Woman's Realm / 15 July 1961
Well, indeed. I think I’m most amused by the drag queen aesthetic here, although it probably wasn’t intended at the time, but it strikes me that I don’t see as many adverts nowadays expressing this level of joy. Perhaps I’m just a jaded modern gal.
Tags: 1960s, fashion, nylon, social history
Woman's Realm / 15 July 1961
These appear to be ‘Pull-up’ pants for teenage girls, so I’m not all that surprised that they didn’t become popular. I suspect part of the failure might be the ‘fleecenap’ that’s meant to absorb menses, although I can’t say for sure how it measured up against other sanitary alternatives of the time. Another attempt was made a few years later in the shape of Nikini, but the failure of this product suggests that, amazingly, not all women are made to the same shape and size, and so they’re better off deciding for themselves exactly where their sanitary protection should sit. A secondary reason why this kind of product isn’t likely to be making a comeback is the loss of social stigma around tampons, and even the reputation of menstrual cups is changing from being too ‘hippy’, due to some canny advertising praising their ecologically-friendly credentials.
Tags: blatant sexism, health, periods, social history, Tampax, teenagers
Woman's Realm / 15 July 1961
It’s interesting that you see an advert for a non-branded foodstuff such as milk in this era without seeing a Marketing Board endorsing it, but I suspect the Milk Marketing Board was responsible for this piece of emotional blackmail.
Tags: emotional blackmail, food, milk, Milk Marketing Board, motherhood, social history
Disc and Music Echo / 23 November 1968
This is a telling article. The Marbles were essentially a one-hit wonder, and as this interview suggests, didn’t quite enjoy the success they were hoping for. I suspect the only reason they’re in this magazine is because they released their one hit in November 1968. They split the following year, but didn’t release an album until 1970. Graham Bonnet found success as a solo artist and Trevor Gordon became a music teacher, sadly passing away in 2013.
Tags: 1960s, pop, social history, the marbles
Disc and Music Echo / 23 November 1968
Here’s the iconic, if nowadays somewhat forgotten, Penny Valentine, who was probably the first woman to write about pop music with the same passion as the teenagers consuming it in the 1960s. She joined Disc in 1964, and created enough of a following to appear on Juke Box Jury whilst still reviewing singles for the magazine. I’m not going to replicate the work of her obituary writers, but it’s clear that she deserves a place in the collective memory, and that this seems to have been denied her, sadly.
Tags: pop, social history
Disc and Music Echo / 23 November 1968
Groovy, baby. Emperor Rosko, of course, was one of the big names from the days of off-shore pirate radio in the UK, and joined Radio 1 on its launch in 1967. I think it’s fair to say that he was an influence on the Austin Powers character, judging from this interview. He’s also continued to work both in Europe and America, and has a website which suggests that his free spirit hasn’t diminished!
There’s also a short piece about Aphrodite’s Child, who, although short-lived, went on to be regarded as a cult psychedelic and progressive rock band.
Tags: prog, psychedelia, radio, rosko, social history
Disc and Music Echo / 23 November 1968
This is something of a curio for ’60s music nerds, I should think. The brothers are notable for the quite sublime hit ‘Eloise‘, sung by Barry and written by Paul, but I had no idea that their mother was famous. This short item is fascinating, as Marion Ryan mentions that she was working for much of the boys’ childhoods, which would have been unusual for a female singer of that era. Marion Ryan was a fine, if unremarkable, singer, and her sons were the same when they were singing together, if this clip, featuring a young Tarby, is anything to go by.
Tags: pop, social history
Disc and Music Echo / 23 November 1968
Well, I may have been away for a while, but never say that I can’t come back with a bang. This music gossip magazine is a real find, combining as it does proper music reporting and elements of gossip and teen mag writing. I don’t recall anything quite like it in my youth; Smash Hits was excellent, but there’s no way they would have covered the ‘British Blues Boom’ as this issue does. It’s delightful to see Kenny Everett as the cover star and that his then new Radio 1 Saturday show for 1969 was big news. Having been a Kenny fan for years, it brings it home to me that so much of his career has been presented to me second-hand, and it’s fascinating to see a contemporary reaction. It’s also great for those interested in how Radio 1 established itself as a station for younger people (or, as they have it, the ‘in-crowd’), as it appears 1969 was a significant shift away from ex-Light Programme shows like Saturday Club.
Tags: everett, radio, social history, teenagers
Woman's Realm / 15 July 1961
Nope, not an April Fool, but a reminder of how times have changed!
Tags: dodgy advice, food, health, kids, retail, social history
Woman's Realm / 15 July 1961
The ‘Woman of many parts’ letter on here nearly broke my heart. What sort of messages must this woman have got from society to believe that she was a ‘no-one’ when she was a unmarried only child?
Tags: blatant sexism, marriage, motherhood, social history