Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early Seventies

by Don Breithaupt and Jeff Breithaupt

Book Overview

Here is a lively and nostalgic look back at the forgotten era that gave us "Hooked on a Feeling," "Dancing in the Moonlight," "I Am Woman," "Seasons in the Sun," and more. The early '70s brought a "Convoy" of popular music--everything from the cheesy to the classic. The authors, true-blue '70s fanatics, have put together this irresistably readable book to transport readers back to a time when people wore smiley-face buttons, went to singles bars,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031214704X
• ISBN13: 9780312147044
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

This book ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could not put this book down! It is AWESOME!!The Breithaupt brothers know thier 70's music inside and out.Each chapter is divided into categories from bubblegum music to disco. The chapter on Self-pity pop kept made me laughing until I cried. I loved this book. I can't wait to read thier second book: Night Moves Pop music in the late '70s.

A Look at the First Half of the 70's

Canadian brothers Don & Jeff Breithaupt examine the first five years of the 70's music scene in Precious & Few. Each chapter is broken up to cover a certain type of music like bubblegum or examine a particular group like The Rolling Stones. The chapter heading lists essential songs from the subject. The brothers interject personal accounts into the stories that make for a nice touch. The book is a quick, easy and completely enjoyable read.

A time trip

Perhaps the teenagers of today perceive the music of the 70's as one, indivisible universe. But for those who were teenagers at the time (like me) there is a clear division between the first and the second half. This book is about the first half. Those were the days before punk rock and fabricated disco music. It was a time of innocence and fun, the years of the first Beatles solo albums, progressive rock, glam rock and silly, harmless, disposable singles. For people like me, this book is a trip down memory lane - I, like the Breithaupt brothers, also discovered my passion for music in 1971. But it also provides invaluable reference about those formative years of what turned out to be a "classic" decade for pop music.

An epiphany for 70's radio junkies

I wasn't expecting much. The cover was very non-descript, almost campy. I was intrigued by the title, however: "Precious & Few" was the name of a Top 40 song by Climax, one of the 1970's many "one-hit wonders" of AM pop. Immediately the memories started a deluge. That song was THE favorite song of a certain girl in my 6th grade class. It was "music day" at Monroe Elementary School, and you were allowed to bring in your favorite 45's to play during the last hour of school. I was ready; I thought that Sammy Johns' "Chevy Van" would be a hit with my peers, but this certain girl's favorite song was "Precious & Few". She asked me if I had it (and she rarely even spoke to me, so this in and of itself was intimidating). I lied and told her that I had the single at home, and, yeah, I'd try to bring it in for "music day". I ran the entire way home and waited patiently for my mother to arrive from work. Then, with all of my developing 11 year-old charm, tried to talk her into turning right back around and taking me to Elder-Beerman (a downtown department store with a groovy collection of 45's and the world's coolest clerk, Mac). PLEEEEEEASEEE, MOM? It worked. We were back in our '71 LTD and headed to Mac. Alas, the single wasn't in stock. I was devistated. While Mom and my little brother went downstairs for a soft pretzel, I spilled it out to my retail guru: It was "music day" tomorrow, this girl I liked wanted to hear "Precious & Few", I lied and told her I had it, and, man, she'll NEVER talk to me again if I didn't deliver. Mac suggested a compromise... he had a new single by soul singer Jerry Butler called "Your Precious Love" that was really good, and it had "precious" in the title. She was just a "girl" , after all - did I really think she'd know the diff? Twisted logic, indeed, but I had few options at this point. I bought into his scheme, went downstairs to join Mom and little brother for a Frozen Coke, and tried to remain opptimistic about my chances with this pre-teen goddess. You know the rest of the story... and for brevity's sake I'll just say that Mac's suggestion forever ruined my chances with the girl of my dreams... A lengthy anecdote, indeed, but I feel that if you can relate at all, you need this book. It's an epiphany for early '70's radio junkies like myself, and the Breithaupt Brothers deserve a hearty round of applause from anyone who came of age listening to Top 40 radio post-Woodstock and pre-Disco. The radio stations I listened to (WMOH & WSAI) programmed a curious, crazy-quilt of sounds. Unlike today's highly formatted and ultimately soulesss radio programming, Top 40 in the early '70's turned us on to all sorts of sonic delights: country, heavy metal, pop, novelty tunes, and sweet soul music were all represented, and I feel much more enriched as a music fan for it. This book is like rummaging through an old closet, and the music is, for once, given a cerebral review rather than a campy tribute. N