1975- time for a re-appraisal?

 

In a previous post I took an in-depth look at Al Stewart’s 1976 hit, Year of the Cat. Researching this had me thinking about the music and culture of the mid-seventies, including the year 1975. This in turn has led me to writing this article, an evaluation of 1975, a year I remember, but through the prism of being a teenager.

Over the years I have come to feel that 1975 is often damned with faint praise, or no praise at all. Somehow, despite its initial advantage of being the mid-year of the decade, it suffers by comparison with the years immediately preceding and following it. Take the weather. The spring of 1975 was slow to warm up and although the summer had its moments, it was soon eclipsed by 1976. The long hot summer of ’76 has passed into legend- soaring temperatures allied to a failure to rain at all from June to the August Bank holiday, capped with plagues of insects.

Then there is Sport. 1974 was a World Cup year and ‘76 an Olympic year whilst ‘77 produced a British winner at Wimbledon. By contrast, ’75 seems low key, despite Arthur Ashe winning Wimbledon.

Musically, the emerging iconoclasts of the Punk scene did what all revolutionaries do; trashed what had preceded them to justify why their emergence was essential. They had the music of 1975 firmly in their sights.

But-has the time come to look again at ’75? Might there a chance to rehabilitate its reputation and celebrate its achievements? I mentioned seeing it first time around through a teenage prism. Might my adult self bring to light new insights and a deeper appreciation of a year that helped to shape me? Over the course of several posts, I plan to find out, sharing my insights with you. So strap yourself in and set the De Lorean to reach 88 mph as we travel back in time……………..firstly to consider music, then in subsequent posts to look at Football, films and finally politics. Follow the links below to read more...............

The Popular music of 1975

1975: A year in Rock Albums