{"title":"Simon Napier-Bell","description":"\u003cp\u003eSimon Napier-Bell is a fascinating figure in the music industry, known for his insights and behind-the-scenes stories that offer readers a closer look at the glamorous and tumultuous world of rock and pop music. As a manager, producer, and songwriter, Napier-Bell has worked with some of the most iconic names in the industry, including The Yardbirds, T. Rex, and Wham!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis books, \u003cem\u003eSour Mouth, Sweet Bottom\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Business\u003c\/em\u003e, fall within the Biography \u0026amp; Memoir category, providing readers with engaging and often humorous accounts of his experiences. Whether you are a music enthusiast or simply enjoy a good story about high-stakes manoeuvres and artistic passion, these books give you a backstage pass to the world of music like never before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNapier-Bell's writing style is candid and often irreverent, making these memoirs not just informative, but also highly entertaining. His ability to weave personal anecdotes with broader industry insights creates a compelling narrative that adds depth and context to the music business.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you're looking to dive into the world of music management and production, or you simply want to enjoy an unforgettable read filled with intriguing personalities and pivotal moments in music history, Simon Napier-Bell's books are an excellent choice.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sour-mouth-sweet-bottom-by-simon-napier-bell-9781800181892","title":"Sour Mouth, Sweet Bottom","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe legendary music impresario and producer of bands like The Yardbirds and Wham! tells his life story in a series of mesmerisingly candid vignettes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSour Mouth, Sweet Bottom: Lessons from a Dissolute Life\u003c\/i\u003e is the book Simon Napier-Bell's fans have always hoped he'd write.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom 1940s London, where he listened to wartime hits like 'Mairzy doats and dozy doats' in the air-raid shelter, to talking about Wham! with Deng Xiaoping, head of Communist China, or getting stoned with Elaine May and Jack Lemmon by the pool in 60s Beverly Hills, \u003ci\u003eSour Mouth, Sweet Bottom\u003c\/i\u003e makes most memoirs look like thin gruel by comparison. This is a high-octane explosion of a book, a kaleidoscopic sequence of more than sixty 'lessons' drawn from a life lived to the full: frank, funny, freewheeling, and honest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere are anecdotes of the acts he managed (The Yardbirds, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Marc Bolan, Japan, Sinitta, Boney M, Candi Staton, Ultravox, Asia, Wham!, George Michael, and Sinead O'Connor), but there's also the wisdom gathered from a louche life of clubs, restaurants, gigs, arrests, awards, bankruptcies, bereavements, booze, coups, and sex, both gay and straight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46845799727340,"sku":"9781800181892","price":57.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26004803482828.jpg?v=1758896231"},{"product_id":"the-business-by-simon-napier-bell-9781783529377","title":"The Business","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet legendary rock manager Simon Napier-Bell take you inside the (dodgy) world of popular music—not just a creative industry, but a business that has made people rich beyond their wildest dreams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Business\u003c\/em\u003e describes the evolution of the music industry from 1713—the year parliament granted writers ownership over what they wrote—to today, when a global, £100 billion industry is controlled by just three major players: Sony, Universal, and Warner. Inside you will uncover some little-known facts about the industry, including how a formula for writing hit songs in the 1900s helped create 50,000 of the best-known songs of all time; how Jewish immigrants and black jazz musicians dancing cheek-to-cheek created a template for all popular music that followed; and how rock tours became the biggest, quickest, sleaziest, and most profitable ventures the music industry has ever seen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrough it all, Napier-Bell balances seductive anecdotes—pulling back the curtain on the gritty and absurd side of the industry—with an insightful exploration of the relationship between creativity and money.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe only history of pop music you'll ever have to read.\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eHuffington Post\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846028480748,"sku":"9781783529377","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27994393482822.jpg?v=1758903320"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/simon-napier-bell.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}