Music Maps Podcast

An episode we have wanted to bring you since before we recorded our first episode - the birth of British rock & roll with 2 legendary drummers, Brian Bennett from The Shadows & Clem Cattini of The Tornados. It starts at the 2i’s Coffee Bar at 59 Old Compton Street, Soho in London. Opened by 2 Iranian brothers (hence the name) the coffee bar is taken over by 2 professional wrestlers - Dr Death Paul Lincoln & Rebel Ray Hunter in April of 1956. Rock & roll bands begin to lay in the dark, sweaty basement, coming together from skiffle bands & word of mouth. For a time it was the only venue to hear original rock & roll in London & Tommy Steele is discovered there shortly after. As word gets around people begin to travel to play at the club including Bruce Welch & Hank Marvin who travel all the way from Newcastle for the chance to play. Brian & Clem go onto play with other bands including Marty Wilde, Joe Meek, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran & Billy Fury. Brian Bennett joins The Shadows & co-writes Summer Holiday while Clem Cattini is part of the first band to score a US number 1 single with Telstar, The Tornados. Adam Faith, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Sheridan, Kris Kristofferson & Georgie Fame, Marc Bolan amongst many more attended or played at the 2i’s during its lifespan, closing in the late 60s. We also hear stories about Ginger Baker, Lulu, Keith Moon, The Beatles & Clem nearly playing with the Fab Four on their Australian tour instead of Jimmie Nicol. Clem also nearly joined Led Zeppelin & Wings but didn’t fancy either, for differing reasons. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we travel to Forest Hills, Queens, New York to trace the origins of the legendary punk band The Ramones. While Joey Ramone is actually the only Ramone born in Forest Hills, it is this conversation suburb of New York which creates one of the iconic bands in the history of NYC. The bands influences include 1960s Girl Groups, The Beatles, The Beach Boys & Elvis Presley. The bands first big takes place in March of 1974 with Joey Ramone on drums. They played original material from the start - with varying explanations as to why. Johnny Ramones would probably have preferred to bat for the New York Yankees than be in a band but his famous guitar sound is there from the beginning. Arturo Vega designs the famous Ramones logo however he is not paid royalties on the subsequent mass marketing of the design. New York City figure Danny Fields comes in as the bands manager & they subsequently sign to Seymour Stein’s Sire Records. The debut album clocks in at just 28 minutes & features a now iconic photo taken by Roberta Bailey who had only been taking photos for a few weeks at the time the picture was taken. Their next few albums Leave Home & Rocket To Russia repeat the trick with such classics as Rockaway Beach & Sheena is a Punk Rocker. Tommy Ramone leaves the band, breaking up the original line up having tired of touring. The band continue to search for a hit & bring in Phil Spector for the End Of The Century album. Joey & Johnny Ramond fallout & do not speak to each other for 16 years while touring relentlessly. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In July of 1966 the biggest band in the world touched down in Manila in the Philippines to play 2 shows at the Rizal Memorial Stadium - and we are joined by David Guerrero whose book You Won't See Me - When The Beatles Ghosted Imelda is out now on Penguin. Why did the Beatles choose to play in the Philippines? Who made the call to tack it onto an existing trip to Japan? There are a number of bizarre incidents including a press conference at a local Naval Base, a proposed overnight stay on a boat in Manila Bay & of course the infamous no-show to visit the First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. Hysterical TV coverage follows & subsequently the huge security detail assigned to the band was withdrawn, as was room service back at their hotel, a large 'income tax' bill also arrives. All this takes places while the Beatles play 2 of the biggest shows of their career on July 4th 1966 - the daytime show drew a crowd of 30,000 people while over 50,000 attended the evening show (potentially significantly more since many came in through unmanned gates at the stadium). This was the Beatles final tour & they only play 1 song released in 1966 at either show, their latest single Paperback Writer. After the 2nd gig things begin to turn sour & when leaving the country the following dat the band are jostled at the airport (resulting in driver Alf Bicknell ending up with fractured ribs), the management at the airport even turn off the escalators & make The Beatles park in the main car park with the general public, not treatment they were accustomed to by 1966. On the plane out of Manila, John Lennon declares he won't tour again & the bands days as a touring act come to a close the following month after a show at Candlestick Park in San Francisco & to this day none of the Beatles ever returned to the Philippines. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Baz Warne frontman of The Stranglers joins us this week to talk us through his new book & to tell us a little about his recent tour & his history with The Stranglers, the Toy Dolls & more. Baz was born in Sunderland but it was while briefly living in Vancouver he first discovered the guitar. Upon returning to Sunderland, Baz sets about learning to play. His diligence is rewarded when at age 19 he is asked to join the biggest band in the north east at the time, punk band The Toy Dolls. He travels across Europe & the US multiple times with the band although his bass part is replaced on the bands biggest hit Nelly The Elephant after he leaves the band after about 18 months. His next band Troubleshooters morphs into Small Town Heroes & he spends the next 8 years hammering the circuit in the north east & across the country. In 2000 Baz is invited to audition to join The Stranglers although he initially turns down the invitation. After nailing Golden Brown he is offered the job on the spot. For his first 3 years with the band he plays guitar as the band play tour consistently - over time he starts to contribute songwriting as the band make a return to form with the Norfolk Coast album. Following the 2006 departure of singer Paul Roberts, Baz takes over as vocalist. We hear about some of Baz’s most memorable gigs including Glastonbury, The Royal Albert Hall (with Jimmy Page in attendance) & being heckled in Newcastle. Baz also shares a few memorable stories from over the years including encounters with Debbie Harry & AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we celebrate 50 years of The Undertones with the one & only Mickey Bradley - our starting point is Derry in the late 1970s as we trace the formation of the band at the O’Neill house on Beechwood Avenue. Although the initial idea for the Undertones was a folk band playing Mandolins - everything changes when they hear The Ramones & the early punk records - realising they need to speed up their songs. Vincent O’Neill leaves & younger brother Damien joins to round out the lineup with Feargal, Mickey, Billy & principal songwriter John. The first gig takes place in a local scout hall but its at Derry venue The Casbah where the band hone their craft, playing weekly for over 18 months from early 1977.Their first visit to a recording studio remarkably results in the Teenage Kicks EP & it is released via legendary Belfast record shop burgeoning record label Good Vibrations. The bands lives are changed forever when John Peel takes a liking to the record & plays it on his radio show - Mickey tells us about the varying accounts of how Peel got hold of the record. John Peel famously played Teenage Kicks twice in a row on September 25th 1978 & Sire Records head Seymour Stein heard it while on a trip to the UK, resulting in the band signing to the prestigious New York home of The Ramones & Talking Heads. Teenage Kicks also leads to an appearance on Top Of The Pops (the bands second time in a studio) & the rest is history. The Undertones have tour dates throughout 2026 & you can get Mickey’s book here.It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week esteemed writer & broadcaster Robert Elms joins us to tell us about the legendary Blitz nightclub in London’s Convent Garden. Back then Central London looked very different to today - back then it was an empty & desolate wasteland of abandoned buildings & crumbling blocks. But from this rose a cultural phenomenon - starting at Billy’s as a David Bowie night & then moving onto The Blitz came a nightclub so legendary at least 70 of its regulars went onto achieve global prominence in some form. Punk had peaked & in the gap came the extravagantly dressed creatures that inhabited The Blitz - regulars included founders Steve Strange & Rusty Egan, Boy George, Sade, Gary & Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet, Mudge Ure, Billy Idol, Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama & many more. Within 18 months of this club night starting many of its regulars are in the charts both at home and& in the US with Visage, Ultravox, Spandau Ballet, Sade, Banarama, Culture Club & more all achieving huge success. Affirmation came in July 1980 when David Bowie visited The Blitz. It was over within 18 months, drawing to an end towards the end of 1980. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our starting point is the breakup of The Beatles as writer Tom Doyle joins us to talk through the life of Ringo Starr, his biography is out now. His debut album Sentimental Journey arrives in March of 1970 & is quickly followed up with Beaucoup of Blues, a set of country standards. Ringo has also began to build an acting career with The Magic Christian alongside Peter Sellars. An appearance in Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels follows. He appears on not only George Harrison’s blockbuster All Things Must Pass but also John Lennon’s Imagine album. Meanwhile he unexpectedly initially becomes the most successful of the solo Beatles, scoring a number of hits including It Don’t Come Easy, I’m The Greatest & Photograph (with the latter becoming the first Beatle to score a number 1 single). You’re Sixteen also becomes a number 1 & his third album Ringo becomes his commercial peak with all 3 other Beatles appearing. Ringo goes on to feature in the hit film That’ll Be The Day along with some not so successful releases including Son Of Dracula with Harry Nilsson & taking the lead in Caveman. The 70’s see Ringo as one of the ‘Hollywood Vampires’ alongside Alice Cooper, Micky Dolenz, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson & Keith Moon. Moving into the 1980s & Ringo unexpectedly becomes a hit on children’s television as the voice of Thomas The Tank Engine (or Shining Time Station to American viewers). The 90s see Ringo mostly out on the road with his All Starr Band but will be remembered by Beatles fans for the Anthology reunion project & the comeback single Free As a Bird. Ringo is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 & continues to perform to this day. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us to hear all about Pulp with Mark Webber - Mark found his way into the band by way of running the fan club (Pulp People) before eventually joining full time in 1995.Mark's wonderful new book 'I'm With Pulp Are You' traces the band's history in forensic detail via the many bits of Pulp ephemera Mark collected over the years. We hear about his initial Pulp fandom, getting to know the band long before joining (his first bands first gig was opening for Pulp), his early influences including David Bowie & the Velvet Underground. One of his first sessions as a full time member was with producer Chris Thomas recording the iconic Common People & while working on the subsequent album Mark played a key role including coming up with the now famous guitar part for Disco 2000. We hear about how Pulp came to step in to replace the Stone Roses to headline Glastonbury in 1995, filling in for The Verve - opening for Oasis at Sheffield Arena, working with Scott Walker, the furore over the Sorted For E's & Whizz cover & the infamous BRIT Awards incident with Jarvis Cocker & Michael Jackson. Mark also tells us about Pulp's recent renaissance which began in 2023 with a huge gig at Finsbury Park in London, their new album More & their plans for 2026 & beyond. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/eventsInstagram: @rocknrollbookclube17X: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted, Produced & Edited by Simon CardwellMusic by Andy Maxwell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.