A generation spent many of their clubbing days at these lost nightclubs that were perched on top of multi-storey car park.
Back in 1969, many will remember when St John's Shopping Centre first opened in the city centre. But in the same year, a site that would become a big destination for clubbers was also opened in the precinct.
Built on top of the multi-storey car park, Top Rank was a chain of nightclubs across the country owned by the Rank Organisation. Often known as Top Rank Suites or Top Rank Ballrooms, the glitzy night spot and conference venue opened in time for Christmas in 1969.
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On December 18 that year, the ECHO reported how the venue was a "complete breakaway from the traditional type of ballroom." The article reads: "New ideas and Ingenious designs are in evidence from the moment you step into the building.
"The ground floor contains administrative offices, the main dance area, a buffet bar, two licensed bars, revolving stage, large kitchen and other service rooms. The second floor, the balcony level, on three sides of the dance floor overlooking the stage, has three bars and a self-contained function room."
Many will remember Liverpool's Top Rank being the "in place" for the city's Saturday Night Fever revellers in the 70s. Author Jade Wright, formerly the Liverpool Echo’s music writer, collected memories and pictures from people across Merseyside for her book, The Dirty Stopouts' Guide to 1970s Liverpool.
In the book, Jen Murray said: "The Top Rank was absolutely massive. There was à stage, shiny dance floor in front of that and then loads of tables and chairs. A really long bar along one side, so the boys could eye up the girls at the tables!
"Then it had an upstairs, where you could look down and people watch, and another long bar of course. They had some well-known people perform there."
In its time, 10cc performed with Queen as their support act at Liverpool's Top Rank. But many people's claim to fame was seeing David Bowie there.
On September 4, 1972, seven months after his Ziggy Stardust character was unleashed into popular culture for ever more - and just three after a show at the Liverpool Stadium - Bowie made an appearance at the Top Rank Suite in the city centre. The ECHO previously reported how that night was recalled by Walton’s Simon Archer.
He said: "I didn’t know much about David Bowie apart from Space Oddity and Starman and even less about the Ziggy Stardust tour. What a performance, though. Bowie, with his classic Spiders line-up of Mick Ronson on guitar, Trevor Bolder (bass) and Woody Woodmansey (drums) just blew us away."
But the site's life as Top Rank was short lived, as it would later become known under a number of different names. Eventually, the club became part of the Baileys chain of clubs, like many of the other To Rank's across the country.
Live music remained a focus and acts like Billy Ocean, Showaddywaddy and Roxy Music are said to have performed there. Bailey's, in their turn, closed the club in 1976, and sold the lease the following year.
Do you remember this nightclub site? Let us know in the comments section below.
It reopened as Romeos and Juliet's in December 1977. And after a stint as Studio 54, its final life was as Rotters - another club chain that had sites in other big cities such as Manchester.
Remaining till the 1980s, The Ramones famously played there, after rescheduling to perform on Top of the Pops instead. On April 21, 1983, the ECHO reported how Rotters nightclub in Liverpool was up for sale at £100,000.
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Four years after opening Rotters closed, "blaming competition from the increasing number of discotheques and clubs in the city." Earlier that year, financial pressure became too much and the receivers were called in.
And by April 1995, the top night spot where a generation of Merseysiders danced the night away bit the dust. At the time, the ECHO reported how the large ballroom had been empty for years and efforts by the owners to generate commercial interest in the building failed.
But many still have fond memories of nights at Top Rank, Bailey's, Romeo and Juliet's, Studio 54 and Rotters. To find out more about the Dirty Stop Outs Guide to Liverpool, click here.
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