What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

The Next 100 Songs from 1975, aka Sanbornpalooza. #1: Black Friday (1 Viewer)

Pip's Invitation

Pip's Invitation

Footballguy
As many of you saw, @timschochet posted his top 100 songs from 1975. When he did this for 1979, @Bracie Smathers followed with his top 100 songs from that year that were not on Tim's list. Bracie has graciously allowed me to do the same for 1975. 

What follows are my top 100 songs from 1975 that are not on Tim's list. It's not a strict quantification. It mostly reflects my personal tastes but also includes some things that are ranked a bit higher than I might rank them personally due to significance. Here are the eligibility criteria:

The song must have been released on an album or as a single in 1975. If a song from a 1974 or 1976 album was released as a single in 1975, it counts.
If a song was released in another country earlier but not on an album or as a single in the US until 1975, it counts. There are at least two examples of that (both from the UK) on my list. 
Every so often Tim would say something like "I really like X, but it's too obscure to include on my list." I will have no constraints re (real or perceived) obscurity. 

I considered almost 200 songs for this list and also want to mention what I had to cut. I'm going to put those in spoiler text in case people do not want to be spoiled as to what is NOT on the list, and in case @[scooter] was serious about wanting to do a 201-300 list. Before I begin the countdown, I will post the songs that missed the cut from artists that do not appear on the list. During the countdown, after every 10 posts, I will post the other songs that missed the cut from the artists that appear in the previous 10 posts. 

It would be great if, when posting about a song that has a spoiler tag, tagging me and writing your comment with spoiler tags, so those who are trying not to look at the songs with spoiler tags until the end can remain in the dark. I can then tag you with a spoilered response to continue the discussion (and it would be great if others who are looking at the spoilered posts can do the same.) I'm not going to police this, but hopefully this way everyone can get what they want out of this thread.

1975 was a very transitional but fascinating year for music. The heyday of the late 60s and early 70s was over but the disco and yacht rock trends were not totally dominating yet. Pretty much anything could be successful if it struck the right chord. Major artists such as Stevie Wonder, Santana, Steve Winwood, Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones (except for an album of outtakes) and

Genesis (except for one single)
did not release anything in 1975. Lou Reed might as well not have (his only new material was the infamous Metal Machine Music). And all we got from John Lennon was a lame covers album. We didn't even get anything from Ringo! But there was still plenty of great stuff from all genres, a testament to the creativity running high during this era. 

Tim's list was mostly AOR/classic rock. Mine has quite a bit of that as well, but also R&B, yacht rock, heavy metal and even jazz/rock fusion. As you may have guessed, Neil Young, who put out two of his best albums this year, is to me what the Pretenders are to Bracie, but I don't think his presence will be overwhelming. 

Note: The numbers may appear inconsistent throughout the thread because when I got to it, I realized my original #20 didn't qualify as a 1975 song. So I added my last cut to the list as #100 and moved my original #100 to #21 up one spot each. I have edited my posts to reflect the correct numbers but the unedited original numbers are quoted in posts from others throughout. 

100. Carry Me -- Crosby and Nash

99. Sweet Lady -- Queen

98. Movin' -- Brass Construction

97. Love Hurts -- Nazareth

96. My Little Town -- Simon & Garfunkel

95. Alone Too Long -- Daryl Hall & John Oates

94. This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) -- Natalie Cole

93. It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) -- AC/DC

92. Black Diamond (Live) -- Kiss

91. The Hissing of Summer Lawns -- Joni Mitchell

90. Ice -- Crack the Sky

89. Grandaddy -- New Birth

88. Show Me the Way -- Peter Frampton

87. Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown -- Neil Young and Crazy Horse

86. However Much I Booze -- The Who

85. Sweeter Than Honey -- Jefferson Starship

84. Monday Morning -- Fleetwood Mac

83. Ballroom Blitz -- Sweet

82. Roll Another Number (for the Road) -- Neil Young

81. In the End -- Rush

80. Toys in the Attic -- Aerosmith

79. As I Come of Age -- Stephen Stills

78. SOS -- ABBA

77. Sun Goddess -- Ramsey Lewis and Earth, Wind and Fire

76. Good Lovin' Gone Bad -- Bad Company

75. Doctor Wu -- Steely Dan

74. Fallin' in Love -- Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds

73. When Will I Be Loved -- Linda Ronstadt

72. Wildfire -- Michael Martin Murphey

71. Hang Up Your Hang Ups -- Herbie Hancock

70. Walking in Rhythm -- The Blackbyrds

69. Fascination -- David Bowie

68. To the Last Whale (a. Critical Mass b. Wind on the Water) -- Crosby & Nash

67. Ophelia -- The Band

66. Once Bitten, Twice Shy -- Ian Hunter

65. Boogie Shoes -- KC and the Sunshine Band

64. Drink of Water -- Ambrosia

63. The Wanton Song -- Led Zeppelin

62. P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) -- Parliament

61. Travelin' Man -- Bob Seger

60. Keith Don't Go (Ode to the Glimmer Twin) -- Nils Lofgren

59. Fire on High -- Electric Light Orchestra

58. Initiation -- Todd Rundgren

57. You're a Big Girl Now -- Bob Dylan

56. You Make It Easy -- James Taylor

55. Feel Like Makin' Love -- Roberta Flack

54. Pardon My Heart -- Neil Young and Crazy Horse

53. Letting Go -- Wings

52. Marvellous Moses -- Nektar

51. Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While) -- The Doobie Brothers

50. Fire on the Bayou -- The Meters

49. It Only Takes a Minute -- Tavares

48. Wind on Horseback -- Mandrill

47. Who Loves You -- The Four Seasons

46. Symptom of the Universe -- Black Sabbath

45. Diamonds & Rust -- Joan Baez

44. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go -- Bob Dylan

43. Last Train -- Allen Toussaint

42. Fool for the City -- Foghat

41. Bad Sneakers -- Steely Dan

40. I'm So Afraid -- Fleetwood Mac

39. Old Days -- Chicago

38. Another Night -- The Hollies 

37. Sing a Song -- Earth, Wind and Fire

36. Have a Good Time -- Paul Simon

35. Fast Buck Freddie -- Jefferson Starship

34. Custard Pie -- Led Zeppelin

33. Fight the Power (Parts 1 & 2) -- The Isley Brothers

32. Shakey Ground -- The Temptations

31. Grounds for Separation -- Daryl Hall & John Oates

30. Don't Cry No Tears -- Neil Young and Crazy Horse

29. I Love Music -- The O'Jays

28. Fox on the Run -- Sweet 

27. Wake Up Everybody -- Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

26. Holdin' on to Yesterday -- Ambrosia

25. Round and Round -- Aerosmith

24. Both Ends Burning -- Roxy Music

23. That's the Way (I Like It) -- KC and the Sunshine Band

22. Backstreets -- Bruce Springsteen

21. Mothership Connection (Star Child) -- Parliament

20. Real Man -- Todd Rundgren

19. How Long -- Ace

18. Daisy Jane -- America

17. In France They Kiss on Main Street -- Joni Mitchell

16. If You See Her, Say Hello -- Bob Dylan

15. I Wish You Well -- Bill Withers

14. Love Rollercoaster -- Ohio Players

13. Houses of the Holy -- Led Zeppelin

12. Strange Magic -- Electric Light Orchestra

11. Nights on Broadway -- Bee Gees

10. America -- Yes

9. That's the Way of the World -- Earth, Wind and Fire

8. Jackie Blue -- The Ozark Mountain Daredevils

7. Saturday Night Special -- Lynyrd Skynyrd

6. Red Hot Momma -- Funkadelic

5. Slip Kid -- The Who

4. (They Just Can't Stop It The) Games People Play -- The Spinners

3. Danger Bird -- Neil Young and Crazy Horse

2. Green Grass and High Tides -- Outlaws

1. Black Friday -- Steely Dan

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists not on the list (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 100-90 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 89-80 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 79-70 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 69-60 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 59-50 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 49-40 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 39-30 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 29-21 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 20-11 (in spoiler text)

Songs considered for but cut from the list by artists in entries 10-1 (in spoiler text)

Tim's list:

100. “How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved By You” James Taylor 

99. “Hair of the Dog” Nazareth 

98. “Shooting Star” Bad Company 

97. “Beautiful Loser” Bob Seger 

96. “Sara Smile” Hall & Oates 

95. “Get Down Tonight” KC and the Sunshine Band 

94. “Hey You” Bachman Turner Overdrive 

93. “Science Fiction/Double Feature” Richard O’ Brien

92. “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” War 

91. “Everything Merges With the Night” Brian Eno

90. “I Write the Songs” Barry Manilow 

89. “‘39” Queen

88. “Pierre” Carole King 

87. “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” Elvin Bishop 

86. “Over My Head” Fleetwood Mac

85. “Venus and Mars/Rock Show” Wings 

84. “Hurricane” Bob Dylan 

83. “Love Will Keep Us Together” Captain & Tennille

82. “Simple Twist of Fate” Bob Dylan 

81. “Take It to the Limit” Eagles 

80. “Sailing” Rod Stewart 

79. “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons 

78. “Time Warp” Rocky Horror Picture Show

77. “Love of My Life” Queen 

76. “Welcome to the Machine” Pink Floyd

75. “Trampled Under Foot” Led Zeppelin

74.  “I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)” Elton John 

73. “Song for America” Kansas 

72. “At Seventeen” Janis Ian 

71. “Evil Woman” Electric Light Orchestra 

70. “Dreamboat Annie” Heart 

69. “The Rover” Led Zeppelin 

68. “World Turning” Fleetwood Mac 

67. “Man on the Silver Mountain” Rainbow 

66. “Only Women Bleed” Alice Cooper 

65. “Acadian Driftwood” The Band

64. “Golden Years” David Bowie 

63. “Fly By Night” Rush 

62. “Shelter from the Storm” Bob Dylan 

61. “Tonight’s the Night” Neil Young 

60. “I’m Not In Love” 10cc

59. “Sweet Transvestite” Tim Curry 

58. “Miracles” Jefferson Starship 

57. “Mexico” James Taylor 

56. “Philadelphia Freedom” Elton John 

55. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” Bruce Springsteen 

54. “Jive Talkin’” The BeeGees

53. “Gloria” Patti Smith 

52. “In the Light” Led Zeppelin 

51. “Fame” David Bowie 

50. “Rock and Roll All Nite (Live Version)” Kiss

49. “Feel Like Makin’ Love” Bad Company 

48. “Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)” Queen 

47. “Slow Ride” Foghat 

46. “Love is Alive” Gary Wright 

45. “Squeeze Box” The Who 

44. “Sister Golden Hair” America 

43. “Right Back Where We Started From” Maxine Nightingale 

42. “It Makes No Difference” The Band 

41. “Young Americans” David Bowie 

40. “One of These Nights” Eagles 

39. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” Elton John 

38. “Jungleland” Bruce Springsteen 

37. “Listen to What the Man Said” Wings 

36. “In My Time of Dying” Led Zeppelin 

35. “You’re My Best Friend” Queen

34. “Love is the Drug” Roxy Music 

33. “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)” Parliament 

32. “Low Rider” War

31. “Still Crazy After All These Years” Paul Simon 

30. “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” Rod Stewart

29. “Say You Love Me” Fleetwood Mac 

28. “Walk This Way” Aerosmith 

27. “Tush” ZZ Top 

26. “Have a Cigar” Pink Floyd 

25. “Ten Years Gone” Led Zeppelin 

24. “Lyin’ Eyes” Eagles 

23. “Shining Star” Earth, Wind & Fire 

22. “Rhinestone Cowboy” Glen Campbell 

21. “ Love to Love You Baby” Donna Summer 

20. “Send In the Clowns” Judy Collins 

19. “Dream Weaver” Gary Wright 

18. “Cortez the Killer” Neil Young 

17. “Born to Run” Bruce Springsteen 

16. “Stranglehold” Ted Nugent

15. “You Sexy Thing” Hot Chocolate 

14. “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” Pink Floyd 

13. “Rhiannon” Fleetwood Mac 

12. “Mamma Mia” ABBA

11. “Sweet Emotion” Aerosmith 

10. “Magic Man” Heart 

9. “Idiot Wind” Bob Dylan 

8. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” Paul Simon 

7. “Crazy on You” Heart 

6. “Tangled Up in Blue” Bob Dylan 

5. “Thunder Road” Bruce Springsteen 

4. “Kashmir” Led Zeppelin 

3. “Wish You Were Here” Pink Floyd 

2. “Landslide” Fleetwood Mac 

1. “Bohemian Rhapsody” Queen 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pip's Invitation said:
I considered almost 200 songs for this list and also want to mention what I had to cut. I'm going to put those in spoiler text in case people do not want to be spoiled as to what is NOT on the list, and in case @[scooter] was serious about wanting to do a 201-300 list. Before I begin the countdown, I will post the songs that missed the cut from artists that do not appear on the list. During the countdown, after every 10 posts, I will post the other songs that missed the cut from the artists that appear in the previous 10 posts. 
Click to expand...
So those songs in the spoiler text are the ones noted in bold - artists that won't appear in your countdown?

 
zamboni said:
So those songs in the spoiler text are the ones noted in bold - artists that won't appear in your countdown?
Click to expand...
Later today I will have a big post with songs that I considered but didn’t make the cut, and the artist does not have any songs in the countdown. It will be in spoiler text.

The spoiler text in the first post had to do with an artist that didn’t put out much in 1975 - but it was not nothing.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pip's Invitation said:
I considered almost 200 songs for this list and also want to mention what I had to cut. I'm going to put those in spoiler text in case people do not want to be spoiled as to what is NOT on the list, and in case @[scooter] was serious about wanting to do a 201-300 list.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm down with doing a list of 201-300. I was also toying with the idea of doing the same for the 1971 and 1979 lists. There's a lot of great music still unmentioned.

 
Here are the songs that I considered that didn't make the list and are by artists who do not appear on the list. This list is in spoiler text for those who don't want to know what didn't make the list until the end. Entries are in alphabetical order by artist. Songs that I considered that didn't make the list and are by artists who do appear on the list will be posted in spoiler text periodically during the countdown. 

The Allman Brothers Band:

Can't Lose What You Never Had (from Win, Lose or Draw)


The Allmans were a hot mess by 1975: Drugged out and fighting with each other (mostly over a drug case in the courts.) Oh, and Gregg Allman had started dating Cher. He put so little effort into this album, the final studio effort before their first breakup, that he recorded his vocals when he had a cold. It didn't hurt this Muddy Waters cover much, though, as the band gets in some tasty blues licks and the weirdness of Gregg's voice gives things some gravitas. 

High Falls (from Win, Lose or Draw)

One way to get around Gregg's vocal issues was to put a 14-minute Dickey Betts instrumental on side 2. And it's a good one, incorporating jazz influences into his usual blend of blues, rock and country jamming. I particularly enjoy Lamar Williams' bass playing on this. 

Average White Band:

Cut the Cake (from Cut the Cake)

The Scottish funk band dedicated this song to its original drummer, who died of a heroin overdose the year before, and it became a hit. If you like their signature song Pick Up the Pieces, you'll like this, it's very similar (but with more lyrics). 

Schoolboy Crush (from Cut the Cake)

A slow jam before we called them that. 

Bachman Turner Overdrive: 

Roll on Down the Highway (released as a single)

The second single from 1974's Not Fragile, following You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, this was released in January 1975 and typifies the strengths of the blue-collar rock of the time. Indeed, it was originally pitched for a Ford commercial. Unlike their other hits, this was sung by Fred Turner, not Randy Bachman. 

Blue Oyster Cult:

Buck's Boogie (from On Your Feet or On Your Knees)

The first BOC live album included one song that hadn't been previously recorded, a dynamic bluesy instrumental that became a crowd favorite over the years. I like the interplay between the lead guitar of Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and keyboardist Allen Lanier. 

Budgie:

I Can't See My Feelings (from Bandolier)

The Welsh proto-metal power trio pulls out all the stops here, mixing churning guitar with funky bass and, from out of nowhere, majestic harmonies. This was later covered by Iron Maiden. 

John Cale:

Heartbreak Hotel (from Slow Dazzle)

Cale's treatment of the Elvis hit has always fascinated me. He's got down the eerie sound of Bauhaus and the rest of the first wave of British Goth years before it became a thing. 

Harry Chapin:

Dreams Go By (from Portrait Gallery)

This is really here because of the nostalgia I get from Chapin's Greatest Stories Live album, which came out a year later and was a staple of my father and stepmother's collection. This song was the opener, the same role it served in its studio incarnation. It exemplifies the contradictions that were Chapin -- the music is jaunty and bouncy and immediately engaging (which makes for a great show opener) and yet the lyrics are incredibly sad. This is the guy who wrote Cat's in the Cradle, after all. Each verse covers a husband and wife at different stages of their lives, each time talking about the dreams they deferred and the opportunities they never pursued. But the moral is that what's important is the journey, not the destination.

I don't know when 
But we will dream again 
And we'll be happy then 
Till our time just drifts away  
&

Betty Davis:

Dedicated to the Press (from Nasty Gal)

Davis, the ex-wife of Miles, released three albums of the nastiest, most potty-mouthed funk you could imagine. Nasty Gal, the last before she disappeared, was the most extreme lyrically but also the least interesting musically. However, she shines on this one, in which she savages the media, who were not kind to her at all ("Why do they blame me for what I am?"), and which features some fierce bass. 

Deep Purple:

You Keep on Moving (from Come Taste the Band)

The last album before THEIR first breakup (1975 had a lot of that), Deep Purple's Come Taste the Band is notable for being recorded without Richie Blackmore, who had split to form Rainbow. Tommy Bolin replaced him, but this lineup called it quits after just one record. This song is its high point, and in spots it seems like a more streamlined version of their masterpiece Child in Time. 

The Eagles:

Visions (from One of These Nights)

Tim took the best stuff from this album, but I've always enjoyed this one, the only Eagles song with a prominent Don Felder vocal. Pre-Joe Walsh, this was about as good as their guitar sound got, especially on the coda. 

Eno:

I'll Come Running (from Another Green World)

This sounds like girl group music on ludes. And it pays off with the gleefully absurd line "I'll come running to tie your shoes". This song brought some much needed whimsy to 1975. Despite being credited with "restrained lead guitar," Robert Fripp gets off a fantastic solo. 

John Fogerty:

Rockin' All Over the World (from John Fogerty)
Almost Saturday Night (from John Fogerty)

In 1975, Fogerty released his first rock album since CCR broke up, from which came two singles which ended up being better known for others' versions -- Status Quo for Rockin' All Over the World and Dave Edmunds for Almost Saturday Night. But Fogerty's versions are nothing to sneeze at. In fact, they sound like the logical mid-70s update to the CCR sound that served him so well. "Heartland rock" was in position to explode with Springsteen, Seger, etc., and these songs positioned Fogerty to benefit from it, but then he decided to disappear for 10 years (in part due to legal battles with his label). 

Gloria Gaynor:

Never Can Say Goodbye (from Never Can Say Goodbye)

You probably forgot she had another hit besides I Will Survive, didn't you? Is it disco, yes. Does it transcend the cliches of disco, yes, thanks to her passionate and strong vocal.

Single version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d4KYKANnuI
Album version (twice as long): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkeG19-OASk

Genesis:

The Carpet Crawlers (released as a single)

This is the one Genesis song that qualifies for this year, as Peter Gabriel left the band after the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour ended in 1975 and the band did not come back until the following year. Fortunately for our purposes, Lamb's second single was released in early '75. (Interestingly, the iconic title track was never released as a single; the first single was Counting Out Time, in which the protagonist tries to make sense out of a sex manual.) Carpet Crawlers is creepy and chilling, with Tony Banks' synth figures burbling with dread and Steve Hackett's guitar piercing with anguish. As with most of the rest of the album, I have no idea what the hell the lyrics are about, but Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins sound awfully pretty singing it. 

Al Green:

L-O-V-E (Love) (from Al Green Is Love)

It's a hit from Al Green, so of course it's brilliant. Hasn't lasted in the popular consciousness as long as some of his others, but there are plenty of charms here, from how he enunciates "positively" to how the backup singers chime in with "Love" to the high note he hits on "friend" at 2:45. 

George Harrison:

This Guitar Can't Keep from Crying (from Extra Texture (Read All About It))

The sequel to While My Guitar Gently Weeps, this song isn't as spectacular as that, but few are. We are treated to some lovely slide playing from George and some wistful meditations on melancholy. I like how this builds up at the end, as if the guitar has actually started crying. The melody at the beginning reminds me a little of The Letter by The Box Tops. 

Tired of Midnight Blue (from Extra Texture (Read All About It))

Another melancholy tune from George (krista tells us he did a lot of that in '75), this conveys weariness without sounding lethargic, which is not easy to pull off. The cowbell helps! In her solo Beatles countdown, krista called it "a long sigh," and I totally agree with that. What I said in that thread was "This is kind of slinky and soulful by George standards. It could have turned into yacht rock but didn't. (Not that I dislike yacht rock, but it's not really what I want to hear from former Beatles.)"

Hawkwind:

Motorhead (released as a B-side)

This is notable as Lemmy's last contribution to Hawkwind, and the song that inspired the name of his new band. I think they were kind of successful. This version (whose title has no umlaut over the second o) is a revving rocker that makes far better use of sax and violin than it has any right to. 

Kings of Speed (from Warrior on the Edge of Time)

The A-side is pretty cool too. It sounds like Mott the Hoople filtered through a vacuum cleaner. This is not all that far off from what some of the English punk bands were doing 2 years later.  

Jethro Tull:

Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day (released as a single)

The mid-70s were not Tull's best period. After a great first five records, they were unfocused and indulgent for a few years. (Then they rebounded for a trio of late '70s albums I enjoy very much -- Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch). Skating Away is the shining moment from the fallow era. Though it appeared on 1974's Warchild, it qualifies because it was released as a single in early '75. I like how the song gradually adds all kinds of exotic instruments and all of the sudden the simple acoustic ditty you were listening to has become a tour de force of interplay. 

Minstrel in the Gallery (from Minstrel in the Gallery)

From the album Tull actually released in 1975, the title track is the only memorable moment. And even then, what you want is the second half of the song (starting at 4:00), which makes great use of muscular riffs from Martin Barre and snide vocals from Ian Anderson. On some tours, they only play the second half of the song, which is a good choice. 

Both of these songs begin with dialogue/sound effects, which probably says something about where they were at during this time. 

Elton John:

Grow Some Funk of Your Own (from Rock of the Westies)

Tim took all the best Elton songs from 1975. And neither of us are taking his second No. 1 from this year, Island Girl, which was always lame and awful and from today's perspective also comes off as racist and sexist. If only Blue Moon had been released in '75. I love that record, even though many Elton fans don't. Anyway, Grow Some Funk, released as a double A-side with Robert Ford, is a fun funky rocker that benefits from Elton's exuberance and the xylophone (?) that shows up about 2/3 of the way through. 

Marshall Tucker Band:

Fire on the Mountain (from Searchin' for a Rainbow)

No, this is not the Grateful Dead song. Rather, it's a fine example of Southern rock, driven by a compelling chorus and some excellent steel guitar work by Toy Caldwell. 

Orleans:

Dance with Me (from Let There Be Music)

A nice exercise in three-part harmony, with a breezy acoustic arrangement that may be yacht rock but is not "layered bull----", as Neil Young called what we now call yacht rock. 

Renaissance:

Trip to the Fair (from Scheherazade and Other Stories)

Renaissance were a rare folk-prog band, with ornate arrangements driven by acoustic guitar and piano, and Jon Camp's bass often serving as the lead instrument (if you enjoy the bass work of Chris Squire of Yes, check out Camp, who incidentally boasted one of the most epic mullets in the music scene). And they featured one of the '70s best female singers in Annie Haslam. When their stuff worked, it was spectacular (see the title track of 1973's Ashes Are Burning). When it didn't, it was hard to get through (see the side-long title track from this album). This was the most successful track of their 1975 album, taking a surprising turn into jazz starting around 6:15, with Haslam achieving some soaring wordless heights during those passages.  

Smokey Robinson:

Quiet Storm (from A Quiet Storm)

This song was so influential, an entire genre was named after it. (Is quiet storm the Black version of yacht rock? You make the call.) This track is exceptionally smooth and atmospheric, making great use of synthesizers. The notes Smokey hits on the title phrase are spectacular. 

Baby That's Backatcha (from A Quiet Storm)

The other hit single from this album is damn good too. The guitar and the flute work great together, and Smokey's vocal works up a lot of steam without coming off as forced. 

Rufus featuring Chaka Khan:

Sweet Thing (from Rufus featuring Chaka Khan)

Khan's vocals on the chorus and during the bridge are just gorgeous, and the slinky guitar licks by Tony Maiden also stand out. 

Carly Simon:

Playing Possum (from Playing Possum)  

The title track of Simon's fifth album boasts some of her best lyrics, tackling how to maintain your ideals after real life has gotten in the way:

We loved to be so radical
But like a ragged love affair
Some became disenchanted
And some of us just got scared  
&

The piano-driven arrangement contributes well to the sympathetic tone she conveys. Then-husband James Taylor sings backup. The big hit from this album, Attitude Dancing, is disco fluff. She would handle that sound better on subsequent albums. 

Chris Squire:

Silently Falling (from Fish Out of Water)

Yes was on hiatus in 1975 and bassist Squire, like many of the other members, released a solo album. This track is a stunner, building up a head of steam culminating in torrential waves of bass and organ. 

Supertramp:

Sister Moonshine (from Crisis? What Crisis)

Crisis was a lackluster follow-up to their breakthrough album, Crime of the Century. But this song held its own. I like how Roger Hodgson's acoustic guitar and Dougie Thompson's bass hold the song together in the first half, and then things build up to an effortless groove in the second half, resulting in one of Hodgson's best electric solos. 

The Staple Singers:

Let's Do It Again (from the Let's Do It Again soundtrack)

In 1975 the Staple Singers performed a set of songs penned by Curtis Mayfield for a movie starring Sidney Poitier, Jimmie Walker and [redacted]. The easy-grooving title track topped the charts. It pulls off the feat of sounding so relaxed yet so intricate. 

Styx:

Lorelei (from Equinox)

I prefer my Styx with Tommy Shaw, but their final album before he joined has a couple of standouts. This one has a great chorus and some of the instrumental elements that we'd get during their late-70s peak. 

Suite Madame Blue (from Equinox)

This follows the build-from-graceful-acoustic-to-anthemic-electric template set by Stairway to Heaven, and does a pretty good job of it. If you describe each segment individually, it sounds ridiculous, but taken together, it works really well. 

War:

Don't Let No One Get You Down (from Why Can't We Be Friends?)

This Latin-music-influenced song makes fantastic use of percussionist Papa Dee Allen and has a strong vocal from Lonnie Jordan. It could have given this album a third hit but wasn't released as a single. 

Grover Washington Jr.:

Mister Magic (from Mister Magic)

Long before his pop hit Just the Two of Us (with Bill Withers), Washington built a big following in the jazz/funk world. (I have two connections to him, which I discussed in the jukebox draft.) The title track of his fourth album was a major contributor to that. I love the groove plowed by guitarist Eric Gale, bassist Phil Upchurch and drummer Harvey Mason, and Washington's solos are great examples of how you make jazz smooth without devolving into boredom.
 
Roll on Down The Highway and Suite Madame Blue are the ones that I would definitely miss. I love both.

 
100. Carry Me -- Crosby & Nash (from Wind on the Water)

One of David Crosby's most compelling songs, this examines transcendence in a variety of ways, most effectively in the final verse, in which he recounts his mother's wish to die instead of wasting away in a hospital bed. It was the final cut from my list before I realized I had an entry that didn't qualify.  

Next is where Tim ended, with Queen.

99. Sweet Lady -- Queen (from A Night at the Opera)

I'm not a huge Queen fan and Tim took the best stuff from this album, but I've always enjoyed this one. It's a rare hard rock song in 3/4 time and the interplay between Brian May and Roger Taylor is ridiculous (Taylor has said he found this the most difficult song to play live.) The breakdown at the end where May solos fiercely is one of my favorite musical passages of theirs.

I've not seen Bohemian Rhapsody but I understand the scene about the "you call me sweet like I'm some kind of cheese" lyric is supposedly hilarious. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pip's Invitation said:
We're going to start off from where Tim ended, with Queen.

100. Sweet Lady -- Queen (from A Night at the Opera)

I'm not a huge Queen fan and Tim took the best stuff from this album, but I've always enjoyed this one. It's a rare hard rock song in 3/4 time and the interplay between Brian May and Roger Taylor is ridiculous (Taylor has said he found this the most difficult song to play live.) The breakdown at the end where May solos fiercely is one of my favorite musical passages of theirs.
Click to expand...
Totally agree there. One of Brian’s best Queen moments in a long career of great moments.

 
Skating Away by Jethro Tull would have made my list had the album not appeared in 1974. I regard it as one of their premier songs. 

 
Thanks, @Pip's Invitation - looking forward to it.

For much of the mid-70s I loved progressive rock, but only if it was semi-obscure. Think the first four albums of both Kansas and Rush, first five of Supertramp. After they started writing hits, I would lose interest. Over and over again.

I thought Genesis was going to be the exception. Loved their first 8 albums, especially SEBTP and TLLDOB. Still liked them after Gabriel left but they started to lose me at ...ATTWT... and I completely gave up when Duke was released.

Anyway, haven't listened to this gem in forever, thanks so much!

Genesis:

The Carpet Crawlers (released as a single)

This is the one Genesis song that qualifies for this year, as Peter Gabriel left the band after the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour ended in 1975 and the band did not come back until the following year. Fortunately for our purposes, Lamb's second single was released in early '75. (Interestingly, the iconic title track was never released as a single; the first single was Counting Out Time, in which the protagonist tries to make sense out of a sex manual.) Carpet Crawlers is creepy and chilling, with Tony Banks' synth figures burbling with dread and Steve Hackett's guitar piercing with anguish. As with most of the rest of the album, I have no idea what the hell the lyrics are about, but Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins sound awfully pretty singing it. 
Click to expand...
 
@BobbyLayne did something I thought about requesting and will encourage, though I can't enforce it. It would be great if, when posting about a song that has a spoiler tag, tagging me and writing your comment with spoiler tags, so those who are trying not to look at the songs with spoiler tags until the end can remain in the dark. I can then tag you with a spoilered response to continue the discussion (and it would be great if others who are looking at the spoilered posts can do the same.) Again, I'm not going to police this, but Bobby did exactly what I was hoping for. 

To your point, Bobby,

Genesis is one of the few prog bands to me that remained good after starting to write hits. Not until Invisible Touch in 1986 did I think they went too far, and even that had experimental stuff like the Domino suite and the long version of Tonight, Tonight, Tonight. A Trick of the Tail, Duke and Abacab are great records IMO. The Sum of the Parts documentary on them that I saw recently shed some light on how they tried to balance their old sound with something more accessible, and they mostly succeeded.
 
Pip's Invitation said:
To your point, Bobby,

Genesis is one of the few prog bands to me that remained good after starting to write hits. Not until Invisible Touch in 1986 did I think they went too far, and even that had experimental stuff like the Domino suite and the long version of Tonight, Tonight, Tonight. A Trick of the Tail, Duke and Abacab are great records IMO. The Sum of the Parts documentary on them that I saw recently shed some light on how they tried to balance their old sound with something more accessible, and they mostly succeeded.
Click to expand...
Oh I think you're probably right. It's just a quirky thing about my music tastes, I like bands that are my bands. Maybe that's part of the appeal of Americana for me the last 8-10 years - though I honestly do love the music - because I know it's unlikely any artist in the genre will become mega popular.

 
BobbyLayne said:
I like bands that are my bands. 
Click to expand...
It's a natural instinct. If you've discovered something before it became popular and you feel like you have an intimate connection with it, it's tough to share it with the whole world. 

Today's musical climate is IMO better for that sort of thing, because unless you're in pop or mainstream country, you're probably not going to achieve national fame -- there's just too much stuff out there that's easily accessible. Bands can grow at a much more organic pace without making too many compromises and still reach a certain level of success. They just won't become ultra-mega-rich.  

 
Pip's Invitation said:
Today's musical climate is IMO better for that sort of thing, because unless you're in pop or mainstream country, you're probably not going to achieve national fame -- there's just too much stuff out there that's easily accessible. Bands can grow at a much more organic pace without making too many compromises and still reach a certain level of success. They just won't become ultra-mega-rich.  
Click to expand...
This is a great point, though I never got into the "I only liked _______ before he/she/they got popular" thing. Because the next sentence is usually "before they sold out" and that sets my ####### teeth on edge.

And, to what I bolded above, there's never been a better time to be a music fan than right now. You want Norwegian bluegrass or Brazilian nuns doing thrash metal? There are probably channels out there streaming it.

 
98. Movin' -- Brass Construction (from Brass Construction)

The debut album from Brass Construction was six slices of deep, deep funk. The standout track was this, the opener, which rides a relentless groove for more than 8 minutes and makes great use of spacey-sounding synthesizers. There are similarities to what the P-Funk folks were doing around this time, but this has very much its own personality.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pip's Invitation said:
99. Movin' -- Brass Construction (from Brass Construction)

The debut album from Brass Construction was six slices of deep, deep funk. The standout track was this, the opener, which rides a relentless groove for more than 8 minutes and makes great use of spacey-sounding synthesizers. There are similarities to what the P-Funk folks were doing around this time, but this has very much its own personality.
Click to expand...
The loopy keys might have been based on what Bernie was doing with P-Funk, but the structure of the song itself was much more like Kool & The Gang or The Ohio Players. 

In any case, this is a great piece of mid-70s BBQ music. Fantastic pick (& way too low 😉 )

 
Pip's Invitation said:
It's a natural instinct. If you've discovered something before it became popular and you feel like you have an intimate connection with it, it's tough to share it with the whole world. 

Today's musical climate is IMO better for that sort of thing, because unless you're in pop or mainstream country, you're probably not going to achieve national fame -- there's just too much stuff out there that's easily accessible. Bands can grow at a much more organic pace without making too many compromises and still reach a certain level of success. They just won't become ultra-mega-rich.  
Click to expand...


Uruk-Hai said:
This is a great point, though I never got into the "I only liked _______ before he/she/they got popular" thing. Because the next sentence is usually "before they sold out" and that sets my ####### teeth on edge.

And, to what I bolded above, there's never been a better time to be a music fan than right now. You want Norwegian bluegrass or Brazilian nuns doing thrash metal? There are probably channels out there streaming it.
Click to expand...
i'm sure there are good things about the democratization of music, but i aint seeing em. without "argue well with the gods & rule the world", your grandkids wont have the delicious sorrow FFAppers felt this week of a stranger living in their hearts thru life & beyond with Eddie Van Halen's passing. tomorrow's heroes will never bust out of their action-figure packaging.

 
wikkidpissah said:
i'm sure there are good things about the democratization of music, but i aint seeing em. without "argue well with the gods & rule the world", your grandkids wont have the delicious sorrow FFAppers felt this week of a stranger living in their hearts thru life & beyond with Eddie Van Halen's passing. tomorrow's heroes will never bust out of their action-figure packaging.
Click to expand...
I miss the monoculture (or what we thought it was), too, wikkid.  It's over. 

I can still find more music I love now than at any point in my lifetime.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
The loopy keys might have been based on what Bernie was doing with P-Funk, but the structure of the song itself was much more like Kool & The Gang or The Ohio Players. 

In any case, this is a great piece of mid-70s BBQ music. Fantastic pick (& way too low 😉 )
Click to expand...
Agreed on all except the parenthetical phrase! It’s ridiculous how much good stuff was still out there. Now, it’s a wider variety of genres than Tim’s list, so not everything is going to be for everyone.

 
wikkidpissah said:
i'm sure there are good things about the democratization of music, but i aint seeing em. without "argue well with the gods & rule the world", your grandkids wont have the delicious sorrow FFAppers felt this week of a stranger living in their hearts thru life & beyond with Eddie Van Halen's passing. tomorrow's heroes will never bust out of their action-figure packaging.
Click to expand...


Uruk-Hai said:
I miss the monoculture (or what we thought it was), too, wikkid.  It's over. 

I can still find more music I love now than at any point in my lifetime.
Click to expand...
Tavistock Institute.  

 
Pip's Invitation said:
Agreed on all except the parenthetical phrase! It’s ridiculous how much good stuff was still out there. Now, it’s a wider variety of genres than Tim’s list, so not everything is going to be for everyone.
Click to expand...
:shrug:

It would have been Top Ten for the year if I was running this countdown. 

Thanks for including it.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
That will still exist, just on a less universal scale.
Click to expand...
no it won't. culture will get progressively more Whoville for several more generations, unless there's a crash

ETA: and our heroes need to be larger than those packaged to us, or suckerism will swallow us whole.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
97. Love Hurts -- Nazareth (from Hair of the Dog)

Is this one of the first power ballads? This song dates back to the early '60s, written by Boudleaux Bryant and first performed by the Everly Brothers. It was then covered by Roy Orbison and Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris before winding up in the hands of the Scottish hard rockers. Dan McCaffrey's vocal provides the right amount of anguish without going over the top, and Manny Charlton's guitar solo is excellent. 

Fun fact: I saw The Who perform this on their 1989 tour. Roger Daltrey just felt like singing it that year. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pip's Invitation said:
98. Love Hurts -- Nazareth (from Hair of the Dog)

Is this one of the first power ballads? This song dates back to the early '60s, written by Boudleaux Bryant and first performed by the Everly Brothers. It was then covered by Roy Orbison and Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris before winding up in the hands of the Scottish hard rockers. Dan McCaffrey's vocal provides the right amount of anguish without going over the top, and Manny Charlton's guitar solo is excellent. 

Fun fact: I saw The Who perform this on their 1989 tour. Roger Daltrey just felt like singing it that year. 
Click to expand...
first & still best?

 
I thought for sure Tim had “Love Hurts” on his list, but see that it was “Hair Of The Dog” instead. I prefer LH myself.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
98. Love Hurts -- Nazareth (from Hair of the Dog)

Is this one of the first power ballads? This song dates back to the early '60s, written by Boudleaux Bryant and first performed by the Everly Brothers. It was then covered by Roy Orbison and Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris before winding up in the hands of the Scottish hard rockers. Dan McCaffrey's vocal provides the right amount of anguish without going over the top, and Manny Charlton's guitar solo is excellent. 

Fun fact: I saw The Who perform this on their 1989 tour. Roger Daltrey just felt like singing it that year. 
Click to expand...
One of my first 5 or ten concerts, opened for Thin Lizzy. My memory is the sets were almost the same length. Loved that album & this song.

Think I saw them in 1977 at Wings Stadium (Kalamazoo), but tbh I dropped a lot of acid back then so I’m not sure.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
BobbyLayne said:
One of my first 5 or ten concerts, opened for Thin Lizzy. My memory is the sets were almost the same length. Loved that album & this song.

Think I saw them in 1977 at Wings Stadium (Kalamazoo), but tbh I dropped a lot of acid back then so I’m not sure.
Click to expand...
Was that Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous tour?

Jealous as hell if it was.

 
Pip's Invitation said:
99. Movin' -- Brass Construction (from Brass Construction)

The debut album from Brass Construction was six slices of deep, deep funk. The standout track was this, the opener, which rides a relentless groove for more than 8 minutes and makes great use of spacey-sounding synthesizers. There are similarities to what the P-Funk folks were doing around this time, but this has very much its own personality.
Click to expand...
Missed this one - great tune.

If there’s a ‘70s p0rn soundtrack out there, this should have a prominent place. 

 
96. My Little Town -- Simon & Garfunkel (from Still Crazy After All These Years and Breakaway)

After being apart for 5 years, Simon & Garfunkel reunited for this one-off. Simon wrote it for Garfunkel, and when he played it for him, they decided to perform it together. It was included on the solo albums both released that year, Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years and Garfunkel's Breakaway, and released as a single in the fall. Memorably, they performed it and two other songs together on the second episode of Saturday Night Live's debut season. 

The song is prescient in how it describes the decline of small blue-collar towns, the outcome of which haunts us today via a spike in "deaths of despair" and a mess of our political system. The narrator senses the despair and is itching to leave.

In my little town
I never meant nothin’
I was just my father’s son
Saving my money
Dreaming of glory
Twitching like a finger
On the trigger of a gun
Leaving nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town

&

The backing from members of the Muscle Shoals rhythm section is tasteful and punchy, and the old S&G harmonies return in fine form. Despite the success of this outing, they would not work together again until 1982, when they reunited for a concert in Central Park, which spawned a live album. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pip's Invitation said:
98. Love Hurts -- Nazareth (from Hair of the Dog)

Is this one of the first power ballads? This song dates back to the early '60s, written by Boudleaux Bryant and first performed by the Everly Brothers. It was then covered by Roy Orbison and Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris before winding up in the hands of the Scottish hard rockers. Dan McCaffrey's vocal provides the right amount of anguish without going over the top, and Manny Charlton's guitar solo is excellent. 

Fun fact: I saw The Who perform this on their 1989 tour. Roger Daltrey just felt like singing it that year. 
Click to expand...
The vocals make this song in my humble opinion.   

 
zamboni said:
Was that Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous tour?

Jealous as hell if it was.
Click to expand...
My memory is terrible. It was 3/22/1979 (junior year), so it wasn't one of my first concerts.

  • Bad Co (Burnin' Sky)/Outlaws/Rockpile (6/3/1977) - I remember smoking Thai Stick
  • Yes (Going for the One)/looney tunes cartoons for the opener (8/18/1977)
  • Styx (The Grand Illusion)/Robin Trower (10/1/1977)
  • Kansas (Point of No Return)/Chilliwack 12/7/1977
  • Rush (A Farewell to Kings)/Pat Travers (1/23/1978) 
  • Blue Oyster Cult (Spectres)/Angel (3/7/1978) - lots of explosions & lasers, we all took blue microdot. including the guy driving lol.
  • REO Speedwagon (You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can't Tuna Fish)/The Babys (4/10/1978)
Went on mission summer 1978 in the Appalachian Mountains and was working a lot winter 1978-79. I had a really bad sophomore year - grades plummeted & I got suspended often - & my parents wanted to send me military school. Had to straighten up & stop getting stoned every day.

After Thin Lizzy, the first concert of the start of my senior year were Rush (August 1979) & Blue Oyster Cult/Rainbow (September 1979.

Allegedly this is the setlist, but I never trust those concert archive sites to be exactly right (it's user sourced and I've found lots of mistakes.) Made notes but I was definitely blitzed so who knows if I'm remembering correctly.

Nazareth setlist:

  1. "Telegram"
  2. "Razamanaz"
  3. "I Want To (Do Everything for You)"
  4. "Just to Get Into It"
  5. "No Mean City"
  6. "May the Sunshine"
  7. Cocaine
  8. "Beggars Day"
  9. "Kentucky Fried Blues"
  10. "Born to Love"
  11. "Hair of the Dog" think this is wrong - they went off after this one, came back for two back to back
  12. "Expect No Mercy"
  13. "Shapes of Things"
  14. "Love Hurts"  definitely encore 1
  15. "Tush"  definitely encore 2
Thin Lizzy setlist:

  1. "Are You Ready"
  2. "Bad Reputation"
  3. "Get Out of Here"
  4. "Do Anything You Want To"
  5. "Don't Believe a Word"
  6. "Waiting for an Alibi" - Phil Lynott at his best, such a fun front man & great bass player
  7. "Jailbreak" - this seems correct, remember it came earlier than I expected
  8. "I Got to Give It Up"
  9. "Still in Love With You"
  10. "Warriors"
  11. "Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend"
  12. "Cowboy Song" - the place went crazy when they played this, great jam
  13. "The Boys Are Back in Town"
  14. "Suicide"
  15. "Me and the Boys"
  16. "Rosalie" - another highlight, great rock song
  17. "Emerald" - last song
  18. "Baby Drives Me Crazy" - encore 1
  19. "Whiskey in the Jar" - encore 2
  20. "The Rocker" - encore 3
Not bad for $7.50 eh

 
Last edited by a moderator:
95. Alone Too Long -- Daryl Hall & John Oates (from Daryl Hall & John Oates)

Hall and Oates began their career with three albums on Atlantic. The second and third (Abandoned Luncheonette and War Babies) were brilliant, but Atlantic didn't really know what to do with them and dropped them. They were scooped up by RCA, and their first record there came out in '75. Their fortunes changed soon when the third single from this record, Sara Smile (on Tim's list), became a smash. 

The John Oates composition Alone Too Long was the first single and also deserved to be a hit. It melds a slinky bass line with an insistent melody and high harmonies, but what takes it to another level for me is the synth figures that first come in around 1:15. The way this song's elements flow together evokes a lot of what I like about mainstream mid-70s music. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pip's Invitation said:
97. My Little Town -- Simon & Garfunkel (from Still Crazy After All These Years and Breakaway)

After being apart for 5 years, Simon & Garfunkel reunited for this one-off. Simon wrote it for Garfunkel, and when he played it for him, they decided to perform it together. It was included on the solo albums both released that year, Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years and Garfunkel's Breakaway, and released as a single in the fall. Memorably, they performed it and two other songs together on the second episode of Saturday Night Live's debut season. 
Click to expand...
Simon was always jealous of Garfunkel's 'choir boy' vocals so I can picture Paul writing this for Art.

One of the funniest lines ever on SNL was Paul Simon as the host up on stage as he introduces Art Garfunkel, the crowd goes wild because they hadn't been together for awhile.  Art was in the back of the room so he was slowly walking up from the back of the crowd.  People weren't sure if it was a gag or real but saw Garfunkel and were near tears as he approached the stage.  The emotion was heavy in the air.

Paul Simon was perched high up on a chair staring down in the gleam of a spotlight and he says.

"So Artie.  You come crawling back to me."  

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

timschochet
The 100 Greatest Songs of 1976 #1. Foreplay/Long Time
10 11 12
Replies
580
Views
71K
DocHolliday
DocHolliday
P
Celebrating 50+ years of Progressive Rock with the Top 70 prog songs of the 1970s
2 3 4
Replies
158
Views
4K
Eephus
Eephus
JAA
For the remote work, WFH, folks - share your office items here
Replies
35
Views
941
Nugget
Nugget

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Top