SPENCER Leigh, the veteran presenter of Radio Merseyside’s Saturday On the Beat show, has followed the success of his book, The Beatles in Hamburg, with a beautifully illustrated volume about the boys’ early days in their own city – The Beatles in Liverpool.
The style is crisp and precise with all assertions supported by quotations from those who knew John, Paul, George, Ringo, Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best. These include school fellows, the Quarry Men group, as well as the family members who witnessed their development from a promising skiffle group into the world’s most successful pop/rock band.
The book bristles with the mood of the age, which Spencer knows so well. A great find is the faded and much creased script for the Liverpool Art School panto, Cinderella, in December 1959. It was written by John, Stu and their mutual friend, Rod Murray. There are shafts of what would later be recognised as Lennon’s wit and love of word-play.
Some of the photographs and memorabilia on display in the book, which is aimed at the British, European and American markets, are from the personal collection of Spencer. He has presented On the Beat for 25 years and has written numerous books about the place of music in popular culture.
The Beatles in Liverpool by Spencer Leigh is published by Omnibus Press at £14.95
