Through a roughly chronological narrative of the year 1966 Jon Savage uses the 45 rpm 'single' record as a reflection of and sometimes influence on the developing youth culture of the time. The focus is exclusively on Western culture in the USA and the UK, the dominant environments where popular music became a key element in the development of a specifically youth oriented view of the world. Savage identifies key areas where Western youth had a growing voice and where popular music interacted with that voice: civil rights, Vietnam and drug culture in the USA; the brief flowering of 'swinging' London, American cultural influences and the creation of a distinct 'youth' world in the UK.

Savage writes well and this is very readable, but there are weaknesses. Sometimes the balance between political and social history and the development of popular music leaves both sides being underserved in both detail and analysis. Inevitably, many of the records described here have not been heard for years, so gauging their impact, both then and now, is difficult. This is especially true for those records that were pretty obscure even in 1966. I believe 1966 was the pivotal year when the musical focus among the young started to shift to the 33 rpm 'long player' record, although it would be many years before LP sales eclipsed those of the single. Some of the LP's released in 1966 would be stronger supporters of Savages's argument than some of the singles he has selected. Savage half acknowledges this in several comments referencing The Beatles' 'Revolver' album.

Altogether, Savage does a good job in taking us back to a time when popular music had a major influence of the thinking and opinions of an increasingly vocal and important element of society. ( )

I was just three in 1966 so I have no direct recollection of the year, and have tended to look back on it as just another part of the Sixties. Like most people, I have tended to assume that the Sixties was a golden period. Hindsight does, however, over wear rose tinted spectacles, and while there was some absolutely marvellous music being produced, that would influence and inspire much that came later, the charts in 1966 were also heavily populated with some dire records that might almost make us question man as nature’s last word. Fifty years on Jon Savage has produced a fascinating analysis of the music that was being produced in 1966, and the social, political and economic context.

Surprisingly for a book by an English journalist that looks at 1966 in such detail, the World Cup victory scarcely garners a mention. Savage does, however, look in considerable detail at the prevailing political movements of the day. America was, of course, sinking further into engagement in Vietnam, and the draft loomed over teenagers across the country. Protests against the war were rife, and reflected in popular music. There was, however, also a significant conservative backlash. One of the biggest hits of the year in the USA was ‘The Ballad of the Green Berets’, which extolled the virtues of military service and patriotic duty. In Britain, the end of the year saw Jim Reeves’s sentimental and pro-establishment eulogy for armed service, ‘Distant Drums’, top the chart for four weeks.

It was also a year of vicious race riots, provoked by widely publicised scenes of police brutality against African Americans (sadly still far too prevalent fifty years later), and in many states concert audiences were still segregated. Savage documents these developments in detail (though never overburdening the reader). Martin Luther King was still alive and campaigning for peaceful revolution, though patience had worn thin among the African American community and the more forthright radical views propounded by Stokely Carmichael and the Black Panthers were gaining increased traction. Meanwhile, Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California, and immediately imposed a conservative regime, sending the police and National Guard into university campuses.

Savage looks closely at The Beatles, who toured America. Having been kings amongst men for much of the decade to date, they found themselves suddenly less popular than they had been. Other bands, including The Rolling Stones and The Kinks, were challenging their vice like grip on the home charts, and they suddenly looked tired and fed up with it all. Returning from America, they all went their separate ways for a break, before returning for some bizarre photoshoots in which they could not have looked more uncomfortable.

There was a healthily eclectic aspect to music. Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable and the Velvet Underground were the principal avant-garde acts, playing to mixed reception around America. Motown broke through, with the Supremes having a string of hits on both sides of the Atlantic. Cream were formed towards the end of the year, heralding the era of the supergroup.

1966 was also the year in which LSD broke through, and the impact upon the music world was phenomenal. Savage gives a detailed analysis of how its use spread through America, espoused by the underground magazine network and celebrated by ‘gurus’ such as Timothy Leary. Savage relates this with a refreshing clarity.

Savage manages to combine comprehensive detail, supported by extensive footnotes and references, with an engaging account that keeps the reader’s attention. ( )

Bob Dylan,Jimmie Hendrix, Beatles, 45s, New Music Express, Melody Maker, Psychedelia, the year 1966 for me was a time of freedom, having just left school, got a job and boyfriend.
The fashions were colourful and sometimes daring!
This book covers all these topics and more including Cathy Come Home, a shocking indictment of the poverty and deprivation that was all too prevelent.
Jon Savage captures everything about this time and I urge everyone to read it.
This digital copy was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. ( )

A good book but ultimately didn't want to finish. ( )