Why are the Brits the real Kings of Pop?
par Gaëtan Gennaro-Presse, le 31 mai 2013
The Seventies
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The seventies were yet another decade when British music imposed its brand to the world with many leading artists.
On the ashes of the Yardbirds, guitarist Jimmy Page created Led Zeppelin in the late sixties. Often described as one of the early bands of hard rock, they also opened the way to heavy metal. Songs as Whole Lotta Love or Stairway to Heaven had a major influence on generations of guitarists. Their drummer, John Bonham, is one of the most legendary rock drummer of all time.
In 1970, another legend was born, Queen. With 300 million albums sold, Queen is probably one of the most emblematic British band in the world. Not only did they create a unique sound, but they also pioneered in the use of video clips, which they started to use successfully as early as 1975. The movie Highlander used one of their songs, Who wants to live forever, whereas I want to break free became an hymn. We may also remember the duet with David Bowie, Under pressure.
In the late Seventies, mixing punk, reggae and jazz influences, the Police became famous with songs like Roxanne, Message in the Bottle or Walking on the Moon. They are rated 70th in the top 100 artists-of-all-time list by Rolling Stone magazine.
Kate Bush - fostered by David Gilmour, guitarist of the Pink Floyd - was also revealed to international audience in the late 70s with her debut song Wuthering Heights. She was only 19 then, and she became the first woman to have a UK number-one with a self-written song. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.
Though his career started in the sixties, Elton John was really born in the early seventies. With an incredible record of N°1 hits, albums and awards, Elton John has been ranked 49th on the Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. Billboard magazine also ranked him as the most successful male solo artist on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists" (3rd overall behind the Beatles and Madonna). He has sold more than 250 million records. Sorry seems to be the hardest word, Song for guy or Candle in the wind are but a small sample of his great talent.
The Seventies also saw the birth of the punk movement with bands like the Clash or the Sex Pistols. London Calling for the first, Anarchy in the UK for the latter, both band became sensations. The Clash even entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
Formed in 1973 in Australia, the hard rock band AC/DC was created by Angus and Malcolm Young who were born in Scotland. Meanwhile in Ireland, "far apart from the braying mid-70s metal pack" (according to Rolling Stone Magazine) Thin Lizzy, led by black bassist Phil Lynott, played a form of hard rock which included a wide range of influences (as psychedelic rock or Irish folk music).
Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello sung My Funny Valentine while the Boomtown Rats wrote about the shooting spree at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego in I don’t like Mondays.
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