1978 was the year my older sister came from. It also featured music. A continuation of 1977 really, with expanding landscapes of punk and new wave and crappy rock and disco as well. I would also like to mention that to this point I have been including videos that are usually fan-created photo montages or whatever to the songs. Music videos were a thing now though, and the majority of the videos I've posted in this entry are actual music videos. So enjoy those!
We'll start with the fairly corporate. I didn't like Queen's (singles) output of 1977 but 1978 had three of my favorite songs of theirs. "Don't Stop Me Now" used to get me pumped up (I'd listen to it before going out when in college. Vinyl.) and then was used in Shaun of the Dead to great effect so now it makes me visualize that scene. "Bicycle Race" is my historical favorite Queen song. "Fat Bottomed Girls" is the companion piece to that.
I think this is the end of the line (for this project) for the Rolling Stones. Some Girls was a decent album, I quite like "Beast of Burden" and "Lies." But I always just kind of think of this album as the one with "Miss You," their attempt at disco.
So while corporate rock dinosaurs were resorting to cheap ploys at relevance like disco songs, the exciting, envelope-pushing new bands like Blondie were innovating with their use of disparate genres like disco. But before I get to that, they had TWO albums out this year. Plastic Letters kind of makes me think of how much fun it would have been to see them in these days at CBGB. Deborah Harry bringing tons of attitude, the band going all over the place with jazz tunes and punk rock. And then Parallel Lines just took it further. The classic pop stylings, robotic rhythms, and yes, disco, that the band is best known for. And a Buddy Holly cover! I like this album a lot. Here is of one of my favorite styles Blondie did, the sunny pop song.
Blondie "Picture This"
And of course I have to move on to the other big CBGB band, The Ramones. Road to Ruin is kind of their last "classic" album. After this I have a lesser album from 1983 and some various singles (and a live show from '95). They continued their blitz with fast hard songs, including the hit "I Wanna Be Sedated" but some of the songs remind me of that Blondie track above. A little bit slower, while keeping the trademark catchiness they so owned. Here is probably the most blatant version of that. I wonder if the punks were as pissed about this as they were about "Heart of Glass."
Ramones "Needles and Pins"
You know what punk band wasn't slowing down: Buzzcocks! I have Operators Manual, a collection of early singles, and the bulk of it is from 1978. Of all the 1978 examples I have, I feel like the Buzzcocks were the most like the coming-up-generation-of-punk, the focus on playing short fast songs. But the way they did it was still catchy like the Ramones. I get songs like "Noise Annoys," "What Do I Get," "Ever Fallen In Love," and "Fast Cars" stuck in my head all the time.
And The Greatest Punk Band Scratch That The Greatest Band The Clash had an album too, the somewhat unsung Give 'Em Enough Rope. It gets overlooked for not being their debut or their greatest album (London Calling) or their most experimental (Sandinista!) or their most popular (Combat Rock). But I kind of like that about this one. It's got the same energy level as their debut, is still primarily focused on punk over experiments, but it has just enough of that special edge to be interesting. It's the album that sounds like The Clash but has not been overplayed (by me at least).
OK how about new wave though? Devo made their debut with Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Now this is punk. Completely outside the realm of what rock and roll should be expected to do, yet it's rocking. More of those robot rhythms. Completely deconstructing a rock & roll classic ("(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"), turning everything into machines including the act of prayer. The idea of this band was de-evolution. In that mindset this is the band at its most evolved. And it has to be their best album (we'll see if I take that back next time they come up here!). I've heard people talk about "nerd rock," and crediting Buddy Holly with starting that. I don't think that's accurate. Buddy Holly was super cool, he just wore glasses. Devo gave the nerds something they could understand. In a way that I think had been overlooked by the rock & roll machine up until now. The middle track is the most quintessential Devo song, the most rhythmic, and the one that includes the album title. Please note that the version below is not the one from the album (it's much slower) but this video is so amazing I have to share it. Devo was also streets ahead in regards to music videos.
Devo "Jocko Homo"
You know who else was nerdy? They Might Be Giants. Of course, they weren't around quite yet but The Residents probably were an influence on them...
The Residents "Constantinople"
Elvis Costello is still my favorite artist. Not too nerdy despite the glasses. This year he put out This Year's Model, which showed a shift towards more fast-and-loose rock and roll. The Attractions probably had a lot to do with that. But classics like "Pump It Up" and "Radio Radio" kind of define this early era of his career and they are just full of energy and spit. I also have the live album Live At The El Mocambo, which was a recent release BUT it's a performance from 1978 so I include it here. I mention that because it demonstrates the power of Elvis Costello & The Attractions as a force of nature, rolling through tracks with reckless abandon. I'm not sure if this live video is specifically The El Mocambo but it has the same energy.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Lipstick Vogue" (Live)
I feel a little bad for Nick Lowe. Sure, he's great and has continued his music career to this day so he has to be doing just fine, but I always just think of him as the lesser version of Elvis Costello. He produced a bunch of his records, he wrote "Peace Love & Understanding," and he put out new wavy records not too different from those of Elvis Costello's. They just don't hit the same highs for me. Jesus of Cool comes the closest though. He went a somewhat more pop route (the American title for this record was Pure Pop For Now People, which I think is an appropriate title), while undercutting everything with a cynical edge.
I don't know where else to talk about Tom Waits. Blue Valentine is yet another step toward his more experimental side, but it could still be considered part of the early period of his career. Dominated by the same coolness, jazz, and his distinctive vocals that continue to work toward what we now know. "Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis" is odd in that I have it on my Christmas music playlist but the song really has nothing to do with Christmas. Just a sad tale. I have one song from his 1980 album Heartattack and Vine and then my next Tom Waits album is Swordfishtrombones so...this is going to be the most "normal" he'll be. Next time I write about him it'll be absolutely gushing though.
Is that good enough? I think so.
Other stuff to say something about:
- I like "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty because of The Simpsons.
- Rick James, dude! I dig the song "You And I."
- I have but one early track by The Mekons, who are still going strong. This was when they were still straightforward punk..."Never Been In A Riot"
- Journey served as a fascinating way to see the terribleness that was going on in the mainstream at this time. Why do I keep it on my hard drive though?
- Willie Nelson put his trademark style on standards with the quite enjoyable Stardust.
- Marvin Gaye started emo? Maybe not, but Here My Dear is definitely a precursor to the oversharing overpresent in that genre. Unsurprisingly my favorite parts of the album are the less personal parts, such as "A Funky Space Reincarnation," which is a cool take on Mothership-style funk.
- The Cars' self-titled album to me felt like the start of the 80s. I associate them so closely with the 80s that it was weird hearing them come up, even though I also associate Devo with the 80s. The beginning of the (long drawn out) end for new wave?
- Warren Zevon's Excitable Boy is a good enjoyable album.
On The Next Installment...
The end of the 70s as we know it! I will have made it! What treasures do the rest of the 70s hold for me? How about London Calling?? Yeah. What else could I possibly need? Maybe The Cure?? The Cramps? Dead Kennedys (already!?)? Armed Forces is one of those consensus-favorite Elvis Costello albums so I'll have words about that one. Gang of Four! Michael Jackson's Off The Wall!?! And Pink Floyd's The Wall?? Weird I didn't know those were the same year! And Prince! And Talking Heads' Fear of Music. Lots of giant albums to look forward to here. Mostly London Calling though.
