How a Musical Revolution Rocked the World in the Sixties
Tony Wellington
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‘I literally couldn’t put it down. The combination of the strong memories it evoked and the new knowledge it delivered was irresistible. Right to the end Spotify allowed me to experience big gaps in my knowledge. King Crimson? I’d never heard of them but Wow! Over and above the superb research [Wellington’s] moral concerns made this more than just a knowledge book. [His] sympathy for bands that really cared about the horrors of Vietnam and attacked the brutal and stupid western Governments that prosecuted it is evident, as it was for bands that tackled injustice and racism and inequality. A lament in some ways for the time when the common good seemed important.’ David Williamson
The era was by turns fab, groovy, cool, far out, way-out, hip, boss, outta sight, right-on and a blast, man: enough to make everyone freak out!
Freak Out is Australia’s coming-of-age story, of how we as a nation were dragged into global culture by the unstoppable momentum of rock and pop music. The sixties was an era of extraordinary change and earth-shattering events. The music scene responded with popular anthems that reverberated across the planet. What’s more, the gun was fired on a period of unprecedented musical innovation and creativity, the likes of which have never been repeated.
Music spoke to young people in their own shared language, urging them to view themselves as decidedly separate from mainstream society – even suggesting they might ‘drop out’ altogether. For a brief time, millions of young people across western culture actually believed they could successfully reinvent society. Liberation for pacifists, women, people of colour, homosexuals, students and the oppressed seemed to be just a short revolution away.
There was no room for complacency or apathy in the face of the Cold War, Vietnam War, and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation. Australians may have been spared the fear of bomb blasts, assassinations and kidnappings; however, the ructions abroad invaded our national psyche, and the music that was generated in that milieu infiltrated Australian culture and transformed society forever.
Tony Wellington is a writer, radio host, photographer and book illustrator. His works include Freak Out, Happy? Exploding Cultural Myths about Happiness and a history of Noosa, Noosa and Cooloola. He also co-authored (with John Shand) Don’t Shoot the Best... Read More
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