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100 pages

English

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1964-1974 was a tumultuous decade. In the first two books of his 'Music and Politics' trilogy, Steve Millward traced how the optimism and adventure of 1964 had, by 1970, soured into frustration and uncertainty. Fast Forward: Music and Politics in 1974 brings the story to a climax by showing that while the year was riddled with soul-searching and looking backwards, the future was, in fact, approaching rapidly. As in the previous volumes, Millward links major political developments such as the energy crisis, Watergate, the troubles in Northern Ireland and the rise of the National Front to trends in rock, jazz, folk and classical music. He also explains the part played by music in the revolutions across Africa and in the struggle for civil rights in the USA. James Brown, Neil Young, David Bowie and Bob Marley are among the major names featured, but there is also discussion of the multitude of artists who made crucial but less celebrated contributions, including Millie Jackson, Steve Reich, Billy Cobham and even the poet laureate John Betjeman. Precursors of punk such as Patti Smith, The Ramones, Dr Feelgood and Kilburn and The High Roads are also examined in detail. Finally, Millward weaves into the plot sporting events like the World Cup and the Rumble in the Jungle and the host of excellent films released during the year.Fast Forward: Music and Politics in 1974 offers a multidimensional interpretation of a momentous year - analytical yet accessible, weighty yet witty - and is the perfect addition to any music-lover's bookcase. It merits the accolade given by Record Collector magazine to its predecessor, Different Tracks (Matador, 2014) - 'an incisive, all-inclusive discourse...a sharply-delineated time-capsule'.

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Sociologie, société et politique

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Publié par	Troubador Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	09 avril 2018
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781785895401
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

ALSO BY STEVE MILLWARD:

From Blues To Rock: An Analytical History Of Pop Music – with David Hatch (Manchester University Press)
Changing Times: Music And Politics In 1964 (Matador)
Different Tracks: Music And Politics In 1970 (Matador)
FAST FORWARD
MUSIC AND POLITICS IN 1974
Steve Millward
Copyright © 2016 Steve Millward
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
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ISBN 978 1785895 401
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
For Roy, Betty and Beverly
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 Good Old Boys (and Girls)
Chapter 2 Already Gone
Chapter 3 Let’s Put It All Together
Chapter 4 Avante, Camarada!
Chapter 5 You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
Chapter 6 Aspirations
Chapter 7 Hang My Country
Chapter 8 New Favourites
Bibliography
Notes and Acknowledgements
Preface
In October 1974 I started my first ‘proper’ job – a mundane enough experience but laden with memories of people, places and sounds. Even now I can barely listen to ‘Killer Queen’ or ‘Let’s Put It All Together’ without thinking of my dingy Manchester flat, the 64 bus and the journey at some unearthly hour of the morning to the Education Offices. But to my delight I found that most of my coworkers were into music – not so much what was in the charts but exciting and diverse idioms like reggae and pre-war jazz. Earlier in the year I had been living in West Germany where the news from home arrived only sporadically. First the miners’ strike, then a hung parliament – it was all very perplexing. In the summer I went off to hitchhike around North America, giving me plenty of opportunity to listen to music, and news, on car radios. The Watergate scandal was reaching its zenith; I watched Richard Nixon’s resignation speech live on Canadian TV.
All this demonstrates that while 1974 was an eventful year for me, the picture I was left with was, in terms of both music and politics, incomplete. Perhaps that is why, for many years, I underestimated the significance of 1974. My inference – so wrong – was that the fervour had gone out of music and that what was left was sterile and going nowhere. The oil crisis and global recession; revolutions across Africa; governmental chaos in Britain; Watergate, Vietnam and the troubles in Northern Ireland; the Patty Hearst affair; the rise of the National Front; escalating football violence… it all seemed to conspire to deaden the senses and stifle creativity.
By the end of the year, however, something was clearly stirring. You could hardly fail to notice the new pared-down, aggressive music that wantonly flouted the standards set so recently by the top rock bands. Basic – yes; ephemeral – certainly, but that was the whole idea. Though none but the most prescient knew it then, we were hurtling full-speed into the future. In retrospect, too, there was a good deal of high-quality folk, blues, classical music and even mainstream rock, where numerous bands and solo artists were able to come to terms with the burdensome legacy of the 1960s. It was also a vintage year for African-American music which, as ever, proved resilient in the face of adversity. Furthermore, across all of these fields there was no shortage of social and political comment.
1974 has, therefore, proved to be a fitting juncture at which to conclude this trilogy of books on music and politics. Like 1964, it signalled the start of a new era, but now grim reality had finally supplanted the last vestiges of innocent ideology – a process begun by the turbulent and traumatic events of 1970. In time, of course there would be further upheavals. 1984, for example – though perhaps not in the way foreseen by George Orwell – saw renewed tensions between governmental authority and the rights of individuals, and a concomitant reaction from musicians ranging from rappers to New Romantics. But that is a story still to be told.
As in Changing Times and Different Tracks , I have used parameters to define what constitutes music from the year in question. In this case, I include any item both recorded and released in 1974 plus any record made in 1973 (or earlier) but not issued until 1974 – for the obvious reason that its impact could date only from when it first became available. Similarly, I have omitted items made in 1974 but not released until later unless specific events from 1974 influenced their creation.
I should like to thank the people who have helped me write Fast Forward . Some have lent records, books or DVDs, others have given interviews, provided advice or given feedback – all of which I have made use of. They are: Carol Bushell, Jack Cooper, Geraldine Crawford, Mark Dennis, Dave Driver, John Greenway, Les Hare, Beverly Howbrook, CP Lee, Chris Lee, Mary Millward, Matthew Millward, Tom Millward, Pete Newton, Kev Nolan, Lee Robinson, Helen Singer, Sid Toole and David K Williams. Finally I should like to express my gratitude to Chelsea Taylor and the team at Troubador for their continuing patience, guidance and support.
CHAPTER 1
Good Old Boys (and Girls)
As the early 1970s slipped imperceptibly into the mid-1970s, the optimism that had characterised the previous decade was also fading fast. The oil crisis of 1973 had resulted in runaway inflation and global recession. Petrol was rationed; energy shortages led to power cuts; firms ceased trading or went on to short-time working. There were fears, too, that basic commodities were becoming unaffordable or even unobtainable, exemplified by the great Japanese toilet paper panic. Even the TV shut down early.
The swinging sixties had, in fact, been dealt a mortal blow at the turn of decade. During 1970 popular protest grew more violent and the response from the authorities ever more brutal; acts of terrorism became commonplace. The break-up of The Beatles and the death of Jimi Hendrix served to exacerbate the growing sense of dislocation among the young: some espoused the new ways of living offered by vegetarianism, feminism and alternative religions. So by 1974 what most people even then regarded as a halcyon age should have been dead and buried. The trouble was that many of its major figures were not going away.
At the start of the year Richard Nixon was the President of the United States with Henry Kissinger as his Secretary of State. Leonid Brezhnev led the Soviet Union, Golda Meir, Israel; Willy Brandt was the West German Chancellor, Georges Pompidou the President of France. Former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson was about to return to office. Film directors Ingmar Bergman and Stanley Kubrick were still at the top; the leading actors included Steve McQueen, Sean Connery and Jane Fonda. Mary Quant and Laura Ashley continued to set high street fashion trends. Billie-Jean King and Jack Nicklaus dominated their respective sports and Muhammad Ali was on the verge of a sensational comeback; the successful football managers Alf Ramsey, Bill Shankly, Don Revie and Bill Nicholson were still in place. And in music, The Rolling Stones, The Who, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Eric Clapton remained among the elite.
For these survivors the 364 days that followed were a tale of contrasting fortunes: some swam, some sank, others merely trod water as the trickle of change became first a stream, and then a torrent.
* * * * *
The Arab oil embargo of 1973 meant that the leaders of the Western World were beset with problems on all fronts. Disrupted energy supplies, rampant inflation and industrial unrest made it impossible to ignore domestic issues; indeed the environment was so volatile that maintaining law and order was a pressing concern. Yet it was equally important to focus on international affairs. This was where the crisis had its roots and thus where a solution must be found.
It had all begun when, upset at America’s support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, the Arab members of OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) resolved to reduce production by 5% per month. In retaliation President Nixon increased aid to Israel in terms both of supplies and cash, a move that triggered the cessation of Arab oil exports to the US and, subsequently, to many of its allies.
Between October 1973 and March 1974, the price of oil quadrupled and although the embargo was then lifted, the consequences were felt for some time afterwards. Each affected country dealt with the situation in different ways. In West Germany, for example, a speed limit of 100 kph was introduced but then abandoned after public protest. A Sunday driving ban proved more acceptable but by then the pressure was taking its toll on Willy Brandt. Amid rumours of alcoholism and marital infidelity, he was constantly hounded by the media (the tabloid Bild Zeitung employed a photojournalist to shadow him wherever he went in the hope that he would say or do something unfortunate), and when it emerged that one of his assistants, Günter Guillaume, was an East German spy, Brandt resigned as Chancellor on 6 May, in favour of the Defence Minister, Helmut Schmidt.
In France, the year 1974 was even more turbulent. Rising prices and a drop in