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The book begins with an introduction from Dave Godin, the soul journalist who first coined the term 'Northern Soul'. In it he reproduces his original article from 'Blues and Soul' issue 50 in which he described his first visit to the 'Wheel'. This is followed by some acknowledgements and two introductions, one by Keith Rylatt and the other by Phil Scott, the co-writers of the book. They had both begun the project independently, but on hearing of each others efforts decided to collaborate. The first chapter concerns itself with the development of R&B in America just after the war, particularly in relation to the civil rights movement and the importance of black radio stations in promoting R&B to a wider audience. The second chapter is concerned with the way R&B developed in the UK especially as the BBC seemed to have a policy of completely ignoring it. Due tribute is paid to the foresighted English labels that helped promote it. Chapter three focuses on Manchester and its varied clubs whilst chapter four is all about fashion's of the late fifties and early sixties and the rise of the mod youth cult. It is also the time when the Wheel first came into its own. The club's genesis began when the Adabi brothers leased the rather run down 'Left Wing Coffee House' and re-named it 'The Twisted Wheel'. It continued as a Coffee House for some time to guarantee late opening as they could not get a drink's license. From thereon the book focuses exclusively on the club, its rise and its fall, its legal wranglings and the move from Brazennose to Whitworth Street. Of particular significance is the club's shift in music policy from R&B to Soul, its drugs problems and all other major events until its closure in 1971. In all honesty once I had started this book I could not put it down till I had finished it. It is very professionally packaged with lots of interesting memorabilia, including old advertisements and police documents. It includes comprehensive lists of all the artists who performed there on a weekly basis whether they be beat groups, R&B artists or soul performers. The list of stars who appeared there is nothing short of impressive. As with former BeeCool merchandise, the thickness of the book is misleading as it contains whole pages with just single quotes written in a massive font. I can also imagine that the number of lists in the book might put some people off, but forgiving it these obvious criticisms I loved it. It is well researched, professionally packaged and strikes the right balance between personal recollections and factual information. Full credit to BeeCool on this one, it is a marvellous publication. |
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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