Mike McCartney

Mike McCartney's Early Liverpool is Mike McCartney's 'definitive statement of a magic era,' as revealed through his photography, illustrations and fascinating commentary.

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Mike McCartney's Early Liverpool

'I got into Surrealism through cinematography. Suddenly, as a young man, still at school, I saw these extraordinary mind-blowing visuals, defying normality.' - Mike McCartney

Mike McCartney's Early Liverpool brings together all of McCartney's finest work including a wealth of previously unseen photographs and treasured drawings. McCartney takes us from his very first photograph, taken with the family Kodak Brownie box camera, to experimenting with his Rollei Magic camera and finding a love in surrealism, through to capturing the Merseybeat scene in Liverpool. The venues that were at the heart of the city are all featured, including the Casbah Club, the Jacaranda Club, Hope Hall, the Tower Ballroom and the legendary Cavern Club.

In a commentary that is honest, revealing and often humorous, McCartney describes growing up in a post-war Liverpool and the cultural sensation that followed. McCartney shares his love of satire, poetry and music, and his experience of being there to photograph the talent that came out of Liverpool, including his own group, the Scaffold. From The Beatles to the Fourmost, and from the Roadrunners to Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, McCartney captured the local bands as well as Liverpool's poets and artists, including Adrian Henri, Sam Walsh and Maurice Cockrill, RA. In Mike McCartney's Early Liverpool the incredible visiting acts that Liverpool welcomed are also celebrated, including Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and Long John Baldry. With each photograph, McCartney gives a fascinating insight into the history of the vibrant city.

Forewords to the book are provided by the British actor and comedian, Peter Kay, and by the legendary bass player and graphic artist, Klaus Voormann.