From 1978-1983 The Police released five brilliant albums that took in rock, reggae, world music and more. By 1983 they'd become the biggest band in the world, but egos and arguments took their toll and Sting left to become a massive solo success and the group split in 1986.

Caravan have a history that stretches back over half a century, with a catalogue of music that ranges from progressive rock classics to pop gems that should have been hits. Lumped into that strange category known as 'the Canterbury Sound', they are both the paradigm and the transcendent band within that nebulous category.