From the moment that Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm conceived ‘Rocket 88’ to the suicide of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain and Lennon’s Anniversary concert, ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky chronicles 50 moments in history that shaped rock and roll as we know it. The stories of behind the iconic records and recordings, the untimely deaths, landmark live performances, on-screen incidents and all of the most outrageous moments are recounted in this captivating, comprehensive overview of the greatest musical form of the twentieth century.
Paolo Hewitt’s lively and readable text gives us a unique ‘insider’s view’ on each event explaining the background and immediate aftermath to the moment as well as its long term significance and legacy. Each story is accompanied by an ‘at a glance’ box about each artist, their most significant achievements and contribution to rock history. Iconic moments include:
First show of the Beatles at the Cavern; First show of the Rolling Stones at Eel Pie Island; Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk festival; The Beach Boys’ ‘Good Vibrations’ is the first pop hit to employ electronic sounds; The Ramones debut at the CBGB’s and launch punk-rock; The Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten is attacked in a car park by a razor-wielding man incensed by the band’s anti royalty single, God Save The Queen; The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ mixes punk-rock with reggae, ska, funk, blues, etc; The Talking Heads’ Fear Of Music, produced by Brian Eno, fuses new wave and funk, and invents ‘techno-funk’; Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen die at the Chelsea hotel; Ozzy Osborne bites the head off a bat and urinates on the Alamo; MTV debuts on cable TV with the Buggles’ ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’; Born In the USA is appropriated by Ronald Reagan for his election campaign; Live Aid concert; The Smiths release their infamous Meat Is Murder album; Kurt Cobain dies; Anniversary concert for Lennon at the Beacon theatre in New York 2010.
