"Milestones" series
A series dedicated to rock and pop classic albums, narrated in depth, with exclusive interviews and accompanied by images.
1
PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS:BAND ON THE RUN - THE STORY OF A CLASSIC ALBUM
168 pages, full colour, paperback
PRESS RELEASE
Published on 19 April 2024, Paul McCartney & Wings: Band on the Run. The Story of a Classic Album by Luca Perasi tells the story of the most popular and successful Paul McCartney album. “This record has just celebrated fifty years and it doesn’t look its age,” says the author. “It’s the only album within McCartney’s career which has outlived all the fashions. I thought it was worth dedicating an entire volume to that. Starting from the spring of 1973, when Wings were at the peak of their success, we go through the departure of two members of the group, we see what happened in Lagos, we delve into the songs, and we deal with the success of Band on the Run and its impact in terms of popular culture.”
The volume, enriched by colour images and featuring an exclusive interview by the author with Pete Swettenham, assistant engineer to Geoff Emerick at AIR Studios in London, tells of McCartney’s masterpiece in an engaging way. “I wanted an historical book but with a touch of narrative at the same time, which allows readers to immerse themselves into the epic adventure of this album,” says Luca Perasi. “It seemed to me the best way to launch this new series, Milestones, dedicated to some of the most important albums in rock history.”
Based on archive material and on many contemporary statements by the people who participated in the sessions, the book analyses in detail all the songs, their vocal and instrumental parts (with a special focus on the role of the drums), takes a look at the equipment used for the recordings and tries to debunk some of the myths that were always part of the narrative of the album. What really was stolen from Paul in Africa? Music tapes? When did the robbery take place? And what happened when they were recording at AIR Studios in London? A must for all Paul McCartney fans and rock music lovers alike.
2
XTC: SkYLARkING A LIFE IN A DAY - THE MAkING OF A POP CLASSIC
158 pages, full colour, paperback
PRESS RELEASE
Published on 5 May 2025, XTC: Skylarking. A Life in a Day. The Making of a Pop Classic by Alfredo Marziano tells the story of the most popular and successful XTC album, released by Virgin Records in October 1986. “Skylarking is one of the records I loved and still love the most,” says the journalist, translator and writer for Classic Rock, who together with Luca Perasi of the acclaimed reference book Peter Gabriel: The Rhythm Has My Soul – The Stories Behind the Songs (2024). “I listen to it regularly and find it as fresh, innovative and rewarding as ever. Pop music at its best, performed by musicians at the top of their game. But I wasn’t interested in writing an essay about the album or using a book to convey my own thoughts and feelings about it. What I was after was the story of the record as told by those who made it.”
The volume, enriched by colour images and photos and featuring exclusive interviews by the author with Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory, reveals a wealth of new and previously unheard facts. “With the band graciously on board and providing a wealth of not-so-well-known anecdotes, information and insights (on technical details and more), I was able to begin my task of trying to extend my conversation to other people involved in the recording process,” adds Alfredo Marziano.
XTC: Skylarking. A Life in a Day. The Making of a Pop Classic is the second volume in the Milestones series, dedicated to some of the most important albums in rock history, and launched in 2024 with Paul McCartney and Wings’ Band on the Run.
Supplemented by quotes and information that have been published in books and magazines and on websites over the years, the book analyses all the songs, the demos and the alternate takes, and details the equipment used for the recordings. The result is a rich, in-depth exploration of a remarkable artistic creation that in its own way has redefined the meaning and the borders of pop music.
3
PAUL MCCARTNEY: PRESS TO PLAY - THAT UNMISTAkABLE 80S SOUND
170 pages, full colour, paperback and hardcover
PRESS RELEASE
Released on 5 June 2025, Paul McCartney: Press to Play. That Unmistakable 80s Sound by Luca Perasi tells the story of one of the most overlooked records of the ex-Beatle’s career. “The sessions for this album began exactly 40 years ago, in the spring of 1985, and it seemed a good time to take a fresh look at it,” says the author.
“As divisive an album as it might be within McCartney’s artistic journey, Press to Play touches the hearts of many fans who were 16 or 1𝟩 at the time; it's a new, younger generation of McCartney fans who were then shaping, who had only vague memories of Wings, and who were experiencing the thrill of a new record by their 'hero' for the first time in their adolescence. I was one of them.”
Dedicating an entire volume to it is quite a challenge. “I wanted to break some new ground,” says the author. “‘Re-evaluation’ is a rather misused word when it comes to ‘classic rock’ artists and often seems to be just a clever – if not novel – gimmick to attract some attention. In keeping in with the concept of my previous works, this book explores Press to Play with an historical approach that has never been done before. That's the key to truly reappraising and understanding a record.”
Enriched with exclusive and in-depth interviews with the likes of Hugh Padgham, Jerry Marotta and Carlos Alomar, the book paints a complete picture of the circumstances that led to the recording of Press to Play and delves into the wonders of such a multi-layered album.
“I define this album a sonic delight; it’s one of McCartney's richest in sound, which makes it an incredible listening experience,” adds Perasi. “So first I went through all the songs and dissected them, analysing every possible aspect, from song structure to instrumentation and vocal parts; then I discussed the music, the production and the engineering techniques in my interviews. The result is rich in detail. Sitting down with Carlos Alomar (for the second time) and Hugh Padgham were insightful experiences of which I'm proud.”
Drawing on archive material and numerous contemporary and retrospective interviews and reviews, the book the volume covers the supposed “production misunderstanding” with Eric Stewart, the songwriting partnership with the 10CC ex- leader, the timeline of the sessions, the stories behind the songs (including B-sides, unreleased material and the single “Spies Like Us”), their harmonic and rhythmic inventions, and lyrical analysis. The many factors that undermined McCartney’s confidence at the time are also explored, including the unfortunate Live Aid performance and Michael Jackson’s acquisition of The Beatles’ song catalogue, leading to discovering what went wrong and why, and there is also a chapter devoted to the insecurity showed during the promotion of the album, offering a new psychological and human insight into Paul.
4
ELTON JOHN: GOODBYE YELLOW BRICk ROAD - THE MAkING OF AN EPIC ALBUM
164 pages, b&w, paperback
PRESS RELEASE
Released on 29 August 2025, Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The Making of an Epic Album by Andrea Grasso and Luca Perasi tells the story of one of the most important records of pop music, an epic double album that established itself as the pinnacle of Elton John’s career. “This is a key release in the Milestones series,” says Luca Perasi, who runs the publisher. “How could a series of books about some of the most important rock albums not include such a record? It took a while to gather all the information, but I’m very happy with the results.”
The book is co-authored with Andrea Grasso, one of the most important Elton John’s collectors and experts. “From 1970 to 1973, Elton slowly built his reputation as a top-class singer-songwriter with each album,” adds Andrea Grasso, “but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was the definitive statement of his and Bernie’s vision, which projected them onto the path of superstardom. They continued to enjoy worldwide success and top sales for decades to come, but in terms of sales and creativity, this was their peak.”
Despite the album's importance — it had its own DVD and has been reissued several times over the decades — this is the first time a book has been entirely dedicated to it. “When Luca offered me to write this book with him, I was enthusiastic,” reflects Grasso, who could rely on his collection, part of which had been referred to in an article of Record Collector magazine. “This is my favourite Elton album and one of my favourites by any artist and I started searching in my huge archive anything that Elton, Bernie and all the people involved in the album narrated about its sessions, finding many great little-known anecdotes… this work was pure fun!”
Enriched with exclusive interviews with Ian Beck and David Paton, the book provides a historical account of the circumstances that led to the recording of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and offers an unprecedented insight into this ambitious double album in the tradition of The Beatles’ “White Album” but recorded mostly in just 16 days in the studio.
“This is an album imbued with film heroes and heroines as well and fantasy characters and depicts its own world,” adds Perasi. “Musically, there’s an incredible variety of scenarios, ranging from rock ‘n’ roll to pop, from country to music hall. The vocabulary that Elton brought into it is a marvel. A book on such an album was long overdue.”
Drawing on archive material and numerous contemporary and retrospective interviews and reviews, the book explores all the aspects that made this a legendary record: the failure of the recordings in Jamaica, the whole process behind the sessions, their timeline – for the first time, all the exact recording dates are presented in this volume – the stories behind the songs (including B-sides and the single “Step Into Christmas”), their harmonic inventions, the various instrumental contributions by the band a and a short lyrical analysis. The legacy of the album is also explored.
5
BACK TO THE EGG: THE STORY OF WINGS' LAST ALBUM
174 pages, full colour, paperback and hardcover
PRESS RELEASE
Released on 27 October 2025, Back to the Egg: The Story of Wings’ Last Album by Luca Perasi tells the story of one of McCartney's most revered albums and periods (1978–80). “This is my tribute to an album that has gained so much attention over the years that it couldn’t be excluded from the Milestones series,” says the author.
“Although it has gone down in history as Paul McCartney & Wings’ quintessential rock album,” the author adds, “Back to the Egg reveals itself to be a kaleidoscope of musical genres, confirming the elasticity of Paul’s catalogue, and a high level of experimentation.”
Dedicating an entire volume to McCartney’s “forgotten albums” seems a direction for Perasi. “With the recent Press to Play book I wanted to break some new ground,” says the author. “Sales proved me right, as the book as sold as many as my previous one on Band on the Run. With Wings being in the spotlight now with the new compilation and the documentary, this volume on Back to the Egg comes at the right time, although its inception goes back in time to mid-2024.”
In its detailed account of the album's creation and analysis of its songs, based on contemporary sources and in-depth interviews by the author with Wings’ members Laurence Juber and Steve Holley or key figures such as Steve Howard, Martyn Ford, Phil Thornalley and Kenney Jones, the book guides readers through the elements that make this record unique.
Enriched by coloured images and photos (including some from the personal archive of Laurence Juber), the volume covers the timeline of the sessions, the stories behind the songs of the album (including “Did We Meet Somewhere Before?” and “Same Time, Next Year”, unreleased material and the single “Goodnight Tonight”), their harmonic and rhythmic inventions, lyrical analysis, and the Wings’ British Tour 1979. The many steps that led to the dissolution of Wings are also explored, including the McCartney II sessions, the unfortunate Japan 1980 incident and Paul’s decision to make Tug of War a solo album. A fascinating insight into an album that has undergone a complete re-evaluation over the decades, and into the final days of Wings.
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