Movers and shakers: Fan’s eye view of Bristol’s musical megamix
Seven decades of Bristol music featuring city-based artists from Russ Conway to Massive Attack has been jammed into a new book chronicling Bristol’s fiercely independent musical scene.
Seven decades of Bristol music featuring city-based artists from Russ Conway to Massive Attack has been jammed into a new book chronicling Bristol’s fiercely independent musical scene.
Bristol Music: Seven Decades of Sound is a joint publication between Tangent, Bristol Books and the M Shed penned by city music aficionado, editor and former Ashton Court festival committee member Richard Jones.
The pocket-sized guide takes readers on a citywide tour for a fan’s eye view of Bristol’s musical mainstream – from the skiffle and rock n roll pioneers through to pop crooners, legendarily heavy rockers, to punk, reggae and hip-hop - checking out bands, DJs and producers along the way.
It has been launched to accompany the exhibition of the same name at the city’s M Shed.
Richard Jones said: “While a book of this size can’t hope to cover every last combo that ever trod the boards around the city, we have tried to capture the essence of the Bristol Sound – and interpret how different bands and groups of fans have contributed to it.”
Anarchic, cross-fertilized and highly incestuous, Bristol’s music scene has thrown up any number of big name bands often recruiting drummers, guitarists and singers from among their contemporaries.
Richard said: “It was a real challenge unpicking who played with who and for how long – or when and where a particular genre such as hip-hop first emerged from the city suburbs.
“Very often, bands emerged from small-time gigs to become the must-see band. Some of them, such as Acker Bilk, Massive Attack, Portishead, the Wurzels, Chaos UK and Roni Size went on to make their mark on the national and even international music scene.”
Seven Decades of Sound charts Bristol’s musical hierarchy from 1955 – dropping in on legendary venues such as the Dug Out, the Bamboo Club, the Granary and Old Duke as well as the more familiar Colston Hall and Hippodrome.
The book includes artefacts from the M Shed archive, including posters and fanzines and an alphabetical timeline of the most successful Bristol-based artists.
This is the first co-publication from city publishers Tangent and Bristol Books in conjunction with M Shed.
Clive Burlton, a director from Bristol Books, said: “While Tangent Books has built its reputation around the city’s artistic and political landscape, Bristol Books is best known for its local history studies – although our portfolio also covers Bristol musical legends such as Adge Cutler and Fred Wedlock.”
Bristol Music: Seven Decades of Sound, compiled by Richard Jones (978-1-910089-75-0), £8.99 is available from M Shed, www.bristolbooks.org, www.tangentbooks.co.uk, Foyles, Bristol, Bristol Tourist Information Centre, the People’s Republic Of Stokes Croft and Co-Lab, Bristol.
The logo for the exhibition and book cover was designed by well-known Bristol street artist Felix Braun who is also the author of Children Of The Can: Bristol Graffiti And Street Art Tangent Books).
Bristol Music: Seven Decades of Sound runs at M Shed until September 30.
A new special edition for test-tube baby Louise
To mark the 40thanniversary of her birth, a special edition of her 2015 biography, including a new chapter and new photographs, has been published in paperback.
Forty years on from the media sensation of her birth, interest in the world’s first test-tube baby Louise Brown continues unabated.
Visiting four continents as an ‘ambassador’ for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) this year alone, Louise continues to be headline news across the globe.
Now, to mark the 40thanniversary of her birth, a special edition of her 2015 biography, including a new chapter and new photographs, has been published in paperback.
Louise Brown 40 Years of IVF: My Life As The World’s First Test-Tube Babyreveals the impact of being in the media spotlight and her lifelong connection with the IVF community.
“The past three years have been a complete whirlwind,” said Louise, “and I’m delighted that the new edition brings my story up to date. It’s been non-stop. People see me and my family as the catalyst for IVF techniques that have revolutionised fertility treatment.
“I get invites from all over the world and have met with embryologists, IVF doctors and nurses, couples – even the first IVF baby born in the USA, Elizabeth Carr. I hope by sharing my story I can reach out to others and be an inspiration for the millions of families struggling with the challenge of infertility today.”
Louise was born at Oldham General Hospital 1978, her birth made possible by IVF pioneers Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwardsand their unsung assistant Jean Purdy.
Her late parents Lesley and John became the first people to successfully undergo IVF after attempts to conceive naturally failed.
More than 5 million people [Science Museum release now says 6 million] worldwide have now been born through IVF but in July 1978 when Louise was born it was a sensation with moral and ethical questions in the media and across society.
“IVF is now accepted without question in this country as a way to overcome fertility problems,” added Louise, who is married with two children of her own.
“It wasn’t always like that and my family had to face political and religious objections when actually all Mum and Dad wanted was a baby. The world has changed and we now have same sex couples having children through IVF techniques.”
As a baby Louise toured Japan, the USA, Canada and Ireland clocking up 29,425 miles in an aeroplane before she was six months old.
Steptoe and Edwards are central to Louise’s story and her relationship with them is a remarkable story.
The birth of Louise has been ranked alongside man landing on the moon as one of the most significant events for mankind in the 20thcentury.
Louise Brown 40 Years of IVF: My Life As The World’s First Test-Tube Babyin paperback was written in conjunction with Louise’s long-term media agent Martin Powell, and published by Bristol Books.
ROYAL REQUEST FOR BRISTOL BOOKS
His Majesty the King, Mohammed VI, King of Morocco has taken possession of two specially signed copies of Louise Brown: My Life As The World’s First Test Tube Baby, published by Bristol Books.
His Majesty the King, Mohammed VI, King of Morocco has taken possession of two specially signed copies of Louise Brown: My Life As The World’s First Test Tube Baby, published by Bristol Books.
The King sent a special representative to receive the books from Louise while she was on a visit to an international fertility symposium in Marrakech, Morocco, organised by the Marrakech Fertility Institute.
The king has one copy for his home library and one for his official library. The hardback book, which was published in 2015 has sold all over the world. It is popular with those who work in the field of fertility as it chronicles the world-changing birth of Louise to a Bristol couple, John and Lesley Brown in 1978.
This year’s 40th anniversary has prompted renewed interest in the story, which saw scientist Robert Edwards win a Nobel Prize for his work with Patrick Steptoe to create human life in a laboratory. The book chronicles how an ordinary Bristol couple became a world first and the impact on Louise’s life as a result.
Bristol Women at War Exhibition
Bristol Women at War, a free exhibition at Bristol Cathedral, examines the types of war work performed by women during WW1 and charts the shift in the workplace as women took on jobs traditionally performed by men.
Munitions Workers at Thrissell Engineering
The exhibition examines the women taking leading and influential roles in organisations like the Bristol Inquiry Bureau and the Red Cross Society, and tells the stories of often unsung ‘sheroes’ including the women who kept families running whilst husbands, sons and brothers were away.
The exhibition has been produced and designed by Bristol Books and sponsored by Bristol Cathedral. With thanks to Bristol Great War Network and in particular Clive Burlton, Jacqueline Wadsworth and Eugene Byrne for providing the content.
Bristol Women at War is on display in The South Quire Aisle, Bristol Cathedral, and runs from 15th January to 24 March.
Lunchtime tour of Bristol Museums Art Collection
On 7 December 2017 Bristol Museum is holding a lunchtime talk "A brief history of art – our new guide to the art collection"
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery: Guide to the art collection by Julia Carver.
Published: Bristol Books CIC
Join the author, Julia Carver, of their brand new Guide to the Art Collection, published by Bristol Books, for a lunchtime tour of the collection that inspired the guide.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery holds over 1,300 paintings, more than 200 sculptures and some 20,000 works on paper, as well as installation art and video in its collection.
The new book offers an introduction to the institution and the collection, from the Renaissance period to the present day, with introductory essays for each historical period.
The Guide to the Art Collection is available in the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery shop or online for £7.50.
Designed to fit around your lunch hour, our lunchtime talks explore a selection of treasures from our exhibitions and collections.
Special offer
Buy the book after the tour and get 20% off a coffee and cake in the Museum cafe.
Click Here for more info on the tour.
Click Here to buy the book from the Museum webshop