The 1970s

Pop music is, by definition, produced with commercial considerations in mind and is therefore distinct from art musics such as jazz or opera. During the 1960s however, through the combined influences of the British Beat movement (the Beatles, the Stones et al.); the quality lyrical content of Bob Dylans albums; and the high production values of contemporary song writers and producers (Phil Spector and Burt Bacharach for example) pop music became, in many instances, closer to being art than ever before. Numerous new styles grew out of the musical innovations of the 60s but once again, as the decade ended, commercial forces began to exert a powerful influence and pop became big business. To some extent at least, the 60s had been characterised by a cultural and artistic idealism and movements for social change were often associated with popular music music which spoke directly or indirectly for a broad counter-culture and represented a coming together of like minded people. By the mid-1960s almost half the populations of the US and the UK were aged 25 or under. This demographic represented an enormous market, and the fact that half a million people gathered at the Woodstock and Isle of Wight Festivals in 69 and 70 respectively would not have gone unnoticed by the major record labels. Perhaps it is unsurprising then, that by the end of the 60s the counter-cultural movements were being assimilated by the mainstream and the generations innocent dream for a better society was beginning to turn sour. The drug-related deaths of several major figures of 60s music (Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin) seemed to typify the close of the 60s as a time of lost innocence. The rebellious creativity of the decades music gave way to tried and tested styles and nave hedonism was replaced in the early 70s by cynicism and commercialisation as huge publicity machines promoted tours by supergroups such as Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Grateful Dead, Supertramp, Pink Floyd and Led Zepellin. Rock music splintered into various subgenres including: Folk Rock, Jazz Rock, Prog Rock, Glam Rock and Heavy Rock.

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Heavy Metal
One of the most successful and long-lived styles which grew out of the early 70s, Metal had its roots in the British Blues movement - Guitarist Jimmy page was a member of influential Brit Blues group the Yardbirds before forming Led Zeppelin as was Eric Clapton prior to the formation of Cream. Black Sabbath was the definitive Heavy Metal band their eponymous debut album was released in 1970.

Folk Rock
Folk singer/songwriter Bob Dylan went electric in 1965 and though purist fans rejected this new sound it was an influential decision. The British folk movement of the 60s gave rise to folk rock at the end of the decade and bands such as Fairport Convention brought traditional songs into the pop repertoire. Another strand here was the introspective, solo voice and acoustic guitar based sound of singer songwriters such as James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. Mitchells albums Blue (1971) and Court and Spark (1974) are highly acclaimed.

Jazz Rock and Fusion

While some rock bands made superficial moves towards incorporating jazz sensibilities, the real sound of fusion was a development within jazz as serious improvisers such as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock moved away from straight-ahead swing and began to use electric guitars and electric keyboards and synths (typified by the use of the Fender Rhodes especially Herbie Hancock). Jazz rock featured the influence of funky grooves and some of the more left leanings of the free jazz movement.

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Check out Headhunters (1973) by Herbie Hancock as a good example or Miles Davis Bitches Brew. Cant go wrong with the master drummer Billy Cobhams 1973 release Spectrum.

Progressive Rock
A diverse style which became big business in the 1970s, prog rock was basically an attempt to intellectualise rock. The style was album based and generally featured ambitious and lengthy compositions and extended solos. Important recordings of the genre were made by Emerson, Lake and Palmer; King Crimson and Pink Floyd. This was the era of the concept album of which Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon (1973) was an enormously successful example. Mike Oldfields album Tubular Bells is a noteworthy example of a slightly different strand Symphonic Rock. This style saw bands attempting to demonstrate, in an often grandiose manner, their classical sensibilities. Tubular Bells was a spectacularly successful example of a genre which produced few enduring recordings.

Glam Rock
Glam rock emerged as an antithesis to the pretentiousness of late 60s/early 70s rock. There were two sub-categories here; on the one hand the fun and high camp of British Glam bands like the Sweet and Slade who emphasised catchy songs and flamboyant dress sense; on the other the cultivated sophistication of the art college scene exemplified by Marc Bolan (and T Rex), David Bowie and Roxy Music.

The Disco Boom

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Disco was a massively influential phenomenon in 70s pop which had its roots in funk and the lavish soul coming out of Philadelphia. Funk was an off-shoot of soul with a harder sound, little or no use of the orchestral arrangements present in the smoother Philly Soul of the 70s. Designed for dancing, Funk concentrated on infectious syncopation in drum, bass, guitar and horn parts and often utilised static harmony rather than conventional song forms. Philly soul was characterised by smoother, more lavish production often featuring strings. The combination with such lush arrangements with the groove emphasis of funk that resulted in Disco. An early disco example is Gloria Gaynors Never Can Say Goodbye (1974). The tracks soaring strings reveal its Philly soul roots while its fast tempo and driving drums place it firmly in the disco genre. The album Never Can Say Goodbye significantly featured three tracks extended to fill the A-side in a continuous mix thus creating the first album made specifically for club use. Herein lies the most important aspect of Discos influence in heralded an era when the DJ and sound system would replace live music in clubs. The partnership between singer Donna Summer and Italian producer Giorgio Moroder is worthy of mention here. Moroder was asked to create an extended club mix of their 1975 it Love to Love You Baby. The resulting 17 minute version with its lush strings and sexually charged vocal mark it out as an important forerunner to the dance music of the 80s and 90s. Summer and Moroder produced another seminal disco track, I Feel Love. This song is perhaps even more of a blueprint for house and techno because of its use of synth bassline, programmed drums and processed vocal. Production team Chic (guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards) were also a significant force in disco. Their late 70s hits included Good Times and Thinking of You for Sister Sledge. From a commercial point of view discos specialism as a club music seen mainly as having a black or gay audience meant sales were relatively low. However, the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever transformed disco into a worldwide phenomenon. The BeeGees soundtrack for the film featured disco classic Night Fever and Stayin Alive. Not only was disco itself a significant genre of pop music, it was also the antecedent of house music which in turn changed the pop music scene irrevocably in the late 80s.

Reggae and Punk

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In the late 70s, after a period in which the counter-cultural movements of the 60s had been replaced by commercialisation and escapism, Reggae and Punk marked a return to anti-establishment attitudes and protest.

Reggae
Jamaican Mento music (akin to Calypso) of the early part of the 20th century was influenced in the 1940s (through radio) by American RnB. Ska developed as a distinctive style in the 1960s influenced by RnB from New Orleans. Ska was characterised by fast rhythm, jazzy horn lines and an emphasis on the off-beat. Classic examples are Guns of Navarone by the Skatalites and Al Capone by Prince Buster. Rocksteady a slower, more bass-heavy version of ska with guitars and piano or organ emphasising the off-beat developed around 1966 this style gradually became known as reggae. Examples: Feel Like Jumpin Marcia Griffiths; Rocksteady Alton Ellis. Rastafarianism a religion based on Christianity advocating repatriation to Africa and condemnation of Babylon, with Haile Selassie the Emperor of Ethiopia as a spiritual figurehead experienced substantial growth after Selassies visit to Jamaica in 1968 and many reggae artists, including Bob Marley, adopted the religion. Jamaican music had only very occasionally penetrated the UK charts prior to the 70s (Israelites Desmond Dekker; Wonderful World, Beautiful People Jimmy Cliff; Young, Gifted and Black Marcia Griffiths are all notable examples) When the film The Harder They Come featuring a Jimmy Cliff soundtrack was released in 1973 however, Reggae was introduced to a worldwide audience. In the same year Chris Blackwell committed his Island Records to recording and promoting the Wailers Catch a Fire album. When, in 1974, Clapton released a version of I Shot the Sheriff Reggaes influence grew further. In the mid-70s engineer-producers King Tubby and Lee Scratch Perry pioneered dub recording techniques remixing tracks without vocals, adding reverb and echo and dropping instruments in or out. These instrumental dub versions were often used y sound systems for DJ/toasters to chat over. This is an important aspect of the Jamaican influence in dance music and hip hop.

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Straight reggae songs in this period fell into two main sub genres: Roots and Culture With an emphasis on politics and Rastafarianism Lovers Rock Sweetly sung love songs (uk reggae artists were influential here) The late 70s saw a ska revival in Britain led by the Two Tone label formed by Jerry Dammers, keyboardist with the Specials. These UK ska bands had an aggressive, punky edge and featured multi-racial line-ups. The leading bands in the scene, the Specials, the Selector, the Beat and Madness took a strong anti-racist stance and were integral part of the Rock Against Racism movement which grew as a reaction to a disturbing rise in racism and xenophobia in 70s Britain. Classic Specials tracks Too Much Too Young, Ghost Town, Rudy, A Message To You.

Punk
High unemployment in mid-70s Britain left many young people angry and disillusioned with the establishment. The glamour of disco and the indulgent, muso escapism of rock dinosaurs like Led Zeppelin, Genesis, and Yes had no appeal for this generation. Their reaction was to give rise to the nihilistic and aggressive Punk movement which deliberately reversed the musically indulgent attitude of prog rock. Punk bands preferred an anyone can do it approach using simple chord sequences and lyrics sung in a British accent. Origins Punk was essentially a British phenomenon but it was influenced by American bands. The Velvet Underground were of particular significance. Based in New York in the late 60s/early 70s they rebelled against musical virtuosity opting for simple chord structures and insistent rhythms. Iggy Pops band the Stooges were another of punks American influences. The Stooges raw style and outrageous stage antics continue to influence many rock bands today. Another US band, the New York Dolls was briefly managed by Malcolm McLaren (McLaren went on to manage UK punk innovators the Sex Pistols). The New York Dolls shocked audiences with provocative behaviour that foreshadowed punk their baiting of audiences and flirtation with Nazi imagery influenced McLaren.

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Arguably the first punk band was The Ramones. While the Stooges and the New York Dolls laid down the stylistic and aesthetic blueprint for punk, the Ramones established the musical foundation catchy tunes, simple chord sequences and fast tempos were at the heart of the genre. Examples of American contributors to the development of Punk: Velvet Underground Waiting For the Man (1967) The Stooges Down On the Street, Loose, TV Eye (all from album Funhouse 1970) The Ramones Judy is a Punk, Teenage Lobotomy 1976 1976 was the year punk came into its own. In September Londons 100 club hosted a two day punk festival which featured the lead bands of the scene the Buzzcocks, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Damned, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The first punk single New Rose by the Damned was released shortly afterwards and a month later the Sex Pistols put out Anarchy in the UK. Punks vitriolic agenda of anarchy and rebellion seemed to sum up the frustrations of a generation but there was no unified political message. Rivalry and infighting among and within bands meant punks decline came relatively swiftly. The Sex Pistols Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose in 1979, the Damned broke up and the Clash moved away from pure punk. By 1980 punks heyday was over and the emerging American Hardcore scene took over. What other styles/genres developed or arose during the 1970s? Please use this space to keep any additional notes: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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