What is war good for? Absolutely nothing. So sang Edwin Starr, as we are reminded in
Gibson’s 10 Vietnam Era Rock Classics.
There was a lot of major
stuff going down in the 60’s: the cold war, the space race, and civil rights to
name a few. Not to mention the
unrelenting march of rock music to its pre-eminent position in modern
culture. All against the horrendous,
inescapable backdrop of the Vietnam War.
So the Vietnam War and the music of the late 60’s and early 70’s are
inextricably mixed.
As the list makes clear,
there weren’t many attempts to romanticize or justify that conflict. The cruelty, the futility and the stupidity are
front and centre as some of the best songwriters of the time moved pop music
from its innocent, puppy-love and hand-holding storytelling towards much-needed
social commentary.
The songs listed are full of
outrage and indignation, but also of hope.
They offer an alternative, a future full of love, compassion, respect. They understood what was going on, they could
see that the times were changing, and they imagined a better world.
Too bad we stopped
listening.
