Last time, we discussed New Order’s Peter Hook’s new book on the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester. This time, I want to tell you about another book. This one is The North Will Rise Again: Manchester: Music City 1976-1996.
This is a serious chronicling of all the music that came out of Manchester during that twenty year period. This means everything from the Northern Soul period (which had heavy influence on Britpop) to the rise of punk bands like the Buzzcocks, the influence of Joy Division and New Order, the birth of the Smiths, Factory Records, the whole Madchester thing with the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays and the Charlatans UK, rave culture and the environment that gave us Oasis.
If your music tastes lean towards the anglophile, you should give this book a serious read. The North Will Rise Again: Manchester Music City 1976-1996 by Job Robb. It’s available now through Aurum.