Not Abba: The Real Story of the 1970s

by Dave Haslam

NOT ABBA is an antidote to 'I LOVE THE 1970s'; it is the real story of the 1970s from the critically acclaimed author of MANCHESTER, ENGLAND. The 1970s is a decade frequently miscast; a parade of fashion disasters soundtracked by glam pop hits or frothy, mainstream disco. The generation who grew up in the 1970s remember the decade differently; inflation, strikes, and polarized politics; violence and conflict; the rise of the National Front; IRA terror campaigns on the British mainland; women's liberation, gay liberation; 'Mean Streets'; 'Taxi Driver' and 'Apocalypse Now'. NOT ABBA tells the story of the 1970s, celebrating the musicians and songs that illuminated and soundtracked the ideas, fashions, sexual revolutions and raw politics of the decade. It provides an antidote to history told via soundbites by exploring life in the margins, and ideas beneath the surface, and by painting the big picture behind the most enduring and influential music of the decade, including the politicized soul and funk of Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, the punk explosion, new wave, and the years of Ziggy Stardust, gay disco, the Stooges, Patti Smith, the Raincoats, Cabaret Voltaire, the Specials, and black British reggae. NOT ABBA tells the story of the decade via the key songs, using in-depth research, drawing not only on interviews with musicians, writers, and artists but also a wide range of representatives of the 70s generation; their personal stories drive our narrative. They are our guides to the real story of the 1970s, introducing us to life and music away from the mainstream; nothing bland, nothing obvious.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

Published June 20, 2005

About the author

Dave Haslam is an author and DJ. Originally from Moseley, Birmingham, he moved to Manchester in 1980, making his name as a DJ with 450 appearances at the Haçienda nightclub, including Thursday's Temperance club night in the late 1980s. In the 1990s he also hosted the weekly night Yellow at the Boardwalk nightclub in Manchester. His more recent DJ shows include clubs in Italy, USA, France, and Germany.

In the mid 1980s he founded the fanzine 'Debris' and went on to write for NME. His journalism has since appeared in The Times, The Guardian, The London Review of Books, The New Statesman and elsewhere. In 1999 he published Manchester, England, and, subsequently, Adventures on the Wheels of Steel, a book about the music and politics of the 1970s called Not Abba; the Real Story of the 1970s (reprinted as Young Hearts Run Free; the Real Story of the 1970s), a history of British nightclubs and music venues entitled 'Life After Dark', and his memoirs, 'Sonic Youth Slept On My Floor: Music, Manchester & More'.

His numerous other cultural interventions included creating an installation for the Berlin-based ‘Shrinking Cities’ exhibition; presenting a twenty minute talk on the North/South divide for BBC Radio 3; appearing on TV shows on BBC Two and on Channel 4, Granada TV, and Canal Plus (France). His 'Close Up' series of live interviews have attracted guest interviewees including Jonathan Franzen, Nile Rodgers and John Lydon.

Reviews

[Baal Of · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting it to focus primarily on music, but the scope is much broader than that. Haslam covers poverty, racial tension, the rise of conservative politics, women's rights, gay rights, unemployment, and a host of other factors in an engaging almost conversational tone. The core premise of the book is that the Abbafication of the 70's has caused people to misunderstand, or completely overlook what was really going on; Abbafication is essentially a historical narrative that casts the entire decade in terms of light, happy, optimistic disco, ignoring the seething turmoil that was everywhere, and the fringes of music that reflected that everyday reality for a vast number of people. Northern soul, reggae, dub, and punk all embraced and reflected the difficulties of the time, and furthermore, the complexities of the interactions of these various genres and their fan bases paralleled the complexities of the underlying social milieu.
As I was reading this book, I kept a list of most of the bands and songs that were mentioned, and made a point of listening to anything I wasn't already familiar with, and this process has enriched my understanding of music of the time, and also some of the issues that the musicians were singing about. I've added a few things to my need to purchase list, one standout being Betty White "Anti Love Song", notable to me because soul tends to be way outside my usual musical tastes. Her song, besides expressing a sentiment I can get behind, had enough weirdness to make it stand out from all the other tracks of the same genre I heard. I also discovered that I like the band Hot Chocolate, but that sort of makes sense given that Sisters Of Mercy covered Emma, which cover I like very much.
Another aspect of this book that stood out, was just how much cross-over there was between those various genres. I already knew that was the case with post-punk mixing liberally from all the influences, but way back the punk crowds intermingled to some extent with disco, soul, reggae and dub, and it was not a case of warring musical factions. This stuck particularly strong in my mind, because back in college during the History Of Rock Music class I took, the professor characterized the entire punk movement as both fundamentally racist and extremely anti-gay. Back then I knew he was wrong, but didn't have the historical understanding to refute his claim effectively. This book provides massive evidence against his bullshit claim. Yes, there are racist offshoots of punk, but the bulk of the movement was more about the underprivileged, not about race, and also it was initially, and for the most part continues to be, very accepting of gay people. Hell, one of the premier punk bands at the beginning was The Buzzcocks, with their gay front man Pete Shelley. And he was not alone. There are plenty of other examples.
Women's rights were another strong aspect that came through the music of the time particularly in the northern soul and punk. Not so much with reggae and pretty much not all with dub. A quick run down of a few of the artists mentioned in this provide good examples: Patti Smith, X-Ray Specs, Betty White, The Slits, Esther Phillips.
All of these aspects were a threat against the establishment of the time, and the music provided a means of expression to disenfranchised groups. This book provides a clear-headed and griping tale of the 1970s that goes much deeper than Abba. I still like some Abba songs, though.

[Ralph · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the book is sound enough and it's readable. The author however isn't quite up to the task he's set himself and displays lack of knowledge in some areas. It's dotted with quite a few errors (often surprisingly in the music details) but nonetheless a passable read

[Steve Yetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the seventies incorporating music into the political situation. Very readable and informative

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book is very England-centric and I grew up on the outskirts of Glasgow, this is the 1970's as I remember them.

[Claire]

This is an excellent and highly readable social and musical history of the decade style forgot. Haslam expertly guides the reader through the political, social and musical labyrinth of this complex and contradictory period of recent history, ignoring the 'Abbafication' and rose-tinted nostalgia for the seventies that is current cultural currency. Instead, Haslam examines the more substantial and influential music scenes that emerged in this decade (heavy rock, punk, reggae, dub and Two-Tone, post-punk etc) and places them in their social, political and (counter)cultural context, using well-written historical overviews and the experiences of individuals who grew up in the seventies. This fascinating and lovingly-written book is full of evocative period detail, and is written in an accessible, informed and witty style by an engaging and vivid writer.