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Crossroads

In Search of the Moments that Changed Music

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Crossroads

By: Mark Radcliffe
Narrated by: Mark Radcliffe
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Standing at the crossroads – the Mississippi crossroads of Robert Johnson and the devil’s infamous meeting – Mark Radcliffe found himself facing his own personal crunch point. Aged sixty, he had just mourned the death of his father, only to be handed a diagnosis of mouth and throat cancer.

This momentous time in his life, and being at the most famous junction in music history, led Radcliffe to think about the pivotal tracks in music and how the musicians who wrote and performed them – from Woodie Guthrie to Gloria Gaynor, Kurt Cobain to Bob Marley – had reached the crossroads that led to such epoch-changing music.

In this warm, intimate account of music and its power to transform our lives, Radcliffe takes a personal journey through these touchstone tracks, looking at the story behind the records and his own experiences as he goes in search of these moments.

 History & Criticism Music Funny Witty Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

"A deep love of music and its legends, a warm wit and a hawkish eye for the absurd. I feel educated but I’m crying laughing. This is a great book" (GUY GARVEY)
"Mark Radcliffe is like our shared friend. We feel we know him from being our late night, early morning or afternoon companion for many years. His voice is always a comfort and his music knowledge rivals that of anyone I know. His writing is like his broadcasting - light and funny when needed but it is beautifully emotional like the man himself. Long may Mark and his stories be part of our lives" (TIM BURGESS)
"Written in the warm, engaging voice that's happily become a constant presence in the soundtrack of popular music" (SIMON ARMITAGE)
"That warmth, that authenticity, those stories . . . Masterfully told" (ANNIE NIGHTINGALE)
"An excellent read – engagingly witty" (BERNARD SUMNER)
"Praise for Mark Radcliffe: Steal this book!" (DAVID BOWIE on Thank You for the Days)
"If I wanted to study the history of modern music, I'd have Mark Radcliffe as my professor" (BRIAN ENO on Reelin' in the Years)
"A love letter to pop music. Mark Radcliffe is the sharpest DJ that Radio One has ever had by some considerable distance"
"Always a refreshing breath of down-to-earth amiability on the airwaves, DJ Mark Radcliffe brings the same chatty, Northern tone to this memoir"
"A pleasant ramble through five decades of pop culture seen through the eyes of a music-loving northerner . . . Radcliffe writes in much the same way that he talks – warmly and wryly"
All stars
Most relevant
As a longtime fan of Mark Radcliffe I couldn’t wait to hear this read by him. It did not disappoint at all. Listened to it all in one sitting and will without shadow of doubt listen to it again in the future. Absolutely superb

Loved every minute

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Radcliffe is an engaging narrator and whilst this is fairly well trodden ground, this book has a lot of interesting stories worth hearing. I liked it a lot.

Really enjoyable

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Wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this but it’s very accessible. I was expecting loads of niche stuff about 80s music but it’s very wide ranging
Oh by the way ,there is some niche 80s stuff.

Surprisingly good

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Being of a similar generation to Mark Radcliffe and sharing his love and taste in music I knew this was going to be great even before I listened to it. I have listened to Mr Radcliffe on the radio since his time on the (now defunct) Radio 1 and followed him all the way through to 6Music where he currently lights up my weekend mornings.

The premise of this book is to tell the story of recorded music by means of the events that resulted in a quantum shift. As I was listening I built up my own list of what should be included and was unsurprising when the key moments were mentioned such as
- Robert Johnson going down to the crossroads to sell his soul to the devil (as depicted on the front cover so that one was easy)
- the invention of punk by the incredible MC5, I certainly would not disagree with that one
- Jimi Hendrix's performance of Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock
- etc etc I won't spoil it by listing any more

Mark Radcliffe is typically good company and listening to this feel like you are chatting with a mate in the pub. Recommended to any music fan.

Essential listening for any music fan

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loved it. I must be honest I'm a mark and lard fan from back in the 90's and still listen to mark Radcliff now . his style is one that I love and he could read the instructions for the washer and make me laugh. so to find this book he's written with him reading it was great. the book is a fountain of musical knowledge and the kind of book I love. it made me laugh out loud and keeps me interested to the end. so just sat here waiting for him to write the next one . thanks mark great to here your better and the world's a better place with your style of comedy,knowledge and creativity. cheers

a great listen worth every minute

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