In Perfect Harmony: Singalong Pop in '70s Britain

In Perfect Harmony is a comprehensive chronicle by music historian Will Hodgkinson that explores how an unlikely mix of backroom songwriters, revitalized rockers, actors, producers, teen stars, and children turned pop into the dominant sound and vision of the 1970s. It was a time of novelty songs, sentimental ballads, glam-rock stomps, and blatant rip-offs, offering escape, uplift, romance, and the promise of eternal childhood. The book examines the core themes and camp spectacle of 70s singalong pop and its reverberations through British culture since.

Format: Hardback
Length: 576 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd

In the mid-1970s, the world of pop music was in a state of flux. The Beatles had disbanded, and Pink Floyd had delved into progressive rock, dismissing anything beyond their musical statements as childish frippery. Led Zeppelin, on the other hand, stuck to their musical statements, disregarding the changing landscape of the music industry. However, a glimmer of hope emerged as a group of unlikely individuals came together to revitalize pop music. This comprehensive chronicle by music historian Will Hodgkinson explores how an unlikely mix of backroom songwriters, revitalized rockers, actors, producers, teen stars, and children turned pop into the dominant sound and vision of the 1970s.

While bands like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac were ruling the albums chart, the singles chart was swinging along to the tune of million-selling blockbusters by artists such as Brotherhood of Man, the Sweet, and the Wombles. These songs were heard on Radio 1, during Saturday-night TV, at youth clubs, down the pub, and even emanating from your parents' record player. It was never cool, but it was the real soundtrack of the decade.

Against a rainy, smog-filled backdrop of three-day weeks, national strikes, IRA bombings, and the Winter of Discontent, this unrelenting stream of novelty songs, sentimental ballads, glam-rock stomps, and blatant rip-offs offered escape, uplift, romance, and the promise of eternal childhood. All released with one goal in mind: a smash hit.

In Perfect Harmony takes the reader on a journey through the most color-saturated era in music, examining the core themes and camp spectacle of 70s singalong pop, as well as its reverberations through British culture since. This is the pioneering social history of a musical revolution.

Weight: 868g
Dimension: 240 x 162 x 49 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781788705615