Introduction

About ten years ago, the publisher that was due to bring this guide to the masses backed out (it was the company accountant who said 'no', apparently). The manuscript has been sitting on my hard drive ever since, which seems like a bit of a waste, really, given that it is far and away the most comprehensive work of its kind that, to my knowledge, has so far seen the light of day.

In the decade since the work was sidelined, other London rock and pop guides have come and gone. With perhaps one exception, they have had the air of being, frankly, a bit superficial, a bit 'make-a-bit-of-cash-for-the-minimum-effort', if you know what I mean. Sorry if I'm ruffling feathers, here, but that's how it's looked to me. The other weird thing is that all these guides, so-called, have been printed in large format, or at least in a format that seems designed not to fit into a) your pocket, or b) a medium-sized hand-cart. In other words, they have not been published with any real sense that they will be used as 'guides'. Rather, they are armchair diversions created for musicophile couch potatoes. 

That is seriously not my intention, here. This is a guide for music fans who literally cannot wait to get out and pound the pavements, and gaze upon the very places where music history was made. To my mind, this is what the word 'guide' implies. Or am I missing something? By putting it online, I'm giving you, dear music fan, the wherewithal to get out there and explore the rich rock and pop history that London has to offer. And if you're in another part of the world, and burning shoe leather on London streets is not an option, you now have the miracle of Google Maps to give you the same pleasure vicariously. Not quite the same as actually being there, maybe. But far more than would have been possible when this guide was first offered for publication.

I've thought long and hard about how to format this work to make it as easy to use as possible. My focus with the guide was always to offer the story of London rock and pop via its locations: a geo-history of the London music scene, that touches on other relevant musical genres, notably jazz, folk and skiffle, all of which were key in the evolution of the British pop scene during the 1960s, and beyond. For this reason, I've concentrated strictly on 'telling the story'; there are no intrusive maps and references to get in the way. The addresses are all there. But you'll need to buy an A-to-Z, or online equivalent, to find your way to individual locations. 

For me, the key era for London rock and pop was the 1960s. That was when British music conquered the world. That was when the London music scene was at its most vibrant and influential. I don't think there can be any argument about that. This was the decade when the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, the Kinks and more, were all living, playing and recording in London. It was an incredible, mythical time. Okay, plenty happened in the decades that followed. David Bowie, Queen, punk, and more. But even punk, for all its impact, was a relatively niche affair compared to the universality of the Beatles and the Stones. 

As the years have gone by, so the music emanating from London has become still more diverse, and fragmented. At the same time, the means of disseminating the music has become increasingly less focused. If another Beatles or Stones were to come along today, they would likely pass beneath the radar screen entirely, save perhaps the odd showing on Later With Jools Holland (the only regular live music show on British TV these days). Okay, there's MTV, and similar. But like Buggles observed a couple of decades back, video really did mean the death of the old-style rock and pop star. The problem with video is two-fold. It denies the listener the power of imagination (the pictures music makes in your head can be key). And whoever is hired to make the video is often a lesser talent than the artist whose music he or she is trying to interpret, which can seriously diminish the impact of a record by imposing crass imagery on the listener. (A good example of this, from my point of view, is the video that accompanied Bowie's 2013 comeback,Where Are We Now? a brilliant single, as great a song has he's ever written. But the 'arty' video that accompanied it was, frankly, shit.)

But I digress. Getting back to my motivation for posting this stuff online, if I'm to be honest, it is not just altruism on my part. Yes, I'm curious to see what the response will be from music fans, and, well, anyone, really. But if there are any publishers out there who want to take up the baton dropped a decade ago, then do please get in touch. Meanwhile, the first few postings are going online right away, starting with Mayfair, if only because it is such a lovely area to wander around ...