Even before it gave us the Beatles, Liverpool produced the first true rock'n'roll star to be born outside America, Billy Fury. There has been a stream of star names ever since - from the Merseybeat time of the Beatles, Cilla Black and the Searchers to Echo and the Bunnymen, Elvis Costello, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The La's, The Lightning Seeds and Atomic Kitten. Liverpool even rules the dance floor through its very own super-club, Cream. This is a look at how one city became central in the history of music. The book looks at its full range of cultural influences, from Bill Shankly and the Liverpool/Everton divide to poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Roger McGough, comedians including Jimmy Tarbuck and Alexei Sayle, "Shirley Valentine" and "The Boys From The Black Stuff", the Toxteth riots and the Hillsborough disaster. Despite the backdrop of economic decline, Liverpool has never lost its creative energy. Paul Du Noyer explores the very roots of Scouse culture, from its deep links with America and the overwhelming Irish influence, to the manic compulsion to overcome hardship be treating life as one long Saturday night. He explains the rise of the Beatles in the light of the city that made them, and examines the legacy they left to their home town.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
There are few musical meccas in this world more holy than Liverpool, the rough-and-tumble northern English seaport that spawned the Beatles and the other progenitors of the Merseybeat sound. A British music writer and Liverpuddlian, Du Noyer argues that it was no mere accident that the 20th century's most important pop group came from Liverpool. He convincingly demonstrates that the Beatles' charm and cheek are not unique but traits that define their native city's culture. Most readers will be interested in the first 100 pages or so, with its studies of 1960s Liverpool acts such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Searchers, and, of course, the Beatles. After 1970, the links between the city and the pop stars it birthed become more tenuous. Only diehard fans of 1980s pop music will be drawn to the sections on Echo and the Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark. Most of the post-Fab Four Liverpool acts that Du Noyer profiles (such as Wah! Heat, Deaf School, and Half Man Half Biscuit) are virtually unknown in America. Though witty and entertaining, Du Noyer's book is ultimately of very limited appeal. For a richly illustrated alternative, see P. Willis-Pitts's Liverpool: The Fifth Beatle. Recommended for large pop music collections where there is demand for works on British pop or anything Beatle.
Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"The story of Liverpool music is incredibly rich. As you're about to discover" -- Sir Paul McCartney
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5.0 out of 5 stars
"More hits than Motown!",
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This review is from: Liverpool-Wondrous Place: Music from Cavern to Cream (Hardcover)
If you're one of those people to whom pop music is a very important part of your life, then you will not be able to put this book down. OK, it helps if you are/were fans of the artists covered, but it's not essential, as the story of the evolution of music in Liverpool is fascinating in it's own right. The effect of American music on the city, and the social background to the various 'scenes' through periods of prosperity and decline are put into context well, and if Liverpool has had more hits than Motown, as claimed in the book, then we well deserve European Capital of Culture 2008 !
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!,
This review is from: Liverpool-Wondrous Place: Music from Cavern to Cream (Hardcover)
What a great book! Really captures the feel of Liverpool and reveals the amazing legacy all of these musicians have left behind. I great history of all the talent that has emerged from the City...from Beatle days to present day. Well written, very descriptive and lively. A MUST to buy for any music fan!
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