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Smash Hits magazine came out in 1979: it was a glossy lightweight pop mag that featured the lyrics of several of the current hit records, so you could sing along with your 45rpm singles (in those days lyrics for many records were in-comprehensible – I challenge anybody to unravel the words of “Into the Valley” by the Skids ). An early contributor and, later editor, was David Hepworth. It was compulsive reading for a pop music fan in that era. Of course by 1981, I was reading Kerrang and the NME rather than Smash Hits and pretty much ignored Hepworth until the arrival of “The Word” – the greatest music magazine EVER (well in my memory anyway). It remains the only magazine that was worth reading cover to cover each month: I still have a few copies lying around. Unfortuately, a few years ago (see blog below), it closed. Hepworth was the editor. I then followed his blog; and still do.

Thankfully, David Hepworth has now published a few books to keep me happy: “1971 – Never a Dull Moment” – about 1971, “Uncommon People – the rise and fall of Rock Stars,” “Nothing is Real” (which I haven’t read yet) and his current masterpiece: “A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives.” I downloaded the audiobook for Audible – Hepworth, thankfully, reads this love letter to the long playing record himself. It is really good. He starts the book in 1967 – 20 years after the LP had first come out, 8 years after “Kind of Blue” – with Sgt Pepper. His assertion is the “Pepper” started the LP revolution (i.e. not 2 hits and filler) and opened up the mass market for album music and it’s associated lifestyle. He then follows an Anglocentric path through the 1970s and 1980s to describe the habits and culture of crate digging vinyl lovers, the transition to cassettes – driven by the Sony Walkman and the movement from singles to albums to “tunes”. He parallels the development of video technology with the simultaneous development of the world of “always on” audio. Everything, to me, is familiar. Some things I had forgotten. It is like the book is a biography of the record loving aspect on my life (entirely separated from career, marriage and kids). Some albums give significant attention – “Thriller” (Jackson), “Tusk” (Fleetwood Mac). He has a section on comedy, but not soundtracks. The CD is a revolution, but is “unloved”.

My favorite comment by Hepworth, in Word, was that most bands have, at most 12 good tunes/songs (enough to fill 2 albums) – after that they are threading water. The book reinforces that view. He discusses record reviews and points out that most albums are mediocre – so the reviewed either goes “Meh!” (which, as they are usually freelance, will result them in not being invited back) or enthuses or savages the record. Most well reviewed records are not as good as your remember, most badly reviewed records are not as bad as you remember.

An excellent book – a great read – must buy a hard copy now. He seems to have another one coming out in October. Truly prolific!

Into the Valley

~ by Pat Neligan on May 28, 2019.

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