Customer Reviews

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

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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...

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.

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."

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.

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.

I came of age at the dawn of the 70's, having turned 12 in 1970. This book captures the vibe of the early to mid 70's exactly right. I can't explain exactly what it is, just that as someone who lived through that era at a very impressionable age, this book takes me back to that special place in time, which was the end of my 6th grade, through junior high school, to most of senior high school. I know most of the artists and songs in the book, as someone who used to play a small transistor radio under my pillow, after I went to bed. Songs like, "Precious And Few", were the kind I heard and remembered very well. If you weren't around during the early to mid 70's, this would be a good book to give you an idea of the vibe back then. Highly recommended!

I read this book from start to finish in one sitting. It brought back so many memories of the early 70's. There was only one thing that I thought could have been slightly expanded. In the "God Help Us - Religious Pop" chapter it was stated that there were three songs from the "Jesus Christ Superstar" album that made the charts: "Superstar" by Murray Head; "Everything's Alright" by Yvonne Elliman; and "I Don't Know How to Love Him" by Helen Reddy. While this was the case, I thought the authors might have mentioned the fact that Yvonne Elliman also recorded "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and that her version, along with Helen Reddy's was on the charts at the same time. From what I can remember, Reddy's version placed higher on the charts, but I believe that Elliman's version was the better of the two. In a related subject, I also remember that when the soundtrack to "Superstar" was recorded, Yvonne Elliman was given the option of either being paid a flat fee for her part or a percentage of the sales proceeds, she regretfully opted for the lump sum. She said that she needed the money and had no idea that the album would sell as well as it did. Needless to say, she would have made a ton of money if she took the percentage of the sales instead.

Well-written and frequently hilarious take on an astonishingly narrow musical genre: Pop music in the 1971-75 period. Written by Canadians, which has both its pluses (they know how to write) and minuses (a chapter on Canadian pop music? Puhleese!). Will be of most interest to those born between roughly 1957 and 1963. An easy read, and an amusing one, but best to borrow this one from the library or buy it used.

Fantastic book - a MUST read companion piece for anybody who ever bought one of the "Have a Nice Day" 70's compilations. If you were listening to the radio in the 1970's this book will do three things: 1) make you laugh; 2) make you remember a lot of great (and some terrifically, wonderfully god-awful) tunes, and 3) make you laugh some more. Witty and informative - HIGHLY recommended.