Hi  I think Ill need to do this step by step partly because its a complicated issue and partly because my time over the next few weeks is likely to be limited and restricted to occasional short visits offline  school holidays  Re the first paragraph   Imported recordings from US servicemen were important but so were records brought over by merchant seamen particularly in Liverpool and also other ports London Newcastle Belfast etc  also important was the connection with Hamburg and perhaps particularly the visits from US blues performers such as the American Folk Blues Festival and those invited by Chris Barber and others     Saying that the Liverpool and Manchester scenes were very similar would cause riots even now  The cities were even more so then than now very different and fierce rivals  Liverpool was much more of a cultural meltingpot and many would say much more innovative than Manchester particularly because of its role as a major international port   Not sure about the importance of the Brill Building sound  Obviously US pop of the time had an influence but in many ways the young British musicians of the time actively rejected that style while respecting the musicianship of many of the performers  Ill carry on when I have time  Regards