Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s [Paperback]

Don Breithaupt (Author), Jeff Breithaupt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1996

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, and heartily sang along with Mac Davis. Illustrations throughout.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Breithaupt brothers are brave. Long before the craze for '70s nostalgia reared its ugly head, these part-time musicologists were up in Canada spinning 45 after 45 at wild '70s dance parties, hoping to redeem the reputation of the era's pop music. Critics have tended to dismiss nearly everything heard on the radio between the break-up of the Beatles and the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack. The Breithaupts aren't critics, they're fans of the music would-be taste makers love to ignore: the Osmonds, Neil Sedaka, Linda Ronstadt, the Bay City Rollers. They give equal time to such true pop genuises as Al Green and Van Morrison, but the Breithaupts are bigger fans of big hits. Their appendix chronicles Grammy nominees and winners from 1971-1975, as if those awards evaluate anything beyond the obvious. Their singles-only aesthetic probably works well when choosing music for nostalgic dance parties, but there's no ignoring the import (and popularity) of album-oriented radio in the early '70s. The era's most lasting contribution was more than a collection of hit singles.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Singer/songwriter Don and his brother Jeff try to reclaim the music of their youth. Beginning in 1971 after the breakup of the Beatles and ending in 1975 with the advent of disco, they devote 31 brief chapters to AM-radio hits of the early Seventies. The authors deal with such trends as the Philadelphia sound of Gamble and Huff, the folk-pop of James Taylor and Cat Stevens, late Motown hitmakers such as Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross, and the progressive rock of Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. They also address more obscure Canadian popsters, novelty records, and religious pop. Though paying homage to most of the rock/pop icons of the era, the brothers Breithaupt present a jumbled confusion of categories: They label such diverse artists as Elton John and the Carpenters as "self-pity pop," Harry Chapin and Tony Orlando as "story songsters," Linda Ronstadt and Helen Reddy as "feminist pop," and Herbie Hancock and Gino Vannelli as "jazz/pop." Their work quickly becomes a disorganized, seemingly endless compendium of early-Seventies hits that seldom explains the authors' obvious excitement about the music to the reader. Not recommended.?David P. Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031214704X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312147044
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An epiphany for 70's radio junkies, October 25, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s (Paperback)

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. Not that it lacks humor; the author's description of the music and the times is lovingly ironic and, often times, hilarious. The book is divided into sections, each one hitting upon many of the hits that made growing up back then a real gas. It has the right amount of history, the right amount of fun, and recalling the authors' description of the dreaded "mons" (you'll have to read the book) is making me laugh out loud right now. I've recommended "Precious & Few" to all of my like-minded friends, and I would be remiss not to highly recommend it to you, too. Trivia question: Who performed the "Theme From S.W.A.T."? E-Mail me your answer, and the winner will recieve absolutely nothing but my respect...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, February 8, 2002

By 

luvstoread "librarygrl" (Cleveland, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pop Culture Vultures, July 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Precious and Few: Pop Music of the Early '70s (Paperback)

Written with a kind of respect that a college graduate would use to reminisce about his grade school cronies, "Precious and Few" is a walk down Memory Lane in Pro-Keds sneakers. The authors churn up quite a few of the Me Decade's most interesting pop singles (from 1970 - 75 only) and group them in various ways, such as pop religious songs and hard rock, a category that these two wholeheartedly admit to enjoying in their younger years. The authors know their material well enough, and though they often treat it with irreverence and sophomoric smugness, some might argue that the music from this era deserves nothing more or less. This book should find itself a place next to any 1970s K-Tel eight-track collection, Pet Rock, or black lite poster, and since it is no longer embarrassing to admit that 70s music is uncool, this book might be a good primer for anyone who can hum the chorus of "Billy, Don't Be a Hero."