The Seventies - Good Times, Bad Taste (Book Review)

1970s - Good Times, Bad Taste? Here's my review of a book by Alison Pressley that's an invaluable source of 70s trivia. Even though I remember the 70s, it's amazing just how much of the trivial details I've forgotten: the fashions, the toys (klackers!), the food (Vesta curries) and so much more. That's where this book really helps out...

Back to the 1970s - FREE serial novel

Below is this is the opening paragraph of my new serialized novel, Life, Death & Disco (Summer 1976). Read the rest, FREE, one episode per week (delivered by email) by signing up at:

https://huwcollingbourne.substack.com/

In the far distance, the lights of the town twinkled in the inky blackness. Michael’s heart was pounding. The man had put up more of a fight than he had expected. It was just as well that Michael had chosen this location, high above the valley floor and a quarter a mile or so from the nearest house. The man had made quite a noise towards the end but Michael was confident that nobody could have heard him. Certainly nobody could have seen him. Not out there, in the darkness, in the middle of the viaduct. The man had been heavier than Michael had expected. It had taken all of Michael’s strength to lift him up onto the parapet and then push him over the edge. It was just as well that Michael was fit and strong. Then he noticed the man’s jacket, lying on the ground. He threw that over the parapet too. A light, cool breeze blew up the valley. The weatherman on the radio had said that warmer weather was on its way. Michael zipped up his leather bomber jacket and put his hands into his pockets. Now that it was done, it felt like an anticlimax. He strolled lethargically back along the walkway in the direction of the village. He began to whistle. It could have been done differently, less haphazardly, more professionally. Michael was learning. Next time he would do it better.

1976. Life, Death & Disco. Read the novel, FREE.

My new novel, The Streets of Dursfield (Summer 1976) begins publication this week. Unlike my other novels which are published in paperback and eBook, this one will be serialized over the course of the coming year. You can sign up to get a chapter a week, FREE, on my substack:

https://huwcollingbourne.substack.com

Meanwhile, here’s a short video that tells you a bit about the novel.

The Andrea True Connection - When Porno Met Disco

The song ‘More, More, More’ got to Number 4 in the singles charts in the USA and Number 5 in the UK. It was probably the most pornographic song ever to be a hit… and almost nobody even noticed!

For more on the fabulous 70s, join my Substack newsletter: 

https://huwcollingbourne.substack.com

Was Saturday Night Fever Based On A True Story?

Saturday Night Fever is one of the most famous movies of the 1970s. It practically defined the disco craze for a whole generation. A fairly low budget film, it cost just $3.5 million to make and went on to ear over $237 million worldwide. It made a star of John Travolta and the soundtrack album became the top-selling album of all time up to that date. The film was inspired by a true story … or so it was claimed. The reality was a bit more complicated.

In my latest video I explain all…

And you can also read more about the bizarre history of Saturday Night Fever over on my Substack…

https://huwcollingbourne.substack.com/p/the-great-saturday-night-fever-fraud

The Great Heatwave of 1976

It began on the 23rd of June and went on right up until the 27th of August. At its hottest, in late June and early July, temperatures over 32 degrees Centigrade (90 degrees Fahrenheit) were recorded. In fact, there were fifteen consecutive days when temperatures soared to 32C or more. The hottest day of all was recorded in Cheltenham on the 3rd of July – a blistering 35.9C (96.6F). 

Do you remember it? The greenflies, the ladybirds, the standpipes?

More HERE.

Welcome To The 1970s

I've just started a new substack (Retro UK). This is a sort of free newsletter. Subscribe and get posts from me arriving regularly in your inbox.

On this substack I'll be delving into the fads, fashions, food and films of the 1970s in posts yet to come. But the heart of this substack will be a novel, set in the long, hot summer of 1976 and serialized over the coming year.

Jump on board. It’s going to be a fun ride!