What was it like in the 60's and 70's? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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Tony R

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Joined: July 16 2004
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Posted: August 28 2011 at 14:50

It's a rather bizarre notion but in those days people would buy albums based on the cover art. Hence why some cover artists became famous in their own right.

I had problems getting a lot of albums from America and Canada. In those days stuff like Rush, Gentle Giant et al were only available "on import", which basically meant that your local record store would get one or two copies imported from the country of origin and if they had sold out you had to order a copy. That could take two or three to arrive if you were lucky.
For example, the first Rush album released in the UK at the same time as in N.America was A Farewell To Kings, the others weren't officially released here until later, you had to get them imported.

Dancing Lemming View Drop Down

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Posted: August 28 2011 at 14:42

It's a disturbing thought that I could have been around when Amon Düül II were beginning, and not ever discover them.

lazland

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Posted: August 28 2011 at 13:55

Some interesting thoughts - good thread Clap

I'm going to have to sign off in a minute, so a couple of very quick thoughts.

Undoubtedly, new technology has made the buying process for the dedicated fan a whole lot easier, and, of course, just to listen via Spotify or Last FM. When I was young in the period we only had Radio 1 or Radio Luxembourg, and after 1974, prog on the radio was a relative rarity, especially after Peel "discovered" punk.

However, one of the sheer pleasures then was to walk into your local record shop, flick through the lovely vinyl covers, and discover some great music, or they would personally order it for you. Such shops are becoming a bit of a rarity these days, and that is a shame.

So, like just about any other era, there was good & bad. I wouldn't change anything for the world, but I will say that I find discovering new music now just as, or even more, exciting as I did then.

Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org

ghost_of_morphy View Drop Down

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Posted: August 28 2011 at 13:53

1. I bought Yes's whole back catalog on 8-track extremely cheap when they were being phased out. It got to the point where you could pick up an album for 50 cents.

2. Just like now, most stores only stocked things that were from proven groups or which were well promoted. If a store had something old or off the beaten path, it was because they couldn't move it. Groups had smaller back catalogs then.

3. Radio stations were much more varied back then. I remember a local station that had three hours of pure Beatles programming a week until the mid '70's. Another specialized in prog (and the DJ loved to play Yes -- The Remembering.) Programming was done by real people not corporate executives studying statistics.

4. Imports were hard to come by unless you had a store that specialized in them in your area. That's how I first found Caravan.

5. Genres were very different back then. Prog (Art Rock was the popular term back then) was limited to things like Yes, Genesis, King Crimson and ELP. Pink Floyd, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa et al., were not considered to bear any relationship to the genre.

6. 45's had a lot more weight back then. Charting a single meant something more than brainwashing a Clearchannel executive.

Earendil

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Location: Indiana, USA
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Posted: August 28 2011 at 13:50

I can't really help you there, but I look forward to what people have to say. Great post idea.

Jake Kobrin View Drop Down

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Joined: September 20 2008
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Points: 1303

Posted: August 28 2011 at 13:35

I've been talking with some older guys about what music was like in the 60's and 70's and it's very interesting to me. I really wonder what it'd be like to have lived back then.

This is what I've heard:

The first thing is that supposedly the time that a record would spend on the shelves was very limited. As opposed to nowadays where you can go into a record store and find albums that span a bands entire career, it was like by the time Red was released, you couldn't find ITCOTCK in stores anywhere. When it came to obscure albums on less successful labels, it was even more exaggerated. Original albums by bands like Capability Brown (just as a for example) are so rare because their albums were taken off of the shelf only weeks after the album was released, and not stocked in many stores to begin with. And after they'd been removed, it isn't likely that you'd ever hear about the record in the first place, or be able to order it. And the radio was similar. By 1970 you'd never hear a song from Sgt Peppers or something because 3 years was considered "old." There was also a supposed gap in band audiences. The guys that listened to Black Sabbath weren't the same people that listened to The Beatles, for example (though this wasn't true for everyone, I'm sure.)

Also I'm pretty sure it was very divided by country, so getting stuff like Amon Duul II in the states would have been very difficult.

I'm pretty sure if I lived back then, I'd end up buying every album I saw that seemed like prog, psych, or heavy music.

We have it so easy nowadays to be able to get any album we want with barely moving a muscle, and to receive such a huge amount of recommendations when it comes to what we listen to.

And then not to mention concert tickets. Nowadays we all buy them online, but I think that people rarely bought tickets in advanced except for arena shows and for those arena shows, they had to wait in line for hours and hours to get a good seat.

Also supposedly people didn't buy actual LPs until well into the 60's. It was very much the norm to listen to 45's.

But that's just what I've heard. I wasn't there so I'm not sure.

If anyone has any stories about what it was like back then, I'd be very interested to hear.

Edited by Jake Kobrin - August 28 2011 at 13:36

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Tony R Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: July 16 2004 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 11979	Posted: August 28 2011 at 14:50
	It's a rather bizarre notion but in those days people would buy albums based on the cover art. Hence why some cover artists became famous in their own right. I had problems getting a lot of albums from America and Canada. In those days stuff like Rush, Gentle Giant et al were only available "on import", which basically meant that your local record store would get one or two copies imported from the country of origin and if they had sold out you had to order a copy. That could take two or three to arrive if you were lucky. For example, the first Rush album released in the UK at the same time as in N.America was A Farewell To Kings, the others weren't officially released here until later, you had to get them imported.

Dancing Lemming Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: August 27 2011 Status: Offline Points: 9	Posted: August 28 2011 at 14:42
	It's a disturbing thought that I could have been around when Amon Düül II were beginning, and not ever discover them.

lazland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: October 28 2008 Location: Wales Status: Offline Points: 13355	Posted: August 28 2011 at 13:55
	Some interesting thoughts - good thread I'm going to have to sign off in a minute, so a couple of very quick thoughts. Undoubtedly, new technology has made the buying process for the dedicated fan a whole lot easier, and, of course, just to listen via Spotify or Last FM. When I was young in the period we only had Radio 1 or Radio Luxembourg, and after 1974, prog on the radio was a relative rarity, especially after Peel "discovered" punk. However, one of the sheer pleasures then was to walk into your local record shop, flick through the lovely vinyl covers, and discover some great music, or they would personally order it for you. Such shops are becoming a bit of a rarity these days, and that is a shame. So, like just about any other era, there was good & bad. I wouldn't change anything for the world, but I will say that I find discovering new music now just as, or even more, exciting as I did then.
	Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org

ghost_of_morphy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: March 08 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2755	Posted: August 28 2011 at 13:53
	1. I bought Yes's whole back catalog on 8-track extremely cheap when they were being phased out. It got to the point where you could pick up an album for 50 cents. 2. Just like now, most stores only stocked things that were from proven groups or which were well promoted. If a store had something old or off the beaten path, it was because they couldn't move it. Groups had smaller back catalogs then. 3. Radio stations were much more varied back then. I remember a local station that had three hours of pure Beatles programming a week until the mid '70's. Another specialized in prog (and the DJ loved to play Yes -- The Remembering.) Programming was done by real people not corporate executives studying statistics. 4. Imports were hard to come by unless you had a store that specialized in them in your area. That's how I first found Caravan. 5. Genres were very different back then. Prog (Art Rock was the popular term back then) was limited to things like Yes, Genesis, King Crimson and ELP. Pink Floyd, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa et al., were not considered to bear any relationship to the genre. 6. 45's had a lot more weight back then. Charting a single meant something more than brainwashing a Clearchannel executive.


Earendil Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 17 2008 Location: Indiana, USA Status: Offline Points: 1584	Posted: August 28 2011 at 13:50
	I can't really help you there, but I look forward to what people have to say. Great post idea.

Jake Kobrin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: September 20 2008 Status: Offline Points: 1303	Posted: August 28 2011 at 13:35
	I've been talking with some older guys about what music was like in the 60's and 70's and it's very interesting to me. I really wonder what it'd be like to have lived back then. This is what I've heard: The first thing is that supposedly the time that a record would spend on the shelves was very limited. As opposed to nowadays where you can go into a record store and find albums that span a bands entire career, it was like by the time Red was released, you couldn't find ITCOTCK in stores anywhere. When it came to obscure albums on less successful labels, it was even more exaggerated. Original albums by bands like Capability Brown (just as a for example) are so rare because their albums were taken off of the shelf only weeks after the album was released, and not stocked in many stores to begin with. And after they'd been removed, it isn't likely that you'd ever hear about the record in the first place, or be able to order it. And the radio was similar. By 1970 you'd never hear a song from Sgt Peppers or something because 3 years was considered "old." There was also a supposed gap in band audiences. The guys that listened to Black Sabbath weren't the same people that listened to The Beatles, for example (though this wasn't true for everyone, I'm sure.) Also I'm pretty sure it was very divided by country, so getting stuff like Amon Duul II in the states would have been very difficult. I'm pretty sure if I lived back then, I'd end up buying every album I saw that seemed like prog, psych, or heavy music. We have it so easy nowadays to be able to get any album we want with barely moving a muscle, and to receive such a huge amount of recommendations when it comes to what we listen to. And then not to mention concert tickets. Nowadays we all buy them online, but I think that people rarely bought tickets in advanced except for arena shows and for those arena shows, they had to wait in line for hours and hours to get a good seat. Also supposedly people didn't buy actual LPs until well into the 60's. It was very much the norm to listen to 45's. But that's just what I've heard. I wasn't there so I'm not sure. If anyone has any stories about what it was like back then, I'd be very interested to hear. Edited by Jake Kobrin - August 28 2011 at 13:36
	SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration