New Waves, Old Hands, And Unknown Pleasures: The Music Of 1979

by Sean Egan

The year 1979 was a seminal watershed moment in rock music. The year saw the release of Pink Floyd's The Wall, David Bowie's Lodger, Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door, Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming, Fleetwood Mac's Tusk, Elvis Costello and the Attractions' Armed Forces, Joe Jackson's Look Sharp! and I'm the Man, Stiff Little Fingers' Inflammable Material, Gary Numan/Tubeway Army's Replicas and the Pleasure Principle, Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, the Jam's Setting Sons, the Clash's London Calling, and the UK 2-Tone phenomenon. It also saw a slump in album sales, a resurgence in single sales, and the peak and bloody death of disco.

Now, with the help of new and exclusive interviews with artists and producers, New Waves, Old Hands, and Unknown Pleasures tells the varied, vibrant, and often unexamined story of popular music in 1979. It reveals the stories behind key recordings, traces the trajectories of commercial and artistic successes, and explains the musical and socio-political context behind the sounds of the day.

Genres: Music

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2019

About the author

A freelance journalist, author and editor who writes about arts and entertainment (music, film, TV, comics and literature), social history (20th and 21st centuries) and sport (soccer and tennis history).

Reviews

[Dave Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep, loved this, although I'd argue that 1979 IS recognised by muso anoraks like myself as a golden and pivotal year.

Well written and informative and obviously aimed at pop afficionados, my only - minor - gripe is that said audience are going to be nit-picky and some of the facts are wrong, such as the author's claims that "The Harder They Come" was Joe Jackson's downfall when in fact ''Stepping Out'' was a big hit afterwards, Squeeze were washed up after the Difford/Tilbrook album when actually their first reformation was hugely successful, and the statement that Bruce Woolley was an early member of The Buggles - he wasn't, being too busy with the fantastic and criminally under-rated Camera Club at the time

These tarnishes by no means warrant knocking a star off though. This is an honourable piece of work and a highly original endeavour. Highly recommended

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look back at 1979, at the time just another year of great music (well the music I liked) so I was just taking it all for granted. Reading this has actually made me appreciate that fine year all the more. As always, in such books, you will find facts not quite accurate and disagree with the author's opinion (Machine Gun Etiquette was, and still is, a great album in my opinion). A more than decent trip down memory lane.

Ray Smillie

[Jon Chaisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and surprisingly inclusive overview of twelve months in the last year of the 70s, just past the age of disco and punk and just before the coming of MTV and new wave. A fast and enjoyable read!

[Mickey McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look into the music of 1979. Like the title suggests, there an emphasis on the new wave, and the UK scene, but still a good focus of the music of the last year of the 70s. One flaw: not enough focus on the black music that came out that year, and no mention at all of Prince.