- History of Rock

ORBIS 1980s set in 121 Parts (10 volumes)

Classic series on the Pop Music Makers of our time (well, my time anyway). Shame these things can't just move on and on, like the industry they chronicle.

We have several sets of these. In most cases, the magazine covers have been left on but sometimes, because they are irrelevant to the collection, covers have been removed. The covers are usually still available and can be sent separately with your order. Please, when ordering complete volumes, state your preference with regard to covers.

We also (Nov 2007) have ALL the LPs associated with this series. We are in process of listing them at the end of this section but please enquire if you are interested in purchasing these separately.

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1: The History of Rock (1-20)

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1967 - The Year it all came together
Jimmy Hendrix; Mick Jagger & the Rolling Stones; George Martin, the Beatles & Sgt Pepper; Jimmy Page & Led Zeppelin; The Who; David Bowie; Procul Harem; Cream; Soft Machine; Motown, Otis Redding; Psychedelia; the Monkees; Bob Dylan; Simon & Garfunkle; Janis Joplin; Frank Zappa; Velvet Underground

2: Rock Around the Clock (21-40)

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A cowboy yodeller turned to rhythm and blues - and set off a musical explosion
Bill Haley & the Comets; R & B; Louis Jordan; Fats Domino; John Lee Hooker; Hank Williams; Country Boogie

3: Memphis Tennessee (41-60)

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- where a kid with sideburns made his first recording
Sun Record Company; Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis; Johnny Cash; Charlie Rich; Elvis Presley - the Early Years; Radio DJs; Billboard

4: Black Voices (61-80)

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- from gospel singing to Berry's boogie
Mowtown roots; doo-wop; Chuck Berry; Manhattan Transfer; the Platters; the Coasters; the Drifters; the Moonglows; Clyde McPhatter; Frankie Lymon; electric guitar

5: Rock Takes Over (81-100)

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Elvis Presley and rock'n'roll swept the USA in 1956
James Dean; Elvis - the middle years;  Tom Parker; fashion icons

6: Rockabilly (101-120)

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 - the prest style of rock?
Gene Vincent; Carl Perkins; Wanda Jackson; the Burnettes; Cat Clothes

7: The UK Rocks (121-140)

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Rory Blackwell; Tommy Steele; Terry Dene; Marty Wilde; Vince Eager; Lonnie Donegan & Skiffle; clubs & coffe bars; 6-5 Special; Billy Fury; Gene Vincent; Eddie Cochran

8: New Orleans Rock (141-160)

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- heavy sounds from the banks of the Mississippi
Fats Domino; Little Richard; Crescent City; Lloyd Price; Gospel

9: Live and Kicking (161-180)

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Great Personalities of rock 'n' roll
Jerry Lee Lewis; Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers; the Everly Brothers; Screamin' Jay Hawkins; Big Bopper

10: Not Fade Away (181-200)

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Buddy Holly; Tex-Mex; Chicano; Richie Valence; Buddy Knox; Elvis Costello

11: Rock Spreads its Wings (201-220)

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Rock at the Movies
Presley on Film; Ricky Nelson, Frankie Avalon; James Dean; Marlon Brando; Alan Freed; dirty business

12: A Romance with Rock (221-240)

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 - or raw sex and cheap sentimentality?
The Everly Brothers (Don & Phil); Chet Atkins; Country Music; Nashville Cats; Johnny Cash, Jim Reeves; Roy Orbison; doo-wop

Volume 1 Complete + Binder (1-240)

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13: From National to International (241-260)

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by late Fifties, rock was a worldwide phenomenon
Gene Vincent; Eddie Cochrane; Johnny Halliday; Chuck Berry; Paul Anka; Presley - GI Blues; Frankie Lymon; Bobby Rydell; Frankie Avalon; Dion

14: The Industry at Work (261-280)

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- cruel and calculating, or vital and exciting?
record labels & production; Fats Domino; Pat Boone; Indie; calypso, jazz & skiffle; Chris Barber, Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk; Helen Shairo; Ruth Brown; Joe Turner; Lavern Baker; Chuck Willis

15: The Alchemists (281-300)

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 - how plain doo-wop became pure gold
Drifters; Coasters; Platters; Connie Francis; Leiber & Stoller

16: Girls and Boys (301-320)

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Rock's solo stars seemed to get younger and cuter all the time
Pat Boone; Ricky Nelson; Paul Anka; Connie Francis

17: The Roots of Soul (321-340)

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How the music of the Sixties was born in the Fifties
Ray Charles; Jackie Wilson; Sam Cooke; Little Willie John; Blues singers

18: Philadelphia Pop (341-360)

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Profits, packaging and promotion in the City of Brotherly Love
Bobby Darin; Frankie Avalon; Bobby Rydell; Fabian; Charlie Gracie; Dick Clark

19: Age of the Heart-Throb (361-380)

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 - how Britain's home-grown talent found its way into the charts
Billy Fury; Cliff Richard; Adam Faith; Craig Douglas; TV pop shows

20: Without a Voice (381-400)

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Why rock instrumentals became so important
Shadows; Champs; Link Wray; The Ventures; Duane Eddy; Johhny & the Hurricanes; rock drumming

21: Shades of Pop (401-420)

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The power, the glory and the goo of early Sixties rock
Bryan Highland; Johnny Tillotson; Dion & the Belmonts; Del Shannon; Roy Orbison

22: Songs and Studios (421-440)

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Denmark Street and the tunesmiths of British rock
John Barry; Billy Fury; celluloid rock (Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard, Anthony Newley); Helen Shapiro; Johnny Kidd; Joe Meek; trad

23: The Pop Factory (441-460)

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- hits by the hundred
Don Kirschner; Otis Blackwell; Pomus & Shuman; Goffin & King; Mann & Weil; Barry & Greenwich; Neil Sedaka; Bobby Vee; Tony Orlando

24: From Star to Superstar (461-480)

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Did Tamla-Motown start the emancipation of black musicians?
Roy Brown, Jackie Wilson; Marvin Gaye; Leonard Chess; Jack Scott; Berry Gordy; Smokey Robinson

Volume 2 Complete + Binder (241-480)

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25: Dance Dance Dance (481-500)

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Movin' and groovin', Turkey trot to Travolta
twist; Chubby Checker; bop; Gary Bond; Bruce Springsteen; Hank Ballard; Freddy Cannon; Pop Art

26: The West Coast Scene (501-520)

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The California dimension
Phil Spector; Ike & Tina Turner; Crystals; Ronettes; Righteous Brothers; Bread

27: Why Liverpool? (521-540)

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How a depressed northern seaport revitalised rock
Gerry Marsden, Pacemakers; Cavern Club; Searchers; the Epstein Stable; Billy J Kramer; Cilla Black; Merseybeats; Beatles in Hamburg

28: The Beatles (541-560)

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How a group from Liverpool took over the world
1963; Lennon & McCartney songwriters; Brian Epstein; Beatlemania

29: The Singer or the Song (561-580)

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Did sophistication take the soul out of Sixties Pop?
Burt Bacharach; Dionne Warwick; Simon & Garfunkel; Shangri-Las; Chiffons; Marvelettes; Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons; death songs

30: Straight from the Heart (581-600)

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Blues - the real core of Rock?
R&B; UK Blues; Alexis Korner; Cyril Davies; Bo Diddley; Muddy Waters; Jimmy Read; Georgie Fame; Zoot Money

31: Beats Rules OK? (601-620)

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1964 - a whole new beat
Nashville Teens; Hollies; Dave Clark Five; Manchester Dreamers; Brian Poole & Tremeloes; dance venues

32: Puppets on a String (621-640)

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Were the Sixties girl singers just dolly birds?
Sandie Shaw; Brenda Lee; Petula Clark; Lulu, Cilla Black; Dusty Springfield; George Martin

33: Shapes of Things (641-660)

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progressive rock
Paul Jones & Manfred Mann; Kinks, Who, Yardbirds, Animals; harmonica players

34: The Sounds of the Campus (661-680)

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folk tradition enters mainstream rock
Woody Guthrie; Pete Seeger; Peter, Paul & Mary; Kingston Trio; Buffy Sainte-Marie; Joan Baez; Bob Dylan; black America

35: Britain Invades the World (681-700)

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best of British
Herman's Hermits; Zombies; Peter & Gordon; Easybeats (Oz);

36: Tamla Hits the Top (701-720)

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rise and rise of black music
Berry Gordy jnr; Marvin Gaye; Mary Wells; Junior Walker; Four Tops; Supremes; Brenda Holloway; Martha and the Vandellas; Marvelettes

Volume 3 Complete + Binder (481-720)

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37: Still Going Solo (721-740)

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singing stars of the mid-Sixties
Tom Jones; Gene Pitney; Dusty Springfield; P J Proby; clubs & cabaret

38: Swinging London (741-760)

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golden sounds from England's capital
Carnaby Street; pirate radio; DJs; the Kinks; producers & sessionmen

39: All Summer Long (761-780)

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timeless magic
the Beachboys; Jan & Dean; Brian Wilson

40: Black and Proud (781-800)

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political revolt and music power
Aretha Franklin; Booker T and the MGs; James Brown; the Impressions; Joe Tex; Bobby Bland

41: The Mod Generation (801-820)

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New clothes, new lifestyle, new music
The Who; Small Faces; Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band; Jamaican Soul; Chris Farlowe

42: The Folk Rock Explosion (821-840)

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How the electric guitar transformed folk music
The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield; Paul Revere/Raiders; Sir Douglas Quintet; Mamas & Papas

43: Rock On Show (841-860)

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How radio, TV and films switched on to Sixties rock
Hair; Woodstock; movie themes; Juke Box Jury; Thank Your Lucky Stars; 6.5 Special; Oh Boy! Ready, Steady, Go! TOTP; Hard Day's Night; Help!

44: Positively 4th Street (861-880)

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Music from NY melting pot
Night Owl Cafe; Velvet Underground;; Lovin' Spoonful; Garage Bands; Young Rascals; Cher

45: It’s Only Rock n Roll (881-900)

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How the Stones Kept Rolling
Stones Diary; roots; discography

46: SF Fantasies (901-920)

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San Francisco's counter-culture of 1967
Warlocks/Grateful Dead; Jefferson Airplane; Haight Ashbury

47: The Heyday of Soul (921-940)

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Memphis as the centre of a tough black sound
Stax; Otis Redding; Johnnie Taylor; Eddie Floyd; Rufus Thomas; Carla Thomas; Solomon Burke; Sam & Dave; Wilson Pickett

48: Pop’s Hall of Mirrors (941-960)

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How commercial pop reflected the changing face of Sixties rock
The Troggs; Marmalade; Dave Dee etc; Andy Fairweather; the Herd; Walker Brothers; Jonathan King

Volume 4 Complete + Binder (721-960)

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49: The Third World (961-980)

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Music from Africa, India, West Indies
Jimmy Cliff; Osibisa; Toots & the Maytals; Desmond Dekker; SKA

50: Pop For Profit (981-1000)

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keeping the cash registers singing
Monkees; Turtles; Tommy James/Shondells; Ohio Express; bubblegum bands

51: The Blank Generation (1001-1020)

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How rock moved from political opposition to sheer nihilism
Velvet Underground; Jim Morrison/Doors; Fugs; Arthur Lee/Love; drug abuse

52: Guitar Gods and other Divinities (1021-1040)

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Instrumental virtuosos
Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker/Cream; bass guitarists

53: Tamla: the New Generation (1041-1060)

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Berry Gordy enterprises
Stevie Wonder; Temptations; Smokey Robinson/Mircales; Diana Ross/Supremes; Martha/Vandellas; Isley Brothers; Norman Whitfield

54: The Genius of Jimi (1061-1080)

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Rock's single most important musician
Jimi Hendrix; Heavy Metal; Vanilla Fudge, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly; Groupies; Guitar madness

55: Flower Power or Money Power (1081-1100)

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kaftans and psychedelia
Beatles; Procul Harem; Country Joe; Monterey

56: Blues Power (1101-1120)

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Blues survival on both sides Atlantic
Lightnin' Hopkins; T-bone Walker; B B King; John Mayall; Canned Heat; Fleetwood Mac

57: Times a-Changin’ (1121-1140)

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New perspectives from Folk
Paul Simon; Judy Collins/Fairport Convention; Simon & Garfunkel; Donovan; Seekers