Soundtrack to your studies - 1974

In 1974, The University of Auckland’s student radio station bFM gained its first licence to broadcast over the airwaves though the university council had to put up a bond of $50,000 in case there were fines or legal problems from profanity or libellous statements being made on air. In the first year, it was only allowed to run for three weeks before shutting off its external broadcasts and returning to transmitting only via speakers spread throughout the campus. It had no defined playlist so the music varied widely from rock to jazz to reggae.

This was also the era of the Radio Hauraki Buck-a-Head concerts at His Majesty’s Theatre. Split Enz sold out their performance with 1200 in attendance.

The music on television was far more mainstream, with sharp-suited singers covering overseas hits. One exception was John Hanlon - a local songwriter who wrote his own hits. He was the first (and only) songwriter to win the Silver Scroll Award two years in a row. His breakthrough in 1974 was ‘Lovely Lady.’ New Faces also provided a breakthrough for glam rockers Space Waltz, which included Eddie Rayner just prior to him joining Split Enz. ‘Out On The Street’ may have been a shock to some older viewers but it raced to the top of the charts when it was released a single soon afterward. Here are the band playing the song on Popco.

The big international concert of the year was Rod Stewart’s group The Faces headlining at Western Springs. Here is a photo of the gig from Craccum.

The most popular international song of the year was ‘The Air That I Breathe’ by The Hollies which spent six weeks at No.1.

What was on the turntable while you were on campus? Suggest songs to add to our 1970s playlist, and you could win a $100 Flying Out voucher.