Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, the old adage prevalent in the 60s and 70s goes on and on. Sometimes people forget about the sex and rock 'n' roll entirely but the drugs still seem to monopolize the scene.
Musicians face many obstacles and circumstances that demand immediate decisions along with fame, fortune and success: pressure, money and a freestyle life allow access to all manner of chemical substances. The history of popular music is chock full of stories of musicians and singers making questionable decisions in pursuit of misadventure and addiction, and, in some cases, losing everything as a result, leaving cautionary tales in their wake.
1966 Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recorded from start to finish, a new John Lennon song ‘She Said She Said’. The song was reportedly based on a bizarre conversation that Lennon had with Peter Fonda while John and George Harrison were tripping on LSD.
1968 Pink Floyd played two shows in one day: the first at the Commemoration Ball, Balliol College, Oxford, and then at Middle Earth Club, Covent Garden, London. The club was notable for several drug raids by the police, during which underage revellers were arrested; on one occasion a machine called the 'Trip Machine' was dismantled and taken away by the police.
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| Dancing inside the stones, 1984 free festival. |
1972 The first Stonehenge Free Festival was held at Stonehenge, England culminating on the summer solstice. Staged between 1972 and 1984, acts who have appeared include Hawkwind, Gong, Doctor and the Medics, Flux of Pink Indians, Buster Blood Vessel, Omega Tribe, Crass, Selector, Dexys Midnight Runners, Thompson Twins, Bronz, The Raincoats, Brent Black Music Co-op, Mournblade, Amazulu, Wishbone Ash, Man, Benjamin Zephaniah, Inner City Unit, Here and Now, Cardiacs, The Enid, Roy Harper, Jimmy Page, Ted Chippington, Zorch and Ozric Tentacles, which all played for free. The festival attendees were viewed as "hippies" by the wider British public (some were, in fact, self-described hippies). This, along with the open drug use and sale, contributed to the increase in restrictions on access to Stonehenge, and fences were erected around the stones in 1977.
1975 Captain and Tennille started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the Neil Sedaka song 'Love Will Keep Us Together'. The duo of husband and wife "Captain" Daryl Dragon and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille had worked as backup musicians for Elton John and Neil Sedaka.
2011 American band Maroon 5 released 'Moves Like Jagger', featuring Christina Aguilera. Its lyrics refered to a male's ability to impress a female with his dance moves, which he compares to those of Mick Jagger. The video featured old video footage of Jagger and his iconic dance moves. 'Moves Like Jagger' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards. The single peaked at No.1 on the US chart.
And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...
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