Liddypool: Birthplace of the Beatles

"This is the best Beatles book for 20 years", says Bill Heckle, Director of Cavern City Tours and organizer of the annual Beatle Week Festival, Liverpool.

Liverpool, England. When it comes to The Beatles' history, Liverpool lore is a bit like Hollywood: the legend seems to get retold and rehashed with scant regard for the truth. Liverpudlian, and Beatles Historian, David Bedford has penned a definitive new book describing facts and truths of the colourful, formative years of The Beatles, starting many years before they stepped out in suits and mop-top haircuts. This gloriously colourful new volume takes fans on a unique magical mystery tour through the Liverpool of The Beatles, while setting the record straight on many myths and legends.

About Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles

Growing up in post-1960s Liverpool—or "Liddypool" as John Lennon renamed it—one cannot avoid The Beatles. They are "Here, There and Everywhere". Much to Bedford's dismay, authors were writing about The Beatles' hometown, and getting their facts wrong.

"To understand The Beatles, you have to understand Liverpool," says Bedford.

Bedford spent nearly a decade compiling Liddypool: Birthplace of the Beatles (Dalton Watson Fine Books, Ltd). "Most authors who have written about the Beatles write about Liverpool from their computers in another country. All of my research was done the old-fashioned way: by visiting sites, talking to eyewitnesses first-hand, collecting stories from friends and acquaintances of The Beatles, and viewing hundreds of documents and previously unseen photographs. It was a labour of love."

This amazing book also features perhaps the most thoroughly researched, fact-based and unrefuted theories of one of the most enduring and alluring mysteries of rock-n-roll history: a mystery that has perplexed Beatles fans and historians for decades. Why was Pete Best dismissed from The Beatles on the threshold of fame, to be replaced by Ringo Starr? The myths are unravelled here and finally put the discussion to rest.

• How did they eventually become The Fab Four?
• Who changed the course of Beatles folklore because she won on the horses?
• Why was Pete Best dismissed? The new theory is proposed.
• Were they really John, Paul, George, Stuart and Norman?
• Who was Ken Brown, and why was he such an integral part of this story?

About the author

David Bedford with the Quarrymen

David Bedford is a life-long Beatles fan who grew up in the Dingle, Liverpool, near the bottom of the street where Ringo Starr was born; attended the same school as the famous drummer—though many years later—and has been involved as a parent and governor at Dovedale School, where John Lennon and George Harrison attended; he has lived by Penny Lane for 20 years. Bedford is also a feature writer for The British Beatles Fan Club since 2000. He has been interviewed on BBC and Local Radio and several national British newspapers about his knowledge of The Beatles. He was most recently chosen by Paul McCartney's production team to lead and direct the film crew around McCartney's childhood haunts for the pre-show film on his Back in the World tour.

Donna Jackson brings us this review:

Dave Bedford begins his book with a challenge, asking "do you need another Beatles book?" He poses ten trivia questions and suggests that, if you can answer all then correctly, you probably dont need to read on.

However, having read Liddypool: Birthplace of the Beatles, I disagree. Even IF (and it's a very big 'if') you can answer all ten questions correctly, I still strongly recommend that you read this book!

Dave began work on Liddypool in 2000, and the depth and quality of his research shines out of every page. He was originally inspired to write the book because of the lack of consistency in the stories about the Beatles' Liverpool years and he painstakingly has chased every lead to produce what can arguably be considered to be the definitive account of the band's early years.

The book begins with a clear and concise history of the city of Liverpool because, as Dave says, "to understand the Beatles, you have to understand Liverpool." He then goes on to tell the story of Liverpool and the Beatles, finishing with an account of the film premiere of A Hard Day's Night in Liverpool in July 1964. The tale is told through a mixture of Dave's narrative and in-depth interviews with people who were there, including Pete and Rory Best, Julia Baird, Colin Hanton, Rod Davis, Allan Williams, Bill Harry, Alistair Taylor, Sam Leach and Tony Barrow. The result is an engaging, lively and absorbing—and probably the most accurate—depiction of the Beatles' early years.

The narrative is illustrated throughout with hundred of images, some of which have never before been published, and others that are extremely rare. The photographs include the interiors of Forthlin Road and Mendips, as well as places around Liverpool that have since been demolished. Thanks to Dave, though, these special places are not lost to Beatle fans—and the number, variety and excellence of the illustrations make the book worth the purchase price alone.

However, Dave offers the reader even more. There are family trees for all the Beatles, detailed chronologies of events, a full list of the venues that the Beatles played around Merseyside, and a detailed account of all the songs written or performed by the Beatles (both as a band or in their solo careers) that have connections to Liverpool.

And as if that wasn't enough, Dave concludes by providing the means by which the reader can experience the magic of Beatle places around Liverpool first-hand. He has produced detailed maps so that you can take your own tour of the places associated with the Beatles. The 'obvious' tours include Liverpool city centre, Penny Lane, Woolton, Allerton and the Dingle. But Dave goes further, and his maps and tours cover all of Merseyside. There really is nothing that you will not know about the Beatles and Liverpool by the time you finish reading the 330+ pages of Liddypool: Birthplace of the Beatles.

In his book, Dave gives the reader the opportunity to "explore the Beatles' Liverpool" in words, pictures, and in person—and he does a stunning job! It is an absolute goldmine of information, and a 'must-have' for any Beatles fan.

My marks out of ten? ...Eleven!!

—Donna Jackson

Liddypool: Birthplace of The Beatles is published by Dalton Watson (daltonwatson.com), ISBN 9781854432377.

Buy Liddypool: Birthplace of the Beatles now from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com, or for signed copies, go to liddypool.com.

© 2010 British Beatles Fan Club