Originating as “soft pop” in the mid-1960s, this largely West Coast (USA) phenomenon was influenced by Easy Listening, Jingles, and Psychedelia. The songs were technically ambitious and compositionally complex and usually featured prominent vocal harmonies and unusual musical instruments such as harpsichord, glockenspiel, and flute.
Glam Rock Glam Rock laughed in the face of the pompous pseudo-intellectualism that was becoming prevalent in the music world in the…
Girl Groups The story of the 'girl group' sound, which reached its commercial and artistic peak in the early and mid-60s, is…
Punk In 1977, merely suggesting that the Queen was a moron (or a potential H Bomb) would get you banned from…
Oi! Music By the end of the 1970s, punk in Britain was splintering into several distinct strains, most of them quite "arty". Oi! music…
Surf Music In terms of commercial impact, Surf Music was a short-lived phenomenon. The vast majority of popular surf recordings were waxed…
New Wave New Wave is often remembered more for skinny ties and silly haircuts than for musical merits. The Police, Elvis Costello, The Cars and Blondie all lent…
New Romantic Each decade of popular music so far has its merits and its embarrassments. But perhaps the most derided of them…
Ska Revival September 1979. England. The Prince by Madness had entered the British charts on 1 September. The Specials (pictured above) were riding…
