Mute Records was one of the most striking British labels of the post-punk years – second maybe only to Factory Records for the way it mixed art and design to package modern music – a legacy that began with the label's very first 45, and continued through countless great albums and singles for years to come! This beautiful volume is an especially strong look at the first decade or so of Mute – and showcases the way it found new styles to present its music – a rich legacy of sounds from Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Fad Gadget, Nitzer Ebb, Einsturzende Neubauten, and many others – a mode that continued even after Mute had found bigger fame in the mainstream, and started to issue some of its productions on major labels. The book traces hundreds of images, and even includes label scans, mock-ups, and other related work – along with a complete representation of the label's albums too. This hardcover edition is full color throughout, over 300 pages, and a great companion to the classic music of Mute! Book

Paul Morley wrote famously for the NME during the key years of punk, post-punk, and new wave – which makes him very able to draw a rich portrait here of contemporary and scenemate Tony Wilson – the man behind Factory Records, The Hacienda club, and a huge legacy of music in the 80s and beyond! Morley also helped form ZTT Records, and is very smart and well-read – and he brings in a surprising amount of theory and other references – really getting at the politics behind the art and business impulses of Wilson – in a very detailed book that's way more than you might expect! Morley also opens the door to other voices along the way – with occasional commentary from contemporaries – before dipping back in to this very deep, very well-written look at one of the most important figures on the UK scene during the late 70s and 1980s. This heavy, hardcover edition is a massive 604 pages, with some images in the middle. Book