The story of the book follows "The Band with Rocks In" through their short-lived but glamorous musical career. A pun on the Rolling Stones, the band consists of the following members: Imp Y Celyn, Lias Bluestone, Glod Glodsson and The Librarian who joins the Band for a little while to play the organ, but leaves the band before they become famous. (A probable reference to Pete Best or Stuart Sutcliffe).  Following the band's amazing popularity, a large number of other "music with rocks in" bands appear.  One of the bands keeps changing its name and at one point buys a deaf leopard (Def Leppard) as a mascot. In another scene, Death is experimenting life as a homeless beggar, and is handed a coin. THANK YOU, replies the grateful Death (The Grateful Dead).  During the Band's popularity, Blert Wheedown's Guitar Primer (play your way to succeſs in three easy leſsons and eighteen hard leſsons) [sic] becomes a temporary bestseller in Ankh-Morpork. Also, C.M.O.T. Dibbler tries to make big business by selling Band with Rocks In shirts and assorted memorabilia.  Meanwhile, Death is in one of his philosophical moods, and takes a holiday in search of a way to forget his more troubling memories, such as the recent demise of his adopted daughter Ysabell and her husband Mort. In the meantime, his granddaughter Susan discovers the truth about her heritage when she's forced to stand in for her missing grandfather. Complications ensue when she falls in love with Imp, and tries to save him from his "live fast, die young" destiny as the Discworld's first rock star.

Death takes a holiday, take 3. However this time it's Susan (his previously unseen and unmentioned Granddaughter) who takes centre stage and the lack of year passing between Mort and Soul Music is actually tied perfectly into Wyrd Sisters, thanks to Granny's time-flight this allows for the time Susan needs to grow up. Albert and the Death of Rats are their usual perculiar selves and the main highlight is the Band With Rock In. Having recently seen the DVD version of the animated story I got upset that I'd forgotten that my fave line: we're bigger than cheeses isn't in the book. Death is a very good character but TP insists on telling and retelling the same story with him again and again (and in Hogfather again!)