Tim’s 70s Classic Rock song playlist “Life’s Been Good” (1 Viewer)

“Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Pt.2”- Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1973) 

Written by: Keith Emerson 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WUclxp7FxHI

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends

If only that were true, so sad that Keith is no longer with us. The video I linked is a must watch- you have to see this band perform to get how awesome they were: Emerson is just amazing playing 3-4 keyboards at the same time. Lake shows off some guitar chops that surprise me. And then Palmer- as good as any drummer ever possibly. 

The title of this song is awfully pretentious- the actual entire piece is over an hour long (even longer in concert) but of course that’s what these guys were about. In the end their demand that they be accompanied on live tours by a full symphony orchestra is part of what destroyed them- they were always spending more money than they earned. But damn what talent. 

Even longer version of Karn Evil 9: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P19BpRijJD4

wifh an even better drum solo

I was talking with a colleague yesterday, probably late 20s or early 30s, and referred to ELP. Looked like the name didn’t register so I said, here, let me play Lucky Man for you, you will recognize it. Swing and a miss. Went to Karn Evil 9. Nope. I feel old and sad that radio must be dying. Also, to her defense, ELP is a male-kind-of band. Take a Pebble is one of my all time favorites.

Actually, the entire Karn Evil 9 is just under 30 minutes, not an hour long.    That aside, the "hit" from it is definitely the best part.  I don't listen to ELP that much anymore, but this is a great tune. 

I still remember the first time I heard Foreplay/Long Time on the radio.  It was 1990, I was 16, and my jaw was on the floor.  Suffice it to say, I ran out and bought the cassette immediately.  Yes, cassette as that was before I had a CD player.  Still one of my all-time favorite songs. 

Ghost Rider said:

I still remember the first time I heard Foreplay/Long Time on the radio.  It was 1990, I was 16, and my jaw was on the floor.  Suffice it to say, I ran out and bought the cassette immediately.  Yes, cassette as that was before I had a CD player.  Still one of my all-time favorite songs. 

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I’m a little older than you and I honestly can’t remember the first time I heard it. But I do remember a friend in high school saying to me, “yeah that’s a great song but have you heard the rest of the album? It’s ALL great.” And he played it for me, and I’m like, oh I’ve heard this, I didn’t know it’s the same band. I ended up buying the record (a few years before casettes, it was records or 8 tracks, and most people preferred records) because of “Hitch a Ride”, my favorite and one of the few songs off the album that was NOT on the radio. 

Our local classic rock radio station always played all eight songs from the first Boston album, although Something About You and Let Me Take You Home Tonight were played less frequently than the other six.  Hitch a Ride has always been my 2nd favorite from it (after Foreplay/Long Time). 

pecorino said:

I was talking with a colleague yesterday, probably late 20s or early 30s, and referred to ELP. Looked like the name didn’t register so I said, here, let me play Lucky Man for you, you will recognize it. Swing and a miss. Went to Karn Evil 9. Nope. I feel old and sad that radio must be dying. Also, to her defense, ELP is a male-kind-of band. Take a Pebble is one of my all time favorites.

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Their fade has really been quite extraordinary cuz, if one was lucky enough to have been on a regular diet of Yes, Tull, Genesis EL&P, Mahavishnu & Floyd concerts, "forgettable" is not a word that would come to mind. I mean we really thought this all was a culmination, the reason music electrified, the great literature of rock & roll. Without even discussing how prog folded over on itself and was further insulted by masturbatory riffmonsters being mistaken for its kind, to see our classics were just comics after all is disheartening. And none of them fell as precipitously in public affection as EL&P - one would think think the ballads you cite or that they used to rock actual classical pieces would give them more modern currency than Winger or Warrant, but nope. Keith Emerson is right up there with Hendrix for me - not only the stunning, off-the-cuff brilliance, but he used to hump Hammond C3s. I used to haul those things - they gotta weigh 250-300 pounds - and he used to showersex with em onstage. Whatchagonnado?!

Hammond humping? Keith liked the big ones huh.

Leroy Hoard said:

Hammond humping? Keith liked the big ones huh.

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!

and, as you can see, he's already got the back brace and knife kit, so his extreme days were over by this.

I did live on a fairly steady diet of Yes, Genesis, Tull, Rush (yeah ...Rush), and some other progressive rock bands.  I liked ELP, especially a handful of songs, but was never a giant fan.  

Just too many long, repetitive solos I guess.  

“Dream Weaver”- Gary Wright (1976) 

written by Gary Wright

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xZKuzwPOefs

All instrumentation for this song, other than Jim Keltner (Bob Dylan’s drummer) is by Wright on his synthesizer keyboards. 

I love the spacey beginning of this song, so representative of the 70s. What’s interesting to me is that though I listened to this on the radio back in the day I had completely forgotten about it after 1980 or so- it didn’t re-enter my consciousness until I saw the film The People Vs Larry Flynt, 10 years after it came out, and this song is in the closing credits. After that I purchased it on iTunes and it’s been a regular on my playlists ever since. 

timschochet said:

“Dream Weaver”- Gary Wright (1976) 

written by Gary Wright

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xZKuzwPOefs

All instrumentation for this song, other than Jim Keltner (Bob Dylan’s drummer) is by Wright on his synthesizer keyboards. 

I love the spacey beginning of this song, so representative of the 70s. What’s interesting to me is that though I listened to this on the radio back in the day I had completely forgotten about it after 1980 or so- it didn’t re-enter my consciousness until I saw the film The People Vs Larry Flynt, 10 years after it came out, and this song is in the closing credits. After that I purchased it on iTunes and it’s been a regular on my playlists ever since. 

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Damn fine car radio song, but your slip is showing. Won't be long now before you betray your inner Terry Jacks, as you always eventually do.

timschochet said:

“Foreplay/Long Time”- Boston (1976) 

written by Tom Scholz

Scholz’s epic masterpiece, conceived in his basement, dominating most of side one of the band’s first album. What is it about this song that makes it so incredibly satisfying? Is it the conversion from the first part to the second, with its soaring electric guitar? Is it the feel good lyrics? Is it the harmonies? The great musicianship? 

Whatever the answer, this music was, for me growing up, sublime. And even today it moves me as much as anything I have ever heard on the radio. 

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That Boston Debut was unique

Rick Beato cover “Hitch a Ride” in his “What Makes This Song Great” series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrJ0xnXv_IQ

“Life’s Been Good”- Joe Walsh (1978) 

written by: Joe Walsh 

I can’t complain but sometimes I still do! 

One of my all time favorites. Great lyrics, great music. I especially love the acoustic guitars that come in right before each verse. Such a good transition between electric and acoustic. 

Overplayed? Not for me.