In Perfect Harmony: Singalong Pop in ’70s Britain

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Singalong pop in ’70s Britain is a massive subject, especially given the constant juxtaposition of the music and the historical context.

Hodgkinson displays a historian’s attention to detail throughout, but In Perfect Harmony is never dry or taxing and is peppered with the wit and wisdom of the protagonists and the author’s own humorous observations.Someone needed to find out why Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade became the people's anthem in the age of the Three Day Week. Online since 2010 it is one of the fastest-growing and most respected music-related publications on the net. The decade of polyester and cheese is bookended by the huge hit singles ‘Grandad’ and ‘There's No One Quite Like Grandma’ and while it's hard to find much or anything to appreciate in either of those records, Hodgkinson has, on the whole, made a decent case for "bubblegum as high art. Rampant inflation, perpetual strikes, fuel shortages, pollution, nuclear threats and racial tension – sounds familiar doesn’t it?

He is a regular contributor to The Guardian, Mojo and Vogue and presented the Sky Arts television series Songbook. Stereo Review magazine opined that “The emotional connection between the Carpenters and their songs is about as strong as my last resolution to stop smoking. In Perfect Harmony is a loving paean to the artists of the time set against the volatile historical backdrop; an evocative and insightful book in which author Will Hodgkinson brings to life the hardships but also the fun and frivolity of the time. The woman who ran the nursery school I attended must have gone off for a bit of sun at some stage as I can remember dancing around to that classic in her front room, all those years ago. For those too young (or old) at the time to have clear recollections of the ’70s, In Perfect Harmony is a fantastic aid memoir, helping to re-ignite half-forgotten emotions as well as filling in the gaps with a plethora of enlightening details and reminiscences.

The reasonably minded are now picturing Hill, perhaps dressed as a nun from outer space, and nodding.