Factory Music, based on original interdisciplinary research, is the first study into the relationship between industrial geography and musical development. Today, heavy metal music is both mainstream and global; however the roots of heavy metal can be traced to the industrial, working-class neighbourhoods of post-war Birmingham in the late 1960s. Surveys, maps and statistics detailing Birmingham's physical and demographic landscape from 1945 to 1970 show a heavily industrialized city in the process of implementing sweeping modernization initiatives. Birmingham's youth culture also began to transform after the war; young people drifted away from their traditional ties to the Protestant Church and began seeking secular forms of entertainment -such as music. As these youth began creating music of their own, they incorporated sounds from the industrial factories which dominated their lives and expressed their working-class frustration lyrically -in turn creating a new genre later called heavy metal. Studying the lyrics and instrumentation of early heavy metal, coupled with interviews given by members of pioneering Birmingham heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, this article draws a direct link between the industrial geography of Birmingham's working-class neighbourhoods and the birth of heavy metal in the late 1960s.
The Journal of Social History publishes articles and reviews in all fields of social history, regardless of period and region. It seeks particularly to promote work in new topics in social history, where it has established a distinguished record during its 40-year existence. New topics involve both the key facets of the field: exploring the histories and impacts of ordinary people and exploring aspects of the human experience beyond the more conventional historical staples. It also encourages discussions of key analytical and methodological issues, including comparative issues and issues of periodization. The Journal has also been active in bringing sociohistorical work in regional specializations, such as African or Latin American history, to a wider audience within the field. Periodically, the journal offers thematic issues that advance its basic purposes, including discussions of larger trajectories within the field itself.
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