1971: Never A Dull Moment
Nothing wrong with that, but the point I’m trying to make is that what David Hepworth has accomplished in this book is to make a really convincing case that 1971 was the year the industry changed from a singles-dominated market to one where albums started making the ‘real’ money.
When the rock and roll ‘business’ began.
The Rolling Stones were almost broke, owed masses in taxes, and moved to France to set their finances in order. Not their music; their finances. Carole King released Tapestry, which sold a gajillion copies and showed executives there was money to be made from the age range above the teens who bought singles. Rod Stewart put out Every Picture Tells a Story, David Bowie released Hunky Dory, Led Zeppelin’s fourth album didn’t even have their name on the cover. And Nick Drake’s Bryter Later was praised to the skies by the critics, but hardly sold a copy because he was a (shy) upper-class hippy who avoided the whole icky business of selling something by deciding not to give interviews.
There’s so much in this book, about the music, the times, the characters involved. And all of it told with page-turning gusto, with some great descriptions and funny one-liners. Talking about the J Geils Band and Humble Pie, he writes:
‘With the best will in the world, neither of these groups had an original musical idea to their name, and they couldn’t write songs to save their lives, but wherever they played they could be relied upon to tear it up’.
Or this about Grand Funk Railroad, who ‘were almost entirely without merit musically, but were far advanced in showmanship. One of the highlights of their act was when the drummer Don Brewer played his kit with his head. This seemed an eloquent testimonial to the group’s approach to life’.
Fabulous!
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