Let's Do It: The Birth Of Pop - Book and CD

Let's Do It is Bob Stanley's prequel to his acclaimed Yeah Yeah Yeah book telling the story of the birth of pop music and winner of the prestigious the 2023 Penderyn Music Prize.   We are proud to offer the hardback edition of the book along with a limited edition CD soundtrack of songs from the era covered by the book.

Let's Do It

Pop music didn't begin with the Beatles in 1963, or with Elvis in 1956, or even with the first seven-inch singles in 1949. There was a pre-history that went back to the first recorded music, right back to the turn of the century . . .

Who were the earliest record stars, and were they truly 'pop stars'? Who were the likes of George Gershwin writing songs for? Why did swing, the hit sound for a decade or more, become almost invisible after the Second World War?

The prequel to Bob Stanley's Yeah Yeah Yeah, Let's Do It is the first book to tell the definitive story of the birth of pop, from the invention of the 78 rpm record at the end of the nineteenth century to the beginnings of rock and the modern pop age. Taking in superstars such as Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra alongside the unheralded songwriters and arrangers behind some of our most enduring songs, Stanley paints an aural portrait of pop music's formative years in stunning clarity, uncovering the silver threads and golden needles that bind the form together.

Bringing the eclectic, evolving world of early pop to life – from ragtime, blues and jazz to Broadway, country, crooning and beyond – Let's Do It is essential reading for all music lovers.

The CD soundtrack, Let's Do It: Deep Magic From the Dawn of Pop, compiles some of Bob's favourite recordings from the era, in a gatefold card case designed by Saint Etienne's favourite artwork maestro Paul Kelly.

Note: a softback edition is pictured here as hardbacks have not arrived yet. Shipping will commence from 17th April.