Share the post "Book review: Decades – Curved Air in the 1970s by Laura Shenton"
Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 18.06.21]
Author Laura Shenton makes no excuses for compiling a series of extracts from previously published work. This includes contemporaneous snippets from the likes of Disc & Music Echo to more recent cribs from Prog magazine. In some cases this will save certain anoraks looking up their old back copies.
In Shenton’s linking narrative there is little real opinion or insight offered and in fact some of her own text is a little trite:
“When Kirby Gregory first played the guitar, he fell in love with it.”
“It is difficult to describe Air Conditioning as anything other than good music.”
I could go on.
Shenton is a music scholar but there is no academic or profound musical breakdown of Curved Air’s seventies output. Given that they melded classical and rock with some significant musicians (such as Francis Monkman and Darryl Way) this has to be an oversight.
And what about Sonja? Hot-blooded males would have had her poster from”Sounds” (one of the few contemporary music sources evidently not in Shenton’s cuttings collection) c.1971 adorning their bedroom wall. I certainly did. But there’s nothing about her sexual appeal here or that she helped pave the way for female fronted rock in the 1970s (not just in prog) culminating in bands like Blondie.
Indeed the non-musical aspect of “the Helen Mirren of rock” (my own description) was a key factor in the band’s popularity and Shenton also omits the legend of the jewel-encrusted G-string which for years was recounted by students at Birmingham University (where she filmed a television musical in the late-seventies). Sonja later gave the real version of events. (see interview link below).
The author brings the story up to date in a brief summary and there is a section on tour dates. The photo section includes the usual mix of album covers, video grabs and memorabilia. But for the now slightly less hot-blooded there is no archive photo of primeval Sonja in her kinky boots (see interview link below).
But, really, you could read Shenton’s introduction and conclusion section and glean as much as you need from this author. The inconsistent approach in this series, and in the corresponding On track… imprint, continues. **1/2
Review by David Randall
Sonja Kristina (Featured Artist at Get Ready to ROCK! Radio)
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Latest session: Sunday 14 April
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 7 April 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 2 April 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)
To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account
Popular (last 10 days)
Share the post "Book review: Decades – Curved Air in the 1970s by Laura Shenton"
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
