No longer a schoolboy but now a youth poised for a fresh start, he sensed significant changes brewing in the aftermath of World War II. With the war concluded, nations, both victors and vanquished, were in a flurry to redirect their economies towards peace. He was caught up in the palpable excitement of a transformation on the horizon. ‘I’m leaving school this Easter,’ he announced to the boys on September Road. Climbing down from the low stone wall, he made his way home, bidding farewell with a wave. He found himself on the brink of joining the ranks of the unemployed. A ship’s engineer, or perhaps an apprentice to one, as his father had hinted? The discussion around what job might suit him never ventured into the realm of Marine Engineering. The topic soon became as extinct as the proverbial dodo – his initial taste of disappointment. The challenge of finding a position as a young adult had arisen, and his life progressed accordingly. Demonstrating eagerness and a willingness to work was non-negotiable; he was more than ready to spread his wings. Yet, amidst these challenges, his reflective moments found solace in the image of the breathtakingly glamorous Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth. Her latest film had introduced her new visage, now occupying his quieter moments: a comforting vision that offered him a gentle escape.

No longer a schoolboy but now a youth embarking on a fresh start. He sensed the significant changes in the air as World War II had just ended. Nations, both victors and vanquished, were scrambling to adapt their economies for peace, sparking an atmosphere of serious excitement about the impending transformation. ‘I’m leaving school this Easter,’ he announced to the September Road boys before descending from the low stone wall and making his way home, bidding his ‘byes’. He was about to join the ranks of the unemployed. ‘Ship’s Engineer or an apprentice to it, perhaps?’ his father had suggested. However, the title ‘Marine Engineer’ was not part of his parents’ final job considerations for him. The subject soon became as obsolete as the proverbial dodo – his first disappointment. The challenge of finding a job as a young adult had begun, and his life progressed. He was eager to demonstrate enthusiasm and willingness to work. Setting aside these challenges, he found solace in his reflective moods, comforted by the breathtaking glamour of Hollywood screen actress Rita Hayworth. Her latest film had introduced him to her new visage, now occupying his quieter moments with a vision that both calmed and thrilled him.

Full of the warmth and excitement of growing up in the 1950s, awakening nostalgia for times that seemed cosy and carefree with families at last enjoying peacetime, this book is packed with the experience of school days, playtime, holidays, toys, games, clubs and hobbies conjuring up the genuine atmosphere of a bygone era. As the decade progressed, rationing ended and children's pocket money was spent on goodies like Chocstix, Spangles, Wagon Wheels and Fry's Five Boys. Television brought Bill and Ben, The Adventures of Robin Hood and, for teenagers, The Six-Five Special, along with coffee bars and rock 'n' roll. This book opens a window on an exciting period of optimism, when anything seemed possible, described by the children and teenagers who experienced it. Liverpool's traditional sense of community, strengthened by the war years, provided a secure background from which children and teenagers could welcome a second Elizabethan era.

At times it appears that a whole industry exists to perpetuate the myth of origin of the Beatles. There certainly exists a popular music (or perhaps 'rock') origin myth concerning this group and the city of Liverpool and this draws in devotees, as if on a pilgrimage, to Liverpool itself. Once 'within' the city, local businesses exist primarily to escort these pilgrims around several almost iconic spaces and places associated with the group. At times it all almost seems 'spiritual'. One might argue however that, like any function myth, the music history of the Liverpool in which the Beatles grew and then departed is not fully represented. Beatles historians and businessmen-alike have seized upon myriad musical experiences and reworked them into a discourse that homogenizes not only the diverse collective articulations that initially put them into place, but also the receptive practices of those travellers willing to listen to a somewhat linear, exclusive narrative. Other Voices therefore exists as a history of the disparate and now partially hidden musical strands that contributed to Liverpool's musical countenance. It is also a critique of Beatles-related institutionalized popular music mythology. Via a critical historical investigation of several thus far partially hidden popular music activities in pre- and post-Second World War Liverpool, Michael Brocken reveals different yet intrinsic musical and socio-cultural processes from within the city of Liverpool. By addressing such 'scenes' as those involving dance bands, traditional jazz, folk music, country and western, and rhythm and blues, together with a consideration of partially hidden key places and individuals, and Liverpool's first 'real' record label, an assemblage of 'other voices' bears witness to an 'other', seldom discussed, Liverpool. By doing so, Brocken - born and raised in Liverpool - asks questions about not only the historicity of the Beatles-Liverpool narrative, but also about the absence o

First Published in 1996. The first generation of British teenagers- young people eager to spend a significant proportion of their wages on consumer goods and services such as cosmetics, clothes, magazines, records, motorcycles, cinemas and dance halls- is generally regarded as that of the 1950s and 1960s. The same group, sociologists and economic and social historians have claimed, was the first to enjoy the autonomy in the labour market and to experience low unemployment. This study argues convincingly that in fact a teenage culture in modern sense already existed in the period between the two world wars. The book is grounded in extensive original research; on hitherto unexploited sources such as the records of the interwar Juvenile Employment Bureaux; on the records of youth movements ranging from the Boy Scouts to inner-city lads' and girls' clubs; on magazines aimed at youth, from millgirl magazines to specialist film, music and hobbies publications; and on contemporary social surveys, newspapers and oral history.

The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who, and numerous other groups put Britain at the center of the modern musical map. Please Please Me offers an insider's view of the British pop-music recording industry during the seminal period of 1956 to 1968, based on personal recollections, contemporary accounts, and all relevant data that situate this scene in the economic, political, and social context of postwar Britain. Author Gordon Thompson weaves issues of class, age, professional status, gender, and ethnicity into his narrative, beginning with the rise of British beat groups and the emergence of teenagers as consumers in postwar Britain, and moving into the competition between performers and the recording industry for control over the music. He interviews musicians, songwriters, music directors, and producers and engineers who worked with the best-known performers of the era. Drawing his interpretation of the processes at work during this musical revolution into a wider context, Thompson unravels the musical change and innovation of the time with an eye on understanding what traces individuals leave in the musical and recording process.

Refreshing and insightful, Beatlemania offers a deeper understanding the days of the Fab Four and the band's long-term effects on the business and culture of pop music.

No longer a schoolboy but now a youth poised for a fresh start, he sensed significant changes brewing in the aftermath of World War II. With the war concluded, nations, both victors and vanquished, were in a flurry to redirect their economies towards peace. He was caught up in the palpable excitement of a transformation on the horizon. 'I'm leaving school this Easter, ' he announced to the boys on September Road. Climbing down from the low stone wall, he made his way home, bidding farewell with a wave. He found himself on the brink of joining the ranks of the unemployed. A ship's engineer, or perhaps an apprentice to one, as his father had hinted? The discussion around what job might suit him never ventured into the realm of Marine Engineering. The topic soon became as extinct as the proverbial dodo - his initial taste of disappointment. The challenge of finding a position as a young adult had arisen, and his life progressed accordingly. Demonstrating eagerness and a willingness to work was non-negotiable; he was more than ready to spread his wings. Yet, amidst these challenges, his reflective moments found solace in the image of the breathtakingly glamorous Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth. Her latest film had introduced her new visage, now occupying his quieter moments: a comforting vision that offered him a gentle escape

Siân Lincoln considers the use, role and significance of private spaces in the lives of young people. Drawing on extensive ethnographic research, she explores the place of 'the private' in youth cultural discourses, both historically and contemporarily, that until now have remained largely absent in youth cultural research.

Few issues attract greater concern and censure than those that surround youth 'gangs'. Comprising a series of essays from leading national and international researchers, this book subjects such claims to rigorous critical scrutiny. It provides a challenging and authoritative account of complex questions pertaining to urban youth identities, crime and social order.