Music Heritage UK

A charity to promote, protect and preserve the UK's musical heritage.

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Closing Music Heritage UK

It’s with a heavy heart that we announce the end of Music Heritage UK.   

Following a long period of consideration we, the Trustees, have decided that now is the right time to call it a day. Owing to personal and professional reasons, founder and chief executive James Ketchell can no longer devote as much time as he’d like to promoting, protecting and preserving music heritage. 

Our initial idea was borne out of a belief that as a country we weren’t doing enough to celebrate our proud popular music history. We thought we could use our iconic history to encourage music tourism, support live music venues, and ensure that our memorabilia and archival history was preserved for future generations to come. In hindsight this was a huge and broad ask and although we’ve had a small impact in all of those respective areas we were unable to make it work financially and take it beyond a volunteer-led hobby. Since our inception we’ve seen the launch of a number of other organisations with deeper pockets, more time to devote and different business models who are all doing great work in their respective fields. Our work helped to set the scene for all of those, so we can leave knowing that live music, music tourism and music history are in a much healthier position than when we started. Over the seven years we’ve been operating we’ve achieved some great things. This includes writing the country’s first, and to date only, exploration of the potential for music tourism, launched a successful podcast series on music history, helped the George Tavern in East London campaign to stay open, and produced great interactive maps and timelines on some of the country’s iconic acts and blogged with sometimes furious purpose. And we’re rightly proud of all of it all. Thanks There are numerous people who have helped Music Heritage UK over the years, none more so than you the supporters. Thanks to everyone who liked, tweeted and followed us. This, of course, extends to the individual donors who financially supported us. Thank you. Firstly, we’d like to thank the various Trustees of Music Heritage UK.  Chairmen Chris Basiurski and Panikos Efthimiou, members Andy Grazebrook, Jamie Credland and Martin Bowman. Thanks for your support and guidance over the years. A special mention to our ambassadors, Pete Cafferkey, Lee Sargent and Sheryl Davis who provided much needed advice, support and contacts. A special thank you to Sheryl who is doing so much great work in the States to preserve music history. Thanks to our website developer Digitalime who provided us with two affordable websites, Sutori who helped us with our interactive music timelines and recreating the Stones in the Park gig in realtime on Twitter, designer and photographer Gareth Logue for his work on a number of projects and cartoonist George Leigh who drew a great picture for us to use. Also a special shout out to those who volunteered their time for us over the years including Steve Heath who worked with us with our map on Bob Dylan in the UK. We’d also like to thank Charlie from Where is my Mind? quiz and Ronan from Ringo: Music Bingo who ran music events/quizzes for us (see both of them at End of the Road this year). A special thank you to Danny Pockets who is sadly no longer with us. I’m truly sorry we were never able to get our exhibition idea off the ground. We’d like to thank all the people and places that inspired our podcasts and made them great. This includes Hawkwind, The Zombies, founder of the Isle of Wight Festivals Ray Foulk, artist and David Bowie’s mate George Underwood, the Royal Albert Hall, The Roundhouse and the yank with an in-depth knowledge of Britpop, Alison. We’d like to thank UK Music for working with us to publish Imagine, to date the only report into the potential for music tourism. Thanks to Jo Dipple, Tom Keil and Jon Todd for believing in us and making it happen. To the inspirational people we worked with over the years notably Pauline Forster at the George Tavern whose  never-ending energy, passion and love for her venue should be an inspiration for all. Henry Scott-Irvine and Phil Ryan from the Save Denmark Street campaign who fought for what they believed was right in the face of a multi-million pound central London development and the associated politics, spin and untruths that come with it. And Bruce Cherry who passionately believes in the potential for music tourism. Our money We have decided to distribute our remaining funds to two projects which we’ve supported online over the years. We have split what remains between the recently reopened Eel Pie Island Museum and Coventry’s Music Museum. These are two awesome DIY music projects led by two truly inspirational curators, Michele Whitby and Pete Chambers who will make great use of our money. We’re delighted that our donations will continue to support music history and hopefully help these two initiatives to survive and prosper. We’ve sent them £744 each, which although not life changing, will go some way to helping them keep on keepin’ on. Please do pay them a visit if you can. The future We’ll keep the website up and running for a few more months. Our podcasts will still be on iTunes for the time being but will eventually have to be pulled. They will be archived on Mixcloud, however. For those with a particular interest in music tourism, the Music Tourism Association has launched - with Bruce Cherry at the helm - and will continue to work within and outside the industry to generate more support in this area. James will continue to explore his interest in music history but in a different and a more flexible way. Stay tuned for more from him in the near future! 

The music Finally. The Music. Because that’s always been what this has supposed to be about. Our heartfelt thanks to the great bands and artists who inspired us over the years. Without you Music Heritage UK was nothing. Love, Peace and Rock and Roll. X

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Skiffle - a musical timeline

To coincide with the release of Billy Bragg’s excellent book on Skiffle (which we've previously reviewed), we’re delighted to launch our new interactive Sutori timeline on the genre. 

We’ve scoured the web for the best songs, TV clips, record covers and photographs to tell the story of Skiffle, the movement which inspired an entire generation to pick up a guitar. Pulling in content from YouTube, Spotify, Wikipedia and elsewhere, we hope you’ll agree it’s a compelling and engaging way to explore a previously little known musical movement.

We've also added the timeline to our home page where it sits alongside our Isle of Wight (1968-70) and Pink Floyd timelines. 

We’ve plenty more great timelines coming your way soon! So please do stay tuned.

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Could community ownership save music venues?

As high profile music and comedy venues in Bath and Newport announce share issues, could community ownership schemes help save arts and music venues across the country?

The concept is, at its very core, simple. Instead of being owned by private individuals, venues are instead owned by the local community who purchase shares in them. As well as providing much-needed financial backing, it gives them a chance to have a say in how these spaces are run. 

In theory it should mean less of a focus on profit margins, a more engaged customer base, and new artistic opportunities for local communities as venues open themselves up to all kinds of supporter-led ideas around the clock.

In practice, it’s often difficult to raise the initial capital and enthusiasm needed from the local community to make these projects get off the ground. However, we’re delighted to see that there are more and more pubs in the UK following a similar path – there are now more than 50 community owned pubs across the country and a further 90 projects in the pipeline. 

Perhaps now is the time to look again at this concept for music and arts venues too.

Comedy club chain Komedia is launching a crowdfunded share issue for their Bath venue. The historic former cinema building has been transformed by the company into a thriving comedy, music and arts venue which they have been operating for the last nine years, welcoming some 750,000 people through their doors. 

They will now transfer to a Community Benefit Society in order to manage the venue on behalf of community shareholders and secure long-term future of the venue. Locals/supporters/investors can now buy their share of the venue via Crowdfunder.

Supporters can pledge anything upwards of £25 with a range of rewards (discount cards, goody bags, free tickets for shows, free VIP tickets) on offer. It is hoped that a not insubstantial £350,000 will be raised in this way. As of time of writing, the campaign has attracted 62 investors and is 13% there with 32 days left.

The team behind recently closed (and dare we say iconic) Newport grassroots music venue Le Pub announced its plans to come back as a new Town Centre arts venue via a community share issue. 

The scheme will see the former grassroots music venue (who were turfed out of their previous location owing to their landlord) open an exciting new cafe/bar, cinema, arts and music space in the centre of the town called Le Public Space.

The project is being backed by Community Shares Wales who will provide the administration for the share issue. Supporters can invest anything between £350 and £5,000 in the project which has tiered targets – the initial £12,000 needed for the first phase (reopening a cafe and music venue) has been reached, but there are subsequent plans for the space once £40,000 and £50,000 targets are reached.

All of this is outlined in their extensive documentation available on their website, where you can also invest online via PayPal. So do check it all out.

We’re delighted to lend our support to both initiatives and share the news of their share issue as widely as we can! Any attempt to provide spaces for music and arts to thrive should be supported and this is no different. We’ll be keeping tabs on their progress and how they’re received by their respective local communities. Fingers crossed both projects can meet their targets and secure their long term futures.

Disclaimer – we’re not financial experts and this blog post is not providing financial advice. You may wish to seek expert financial advice before making an investment.

Images: Komedia Bath, LePub (via facebook)

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Book review: ‘Roots, Radicals, Rockers - How Skiffle Changed the World’ by Billy Bragg

Music Heritage UK Trustee Andy Grazebrook reviews Billy Bragg’s recent tome on Skiffle. ‘Roots, Radicals, Rockers – How Skiffle changed the world’ does exactly what it says on the tin and reveals the huge impact the musical movement had on youth culture and music. Available now.

This book tells the story of one of the most important factors contributing to the birth of British youth culture. In many ways a reaction to the stiffness of post-war England of the 1940s and ‘50s, this musical exploration starts with London’s jazz obsessives hell-bent on emulating their American jazz and blues idols.

This was the beginning of something significant for these young music fans, who adapted the music to their limited means – acoustic guitars became the centre of the band for the first time and rhythms were often provided by improvised instruments made from household items (washboards, tubs, etc..).

These new groups emerged as filler/support for the British Jazz ensembles, and in many instances included the same musicians. This approach gave birth to an American blues seen through a British prism, as typified by Lonnie Donegan’s smash hit – and Skiffle’s first commercial success – ‘Rock Island Line’.

This song, and Donegan, would be a huge influence on the emerging British working class youth who were finding their identity for the first time. Teenagers like John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Pete Townsend, and the Gibb brothers would all learn their musical skills in Skiffle bands. As such the genre can be thanked for giving birth to the R‘n’B revival, the British invasion and the start of UK’s huge contribution to Rock music in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Billy Bragg brings an in-depth understanding of the history which is shared in a detailed and methodological way. At times I was unsure of the relevance of whichever pocket of niche culture I was reading about, but I learned that everything becomes clear by the next chapter.  These many threads are artfully woven into a rich tapestry of our own Rock and Roll history.

Skiffle’s impact was also recognisable in other musical genres notably, through their DIY nature, the punks of ‘70s and dance music of ‘90s. Therefore it seems somewhat appropriate to be taken on the journey by one of the original punk rocker balladeers who himself is clearly smitten with the stories of the roots of our modern popular music.  

This is an important text for anyone fascinated by music heritage in the UK and its long-standing and deep connection to the musical culture of the USA and with Christmas coming up is surely to be on the top of any music lovers' list to Santa. 

More on Skiffle on Music Heritage UK, including a new playlist and interactive timeline!

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New playlist: British Invasion 1964 – 67

To coincide with our podcast interview with Rod Argent of The Zombies, we launch a new new playlist which explores the British Invasion.  

Bringing together the first US top 20 hit from UK artists between 1964 and 1967, this playlist includes songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Who, but also less obvious acts including The Honeycombs and The Bachelors.

Following the Fab Four’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 (watched by 45% of the US audience), Beatlemania erupted around the country and marked the beginning of a cultural phenomenon that would be described by US commentators as, “the British Invasion”.  Indeed, over the next year the Beatles would have no less than 30 different top 100 songs which was completely unprecedented at the time. In their wake followed a host of British bands and acts, basking in their reflected glory.

Our playlist only includes each British Invasion acts’ first top 20 hit, subsequent charting songs can be found in the full list here which shows that the Beatles, as well as being the first, were the most popular British Invasion act with 25 US top 20s between 1964 and 1967. They are followed by Herman’s Hermits (14), Dave Clark Five (13) and The Rolling Stones (12). 

Unfortunately we were unable to include a couple of tracks by Dave Clark Five and Englebert Humperdink as they’re not available on the streaming services.

Listen now within Deezer, Apple Music or Spotify

Featuring... The Beatles, 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' Dusty Springfield, 'I Only Want to Be With You' The Searchers, 'Needles and Pins' Billy J. Kramer With the Dakotas, 'Little Children' / 'Bad to Me' Peter and Gordon, 'A World Without Love' The Bachelors, 'Diane' Gerry and the Pacemakers, 'Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying’ The Searchers, ‘Don't Throw Your Love Away' The Animals, 'House of the Rising Sun' Manfred Mann, 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' Chad & Jeremy, 'A Summer Song' The Honeycombs, 'Have I the Right?’ The Nashville Teens, 'Tobacco Road' The Kinks, 'You Really Got Me' The Zombies, 'She's Not There' The Rolling Stones, 'Time Is on My Side’ Herman's Hermits, 'I'm Into Something Good’ Petula Clark, 'Downtown' Tom Jones, ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’ Freddie and the Dreamers, 'I'm Telling You Now’ Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, 'Game of Love’ The Seekers, 'I'll Never Find Another You' The Yardbirds, 'For Your Love' Ian Whitcomb, 'You Turn Me On' The Silkie, 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away’ The Walker Brothers, 'Make It Easy on Yourself' The Mindbenders, 'A Groovy Kind of Love' The Troggs, 'Wild Thing' Donovan, 'Sunshine Superman’ The Hollies, 'Bus Stop' Los Bravos, 'Black Is Black’ Spencer Davis Group, \Gimme Some Lovin'’ The Easybeats, 'Friday on My Mind' [from Australia] The Tremeloes, 'Here Comes My Baby' Bee Gees, 'New York Mining Disaster 1941' Lulu, 'To Sir With Love' The Who, 'I Can See for Miles'

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London Nightclub closures highlighted in new map

Social innovation foundation Nesta have shared a new interactive map of nightclubs in London. 

The map and accompanying data analysis clearly shows that nightclubs are moving away from traditional areas, including the centre of the city. Westminster (61% of venues), The City of London (58%) and the West End (45%) have all seen significant numbers of venues close. 

In all the average nightclub is now 5.3km from the centre of the city, compared to 4.6km for closed venues. The average club has also moved north and eastwards – a response to the opening of the East London Line branch of the Overground in 2010/11 which brought much of East London onto the tube network.

The map also shows a clustering of opened nightclubs – Kingsland Road in Dalston/Hackney, Shoreditch and Brixton for example – and this will help to inform the work of the Mayors cultural team who have previously stated their desire to nominate special “music zones” across the capital where venues, rehearsal spaces, nightclubs, bars, and studios cluster.

The data was scraped from nightclub listings magazine, Resident Advisor, and while there are some issues which have been highlighted (the fact that venue size hasn’t been taken into account, some of the listed venues are in fact music venues, the fact that the map doesn’t include club openings) in their analysis and by commentators below the line, this is the first proper data-led research of nightclub closures that we can think of. 

And its great stuff to add to the ongoing debate of who our cities should be for, how the night time economy needs to have a better deal, and whether culture, music and arts can live side-by-side with London’s residents, offices and property developers.

Read more on Music Heritage UK:

Fabric: A Few Weeks On

20 Years of Ministry of Sound

Music Maps

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Around the (Beatles) Universe

While Liverpool has a huge, and seemingly ever-growing, number of Beatles sights, locations, venues and attractions, the band’s huge significance around the world means a number of lesser-known tributes to the Fab Four have popped up in some unlikely locations.

We’ve shared 17 (seventeen!) of them in our buzzfeed-style post below. Our thanks to Atlas Obscura for originally sharing some of these with us and inspiring this post. 

1. Strawberry Fields, New York City (USA) We start with probably the best-known tribute outside of the UK. Built some five years after Lennon’s death outside of his apartment building round the corner, the mosaic features the word “Imagine” and has become a world-wide symbol of peace.  The site is “overseen” by super-fan Gary dos Santos who began visiting the site in the 1990s and was told by John Lennon to maintain the site... this discussion took place in his dreams. Photo: Corey Seeman (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, Flickr)

2. Beatles-Plaz, Hamburg (Germany) Sent to the North German city by their manager in 1960, the band who would become the Fab Four cut their teeth playing epic live sets at a range of bars, clubs and theatres. Fast-forward to 2006 and the City has renamed a square in honour of the Beatles and unveiled a memorial featuring the band members and some of their most famous songs. According to Wikipedia, the initial engravings had some spelling mistakes at launch, but these have since been corrected. Photo: Heide Daniel  (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia) 

3. Walnut Ridge, Arkansas (USA)  This small town celebrates one of the most famous stop-overs in history when the Beatles changed planes here in 1964. After a successful concert in Dallas, Texas, the Beatles arrived in the dead of night and went largely unnoticed. Spending the weekend in Misouri, the Fab Four had no idea that their return to Walnut Ridge chaos would ensue and they had to change planes again, only this time they were surrounded by 300 screaming teenagers. The event has been the subject of a documentary and the focus of an annual music festival. Furthermore, the city has unveiled, not one but two, Beatles themed monuments and renamed a city-centre street, Abbey Road. Photo: Thomas R. Machnitzkil (CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia)  

4. Lennon Wall, Prague (Czech Republic)  Like the recent tributes to Bowie in Brixton, Lennon’s Wall spontaneously sprang up in the aftermath of his death in 1980. Sitting opposite the French embassy, local authorities have tried in vain to paint over the graffiti which in 1988 often took a political tone and enabled the youth to vent their frustrations at the communist regime. This also inspired a wall in Hong Kong in 2014 (see below). The wall today is resplendent and colourful and changes regularly with new graffiti on a regular basis celebrating global ideals such as love and peace. Photo: Infrogmation (CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia)   

5. Lennon Wall, Hong Kong (China)  Inspired by how the Lennon Wall in Prague enabled the youth to share their displeasure at the political regime, pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong set up a similar wall only rather than graffiti, it was with post-it notes that political points were made. Photo: Ceeseven (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia)    

6. Imagine Peace Tower, Reykjavík (Iceland) An outdoor work of art conceived by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon featuring a single beam of light shining into the sky. It is situated on Viðey Island in Reykjavík, Iceland and was unveiled on October 9th 2007, John Lennon’s 67th birthday. Find out more at their website. Photo: TetsuRo Hamada (CC BY-ND 2.0, Flickr)     

7. Beatles Statue, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) Even in one of the world’s most remote capitals, there’s a Beatles tribute… The monument features bronze statues of the band in front of an apple shaped wall. Behind the wall, there’s a statue of a young man strutting a guitar representing the 1970s when groups of teenagers would gather to sing Beatles songs learnt from bootleg records smuggled here from Eastern Europe. Photo: Whatleydude (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia)  

8. Beatles Museum/The Cavern, Buenos Aires (Argentina)  We’re not talking about our favourite music attraction, the Beatles Story in Liverpool, but rather a museum in Buenos Aires opened by Collector Rodolfo Vazquez who shares his world record breaking 8,500 strong collection of Beatles memorabilia with the world. His favourite? 64 boxes of chewing gum in the form of miniature albums which allude to the 16 Beatles records. For good measure he’s also opened a nightclub called The Cavern next door. Photo: Wally Gobetz (CC BY 2.0, Flickr)  

9. The Cathedral Gallery, Rishikesh (India)  The Ashram of The Maharishi Mahesh where the Beatles came to learn about transcendental meditation in the late 1960s. Today a ruin in the middle of the jungle, a bribe to local guides will show you the way to the site which was taken over by a community of artists for two weeks in 2012. Adorning the walls are murals, graffiti and other artworks. We feel the Beatles would probably have approved. Find out more about the project on Facebook. Photo: Thoralf Gutierrez (CC BY 2.0, Flickr)

10. John Lennon statue, Almeria (Spain) Lennon is said to have composed ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ while staying in the area for the shooting of Richard Lester’s comedy film, How I Won The War. Inspired by the wrought iron gates of the villa where he was staying which reminded him of similar gates outside Strawberry Fields in Liverpool, he is said to have complete the song in the home’s bathroom. The villa has since been abandoned but still attracts thousands of curious Beatles’ tourists every year. The city have, however, unveiled a statue of Lennon.  Photo: Faber (CC BY 2.0, Flickr)

11. John Lennon Park, Havana (Cuba) Despite the music of the Beatles being banned by the Communist regime, the people of Cuba listened and loved their music thanks to bootleg tapes. 20 years after his death, Fidel Castro changed his mind and unveiled this statue and park for the singer, celebrating the musician as a hero and a fellow revolutionary. Photo: Terry Feuerborn (CC BY-NC 2.0, Flickr)

12. John Lennon statue, San Miguel, Lima (Peru) This statue was unveiled by the local mayor (who also happens to be a massive Beatles fan) and it is South America’s only permanent tribute to John Lennon and the Fab Four. Photo: I Heart Pandas (CC BY-NC 2.0, Flickr)

13. John Lennon Memorial Garden, Durness (Scotland) The location in a remote part of Scotland (the village is the most north-westerly place on mainland Britain) seems an odd place for a tribute, but a young John Lennon came on holiday here as a child visiting his family and there are still many locals who remember him. A garden next to the village hall featuring quotes from the man offers a touching and humble tribute to Lennon.  Photo: Ivan Hall (CC BY-SA 2.0,  Geograph.co.uk)

14. David Adickes’ Beatles Statues, Houston, Texas (USA) Standing 36 foot tall and weighing four tonnes each, these statues by artist (and friend of Picasso) David Adickes’ are currently sat in the car park of Houston brewery The Eighth Wonder until they find a new owner willing to stump up $350,00 for the concrete and wire statues.  Photo: JaseMan (CC BY 2.0, Flickr)

15. Beatles Tribute, Yekaterinburg (Russia) A wall sculpture dedicated to the Fab Four in central Russia pays testament to the band’s enduring influence on Russians who illegally listened to the band. Photo: Yashmenev (CC BY 2.0, Flickr)

16. Rock ‘n Roll McDonalds, Chicago (USA) Featuring a mini-museum to rock music, this McDonalds absolutely has no qualms about featuring prominent vegetarian and animal rights activist Paul McCartney to sell burgers. It must work though as Wikipedia claims that this outlet was once the busiest McDonalds in the world. Photo: Antonio Vernon (CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia)

17. Beatles’ Statues in Alamaty (Kazakstan) Created by artist Eduard Kazaryan, these cartoonish statues were unveiled in 2007. Photo: Ken and Nyetta (CC BY 2.0, Flickr)

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Celebrating International Duran Duran Appreciation Day with the world’s biggest collector

To celebrate international Duran Duran Appreciation Day this August 10th (yes, this is actually a thing), we met up with Andy Golub, the world’s largest collector of Duran Duran memorabilia to ask him a few questions. 

For those with good memories, we previously covered the release of Andy’s book, ‘The Music Between Us’.

Thanks Andy, or should we say Durandy? Firstly, how and when did the love affair with Duran Duran start?! 

The seeds were planted with my introduction to ‘The Reflex’. Simon’s distinctive, soaring vocals played deliciously against Nick’s sweeping synth melodies, and I quickly committed myself to memorising every intriguing lyric. The combination of charismatic photo sessions, a captivating video for 'The Reflex’, and the rest of the Ragged Tiger album cemented my interest. From the stylish marketing to the mountains of memorabilia, Duran Duran promised much more than catchy pop songs… there was a carefully-constructed, utterly seductive visual identity that ignited my imagination and left me yearning for more; each glossy poster displayed Duran’s individual and collective personality through fashion, makeup, and self-expression, bigger than life on my bedroom walls. Every new song I absorbed made me want to hear more, to immerse myself in the band’s catalogue, and to lose myself in the music. After nearly four decades, not much has changed...

So how and when did the collecting start?

I have always been a visually-minded person, naturally drawn to bold, compelling images and colorful designs. While Duran Duran’s songs continued to spark my devotion, I needed something tangible to complete the experience. I wanted to learn about the men behind the music, to have something in my hands that went beyond the records… Posters were my gateway drug. Rolled one-sheets, staple-bound fold-outs, and even magazine centerfolds all seemed to present the band in the manner I was seeking: large, colorful, and always around me in my room, keeping the songs and emotions alive long after my Walkman had been put away for the day.

My mother will testify to my lifelong struggles with moderation, never more evident than in my collecting efforts. How can I settle for just five or six posters when… there are others out there? So my appetite for completion took root, and the hunting began. Posters and pin-ups led to calendars, photographs, and official fan club materials, each item filling in a piece of Duran Duran history. Before long, I was curating a collection that numbered in the hundreds. I developed a focus, choosing paper ephemera over records, and learned how to properly care for these fragile treasures. After years passed and my inventory grew exponentially, I began to realize there was more in my custody than just pop memorabilia – this was evolving into a comprehensive, tactile examination of one artist’s career.

Did you ever feel that maybe your collecting was getting out of hand?

My heart has always been involved in my work, so I suppose any moments of “Holy moley, what have I created??” end up transforming into “Wow, I’m proud of what I have accomplished!” In recent years, as I’ve opened up the archive to visiting fans, my perspective has evolved even further; the touching reactions I’ve seen in my fellow Duranies has made me realise it’s not just the band’s history that’s being preserved – but history that belongs to the fans as well.

So turning to your collection now, what are the challenges you’ve faced?

There’s definitely a reason why most fans seem content to live in the moment, enjoying the band’s music, and waiting (im)patiently for the next tour - it’s a lot easier and cheaper than curating a collection with archival standards. The challenges that come with my archive are significant:

Firstly, space: in a 10’ x 20’ area, every square inch of real estate is crucial. Towering racks of flat poster boxes command a good amount of room, big rolls of linen-mounted Subway posters threaten to exceed their confines, and over 15,000 pages of articles reside in a sea of volumes… organizational creativity has become essential, especially when Duran Duran’s career shows no signs of slowing! So if there’s anyone out there who knows a good deal on a small airplane hangar…. I could be interested.

Secondly, temperature: even though the facility is designed to maintain a specific temperature range, I often pop in to check on conditions; a fan, and a heater, are available to keep things comfortable if necessary, and there are steps in play to remove excess moisture from the air. I never forget that paper is organic, and therefore can react to environmental extremes, or absorb elements such as excessive humidity.

Finally, the expense! While I have always viewed the collection as an invaluable investment, the costs of archival curation are certainly felt. Acid-free bags, boxes, tissue, mylar sleeves - these are the weapons in my arsenal, designed to defend against the ravages of time. Paper can yellow and grow brittle, colors fade in direct sunlight, bindings can loosen under stress… with each passing year, and every new milestone in the band’s story, my commitment to the archive deepens. I enjoy feeling that I’m part of something bigger than myself.

How have fans and the band reacted to your collection?

It’s never been enough to simply build a collection. The real joy comes from sharing it with others. I remember how everything changed with my first exhibition in February 2001, held over a weekend at the local Art/Not Terminal gallery. Duran Duran: A Retrospective took over all three floors, a first for the gallery; over 100 people showed up on opening night, arriving as curious adults and quickly transforming into delighted, wistful teenagers. That evening, my family learned this passion was much more than a bedroom wallpapered with posters, and I discovered how my efforts affected others in beautiful ways.  

My second exhibit, Some New Romantics, took place in 2007, primarily showcasing framed prints from Paul Edmond, Duran’s first photographer. The intimate space at the Caffeine Café became a time machine, decorated with stunning photos of the band in the earliest stages of their career. I filled out the walls with smaller posters from later years, educating attendees on where the band has been and where they were at the time – heralding the release of the Red Carpet Massacre album. I will never tire of the smiles and enthusiastic stories that emerge in an organized Duran Duran celebration… it reminds me why I do what I do.

You've also released some books? Can you tell us a bit about them...

Both of my books felt like natural extensions of the archive and the direction it’s taken. Beautiful Colors: The Posters of Duran Duran evolved into an ambitious, hefty examination of the band’s trajectory through the lens of official posters – promoting record releases, special events, and concerts around the world. I am always envisioning ways in which the archive can be shared with fans who can’t make the trip over, and my book proved to be a wonderful first step.

If Beautiful Colors was my love letter to the band, then The Music Between Us is a love letter to the fans. I wanted any follow-up to focus in closer, examining the impact Duran Duran makes on their loyal audiences. Live shows are the biggest, most dramatic context through which Duranies can gather, network, share experiences, rejoice in their collective passion, and truly enjoy a sense of belonging. This is a profound phenomenon that has certainly affected me over the years, and linking concert advertisements with fans’ memories seemed like a perfect concept for my second book. As I procured tender recollections from my fellow Duranies, The Music Between Us: Concert Ads of Duran Duran took on a very personal feel; reading others’ memories prompted me to revisit my own, and I felt more connected than ever to what some fans described as their “tribe.” I reveled in the poignant, inspiring, and even humorous experiences entrusted to me, each quote revealing a remarkable common thread that spans the planet.

I loved imagining that the second book could give Duran Duran a rare glimpse into how their shows really affect fans, since the band usually only hear the overwhelming roar in front of them!

But the end result has been incredibly gratifying, heartwarming, and more meaningful than I ever expected. On one level, Duran Duran deemed Beautiful Colors “magnificent” and have shown consistent support for both books through social media – always a view to a thrill (a single Tweet from the band has the power to send a Duranie’s day into the stratosphere, as countless fellow fans can attest). Then there are the fans’ reactions, proclaiming both books as “must-haves” and “collector’s items,” sharing spectacular smiling selfies with books in hand, and expressing emphatic endorsement of my endeavors. It’s immensely validating to have others believing in my work, encouraging my vision, and even trusting me with their own stories. Sometimes I even see fans contacting me to donate something special to the archive, just because they know it will be cared for properly. If I ever needed a sign that my efforts matter, I get one nearly every day.

Most pictures courtesy of the Durandy archive, apart from top image taken from Wikipedia and reproduced under creative commons. Please see the Durandy archive for more items from the collection. Duran Duran are currently completing their 2017 World Tour.

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Mapping 1,000 song titles

We’ve previously written about music related designers Dorothy who are back with a World Song Map. The beautiful crafted poster features more than 1,000 songs which are used to make up continents, countries, cities, oceans and seas, rivers and other landmarks. There are, of course, a host of classic UK artists featured on the map. 

Dorothy have also collated the 1,006 songs into a monster Spotify playlist.

Available in standard and special edition (pictured below) versions from their online shop.

For more music maps, check out our real-life interactive maps on our website.

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Research paints healthy picture for music tourism

UK Music’s flagship research report, Wish You Were Here which tracks music tourism (i.e. people travelling to attend concerts and festivals) has been released and it shows a healthy picture for live music generally with a 12% rise in audiences at live events across the country, that people were willing to travel for longer to attend music events. 

The total direct and indirect spend generated by the 12.5 million music tourists is £4 billion. This in turn sustains over 47,000 jobs.

However, the research also revealed that grassroots and small music venues have seen a sharp drop in the amount spent at venues. In 2016 some £202 million was spent in small venues, down 13%. This surely reinforces the Music Venue Trust’s calls for additional financial support for grassroots music venue sector.

Read the report in full at UK Music’s website.

[musicheritageuk]

BBC Music day rock plaques!

To celebrate this year’s BBC Music Day, more than 45 blue plaques were unveiled celebrating iconic the venues, studios, rehearsal rooms and the music from across the country. Among the artists recognised are David Bowie (with not one but two new plaques!), broadcaster John Peel, and Delia Derbyshire who composed the Doctor Who theme tune.

All of the plaques were voted for by listeners to BBC’s local radio stations and were erected by the British Plaque Trust. Trust Chairman is former BBC Radio One DJ - and writer of a pro-UKIP pop-song - Mike Read.

Please see below for a list of relevant classic rock plaques unveiled! We've omitted the plaques erected to celebrate Asian music, classical, folk and pre-1950s popular music to keep it relevant to our interests, but you can see the complete list over at the BBC which also includes some small video snippets around some of the new plaques.

BBC North East & Cumbria:

Where Led Zeppelin made their debut. The Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

Where ‘Summer Holiday’ was written for Cliff Richard. The Globe, Stockton-Upon-Tees.

BBC Yorkshire:

Iconic (and tiny!) venue The Shed. Bawbury Village Hall, York.

BBC East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire:

Where the Spiders from Mars departed for adventures with David Bowie. Paragon Station, Hull.

Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and T. Rex have all performed here. The Gilderdrome, Boston Lincolnshire.

BBC North West:

Where Factory Records was founded. Alan Erasmus's flat, West Didsbury.

Deaf School, Talking Heads, The Clash, The Police, Ramones, Echo and the Bunnymen, Wah and Heat all played here. Erics, Liverpool.

BBC West Midlands:

Home of Delia Derbyshire, the Radiophonic Workshop pioneer who realised the Doctor Who theme (and influenced the course of electronic music), 104, Cedars Avenue, Coventry.

Birthplace of John Bonham, Led Zeppelin drummer. 84 Birchfield Road, Headless Cross.

Jeremiah Patrick ‘Jerry’ Lordan, songwriter of hits for The Shadows and Cliff Richard. Three Tuns, Bishop’s Castle.

A plaque for Ian Fraser ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, the Motörhead founder and singer, whose song 'Ace of Spades' has been adopted by Port Vale FC. Port Vale FC.

Birthplace and childhood home of Nick Drake. Far Leys.

BBC East:

Art school of Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University.

Home of Steve Marriott of The Small Faces and Humble Pie. Beehive Cottage, Moreton.

The last gig of Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention. Byfield Village Hall.

NME’s best small venue. Norwich Arts Centre which opened in 1977.

The village where John Peel grew up. The Village Hall in Great Finborough.

Concert venue which has welcomed The Who, Robbie Williams and Oasis. Watford Colosseum, Watford.

BBC London:

David Bowie’s recording studio. Trident Studios, Soho, London.

The first British black male artist to sell 1 million records and get a number one, Emile Ford.  The Buttery, North Kensington, London.

BBC South East:

The Manish Boys featuring a young David Bowie often played here. Royal Star Arcade, Maidstone.

Celebrating Rick Parfitt of Status Quo. The Square, Woking.

Where ABBA won the Eurovision song contest. The Dome, Brighton.

BBC South:

John Lennon and Paul McCartney played their only gig as The Nerk Twins here. Fox and Hounds Pub, Caversham.

Status Quo, XTC, Gerry Rafferty, Duran Duran, Steve Winwood, Beverley Craven and Radiohead all recorded here when it was known as Chipping Norton Recording Studios. Blue Horizon Studio, Oxford.

BBC West:

The home of ska, reggae and blue beat in Bristol, Bamboo Club which hosted gigs by Bob Marley, Ben E King, Desmond Dekker, Percy Sledge and Jimmy Cliff. Bamboo Club, Bristol.

Home of The Who founder and bassist, John Entwistle. Royal British Legion, Gloucester.

Where Buddy Holly played. The Gaumont, Salisbury.

Image: TonyMo22 shared under creative commons license.

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Mapping Pink Floyd

For those who may have missed this... (where have you been?) we’re bringing together all of our Pink Floyd content into one blog post for ease of reference.

To coincide with the band’s major retrospective at the V&A in London, Their Mortal Remains, we are delighted to share not one, but two, Pink Floyd maps covering the locations which helped to make the band - London and Cambridge. We've embedded the London one below for you.

We’re also delighted to share our interactive timeline which explores the history of this band. Take some time to delve into the band, listen to their songs, watch some of their most famous videos, discover iconic memorabilia including concert posters, tickets, artwork and more... We're pretty pleased with the result!  See our GIFs below for a brief preview of our Timeline! Explore it in full on Sutori who have made it timeline of the week!

[musicheritageuk]

Kingston music history project looking for volunteers

News reaches us at Music Heritage UK about an exciting new project which is looking for volunteers. Kingston RPM - Records, People and Music will explore the rich history of music in the borough of Kingston-upon-Thames from the 1940s to the 1970s.   

The Heritage Lottery backed project will, among other things, explore the history of the Decca Records processing plant in the borough, the jazz music brought over with the US army stationed at Bushey Park during and after the War, and the high-profile gigs that occurred in the town from David Bowie launching Ziggy Stardust at the Toby Jug in Tolworth, to the famous Folk Barge that sailed the Thames. 

The project are looking for local volunteers. Full training will be provided and expenses will be refunded. For more information and to put yourself forward, please visit Creative Youth’s website or contact project manager Jarek at [email protected]

Our apologies to Jarek and Creative Youth for our slow turnaround!

[musicheritageuk]

George Tavern wins further legal battle against developers

A message from The George Tavern updating us with some more good news in their ongoing legal battles with developers.

Last night we received news that a momentous decision had been reached by the Planning Inspectorate. We are delighted to announce that the appeal against refusal to grant planning permission, listed building consent and conservation area consent has been dismissed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government! This means that the proposal to build houses right next to the George Tavern has been refused planning permission.

This is not only a fantastic outcome for The George Tavern, but a signal for all music venues across the UK, who fear that they can be bullied and bought by developers, that the planning system will protect live music venues from inappropriate housing development. We hope that this decision will be a huge support for all future battles against those who would strive to see venues steeped in historical and cultural significance pushed out to support unseemly profiteering.

We would like to say a huge thank you to all those who supported us in this difficult time by donating, buying t-shirts, playing their wonderful music in our venue and even those who simply shared our social media posts.

Whilst the battle is won, the war may not be over. Swan Housing Group still has the option to go back to the High Court and attempt to overturn the refusal of planning permission . We sincerely hope this does not happen but just in case it does, we will continue to #SAVETHEGEORGETAVERN!

Harry Campbell of Harrison Grant Solicitors said, “It is a cornerstone of the planning system that you should not place incompatible development, such as a live music venue and housing, next to each other.

This has been a long fight, but we are delighted that the Secretary of State has acknowledged that it is not appropriate to prejudice the survival of the George Tavern, a culturally important live music venue, by placing housing on its doorstep which would almost certainly have led to complaints and restrictions on the George Tavern’s license. This decision will hopefully send a message to developers that they cannot continue to threaten the ongoing existence of live music venues which are the heartbeat of London with inappropriately located development.”

Music Heritage UK has been supporting the George Tavern’s fight against a proposed development on a plot adjacent to the established music venue since 2014, while Pauline and her family have been fighting these plans for nearly ten years. Find out more at our campaign pages.

As well as Music Heritage UK, London’s Night time Mayor Amy Lame, the Mayor of London’s cultural office, and the Music Venue Trust all shared their support for the George Tavern.

[musicheritageuk]

Iron Maiden: The Complete Gigography

We’ve been busy behind the scenes completing our next online music map... the complete 'gigography’ of the UK’s heavy metal giants Iron Maiden. 

Unlike many of the more regularly featured acts on Music Heritage UK, Iron Maiden are not necessarily much loved by critics, nor played regularly on mainstream radio. Yet despite this they have sold tens of millions of albums and millions of concert tickets. They’ve toured extensively and made a legion of fans along the way and must be considered one of the country’s most commercially successful music acts of all time.

Our analysis of 37 years of Iron Maiden’s gig history shows 2,182 concerts across five continents. Concerts have ranged from small intimate pubs (The Ruskin Arms, London) to huge festivals (Rock in Rio) and everything in-between. 

Over the years they’ve played a number of countries, cities and venues again and again... the top ten countries the band have visited can be found below.

As well as the interactive map, we’ve also shared a new playlist of the Best of Iron Maiden as compiled by fan site Maiden Revelations.

We hope you enjoy our map and playlist... just one more thing to add... "Up the Irons!"

[musicheritageuk]

Coventry’s role in Chuck Berry’s only number one

Embed from Getty Images

Last week’s news of Chuck Berry’s death was met with a string of public tributes from fellow musicians and some thoughtful obituaries in the media. Chuck Berry’s position as one of the key players in rock and roll history was cemented, while his passing also brought about a public discussion as to whether we can separate man from art. We were also delighted to see some coverage of the links between Chuck Berry and the city of Coventry...

During Chuck Berry’s February 1972 UK tour, Berry was booked to play The Lanchester Arts Festival. Along with Pink Floyd, Berry was the biggest name on the bill and as such he played the higher capacity Locarno in the centre of Coventry, as opposed to the Student University Hall.

The first half of the show included all the Berry classics like ‘Sweet Sixteen’ and ‘Maybellene’. The second half would see Berry ramp up the sexual innuendo, including ruder than normal version of ‘Reelin’ & Rockin’ and an epic new song, ‘My Ding A-Ling’.

The ‘novelty’ song written by Dave Bartholomew (but musically based on another Berry song, ‘My Tambourine’) was covered by Berry in Coventry for the first time. Splitting the audience into two, Berry led the two choruses of boys and girls into a call and response game around the lyrics which might as well substitute “ding-a-ling” for “penis”.

The full performance was recorded that night by the Pye mobile studio and released to become Chuck Berry’s first and only number one in both the US and the UK. This is despite the protestations of people like Mary Whitehouse who were incensed at the song’s innuendo.

The recording was released on the London Sessions album which included a 23 minute set live from Coventry, including ‘Reelin’ n’ Rockin’ which followed up ‘My Ding A-Ling’ and also charted at a respectable 18 in the UK. The album version was the full 11 minutes plus of the performance, while the single was edited to a more manageable four minutes or so.

Berry was so ecstatic with the crowd’s reaction to the show that he overran, leaving more than 2,000 Pink Floyd fans waiting outside for the next show in the pouring rain.

Peter Chambers BEM of the Coventry Music Museum says, “My Ding-A-Ling, was arguably Chuck Berry's worse ever record, that said it was his only number one either side of the Atlantic.  So Coventry has always been happy to feature in Chuck's story, making our own little piece of music history by being the city where My Ding-a-ling was recorded."

Our thanks to Peter and the Coventry Music Museum for their help with this piece. You can find out more about the song at the museum.

Images: Wikipedia, Getty Images 

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Let me take you down to Strawberry Fields

Located close to where John Lennon grew up with his Aunt Mimi in Liverpool, Strawberry Field was a place of peace, refuge and exploration when he was a young boy. At the time the site was a Salvation Army Children’s Home and Lennon would explore the grounds as a child and later returned to the name, if not the location, to inspire him to write one of the Beatles’ most iconic and loved songs, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. 

The Salvation Army is fundraising to support the development of a new centre which will both provide a new music heritage tourist attraction in Liverpool and create a new training hub for young people with learning disabilities and create sustainable employment opportunities. It’s a great example of how music heritage can be leveraged for wider aims. 

While tourists already visit the huge entrance gates to the site, the project will mean that they’ll be able to discover more about John Lennon’s life as a young boy and the inspiration behind the song,  

The video below explores John Lennon’s links to the site and highlights the wider aims of the project.

The Salvation Army is fundraising to help make this a reality and have launched a range of ‘Strawberry Fields’ themed memorabilia to buy (t-shirts, mugs, posters). 

Get involved now and support a great project which will help create a new music heritage tourist attraction, as well as deliver a worthy project for some of the Army’s key beneficiaries.