Mick Middles

Lindsay Reade

This title examines the life of Ian Curtis, his work, his relationships and the cultural environment in which he lived and died.

The Life of Ian Curtis

Torn Apart

Factory Records' fame and fortune were based on two bands - Joy Division and New Order - and one personality - that of its director, Tony Wilson. At the height of the label's success in the late 1980s, it ran its own club, the legendary Haçienda, had a string of international hit records, and was admired and emulated around the world. But by the 1990s the story had changed. The back catalogue was sold off, top bands New Order and Happy Mondays were in disarray, and the Haçienda was shut down by the police. Critically acclaimed on its original publication in 1996, this book tells the complete story of Factory Records' spectacular history, from the label's birth in 1970s Manchester, through its '80s heyday and '90s demise. Now updated to include new material on the re-emergence of Joy Division, the death of Tony Wilson and the legacy of Factory Records, it draws on exclusive interviews with the major players to give a fascinating insight into the unique personalities and chaotic reality behind one of the UK's most influential and successful independent record labels.

The Story of the Record Label

Factory

George Michael is one of Britain's top pop stars. In this book, Mick Middles charts the singer's career from the days of Wham through Freedom and Listen Without Prejudice to his latest hit album, Older.

Freedom

George Michael

Follows the Oasis story from their unlikely beginnings as The Rain to their present day status as the most talked about band in the world.

Round Their Way

Oasis

Mark E. Smith

Wall of Pain - Updated Edition

The Fall

FACTORY RECORDS' REPUTATION AND FORTUNE WERE FOUNDED ON TWO BANDS -JOY DIVISION AND NEW ORDER - AND ONE SINGLE-MINDED AND STUBBORN PERSONALITY: ITS MEDIA-FRIENDLY COMPANY DIRECTOR ANTHONY H. WILSON. AT THE HEIGHT OF IT'S SUCCESS IN THE LATE 1980S, THE COMPANY REIGNED OVER THE MANCHESTER RAVE SCENE, RAN IT'S OWN CLUB, THE HACIENDA, AND HAD A STRING OF HIT RECORDS AROUND THE WORLD. BY 1992 THE BACK CATALOGUE HAD BEEN SOLD OFF, NEW ORDER AND HAPPY MONDAYS WERE IN DISARRAY, AND THE HACIENDA WAS SHUT DOWN BY THE POLICE. SINCE THEN THE STORY OF FACTORY RECORDS HAS BECOME THE STUFF OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS. A MAJOR NEW BRITISH FILM, TWENTY FOUR HOUR PARTY PEOPLE, REVISITS THE HEYDAY OF THE HACIENDA, AND STARS STEVE COOGAN AS ANTHONY H. WILSON ALONGSIDE MANY OF THE ARTISTS AND PERSONALITIES WHO WERE AROUND AT THE TIME. THE FILM IS RELEASED IN MARCH 2002. FROM JOY DIVISION TO NEW ORDER, ACCLAIMED ON IT'S ORIGINAL PUBLICATION IN 1996, TELLS THE REAL STORY OF FACTORY'S SPECTACULAR HISTORY. DRAWING ON EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH THE MAJOR PLAYERS, MICK MIDDLES PROVIDES A TIMELY AND FACINATING LOOK AT THE UNIQUE PERSONALITIES AND MESSY REALITY BEHIND ONE OF THE UK'S MOST INFLUENTIAL AND (AT ONE TIME ) COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL INDEPENDENT RECORD COMPANIES.

The True Story of Anthony H. Wilson and Factory Records

From Joy Division to New Order

When Elbow won the Mercury Prize in 2008 for their fourth studio album - The Seldom Seen Kid - the accolade followed an organic 17 year long career marked by four classic albums and a cult following that cast them in the role of Manchester's best kept music secret. Elbow started out at a time when great songs and evocative lyrics were not generally recognised. Their music transcended genre, age and image, eventually finding its own distinctive global audience as Guy Garvey evolved into one of the most brilliant and intriguing lyricists of recent times. Reluctant Heroes charts Elbow's long journey from humble roots through modest success to international recognition. It features interviews with the band and those close to them to form the most complete band history to date.

Reluctant Heroes: The Story of Elbow

"Mick Middles was the first journalist to interview Joy Division for the music press and formed a close association with the band. Lindsay Reade was a co-founder of Factory Records along with her then-husband Tony Wilson. Together they have revisited the legend of Ian Curtis and produced the first full-length account of this troubled man's life, work and relationships in the midst of the unique explosion of pop energy that hit Manchester in the late Seventies"--Cover.

In 1989, The Stone Roses exploded onto the music scene at the forefront of a new wave of music from Manchester. The Roses’ music – an exhilarating mixture of sixties’ pop, rock and dance – made them the UK’s most talked-about group, while their first album, The Stone Roses, is now revered as one of the finest débuts of all time. The band’s flared trousers, baggy t-shirts and floppy fringes were copied by a generation, and their 1990 gig at Spike Island in front of 30,000 people became legendary. Then, with the world at their feet, and a multi-million-dollar record contract signed, the Stone Roses disappeared only to come back 15 years later even bigger and better. Their story truly is one of resurrection.

Breaking Into Heaven: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of The Stone Roses

The story of a world-beating multi-instrumental band with a unique creative dynamic. Their story is compelling – a complex musical collaboration in an eight-piece band that has coalesced around Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. They have triumphed worldwide at festivals and stadiums whilst racking up three award-winning albums: Funeral, Neon Bible and The Suburbs. This is the story of a truly fascinating band whose music has always triumphed over the trappings of success.

Arcade Fire: Behind the Black Mirror

Having known Fall leader Mark E. Smith since 1977, Manchester based music writer Mick Middles is ideally placed to pen the first ever authorized biography of this most inscrutable of bands led by one of the few genuine characters in rock today. Details some 26 years on the fringe of the Manchester punk scene, three dozen albums, endless touring, and beyond.

Mark Radcliffe

There has never been an artist quite like Chris Sievey or his 'fantastic' comedic alter ego, Frank Sidebottom. Whether pushing for chart action while fronting his former band The Freshies or allowing the bombastic Sidebottom to wreak anarchy and chaos on television, radio or with the Oh Blimey Big Band, Sievey's mischievous muse seemed to obey no boundaries. Yet it was only after Chris's untimely demise in 2010 that the extent of his infl uence became fully apparent. The emergence of Jon Ronson's film, "Frank", Steve Sullivan's exhaustive documentary "Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story" and the bizarre erection of the Frank Sidebottom statue in his native Timperley last October -- before 2,000 devotees -- all combined to make this the most extraordinary stories of recent decades. Yet Chris found difficulty in being Frank. The people whose careers he helped begin or inspire: Chris Evans, Mark Radcliffe, Caroline Aherne, Steve Coogan, Jon Ronson to name a few -- all went on to a achieve a degree of fame and fortune that Chris never managed. That said, Frank was so successful, compared to his other projects, that Chris often seemed estranged from his own comic creation In this unorthodox biography, legendary journalist Mick Middles draws on his thirty year friendship with Sievey to gain further insight into this most charismatic of artists. Family members, fellow musicians, fans and acquaintances help trace Chris's career from Timperley to Hollywood.

Mick Middles

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