1971 – Never a Dull Moment: Rock’s Golden Year by David Hepworth review – lives up to its title

Was the year of Carole King’s Tapestry and Don McLean’s American Pie a turning point in pop history?

In July Carole King will play London’s Hyde Park and perform her signature album Tapestry in its entirety, an event that slots seamlessly into the narrative of David Hepworth’s engaging account of the year Tapestry “redefined the record business for the next decade” to become “the first evergreen of the rock era”.

Hepworth has other claims for 1971, which allegedly boasts “more influential albums than any year before or since” and remains “the most febrile and creative time in the history of popular music”.

Continue reading...