Cirrus@Austlit

'In 1974 Ian 'Molly' Meldrum was working as a record producer and music journalist when he was offered the chance to host a new music show called Countdown. It was a show that would run for the next thirteen years and become one of the most-loved and most-watched programs on Australian television. It also turned Molly into a national institution (or 'mental institution' as one of his friends put it). During that period he not only became the most influential voice in Australian music, he endeared himself to millions of viewers with a uniquely unpolished interviewing style and a tangible on-screen passion. For better or worse, whether interviewing Prince Charles or Sid Vicious, Molly was always Molly. Along the way he talked, partied, argued, exchanged blows and became firm friends with a rollcall of the world's greatest musical names. Filled with outrageous anecdotes, an incredible cast of musos, deadbeats, transvestites and international superstars, The Never Ever Ending Story is Molly's hilarious, vivid, warm and always compelling memoir of these incredible years.' (Publication summary)

'From Cold Chisel to The Angels, from AC/DC to INXS to Australian Crawl, Mark Opitz has left an indelible imprint on the Australian music scene. The producer of such iconic albums as Cold Chisel's East, The Angels' Face to Face, INXS' Shabooh Shoobah and Jimmy Barnes' Bodyswerve, Opitz is one of the most influential figures in the history of Oz Rock.

'Sophisto-punk tells Opitz's remarkable story, from his early days serving a musical apprenticeship as an engineer with AC/DC, under the legendary producers Harry Vanda and George Young. Opitz soon struck out on his own with a little-known Adelaide band, The Angels. He helped shape the group's trademark edgy sound - Mark described it as 'sophisto-punk' - which propelled The Angels to rock stardom and launched his extraordinary career.

'Filled with frequently hilarious, sometimes poignant, anecdotes about Mark's experiences recording with Australia's rock greats, this book is a unique journey inside the bands, tours and studios of the music that defined an Australian generation.' (Publisher's blurb)