Richard Christy

Few rock drummers remain as universally praised as Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. Listen to any Zeppelin album, and you will hear a virtual showcase on expert rock drumming – while never getting in the way of the group’s other members and their contributions, singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist John Paul Jones. But sadly, one of rock’s all-time greats died tragically young – he was only 32 years old – resulting in the end of one of rock’s most celebrated bands. To mark 40 years since his passing, 'Bonzo: 30 Rock Drummers Remember the Legendary John Bonham' has been assembled – comprised of interviews with some of the top drummers of rock (including Kenny Aronoff, Mike Portnoy, John Dolmayan, Brian Tichy, and Steve Gorman, among others), discussing what made Bonham such a special and unforgettable drummer.

There is a common misconception about KISS, one of the greatest hard-rock/heavy metal-bands of all-time: that their 'non-makeup' era of 1983-1996 is not as enduring as the period when they rocked stages as the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman, and the Cat. This is untrue. In fact, this period helped resuscitate KISS's career, as they reestablished themselves in arenas, on the charts, and via MTV, and yielded some of their most popular songs - including Lick It Up, Heaven's On Fire, Tears Are Falling, Crazy Crazy Nights, Hide Your Heart, Forever, Unholy, and more - many of which consistently found their way into the band's set lists. While the majority of KISS books are focused on the iconic makeup era, the non-makeup years are ripe to be explored in book form, and Take It Off does just that, zeroing in on the twelve albums KISS issued during this period - including such gold-and platinum-certified hits as Lick It Up, Animalize, Crazy Nights, and Revenge - as well the resulting tours, videos, and other escapades. Take It Off draws on all-new interviews with KISS experts and associates, including the band's lead guitarist throughout most of this period, Bruce Kulick, plus Crazy Nights producer Ron Nevison and video director Paul Rachman (Unholy/I Just Wanna/Domino). Among the other contributors are Charlie Benante (Anthrax), K.K. Downing (ex-Judas Priest), Derek Sherinan (ex-Dream Theater), and rock music experts Eddie Trunk, Katherine Turman, and Lonn Friend. The book also includes a foreword by Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho and an afterword by acclaimed producer Andreas Carlsson, as well as rare photographs and memorabilia from the period. With KISS currently in the midst of their last ever tour, now is the time to get Truly Unmasked.