In Perfect Harmony

In Perfect Harmony by Will Hodgkinson (2022 Nine Eight Books hardcover 567pp)

 

Well-respected and widely-published music writer Will Hodgkinson takes on a Herculean task in this hefty doorstop of a book. Ignoring the frequently mentioned and chronicled big-name songs, bands and artists of the era, he takes a deep-dive to investigate the mostly forgotten and now-ignored records that actually sold in the millions and topped the UK charts in a period between 1970 and 1980 (a time book ended by a couple of novelty records about grandparents).

He takes us right into the smoke-filled rooms where assorted songwriters, producers and session musicians spent time messing around creating music they thought might possibly be a hit. Before releasing such songs on a record, they first invented a band name and held their breaths. Sometimes when the music indeed turned out popular, they had to create a fictitious band to go with the names. The real trouble came when the band was asked to appear on the TV show “Top of the Pops” and/or go on tour. This led to absurd scenes where the same producing team had 3 or 4 songs on the TV show on the same night and people had to swap between bands wearing wigs and dark glasses to disguise themselves. Sometimes these bands became a ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’, taking on a life of their own, demanding to write and play their own music and be treated as superstars.

After a few broad-ranging chapters, the book settles into sections looking at the music aimed at different age groups and the various musical fads of the era, from Glam Rock to 1950s revival, Punk and Disco. Alternating with the music coverage are sections detailing the social and political situation of the time thus giving a well-needed context to the needs and wants of the record-buying public.

This is a very well-researched book and a joy to read. Many stars of the era and some lessor known figures are given small biographies in the text and we are shown the direct and subtle connections between each of them. The author does go off on several tangents but these too are enjoyable.

I can see this book becoming a vital reference work for those investigating this topic in the future. Not mentioned in the book itself is a Spotify playlist of the same title created by Hodgkinson with over 100 of the songs mentioned in the text. I found this invaluable – I was born in the early 1970s and have only hazy memories of many of the songs but just reading about them did not trigger the flood of memories that actually listening to them did.

My only real criticism of this book isn’t really one at all – I just found the physical book itself hefty and awkward to read, a paperback edition with perhaps smaller print would be most welcome.