1970s music draft- Link to google spreadsheet in first post (1 Viewer)

[Tom Skerritt]

I went all albums in round 1-15.  Because I'm a , I'm going with a self-imposed blacklist on all artists drafted during the first half of the draft for my song selections.

Good for you. I may not blacklist artists that I've picked, but I will not choose any songs from albums that I've picked. 

 

[Eephus]

According to established rock orthodoxy, he's an anomaly. You'll rarely see Withers mentioned in any history of the music or listed as a 70s singer-songwriter. Not sure why (  )

Withers best known material from the early 70s was released on the small, Black-owned Sussex label.  I don't know who's owned the rights since but he doesn't get the marketing push and mystique of being associated with a better known label like Motown, Stax or Atlantic.

ETA:  Plus Withers is kind of boring and I mean that in the most positive way.  He's been married to the same woman for 40 years and avoided controversy.  His biggest album is called "Still Bill" which seems totally fitting.

 

[jwb]

Er......maybe......

:setsalarmformidnightEDT:

this ought to be interesting...

 

[ScottNorwood]

15.XX Johnny Cash - One Piece at a Time (1976)

 

[Eephus]

15.XX Johnny Cash - One Piece at a Time (1976)

Can you hum a few bars?

 

[simsarge]

The Sting Soundtrack- Wildcard album

The Sting takes place during the Great Depression, but composer Marvin Hamlisch decided that rather than produce his own music he would reproduce Scott Joplin's ragtime from an even earlier age (early 1900s) for a new generation of Americans who were unfamiliar with it. As a result the album exploded, and every piano teacher in sight was teaching "The Entertainer" for beginning students. 

But "The Entertainer" is only the beginning of the great music on this album, which is essentially a collection of Joplim's greatest hits. There is also the splendid "Pineapple Rag", the hauntingly beautiful "Solace", and several other gems. If not for Hamlisch and the success of this great movie, Joplin, America's first great black's composer, might have been forgotten forever. 

My favorite movie of all time!

 

[Binky The Doormat]

11:19:  Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder - Soul/Funk/Disco Song

Was going to go with the entire album but rightfully got snapped up pretty quick.  

song linky

 

[Binky The Doormat]

12:03:  No More Heroes - The Stranglers - 1977 Album

Full Album link

One of my top punk albums.  I still listen to this quite a bit ...though with headphones or no one is home.  These guys ended up with more than a handful of solid singles as well - but this album is a little rougher but I like all their stuff.  

For those that aren't familiar with these guys, you should really check them out.  

Other singles (later ...not 70s)

Golden Brown

Always the Sun

Strange Little Girl

 

[HellToupee]

12:03:  No More Heroes - The Stranglers - 1977 Album

Full Album link

One of my top punk albums.  I still listen to this quite a bit ...though with headphones or no one is home.  These guys ended up with more than a handful of solid singles as well - but this album is a little rougher but I like all their stuff.  

For those that aren't familiar with these guys, you should really check them out.  

Other singles (later ...not 70s)

Golden Brown

Always the Sun

Strange Little Girl

Always liked The Strangler .Unique sound & look that was different than every other bound at the time

 

[Eephus]

Always liked The Strangler .Unique sound & look that was different than every other bound at the time

JJ Burnel is a fantastic bass player.

You could put together a pretty solid prog band by cherrypicking members from early punk(-ish) bands.  Burnel on bass, Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine on guitars and Topper Headon or Stewart Copeland on drums.  Nobody on keyboards.  Maybe somebody like Jon Anderson up front singing about wizards while the audience spit on him.

 

[rockaction]

15.xx - Heart - Dreamboat Annie - 1976 album

Largely on the strength of singles "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You," this is my 1976 album.  

 

[simey]

15.xx - Heart - Dreamboat Annie - 1976 album

Largely on the strength of singles "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You," this is my 1976 album.  

"Dreamboat Annie" is a good single too. Anne Wilson has such a great voice.

 

[rockaction]

"Dreamboat Annie" is a good single too. Anne Wilson has such a great voice.

One of the best front men or women in rock n' roll, IMO. Crazy On You from the live clip of The Old Grey Whistle Test was my favorite track I rediscovered in '14. I played it out. 

I even went a little nuts when she sang the anthem at the Seahawks playoff game against the 49ers in '14, IIRC.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

JJ Burnel is a fantastic bass player.

You could put together a pretty solid prog band by cherrypicking members from early punk(-ish) bands.  Burnel on bass, Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine on guitars and Topper Headon or Stewart Copeland on drums.  Nobody on keyboards.  Maybe somebody like Jon Anderson up front singing about wizards while the audience spit on him.




3

 I love Yes, but that made me laugh.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

16.11 "Rockaway Beach" - Ramones (punk single)

 

[otb_lifer]

rd. 15

Loretta Lynn -  "Coal Miner's Daughter"  (singer/songwriter song)

taking it to the hills of BFE Kentucky, for the Queen of Country's signature tune.

has one artist of this magnitude ever had their legacy tied so firmly to one song?  sure, she had a long, glorious, illustrious career - but this is her defining moment ... a bittersweet look back at the struggles of growing up with dirt poor hardship, then realizing the dream.  it's pure Americana, and made her an icon. 

a genre defining piece, delivered by one hell of a special woman 

 

[FUBAR]

Good for you. I may not blacklist artists that I've picked, but I will not choose any songs from albums that I've picked. 

That should be a rule for all of us. 

 

[FUBAR]

16.fubar

Dust in the wind, Kansas 1978 song

I'm going to stick as best I can to a few rules for songs.  1. I didn't draft an album by the artist.  2. I have to like the song enough to have it on my mp3 player and not skip it (doesn't have to be in my current rotation but at one point or I will put it in). 3. The song must be recognizeable to a good amount of people within a few notes.  4 and 5 - two other rules I won't say yet but should be obvious soon enough.  

 

[dal_boys_phan]

16.xx - The Who - Baba O'Reilly (aka "Teenage Wasteland")(1971 song, for now)

Of the legendary British bands of the '60's, this drafter, who was birthed Two Minutes to Midnight as the '60's ended and putting me musically into the hair metal mid-80's, originally had LZ well above the Stones, the Beatles, and The Who in my rankings.  Seeing the Stones in the late '80's on Steel Wheels elevated them for me, and the same can be said for finally seeing The Who in 2006 as an anniversary present for my wife.

This is by far my favorite Who song, which easily makes it a top candidate for my first song selection in this draft.

 

[Aerial Assault]

Eephus with some amazing, top-notch writeups in here.     

And DougB with the value pick of the entire draft.  Yes' Fragile in the ***tenth*** round?     Other than that, nice draftin' 

 

[higgins]

16.06 - 'David Live' by David Bowie, '74 album.

 

[Buzzbait]

The Eagles - Hotel California (1977 song)

"The song is considered the most famous recording of the band, and its long guitar coda has been voted the best guitar solo of all time.The song was awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978. The lyrics of the song have been given various interpretations by fans and critics alike, the Eagles themselves described the song as their "interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles". In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience...that's all"

Cheating and copying from Wikipedia. I try to write my own thoughts most times but the spreadsheet is keeping me busy enough on this thread and work beckons!

 

[KarmaPolice]

Holy crap! There was a LZ album that we actually haven't drafted? (It is possible that I missed it, but more likely we just skipped over late-era Zep).  Has always been one of my favorites of theirs since school.  Just love the groove and Bonham's drumming on the song:

16.xx:  Led Zeppelin - Fool in the Rain (1979 song)

 

[simey]

16.xx - Stay With Me - Faces (Best hard rock/classic rock song) 



Had Ronnie Lane not left the band, they would have lasted longer according to Stewart and Wood.  During their time as a band though, no other band had more fun rock 'n' and rollin', and this song rocks.
 
Here is a quote by Wood and Rod:

The Faces were the Marx Brothers of rock 'n' roll, Wood said. 

"Everything was tied up with having a real good time," he said. "The humor kept us sane in moments of doubt and weariness. Being on the road, we'd often get very lonely, pining for our girlfriends. We'd cheer each other up with our sense of humor, and it would also reflect in the music."

In their wake, the Faces left countless hangovers. But most of all, lots of laughter. 

"We were the first-ever real good-time rock 'n' roll band, full of insecurities," Stewart said. "We never thought we were very good. That's why we always used to drink a lot. Then we realized the audience was getting drunk along with us and enjoying it, which made us drink even more. That's why I think sometimes if we ever did get back together, everybody would have to be drunk -- otherwise it would be such a disappointment! We came along onstage with our ridiculously bright clothes. We were all holding our alcohol when we came on. We didn't try and hide it. It was carefree. Wonderful, carefree days."

Footage of Stay With Me live

 

[Buzzbait]

Holy crap! There was a LZ album that we actually haven't drafted? (It is possible that I missed it, but more likely we just skipped over late-era Zep).  Has always been one of my favorites of theirs since school.  Just love the groove and Bonham's drumming on the song:

16.xx:  Led Zeppelin - Fool in the Rain (1979 song)

ITTOD gets swept under the carpet because of the stature Zep's previous releases. On it's own merit it is a great album. Fool in the Rain, All My Love are great songs but my favorite is the opener In the Evening. Just love Page's distorted guitar on that one.

 

[worrierking]

16.xx The Tears of a Clown-Smokey Robinson and The Miracles-Soul/Funk/Disco Song

Originally an album cut from 1967.  Motown released it as a single in England in 1970 and it hit number one, so they released it as a single back home where it became The Miracles first number one.  Stevie Wonder wrote most of the music and brought the tune to Smokey Robinson who wrote the lyrics.

 

[otb_lifer]

16.xx - Stay With Me - Faces (Best hard rock/classic rock song) 


Had Ronnie Lane not left the band, they would have lasted longer according to Stewart and Wood.  During their time as a band though, no other band had more fun rock 'n' and rollin', and this song rocks.
 
 

seriously considered "Wink/Nod" for my '71 album, buoyed by the awesomeness of this ripper 

 

[timschochet]

16.xx The Tears of a Clown-Smokey Robinson and The Miracles-Soul/Funk/Disco Song

Originally an album cut from 1967.  Motown released it as a single in England in 1970 and it hit number one, so they released it as a single back home where it became The Miracles first number one.  Stevie Wonder wrote most of the music and brought the tune to Smokey Robinson who wrote the lyrics.

one of my all time favorites. I always think of it as a 60s song though. 

 

[timschochet]

"Nothing From Nothing"- Billy Preston- funk/soul/disco song

Arguably the greatest Afro of the decade. And the song is awesome as well. 

 

[Doug B]

16.xx The Tears of a Clown-Smokey Robinson and The Miracles-Soul/Funk/Disco Song

Originally an album cut from 1967.  Motown released it as a single in England in 1970 and it hit number one, so they released it as a single back home where it became The Miracles first number one.  Stevie Wonder wrote most of the music and brought the tune to Smokey Robinson who wrote the lyrics.

Aaaah ... was looking at this for 1970. Excellent pick.

 

[otb_lifer]

 Billy Preston

Arguably the greatest Afro of the decade. 

Phill Lynot/Art Garfunkel/Jeff Lynne/Helen Reddy ... the "John 3:16" guy ...

 

[jwb]

16.xx - Cherchez la Femme - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Soul/Funk/Disco song

Great, great disco song that kind of never left the 70's - nobody looks back and points to this as an example of disco. It's too bad - disco might have lasted longer had more groups put this kind of spin on it.

 

[Doug B]

I owe a pick for yesterday:

15.12: Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield (1973 Album)
   "Tubular Bells - Part One" (25 minutes long)

The first album ever released on the then-fledgling Virgin Records label. Oldfield was a multi-intrumentalist prodigy who'd been performing professionally since his early teenage years.

Rough compositions of "Tubular Bells" brewed for a few years before an 18-year-old Oldfield recorded demos in early 1971. He shopped the demos to a few record labels without success. Later in 1971, Oldfield was working as a session bassist in what was then known as a the Manor Studio -- a recording studio built into a Downton-Abbey-esque mansion in Oxfordshire owned by one Richard Branson.

The Manor Studio engineers listened to Oldfield's demos and later played them for Branson and business partner Simon Draper. Branson and Draper agreed to give Oldfield a week of free recording time, which he used to lay down the 25-minute track linked above. Oldfield played 20 different instruments on the recording.

The opening of "Tubular Bells - Part One" is well-known today after being popularized through use on The Exorcist soundtrack -- a four-and-a-half minute extract became a #7 single in the U.S. While the album was also very popular and sold well, I'm not sure how familiar the full-length piece is to listeners in 2016. I just heard it again last night, 25 minute straight through for the first time since I was in college. People may expect it to be nothing but continuing variations on the opening, but there is so, so much more going on. In a way, it can be regarded as several instrumental tracks, of varying instrumentations, somehow stitched together as a coherent whole.

 

[FUBAR]

Holy crap! There was a LZ album that we actually haven't drafted? (It is possible that I missed it, but more likely we just skipped over late-era Zep).  Has always been one of my favorites of theirs since school.  Just love the groove and Bonham's drumming on the song:

16.xx:  Led Zeppelin - Fool in the Rain (1979 song)

ITTOD gets swept under the carpet because of the stature Zep's previous releases. On it's own merit it is a great album. Fool in the Rain, All My Love are great songs but my favorite is the opener In the Evening. Just love Page's distorted guitar on that one.

agreed.  But if not for Damn the Torpedoes, I would have taken ITTOD.

 

[Tom Skerritt]

16.xx Rapture - Blondie (best punk/post-punk song)

 

[Eephus]

16.xx - Cherchez la Femme - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Soul/Funk/Disco song

Great, great disco song that kind of never left the 70's - nobody looks back and points to this as an example of disco. It's too bad - disco might have lasted longer had more groups put this kind of spin on it.

Big fan of everything August Darnell has done

 

[jwb]

16.xx Rapture - Blondie (best punk/post-punk song)

I don't think this is a 70's song.

 

[Doug B]

16.xx Rapture - Blondie (best punk/post-punk song)

The album "Rapture" is from, Autoamerican, was released in late 1980. The single 7" of "Rapture" was released in January 1981.

I couldn't find an earlier version of "Rapture" released on another label, or anything like that.
 

EDIT: Discogs.org is a great resource if your looking for alternate tracks, earlier releases, foreign releases, etc. Chrysalis Records did release "Rapture" earlier in many countries than in the U.S., but none earlier than 1980.

.

 

[Tom Skerritt]

Oops

 

[rockaction]

16.xx - Cherchez la Femme - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Soul/Funk/Disco song

Great, great disco song that kind of never left the 70's - nobody looks back and points to this as an example of disco. It's too bad - disco might have lasted longer had more groups put this kind of spin on it.

Cherchez La Ghost by Ghostface Killah did, but your larger point is taken. I just love Ghost's song.  

He took the lyric melody line, spun it a bit, and made it a loop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIdPfbwNV3w

 

[simsarge]

I think this catches me up....

Styx - Crystal Ball (1976 Album) There are certainly way "Better" albums released this year, but I can't think of one (that's left) that really just nails it on every song. I suppose it helps there's only 7 on it, but I really like each one. Plus it was Shaw's recording debut with the group. 'Put me on"  is Young at his best and a true better-with-headphones rocker.

 

[Eephus]

I've come around on a lot of stuff that I didn't care for in the 70s but I've never developed any appreciation for Styx.   It used to drive me nuts in college because it seemed like all the guys with the most powerful stereo systems played stuff like Styx.

 

[rockaction]

Your looks are becoming a serious problem for this band

16.xx - MC5 - High Time - 1971 Album

According to legend, so said one of the MC5 to Rob Tyner, hastening their already inevitable demise. There's a lot in that statement. But before they disbanded, they left a really solid seventies album here in their wake. From Sister Anne all the way through to Skunk (Sonically Speaking) this album rocks and haunts in various places. It is not Kick Out The Jams, but it's a pretty darn fine rock record that only adds to their legacy. Actually, it's better than pretty darn fine, but there's nothing anyone can do to compare to their first. Their desire for their own, um, communalistic politics dissipates a bit on this album and the utter desire to take the Motor City and just rock out appears, much like it did on their back to rhythm blues album released in 1970, Back In The USA.  Over and Over and Skunk are my favorites from this one, Skunk especially. I'm a sucker for a drum circle or double drumming or extra percussion in my free flowing rock mind.  

 

[simsarge]

I think this catches me up....

Styx - Crystal Ball (1976 Album) There are certainly way "Better" albums released this year, but I can't think of one (that's left) that really just nails it on every song. I suppose it helps there's only 7 on it, but I really like each one. Plus it was Shaw's recording debut with the group. 'Put me on"  is Young at his best and a true better-with-headphones rocker.

Editing my previous because of some goofy formatting:

15.21 Bad Company -Straight Shooter (Hard rock Album) Can't believe this is still here. Crazy good side one (Feel Like Makin' Love and maybe the quintessential 70s Rock Ballad Shooting Star)  and pretty listen-to-able side two. Figure any time you list front man for Bad Co, Free and Queen, you're doing something right

16.01 Triumph - Just a Game (1979 Album)

Love, love love Rik Emmett and this album shows him doing it right. Hold on and Lay it on the line are two of my Spotify rock rotation songs. A well documented guitar virtuoso, he teaches guitar at a college in Toronto. He also still tours (a little) although he nly does a couple Triumph songs and his "band" is just him and another guitar player. He can still sing crazy good, but doesn't have the range of the old days. His guitar skills don't appear to have diminished as he is still pretty awesome to just sit and behold. I've only seen him at smallish venues so it's great to watch over a few beers. Highly recommend if he comes to your neighborhood.

 

[simsarge]

I've come around on a lot of stuff that I didn't care for in the 70s but I've never developed any appreciation for Styx.   It used to drive me nuts in college because it seemed like all the guys with the most powerful stereo systems played stuff like Styx.

I'm kinda the same for Zeppelin. Small doses and limited selection, mainly when Plant's screeching and not singing. Page's playing, I can listen to for longer periods, but not too much RP.

 Maybe too much frat boy  Mr Roboto? That'll sour even the most ardent fan let alone someone who's meh..

 

[simsarge]

15.11 Wanted: Live In Concert - Richard Pryor (wild card album)

I like Pryor as much as the next guy. But when this came out he was a little too "urban" for my tastes. My favorite stand up for this whole decade (although it was released in the 60s, it got serious play time for me after) is Flip Wilson's Cowboys and Colored People.

His Christopher Columbus and David and Goliath bits are far and away my favorite stand Ups ever. Geraldine? Not so much.

 

[Eephus]

16.xx "You're No Good"  Linda Ronstadt  (1974 song)

It's harder to do write-ups on songs than albums but here goes.  Ronstadt was a huge star in the mid-70s.  She gets lumped in with the El Lay singer/songwriter genre even though she interpreted the songs of others.  She had flexible pipes that worked with country, rock and in this case soul-based material. 

The song was equally flexible.  It was a R&B hit for Betty Everett a decade before Ronstadt.  A vanilla version was recorded by the Swinging Blue Jeans and it was later covered by Van Halen on VHII.  Ronstadt's version is just about perfect.  It's taken at a little quicker tempo than the original with a thicker bassline that's doubled on Rhodes some of the time.  The bridge creates drama by building up the sound from an isolated cymbal line.  The climax comes when Ronstadt and her backup singers sing the final chorus capella which is followed by a nice string coda.  Producer Peter Asher made great sounding records.

I think I posted something about this in the jukebox draft but I think 70s records fell into a sweet spot for enduring sound quality. Studio equipment had made a huge leap in the late 60s and early 70s so the arrangements could be made more complicated without a bunch of musicians in the studio at the same time.  There was also a window before digital recordings took over in the 80s along with all the post-processing that it entailed.  On 70s records, drums sound like drums rather than heavily gated thunderclaps. And a beautiful voice like Ronstadt's jumps from the speakers.  80s and 90s records are often dated by the recording technology of the era.  There are some cases of that in the 70s (cheesy monophonic synths for one) but stuff like this sounds timeless.

Live version with Andrew Gold on guitar and Richie Hayward on drums.

 

[Doug B]

Maybe too much frat boy  Mr Roboto? That'll sour even the most ardent fan let alone someone who's meh..

Heck, it even soured Tommy Shaw, and he was in the band

(I have a nostalgic soft spot for the hits from Kilroy Was Here, though)

 

[Uruk-Hai]

"You're No Good" is by far my favorite Linda song. She, especially early on, had a tendency to use her incredible voice as a jackhammer. The way this record was put together plays right into that (plus, Everett was the same way making the dynamic an even better fit). I think some of her other covers were not as well-chosen to fit her style when she made them. But this record is a stone classic.

 

[simey]

Editing my previous because of some goofy formatting:

15.21 Bad Company -Straight Shooter (Hard rock Album) Can't believe this is still here. Crazy good side one (Feel Like Makin' Love and maybe the quintessential 70s Rock Ballad Shooting Star)  and pretty listen-to-able side two. Figure any time you list front man for Bad Co, Free and Queen, you're doing something right

Good Lovin' Gone Bad and Weep No More on side one are good songs too. Side two ends with the gem Call On Me. I had to listen to it when I just saw you drafted this album. It is probably the first time I have heard that song in over 30 years. I have the album, but I haven't played it in a long time.