Liverpool has her ticket to ride after the city became the European capital of culture for 2008. Everything is going gangbusters for this historically important seafaring capital, which for two hundred years was at the centre of transatlantic shipping. Liverpool provided the last glimpse of Europe for many millions of people emigrating to the new world, as they sailed off to North America or Australia to start new lives. The level of construction at the site of Liverpool One is on a monumental scale, and the original catalyst for the rebirth of this magnificent city has been the world renowned renovations to Albert Dock, completed in the early 1980’s. If you pay a visit to Albert Dock there’s plenty to see and do, including the Beatles story museum and the Merseyside Maritime museum, which are both in the heart of this beautiful part of the city.
The last journal left off in Edinburgh, dear reader, and the hits just keep on coming. I caught the train down to Manchester to spend an afternoon exploring Liverpool’s close neighbour and sometime rival. Once again I’m stunned by the beauty of the city centre, which is a mixture of the old and the new giving Manchester a futuristic and edgy atmosphere. There are impressive looking glass buildings, and the obligatory giant wheel has also been built in the city centre. It’s very interesting to travel on the train in the north west of England, as all the cities are packed very close together, but are instantly recognisable as being the home of famous football teams from one code or another. From Manchester it’s only thirty four miles and an hour on the train west to Merseyside and the legendary city of Liverpool.
Spending three days in the city has been a dream come true for me, partly due to Liverpool’s historical significance as a great port city. Also, it’s the birthplace of the fab four who comprised the greatest rock and roll band in history. I’ve spent this visit to Liverpool in a state of constant excitement, while singing along to Beatles tunes blasting out around the city. During my band days I used to spend countless hours on the guitar analysing the chord structures of The Beatles songs, and marvelled at the genius of the progressions written by Lennon and McCartney. They are without question the greatest songwriting partnership in rock and roll history, and a huge inspiration to myself, and probably every other budding guitarist or songwriter throughout the world. In a nutshell those two Liverpool lads are my musical heroes.
So this is where it all started, the home of the legendary Merseybeat that became the envy of the music world. At the height of the Liverpool scene there were over seven hundred bands plying their trade on Merseyside in the early 1960’s. But destiny called four young lads who worked harder, had more talent and charisma, and with a little dash of lady luck thrown in burst on to the world music stage in 1963. Beatlemania gripped music fans around the world like no other band has before or since, and it started here in Liverpool. I went to The Beatles story museum which was a great experience, and a very comprehensive summary of the legendary careers of the fab four. It features full size replicas of the legendary Cavern club, and also the Casbah room built in the basement of a parent’s house. As you progress through the exhibition there is all the information and memorabilia any Beatles fan could ever hope for. I left after learning heaps about the fab four, and had a lot of fun in the museum.
Then it was off on to the magical mystery tour bus, which visits the boyhood homes of the fab four. The bus passes by their schools, the parish hall where John and Paul first met, the gateway to Strawberry field and Penny Lane itself. What impressed me as I learnt about these young lads was their infectious charm and love of their home town. They were Liverpool lads through and through and extremely proud of it. The bus dropped us off at the end of the tour on Matthew street, which is the home of the legendary Cavern club. The Beatles played over 295 gigs there during a two and a half year period, before being signed to their first recording deal. The cavern soon became the most famous live music venue in the world. The fab four honed their craft to a fine art, including the long gigs they were contracted to perform daily while in Munich. Then they signed with a music label and released their first single Love Me Do in 1963. The rest, as they say, is history.
The next day I visited the Merseyside Maritime museum on Albert Dock, which is also home to the International slavery museum. I had a fascinating day of free exploring, which helped me gain an appreciation of the importance of Liverpool as a seafaring city. The Titanic and her sister ships were fitted out in Liverpool prior to sailing out to their eventual doom, and Liverpool was the major city in England for voyages to the New World for close to two hundred years. It has only been since the 1960’s that Southampton has eclipsed Liverpool as a seafaring city. However, the city has a proud history and features the superb refurbishment of Albert Dock. There is also a massive construction boom arising from the city being the capital of European culture, and Liverpool is striding confidently into the future.
The turnaround in the north of England in the last twenty years has been nothing short of miraculous. I’m stunned by the level of construction activity in Manchester, and particularly in Liverpool which is abuzz with new building activity. Liverpool One is slated for it’s grand opening in October 2008, and the new museum will follow shortly after on Albert Dock. It’s been a fantastic experience visiting the country in the midst of such an exciting time for the residents, and a return visit when the construction is complete would be mind boggling. So plee-ee-ee-ease … as the fab four once sang, come and experience Liverpool where, basically all of you should be here now!
“We are all touched by it. Peace and love.” The Beatles announcing the band’s split in 1970
As I continue my travels, until next time it’s signing off for now
Tom
Note: Feel free to post comments on this site, or subscribe for notification of upcoming travel journals
Tom's music blog can be found here:
http://www.tomrooneymusic.com
- A return to beautiful Europe - November 19, 2024
- 70 Russian girls on an island yoga retreat … and me! - April 9, 2024
- Exploring with conviction - March 30, 2024