[3] Among his many books are Backbeat, which details the Beatles' early career in Germany, Ringo Starr: Straight Man or Joker?, and biographies of Jacques Brel, the Yardbirds, Serge Gainsbourg and Edgard Varèse.
[4] The band received some highly favourable reviews in the UK music press, attaining what Melody Maker termed "a premier position on rock's Lunatic Fringe",[6] yet only achieved minor commercial success in Northern Europe.
Having contributed to Schoolkids OZ during his adolescence, Clayson went on to write regularly for a wide range of publications, including Record Collector, Mojo, The Guardian, The Independent, Folk Roots and Mediaeval World.
[6] Clayson's bestsellers include Backbeat (subsequently made into a film by director Iain Softley);[6] Beat Merchants; and an authorised biography of the Yardbirds.
[11] In his overview of the most popular Beatles books, for Rough Guides, Chris Ingham writes that the four volumes "have been described as Beatles-flavoured teabags in a cup full of Clayson", due to the author's tendency to refer to his own musical career and insert his "harmless prejudices" in the narrative.
[6] He has also contributed liner notes and commentary to CD and DVD releases by artists such as Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Édith Piaf, Peter Frampton, Matt Monro, Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Harley, the Animals and Mungo Jerry.