Working-class music collection from the 1970s

British music of the 1970s was the music of the working-class suburbs — where the poor and migrants lived, where an incredible mix of cultures merged with class solidarity. For London kids, reggae and Bob Marley’s melodies were the soundtrack of their childhood, filling the streets.

The oil crisis had just begun, and the welfare state was being dismantled. As punk musicians told us: “No Future.” And yet, the very possibility of survival on unemployment benefits gave rise to a whole generation of musicians who went on to conquer the world.

One of David’s favorite bands, UB40, was even named after the unemployment benefit form number.

This collection is the result of my conversations with David and will be continuously updated. I plan to develop it alongside a parallel collection of Soviet music from the 1970s, which David and I also often discussed.

We invite all visitors to our project to send us suggestions and share your own curated music collections. We would be deeply grateful to include your contributions.

We also listened to The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Patti Smith, The Kinks, Brian Eno, and many others.