'What About Us?'
(A Rocklopaedia of Britain's Other Recording Groups 1962-1966)By Bruce Welsh
A new insight into the 1960s British recording groups, trios and duos that helped to shape the sounds of the sixties and although the vast majority of these groups never set foot on North American shores, they were very much a part of what came to be known as The British Invasion.
An ambitious work chronicling the stories of over 930 British recording groups, trios and duos from the ‘60s who released at least one single in the U.K. between January 1962 and December 1966 . For many, it includes members of the groups, where they were from, and a brief history from its origins to its breakup. There is an index of nearly 1,700 referenced singles along with approximately 300 images, many of which were previously unseen. As a reference work for music of the period, this volume will appeal to a broad spectrum of music enthusiasts, including members and associates of the bands featured.
Author's web site
'What about Us?' was published by m-ybooks.co.uk in 2012.
Ghoulz' Review for KinemaGigz.com
'What About Us?' (A Rocklopaedia of Britain's Other Recording Groups 1962-1966) - by Bruce Welsh with a Foreward by Barrt Langtree (of The Langcastrians) is refreshingly unusual amongst its literary peers in that Bruce has made a determined point of avoiding repeating the well-worn oft trotted-out biographies of the better-known 'groups' of his chosen era ... and that's very much the point of this considerable tome.
Frankly it's best avoided if you want yet another angle on The Beatles / Kinks / Hollies et-al.
No, Bruce has focused on the smaller, less commercially successful acts ... the granite bedrock upon which the multi-million sellers built.
| "We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature, add to ours." - John of Salisbury (12th century theologian & author). |
Phew that's a bit 'deep', but most apt I think. Every group/band will admit to their own personal/professional inspirations and initially often these are local acts who cause the first spark of "I wanna do that!" Furthermore Bruce concentrates on those who had the good fortune to record their efforts for posterity in vinyl. (A much more difficult, time-consuming energy-committing and relatively expensive activity than it is now of course).
Bruce has collected a remarkable archive of varied biographical information on these local, lesser-known 'giants'. The 930+ collaborations of British duos, trios, groups of four or more are painstakingly described by details such as, but limited to: their members' names, instruments played, formation & break-up dates, recordings made, significant supports & tours etc together with an associated index of recordings and photographs over 688 pages.
It’s packed with memories and details from the folks who were there and often the group members themselves and provenance doesn't get any better than that!
You don't need to have been there or experienced it yourself to enjoy this book (I'm too young for a start! ... no really I am!) it's just a joy to delve into some of the familiar and definitely not so familiar.
Sometimes I swear you can smell the sweaty bars and working mens' clubs, the overheating amps and the punters' cheap aftershave/cologne, the rusty old vans leaking exhaust into the rear and the passion that held it all together.
The importance of recording this material cannot be understated ... thank you Bruce ... it's our social history and it's fascinating!
© Ghoulz
The Intellectual Property Rights of this review belong to Colin WK Gourlay. This review and it's Intellectual Property Rights may not be copied, distributed, published, licensed, used or reproduced in any way (save to the extent strictly necessary for, and for the purposes of, accessing and using this website) without the express written consent of Colin WK Gourlay.
