Hairy not Hippy - 1971 and all that

Mott the Hoople

It was the period just as skinhead/suedehead was dying out and the lads were beginning to grow their hair out. It wasn’t hippy even if it was hairy and there was a lot of denim about. Jackets, jeans and shirts. All worn tight, with that whiff of greaser chic about it. It was around 1971.

By 1973 it had all gone a bit ridiculous as glam took hold but for a year or so it was the look that took over the terraces, pubs and clubs of Britain. With Rod and The Faces and Maggie May at the top of the charts it was a thrilling time.

For as well as The Faces, the Rolling Stones released Exile on Main Street and played Hyde Park. George Harrison was at number one for – what seemed like half the year – and T Rex took over teenagers’ minds. While bands such as Family, Free and Mott the Hoople pushed the testosterone level up a notch. That was testosterone with love beads and bangles by the way…