The first single released on Fontana in 1969 was Beckerman’s ‘Baby You’ve Gotta Stay’ b/w ‘Green Mello Hill’, but despite plenty of airplay and good reviews it didn’t make the charts. A third single and the announcement of their forthcoming LP all ended up "Missing In Action", mainly due to disputes between guitarist Alfie Shepherd and the studio's publishing arm. Together they set in train a sequence of events that will transform the lives of everyone who works there.

Smeeth, the colourless cashier, is typical of a breed of senior clerk/office manager that was commonplace in those days. There was nothing left to hope for, England had done what she was going to do, had conquered what she was going to conquer — she was going quietly into the night, though she probably didn’t know it yet. His son George seems to be employed by crooks, and Mr Golspie makes an arrangement with Mr Dersingham which strikes Smeeth as suspicious. A new typist is employed, Poppy Sellers, and Mr Dersingham invites Mr Golspie to a black tie dinner party at his home.A pair of singles, "Baby You've Gotta Stay" and "Tell Me What I've Got to Do," issued through Fontana Records, failed to elicit any serious chart action in late 1969 and early 1970; a third single and their announcement of a forthcoming LP all ended up missing in action because of disputes between Shepherd and the studio's publishing arm. In the full style of the period, Angel Pavement was long and meandering and full of digressions that enriched the story of turn-of-the-20th-century London; but there was at least a plot.

Smeeth, the office manager, yearns for safety and security but has always feared that he will not have it. The female characters, Mrs Smeeth and Mrs Dersingham, are stronger than their respective husbands who come over as passive individuals. Using his power in the firm, and the threat of libel action, Priestley enforced changes to Greene’s text. One aspect of the novel I found jarring was Priestley's representation of speech by those with, I won't say impediment, but who have a characteristic way of speaking. It was fascinating then to see Priestley turn this slowly on its head so that they all became dimensional -- and how in some cases-- and what could have been a pat, happy ending (which I sort of wanted.I did find the repeated references to Jews, negatively (and some weird reference to Indian) to be off putting. The story has as backdrop the high levels of unemployment and economic insecurity of late 1920s London, immediately before the Great Depression.

Not long after the structure is laid out, as the characters become more familiar, we're treated to comedic turns in the story, where perhaps the reader is led to know more about what will happen than the people involved. Angel Pavement provides readers with a vivid picture of ordinary London life before the war, set against the background of the great depression. The novel is set in the in the late 1920s and so reflects attitudes of the time, particularly with reference to Jews. Some members of the Conservative Party, including Winston Churchill, expressed concern that Priestley might be expressing left-wing views on the programme, and, to his dismay, Priestley was dropped after his talk on 20th October 1940.

In particular, the song ‘I’m Moving On’, which was to be the third single release, caused Alfie great consternation. At a certain point, quite early, I realized that Priestley didn't like a single one of his characters and I needed to stop. That period between the greatest Queen – Victoria – and the end of the Empire heralded by two world wars. The firm is fighting for its life and its staff are gripped by the fear of insolvency and redundancy. This novel focuses on the employees of a small business in the City of London and how a new director impacts on their lives.