To order or comment - backlist here
 

 

HARDCOVER

PUBLISHED:August 2025

Special offer from the publishers

PAPERBACK
£15 (inc UK P&P)

£20 (inc Rest of
World P&P)

 

 

FLOPS ON 45

BY RICHARD LYSONS

FOREWORD BY SIMON FRITH

£14.95 - PAPERBACK 

ISBN: 9781915616289 

PUBLISHED: AUGUST 2025

 

Richard Lysons started buying singles in 1970 and was fascinated by the ones that did not make the charts. Flops On 45 is a highly original and readable look at the records that somehow got away. It looks beyond the chart successes of everyone from Kate Bush to Suzi Quatro, from David Bowie to The Hollies. 
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

RICHARD LYSONS attended his first Free Trade Hall concert in 1972. After a career teaching English, he is now a music researcher and writer.  He was chief researcher for the highly-acclaimed Discover Amazing Women by Rail project. His first published work, Were You There? Popular Music At Manchester’s Free Trade Hall - 1951 To 1996, (ISBN: 978-1-909360-81-5) was published in 2020 to wide acclaim by music archivists. 

 

PRAISE FOR WERE YOU THERE?

“Richard Lysons’ engrossing Were You There?” - Record Collector

“A fascinating factual account” - Shindig
“Utterly enthralling” - The Big Takeover
“A treasure trove of information” - Spencer Leigh
“A tremendous read” - Tony Burke

“An absolutely incredible book; a lovely read” - Mike Sweeney BBC Radio Manchester

 



Empire Publications, 1 Newton Street, Manchester M1 1HW Tel: 0161 872 3319