The Sensational Alex Harvey

On arriving in the deep south of the U.S., Harvey announced to black state-troopers that he would perform blacked-up as Al Jolson "in the interests of racial harmony." The Sensational Alex Harvey Band thrived on such confrontation, they could be both rock band and vaudeville troupe, whether interpreting Jacques Brel or performing Tom Jones "Delilah" oozing with intrigue and sexuality. Published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Harvey’s death, this is the poignant story of Scotland’s finest rock entertainer.

Biographies & Memoirs

Munro, John Neil

Arts & Literature

S A F Pub Ltd

Alex Harvey was one of Scotland’s finest and most respected, but ultimately tragic, entertainers. Known for his uncompromising live presence and baring his soul on stage—exemplified by his manic cover versions of Tom Jones’ "Delilah" and Jacques Brel songs—Harvey’s performances were a stunning amalgam of heavy rock with circus and pantomime.

Humor & Entertainment

Firefly Publishing

vPlayed 24, won 10, lost 10 and drawn four. Three goals, three benders, one suspension and one sacking. This is the inside story of what happened when the world's most famous footballer joined the tenth best team in Scotland - In the winter of 1979 Hibs were enduring a season from hell and were freefalling towards relegation. They needed a miracle man to save them - what they got was a lonely, depressed man caught in a downwards alcoholic spiral. In just under a year in Edinburgh, George Best was never off the front and back pages of the national newspapers. A scrupulous, moving, extraordinary account, John Neil Munro weaves together an absorbing and unique portrait of a lost icon, with insights from his widow, his team-mates, his drinking buddies and many of the fans who saw his great performances; this is the definitive story of what happened when George Best came to Edinburgh.

When George Came to Edinburgh

Birlinn

Some People are Crazy: The John Martyn Story

Described by Empire Magazine as 'Britain's best ever blues singer', John Martyn was one of rock music's last real mavericks. Despite chronic addiction to alcohol and drugs, he produced a string of matchless albums. Loved by fans and critics, loathed by ex-wives and managers, he survived the music business he despised for forty years. This book documents his upbringing in Glasgow and rise through the Scottish and London folk scenes of the 1960s, his many career highs and lows, and his friendships with the great lost souls of British rock music, Nick Drake and Paul Kossoff.

Described by Empire Magazine as 'Britain's best ever blues singer', John Martyn was one of rock music's last real mavericks. Despite chronic addiction to alcohol and drugs, he produced a string of matchless albums. Loved by fans and critics, loathed by ex-wives and managers, he survived the music business he despised for forty years.This book documents his upbringing in Glasgow and rise through the Scottish and London folk scenes of the 1960s, his many career highs and lows, and his friendships with the great lost souls of British rock music, Nick Drake and Paul Koshoff.

Glasgow-born Alex Harvey's career began in the 1950s when he won a competition to become Scotland's answer to Tommy Steele (he dubbed himself 'Last of the Teenage Idols'). He was a devoted family man but in front of an audience he became an unforgettable entertainer - courageous, provocative and intense. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band eventually became one of the most exciting live acts of the 1970s, taking in Jacques Brel, rock and vaudeville.But Harvey's life offstage was beset by tragedy and alcoholism: his younger brother, Les, was electrocuted on stage; his manager and friend Billy Fehilly was killed in a plane crash; eventually, with his band in tatters, Alex sank into a sea of alcohol, finally succumbing to a fatal heart attack while waiting for a ferry home from Belgium in 1982, the day before his 47th birthday.

Polygon

Described recently by "Empire" magazine as 'Britain's best ever blues singer', John Martyn was one of rock music's last real mavericks. Despite long-term addiction to alcohol and drugs, which contributed to his death in January 2009, he produced a string of matchless albums. Loved by fans and critics, loathed by ex-managers, he survived the music business he despised for forty years. With contributions by Martyn, many of his lovers and over twenty musicians who knew him well, this book documents his upbringing in Glasgow and rise through the Scottish and London folk scene of the 1960s, his many highs and lows, and his friendships with the great lost souls of British rock music - Nick Drake and Paul Kossoff.

In the early 1980s Irvine Welsh's life was going nowhere fast. His teenage dreams of being a footballer or a rock star were over, and he was stuck in a series of dull white-collar jobs which he despised. He was drinking heavily and experimenting with heroin. The outlook wasn't good. With one last throw of the dice he started writing. His debut novel, Trainspotting, which centred on the day-to-day struggle to survive of a group of Edinburgh junkies, was released in 1993. The reviews were good, but even Irvine's publishers didn't hold out high hopes. Yet, just a couple of years later, Trainspotting, a dazzling collection of loosely connected stories, was voted the greatest novel of the twentieth century in a UK poll. It went on to sell over one million copies in the UK alone and has been translated into thirty languages. The subsequent stage-play adaptation of the book has been produced in nineteen countries, and the film version directed by Danny Boyle became a stunning award-winner, rebooting the UK film industry and helping to launch the careers of a squad of young Scottish actors such as Ewan McGregor, Kelly Macdonald, Ewen Bremner and Peter Mullan.So, how did an unknown writer pen the most talked-about book of a generation? Now, for the first time, the real story of how Irvine Welsh wrote the novel 'that changed everything' can be told. With contributions from Irvine Welsh and many of the key players involved in the book's publication, access to never-before-seen letters and rare photographs, this is the inside story of Irvine Welsh and the Trainspotting phenomenon.

Lust For Life!: Irvine Welsh and the Trainspotting Phenomenon

Literature & Fiction

British & Irish

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Books by Munro, John Neil

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Munro, John Neil. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Sensational Alex Harvey

The Sensational Alex Harvey

When George Came to Edinburgh

Some People are Crazy: The John Martyn Story

Some People are Crazy: The John Martyn Story

The Sensational Alex Harvey

Some People are Crazy: The John Martyn Story

Lust For Life!: Irvine Welsh and the Trainspotting Phenomenon

Some People are Crazy: The John Martyn Story