Did the changing genres and styles of music influence the general public of the 70s in a positive manner?
Rock has influenced people since the 60s up until the present day whether it be inspiring fashion looks, other genres or even political agendas. Even though the 60s would've been the first time rock has made a cultural impact on a major level(with bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys emerging onto the music scene) I'd say periods throughout the 70s and 80s were where the most controversial and also influential styles of rock had emerged with people like David Bowie, being one of the first people to bring androgyny into the spotlight and bands like The Sex Pistols who would be considered one of the innovators of punk and punk fashion.
Bowie is probably the best place to start when looking at rock influences during the 70s, bringing fashion to new levels and pushing the boundaries of music artists before his time opening up doors for other weird and eccentric characters in the music scene. During the 60s androgyny was present but still taboo so when unisex fashion eventually became a thing in the late 60s columnists like Everett Mattlin would write things like "It's not just the way we look; the whole male-female relationship is confused". Before Bowie no one had seen any mainstream artist dress in such outlandish costumes, normally consisting of vibrant dresses and jumpsuits, Bowie became a fashion icon as people began to catch wind of Ziggy Stardust. Bowie not being tied down by his music style or his sexuality would've been able to gain a fairly diverse group of fans whether it be because of his music or his image and persona, he managed to lay the basis of social acceptance for general sexual identity whether it be making it easier for people to open up about their sexuality or cross-dressing because they want to. Artists like him obviously caused controversies whether it be during live performances or interviews, which probably fueled some anger from the older generation and just general homophobic people as they weren't used to anything like androgyny but for the most part Bowie had a positive impact pushing equality further in the 70s than most artists.
On the other side of rock, you had punk, which was the spawn of groups like The Sex Pistols who were very different to someone like Bowie at the time being very similar in the fact that they were shunned from society due to their behaviour and music style/performances. Punk being basic and projected as an anyone can do it sort of genre of music, the fashion naturally reflected the people who were doing it, being scruffy with greasy hair it certainly was a change in the direction of music reflecting the poorer side of society. The Sex Pistols as controversial in their songwriting as they were with their fashion choices, with members sporting t-shirts with swastikas on them and other Nazi fashion. People credit them as one of the originators of punk.
The Sex Pistols like other punk bands wanted to present themselves in a manner that suggests they don't care which is why you see them with crazy spiked hair and ripped items of clothing. They created exaggerated angry characters of themselves which reflected their feelings of anger towards the government and the opportunities they were given. A lot of this bravado was used to create controversy which would only promote these punk artists even more. The way the artists carried themselves on stage during live performances was also very important. It was loud and involved a lot of shouting as well as band members not really being able to play their instruments properly Sid Vicious being a prime example of this.
The Sex Pistols as I mentioned earlier were controversial with their songwriting speaking out against the Monarchy and just generally not caring about what they said with songs like Anarchy In The UK and God Save The Queen which had Jonny Rotten claiming to be an "antichrist" and "anarchist" as well as claiming that the Queen's "not a human being" and that she's got a "fascist regime". The songwriting paired with the clothing caused a social uproar as well as creating a new culture of person, they went on to be accused of "treason" for the anti-monarchy lyrics by some tabloids as well as getting God Save the Queen banned by BBC. But this probably all played into their idea of creating attention for the song and band as a whole. Even though the song got very little radio time and wasn't being sold in most record stores, the ones that did have it managed to sell enough to the point where it became an iconic song, so obviously the working youth were looking for an outlet for their anger during the 70s, quite similar to Bowie's scenario The Sex Pistols were the voice of the people, granted in different ways but both still changed music and society in major ways. But The Sex Pistols were aggressive and due to their Nazi fashion looks it would've been a huge possibility that others would've been inspired by the look and decided to follow the same fashion trend, even though the members of the band may not have apart of any Nazi movements or skinhead groups it could've attracted them to concerts causing altercations as well as possibly inspiring fans to express interest in Nazism or begin to support it. In my opinion what The Sex Pistols did for music and society was good in the long run as in many ways as it inspired normal people to pick up instruments and make a band but at the same time it's understandable as to why they caused so much controversy in such a short amount of time as by them wearing Nazi-inspired clothing they were contradicting what they were standing for. Everybody knows the connotations and meaning a swastika will have if you see it anywhere outside a history book which is why I find it strange when punk artists who are meant to be anti-establishment would have anything to do with something like Nazism.
Funk is a rhythm-driven genre which involves a lot of groove and swing to the music it was big throughout the 70s and early 80s originating in African-American communities. Funk being predominantly made by black people it was yet another route for escape which the African communities used and yet again gave them a platform to speak their opinion and sing their music. Funk can also be credited as an inspiration for hip hop which has stayed relevant for 3 decades meaning it roots are still present today whether it be through sampling or inspiration.
James Brown probably being the most iconic funk artist, he would've been an inspiration for aspiring funk and soul artists. Seeing a black person being successful especially throughout the 60s and 70s which was a tense time for a race, would have been quite a good thing for black communities, as there weren't many black people in show business or the media in general.
Funk yet again had a fashion style that was very out there similar to rock and punk, it consisted of vibrant shirts and tight-fitting suits, floral, stripes and glitter prints. Everything was very exaggerated and big reflecting the attitude of the audience. The black community had been pushed aside by the government all placed into bad housing if they weren't rich, so maybe using the big, exaggerated clothing was just a way of making yourself eye-catching and remembered or to do with getting people who would normally shrug off genres like funk, might take a double take at the artist's due to the clothing.
Funk didn't really have any negatives to it as a genre, it was never hateful and on the outside was something for people to dance to but when you take a closer look into it, you'll realize it was an influential movement in music for black people giving them a platform to use if they could make it as musicians and has also inspired people decades after its debut.
Another important genre to mention that took place during the 70s which had a big impact on the general public would be disco. Disco was the first genre to be for anyone and everyone if you were into it. It started off as an escape for black and gay people who felt like they had nowhere to go and be themselves. It started on valentines day in 1970 in New York and by the late 70s most cities had thriving club scenes due to discos popularity but that popularity quickly faded into obscurity in the 80s. Similar to funk it can also be credited for playing a role(probably a bigger one than funk) in creating hip hop due to its drum breaks and fills.
The energetic drums and syncopated bass lines that came out of the disco clubs attracted anyone who wanted to dance after a long day at work or a night out but as I've already said during it's beginning disco attracted black and gay people making them feel comfortable to go to clubs and dance, as up until 1971 it had been illegal for American's to participate in same-sex marriage. This added to the attraction of going to one, it is yet another unnecessarily taboo thing due to the social outlook on homosexuality and racism and yet a similar situation to Bowie occurred where when a few people start partaking in a new way of life, people with similar ideologies and opinions end up coming out in support of whatever it is the movement represents.
One of the most iconic parts of disco was the fashion that came along with it. People were wearing vibrant, tight and often revealing clothing, yet again reflecting the overall atmosphere of disco, the clothing represented freedom and individuality. This point is similar to both the rock and punk artists I have spoken about as fashion plays a big part in both genres but with discos, it was more about impressing people and look good rather than shock and create controversy.
What made disco unique was the fact that it wasn't exclusive(obviously it had its members only clubs but that's a given with any sort of dance music) if you wanted to go to a disco you could generally do it without any sort of judgement which probably made it easier for people to express themselves in multiple ways. This I'd say is the biggest positive about disco, it's the first genre to be truly accepting of anyone, which is impressive considering the decade and the fact that racism was still extremely present in those days as well as homophobia.
One obvious similarity with all of these genres is the fact that the genre is generally started due to a couple people deciding to do something out of the normal and then it creates controversy which makes people catch wind of it. These people who are testing the boundaries of society generally have been pushed down by society and feel like other people feel the same which caused a change in the direction of music and culture as a whole. Overall all of these generals have made a more positive impact than negative all making society more accepting of minorities and different ideas.
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