Per all of your requests, I will be sure to write an in-depth update on what's going on with Elvis, the Beatles, Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Cash, and other musicians in the mid-70's. 
Blue Skies in Camelot: An Alternate 60's and Beyond
- Thread starter President_Lincoln
- Start date
Thank you kindly, @USS_Ward! I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying the TL.
I should have the next update up sometime today or tomorrow.Carpenter's first majorly successful film, Dark Star is set to be released in 1974, as per OTL. Halloween, The Thing and other Carpenter classics will also make an appearance ITTL later on.
Pop Culture 1973
1973 in Pop Culture - A Most Frightening Power…
Above: 1973 saw the release of Carrie, the debut and big break for aspiring novelist Stephen King. Before Carrie and his subsequent work would make him a household name, King was barely making ends meet as a high school English teacher and before that, as an activist for the Presidential campaign of Maine Senator Edmund Muskie in 1972.
Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1973 (Top Ten):
- “Dream (A Brotherhood of Man)” - The Beatles
- “Why Me” - Kris Kristofferson
- “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” - Jim Croce
- “Let’s Get it On” - Marvin Gaye
- “Stuck in the Middle With You” - Stealers Wheel
- “Pancho and Lefty” - Townes Van Zandt
- “Crocodile Rock” - Elton John
- “My Love” - The Beatles
- “Dancing in the Moonlight” - King Harvest
- “Rocky Mountain High” - John Denver
News in Music Through the Year
January 14th - Elvis Presley’s Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite television special is broadcast in over 40 countries around the globe. During the concert, the King announces that he and Ann Margret are expecting their second child.
January 18th - The Rolling Stones play a benefit concert for the victims of the recent Earthquake in Nicaragua, raising over $500,000 for disaster relief in the Central American country.
January 30th - Wicked Lester, a New York City based rock group led by friends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley play their first gig with new members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Shortly after the show, they change their name to something a little catchier: KISS.
February 14th - King of Glam David Bowie collapses from exhaustion after a show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He survives the incident, but decides to take a break from touring for a few months to recover.
February 18th - Recently returned from decorated service as a medic in Cambodia, Bruce Springsteen makes his live debut alongside the “E Street Band” in Newark, New Jersey. Later this year, Springsteen would release his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, which though critically acclaimed, would be a commercial flop.
March 1st - Leonard Bernstein conducts Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto for the very first time with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Pink Floyd releases The Dark Side of the Moon on Apple Records - which goes on to become one of the highest selling records of all time. The Album becomes the best selling in Apple Records' history.
March 7th - Despite the commercial failure of Greetings from Asbury Park, Bruce Springsteen is signed to a multi-year contract by Columbia Records. The company’s director of talent acquisition, John Hammond, is convinced that Springsteen can turn his wartime experiences into a real hit.
March 8th - Beatle and Apple Corps. CEO Paul McCartney is fined $250 after pleading guilty to charges of growing marijuana on his and Jane Asher’s farm in Scotland. The same week, Apple Corps artist Elton John hits number one in the UK with “Daniel”.
April 2nd - The Beatles release their fourteenth studio album in the “core catalogue” - Power to the People. A decidedly political, folksy-acoustic sounding record, Power to the People was hailed by critics as a “calculated attack on the consumerist trends of the late sixties, and established the “biggest band in the world” as activists and powerful voices for change. The record's jangly, acoustic sound would influence mainstream Rock for decades to come, as well.
Track listing - Title - Songwriter(s) (Lead Vocalist)
1. Dream (A Brotherhood of Man) - Lennon/McCartney (John)
2. Try Some, Buy Some - Harrison (George)
3. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) - Harrison (George)
4. Mrs. Vanderbilt - Lennon/McCartney (Paul)
5. Power to the People - Lennon/McCartney (John)
6. Working Class Hero - Lennon/McCartney (John)
7. Living in the Material World - Harrison (George)
8. It Don’t Come Easy - Harrison/Starr (Ringo)
9. Governor Jim Buckley Blues - Lennon/McCartney (Paul)
10. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - Lennon/McCartney (John)
April 13th - Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Album Catch a Fire makes them international superstars and brings reggae music to mainstream audiences.
May 4th - July 29th - Led Zeppelin embarks on a tour of the United States, during which they set the record for highest attendance for a concert in the U.S., with 56,800 at Tampa Stadium, smashing the record set by the Beatles nearly a decade earlier at Shea Stadium.
June 29th - West German Rock Band The Scorpions play their first gig with lead guitarist Uli Roth in Munich.
July 13th - Queen, one of the greatest and most popular rock groups of all time, release their eponymous debut album on Apple Records. The leading single “Seven Seas of Rhye” peaks at #5 in the U.K. but provides the band with their first major hit.
Behind the scenes, the Director of Talent Acquisition for Apple, Brian Epstein, and one of the label’s biggest stars: Elton John, begin a secret romantic relationship.
July 28th - Summer Jam at Watkins Glen Rock festival is attended by more than 600,000 fans who see the Band, The Allman Brothers Band (including lead guitarist Duane Allman), Chicago Transit Authority, and the Grateful Dead.
July 30th - Soviet officials grant permission for Gennadi Rozhdestvensky to accept a three-year appointment as chief conductor of the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the first time a Soviet orchestra conductor has been allowed to take up such a position outside of the Eastern Bloc.
August 6th - R&B star Stevie Wonder is seriously injured in a car accident and spends the next four days in a coma.
August 25th - Country/folk singer-songwriter John Prine, who was discovered by Kris Kristofferson in 1971 and is widely hailed by critics as “the next Bob Dylan” releases his third studio album, Sweet Revenge to commercial and critical acclaim. To promote the record, Prine embarks on a tour of the United States with fellow country star Townes Van Zandt, who also released the biggest hit of his career this year so far with “Pancho and Lefty”.
September 1st - The Rolling Stones begin their European tour in Vienna, Austria.
September 20th - Jim Croce, Maury Muehleisen, and four others die in a plane crash in rural Louisiana. In a love letter to his wife, Croce revealed that he had been thinking of giving up songwriting to focus on a career as a short-story author or screenwriter.
September 23rd - The Roxy Theater opens in Los Angeles, California.
October 20th - Queen Elizabeth II opens Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia.
November 1st - KISS becomes the first act signed by producer Neil Bogart to his brand new label, Casablanca Records.
November 20th - The Who open their Quadrophenia US tour with a concert at San Francisco's Cow Palace, but drummer Keith Moon passes out and has to be carried off the stage. Pete Townsend asks for a volunteer from the audience to replace Moon and gets one; nineteen-year-old fan Scot Halpin, who finishes the show. Halpin says backstage after the show: "I really admire their stamina; I only played three numbers, and I was dead!"
December 31st - Scottish-Australian brothers Angus and Malcolm Young perform under the name AC/DC for the first time at the former Sydney nightclub “Chequers” for their New Year’s Eve Party. They will soon be joined by lead singer Bon Scott and adjust their sound from glam to more heavy, hard, blues-influenced rock.
1973 in Film - The Year’s Biggest
The Exorcist - Supernatural Horror adapted from the novel of the same name. Directed by Arthur Penn and starring Marilyn Monroe, Jodie Foster, Max von Sydow, and Jack Nicholson.
American Graffiti - Coming of age comedy. Directed by George Lucas and starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Ron Howard.
The Way We Were - Romantic drama. Directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford and Sharon Tate. Arthur Laurents wrote both the novel and screenplay based on his days studying at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee. Considered one of the finest love stories ever told, The Way We Were would also earn Tate her first Academy Award nomination for best actress, though she would end up losing out to Marilyn Monroe for her role in The Exorcist.
The Snow Queen - Disney Animated Musical. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman and starring Julie Andrews as Gerda, Brian Bedford as Kai, and Eleanor Audley as the titular villain. Originally stuck in development Hell since Walt first conceived of adapting Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales in 1937, The Snow Queen quickly found its footing once again after the success of 1970’s The Aristocats put the studio back on the road to success.
News in Film and Television, Throughout the Year
March 5th - Five Fingers of Death is released in the United States and United Kingdom, launching the 1970’s Kung Fu craze.
April 11th - Kim Jong-Il son of Kim Il-Sung, the Supreme Leader of Communist North Korea, publishes On the Art of Cinema, his treatise on filmmaking.
May 10th - Martial Arts Legend Bruce Lee is rushed to the hospital after he is believed to have suffered an allergic reaction to pain medication. Thanks to swift reaction and a relatively low dosage, Lee manages to survive and tour America for the upcoming release of his masterpiece, Enter the Dragon.
August 11th - Programme One airs the first part of the Soviet Television miniseries Seventeen Moments of Spring, which would run until the 24th. With an audience of more than 80 million viewers, it becomes the first successful television show from the Soviet Union.
August 18th - Sir Alec Guinness ends his four year tenure as The Doctor on Doctor Who when he regenerates into the Fourth Doctor, to be played by the much younger (and more esoteric) Tom Baker, who will go on to become an all time fan favorite. Though Guinness’ run was short, he left an indelible mark on the character, and his catchphrase: “So uncivilized!” would be used again and again by various incarnations of the Doctor for years to come.
September 15th - Betty White makes her first appearance as Sue Ann Nivens in The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s fourth season opener, “The Lars Affair”.
September 20th - The Battle of the Sexes: Billie Jean King trounces Bobby Riggs in a televised tennis match at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Worldwide, nearly 100 million people were watching.
November 21st - The Sci-Fi film Westworld becomes the first feature film to use digital image processing, forever changing the future of cinema.
December 26th - Arthur Penn’s The Exorcist and George A. Romero’s Martin cause an explosive resurgence in the horror genre.
1973 in Sport
Buffalo Bills running back O.J. Simpson becomes the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season, smashing the previous record.
The Miami Dolphins head into Super Bowl VII as the only undefeated team in the post merger era of the NFL, but cannot bring it on home as they come up short against Billy Kilmer’s Washington Redskins 21 - 7.
Baseball
A charter plane carrying the Atlanta Braves to an away game at Shea Stadium crashes in a storm over southern Pennsylvania. Several players and staff are tragically killed, including Legendary outfielder “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron, who was poised to overtake Babe Ruth’s all-time Home Run record. Aaron would pass away with 708 career home runs, second on the all-time list.
The World Series - The Oakland Athletics avenge their loss the year before and win 4 games to 3 against the New York Mets. Oakland Outfielder Reggie Jackson serves as MVP.
Basketball
The New York Knicks win the NBA Finals over the Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 2.
Hockey
The Stanley Cup - The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4 games to 1.
Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” - Zhou Enlai, Chairman of the Communist Party of China and Premier of the People’s Republic. - For his rise to power and the promises of reform and western rapprochement his rule represented.
Other Headlines, Throughout the Year
Federal Express (FedEx) began operation in the United States.
Burger King debuts its slogan: “Have it Your Way”.
Women were finally allowed to serve on juries in all 50 States for the very first time.
Homosexuality was removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental disorders in 1973.
In “the Meeting of the Titans” Elvis Presley and his French Counterpart, Johnny Hallyday play together in Hawaii, then begin a worldwide tour starting in the United States and carrying them all across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The tour results in Hallyday finally breaking into the music scene in the English speaking world and making him a truly international star.
Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson publish the inaugural edition of Dungeons and Dragons, the world’s greatest role-playing game.
Next Time on Blue Skies in Camelot: The Kennedy Family Hits Hard Times
I see a few skeltons in the Kennedy closet are about to fall out.
Quick personal note about me - D&D has changed and dare I say, saved my life, on more than one occasion. I've been playing for about 10 years now and it is most definitely my all time favorite hobby.
DMing and playing with my friends has improved my self-image and self-confidence (and I like to think, my storytelling prowess) and is even where I met my girlfriend! For those who have not yet tried D&D or other such role-playing games but are even slightly interested, I CANNOT RECOMMEND THEM ENOUGH! They're an absolute blast. There's no way in hell Blue Skies in Camelot would be a world without the world's greatest rpg! Great stuff
Thank you, @theg*ddam*hoi2fan!
Glad you liked it. They just might... "The Luck of the Kennedys" has absolutely been a thing ITTL, but they have a few personal issues they need to iron out if they hope to stay successful and relevant as the times march right on along.
Quick personal note about me - D&D has changed and dare I say, saved my life, on more than one occasion. I've been playing for about 10 years now and it is most definitely my all time favorite hobby.
Couldn't agree more. D&D (well, strictly speaking Pathfinder, but it basically is D&D
) did much the same for me too. First playing, and then DMing my first campaign over the course of a year... So many friendships made as a result.Thank you, @theg*ddam*hoi2fan!
Absolutely I did
That was nice a little update. Well looks like there be an overcast in Camelot soon.
ASB!!!
IOTL the ONLY reason the Redskins scored at all in that game was because the Dolphins kicker was an idiot and tried to pass his blocked field goal, and got pick-sixed for it. That Dolphins Defense was way too good to allow 21 without some serious butterflies. Far more likely Garo's Gaffe doesn't happen and the Phins win the lowest scoring Super Bowl of all time, 14-0.
Just a nit that had to be picked, good update as usual.
AeroTheZealousOne
Monthly Donor
There's that "Imagine" analogue you hinted at forever ago! I officially forgive you for butterflying the OTL masterpiece as it exists in some form or another ITTl.
AWESOME. Oh wait I forgot I had my caps on but I am too lazy to fix that on mobile. But point still stands.
John Denver up to his OTL stuff, I hope? It wouldn't be a particularly good world without his music, you know!
I wonder what influence it will have, and whether any particular genres get thrown to the wayside in the future.
We all know what this is, and it's not like we were going to get Frozen after fifty years of butterflies anyway.
Ahahahahahahahaha... *removes a sin*
In all seriousness, some things just don't change, do they?
Quick personal note about me - D&D has changed and dare I say, saved my life, on more than one occasion. I've been playing for about 10 years now and it is most definitely my all time favorite hobby.
I have wanted to play this but I haven't had anyone interested in my school that I know of. Perhaps in College, who knows?
I loved this update. Here's to another year from Camelot, 1974!