The Great 70s Project: 1973

If 1972 were the year where the 1970s took on its own distinctive image with glam rock flaunting its majesty in a peacock-like fashion, then 1973 was the year the beards fought back.  Every up has its flipside and so it goes here.  The polar opposite of Bolan’s optimism, 1973’s biggest selling albums included Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ (a lavish concept album about depression and mental stability), The Who’s ‘Quadrophenia’ (a concept album about angst, youth and mental stability) and Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’, arguably the biggest foray into self-indulgent prog rock this side of Yes’ double platter bore-fest ‘Tales of Topographic Oceans’ (also released in 1973).

That’s not so say the great and accessible pop and rock had been swept away, of course. Nor that glam was dead – far from it, in fact.  Sweet scored some big hit singles, Bolan told us the ‘Children of the Revolution’ couldn’t be fooled and one time hard rockers Slade escalated in popularity on the back of some great singles.

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The Great 70s Project: 1972

1972 AD.  The year that bored suburban teens attempted to resurrect Dracula, in a much maligned Hammer film that’s actually quite good fun.  The year that Bolan’s musical craft was at its most perfect; the year Ziggy Stardust came to Earth and changed Bowie’s fortunes forever.

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THE 1957 TAIL-FIN FIASCO – The 3 Song Drive EP

tail-fin-epOn their first two releases (2011’s ‘Private Jet Flashback‘ and 2013’s ‘Cruise Control EP‘) The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco proved themselves to be masters of retro cool. Armed with a quirky sense of humour and an unhealthy obsession with Steely Dan, the two men at the core of the Fiasco made audiences wonder how such authentically American sounding music could ever have been spawned from the UK. Not only that, but from the wilds of Essex, too – hardly a breeding ground for AM radio pop.

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THE 1957 TAIL-FIN FIASCO – Private Jet Flashback

PJFArmed with an unhealthy obsession with Donald Fagen, an admiration for Todd Rundgren and a liking of Badfinger, Malcolm Moore and David Myers (aka The 1957 Tail-Fin Fiasco) set to work in their quest to create proper “pop music for grown-ups”.  With all manner of invented characters and scenarios to share the British duo laboured hard, writing and recording at various locations into the small hours in an attempt to bring results that tipped the hat to their myriad heroes in a most appropriate manner.  Unleashed to an unsuspecting world at the beginning of 2013, their first release ‘Private Jet Flashback’ is a sophisticated work comprising of seven glossy pop/rock ditties.  The results are almost guaranteed to thrill those with a retro ear, a liking of an off-kilter lyric and – perhaps most importantly of all – a craving for tunes that have the kind of love and care afforded to those Steely Dan and 10cc records of yesteryear.

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