David Hepworth has been writing, broadcasting and speaking about music since the 70s. He was involved in the launch and editing of Smash Hits, Q, Mojo and The Word. He was one of the presenters of BBC TV‘s The Old Grey Whistle Test, and one of the anchors of the BBC’s coverage of Live Aid in July 1985.

David has written seven books about music since 2016: 1971 – Never a Dull Moment: Rock’s Golden Year; Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Star; Nothing is Real: The Beatles Were Underrated And Other Sweeping Statements About Pop; A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives; Rock & Roll A Level: The only quiz book you need; Overpaid, Oversexed and Over There: How a Few Skinny Brits with Bad Teeth Rocked America; and Abbey Road: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Famous Recording Studio.

David writes a weekly column on podcasts for Radio Times, and throughout the past four years, with Mark Ellen, he has co-hosted hundreds of Word In Your Ear / Attic interviews on YouTube, with appearances from a galaxy of musicians and authors.

Following the success of his 4CD set UNDERRATED CUTS FROM A MISUNDERSTOOD DECADE, Edsel is proud to announce a new release. Here David explains his thoughts when putting this 73-track compilation together, which he has annotated in the booklet, track by track:

The 70s wasn’t simply the most action-packed decade in the history of recorded music. It was also the final decade before we succumbed to the curse of genres. Because the four CDs inside have been programmed thematically for your listening pleasure we have given them names which they didn’t have at the time. Re-make / Re-model features cult heroes making twisted sense of tunes from more innocent times. Skinny Tie Music showcases the slinky pop purveyed by the acts who rolled back the cuffs of their jackets. Americana spotlights the sons and daughters of the republic singing of their homeland. Basing Street Blues is named for the home of Island Records, most charismatic of the UK’s independent record labels. There’s plenty of things about the 70s we wouldn’t have back – inflation, smoke-filled rooms, fizzy keg for a start – but the music has never been bettered. As you’ll hear.