HOW TO PURCHASE BOOKS BY SPENCER LEIGH
Many of Spencer Leigh’s books are available from Amazon or from bookshops in the UK.
Copies of the following books can be obtained direct from Spencer Leigh and he will sign them (with a dedication!) if you wish. Details of The Beatles Liverpool and The Beatles Hamburg DVDs are available by clicking here. However, they are no longer available through this website as I couldn't match Amazon's price!.
If you are interested on the history of banned records on the BBC (and who isn't), please click here for details of the CD sets 'This Record Is Not To Be Broadcast'.
The books can be obtained by clicking on the appropriate buttons below (UK, US and European Union) and ordering through Paypal. The prices include postage and packaging. There is a space for inserting a short message such as requesting a dedication. To review your purchases or to make payment please click here:
All orders will be dispatched within a week.
Email: Spencer Leigh
Price: £14 (UK), $25 (US), €22
The Beatles In Hamburg was published by the UK by Omnibus Press in October 2011. It is a hardback book of 128 pages that are fully illustrated. Although my name is on the front, much of the credit must go to Chris Stone for picture research and Duncan Youel for design. The book looks great and every photograph that I wanted in the book (and lots more besides) are included. Among the photographers are Astrid Kirchherr, Jurgen Volmer.and Gunter Zint. There is some new information in the book: for example, I didn’t know until I met Uwe Fascher (Horst’s brother) that the Beatles had played at the strip club, Studio X.
The American edition, published by Chicago Review Press, has a paperback cover. There are also German and French editions. Only the Omnibus edition is available through this website and copies can be signed and dedicated if you wish.
“Spencer Leigh has succeeded in conveying the spirit of the period with great accuracy. He writes in an authentic, sensitive and honest manner, and all with a good touch of British humour.” (Klaus Voormann)
“Incredibly well researched.” (Billy Butler, BBC Radio Merseyside)
"Snappy and witty and with recollections from a host of musicians and assorted bystanders who really give you a flavour of what it must have been like." (Jeff Slate, examiner.com)
"Required reading for any Beatles aficionados. It should also be fascinating for those intrigued by early 1960s musical subcultures." (Under The Radar)
"Full of interesting titbits" (Charlie McGettigan, Shannonside Radio, Ireland)
"Full of facts, photographs, and old and new quotations from those who were there." (Review, Beatlesbible.com)
"I have just finished this book and highly recommend it." (Zig, Beatlesbible.com)
"Engrossing, lively and glossy" (Andrew Matson, Seattle Times)
"We had three visits to the Top Ten in Hamburg and this book is a wonderful record of 60s Hamburg." (Rick Meek, Denny Raven and the Sabres)
Price: £15 (UK), $27 (US), €24
Published by the Cavern, It's Love That Really Counts, is the biography of Liverpool musician, Billy Kinsley, from the Merseybeats and Liverpool Express. It has been published with a voucher to purchase Billy's first solo album at a special price. To make it easy, this site offers the book and the CD (which is excellent!) together for £15, postage included.
"It's Love That Really Counts is a splendid achievement and a fine addition to the record of Merseyside's popular culture." (David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post).
"Billy Kinsley is refreshingly clear-headed in assessing achievements and relative failures." (Marco Rossi, Record Collector)
"This is a superb book which details all aspects of Billy Kinsley's career and gives a great insight into life as a working musician. It's filled with lots of humour and memorable anecdotes, and there's a detailed discography." (Jim Henderson, Get Ready To Rock website)
Price: £20 (UK), $36 (US), €32
This 400 page book offers a complete rundown and review of all the Beatles' Parlophone and Apple recordings with many quotes taken from Spencer Leigh's BBC interviews with their friends, associates and fellow musicians.
"A fascinating book with some amazing quotes which tells you why the Beatles were really great." (Sean Styles, BBC Radio Merseyside)
"I thought I was all 'Beatled out' when this book found me. And the reason why I kept reading once I'd dipped into it was its unusual format. Most biographies excerpt many a quote from the principal characters involved. Leigh's approach is to feature extended quotes from figures who were part of the whole music scene that nurtured (or disparaged) the Beatles along the way. What results are multiple perspectives typically a step or two removed from the making of the Beatles recordings that are the book's focus. The author confines his role to a kind of tour operator and guide who points out the selected sites with the occasional insightful commentary of his own to fill any gaps. This is an eminently-worthwhile addition to the realm of Beatles literature." (Jeffrey Walker, amazon.com)
Price: £10 (UK), $18 (US), €16
A portrait by the Merseyside artist, Tony Brown, is the cover for a new book on Buddy Holly, "Everyday - Getting Closer To Buddy Holly" by Spencer Leigh, which has now been published.
"I love the fact that there are so many different voices on the same page: first hand experiences, comments from the likes of Richard Hawley, and your own take on things. Even the chapter titles are great! You don't have to be a great fan of Buddy Holly to like this book and if you can hold it your head, you'll then be an expert too." (Claire Hamilton to Spencer Leigh on Drivetime, Radio Merseyside, 20 May 2009)
"A beautiful book" (Carolyn Hester)
" It is a fantastic piece of work that will delight any fan of Buddy and anyone interested in musical and cultural history." (Richard Havers, The Great Bookshops, blog dedicated to independent book shops)
"Written by a music expert" (Bill Leece, Liverpool Echo)
"Just when you thought there was no more room for any more books about Buddy Holly, along comes one of the best. I never thought I could get any closer to Buddy Holly, but now I feel that much closer. A marvellous book!" (Billy Butler, BBC Radio Merseyside)
"Spencers's style is generally clear and succinct. It is deliberately light and chatty, making the story very accessible to the casual reader as well as the confirmed fan. Thoroughly recommended." (Barry Holley, Now Dig This - This is one of the oddest reviews I've read. I thought from the first paragraph that I'd had it but then it swings round!)
"Leigh has created such an unsentimental, unpretentious account of Buddy's life through his layering of various opinions and anecdotes that the result is far from ordinary. Everyday smashes through the smoke-and-mirrors to give an animated, informative and refreshingly candid portrait of the rock'n'roll legend and his enduring legacy. A truly exhaustive account of how the music was born, and why it never died." (Emily Watts, Record Collector, August 2009)
"Of all the biographies out there, the depth, breadth, wit and wisdom of Everyday: Gettng Closer To Buddy Holly make it the leading contender for the most essential Holly companion. Leigh's portrait of Holly expertly weaves together painstaking research, interviews with key personnel, eyewitness accounts and views of artists from across popular music's entire spectrum. Nowhere is this more effective than in the chapter, Broken Wings, a gripping minute-by-minute account of events that fateful night in 1959. This book takes you so close to Holly that you can almost feel his heartbeat." (Colin Hall, R2, formerly Rock & Reel)
"I just finished reading your book 'Everyday Getting Closer To Buddy Holly. What a great book. I have read a few books about Buddy Holly, but yours is by far the best of them.. I always knew that Buddy was popular in England, but I did not realize how popular he was with the generation of the late 50's era (meaning the majority of the British invasion groups). The fact that the artists and people who knew Buddy were able to express their thoughts about Buddy was outstanding. look to forward reading some more of your books." (Michael Durkin)
The Cavern - The Most Famous Club In The World
by Spencer Leigh
Foreword by Sir Paul McCartney
SAF Publishing (2008)
This is the official history of the Cavern, published by SAF. Over 300 performers and Cavern staff have been interviewed for the book and much original research is included in the text. Copies signed by Spencer Leigh can be ordered here and will be sent as soon as available. The retail cost is £12.99 and we are selling it at £12, postage free in the UK.
“We came down from Newcastle to Liverpool in a
little van in 1963 and we carried our own gear into the Cavern for a lunchtime
session. We were very nervous about playing there and I said to a girl in
a duffle coat who was watching us, ‘Do you think they’ll like
rhythm and blues here?’ ‘Like it?’ she said, ‘We invented
it.’”
(Alan Price of the Animals)
It’s the dream of my life to be here in Liverpool
and playing the Cavern because this music got me through my childhood.”
(Billy Bob Thornton)
Reviews:
"Just when you think there can be nothing new to say about the Fab Four, Spencer Leigh delivers The Cavern - The Most Famous Club In The World. Though obviously Beatles-heavy, the author conjures up a vivid picture of that most famous of cellars including walk-on parts for Jimmy Page, Elton John and Bill Clinton." (Patrick Humphreys, Music Week)
"Spencer Leigh confirms his reputation as rock's leading oral historian with another fascinating compendium of eye-witness memories." (Alan Lewis, Record Collector)
"THINGS DO GO WRONG"
by Spencer Leigh with illustrations by John Firminger
Finbarr International (2008)
ISBN 0 9529500 7 3
Price £10 (UK), $18 (US), €16 (EU)
THINGS DO GO WRONG is the fifth volume about the rock’n’roll era to be published by Finbarr International. It is a worthy successor to the histories, HALFWAY TO PARADISE and BABY, THAT IS ROCK AND ROLL and the biographies of Lonnie Donegan (PUTTIN’ ON THE STYLE) and Billy Fury (WONDROUS FACE).
Although this is a tragic, almost Shakespearean, story, THINGS DO GO WRONG is also a very funny book, showing the problems that two Americans faced in trying to cope with the Britain of 1960.
“It was dark and London Airport was just a bunch
of hangars. The plane landed and Gene Vincent came down the steps. He was a
quiet, thin, wan fellow in a baseball jacket, and he said, ‘Hello, sir,
I’m happy to make your acquaintance.’ I thought this will never
do – he’s got to be a rocker. He’s got to say, ‘Hey,
man, what’s happening?’ I was deeply disturbed and I wondered what
we were going to do.”
TV producer Jack Good
“Some of the rock’n’rollers had
rough, raunchy voices but Gene had this pure golden voice - nobody else was
singing like him. Gene was an original and apart from the echo, he wasn’t
trying to be Elvis. He had his own voice, his own songs and his own style.”
Graham Fenton of Matchbox
“The Grades had a lot of control and I couldn’t
get Gene or Eddie on ‘Sunday Night At The London Palladium’.”
Impresario Larry Parnes
“Eddie Cochran was dynamic. Nobody could hold
a candle to him. The Americans seemed to have this glowing, positive way of
doing things and Eddie Cochran, he was swagger, man, he was cool, he was it.
He was a tremendous performer.”
Wally Whyton of the Vipers
“Eddie had a great trick, it had probably been
used in America for years, but we didn’t know about it over here. He used
to put a second string instead of a third string on his guitar, so that he had
an unwound string and he could bend it and get those bluesy sounds that you
never heard in England.”
Joe Brown
“Coming to England was a big culture shock for
them. The first time they were given fish and chips, it was in a great soggy
mess, huge lumps of mush. They couldn’t believe that we ate it.”
Big Jim Sullivan
“I don't think they thought about food too much.
Whatever they ate was washed down with drink. They were the wildest characters
that we’d ever come across. They used to disappear into the night. We
didn’t know where they went but in the mornings they were always very
quiet.”
Brian Bennett
Some reviews:
"The story of the Gene Vincent/Eddie Cochran tour
has been told many times, but never as completely as in this remarkable book."
(Chris Woodford, Now Dig This, March 2008)
"It's a great read, it's tremendous." (Frankie Connor, BBC Radio Merseyside)
"It's a journey that Spencer Leigh recreates in amazing detail in a slender but thrilling book that captures not just the personalities of these prototype rock gods but the culture clash between their Technicolor lives and the black and white austerity of a post-war Britian they left in shock. A fabulous selection of period news cuttings add to the appeal of a complete must-have for rock'n'roll fans." (Douglas McPherson, Classic American, May 2008)
***** REVIEW "Eye-witness accounts linked by well-researched and drily humorous narrative...With hindsight, it's an iconic moment in pop and Leigh puts us right there with a perfect blend of history and atmosphere." (Alan Lewis, Record Collector, July 2008)
"The sweatshop conditions of the Parnes' package tours are fairly terrifying." (Kieron Tyler, Mojo, September 2008)
WONDROUS FACE - THE BILLY FURY STORY
by Spencer Leigh with illustrations by John Firminger
Finbarr International (2005)
ISBN 0 9529500 5 7
Price £10 (UK), $18 (US), €16 (EU)
1000 UK NUMBER ONE HITS
by Jon Kutner & Spencer Leigh
Omnibus Press (2005)
ISBN 1 84449 283 4
Very bulky book which makes postage uneconomical. In UK shops at £18.95.
"An essential reference work as well as being a genuinely fascinating read" (Record Collector, Pick of 2005, January 2006 edition)
SOUND! - THE LIVERPOOL POP QUIZ BOOK
by Spencer Leigh
Capsica (2004)
ISBN 0 9548431 1 8
Price £5 (UK), $12.50 (US), €9 (EU)
"The Beatle in question is nowhere to be seen, but in evidence everywhere. On the wall opposite, there is a framed poster for Liverpool Oratorio, the classical work he co-composed in honour of his native city and a framed Ordnance Survey map of the same city. On the table there is a copy of Sound! - The Liverpool Pop Quiz book" (Sean O'Hagan visits Paul McCartney, Observer Music Monthly, September 2005)
Now sold out
TWIST AND SHOUT! - MERSEYBEAT, THE CAVERN, THE STAR-CLUB AND
THE BEATLES
by Spencer Leigh
Nirvana Books (2004)
ISBN 0 9506201 5 7
Price £15 (UK), $30 (US), €25 (EU)
2004 reissue of Let's Go Down The Cavern with much additional material. Includes full Merseybeat discography.
"The nearest anyone has ever come to capturing the spirit of Merseybeat." (Amanda Griffiths, Lancashire Life)
"This book is unique for it not only deals with the Fab Four's early career but offers an extensive insight into the origins of the whole Merseybeat scene." (Ray O'Brien, Beatles Unlimited)
"As a native Liverpudlian who discovered rock'n'roll at the same time as the Fabs, Leigh can write about the city and its music scene with an authority other authors lack." (Gillian Gaar, Goldmine)
And from a happy reader...
"By the way, I just wanted to tell you, Twist and Shout! was terrific. It really re-created the feel of that time and place and it was a really entertaining and informative read. It gave me something to do between shows on the rest of the tour and I finished it when I got back to the States. Great work." (Dean Friedman, following his UK tour, 2005)
PLEASE NOTE - I have just noticed that the only copies I have left are faulty. Everything is there but the pages 51-90 are repeated.
THE WALRUS WAS RINGO - 101 BEATLES MYTHS DEBUNKED
by Alan Clayson and Spencer Leigh
Chrome Dreams (2002)
ISBN 1 84240 2056
Price: £10 (UK), $18 (US), €16 (EU)
"This book lifts the lid on popular myths that have dogged the history of the Beatles." (Philip Key, Liverpool Daily Post)
"Page after page of pub arguments waiting to happen." (Sid Griffin, Mojo)
"Was Yesterday partially inspired by Nat King Cole's Answer Me, as the authors suggest. We'd love to know Paul McCartney's feelings on the subject." (Gillian Gaar, Goldmine)
THE BEST OF FELLAS - THE STORY OF BOB WOOLER,
LIVERPOOL’S FIRST DJ
by Spencer Leigh
Drivegreen Publications (2002)
ISBN 0 9543839 0 7
Price: £10 (UK), $18 (US), €16 (EU)
Packed with Woolerisms! The new ones include "John Lennon went from rage to riches."
"It has taken the author almost six years to pull the tome together. Wooler's irascible nature often thwarting Leigh's attempts to garner the facts and the truth." (Lew Baxter, Liverpool Daily Post)
"Leigh's excellent book is full of Wooler's observations, anecdotes and sharp comments on this extraordinary pop moment." (Jon Savage, Mojo)
"Bob's Woolerisms has hilarious and truly embellish this book. It is a vital book on the early history of the Beatles and a must-read for any true Beatle fan." (John Whelan, Ottawa Beatles site)
"Refreshingly different. Instead of being a biography or an autobiography, it is the story of ghosting Bob Wooler's autobiography." (Phillip Key, Liverpool Daily Post)
"Littered with entertaining and original Woolerisms, and not so much an autobiography as Spencer's expereices as a patient ghost-writer." (Tony Barrow, The Beatles Book)
"Leigh has an unparalleled knowledge of Merseybeat, a similar sense of humour to Wooler's penchant for puns, and the stamina to stand up to his subject's evasive nature. The Best Of Fellas is extremely readable, very amusing and full of new information. It's a worthy tribute to an unfairly overlooked figure in British pop history, unravelled with great skill by Spencer Leigh." (Peter Doggett, Record Collector)
"Bob Wooler was the key player in a modern myth and Spencer Leigh has produced a warm, enjoyable read, which must be the definitive assessment of his contribution to Merseybeat." (John Cornelius, author "Liverpool 8")
SWEEPING THE BLUES AWAY - A CELEBRATION OF THE MERSEYSIPPI
JAZZ BAND
by Spencer Leigh
Institute of Popular Music, University of Liverpool (2002)
Price: £ 10 (UK), $18 (US), €16 (EU).
A Liverpool institution, the Merseysippi Jazz Band has been going since 1949 and has four original members in its lineup. John Lennon called them "the old buggers" in 1962!
"The book conjures up a world bursting with life, enthusiasm, creativity and musicians where continuing love for their craft would put many 'serious' practitioners to shame." (Brian Blain, Musician magazine 2003)
PUTTIN’ ON THE STYLE - THE LONNIE DONEGAN STORY
by Spencer Leigh with illustrations by John Firminger
Finbarr International (2002)
ISBN 0 9529500 2 2
Price £8 (UK), $15 (US), €13 (EU).
The first and only book on the skiffle king.
"A very affectionate biography of a larger than life character" (Philip Key, Liverpool Daily Post)
"Spencer Leigh delivers facts in a breezy, non-academic manner. There are no signs of hero-worship even though Leigh's respect for Donegan's place as a musician is apparent throughout." (Keith Parkinson, Now Dig This)
"Leigh's fact-filled biography is deadpan and wry, full of quiet humour. It also displays Donegan's gift for appalling rudeness." (Roy Kerridge, Spectator)
"The book bounds along with the same energy as Lonnie himself." (Beatles Unlimited)
BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A RHYME? - 100 YEARS
OF HIT SONGWRITING
by Spencer Leigh
Spencer Leigh Limited (2001)
ISBN 0 9538233 0 X
Price: £12 (UK), $22 (US), €20 (EU).
"Spencer Leigh is simply one of Britain's leading authorities on the popular music of the 20th century." (David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post)
"Wherever you look in the book, something will grab your attention and hold you for a lot longer than you intended." (Ossie Dales, Mitchell Music)
"Worth owning for the Sammy Cahn interview alone." (Fred Dellar, Mojo)
"A worthy addition to any serious and broad-minded pop fan's library." (Michael Heatley, Record Buyer)
BABY, THAT IS ROCK AND ROLL, AMERICAN POP,
1954 - 1963
by Spencer Leigh with illustrations by John Firminger
Finbarr International (2000)
ISBN 0 9529500 1 4
Sorry - Out of Print
"Unusually for someone of his generation, Spencer Leigh doesn't accept that rock and roll is simply the fusion of black blues and white country/folk music, believing its roots also draw from the traditions of show music, pop, vaudeville and music hall." (David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post)
"Trivia lovers will feel they've stumbled onto a goldmine as they make their way through a treasure trove of quotes and reproductions of contemporaneous articles and ads from various music papers." (Gillian Gaar, Goldmine)
"A thematically linked compendium of quotes, calling over 150 expert witnesses to the stand, from Bo Diddley to Johnny Cash. The quip-meister, though is Ronnie Hawkins: 'Abraham Lincoln said that all men were created equal, but he never saw Bo Diddley in the shower." (Paul DuNoyer, Mojo)
"The quality and depth of the quotes make this book an interesting purchase for anyone interested in the era." (Kingsley Abbott, Record Collector)
"An essential read for music enthusiasts." (Craig Baguley, Country Music People)
BEHIND THE SONG - THE STORIES OF 100 GREAT
POP AND ROCK CLASSICS
by Michael Heatley and Spencer Leigh
Blandford (1998)
Sorry - out of print.
This book sold out of its first print within a few months but the publishers didn't reprint - curses!
DRUMMED OUT! - THE SACKING OF PETE BEST
by Spencer Leigh
Northdown Publications (1998)
Sorry - out of print.
"What makes the book worthwhile are the insights spawned by Leigh's research. There's an excellent account of the first Parlophone audition, plenty of background on the Liverpool club scene and an insight into how manager Brian Epstein's homosexuality spurred his initial interest in the band." (Johnny Black, Q Magazine)
HALFWAY TO PARADISE, BRITPOP 1955 - 1962
by Spencer Leigh with illustrations by John Firminger
Finbarr International (1996)
ISBN 5 026363 000049
Price £8 (UK), $15 (US), €13 (EU).
This book is about British popular music before the Beatles and involved 150 interviewees. Joe Brown talks about how badly the tours were planned: Frankie Vaughan reveals that Marilyn Monroe wanted to bed him, and Anthony Newley says that President Kennedy would make love to his record, 'Bee-bom'. As well as rock'n'roll, the book deals with the balladeers like Ronnie Hilton, Ronnie Carroll and Liverpool's first pop star, the wonderful Lita Roza. It has had steady sales since it has been published and everyone seems to like it.
MEMORIES OF BUDDY HOLLY
by Jim Dawson and Spencer Leigh
Big Nickel Publications (US, 1996)
ISBN 0-936433-20-5
Price £8 (UK), $15 (US), €13 (EU)
A trawl through our interviews to find people talking about Buddy Holly and there are plenty of additional essays and some great photos. I like the book but everytime I pick it up, I think, "Why did we say Andy Williams' It's So Easy was a Holly song?"
"The book contains something for everyone and has several chapters for the specialists. Fascinating and at times hilarious reading." (Chris Woodford, Now Dig This)
Memories Of Buddy Holly is now sold out.
ASPECTS OF ELVIS - TRYIN' TO GET TO YOU
edited by Alan Clayson & Spencer Leigh
Sidgwick & Jackson (1994)
ISBN 0 283 06217 7
Out of print
I thought that Alan and I had hit paydirt with this book as it is a terrific collection of new essays about Elvis including contributions from Pete Frame (a real family tree!), Mort Shuman (the last thing he wrote), Tony Barrow (who was there when Elvis met the Beatles), Alan Bleasdale (an outtake from his play, 'Are You Lonesome Tonight'), Simon Frith, Chas White ('Dr Rock'), Todd Slaughter, Adrian Henri, Patrick Humpries, Peter Doggett, Mike Evans, Fred Dellar, John Tobler and several more. A real A-team and all good stuff, but Sidgwick and Jackson did nothing to promote it.
SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM - REFLECTIONS
ON THE BEATLES
by Spencer Leigh
Cavern City Tours (1991)
ISBN 1 873111 00 02
Out of print
500 quotes about the Beatles from a range of celebrities including many who worked with them. I'd like to update this someday, but all these things depend upon finding a publisher who is interested.
LET’S GO DOWN THE CAVERN
by Spencer Leigh
Vermilion (1984)
ISBN 0 09 158541 4
Although out of print, 90% of it has been incorporated in the 2004 book, Twist
And Shout.
I am often asked about this book but there are no spare copies left. Try e-bay or buy Twist And Shout.
STARS IN MY EYES - PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WITH TOP
MUSIC STARS
by Spencer Leigh
Raven Books (1980)
ISBN 0 85977 016 8
Out of print, but a few remaindered copies are available solely through this
website.
Price £6 (UK), $11 (US), €10 (EU)
A name-dropping project really - interviewees include Charles Aznavour, Sammy Davis Jr and Burl Ives. I've often been asked (though not by publishers!) to do something similar. The thing is, books of interviews don't sell.
PRESLEY NATION
by Spencer Leigh
Raven Books (1976)
ISBN 0 85977 015 X
Out of print
This slim book was about Elvis' fans in Liverpool. The first printing was shortly before Elvis' death and the second shortly after.
PAUL SIMON - NOW AND THEN
by Spencer Leigh
Raven Books (1973)
ISBN 0 85977 008 7
Out of print
This was among the first rock books and so it goes for silly amounts on ebay. I haven't opened it for years as I suspect it was badly written and I am writing much better now. If I am wrong and I haven't improved, then I will feel even worse about it. My copy will remain unopened, and I make this public apology to Paul Simon that I started my writing career with his biography!
