An Ear For An Era: 1978

You're going to have to bear with me. I usually try to write these as quickly as I can after I finish listening to something, so I remember the thoughts I had, what I'd wanted to write, etc. But in this case I was trying to get done before a vacation, successfully finished listening to 1978 the night before, but had to pack and such and could not find time during the vacation to write it out. You know, I was busy exploring castles and cliffs, visiting whiskey distilleries and seeing the beauty of the world in general. Ireland is beautiful. I hope I can remember enough to make this a good write-up for you.

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.

An Ear For An Era: 1976

Well that one just breezed by. Also I just noticed this is my 176th post on this blog. So ever since my last non-AEFAE post they have all matched like that, 175th was 1975, etc...

So 1976. It's punk or who cares, right? Kind of. Obviously there was other worthwhile stuff so I'll talk about that first.

How about the other 'unk? Funk? The first full album to come up was Mothership Connection by Parliament. One very problematic song aside ("Handcuffs," a pretty creepy song about wanting to handcuff one's woman so she doesn't leave), it is a funk party that just keeps going. Get on the Mothership, baby, and let's groove all night.

The other big soul/funk/whatever album I had from 1976 was the masterwork, the apex of the entire discography of Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life. This is something else entirely from everything else I've had to say about Stevie Wonder thus far (even though it seems I didn't really have much to say before this). It's free, it's less cheesy, it's catchy, it looks at the past, present, and future of black music. The jazz influences on here are great, particularly in the fact that he brought in Herbie Hancock for a song. It's got some disco, some funk, some soul. It has a very famously sampled beat in "Pastime Paradise" which also makes me think of 90s hip hop. I also used this as a way to get excited about my between-AEFAE-listens catchup on new music because I got the new Janelle Monae album and I feel like they share a lineage. There's love songs, there's political songs, and there is this great instrumental.

Stevie Wonder "Contusion"

Where there is funk there is disco. Well maybe not the same exact place. But funk's brother, the overachiever (commercially) of the two children of soul, the polished one that got good grades and etc, established itself alongside the punk kid named funk. Jr Walker seemed to take another turn to the disco side of things with the singles from 1976 ("You Ain't No Ordinary Woman," "I'm So Glad") and the Bee Gees were officially in full disco mode with "You Should Be Dancing." None of these songs caused much derision to me, but I know what was lurking on the charts.

David Bowie was still pretty poppy on Station to Station despite long track times (only one under 5 minutes!). Sources say that this was a transitional album from his disco/soul stuff to his more experimental phase (Berlin trilogy with Brian Eno). So it's gonna be the last "easy" one here.

I wonder if Small Change isn't Tom Waits' greatest album from this early period. Kind of his Rubber Soul, if you will. Meaning it's the one that showed the first real hints at the greatness lying ahead. All his early stuff had shades of it, but this is the album with "The Piano Has Been Drinking." And "Tom Thaubert's Blues." And "I Wish I Was In New Orleans." That last one is the reason I sought this album out. I saw a live performance of that song and it made me miss New Orleans, so I knew I wanted that song. It took me a while to track down the album at a decent price...and now it turns out to be one of his best. Still jazzy, impossibly cool, but showing flaws and maybe a little less calculated.

Tom Waits "The Piano Has Been Drinking"

The Runaways can probably be considered at least a little bit punk. Pop punk. Power pop. Something. Rock & roll. You know. Hard rock? Of 1976. They did cover a Velvet Underground song and the Blondie bassist played on this album (thanks wikipedia!) so they have their creds. I like their fire, I think of them as somewhat a rocked out/updated version of the Shangri-Las. I think mostly because the final track "Dead End Justice" is a story song with talkin' that reminds me of some of the Shangri-Las' cautionary tales. There's something more modern, more liberated (ironic I know since it's about them being in prison) about it though.

Was the first Modern Lovers album considered punk? It's at least in that school of Velvet Underground inspired, rough-and-rumbly, energized rock music. Wikipedia tells me it was actually recorded back in the early 70s but just not released until 1976. How about that. I feel like everyone should already know all these songs. Should I post one? It's one of those albums that has so many great songs that serious music people already know. So maybe I'll leave at that?

Blondie officially let me know that the CBGB scene was in full operational mode at this time. Which makes me very happy. There is something about Blondie. They were part of this scene, one of the first bands in it, and they fit in quite well...but they also played pop music. Anger about them doing a disco song seems silly because while the Velvet Underground influence is apparent and there are some moments of real punk rock (absolutely check out "Kung Fu Girls") they really were a pop band.

Blondie "In The Sun"

Patti Smith's second album Radio Ethiopia did seem to push toward a more punk rock sound, at least in some cases. Particularly the first track "Ask The Angels." But I feel like it looks forward more toward The Clash than any other punk act. It's that diverse in genre exploration while keeping the punk attitude.

So of course this is all to build up to the self-titled debut album by a band called The Ramones. The officially credited "first punk band," I am reasonably confident in saying they are the first band that the word "punk" was used to describe and while they didn't create the sound they created an identity around the sound that I don't believe I heard in this project before them. 2 minute songs, power chords, simple lyrics and simple songs. Played fast. The revolution starts here. Draw the line in the concrete. With a jackhammer. I can't really describe what I felt when it came on in my car. "HEY! HO! LET'S GO!" Turned up the volume, yelled along, and it was just a rush of excitement. We are past the boring 70s rock, time for something with real energy.

Ramones "Beat On The Brat"

Other stuff worth a word or two:

• (My) Tom Petty debut! "Breakdown."
• I may have been missing the full album, but the the hits that Queen released in 1976 were very awesome. Particularly "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" and "Somebody To Love."
• Nilsson's ...That's The Way It Is is (currently) the last work I have of his in my collection. He will be missed. Greatly. Appropriate that the first song on the album is called "That Is All" in addition to the album ending with a reprise of that. It's not his finest work and I'm sorely lacking in his latter era stuff but I could stand to spend a lot more time with his latter discography.
• It's for the suits man! Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. It came up after The Ramones had already refreshed me, so I was mostly bored/disinterested. They have some catchy songs (particularly album opener "Second Hand News") but even though this is a mammoth of a popular album and probably pretty critically acclaimed, the only reason I own this album is because I feel like I'm "supposed to." But in the context of this, it just reinforced that I'm a punk rock kid.

On The Next Installment...

It's hard to think that anything besides punk rock would be important in 1977. It's the year of punk! So Plastic Letters, Buzzcocks, The Clash, My Aim Is True (Elvis Costello may be my favorite artist of all time), TWO Iggy Pop solo albums, Joy Division, Rocket To Russia, Sex Pistols, Talking Heads, and Television. Whew!! But besides that, it was also the year of Saturday Night Fever, Billy Joel's The Stranger, Exodus, the first two chapters of Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, Dennis Wilson, and Kraftwerk.