To celebrate our 75th birthday, we’re presenting exceptional works from Meanjin’s past that have defined and challenged Australian literary culture. To provide a meaningful counterpoint we will also be publishing a series of creative, critical and insightful responses to these works from contemporary writers and artists. Rebecca Sheehan has written a reply to this piece, titled ‘Jesus, Rock and the Resurrection of Man.’

The following article was published in 1972 by Age critic Dennis Pryor, and examined the link between rock music and religion through Christian rock musicals (particularly Godspell, which would have just toured Australia for the first time). This critique was chosen from our archive not only for its wit and insight, but because its themes provide a distinct portrait of the cultural climate of the 1970s.