Neil Young's On the Beach won 1974. Let's see who wins 1975. Definitely a bit of a bounce back year. Billboard chart-topping albums of 1975: Elton John - Greatest Hits (cont. from '74) Ohio Players - Fire Linda Rondstadt - Heart Like a Wheel Average White Band - AWB Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffitti Chicago - VIII Earth, Wind and Fire - That's the Way of the World Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Dirt Cowboy Wings - Venus and Mars Eagles - One of These Nights Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus The Isley Brothers - The Heat is On Janis Ian - Between the Lines Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here John Denver - Windsong Elton John - Rock of the Westies Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years Chicago - IX Billboard chart-topping singles of 1975: Elton John - Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds Barry Manilow - Mandy The Carpenters - Please Mr. Postman Neil Sedaka - Laughter in the Rain Ohio Players - Fire Linda Rondstadt - You're No Good Average White Band - Pick Up the Pieces Eagles - Best of My Love Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow The Doobie Brothers - Black Water Frankie Valli - My Eyes Adored You Labelle - Lady Marmalade Minnie Riperton - Loving You Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom BJ Thomas - Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song Tony Orlando - He Don't Love You Earth, Wind and Fire - Shining Star Freddy Fender - Before the Next Teardrop Falls John Denver - Thank God I'm a Country Boy America - Sister Golden Hair Captain and Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together Wings - Listen to What the Man Says Van McCoy - The Hustle Eagles - One of These Nights Bee Gees - Jive Talking Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds - Falling in Love KC and the Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight Glen Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy David Bowie - Fame John Denver - I'm Sorry Neil Sedaka - Bad Blood Elton John - Island Girl KC and the Sunshine Band - (That's the Way) I Like It Silver Convention - Fly, Robin, Fly The Staples Singers - Let's Do It Again What are your top three albums for 1975? We will keep a running tally and eventually have some sort of bracket. For me it would be: 1. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks 2. Neil Young - Tonight's the Night 3. Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger What are some of the forgotten gems from the year? What is overrated? What did you discover at a young age and what did you discover later? YEARS IN MUSIC • forum.chorus.fm
Rest of the Top 10: 4. Neil Young - Zuma 5. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti 6. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here 7. Queen - A Night at the Opera 8. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run 9. Patti Smith - Horses 10. David Bowie - Young Americans other honorable mentions: Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare The Band - Northern Lights-Southern Cross Black Sabbath - Sabotage Bob Seger - Beautiful Loser Brian Eno - Another Green World Eagles - One of These Nights Emmylou Harris - Pieces of the Sky Glen Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy Grateful Dead - Blues for Allah Hawkwind - Warrior on the Edge of Time James Taylor - Gorilla Jethro Tull - Minstrel in the Gallery Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns Lynyrd Skynyrd - Nuthin’ Fancy Neu - 75 Rush - Fly By Night Steely Dan - Katy Lied T. Rex - Bolan’s Zip Gun Thin Lizzy - Fighting Waylon Jennings - Dreaming My Dreams The Who - By Numbers ZZ Top - Fandango! stuff to check out: Earth, Wind and Fire - That’s the Way of the World Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Elton John - Rock of the Westies Emmylou Harris - Elite Hotel Guy Clark - Old No. 1 The Isley Brothers - The Heat is On John Cale - Slow Dazzle John Denver - Windsong Parliament - Chocolate City Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
1. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here 2. Queen - A Night At The Opera 3. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (con’t) 4. David Bowie - Young Americans 5. ABBA Great songs from other albums: 10cc - I’m Not In Love Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together Heart - Crazy On You John Lennon - Stand By Me KC & The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight Brian Eno - St. Elmo’s Fire Don Cherry - Brown Rice Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion
it’s a great album. it just isn’t top 5 this year, let alone top 1 ever like some people around here go red in the face yelling about
1. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run 2. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks 3. Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns Others will say things more eloquently about Bruce, but this was the easy choice at #1, and a basically perfect 39 minutes of rock n roll. Dylan's Blood on the Tracks would win most other years, a beautiful and poignant album about the end of a marriage. There's a real simplicity to these songs, a casual genius that is often imitated, but rarely done better than this. I also think "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" is my favourite of Dylan's narrative / storytelling songs. Joni Mitchell's The Hissing of Summer Lawns is a difficult, challenging album, that eschews the accessible folksy brilliance of her earlier albums, and the first few times I heard it, it really didn't work for me. It really grew on me though, a bold and innovative album, and you can hear it's influence on the likes of Kate Bush and Bjork. Also apparently, "The Jungle Line", is the first piece of released music to contain sampling, which I did not know. Honourable mentions; Patti Smith - Horses: A brilliant, proto-punk / garage rock record, with songwriting ability that few could match. Worth making sure you check out a bonus track live cover of My Generation, that's as hardcore and punk rock as anything. Bob Dylan and the Band - The Basement Tapes: I have to be honest, I don't often make it all the way through this in one sitting, but there are some incredible pieces of Americana and rootsy country in here - favourite of which is probably "Going to Acupulco", which is one of my favourite Dylan songs in general. Paul Simon - Still Crazy after All These Years: Nothing groundbreaking, but another example of how brilliant a pop musician and songwriter Simon was. Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey: Only heard this recently for the February New Music challenge thing, but I've been back to it often. An explicitly political soulful reggae album. Again, a slightly smaller year for me, in comparison with some of the previous ones, but still plenty to love, and I'm sure plenty to discover.
1. Pink Floyd - Wish you Were Here 2. Queen - A Night At The Opera 3. David Bowie - Young Americans ...a very British year for my top 3.
Making a start to first listens, I went for Smokey Robinson’s A Quiet Storm. It actually spawned a little radio sub genre of sorts, named Quiet Storm, which was popular for the next decade or so. I didn’t know about that, so that was interesting reading. It’s light and smooth, very soulful easy listening sort of thing. Smokey Robinson is a fantastic talent, even if the arrangements sometimes feel a little light and underwhelming to me - his voice is so good that it doesn’t really matter. There are some more lively tracks, like the synthy bassy Love Letters, which was where I found the album at its best. Sounds like the sort of album Luther Vandross would have loved, which is A-OK with me.
1. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run 2. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks 3. Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus Excruciating cuts: Spinners - Pick of the Litter Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby Earth, Wind, and Fire - That's the Way of the World Others I love: Bob Dylan and The Band - The Basement Tapes The Outlaws - The Outlaws Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti Electric Light Orchestra - Face the Music Bob Seger - Beautiful Loser Tony Bennett and Bill Evans - The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album America - Hearts Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Zuma Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert Willie Nelson - Read-Headed Stranger Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns Art Garfunkel - Breakaway The Allman Brothers - Win, Lose or Draw Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody Justin Hayward and John Lodge - Blue Jays Good ones: Parliament - Mothership Connection Dan Fogelberg - Captured Angel Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Kiss - Alive! Gary Wright - The Dream Weaver Eagles - One of These Nights The Meters - Fire on the Bayou Queen - A Night at the Opera Al Jarreau - We Got By Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years James Taylor - Gorilla The Isley Brothers - The Heat Is On Guy Clark - Old No. 1 Jorge Ben - Solta O Pavao Labi Siffre - Remember My Song John Fogerty - John Fogerty Fela Kuti - Confusion Ohio Players - Honey Wings - Venus and Mars Smokey Robinson - A Quiet Storm Orleans - Let There Be Music Neil Young - Tonight's the Night Steely Dan - Katy Lied Rush - Fly by Night Al Stewart - Modern Times John Denver - Windsong Sweet - Desolation Boulevard Fairport Convention - Rising for the Moon Gordon Lightfoot - Cold on the Shoulder Emmylou Harris - Elite Hotel Rufus featuring Chaka Khan - Rufus (feat. Chaka Khan) Linda Ronstadt - Prisoner in Disguise Thin Lizzy - Fighting Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston Leon Redbone - On the Track Patti Smith - Horses Elton John - Rock of the Westies John Lennon - Rock n Roll Rush - Caress of Steel Spinnerw - Live! ABBA - ABBA Thin Lizzy - Johnny the Fox Yvonne Elliman - Rising Sun Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben - Gil e Jorge ZZ Top - Fandango Eric Carmen - Eric Carmen The Deadly Nightshade - The Deadly Nightshade Carpenters - Horizon Not a fan: Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey Targets for listening: David Bowie - Young Americans Joe Cocker - Jamaica Say You Will Commodores - Caught in the Act Commodores - Movin' On Herbie Hancock - Man-Child Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes - To Be True Bonnie Raitt - Home Plate Roxy Music - Siren War - Why Can't We Be Friends? Eno - Another Green World Fela Kuti and Africa 70 - Expensive Shit Bad Company - Straight Shooter Elvin Bishop - Struttin' My Stuff The Doobie Brothers - Stampede Foghat - Fool for the City Head East - Flat As a Pancake Lynyrd Skynyrd - Nuthin' Fancy Nazareth - Hair of the Dog Ted Nugent - Ted Nugent The Who - The Who by Numbers Peggy Lee - Mirrors Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco - Tremendo Cache Black Sabbath - Sabotage Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare Renaissance - Schehrezade and Other Stories The Band - Northern Lights - Southern Cross Grateful Dead - Blues for Allah Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today The Tubes - The Tubes Dion - Born to Be With You Andy Fairweather Low - La Booga Rooga Allen Toussaint - Southern Nights Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Four-Wheel Drive C.W. McCall - Black Bear Road K.C. and the Sunshine Band - K.C. and the Sunshine Band Major Harris - My Way Jessi Colter - I'm Jessi Colter
Nice to see some Jefferson Starship love. They seem to be a bit of an overlooked band And Koln Concert! Incredible record
Also nice to see some Orleans appreesh. I work for their manager, which means like 50% of my wardrobe is Orleans merch
Sales pitches for sleepers: Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus Honestly, them becoming a career band rather than artists in the zeitgeist was the best thing that could have happened to them. Maintains the core three of Balin, Slick and Kantner, but augments them with legitimate guitar hero Craig Chaquico and the real special sauce, Papa John Creach on fiddle. "Miracles" is absolutely gorgeous and deserved to be the big hit it was, but "There Will Be Love" is one of my favorites of the era. The Outlaws - The Outlaws Better than Skynyrd. There, I said it. "Green Grass and High Tides" is "Free Bird" for grown-ups. At the outset, they had three guitarists and songwriters working at the same time, and it led to just a slew of excellent songs. All three are good, but Hughie Thomasson in particular is an absolute god on the Strat. Bob Seger - Beautiful Loser The Silver Bullet Band hadn't made his sound into the amazing juggernaut it would be, but these songs feel very intimate and personal. He rocks the fuck out on "Nutbush City Limits" and the live staples of "Beautiful Loser" and "Travelin' Man" stand out, but the quiet introspective stuff like "Jody Girl" is just as wonderful. The minor masterpiece he had to make to level up to being one of the greats. Art Garfunkel - Breakaway If you enjoy smooth, this album is that, plus some. Art has an absolutely angelic tenor voice and the light, accomplished arrangements really suit him. A song like "Disney Girls", which sounds overworked by the Beach Boys, sounds perfectly wistful in his hands. Orleans - Let There Be Music Just a polished-til-it-shines soft rock record. Great playing, great harmonies, pristine production. "Let There Be Music" is catchy as hell and "Dance with Me" is just outright lovely.
More Jefferson Starship shiz, there are these early 90’s solo Paul Kantner shows I kinda dig that have a massive vibe. def not for everybody, but it’s Kantner ranting and singing angry hippy songs about killing republicans backed by immaculately cheesy synths like tinny pianos, cheap string sounds, woodwinds drenched in reverb etc. I think his acoustic guitar might have chorus on it too. It’s amazing. I dunno what it is, but it catches a very specific flavor in amazing detail. Like that early 90’s intersection of aging hippy culture and the (brief) utopian promise of the internet. It reminds me of early 90’s computer games and Magic Eye and Mondo 2000 and Commodify Your Dissent and ROX and hippy sellouts and gen X discontent. There’s a sadness to it, a bitter sense of loss from a guy at the center of the 60’s moment who’s seen the counterculture co-opted and emptied out. He’s abrasive and uncharismatic, but very humanly so. It’s a trip
I checked out Tom Waits live record, Nighthawks at the Diner. Rambling, with what feels much more like spoken word than singing. It’s an incredibly intimate record, loose and laid back, with Waits almost rapping through this - it’s certainly very Gil Scott Heron, though with that distinct Waits vibe. It sounded like it was recorded at 3am, with everyone half drunk and melancholy - basically exactly the vibe of The Heart of Saturday Night. Waits is in great form throughout, very relaxed and confident, ad-libbing his way through the tracks and making the audience laugh constantly in his distinctive style. He opens the record by letting the audience know that “I’m so goddamn horny, the crack of dawn better be careful around me.”, and from there the audience are eating out of the palm of his hand. The imagery in his lyrics and off the cuff remarks is really wonderful and evocative. Really great stuff, should have listened to it years ago - it’s much more than a live album, basically feels like a comedy album at some points.
1. Spinners - Pick of the Litter 2. Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks 3. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
1. Fleetwood Mac: Fleetwood Mac 2. Joan Baez: Diamonds & Rust 3. Wings: Venus + Mars Maybe it's kind of basic to pick Fleetwood Mac here, but that album has not one but two songs that would make my list of favorite songs of all time (Rihannon and Landslide). It's not quite Rumours, but Monday Morning, Say You Love Me, and World Turning are definitely not hurting it's case, and the whole thing is a solid offering from a new lineup of the band finding their footing. Diamonds & Rust is the first album from Joan I ever heard. At the time I did not realize that it came 15 years into her career, so I only appreciate it more now with the additional context. Some really beautiful originals here, especially the title track, and covers as strong as ever make this one of her most well rounded offerings. I really don't know why of all the non-Band On the Run Wings albums, Venus + Mars is the one I love so much, but it just really works for me, despite the fact that I would argue this is when he really starts getting kind of corny (and never stops again). And like Magneto and Titanium Man? It goes off. Plus Listen To What the Man Says stands among the best of his post-Beatles output. I will most likely not have another album from him in the top 3, so let me just say one last time that I adore this man. Cuts: Patti Smith: Horses Burce Springsteen: Born to Run David Bowie: Young Americans Paul Simon: Still Crazy After All These Years ABBA: ABBA Really excited to re-listen to: Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks Joni Mitchell: The Hissing of Summer Lawns I listened to Blood On the Tracks several years ago but only once or twice and I was not nearly as into him at the time, so it just kind of went over my head, but I'm very excited to hear this one again given how everyone talks about it. It hasn't been as long since I've listened to Hissing of Summer Lawns, but I've only heard it once or twice and, again, I'm much more fond of her now than I was when I listened. Also excited to check out: The Basement Tapes Elton John: Captain Fantastic Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti Black Sabbath: Sabotage Willie Nelson: Red Headed Stranger