Black Vinyl White Powder: The Real Story of the British Music Industry

Bitchy, glib, fun and shrewd.--Daily Telegraph Black Vinyl White Powder is the definitive story of five decades of British Pop--now in paperback Whether penning hits for Dusty Springfield, discovering Marc Bolan or managing a series of stellar acts ranging from the Yardbirds to Wham! - Simon Napier-Bell draws on his wealth of contacts and personal experience to give an enthralling account of a business that became like no other. From the debauchery of rock megastars like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin to the ecstasy culture that shaped dance music in the 1980s, Napier-Bell charts the growth of a world in which bad behaviour is not only tolerated but encouraged; where drugs are as important as talent; and where artists are pushed to their mental and physical limits in the name of profit and ego. Filled with the voices of artists, producers, managers and record company execs, Black Vinyl White Powder is a raucous, entertaining and revealing history of British pop.