The British Beat Explosion

Edited by JC Wheatley Written by Michele Whitby and Zoe Howe Voted Best Blues Book (2014) by Blues Matters Have you heard about Eel Pie Island? Anyone with an interest in the history of UK rock n’ roll is familiar with The Cavern Club and the role that Merseyside played in the story of the British Beat scene. But on a far-less-celebrated, but no less significant path, over a small bridge onto an island in the middle of the Thames, Eel Pie Hotel, another great 60s club night, played host to acts that would later make a global name for themselves. The Rolling Stones, Long John Baldry, Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, The Small Faces, David Bowie and The Yardbirds are amongst the many acts who performed at the legendary Eel Pie Hotel during its 50s and 60s heyday, as did jazz greats like Ken Colyer, Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk, as well as more avant-garde performers like Ivor Cutler. But how did The Eel Pie Club become such a popular venue? What motivated its founder, Arthur Chisnall to create a space where young people could enjoy the music they wanted to, in an environment free from the usual constraints? Why has this thriving West London scene been omitted from rock history when its influence has spread far and wide? Recently, bands like The Mystery Jets have paid homage to Chisnall’s fabulous club, playing gigs on the island that launched careers and cemented rock’s infamous relationships. The latest incarnation of the Eel Pie Club is alive and well. This book traces the origins of a scene that is long overdue for recognition. Reviews: The British Beat Explosion: Rock n’ Roll Island awarded Best Blues Book (2014) by Blues Matters magazine, who said: “Here there are fascinating interviews with performers, and fans’ oral histories explaining why and how Eel Pie became the unlikely centre of a transformative musical and social scene.” ‘From the perspective of an Eelpieland regular - back in the day – it’s a wonderful read with great pictures – I couldn’t put it down.’ – Steven Cockcroft

The undiscovered gem of the UK Beat scene, West London's Eel Pie Hotel, is unearthed here. This great '60s club played host to acts that would later make a global name for themselves: The Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, The Kinks, and many others. This book traces the origins of a scene long overdue for recognition.

In 2001 the Guinness Book of Records declared Liverpool the “City of Pop” for producing more hit records than any other city. The Beat Goes On is a historical account of popular music in Liverpool that explores the contextual, creative, and geographical factors that have contributed to the city’s status as a major center of musical creativity. With contributions from experts in popular music history, cultural geography, ethnography, and musicology, alongside essays and interviews with Liverpool musicians and rare archival images, this volume offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the city’s unique place in the realm of popular music.

To date, there has been a significant gap in work on the social history of music in Britain from 1950 to the present day. The three volumes of Live Music in Britain address this gap and do so through a unique prism—that of live music. The key theme of the books is the changing nature of the live music industry in the UK, focused upon popular music but including all musical genres. Via this focus, the books offer new insights into a number of other areas, including the relationship between commercial and public funding of music, changing musical fashions and tastes, the impact of changing technologies, the changing balance of power within the music industries, the role of the state in regulating and promoting various musical activities within an increasingly globalised music economy, and the effects of demographic and other social changes on music culture. Drawing on new archival research, a wide range of academic and non-academic secondary sources, participant observation and a series of interviews with key personnel, the books have the potential to become landmark works within Popular Music Studies and broader cultural history. The second volume covers the period from Hyde Park to the Hacienda (1968–84).

The astonishing outpouring of rock 'n' roll in the 1960s in Australia and New Zealand gave birth to such iconic bands such as the Easybeats, the Masters Apprentices, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, the Purple Hearts, and the Missing Links. It also launched the careers of a generation of musicians who would go on to greater, international fame with their later groups (the Bee Gees, AC/DC, Little River Band, and more). Wild About You! includes chapters on 35 bands that made the scene, as well as the editors' list of the top 100 beat and garage songs of the era. Heavily illustrated throughout, and with a detailed discography, this is the definitive work on these bands, and compulsory reading for 60s obsessives and garage band enthusiasts worldwide.

In Working Class Heroes, David Simonelli explores the influence of rock and roll on British society in the 1960s and '70s. At a time when social distinctions were becoming harder to measure, rock musicians appeared to embody the mythical qualities of the idealized working class by perpetuating the image of rebellious, irreverent, and authentic musicians.

Giorgio Gomelsky was at the centre of the counterculture in 60s’ London and 70s’ Paris before running a studio for avant-garde musicians in New York. He was the original manager of the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds in London, then managed the French supergroup Magma and developed the career of Gong. Dumaurier recounts his friend Gomelsky’s love of life, his dynamism, and the creativity that made him “push the envelope”. With a keen eye for talent, Gomelsky’s ideas helped shape the rock music we know and love today – acting as a catalyst for change and innovation. About the author FRANCIS DUMAURIER Born and raised in the neighbourhood of Montmartre in Paris, Francis wrote his “Portrait of Jack Kerouac after Desolation Angels” thesis for his Masters’ at the University of Paris X before going on the road to travel and see the world. After a year in the Amazon jungle of Colombia as a rainforest safari guide, he spent 5 years in Rio de Janeiro working in the travel and hotel industries. Moving to New York City (where he still lives) he began working in the entertainment industry, first as a host and producer of primetime daily programs on Manhattan Cable TV, and then as an actor in films, tv and voice-overs. He spent his first weekend in America at the original Woodstock Festival. Since then he has also hosted and produced “The Wine CD” as a Compagnon des Vins de Bordeaux with a group of 14 other wine specialists. Fluent in 4 languages (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) and in the York and Scottish rites of Freemasonry, Francis also loves to play rock’n’roll music on his Stratocaster guitar and Marshall amp. He was a close friend of Gomelsky for over 30 years and this biography was originally published in France.

Here in an expanded edition featuring a new introduction by Neil Tennant, a new afterword by the author and bonus chapter on Duran Duran Like Punk Never Happened is a story of money, sex, stardom, screaming fans and forgotten ideals.In the 1980s a new breed of British pop stars set about conquering the world. Alongside Boy George and Culture Club groups such as Duran Duran, Wham! And Frankie Goes To Hollywood began topping the charts and selling out arenas across the globe in an explosive manner reminiscent of Beatlemania. In what become known as the second British Invasion these artists embraced fashion, decadence and a non-stop party lifestyle with such zeal it was indeed like punk never happened. This is the ultimate insiders account. As a writer for magazines such as Smash Hits and The Face, Dave Rimmer had unparalleled access to the artists of this era. Like Punk Never Happened is a witty, energetic, authoritative, and mischeviously provocative account of the roller-coaster ride that was the new '80s pop, and is widely regarded as a seminal piece of music writing.

What was life really like in a grammar school in the 1950s and ’60s? For those educated at a grammar school during their heyday, this time holds very special memories. They were more than just the years of being taught Latin and domestic science, custard and semolina school dinners, and learning about the birds and the bees; they were the formative years of a generation, when those from all walks of life were given a uniform, a code of behaviour and, most importantly, pride in the institution to which they belonged. This generation of Baby Boomers holds a unique place in British history: growing up during the years when the country was emerging from the shadow cast by the Second World War, they were the first youngsters to benefit from the ‘mod cons’ and innovations which were gradually being introduced. With fascinating memories and details that will resonate with thousands of grammar school pupils across the country, School Songs and Gymslips is a heart-warming collection of the experiences of the author and her contemporaries during a golden era.MARILYN YURDAN attended Holton Park Girls’ Grammar School in Oxfordshire during the 1950s and ’60s. She has been awarded a Master of Studies in English Local History from the University of Oxford, and has written numerous books, including Oxford in the 1950s & ’60s. She lives in Abingdon.