Ready, Steady, Go! The Weekend Starts Here: The Definitive Story of the Show That Changed Pop TV - Hardcover

Andy Neill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1947026348 ISBN 13: 9781947026346

Publisher: BMG Books, 2020

Synopsis

Ready, Steady, Go! mirrored the cultural upheaval and spirit of youthful optimism that gripped Britain in the mid Sixties. Within weeks of its debut in August 1963 the show became an essential television ritual for the newly confident British teenager setting trends and becoming a barometer for pop culture. This bold new approach was perfectly embodied in RSG!s 'stylist' presenter, Cathy McGowan, whose natural demeanor directly connected with the show's target audience.

Ready, Steady, Go! ran for three and a half years, its demise in 1966 coinciding with the loss of pop's innocence. Within that time RSG! set a blueprint for music presentation and production on British television that resonated over the following decades.

Ready, Steady, Go! was the only pop show on TV where anything went as far as performance, fashion and attitude were concerned. The programme attracted and presented the era's most important musical names - The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Otis Redding, etc. - as well as providing then unknowns like Donovan, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix with their first, invaluable small screen exposure.

Ready, Steady, Go! has never been documented at length before until now. Through exclusive first-hand accounts, exhaustive research, and unseen photographs and rare memorabilia, Ready, Steady, Go! is fully examined from quintessential Swinging London accessory to its iconic status as the most influential popular music programme in British television history.

About this title

About the Author

Ray Davies is a singer, songwriter and musician best known as as the front man and primary songwriter for the Kinks. Mick Jagger is a singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer best known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of the Rolling Stones. Michael Lindsay-Hogg is a pioneering television, film, music video, and theater director who launched his career helming episodes of Ready Steady Go! He went on to direct the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, the Beatles film Let it Be, and numerous other productions. ANDY NEILL is a music writer, researcher and historian, based in Hertfordshire, England. He co-wrote the best-selling, illustrated authorized biography, Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle Of The Who (Friedman/Fairfax, 2002). Additionally, he compiled and annotated two Beatles photo anthologies, Across The Universe: The Beatles On Tour And On Stage (Haynes Publishing, 2009) from the Daily Mirror's photo archive, and Looking Through You: Rare And Unseen Photographs From The Beatles Book Monthly Archive (Omnibus Press, 2015). He is the author of the acclaimed biography, Had Me A Real Good Time about the lives and careers of Rod Stewart and the Faces (Omnibus Press, 2011). Andy has compiled and/or contributed extensive liner notes for various archive reissues, including the back catalog of the Who and the Kinks. He has been consultant, editor and archive producer on numerous best-selling music biographies and documentaries. His writing has appeared in magazines including Record Collector, Mojo and Ugly Things. Pete Townshend is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, and guitarist for the Who. Vicki Wickham produced Ready Steady Go! and was Dusty Springfield's longtime manager. In 1999 she received the music industry's Woman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.

Edition details

• Publisher: BMG Books
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1947026348
• ISBN 13: 9781947026346
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272