British Beat Groups of the 1960s
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Book Review: Days in the Life by Jonathon Green |
September 1999 |
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Days in the Life provides a backdrop to much of Making Time. It consists
of a trip, in all senses of the word, through the 1960s through the eyes of some
of the leading lights of the underground. The author notes that the time period
covered by the book overlaps the 1960s and the drivers in society commenced
before 1960 and continued after 1970.
This is about much more than music although the development of 1960s British music reflects much of what was happening in society at the time. We start in the beatnik period where the music of the day was the "mind-corrupting" jazz and young people were becoming more politically aware. This was shown in the growth of the CND movement and the march on Aldermaston. The book is chronological and takers the reader through recollections of numerous events including the Albert Hall poetry reading, the launches of the magazines IT and Oz and the Rolling Stones drugs bust amongst many others. We also learn about the growth of the drug culture including some insights on The Times' legalise cannabis advertisement. Towards the later 1960s, the underground was far more high profile, if that is not a contradiction. The underground's own house band Pink Floyd were becoming more and more popular and broke into the pop charts with Arnold Layne, See Emily Play and the wonderful Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Many of the book's interviewees are household names even today: John Peel, Paul McCartney etc. Others are associated directly with the underground scene such as Richard Neville, Joe Boyd, Pete Jenner, Adrian Horowitz etc. Other names are less well-known but contribute equally to the success of the book. mp, August 1999 |
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Details |
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ISBN: 0-7126-6665-6 Published 1998 by Pimlico (originally published in 1988) |
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Last Updated: 31 August 1999
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