This is the Beginning of a New Age: New Papers, New Editors and the Underground

Glen, Patrick

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91674-3_3

Patrick Glen¹⁰

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Subcultures and Popular Music ((PSHSPM))

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Abstract

This chapter covers the early-1970s, it analyses how a broadened remit of music papers to report on extra-musical issues contributed to new ways of writing about music. The chapter describes the influx of new writers, editors and titles that reshaped the music press. It considers the advent of music journalists, who had previously written in the underground press, who brought a mediated version of the underground into the mainstream. It subsequently unpacks the constitution and politics of the ‘rock community’—a shorthand for young people who were invested in popular music and read music papers. Finally, the chapter explores anxieties about concert-going that culminated in the Isle of Wight Festival and an attempt by Conservative MPs to legislate against any overnight festivals.

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Notes

1.
As discussed by Simon Frith, the experiences of the ‘rock community’ was seen to be mediated through contemporary popular music. Frith, Simon. “‘The Magic That Can Set You Free’: The Ideology of Folk and the Myth of the Rock Community.” Popular Music 1 (1981): 159–168.
2.
National Readership Survey (1972).
3.
Hugh Nolan, ‘Underground: Not So Much Pop Music More A Way Of Life,’ Disc and Music Echo 2 November 1968 (RB, accessed October 2016).
4.
Paul Gorman, In Their Own Write: Adventures in the Music Press (London: Sanctuary, 2001): 95.
5.
Richard Williams, personal interview (2011).
6.
Chris Charlesworth, personal interview (2011).
7.
Michael Watts, ‘Student Statement,’ Melody Maker 12 September 1970, 12.
8.
Keith Altham, ‘In Paris with Amen Corner,’ Melody Maker 22 February 1969, 5.
9.
Chris Charlesworth, ‘Free Trip,’ Melody Maker 4 July 1970 (RBP, accessed August 2017)
10.
Jacoba Atlas, ‘Laurel Canyon: Hip Street USA,’ Melody Maker 12 September 1970 (RBP, accessed August 2017).
11.
Roy Hollingworth, ‘Hendrix Today,’ Melody Maker 5 September 1970 (RBP, accessed August 2017).
12.
Penny Valentine, Sounds 11 May 1971, 8.
13.
Bob Dawbarn, Sounds 27 November 1971, 5.
14.
Sounds 21 November 1971, 1.
15.
Pat Long, The History of the NME (London: Portico, 2012): 56.
16.
Mick Farren, personal interview (2010).
17.
Mick Farren, ‘Rock – Energy for Revolution,’ Melody Maker, 3 October 1970, 31.
18.
Tony Benn, ‘Listening to the New Generation,’ Melody Maker 24 October 1970, 25–26.
19.
‘Thrills,’ New Musical Express 25 September 1971, 32.
20.
‘Thrills,’ New Musical Express, 2 October 1971, London 8.
21.
‘Thrills,’ New Musical Express, 30 October 1971, London 8.
22.
Gorman, In Their Own Write: 177.
23.
Hunter S. Thompson, ‘The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved’ in The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time (London: Picador, 2010): 24–37.
24.
Nick Kent, ‘The Allman Bros. Band: Dead Or Alive?’ NME, 2 February 1974 (RB, accessed January 2017).
25.
Charles Shaar Murray, ‘Alex Harvey – Thou shalt have no other punk before me…’ NME, May 1975 (RB, accessed January 2017).
26.
Charles Shaar Murray, ‘Jefferson Airplane: Just An Exercise At Being Repulsive?’ NME, 23 June 1973 (RB, accessed January 2017).
27.
Charles Shaar Murray, ‘Black Sabbath: Satan, The Bomb And Geezer’s Dreams,’ NME, 28 October 1972 (RB, accessed January 2017).
28.
Alan Smith, ‘Donovan Gambles On Anti-war Song About Vietnam,’ NME, 2 July 1965 (RBP, accessed March 2016).
29.
David Griffiths, ‘Dixie’s Dream City is Manchester,’ Record Mirror, December 1966 (RBP, accessed November 2013).
30.
Thomas, ‘Protests Against the Vietnam War,’ 335–336.
31.
‘Think In’, Melody Maker, 28 January 1967, 7.
32.
M.S. Foley, Dear Dr. Spock: Letters about the Vietnam War to America’s Favorite Baby Doctor (New York: NYU Press, 2005): 13–34.
33.
Laurie Henshaw, NME, 1 June 1968, 6.
34.
John King, ‘Scene’s Wildest Raver!’ NME 28 January 1967, 2.
35.
‘Astro-Man’ [CD recording], Jimi Hendrix (Remastered by Alchemy Records, 2003).
36.
‘Mailbag,’ Melody Maker 25 February 1967, 24.
37.
‘Mailbag’, Melody Maker 25 February 1967, 24.
38.
Keith Altham, ‘Two Things Make Beach Boys Sad’, NME, 27 May 1967, 14.
39.
NME 30 November 1968, 6.
40.
‘From You to Us’, NME 1 April 1967, 9.
41.
Nancy Lewis, ‘George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar et al.: Concert for Bangla Desh, Madison Square Garden, New York NY.’ NME 7 August 1971 (RBP, January 2017).
42.
Richard Williams, ‘The Concert for Bangla Desh,’ Melody Maker, 1 January 1972 (RB, January 2017).
43.
‘Gasbag,’ NME 13 October 1973, 62–63.
44.
Shuker, Key Concepts in Popular Music, 93; Toynbee, ‘Policing Bohemia,’ 290.
45.
‘Gasbag,’ NME 12 February 1972, 36.
46.
‘We’re Pain… We’re Steel … We’re a Plot of Knives…’ NME 15 February 1975, 17–18.
47.
Anthony O’Grady, ‘Dictatorship: the Next Step,’ NME 23 August 1975, 5–6.
48.
‘Thrills,’ NME, 20 October 1973, 14.
49.
‘Thrills,’ NME, 11 January 1975, 12.
50.
‘Thrills,’ NME, 15 November 1975, 8.
51.
‘Thrills,’ NME, 22 November 1975, 8–9.
52.
‘Thrills,’ NME, 29 November 1975, 10.
53.
‘Thrills,’ NME, 6 December1975, 10.
54.
Richard Green, ‘Woodstock,’ New Musical Express, May 1970 (RB, accessed February 2017).
55.
Andy Bennett, Cultures of Popular Music (Buckingham: Open University Press, 2001): 11–12.
56.
George McKay, Circular Breathing: The Cultural Politics of Jazz in Britain (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005): 73–86.
57.
Chris Welch, ‘A Brave New World – Through Pop’, Melody Maker 6 April 1968, 6.
58.
Stan Cohen, Folk Devils and Moral Panics (London: Macgibbon and Kee, 1972).
59.
‘Splat! Went Custard Pies and Beetroot,’ Melody Maker 4 January 1969, 6.
60.
Keith Altham, ‘Planes West to Cover America’s Monterey Pop Festival and Cables This Day-By-Day Report,’ NME 24 June 1967 (RB, accessed May 2017).
61.
Tracy Thomas, ‘Mamas & The Papas, The Who, Jimi Hendrix et al.: Monterey Pop Festival, Monterey CA,’ NME, 1 July 1967 (RB, accessed May 2017).
62.
Michael Lydon, ‘Where’s the Money from Monterey Pop?’ Rolling Stone 9 November 1967 (RB, accessed May 2017).
63.
Chris Welch, ‘Various Artists: Seventh National Jazz And Blues Festival, Windsor,’ Melody Maker, 19 August 1967 (RBP).
64.
Chris Welch, ‘Jefferson Airplane: The Isle of Wight Pop Festival,’ Melody Maker, 7 September 1968 (RB, accessed May 2017).
65.
Geoffrey Cannon, ‘Bob Dylan, The Band: Isle of Wight Festival’ The Guardian 2 September 1969 (RB, accessed May 2017).
66.
Ibid.
67.
Lon Goddard, ‘Bob Dylan & the Band: Isle of Wight Festival,’ Record Mirror 6 September 1969 (RB, accessed May 2017).
68.
Richard Green, ‘Bob Dylan et al.: Isle of Wight Festival,’ NME, 6 September 1969 (RB, accessed May 2017).
69.
Miles, ‘Bob Dylan, The Band: Isle of Wight Festival,’ International Times 12 September 1969 (RB, accessed May 2017).
70.
Mick Farren, Give the Anarchist a Cigarette (London: Pimlico, 2001): 285.
71.
Quoted in Farren, Give the Anarchist, 285–6.
72.
International Times 86, 27 August 1970, 3.
73.
Melody Maker 22 August 1970, 1.
74.
Melody Maker 29 August 1970, 1.
75.
Melody Maker, 5 September 1970.
76.
‘The Isle of Wight Festival: 5 Days of Peace, Music and Love,’ International Times, 10 September 1970 (RB, accessed March 2015).
77.
United Kingdom, Hansard Parliamentary Debates vol. 817 (17 May 1971).
78.
Several letters from Wiggins to other MPs can be found in BL 5/190: Night Assemblies Bill, National Archives, London, Great Britain.
79.
Alan Smith, ‘A Message from NME Editor Alan Smith, NME 5 February 1972, 1.
80.
‘Canterbury: Site Might be Changed,’ NME 1 January 1972, 4.
81.
‘After Ban on Canterbury… Weeley in Jeopardy,’ NME 12 February 1972, 3.
82.
‘Power Crisis Threat to Live Dates and Groups, NME 19 February 1972, 2.
83.
‘Join NME and the big names of rock: KILL THE BILL,’ NME 19 February 1972, 3.
84.
‘Case is prepared Against the Night Assemblies Bill,’ NME 4 March 1972, 3.
85.
NME, 11 March 1972, 1.
86.
‘Festival Letters Extra,’ NME 11 March 1972, 32.
87.
‘There WILL be a Whit Festival,’ NME 18 March 1972, 4; ‘Jagger Slams Bill’ NME 18 March 1972, 8–9.
88.
The National Archives, AT 51/64.
89.
Department of the Environment, Pop Festivals: Report and Code of Practice (1973), vii.
90.
Ibid., 4.

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University College London, London, UK
Patrick Glen

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Glen, P. (2019). This is the Beginning of a New Age: New Papers, New Editors and the Underground. In: Youth and Permissive Social Change in British Music Papers, 1967–1983. Palgrave Studies in the History of Subcultures and Popular Music. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91674-3_3

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91674-3_3
Published: 12 December 2018
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-91673-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-91674-3
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