Stevie Wonder's Talking Book is kind of maybe the first in his famous great-70s-albums series, but most of it seemed to be ballads and kind of bored me (although I did appreciate the many layers of orchestration). Still, "Superstition" was on the album so that was an obvious highlight. I think I like his later stuff a bit more though, it gets deeper and more complex soon.
Then a string of R&B popped up and it was all kind of continually weightless. Bill Withers, Allen Toussaint, Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway, Jr. Walker, Smokey Robinson...all artists I do quite like, but this all seemed too slight, flighty. Too many ballads, not enough funk.
Then Can came back on. And oddly was the funkiest thing I'd heard yet. Yes, the album Ege Bamyasi is quite a bit more grounded and accessible than Tago Mago, mostly because of shorter song lengths, lots of funky rhythms, and the song "Vitamin C," which was kind of a hit I believe. But my mind was completely blown when "Vitamin C" ended and "Soup" came on. The longest song on the album, it was advanced post punk before punk was even a thing. Crazy rhythms, blasts of guitar, screaming vocals, shifting time signatures and tempos, a drawn out version of loud (and fast) - quiet (and slow) - loud (and fast and slow) dynamics.
Can "Soup"
I don't have a good transition out of Can because there's really nothing else like them in this era in my library. How about back to soul, but the more positive stuff I have to say?
Maybe I just don't have any of the possibly great possibly popular funk of the day. But the best I got was from compilations of obscure stuff, like The Funky 16 Corners (Ernie And The Top Notes Inc. had a great song called "Dap Walk.") and Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label (Chip Willis & Double Exposure!).
The main, kind-of-funky, cinematic and great soul album (ok obviously it's cinematic, but I'm just saying he did a great job with it) was Curtis Mayfield's Superfly, the soundtrack to the movie. It's tough not to compare it to Isaac Hayes' Shaft, but it really is a different beast. Lots of very apt commentary in the lyrics (and lots more songs with lyrics!), Mayfield's completely different style of arrangements, it does really feel more like an album to listen through in a sitting without needing any context of the movie to go along with it.
And that's it for soul. Awkward transition to singer songwriter types?
Lou Reed solo. The album is called Transformer. It has his gigantic hit "Walk On The Wild Side." It has more of those sentimental songs in the style that I liked so much in the later Velvet Underground material, such as "Perfect Day." That may be my favorite. Or maybe "Hangin' Round" is my favorite. The line from the chorus, "You're still doing things that I gave up years ago" seems pretty apt considering the history of the Velvet Underground and how influential they were. Not that that seems to be what this is about.
Now the last we'll hear from Rodriguez (unless he decides to put something new out one of these days), some bonus stuff recorded after his last album that can be found as bonus tracks on the reissue as well as the Searching For Sugarman soundtrack. I just wanted an excuse to post this song, as he was slipping away from the music biz.
Rodriguez "I'll Slip Away"
Harry Nilsson followed up on the great Nilsson Schmilsson with Son of Schmilsson. I have a long standing opinion of this album as kind of a big laugh, not too memorable or really much of a successor to his probably-greatest achievement, but this time I realized that amongst all the joke lyrics ("I sang my balls off for you baby..." "Let me be your Joy boy," "You're breakin' my heart, tearin' it apart so f*** you," "I'd rather be dead than wet my bed...") there is a lot of Nilsson's impeccable vocals and plenty of heartbreak and authenticity. "You're Breakin' My Heart" is kind of the spiritual grandfather of Shellac's "Prayer To God," which is an id-driven, raw expression of heartbreak that can make you laugh through your own pain (at least both of those songs worked for me when I went through heartbreak). Still a silly follow up to Schmilsson, but far from something to be dismissed.
Neil Young's Harvest is yet another brilliant album, a very worthy successor to After The Gold Rush. I don't feel the need to say much aside from the fact that it's the album with "Old Man," "The Needle & The Damage Done," and "Alabama." What else do you need, man?
A couple words about Kris Kristofferson. He started sounding just slightly more 70s country on Jesus Was A Capricorn, but at this point it was pretty subtle and he still had some brilliant songs. It's not quite on the level of his first two albums but still quite enjoyable.
Rock & Roll! The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street may be my favorite Stones album. Mostly because the double album is usually something bands will use to indulge in more experimental material because hey, everything fits, but the Stones just kind of made their rockin' more loose and fun and wild. Then the slower songs are all winners. Particularly "Sweet Virginia." Yep.
Rolling Stones "Sweet Virginia"
Big Star popped up. I was definitely in the 70s based on the fact that the song "In The Street" came on. The one that was covered as the theme for That 70s Show! So there's that. But seriously, #1 Record is damned amazing. Of course the song "Thirteen" is one of the best throwback nostalgia tunes that will remind anyone of grade school crushes. Something very authentic in the songwriting considering this was basically pop music.
Big Star "Thirteen"
I like to think Big Star alongside the glam heroes of this time. T-Rex came on shortly afterwards with their album The Slider and I found a lot of parallels in the atmosphere developed. More authentic, lovely songs but with a bit more edge...
And it ended of course with the ultimate 1972 album, the ultimate in the world of glam rock, and possibly the ultimate David Bowie album: The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Front to back, just a great album of space travel, song structure experimentation, protopunk, and glam party music.
Where I Stand: 4537 of 37161
Other Highlights Worth Mentioning:
- It actually started with Alice Cooper. "School's Out." Yeah!
- A couple Johnny Cash cuts...I'm not sure when he totally fell off the radar, but "Jacob Green" was from this year so maybe he was still doing all right.
- Chuck Berry had some sort of comeback as he had the live hit "My Ding-A-Ling." I have the full 9 minute version and some sort of edited short version. Maybe not a song that needs to be 9 minutes.
- Michael Jackson's version of "Rockin' Robin." That goes out to my sister.
- We say goodbye to Ricky Nelson here with "Garden Party." A nice sentimental song about an earlier era of rock & roll.
- Aretha Franklin's Young, Gifted and Black kind of toed all the different lines of the different directions soul was heading, from the overproduced lightweight stuff, a bit of funk, and a bit of disco.
- Elvis! "Burning Love."
- Some more post-Morrison Doors, the song "The Mosquito" is quite the curiosity.
On The Next Installment...
Soul is Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder is definitely in his stride, and others. More Bowie (I think pretty much every year will have some sort of Bowie for the 70s). Iggy & The Stooges have a finale. The return of James Brown. Band on the Run. Quadrophenia. And these guys all make their AEFAE debut: New York Dolls! Pink Floyd! Queen! Roxy Music! Tom Waits! Willie Nelson!
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