Former English teacher turned music archaeologist Richard Lysons launches Flops On 45 – a 288-page hardback love-letter to the seven-inch singles that slipped through the charts like ghosts in the grooves. From the moment he bought his first 45 in 1970, Lysons was hooked not by the hits but by the ones that vanished: the B-sides that outshone their A-sides, the regional smashes that never left the dance-floor, the future classics cruelly ignored by Radio 1.
“Every week the charts told us what succeeded,” Lysons says, “but nobody told the story of what almost did. These are the might-have-beens that shaped tastes anyway.” Across twenty-one thematic chapters, Flops On 45 dusts off forgotten gems by household names: Kate Bush’s shelved 1976 demo that became “Wuthering Heights” only after three rejections
- David Bowie’s pre-fame “The Laughing Gnome” follow-up that even Ziggy wouldn’t rescue
- Suzi Quatro’s leather-clad power-pop single banned by the BBC for being “too suggestive”
- The Hollies’ harmony-drenched 1974 flop that Graham Nash still plays at sound-checks
Each entry pairs forensic discographical detail (matrix numbers, pressing plants, airplay logs) with eyewitness accounts from DJs, pluggers, and the teenagers who pestered their local record shops. Rare sleeve art, previously unseen studio Polaroids, and original sales returns from the BMRB archive illustrate every page. Why flops matter
About the author
Richard Lysons first fell for live music at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall in 1972. After thirty years teaching English in Rochdale, he swapped the classroom for the archive. His debut Were You There? Popular Music at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall 1951-1996 (Empire, 2020) is now the standard reference for the venue, praised by Clinton Heylin, Paul Jones, and the Halle Orchestra alike. He chaired the Friends of Littleborough Station and masterminded the award-winning Discover Amazing Women by Rail project.
Availability
Flops On 45 (ISBN 978-1-909360-95-5, RRP £14.95 hardback) is in shops today. Signed first editions are available from Empire Publications’ website, with a limited 500-copy vinyl-style slipcase for indie stores. A launch event with rare 45 give-aways takes place at Vinyl Revival, Manchester, on Saturday 8 November, 2 p.m.
Comments are closed.