Eddie Piller and the team at Acid Jazz bring us volume 4 in the ‘Rare Mod’ series, and what a corker it is. Compiled by Damian Jones and Richard Searle, this CD features 16 slabs of Underground Rhythm ‘n’ Blues, Psych & Soul. Starting with a storming version of ‘Big Bird’, this recording comes from Dog Soul, a band made up by members of The Artwoods, The Kinks and Dog Soldier and has a great horn section. Next up is the excellent ‘Tell Daddy’ by the All Night Workers, a Mod Soul outfit from West London very much in the vein of the Alan Bown Set. The legendary Gary Farr & The T-Bones then give us ‘Together Forever’, a track recorded in late 1966 and intended to be their fourth single – unfortunately they split up and the song remained unreleased. The Unknown Mod Girl gives a great performance of Mel Torme’s ‘Coming Home Baby’ before The Mountain Men’s ‘Too Many People Around’ – the sole A-side from this band from South Wales. Syd’s Crowd, a band from 1966/67 of which very little is known, contribute ‘Times Are Good Babe’ and ‘Road Runner’ to this compilation, both of which are really good.

Originally published as 'The Sound With The Pound', this revised and updated edition includes an additional 142 illustrations and 112 pages. A comprehensive anthology of the 'Merseybeat' era, this book chronicles the complete stories of 164 Merseyside groups, plus an additional 100 line-ups and a list of 344 group names, for a total of 607 groups that were active in Liverpool and the surrounding area in the late 1950s to the end of the Sixties. While most people are familiar with the 'Beatles', there is a universal misconception that they invented Merseybeat. However, nothing could be further from the truth as Merseybeat was 'under construction' long before the 'Beatles' exploded onto the scene. While not in any way attempting to detract from their ability, it is important that anyone interested in that era gives consideration to the other groups that were the backbone of this phenomenon. Merseybeat was a product created by the many hundreds of Liverpool groups that played there. Many of them were awarded recording contracts, some of which resulted in number one hits and some are still languishing, unreleased, in the archives of some long forgotten record company. This book contains the stories of 164 groups that either recorded or played a substantial role in creating the Mersey Sound and the Merseybeat era and it is both an interesting an invaluable reference of the time and the place.

The Cavern after hours book is now available Nostalgia-filled account of life behind the scenes of Liverpool’s legendary Merseybeat venue through the eyes of one man and the many bands he played in, in pursuit of fame and fortune. The 1960s boasts a veritable cavalcade of great musicians who are as celebrated in the twenty-first century as they were in their mid-century hey-day. But for every super group who enjoyed international success, such as The Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers who called The Cavern their home, there are countless bands who have been forgotten in the mists of time, but who had its audiences enraptured forty even fifty years ago. Cavern After Hours is the story of one such young hopeful, the bands he played in, the songs they performed and it reveals why the most famous nightclub in the world really was so special; the heartbeat of a generation. The story of these “epic fails” as the author describes them is, without a doubt, worth telling too, and in this affectionate and amusing look-back at the lives and loves of a motley crew of working class boys on the make in Liverpool, they are finally rewarded with their moment in the spotlight once more. Barry Cohen’s charming musical memoir is a wonderful read, especially for those who were equally inspired by all that the Merseybeat scene had to offer a post-war teenager. As well as evoking the unique sound of the era, Barry explores the social and cultural change that swept Britain at the time, along with delightful anecdotes and astute observations. Barry marvels at the fact that his Hebrew teacher was no stuffy old academic; he was lead guitarist with early 60’s Liverpool group The Tabs! Cavern After Hours loaded with many rare pictures is an insightful and nostalgic read, Cavern After Hours is the quintessential sixties story of following your heart. Other Books related to the late 50′s early and late 60′s available from this web site.

Author: Complied by – Dave McClure. Contributors: Various VelocePress – Producer DESCRIPTION: 148 pages, 162 black & white illustrations, size 8.5 x 11 inches. Originally published with numerous colour images (ISBN 9781588501615) this documentary was well received as representative of a true to life snapshot of one of the many ‘other’ Merseybeat groups of the sixties. A number of requests for a less expensive version ultimately resulted in the publication of this black and white edition. While the Beatles are by far the most famous Liverpool group of the era, they did not create the ‘Mersey Sound’, it created them. Unfortunately, it’s sad that a great era of musical history will only be documented for future generations by the multitude of books that have been written about them. Liverpool in the 60’s was a wondrous place, it was alive with music and the sheer number of local musicians and the depth of the talent pool was mind numbing. Depending on your method of research, you will find that there were between 750 to 950 Liverpool based groups performing at any one time during the early to mid 1960’s. So here’s a story of one of the not-so-famous groups that’s part of that total. While their story will always be overshadowed by those that made the ‘big time’, it is an honest and down to earth tale and a fairly typical representation of the many hundreds of other groups that created the ‘Mersey Sound’ and the real Merseybeat era.

Lanky Beat – A Lankypedia of Bands From Yesterday – Today

! NEW – NEW – NEW ! ‘Rolling Back The Years..’ Produced by Julie Gilligan Videos by Eric Johnson