Ready, Steady, Go!: The Smashing Rise and Giddy Fall of Swinging London

Captures the spirit of Swinging London in the sixties, and not just the actors and rock stars but the photographers, designers, hairdressers, boutique owners and artists. You realize how small that scene was and that everyone knew everyone. It’s a zesty and informative read. Highly recommended.

I read this book a few years ago and recently re-read it, a bit shocked at myself because I couldn't remember what was in it from the first time I read it. I think part of my poor memory was caused by the fact that this book, while providing plenty of facts and information on 60s "Swinging London", contains few visuals to illustrate its essay-type text - and the photos that are included are all in black and white. This presentation doesn't really do justice to its subject matter, which is largely visual, focusing heavily on photographers like David Bailey, fashionistas like Mary Quant and Vidal Sassoon, models like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, and other beautiful faces like movie star Terence Stamp. So my first advice would be to read this book with a copy of some colorful photo reference, like "60s Sourcebook" or similar, by your side.Having said that, there's a lot of interesting information here, particularly about Londoners like Stamp, Quant and Tara Browne who fell out of the limelight years ago or simply aren't around any more. The weakness of the book, as far as I'm concerned, are the portions dwelling on the overexposed denizens of the scene, such as the Beatles, the Stones, and their respective managers Brian Epstein and Andrew Loog Oldham. Perhaps the author felt it was impossible to fully capture the essence of Swinging London without delving into these admittedly important characters, but so much has been and continues to be published about the Beatles and the Stones that it's impossible to do them justice in a short section of a book without simply repeating a lot of stuff that's already been said over and over and better by others, in books specifically dedicated to those bands. The page space devoted to the Beatles would have been better given to some lesser-known figure that 100 books weren't already covering. The author also tends to harp on the same unifying points/ themes over and over - how poor East London people were suddenly able to cut across class divisions and become big stars, for example - to the point where you wish he'd just presented the book as a hodgepodge and again, devoted the page space to covering another obscure, interesting scenester.If you're interested in this subject, this book will whet your appetite, fill in a few details, and probably alert you to a few films/ books/ people that are rarely referenced today. (For example, I had no idea that Lynn Redgrave had starred in a satirical send-up of the London scene at the end of the 60s called "Smashing Time". I'd love to see that movie.) Just don't expect many visuals or much more than an overview. I commend the author for obviously doing a lot of research to cover such a broad subject, but Swinging London may be one of those topics best expressed in pictures rather than in words.

Wow! Shawn Levy is on fire here. I lived in London in the 'swinging '60s and he has got the frenetic pace and 'lingo' down expertly. The only thing I missed out on was the "drugs" (thankfully). I had the Sassoon haircut, Mary Quant-inspired clothes and the feeling that we young ruled the world. It was a 'smashing time' and very much fun to relive the energy. He gives us terrific profiles of the music groups, plus the unfortunates like Brian Jones and Brian Epsteins who couldn't survive their own high times. Kudos for another fabulous Shawn Levy effort!!!

Swinging London! It's already one of those legendary times & places, not quite real, inviting younger generations to wonder if the world could ever have been even remotely like this, even for a brief time. Well, this insightful volume comes as close to answering that question as possible, offering a thorough, glittering history of the period.Having been a teenager during those years, I can confirm that it seemed to be a whole new era every six months or so back then, even to someone living in the less than swinging suburbs of New Jersey. And author Shawn Levy truly captures that incredible feeling of change, excitement & endless possibilities as he examines the lives & impact of several prominent personalities who exemplified Swinging London: David Bailey, Jean Shrimpton, Mary Quant, Terence Stamp, to name just a few.While this is a history, it puts you right in the middle of the action, so that you're living it as it unfolds. The reader is there to witness the sudden flowering of the era, its dazzling heyday, and its swift disintegration as too much exposure & fame took its toll. It had the life of a mayfly ... but it was a gorgeous, baroque mayfly that blazed with color & energy.The films & music of the time will give you a real flavor of its look & atmosphere, but this book provides both juicy details & an intelligent analysis of the phenomenon -- the factors leading to its birth, and those leading to its demise. For those who were alive then, it's a return to a past that doesn't seem quite believable now; for those too young to have been there, it's a window into another world. Recommended!

Shawn Levy is a superlative biographer with a smart elegant writing style. His portraits of the Stones, stylist Vidal Sassoon, and actor Terence Stamp are worth the price of the book both for offering us pithy portraits of these individuals but also as effective illustrations of how the creative turbulence of the time allowed them to break through the British class system to achieve their successes.

What a Great Time! What a great Scene! I love books about different Cultural/Musical scenes. This one does not dissappoint. Learn about the Movers & Shakers, and overall Tastemakers! Clubs! Shops! Photographers! Graphics! Drugs! Haircuts! Movie Stars! It Girls! Power couples! If you were not there, No Need to go without feeling like you were! A Fun Read as well! Shawn Levy has a very readable and enjoyable writing style.

One of the best books I've read on the UK in the 60s. The author did a fabulous job catching the flash of the times, make no mistake it was a flash. Just like very earthquake they last for a minute and are felt and remembered forever. Buy this book!

This is fun and exciting, but not very incisive. Shoulda been written by an Englishman, London swinger preferably. The times were not all jangle-pop and puddin' basin haircuts: It was the Satanism of Donald Cammell; the pedophilia of the BBC and Jimmy Savile; and the corrupt regime of the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha (aka Windsor).

Yes it is a brilliant book and I got it just when I needed it. Good condition for a second hand book.

Really enjoying reading this book.