The British Beat Explosion: Rock 'N' Roll Island

Best Blues Book 2014 by Blues Matters magazine. Have you heard about Eel Pie Island? Anyone with an interest in the history of UK rock n' roll is familiar with The Cavern Club and the role that Merseyside played in the story of the British Beat scene. But on a far-less-celebrated, but no less significant path, over a small bridge onto an island in the middle of the Thames, Eel Pie Hotel, another great 60s club night, played host to acts that would later make a global name for themselves. The Rolling Stones, Long John Baldry, Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, The Small Faces, David Bowie and The Yardbirds are amongst the many acts who performed at the legendary Eel Pie Hotel during its 50s and 60s heyday, as did jazz greats like Ken Colyer, Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk, as well as more avant-garde performers like Ivor Cutler. But how did The Eel Pie Club become such a popular venue? What motivated its founder, Arthur Chisnall to create a space where young people could enjoy the music they wanted to, in an environment free from the usual constraints? Why has this thriving West London scene been omitted from rock history when its influence has spread far and wide? Recently, bands like The Mystery Jets have paid homage to Chisnall's fabulous club, playing gigs on the island that launched careers and cemented rock's infamous relationships. The latest incarnation of the Eel Pie Club is alive and well. This book traces the origins of a scene that is long overdue for recognition.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: the Music Scene 6 of the Late 1950s and Early 1960s Zoë Howe 1. Eelpiland: How It All Began 32 Michele Whitby 2. Rockin’ Around the Island 68 John Platt Rockin’ Around the Town 80 Peter Davis 3. Island Voices 92 4. Eel Pie at the Cabbage Patch 122 Gina Way 5. The Magic Goes On 138 Zoë Howe Pictures 156 Resources 158

About the Author :
Jennifer Wheatley is an experienced book editor with fiction, non-fiction and cookery titles to her name. Zoe Howe is a writer, musician and visual artist based in Essex. Current projects include a film and book about the life and work of X-Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene. Previous books include, 'Lee Brilleaux - Rock 'n' Roll Gentleman', the bestselling 'Stevie Nicks - Visions, Dreams And Rumours', 'Barbed Wire Kisses - The Jesus and Mary Chain Story', 'Typical Girls? The Story Of The Slits', 'How's Your Dad? Living In The Shadow of a Rock Star Parent', 'Florence + The Machine - An Almighty Sound' and 'Wilko Johnson - Looking Back At Me'. She was a contributing author to 'British Beat Explosion - Rock 'n' Roll Island' and to Julien's documentary The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson. In 2015, Zoe joined the Doc 'n' Roll Film Festival jury, and as of 2016, she is The Blues Magazine's resident 'rock 'n' roll agony aunt'. Michele Whitby has spent most of her life in the Twickenham area. She discovered Eel Pie Island whilst looking for somewhere to set up a photographic studio after leaving college in 1988 and has never really left the place since. A jack-of-all-trades (hopefully master of some!) she has been amongst other things, a photographer, leather-worker, puzzle writer, comic-book colourist and shopkeeper. She became good friends with Arthur Chisnall around 1996 while beginning to research Eel Pie's musical past. She co-authored the book Eel Pie Island with Dan van der Vat, published in 2009. She was the curator of the Aurora Metro exhibition in 2013 called 'Eelpiland' which digitized two photo archives and collected memorabilia to celebrate the island's music heritage. This led her to campaign for and establish the Eel Pie Island Museum in Twickenham. Michele has two children, Louie and Leila, and lives very happily aboard a boat on the Island, venturing off here and there to catch some live music. John Platt was John was born in Heston, Middlesex, and educated at Latymer Boys school. He became a renowned writer known for his passion for rock and pop music. Platt founded Comstock Lode, and collaborated on books with the Yardbirds and Mitch Mitchell, of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and produced a guide to the 1960s and 1970s rock venues of London. Moving to New York in the 90s, he organised the Cinerock festival at the Lincoln Center. He also published a book about the making of Cream's album Disraeli Gears, and was involved in making documentaries on Cream and Eric Clapton and was writing a book on the history of the blues at the time of his death in 2001.

Review :
"Here there are fascinating interviews with performers, and fans' oral histories explaining why and how Eel Pie became the unlikely centre of a transformative musical and social scene." - Blues Matters magazine. 'From the perspective of an Eelpieland regular- back in the day - it's a wonderful read with great pictures - I couldn't put it down.' - Steven Cockcroft