Music lives in the very heartbeat of every Liverpudlian. From the city’s earliest days as a thriving shipping port to now, the people have lived and breathed music, sucking in influences from all over the world – China, Europe, The Americas, Ireland and Wales – and blended it with their native Lancastrian folk tunes.
Music was part of the city way before The Beatles took it to the world stage, and it continued to do so, through the 70s, 80s and 90s, down to the present day. Artists such as The Las, The Farm, The Wombats, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark, Echo And The Bunnymen – all from Liverpool. And still more – British soul group The Real Thing, best known for their song, ‘You To Me Are Everything’, which charted at number 1 in the UK and reached 28 and 64 on Billboard’s R&B Singles and Hot 100 respectively, were from the inner city Liverpool suburb of Toxteth. Music is in the blood.
‘Get Back’ documents the history of Liverpool’s thriving music scene and features interviews with all the greats, past and present. What is probably most significant is its focus *away* from The Beatles – there’s a short archival piece with Paul McCartney – but instead the film speaks to those who rose in spite of the Fab Four; the remaining members of The Quarrymen, Pete Best and his band, even Paul McCartney’s brother Mike, all have their say about Liverpool’s music, and how (non-Lancastrian) Lonnie Donegan was truly the man behind the rise of Liverpool’s modern music movement when he showed everyone that it was possible to make music by learning three simple chords and grabbing a washboard.
‘Get Back’ talks about the clubs and record bars which played a part in the rise of Liverpool’s music, such as The Cavern, Eric’s, and Cream. Probe Records, a small independent record shop, became famous as the place where the likes of Dead Or Alive’s Pete Burns, record producer Julian Cope, and Paul Rutherford, vocalist and dancer with Frankie Goes To Hollywood, first got their start. Probe Records’ label arm, Probe Plus, is notable for signing artists such as indie rock band, Half Man Half Biscuit.
‘Get Back’, from Bulldog Films, is a deeply introspective, and yet very warm and moving film. We enjoyed the interviews with artists such as Andy McCluskey from OMD, and Ian McCulloch from Echo And The Bunnymen. It’s now available to order on DVD from Amazon.
