where do we begin?
Teri Roah Hu
hey, this is the first time i got to post the first article in a newsgroup.
to be honest, i can't remember much of the seventies. sometimes, i am
extremely grateful for that. but hell, i figure i should be aware of
what was going on during such a critical period in our nation's history.
so, other than tie-dyes, bell-bottoms, and stringy long hair...what happened?
ter...@uclink2.berkeley.edu
DOB 8/29/70
Ogram
>so, other than tie-dyes, bell-bottoms, and stringy long hair...what happened?
Not much -- Vietnam, Tricky Dick, and Disco!
Margo
Jayant Lulla
give credit for.
1) Technologically, the 70's saw the invention of the Personal Computer
and VLSI technology. The 80's are mistakenly given credit for the
"outbreak" of computers because that is when they grew as a commercial product.
But one must remember that every techology that is sold on the market is
researched about 10 years earlier. That means that the reserch that is going
on in the closed-access think labs of IBM won't be available until 10 years from
now - ditto for GM and the auto market. Therefore, the computers that took over
the consumer market in the 80's were actually developed under privacy at IBM and
other companies in the 70's.
2) Music. The 70's, in my opinion, was the greatest period of musical growth
in the modern era. Much of the music heard on the radio today, 15-20 years later,
was created in the 70's. More signifacantly was the variety of music created.
They had the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, the Eagles, the Amman Brothers,
and numerous other bands in rock. They also had disco (Bee Gees, etc) which
died out in the US after the early 80's but has stuck on till today in the
rest of the world. They also had the Beach Boys, Genesis, and a few heavy
heavy metal groups. It was during the 70's (and early 80's) that composer
John Williams did his greatest work that led to his becoming Laureate Conductor
of the Boston Pops in the mid 80's. All these genres of music flourished in the
70's - many of the songs from the 70's are being remastered and redone by
artists today that can't come up with enough new material.
The musical culture of what is considered the "60's" actually came to
be in the early 70's. All the culture of tie-dyes, smoking, liberal sex, etc.
actually hit its peak in the early 70's - not the 60's as is commonly thought.
3) Sports and other pursuits. Like any era, the 70's had its sports heroes.
What is remarkable is that some athletes from the 70's were so good that they
are considered the best of all time even by today's standards. It was during
the 70's that Arnold Schwarzenegger won his string of Olympia titles and
popularized weight training and body building. He developed the physique that
set the tone for modern body building - it is said that if he had that physique
today instead of the 70's he would still win titles. In boxing, Mohammed Ali is
often considered the greatest heavyweight of all time (others may pick Mike
Tyson or Larry Holmes). Jimmy Connors, who reached the peak of his ability in
the 70's and early 80's showed that he is still competitive by today's standards
- he won matches from young players while he was in his late 30's ! It was
1972 that Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals in swimming - the most in swimming even
till today. Finally, it was in the early 70's that Bruce Lee produced his
martial arts movies. Bruce Lee is considered the greatest martial artist of all
time - even today - and his movies set the tone for current actors such as
Steven Segal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
4) Other. I don't have time to talk about the other achievements of the
70's but there are many - the above only scratches the surface. For starters,
remember that films such as Rocky and Star Wars were released in the 70's and
their sequels were produced through the 80's.
- my $.02 worth - continue the discussion...
Mark Batchelor
undergrad at NYU circa 78-79.
"hey ho lets go" Joey Ramone speaketh at CBGBs downtown lower
east-side.
I had a five story walk-up on second ave. and fifth street.
The later seventies in Manhattan was punk central. So-ho was actually for
artist before bloody lawyers invaded, Laurie Anderson was playin' at
galley openings and the T. Heads were Pycho-killin' 'round town...
The 52s were rock lobsterin' with those doos-to-woo.
MTV was a marketing swines dream not yet realized.
Music/scene/culture was on the the street, in the clubs.
It wasn't packaged neatly with little Miss Martha, (my Dads gots
connection) Q. perky-turkey sneer faning understanding of The Clash.
No Nukes, Three-mile island, you kids 'member?
Comet Comes eternal
--
Mark Batchelor
Freelance Technical writer/designer/researcher
Colorado Springs, Colorado U.S.A.
Internet: "mbat...@cscns.com", Compuserve: 73642,734
Larry Kostmayer
Gangfights involved chains and knives instead of guns; drugs of
choice were herb and acid; partying meant private, underground,
afterhours clubs playing dance/funk (not disco) where people of
all races and sexual persuasions partied with no sense of competition
or threat (freestyle dancing - no hustle <g>) and it didn't matter
what you looked like, what you wore, how well you danced (or even IF
you danced).
In fact, my wife now jibes me continually because of my being
"stuck in the 70s". Oh well, better than being stuck in the 80s <g>.
Greg Skinner
>to be honest, i can't remember much of the seventies. [...]
>so, other than tie-dyes, bell-bottoms, and stringy long hair...what happened?
Off the top of my head ...
Vietnam
Watergate
Two energy crises, accompanied by long lines at gas stations
The Fonz
Disco