Want to learn how to play guitar in two pages? Ever wondered what goes into Marilyn Manson's backstage rider? Or who wrote the worst rhyming couplet in the history of rock?

John Harris's Hail! Hail! Rock'n'Roll is the ultimate guide to what Spinal Tap called 'the majesty of rock, the mystery of roll'. Gloriously irreverent, it is also satisfyingly definitive, with a list of every Glastonbury line up; a dictionary of obscure genres from Alt.country to Shoegazing; a brutally honest guide to the Beatles' solo albums; the surprising wit and wisdom of Shaun Ryder and Noel Gallagher; Bob Dylan's collected thoughts on Christianity and Keith Richards' less-collected thoughts on drugs; and a handy flow chart that shows you how to listen to all of Captain Beefheart's albums without going insane.