Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 224
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-1-5381-2717-9 • Hardback • February 2020 • $28.00 • (£18.95)
978-1-5381-2718-6 • eBook • February 2020 • $26.50 • (£17.95) (coming soon)
Stephen Tow teaches history at Delaware Valley University, specializing in rock n roll and twentieth-century America. He is the author of The Strangest Tribe: How a Group of Seattle Rock Bands Invented Grunge and resides near Philadelphia with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.
Foreword by Bill Bruford
Introduction
Chapter 1: Out of the Grey, Into the Blues
Chapter 2: R&B Boom!
Chapter 3: It Was Just Bloody Wednesday
Chapter 4: Discovering Prog Rock
Chapter 5: You Can All Join In (Progressive Folk)
Chapter 6: Blues Revisited
Epilogue
This vibrant pop history makes a strong case for London being the true birthplace of modern rock. . . The book moves at rocket speed as it describes how the music pivoted and grew . . . What results is a passionate study of a unique moment in rock history.— Publishers Weekly
Stephen Tow is very insightful in his descriptions and historically on the button. He is an inspiring documenter of the period. Well done.— Dave Davies, The Kinks
Through its clarity and apposite interviews, Tow's recreation of London's musical growth from the fifties onwards gives you a genuine feeling of being amongst it all and sharing the excitement that we all felt.— Kingsley Abbott, music writer & 60s London teen
A must read for all you unfortunates who weren’t around to be part of this seminal era.— Terry Marshall, co-founder, Marshall Amplification
Once again Stephen Tow takes us back to a great musical place in time. Every minute and every paragraph sparks the memory and a smile.
— Peter Noone, Herman’s Hermits
This is a must read on both sides of the Atlantic for any contemporary music buff. The influence of black American music on the British music scene is profound, and what the British did with it had a profound influence on turning American audiences on to their own musical heritage.
— Dave Mason, Traffic
Stephen Tow’s excellent and comprehensive book importantly positions London at the centre of 60s world culture, and shows the roots and consequences of that from the 50s to the present day. We thought it was normal then, but it has turned out to be something special.
— Richard Thompson
Stephen Tow has accurately depicted post-war England in the fifties and sixties, when nobody understood what was happening in music until decades later. London, Reign Over Me took me back to what was an extraordinary time for music; a creative and cultural phenomenon that could never be replicated.
— Roger Glover, Deep Purple
Stephen Tow is to be congratulated on his insightful commentary and understanding of the evolution of the rock music scene in London during the 60s. Tow's interpretation was fascinating reading and spot on.
— Mike Pinder, The Moody Blues
Tow conjures up the period in the '60's when I and the Ram Jam Band had our biggest success alongside legendary artists Georgie Fame and Zoot Money. It was an amazing time and this very accurate and extremely well-written book brought back some fantastic memories. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of music.
— Geno Washington, Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band