In Excellent Concord: Singalong Pop in ’70s Britain by Will Hodgkinson
Out now
The Nineteen Seventies was a outstanding decade which noticed Britain creaking underneath the pressure of social and political turmoil. Rampant inflation, perpetual strikes, gasoline shortages, air pollution, nuclear threats and racial rigidity – sounds acquainted doesn’t it? Add into the combination the underlying concern created by the IRA bombings and it’s simple to think about ten years of unremitting distress. Nonetheless, that is additionally a decade which is remembered with nostalgia and fondness (even when it might be a bit rose-tinted) by those that have been there, and that is, to a big diploma, all the way down to the music. In Excellent Concord is a loving paean to the artists of the time set in opposition to the unstable historic backdrop; an evocative and insightful ebook by which creator Will Hodgkinson brings to life the hardships but additionally the enjoyable and frivolity of the time.
That is one thing of an epic, weighing in at 532 pages, the idea album to the subject material’s 7” single, and such is the creator’s apparent enthusiasm and thoroughness that he may have undoubtedly penned 500 pages extra. Escapism was the order of the day and it’s all right here from The New Seekers and Abba, Bowie and Bolan to The Wombles, Grandad and There’s No One Fairly Like Grandma; bubblegum pop and the glitter of glam, the flicker of the disco ball and the rock ‘n’ roll revival. Singalong pop in ’70s Britain is a large topic, particularly given the fixed juxtaposition of the music and the historic context.
Whereas Hodkinson makes sterling efforts to compartmentalise the data into chapters outlined by genres and age teams (The Nice Style Of Bubblegum, Children, The Disco Of Discontent and many others), there are inevitably overlaps and the creator usually goes the place the story takes him, leading to an natural and fluid learn. That is additionally a ebook which the reader can method in several methods. Learn from cowl to cowl, it’s an enthralling journey filled with fascinating information, enjoyable anecdotes and in-depth evaluation, all underpinned by the creator’s painstaking analysis. Nonetheless, if you happen to’re not overly bothered about Clive Dunn’s life story or the trials and tribulations of Scorching Chocolate and Hector, you possibly can simply dip into the ebook with the assistance of the exhaustive index to search out your favourites, be they Slade, Steeleye or Showaddywaddy.
Hodgkinson shows a historian’s consideration to element all through, however In Excellent Concord is rarely dry or taxing and is peppered with the wit and knowledge of the protagonists and the creator’s personal humorous observations. Writing about Candy producer, Phil Wainman, he quips “…he favoured rhythmic thumps so brutal they seemed like a cave-dwelling Neanderthal mum banging on a few rocks to let her children understand it was time to come back dwelling for some roast woolly mammoth.”
Stereo Overview journal opined that “The emotional connection between the Carpenters and their songs is about as robust as my final decision to give up smoking.” The story of how Kenny Everett’s fixed lampooning of the Bee Gees proved to be “…the dying knell for the band who took disco to the plenty as a severe proposition for years to come back.” is typical of the entertaining but poignant recollections shared right here. We’re additionally handled to a rollercoaster revisitation of the broader fashionable tradition of the time with references to the comforting presence of Morecambe and Sensible, Delia Smith, Tommy Cooper, The Good Outdated Days and Tiswas in addition to the extra sinister presence of Jimmy Saville, Gary Glitter, The Black And White Minstrels and Love Thy Neighbour; a mirrored image of a wealthy melting pot beset by the thinly veiled tensions which epitomised the instances.
For these too younger (or previous) on the time to have clear recollections of the ’70s, In Excellent Concord is a incredible support memoir, serving to to re-ignite half-forgotten feelings in addition to filling within the gaps with a plethora of enlightening particulars and reminiscences. In case you are lucky sufficient to be too youthful to have skilled all this primary hand, the ebook supplies an atmospheric and trustworthy perception into our comparatively latest previous with all the teachings, learnt or not, held therein.
In fact, if there’s one factor the last decade did effectively it was Christmas, with Slade, Wizzard, Mud et al churning out the classics hits – and what higher method to deal with the music lover in your life than to stuff a replica of this ebook into their (extra-large) stocking?
All phrases by Robin Boardman. Extra writing from Robin on Louder Than Warfare could be discovered at his creator’s archive
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