In Perfect Harmony: Singalong Pop in ’70s Britain

I very much enjoyed this book. Its musical insights and depth and breadth of knowledge are impressive and are framed in a historical context. It is filled with fascinating details: I had no idea, for example, that Lieutenant Pigeon was an anagram, nor that James Last had performed a version of Silver Machine nor that Paul Jones had done a lounge core version of Pretty Vacant.In a book that encompasses Stavely Makepeace and Dollar and all points in between there is margin for error but I only spotted 2: the self-styled King of the Witches was Alex Sanders (not Sanderson) and Party Sevens date from 1968 rather than earlier in the decade so the liquid currency Pete Waterman was paid in must have been an equally gassy predecessor. The book is timely in relation to 2 recent Bubble gum compilations (see also the compilation. 'Join My Orchestra') and like them is a reminder that the 70s weirdness was part of the mainstream. Intriguingly, two singers, Sue and Sunny who I had never heard of kept reappearing, adding to my sense of the 70s being a media multi-verse: I kept thinking to myself, as I read the book, that this was all happening when I was grooving to Hawkwind, the Pink Fairies and the Groundhogs! Fascinating!

I've read alot of books on the Seventies, a few are good and even fewer are about the music. This book is exactly what I've wanted to read about, the kitsch and the massively popular pop music that spanned that decade. Mostly and often written off, but awash with memories of my youth. I'm only 10 pages in and I'm hooked. The writing suits me and is an easy read. The book does add excellent context to the music as well, against what was happening both socially and politically.Anyway, it's 13 quid at the moment - buy it for a family member who still sings along to Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, they'll love it for Christmas.Admittedly I do live in a 70s bubble, I make playlists on Mixcloud and cast off the complaints at home, when I play yet another 70s chart playlist and neck one more bottle of Mateus Rose..... heaven .....Thank you Will Hodgkinson for writing this.

I struggled to finish this book. There is a scattergun approach to the narrative which meant the flow of the book for me was very hit and miss. Some of the detail about the people of the era - backing singers, managers, songwriters etc - was really interesting. But there were also lengthy passages where I just lost interest. Shorter, more defined, chapters would have helped.

This book is an amazing exploration of some of the sing along songs of the 70s, as well as including the social backgrounds of the time. I didn’t realise that one well known one hit wonder had previously been a Prisoner of War or that someone’s relative was kidnapped on a bus! It also includes great stories about some of the well know bands of the time, including Slade, Sweet, Bay City Rollers, 10cc and many others.

Really enjoyed this book..its like stepping into a time machine and being transported to the heady days of the 70s.

A smile of a book, I really enjoyed it

This is a remarkable book, written by a man who is too young to remember much about the 70s yet who captures the times - and so many of the characters - perfectly. Every page brings another “I didn’t know that” moment, and the style is both informative and entertaining. Highly recommended.

I had high expectations for this rather lengthy offering. I had anticipated a journey through the music of my childhood which featured some pretty big and memorable acts. Instead the focus appears to be on one-hit and none-hit wonders - including some people I had never heard of - and I was there! There seems to be a disproportionate focus on a group of session singers - people who sang on many hits of the 1970's - almost always one-hit wonders - none of which were willing to take the jump in front of the camera. And where we have some of the really successful acts mentioned the word count simply does not equate with the less successful artists featured. When seeking out quotes from said acts, for example, The New Seekers, instead of a quote from Eve or Lyn, we have one from Marty. Instead of Noddy from Slade we get Dave. And the attempt to link the music with socio-political situations in the UK is frankly bizarre. Finishing the book became a bit if a challenge but not a lot else happened as we stumbled to the end.