A little bit of History now. In the Sixties and Seventies Britian Council tenants where moved out of slum housing wether they liked it or not. There houses were then knocked down and in inner cities new high rise flats were built, Gabriel seeing what British Society took another twenty years to realise was that this destroid any communal spirit and was a great error which are still paying for today!
@woollymoore Yes, some argue demolition of back-to-backs broke up communities, but the characters in the song (Mrs Barrow, Mary) are not council tenants. Their house is privately owned and has been purchased by a 'firm of gentlemen'. That wouldn't be possible for council housing, which is also pretty secure and has rents controlled. This isn't about social policy so much as exploitative slum landlords and business opportunists (buy-to-let would be more relevant now). In the 2007 box set DVD, Gabriel specifically mentions Rachman, who subdivided private houses to get the maximum rent and evade rent controls.
@woollymoore Yes, some argue demolition of back-to-backs broke up communities, but the characters in the song (Mrs Barrow, Mary) are not council tenants. Their house is privately owned and has been purchased by a 'firm of gentlemen'. That wouldn't be possible for council housing, which is also pretty secure and has rents controlled. This isn't about social policy so much as exploitative slum landlords and business opportunists (buy-to-let would be more relevant now). In the 2007 box set DVD, Gabriel specifically mentions Rachman, who subdivided private houses to get the maximum rent and evade rent controls.
Wikipedia cites Easlea's 'Without Frontiers'...
Wikipedia cites Easlea's 'Without Frontiers' to say it was partly inspired by Gabriel's own landlord problems he was having with his flat' in Kensington (you could rent affordably there in the 1970s; times have ineed changed); and an NME interview of 23 Mar 73 where he mentions television documentary he had seen about housing in Islington. Design of housing can influence the community, but the song is simply about the rich and powerful using intimidation to get the last drop out of ordinary tenants.
A little bit of History now. In the Sixties and Seventies Britian Council tenants where moved out of slum housing wether they liked it or not. There houses were then knocked down and in inner cities new high rise flats were built, Gabriel seeing what British Society took another twenty years to realise was that this destroid any communal spirit and was a great error which are still paying for today!
@woollymoore Yes, some argue demolition of back-to-backs broke up communities, but the characters in the song (Mrs Barrow, Mary) are not council tenants. Their house is privately owned and has been purchased by a 'firm of gentlemen'. That wouldn't be possible for council housing, which is also pretty secure and has rents controlled. This isn't about social policy so much as exploitative slum landlords and business opportunists (buy-to-let would be more relevant now). In the 2007 box set DVD, Gabriel specifically mentions Rachman, who subdivided private houses to get the maximum rent and evade rent controls.
@woollymoore Yes, some argue demolition of back-to-backs broke up communities, but the characters in the song (Mrs Barrow, Mary) are not council tenants. Their house is privately owned and has been purchased by a 'firm of gentlemen'. That wouldn't be possible for council housing, which is also pretty secure and has rents controlled. This isn't about social policy so much as exploitative slum landlords and business opportunists (buy-to-let would be more relevant now). In the 2007 box set DVD, Gabriel specifically mentions Rachman, who subdivided private houses to get the maximum rent and evade rent controls.
Wikipedia cites Easlea's 'Without Frontiers'...
Wikipedia cites Easlea's 'Without Frontiers' to say it was partly inspired by Gabriel's own landlord problems he was having with his flat' in Kensington (you could rent affordably there in the 1970s; times have ineed changed); and an NME interview of 23 Mar 73 where he mentions television documentary he had seen about housing in Islington. Design of housing can influence the community, but the song is simply about the rich and powerful using intimidation to get the last drop out of ordinary tenants.