The Restless Generation: How Rock Music Changed the Face of 1950s Brit

[A Lark Ascending]

Gets a huge thumbs up from Ian Anderson and the Froots crew.

Blurb:

From Tommy Steele to Cliff Richard and Billy Fury, the 1950's represented the birth pangs of rock 'n' roll music in the UK. Here for the first time is the authoritative and complete history and social analysis of the era tracing the music's emergence from the primitive experimentation of teenage revolutionaries in the coffee bars of London's Soho to the marketing of the first generation of television idols to the eventual breakthrough of such global stars as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Writer Pete Frame, one of the few writers to have experienced the highs and lows of that decade first hand, presents the ultimate appraisal of an era previously lost in time. This is the definitive and only book to analyse the 1950s UK pop world. This will become the key text on the era. It ties in with the 50th anniversary of the birth of rock'n'roll music in the UK and contains exclusive and previously unpublished interviews with all the major stars of the period.

The Froots review plays up its coverage of music beyond the mainstream - the skiffle, jazz, folk, blues etc scenes.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Restless-Generatio...9137&sr=1-1

Looks life a goodee.

(if you've never seen a Pete Frame Rock Family Tree try this one: http://www.well.com/~cjfish/chart.gif

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I'm slightly tempted, but this looks more like nostalgia for me than something really interesting...

MG

[Big Beat Steve]

Looks like an interesting background read for those interested in the era (even for non-Brits) so I ordered my copy from Amazon.

And after all, if you got yourself this one

http://boktok.wordpress.com/2007/10/25/sto...ngar-1955-1963/

and loved it

you ought to find something substantial of interest in THIS book too.

So thanks for passing this info on, Bev!

Edited April 16, 2008 by Big Beat Steve

[A Lark Ascending]

That blurb does look uninteresting, MG. The two reviews in FR paint a much more interesting picture. Here's the opening of Ian Anderson's editorial:

It seems like we are in interesting times right now, as if there are big changes in the air, though it’s quite hard to pinpoint exactly where this gut feeling is coming from. I know that part of this thought process came about while reading Pete Frame’s truly excellent The Restless Generation, about musical life and changes in Britain in the 1950s. A real lightbulb experience, for the first time I had all the dots joined up between names I’d heard from that era in the jazz, folk, blues, skiffle and early rock ’n’ roll scenes. It made me appreciate several things: that all those then “alternative” musics were propelled along by dedicated enthusiasts, and that the crossover between them was huge for they all had something in common – it was them and their lifestyles against the monolithic, old fashioned music business, entrenched broadcasters and disapproving stick-in-the-muds who just didn’t understand.

Rest here: http://www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/edsbox/

BBS,

As my Swedish goes no further than 'Tak'I might have to give your recommendation a miss!

[Big Beat Steve]

BBS,

As my Swedish goes no further than 'Tak'I might have to give your recommendation a miss!

Bev, that quote from the review does sound interesting. I'll be looking forward to reading the book (on the basis on my interest in the music of the era - including the European seeds of Rock - I've read others on that subject before, though they cover the ground from different angles).

That link to the Swedish book was only to point out (as you probably guessed) that if anybody buys books on the same subject and era focusing on places such as Sweden - like I did - then this book on how Rock got started in Britain certainly should have its points of interest too.

(And BTW, that Swedish book is really lavishly produced - it's one of those coffee-table items that just by thumbing through it makes you wonder "If they do such a production on an oddball subject such as this why can't they do one just as nice on .....")

[A Lark Ascending]

Bev, that quote from the review does sound interesting.

Ian Anderson who wrote the review came up in the next decade as a blues/jazz/folk player, from the scene the 50s spawned (I recall seeing him in a group called Hot Vultures in the early 70s) - he later broadened his interests way out and has been a leading figure in promoting World Music since the 80s. So he really knows that period - if he's impressed, we can expect a good read.

[He's not a man easily impressed - he can be extremely caustic about music that doesn't fit his prejudices].

[Tony Pusey]

Pete frame ( and his alter ego Mac Garry) were pivotal reads for me in my impressionable years with the fanzine Zig Zag- I was on board from issue 4 or 5, but it really hit its stride when Pete began these family trees, I have fond memories of the one on Stoneground and of course all of the San Fran sound trees. I was at the Zig zag fifth birthday party at the Roundhouse-still have the T shirt somewhere-Mike Nesmith and John Stewart, Kilburn and the High Roads and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot peppers....Anybody remember their true ( imaginary!) history of the band Kalejdoscope? Facts (sic) about the band turned up in many later accounts....the best fanzine... ever.

and Bev, its tack!

[A Lark Ascending]

Pete frame ( and his alter ego Mac Garry) were pivotal reads for me in my impressionable years with the fanzine Zig Zag- I was on board from issue 4 or 5, but it really hit its stride when Pete began these family trees, I have fond memories of the one on Stoneground and of course all of the San Fran sound trees. I was at the Zig zag fifth birthday party at the Roundhouse-still have the T shirt somewhere-Mike Nesmith and John Stewart, Kilburn and the High Roads and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot peppers....Anybody remember their true ( imaginary!) history of the band Kalejdoscope? Facts (sic) about the band turned up in many later accounts....the best fanzine... ever.

and Bev, its tack!

I spent 3 weeks in Sweden a while back with that as my only word of Swedish! Never had to spell it!

I recall Zig Zag from around the mid-70s. Remember the Frame trees from there - one was used on the cover of a Fairport Convention complilation circa 1973:

[kenny weir]

Pete frame ( and his alter ego Mac Garry) were pivotal reads for me in my impressionable years with the fanzine Zig Zag- I was on board from issue 4 or 5, but it really hit its stride when Pete began these family trees, I have fond memories of the one on Stoneground and of course all of the San Fran sound trees. I was at the Zig zag fifth birthday party at the Roundhouse-still have the T shirt somewhere-Mike Nesmith and John Stewart, Kilburn and the High Roads and Chilli Willi and the Red Hot peppers....Anybody remember their true ( imaginary!) history of the band Kalejdoscope? Facts (sic) about the band turned up in many later accounts....the best fanzine... ever.

and Bev, its tack!

WTF?

Pete Frame was Mac Garry?

My first zine experiences in NZ as a high school boy were with Blues Unlimited and, a little later, Living Blues.

But I soon moved on to Zig Zag, Dark Star and Omaha Rainbow, the John Stewart-devoted zine put out by Pete O'Brien.

Just about the time I arrived in London, Zig Zag went punk, but I credit all three mags with opening my ears to numerous goodies that have stuck with me.

I borrowed, with permission, a Craig Fuller (Pure Prairie League) interview in Omaha Rainbow for the underground freebie rag I was puvblishing in NZ at the time.

I've been meaning to grab the completist double CD of Kaleidoscope for some time - I'm not sure how much I'd actually listen to it, though!

Another zine I was very into at the time was Not Fade Away, put out by Doug Hanners in Austin, Texas. I styed with him on my first trip to the US, in 1977.

The internet has changed everything, but I still vividly recall the intense, enlightening, explosive pleasure those zines - little treasures of hipness - would deliver on dropping into our mailbox in the cultural wasteland that was Dunedin.

Edited April 17, 2008 by kenny weir

[GA Russell]

I remember a family tree of the Canterbury groups. Was that Pete Frame?

[Tony Pusey]

Kenny, Mac Garry was a real person and a founder of Zig zag, but he upped sticks and left after the first few issues, basically the Zine was Frame and John Tobler form then on up to the punk debacle. But Mac garry then reappeared, those contributions are Frame. This was told to me by John Platt, alas no longer with us, who put out a great zine, Comstock Load. Anther good one was Hot Wacks inspired by the Wackers. ,also thumbs up for Doug Hanners, but I only ever saw 2 issues, I also knew the Dark Star crew, esprcially the great Steve Burgess who could really write! and the amiable Dave Procter.

[kenny weir]

Kenny, Mac Garry was a real person and a founder of Zig zag, but he upped sticks and left after the first few issues, basically the Zine was Frame and John Tobler form then on up to the punk debacle. But Mac garry then reappeared, those contributions are Frame. This was told to me by John Platt, alas no longer with us, who put out a great zine, Comstock Load. Anther good one was Hot Wacks inspired by the Wackers. ,also thumbs up for Doug Hanners, but I only ever saw 2 issues, I also knew the Dark Star crew, esprcially the great Steve Burgess who could really write! and the amiable Dave Procter.

Yeah, I also subscribed to Hot Wacks - they're the crew, IIRC, who turned me on to John Martyn.

Another band championed by this lot (ZZ I think, maybe Dark Star) was Clover. I never did hear their American rekkids, but I rilly liked the second of their two Brit-recorded albums.

Heck, I'd love to thumb through some old copies of these rags.

I remembers the ravings of Steve Burgess fondly.

Edited April 17, 2008 by kenny weir

[Tony Pusey]

I would really like to see those first 2 Clover albums reissued, they were on fantasy and really very good, particularly Forty niner, much better and grittier than the sanitised, cleaned up and dusted down version that made the UK albums. Mc fee was a great steel player!

[kenny weir]

I would really like to see those first 2 Clover albums reissued

I'm surprised they haven't been.

But just wait - they'll get done.

Recently, after waiting and waiting, I recently got the first (classic) Redwing album, which was also a Fantasy release - recently reissued by Fallout. And in the past couple of years I've also snapped up the PPL double, various Sons of Champlin on Acadia and other goodies.

[Big Beat Steve]

Gets a huge thumbs up from Ian Anderson and the Froots crew.

Received my copy today.

A whopping 500 pages (whew ... looks like it's going to be a LONG read, and from what I've picked up at random while thumbing through it, a highly interesting one), and not a single picture in the entire book so this does not look like another "nostalgia" item (as feared by MG) but rather something much more meaty.

[A Lark Ascending]

Received my copy today.

A whopping 500 pages (whew ... looks like it's going to be a LONG read, and from what I've picked up at random while thumbing through it, a highly interesting one), and not a single picture in the entire book so this does not look like another "nostalgia" item (as feared by MG) but rather something much more meaty.

I'll look out for this over the next two weekends - I'm near bookshops in Wales and Cheltenham so will get a chance to browse. I've just started 'West Coast Jazz' (Ted Gioia) so it will be a while before I can start.

Keep us posted on your thoughts, please, BBS.

[AllenLowe]

I've always thought of the phrase "1950s British Rock" as being like "British food" - something of a misnomer -

unless you have rock 'n chips -

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

this does not look like another "nostalgia" item (as feared by MG) but rather something much more meaty.

I fear you didn't understand me, Steve. I meant it would be nostalgia for me personally. It's a part of my life that I lived and it was great at the time. But, though the period and the people I shared it with had a big effect on my personal development, I've gone past that, as far as being deeply interested in the music is concerned.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I've always thought of the phrase "1950s British Rock" as being like "British food" - something of a misnomer -

unless you have rock 'n chips -

There was British Rock and a very small part of it was very good indeed - mostly the jazz musicians who got involved and made a living that way - Red Price, Cherry Wainer, Tony Crombie & his Rock & Roll Rockets, Lord Rockingham's XI (featuring all three I think) and others.

And there's also British food. You wouldn't want to eat the Cardiff speciality though - curry half and half; half chips, half rice. But ESSENTIAL down Caroline Street after a heavy pub crawl.

MG

[Big Beat Steve]

Agreed with MG. And as mentioned before in another thread, there were Sounds Inc., for example (though that was the early 60s prior to the Beat boom). And don't forget the more genuine Skiffle bands of the 50s, many of which really brought a genuineness and sincerity to the music that had been lacking elsewhere.

Granted that a lot of British 50s Rock singers were copycats but many of them still managed to portray a sense of freshness and boyishness at a time (post-1958) when a lot of U.S. Rock'n'Roll (not to mention Rockabilly) had already been polished, streamlined and toned down by the industry bosses and A&R men.

And after all, not all of the U.S. 50s Rock acts were that creative or genuine either. And was there anything more painful during that time than those pre-Rock era acts trying to get to grips with the R'n'R beat? Listening to crooning balladeers (who'd rather have modeled themselves after Sinatra, Haymes & Co.) fumbling with uptempo material with a beat (supplied by overproduced arrangements played by unsympathetic studio musicians to make matters worse) in most cases is laughable at best.

@Bev Stapleton:

Will do. But it's going to be along read. So far I've only made it into the first few chapters that dwell on the c.1949-50 start of grassroots jazzmen (Colyer, Barber, et al.) that were to become part of the Trad scene (the early amateur band attempts of one John R.T. Davies also get mentioned). So the book starts out early and so far it's been jazz all the way. And though I certainly am not the biggest trad or revival jazz fan in the world I found it hard to put the book aside.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Yes - forgot Sounds Inc - a very interesting band, with a wide range of different influences including jazz and Arthur Lyman type exotica. Also a very good one to see live. I saw them in a huge warehouse in Southall, backing Gene Vincent - this was '61 or '62, after the crash. Fantastic gig!

MG

[BillF]

I've just started 'West Coast Jazz' (Ted Gioia)

A fine book! Robert Gordon, Jazz West Coast is also a good guide to the records.