Month: January 2024

The Cult Release (In December) ‘Death Cult 8323’ – Two New Songs To Celebrate Their 40th

~ kcorsini ~ 2 Comments

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“Run, run, runYou’re only flesh and boneRun, run, runAnd you’re out there on your own” – The Cult, “Flesh And Bone”

While I’m on record as a big fan of the Cult, I have to admit I was late getting on the bandwagon. They were almost 20 years down the road when the Rock Chick turned me onto them in earnest. I mean sure, I was one of those “Fire Woman,” or “Love Removal Machine” fans before her. So it’s likely no surprise when I think about the birth of the Cult I trace it to 1984 when they released their debut album, Dreamtime. But the roots of the Cult actually stretch back to 1983 when singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy first joined forces under the moniker Death Cult. That name stems from Astbury’s earlier band the Southern Death Cult. All these years later I’m guessing they’re happy they edited it down to just the Cult…what a cool band name and it frightens people when they see me in one of the band’s t-shirts.

As long time readers know, I like to stay up with new releases from the bands I like and I’m usually like a hawk for new music from the Cult. Towards the end of 2023 I started seeing the cool “Death Cult 8323” symbol, pictured above, with the black/white/red butterfly. Knowing the Cult were coming off a tour in support of their last LP, the great Under The Midnight Sun (a tour where I got to see them twice, in Denver and then a sensational show in KC), I assumed the Death Cult thing was to advertise their 40th anniversary. I saw the symbol on social media – and bear in mind I only got on social media to follow rock n roll bands… well, and cat videos – and I thought the whole “Death Cult 8323” was to herald some dates they were playing in their native England to celebrate the big anniversary. As occasionally happens, and please don’t tell my wife, I was wrong.

I don’t know how I missed it, but it ends up Death Cult 8323 heralded the release of a “double-sided single,” with two great new tracks from the Cult, which is always grounds for celebration and the stereo being turned up as loud as the neighbors will allow. At first I thought the tracks might date back to 1983 but no, these two tracks stem from the aforementioned Under The Midnight Sun sessions. Stylistically, soundwise, any way you wanna look at it-wise, these tracks sound akin with that album. The two new songs, “C.O.T.A.” (which stands for “Communion of the Animals”), and “Flesh And Bone” would have been a great add to that Cult LP and fit snugly beside “Give Me Mercy.” And lets be honest, that album was only 8 tracks long, they had the room. Maybe they held these two tracks back knowing they were celebrating 40 years together.

As you might have guessed, I really dig the tracks. “C.O.T.A.” begins with on an ominous drum beat from Jon Tempesta (what a great drummer he’s been for this band). Duffy comes in with atmospheric electric/acoustic guitars. Then Astbury’s hits us with that fabulous baritone, “The words of a godless man, Is anybody listening?,” a question I often ask myself… The interplay between Astbury’s vocals and Duffy’s tortured guitar on the chorus is worth the price of admission here. “There are no seasons here anymore…hold fast…communion of the animals.” As much as I love that song, my favorite of the two new ones is probably “Flesh And Bone.” The only way I found out about these new tracks in my wife’s car and “Flesh And Bone” popped up on her Spotify, which was playing random tracks… I was like, “What?” The Rock Chick was, “I thought you knew?” They say communication in marriage is a key.

“Flesh And Bone” starts quietly with some strings and/or keyboards. It’s midtempo like “C.O.T.A” to start with. “We danced against their guns, Underwent what was done, Our world is quickenin’, We can’t fight everyone, We can’t fight.” It’s a slow build until the chorus. “Run, run, run, you’re only flesh and bone.” I really like Duffy’s melodic guitar solo on this one. Tempesta’s drums anchor the thing. After the solo it gets quiet and the band kicks in… Oh, yes. Here are the two tracks, a worthy late career edition to anybody’s Cult listening:

While something like this generally gets me thinking the Cult might give us something new this year, they took 6 years between their last albums and I doubt anything new will be popping up. I’m sure they’ll be out on the road this year and I will definitely be in a dark crowded room cheering them on somewhere… Until then, enjoy these new tracks!

Cheers!

Review: Green Day Deliver The Goods On ‘Savior’ – A Wonderful Return To Their Trademark Sound

~ kcorsini ~ 2 Comments

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We are not even out of January and it already feels like we’ve gotten more new music from B&V artists this year than we did in all of 2023. I’ve spent the last few weeks writing about all the new singles that have come out: Liam Gallagher with former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire’s new song “Just Another Rainbow,” the Black Crowes “Wanting And Waiting,” and the Black Keys new song, co-written by Beck, “Beautiful People (Stay High).” And so you know, yes, we do stay high… While we’ve seen a plethora of new singles this year we finally have our first great album of 2024 as well. Like last year, when Iggy Pop’s punk fueled gem Every Loser was our first great LP of 2023, this year sees punk/pop-punk stalwarts Green Day dropping our first gem of the year with ‘Saviors’…Oh yes, I’m quite enamored with this album.

Although, I must admit, I fear – a little bit – that maybe no one out there is still listening to Green Day. They’ve had quite a career. They burst onto the scene in the midst of grunge with their punk/pop-punk masterpiece Dookie in 1994. I remember buying that CD and playing it incessantly. After that I was sort of only “aware” of Green Day. Both Insomniac and Nimrod came out so quickly I thought the songs on those albums were all from the same album. “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” was so ubiquitous that it put me off Green Day almost completely. It was the Rock Chick who got me back into them with 2000’s Warning, which came out when we were first dating. That is a great album.

From there, they climbed back to the top of the rock n roll world with American Idiot, a political-fueled rock opera of all things… who’d have thought? We do like rock operas and concept albums around here… After that it’s been up and down. I think they put some folks off when they released not two LPs at the same time, but three, creatively named Uno!, Dos!, and Tre! I have to give them credit for naming the third record after drummer Tre Cool, although it was a long way to go for a joke. I think I’m the only one who liked those albums but it was a lot of music to sort through. It wasn’t helped by lead singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong’s drug fueled breakdown prior to the tour in support of the albums.

I was still on the bandwagon and said so quite loudly when 2016’s Revolution Radio came out. I liked the increase in focus releasing just one album gave Green Day. I’m not sure many people joined me on that bandwagon as the record only went Gold. But then Green Day, looking to “mix it up” released 2020’s Father Of All Mother Fuckers, and even I lept from the bandwagon with alacrity. I don’t want to be so unkind as to call that album “unlistenable,” but when I went back and tried to listen to it as “research” for this post… I couldn’t get through it. Even the great ones miss the mark every now and then.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw ‘Saviors’ was coming out. I am always happy to see stability in a band and with Green Day, it’s still the same three guys who started this thing, the aforementioned Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar/vocals/songwriter), Mike Dirnt (bass), and Tre Cool (drummer extraordinaire). I saw that Green Day was putting out singles in anticipation of ‘Saviors’ release but I purposely shied away from listening to them. I wanted to hear the whole album. When it came out, and I saw that it was 15 songs covering only 46 minutes, I knew we might have a great, punk album on our hands. It also helped that they’ve reunited with producer Rob Cavallo, who produced Dookie.

As I’ve already revealed, I love this record. It is an absolute return to form. I don’t know how Armstrong does it but he can wrap the personal and especially the political into a nice tight three minute package. I know people complain about all of Green Day’s tunes “sounding alike.” AC/DC has basically done the same thing for 50 years and no one complains. 80% of the Stones music could also be described as basically doing the same thing. This is guitars/bass/drums and vocals and that is a very very good thing in 2024. These guys may not be strictly punk any more but this music is highly informed by punk and again, that’s a good thing. This is an old school, kick ass Green Day record. They have so many hooks in these songs. I always wake up with a song in my head and the last week it’s been all Green Day. These melodies are ear worms that are highly addictive.

The album launches with the first single, the great “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” a rocking political broadside. It’s got a great marching rock n roll feel. Clearly the political fire still burns bright with this band… at least you can tap your foot along. It’s like it’s torn from the headlines… “Look Ma No Brains” is clearly aimed at a certain voting block. It’s breakneck, meet-me-at-the-finish line rock fueled by Tre Cool’s galloping drums. There is an urgency in this music that appeals to me. “Bobby Sox” has a strummy chorus and then a hard rocking chorus. I love when Armstrong shouts “Do you wanna be my girlfriend, do you wanna be my boyfriend…” “One Eyed Bastard” is a crunchy rocker with a Sopranos “ba-da-bing, ba-da-doom” chorus. “Dilemma” starts slow but builds to a nice midtempo and is a nice change of pace. “I was sober now I’m drunk again…” Indeed.

“1981” may be my favorite on this album. It’s a great rock song about a woman who used to be a punk rocker… “she’s gonna bang her head like it’s 1981.” Ah, those were great days. “Goodnight Adeline” is a great power ballad fueled by acoustic guitars. “Coma City” is another candidate for my favorite song, it’s a twitchy rocker with a great guitar riff. That’s followed up by another fav, “Corvette Summer.” Who wouldn’t want to cruise around in a Corvette all summer blasting that song? Don’t worry, I’ve already added it to our Summer/Sun Playlist. All these rock songs have big, arena sized choruses that I defy you to not sing along to… especially in the car.

“Suzie Chapstick” is another ballad that for some reason makes me think of Frank Zappa… didn’t he have song, “Suzie Cream Cheese”? “Strange Days Are Here To Say” is a rocking State of the Union song… “They promised us forever, but we got less.” “Living In The 20s” continues the scathing political commentary, but it’s in a rocking format that makes the medicine go down easier and boasts a tasty guitar solo from Armstrong. “Ain’t that a kick in the head…” indeed. “Father To A Son” is a beautiful acoustic ballad with big strings, no less. The title track is a showcase for Tre Cool’s drumming. It’s a great punk anthem. I thought it would be a great album ender, but then I heard “Fancy Sauce” which is the perfect ending for these times and this album… “I’m not crazy, you’re crazy, we’re all crazy.” Oh, God yes.

This is great, thoughtful, rocking music. It’s really nice to see this band, once again, find a solid direction and follow it through with a great album. It may a bit of a step back to their roots for the snobby, rock n roll press, but this listener is cranking this album every chance I get. If you’ve gotten off the Green Day bandwagon, or haven’t ever gotten on it, I urge you all to check out ‘Saviors’ as soon as possible.

I think the cover art, which I rarely comment on, sums up the world right now… A wrecked car, burning garbage in the street and a smiling miscreant taken during The Troubles in Ireland. At least the kid is smiling… (Although, I think they altered the original pic on that smile…Oh, well).

Cheers!

Review: Black Keys Return With Party Anthem “Beautiful People (Stay High)” Co Written With Beck, Oh, Yes!

~ kcorsini ~ 8 Comments

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Now that the holidays have passed and we’re in that grey, horrible grip of winter signalling the slow slog that is January (and February, for that matter), I found myself succumbing to SAD – seasonal affect disorder. If you’re a fellow suffer, you’re not alone… reach out if you need help. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to survive all of these sub zero temps and frigid arctic air…then this morning we had an ice storm…Yay! The answer for me, at least in 2024, in terms of getting through this time of year has been a plethora of new rock n roll!! Music is always the answer. Accompanying the snow flurries that many of us have suffered has been a flurry of new music! We’ve had new songs – and better yet, the songs herald new LPs on the way – from the Black Crowes (“Wanting And Waiting”) and Liam Gallagher/John Squire (“Just Another Rainbow”) to name but a few.

Around the same time I discovered that first new Crowes song in 15 years, I stumbled upon a new song from the Black Keys, “Beautiful People (Stay High).” B&V hasn’t been around that long and this new album Ohio Players will be the 4th album from these guys in that short time span. They’re so old school they’re cranking consistently kick ass music out almost every year! We’ve had Let’s Rock (2019), their blues covers LP Delta Kream (2021), and the great Dropout Boogie (2022). That’s not counting a solo Dan Auerbach LP, Waiting On A Song. They’re describing the upcoming Ohio Players as their “party record” and I don’t know about you, I’m ready for a good party. If “Beautiful People (Stay High)” is any indication, this feels like it’s going to be a pretty wild party indeed!

Ohio Players – I love that name, as I loved the soul band from the 70s, the Ohio Players… their LP covers got me through puberty – will see the Black Keys (Dan Auerbach, guitar/vocals; Pat Carney, drums) coming full circle. They collaborated on the upcoming disc with Beck, the man who took them out on tour as opening act early in the Keys career. I read somewhere that Pat Carney, then but a young man, got backstage at a Beck concert and actually got to meet Beck, his first celebrity “brush with fame.” The Keys had been talking about collaborating with Beck for 20 years and they finally made it happen. I’ve been leaning into Beck’s more acoustic stuff of late, like his song from last year, “Thinking About You,” but I’ve always dug his upbeat stuff like Odelay. He certainly brings his upbeat side to “Beautiful People (Stay High).” It’s one of two songs the Black Keys and Beck wrote together. I don’t know if Beck was involved in the production or not… I would suspect so.

The track starts off with a choppy, Beck-ish beat complete with handclaps and funky guitar… several funky guitars. It sounds like Beck sings the opening line, “All those beautiful people say, Hey, all those beautiful people stay high.” Beck’s voice falls away and then Auerbach sings the verses. The track has a big “Na na na, never comin’ back down,” in the chorus that I’m guessing will soon be sung by everyone in the arena. I’m not known for my prowess on the dance floor (I’m a wallflower), but if this track doesn’t get you up and moving around, you might require the services of a medical professional. There are horns and back up singers and about everything else you can imagine. This is a big noisy, slinky rock n roll song. Here’s the video.

The lyric, “Hard as it’s been to begin once again, Just a friend on the wind seekin’ shelter, There’s a crack in the sky and a light from on high, I get higher and higher when I’m with her,” may just be how I felt when I first met my wife. This is the sound of a man coming out of the darkness and back into the light. I could imagine John Travolta and Uma Thurman from Pulp Fiction getting down on the dancefloor to this song. Although the influence of Beck is stamped on this song, I still get the underpinnings of that blues rock vibe that the Keys specialize in.

For my money, the Black Keys are one of the best bands around these days. They still play that great ol’ blues based rock n roll. They are just consistently great. I love that they’re expanding their sound pallet and bringing some funky Beck influenced groove to the party.

Stay warm, stay safe, it’s awful wintertime but we’re almost through January. There’s more new music popping out this January than I’ve ever seen… even I’m having trouble keeping up, but I sure like trying to!

Cheers!

Review: The Black Crowes Return To Classic Sound With New Song “Wanting And Waiting”

~ kcorsini ~ 4 Comments

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It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge fan of the Black Crowes since I first heard “Jealous Again” while I was driving around in my car in 1990. Granted, it wasn’t until I heard “Hard To Handle” that I drove to the record store and bought their landmark debut Shake Your Money Maker, but man am I glad I did. We shared our thoughts on that great debut album’s 30th Anniversary box previously. The Black Crowes were our new Stones for the 90s, or so we thought. They stood out to me because they played solid blues rock – very Faces, Humble Pie, Stonesy – in a world full of Grunge. In a universe of flannel shirts, they had leather pants on.

But alas, as I wrote in my piece The Mark of Cain: When Brothers Form Bands, when siblings form bands it can sometimes lead to some explosive chemistry. The Brothers Robinson were no exception to that sad rule… Much like the Brothers Gallagher in Oasis, their battles were legendary. (Liam does have a great new song out right now by the way, with ex-Stone Roses’ guitarist John Squire, “Just Another Rainbow”). The Crowes broke up shortly after putting out 2001’s Lions but reunited in 2008 and put out a couple of strong late career records but the reunion didn’t “hold.” Frankly, I thought that was it for the Black Crowes.

But then, in late 2019 (I believe, my timeline for what happened pre and post COVID is a bit off) I read in a magazine that the brothers had tried to rebuild their relationship as brothers, as human beings. If they could do that they might consider a band reunion. Thankfully for the Robinson Family Thanksgivings, the two managed to sort out their personal relationship. They were going to tour in 2020 to celebrate the aforementioned Shake Your Money Maker‘s 30th Anniversary but, pandemic. There were signs of life for the band, however. Late in ’20 they released “Back Door Santa,” a Xmas song even I can get behind and I don’t love Xmas songs. In ’21 we got the box for Shake Your Money Maker and there were some great outtakes and a live concert that everyone should hear. In ’22 they released a great EP of cover songs from ‘72 entitled, creatively 1972. It was clear the reunion was holding but they were taking only tentative steps toward new music.

After celebrating their fabulous second album last fall with a deluxe box, Southern Harmony & Musical Companion – Super Deluxe, the rumors began that new Crowes music was on the way. Last Friday we finally got some new Black Crowes when they released their first new song in 15 years. The new track is “Wanting And Waiting,” which describes my feelings about new Crowes music… I’ve been wanting it but man I have been waiting a long time. It turns out, it was worth the wait!

As far as personnel on this song/album, I know that Chris Robinson (vocals), Rich Robinson (guitar) and former Crowes member Sven Pippien (bass) play on the song. Sven is apparently the only past member invited to the reunited version of the band. I assume that the folks who played on 1972 played on this record, but with the mercurial Robinsons, who knows: Isaiah Mitchell (guitars), Joel Robinow (keyboards), and Brian Griffin (drums). Of course, Rich could be playing all the guitar parts. I’ve scoured the internet but couldn’t come up with any answers…

“Wanting And Waiting” starts off with a grinding, galloping guitar. When the organ kicks in the song just soars. I have to admit when I first heard it it had echos of “Jealous Again,” in a good way. Chris Robinson is in his usual fine vocal form. I love the big chorus. This isn’t a sad song about waiting for a lover… it’s more of an energetic expression of one man’s frustration. Who likes waiting anyway? I may have to put this track on my Waiting Playlist. “I’m nothing but lonely, waiting and wanting, wanting and waiting for you…” I think we’ve all been there. This track even has some backup vocalists ala Southern Harmony’s best tracks. I just love this song. What a great way to reintroduce themselves. Here’s the track:

Turn this one up loud! There are several new songs that have come out of late, including the Liam Gallagher/John Squire track I mentioned earlier but “Wanting And Waiting” is my favorite of the bunch. Who among us couldn’t use a little more blues rock in our lives these days.

Cheers and stay warm out there… I don’t remember I saw the sun…

Review: Oasis’ Liam Gallagher/Stone Roses’ John Squire, Manchester Rock Royalty, Team Up For New Song “Just Another Rainbow,” & A New Album

~ kcorsini ~ 6 Comments

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Fridays are when new music, albums and single songs, get released. It used to be Tuesdays – which was admittedly strange (it was done to “game” the weekly charts) – but somewhere along the line the music industry switched it to Fridays which just works better for me personally. If I’m going to sip a tumbler of bourbon and listen to brand new music, it’s better that it’s not on a “school night.” I typically do a pretty good job of keeping my ear to the ground and I usually know when a band has something new coming. Such is my rock n roll obsession. Despite that, artists do continually sneak up on me and drop a song or an album that was completely unexpected. And, like in the old days when I often discovered an artist had a new song by seeing their video on MTV, I often discover a new tune by surprise via video on YouTube. Typically on the weekend the Rock Chick and I will do some musical spelunking on YouTube, and this Friday was no exception, when lo and behold, we stumbled across a video from Liam Gallagher – no stranger to B&V – and John Squire, erstwhile guitarist from the Stone Roses. And oh, what an astonishingly good song it is(!), “Just Another Rainbow.”

Liam Gallagher is a singer that likely needs no introduction. Half of the dynamic sibling duo behind Oasis, Liam went on to solo stardom after the band’s inevitable breakup (after a brief stint with Beady Eye). We really liked his first two solo LPs, As You Were (2017) and Why Me, Why Not? (2019). Certainly any Oasis fan would have loved those albums and the Rock Chick is all in on Oasis… Although admittedly, we were disappointed by his last solo outing, 2022’s C’mon You Know, despite it’s having a great lead single in the Dave Grohl co-written, “Everything’s Electric.” I still love that song although the rest of the album is a bit of a “sound collage”… I’ll leave it at that.

When I first read the name John Squire, it through me for a bit of a loop, I couldn’t place him. Then I realized he was the guitar player in seminal Britpop rock band the Stone Roses. The Stone Roses only hung on for two albums but they were a huge influence in Manchester (or was it Madchester?) and specifically on Oasis and the Verve who followed them a few years later. Liam says the Stone Roses were the first band he saw live and that’s always huge. Their self-titled first album, is an absolute classic. And while I don’t have it on vinyl, I do own the album and am a fan but then I love debut albums.

After playing with Liam’s band at a festival last year, Squire sent a few tracks he’d written to Liam to see if he wanted to collaborate. Liam was absolutely game. Manchester Rock Royalty unite! The Stone Roses already have a song that gets played at Manchester United games, god knows how they’ll respond to this. After working on the first three tracks Squire sent over, Liam realized they were on to something and they went in a recorded a whole album worth of material. If “Just Another Rainbow” is any indication, I think we’re in for some great rock n roll.

“Just Another Rainbow,” to these ears, is really a great combination of the sound of Oasis (or Liam) and the Stone Roses. I can hear elements of both Liam and Squire in the track. It is trippy, psychedelic music at it’s best. I love what Squire does on this song. This track wouldn’t have been out of place on the radio next to “Strawberry Fields.” “Just another rainbow dripping on my tree…” indeed. The thing that boggles my mind is the second half of the song is dominated by a guitar solo. You just don’t hear that anymore. I turned to the Rock Chick and said, “The balls on these guys to put out a song with a long guitar solo in this era of synths?!?” Squire just tortures the guitar for most of the back end of the song and I absolutely love it! Where has this guy been hiding? Rounding out the band on this track are producer Greg Kurstin on bass and session cat Joey Waronker mans the drums (his dad Lenny was a big producer back in the day). It’s stripped down and simple yet huge at the same time… Squire’s guitar blows the track up to 11.

Here is the video:

Even the video is trippy! After the long guitar solo – again completely unexpected in 2024 – Liam comes in for a few more runs through the chorus. The song is five and a half minutes long and when it was over I couldn’t wait to start it over. To paraphrase Mel Brooks in History Of The World, Part 1, “I just heard it and I want to hear it again.” John Squire may just be the songwriting foil that Liam has been looking for. I have no idea when the LP comes out, but it’s now on my “greatly anticipated” list!

Turn this one up loud!

There were several great songs that dropped on Friday and believe me, we’ll get to all of them eventually… I’m still absorbing this astonishingly great song!

Cheers!

Album Lookback: Forty Years Ago, The Cars Release The Classic, ‘Heartbeat City’

~ kcorsini ~ 7 Comments

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Another new year has left me in a reflective mode. I just recently posted my 1974 Playlist, and as usually happens after looking back 50 years (when I was just a little kid), my mind drifts back 40 years when I was more cognizant, to 1984…and what a year! It was certainly not the dystopian, authoritarian nightmare Orwell had in mind… we’ve apparently potentially saved that for now. I started thinking about all the landmark albums that came out in 1984, when I was in college no less, and it’s a remarkable list. Van Halen’s 1984, Peter Gabriel (who blessed us with a new LP in ’23) put out  his breakout So, Springsteen put out Born In The USA, and Prince put out Purple Rain. And another album I’d put in that august list of classics would be the Cars’ Heartbeat City, an album that was considered a bit of a comeback at the time. I can’t believe I’ve been doing B&V this long and haven’t written about the Cars. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like the Cars?

The Cars hailed out of Boston. They consisted of Ric Ocasek (vocals/guitar/songwriter), Benjamin Orr (vocals/bass), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), Elliott Easton (a southpaw on guitar), and David Robinson (formerly of the Modern Lovers on drums). They were considered to be a part of the New Wave movement that took off after Punk sort of fizzled (or more accurately, when Punk went back underground). New Wave music was informed by Punk but with more pop intention… oh and synthesizers, lots of synthesizers. No matter how you want to describe the Cars – New Wave, pop rock, or just straight up rock n roll – they were an amazing band, although a bit stiff on stage, so I’ve heard (I never saw them live). The Cars had guitars dominating the music with stabs of cool synth, a sentence I never thought I’d write. Ocasek was a great songwriter and his lyrics are loaded with double entendre (“She is the girl, who keeps me up at night…”, or “I know tonight, she comes…”). They are a bit hard to pigeonhole as they weren’t totally 70s or 80s, they were more ’75 to ’85 straddling both decades successfully while many of their peers found it more difficult to pull that off.

Their debut album, The Cars, came out in 1978 right when I was getting into music and it could have been easily named “The Cars Greatest Hits.” It is staggering in it’s perfection. These guys sounded like rockers from another planet. “Good Times Roll,” “Just What I Needed,” “Bye Bye Love” and a song that will always be owned by Phoebe Cates’ in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, “Moving In Stereo.” The album was huge (6x platinum in the U.S. alone) and was still on the charts when the follow up, Candy-O dropped in 1979. The first album was in such high rotation still that I didn’t realize the songs on Candy-O were new, I thought “Let’s Go,” the first single, was just another track from The Cars. Candy-O is one of those rare albums that defy the sophomore slump. Truth be told, it might be my favorite Cars LP. “Let’s Go,” “Dangerous Type,” and “Got A Lot On My Head” (“most of it you…”) are all favorites.

At that point it looked the Cars could do no wrong. It only took 14 months before their third album Panorama came out. I remember hearing Ocasek on the radio at the time saying he was more into the Velvet Underground and wanted to expand their musical palette in more “interesting” ways. There’s nothing wrong with that but Panorama left us all a little cold back in the day. I had it on vinyl… I’m not sure what happened to it. I listened to it again as “research” for this post and it’s actually not a bad record. “Touch And Go” with it’s lusty cowboy guitar solo is a classic. I always loved the songs “Don’t Tell Me No” (a track I like to play here at the house for my wife), and of course, “Give Me Some Slack.” Beyond those three tracks the album’s songs didn’t get much traction which is a shame because there are a lot of really strong songs on that album. And frankly, I don’t think it was that “experimental.”

Reeling a bit from their loss of momentum, the Cars decided to steer more towards the mainstream on Shake It Up. It was a similar move to what Fleetwood Mac did when they went from the very experimental, punk influenced Tusk back to being a pop, hit factory with Mirage. I think people looked down on Shake It Up because of it’s naked pop ambition but it’s a damn strong album. “Since You’re Gone” has one of my favorite lyrics, “Since you’re gone, I never feel sedate, since you’re gone, Well, the moonlight ain’t that great.” I also dug “Cruiser” and nobody can ever tell me “A Dream Away” isn’t hypnotically shimmering in it’s beauty. At this point the band was probably a little frustrated. Ocasek put out his first solo album in 1982 and that seemed to recharge his batteries. He returned to the studio in mid 1983 with a great batch of songs. The band didn’t hire long time producer Roy Thomas Baker (the Cars, Queen), and went with uber producer Mutt Lange who’d done wonderful things for AC/DC and Def Leppard.

With the Cars feeling like their collective backs were against the wall, the result was one of their best albums, Heartbeat City. I will admit, Mutt Lange did his usual polishing of the music, in this case to the point that I can see my reflection in the sound, but for the Cars it just seemed to work. Ocasek had truly written a great batch of songs. I think there are actually two groups of Cars fans. The 70s guys who dug the first two albums and then the 80s kids who were into Heartbeat City. Lange’s production led the band to use a drum machine on this album and that eternally pissed off drummer David Robinson. The sound is big, very synth and very much “of it’s time.” And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that MTV – then a relatively new medium… and yes, they actually showed music videos back then – really helped this album. Ocasek and the dudes in the Cars, well, look weird and they translated well into quirky videos. I could have possibly been considered the “cute” Car had I been in the band…Benjamin Orr was as close as anybody in that band came to being a “heartthrob.”

I remember the first time I heard Heartbeat City. I was coming back from campus, and where I lived there was a courtyard surrounded by a hedge. Some enterprising lads, who should have been studying, were playing wiffle-ball baseball. The hedge was the outfield fence. Someone put their stereo speakers into their windows and they were jamming to music whilst they played wiffle-ball. As I strolled up I heard, “Hello…hello again.” The vocals were distorted and it sounded like they were saying “halo.” But then the drums kicked in… and then the guitar/keyboards. At the time I thought the Cars had broken up and Ocasek had gone solo… My roommate Drew, immersed in the game saw my confusion and said, “New Cars.”

“Hello Again” is not only a great tune – with a video that features Andy Warhol, no less – it was a bit of a statement of purpose. The Cars were saying “Hello” after being away three years and baby, they were home. The guitar drives the song, but the incessant keyboard worms it’s way into your ear. They were back and they weren’t taking prisoners. “Hello Again” ranks amongst my favorite opening tracks. “Looking For Love,” a lovely little ballad to midtempo thing came next and it was catchy as hell. Then came the huge hit, “Magic.” I love the opening line, “Summer, summer, summer, it turns me upside down.” It has been on my Summer Playlist since day 1. “Magic” was another tune with a great video. Speaking of videos, “Drive” was the big hit ballad and had a video featuring the incomparable Paulina Porizkova. Ben Orr took the lead vocal on that track and it drips with longing. “Stranger Eyes,” a track only the Cars being produced by Mutt Lange could pull off finishes the first half. It’s got more drama than a Bogart movie… it’s like a noir film in four and half minutes.

Side 2 kicks off with the first single (and monster hit, I might add) “You Might Think.” This galloping wallop of a song was everywhere – and also boasted an iconic video. “You might think I’m crazy, but all I want is you…” What a great song. “It’s Not The Night” is my favorite deep track from this album. I thought it should have been a hit… and I included it on my Night Songs Playlist recently. It starts slow with dramatic washes of synth… Ocasek’s plaintive vocal and then suddenly Easton and Ocasek bring the guitars. Talk about building dramatic tension! “The time is right…to take it out… the time is right to Tango…” Oh Hell, yes. “Why Can’t I Have You” is a ballad that could have been written by a stalker. “I Refuse” is another slick rocker and another underrated song. The title track reminds me a bit of “A Dream Away” from the previous album… it just shimmers along. “Oh, Jackie…”

I remember sitting out by the wiffle ball court where I’d become rooted to a bench, just to listen to the album, completely mesmerized. Much like their first two albums, the Cars had pulled off the difficult task of putting out an album full of great songs. There’s not a bad moment on this record. Sure, it may not have been the comeback album that their 70s fans may have wanted but it was the Cars album the 80s kids deserved in 1984. It is simply put a must own, must hear.

Sadly, the Cars returned in 1987 and delivered their only bad album, Door To Door. It seems they’d shot their final, nearly best shot on Heartbeat City. By this point not only Ocasek, but Orr and Easton had each done solo albums. Dissent had begun in the band. Orr wanted the band to record some song he’d written… with his girlfriend. It’s never a good sign when the bass player wants to show you songs he or she has written with his or her squeeze. And so they broke up acrimoniously… Orr eventually passed away. But luckily, the Cars did reunite for one more album, 2011’s Move Like This, a late career album that I may need to post about on it’s own…

Meanwhile, just crank this album up to 11. Get out the old wiffle ball bat and maybe a keg of beer… we’ve got to keep ourselves warm somehow this awful winter.

Cheers!

Playlist: We Kick Off 2024, As Usual, Looking Back 50 Years to… 1974

~ kcorsini ~ 7 Comments

1974-fun-facts-and-trivia

Let me start off on this, my first post of 2024, by saying a belated Happy New Year. Man, 2024… it’s a year that would have sounded like something out of science fiction when I was a kid. As usual it was a lovely Xmas followed by the Rock Chick’s immediate dismantling of all things Holiday around the house. I haven’t seen trees come down that fast outside of oil companies decimating the Amazon in a long time…well, actually when I think about it, since last year, I suppose. The Rock Chick is ruthlessly efficient. New Year’s Eve has never been my thing… this year, after a lovely dinner with close friends, I was in bed and asleep before midnight which rarely happens. I hope your celebrations were all festive and safe. I am a little bummed I didn’t stay awake long enough to hear the gun fire that usually rings in the New Year… oh well, maybe next year.

After the family left and the Rock Chick dismantled the decorations, I was left in that gray space between Xmas and New Years. Work was slow and I was off a number of days. As usual it was a time for leftovers, whiskey and rumination. Many people spend that time, when one year is winding down and another about to begin, looking forward and making resolutions like quitting coffee, joining a gym or taking up walking, or “to be more positive.” I gave up coffee for exactly one day. And I will never be tricked into that whole “Dry January” thing again. I’m actually one of those people who spend the last part of any given year looking backwards. Other than rock n roll, ruminating about the past is my only other hobby.

For the last several years, inspired by a post/playlist I did on the landmark year in rock n roll, 1971, I have started off every year with a playlist that looks back 50 years. Well, I didn’t start off 2022 with my 1972 playlist, but it was posted in January. It wasn’t until last year, 2023, that I decided it was a prime opportunity to start a new year by looking back 50 years, in that case to 1973. Now that my first post in two successive years has been a playlist looking back half a century, can we call it a B&V tradition? I probably need to wait a few more years of doing this before I lay that moniker on this thing. I’ve always been a bit of a musical historian and I’ve really enjoyed looking back in time for the sounds of the 70s over the last few years and this year I’ve turned my focus to 1974.

I’ll be the first to admit for the years 1971 to 1973, I don’t have a lot of recollection of the music or really anything else from those years. I was, as Tom Petty said and I’m fond of repeating, “a boy in short pants.” But I have to admit as I researched this music there was much that came back to me from 1974. I was becoming a little older, although still a kid, and more aware of the world. That was the year two families – the McKenna’s and the Peters (both names changed to protect the innocent) moved into the neighborhood. They were both families with three kids (all boys) and they were all sports obsessed. They were always outside throwing some kind of ball around. Even though prior I’d been a bit of a “stays inside all day” introvert, suddenly I found myself being pulled into the world by these loud raucous sets of brothers. I remember we were all lumped into a “team room” at school that year which meant we had two teachers instead of one. It was a combination of two full classes. I remember Mrs. Frye being somewhat of a thug… clearly she’d been a prison guard in a former life. I also remember being forced to wear polyester leisure suits at family gatherings for holidays… nobody light a match my jacket and huge collar might catch on fire. I remember all of society having an Almost Famous vibe.

It was a heavy time. Watergate finally overcame criminal thug Richard Nixon. He became the first American President to resign the office late that summer. OPEC, which had begun an Oil Embargo against the U.S. in 1973, still held a firm grip on the daily news. But the news item I seem to remember most was the story of heiress Patty Hearst who was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army a group of very aggressive far-left terrorists. Pretty soon, she started showing up at bank robberies toting a machine gun. It was like seeing Paris Hilton rob a convenience store. Had she joined the SLA? Was it Stockholm Syndrome? Who can say? Because she was descended from the Hearst media family, believe me it was in the news a lot. There were so many great movies that year: Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein featuring the brilliance of Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. The Godfather 2, The Towering Inferno and The Longest Yard (featuring Burt Reynolds!) were all movies I’d have to wait till I was older to see. At least I had prime Kojak in season 2(!) to keep me entertained… best cop show ever.

Beyond Kojak, we also had the music. I can remember hearing some of these songs on the radio of my mom’s car and naturally at the pool in the summer over the giant loud speaker. They put a microphone in front of a transistor radio and that was the “stereo” down at the neighborhood pool, but it was better than nothing. Perhaps because of the heaviness of the times, it was year that saw a bit of nostalgia for the 60s. The hippies had left the communes, cut their hair and gone to work at insurance companies. It’s understandable that they showed up in droves to see Bob Dylan reunite with the Band or CSNY back together again at the local baseball stadium. And who can forget California Jam in April that year. Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer headlined… not surprised by Deep Purple, but ELP? Even typing that name makes me feel 1974. Sabbath was there and in the early days of MTV they had all these videos filmed at Cal Jam, rocking hard in front of that big rainbow behind the stage. Ah, what a time.

I have to say, as I assembled the many songs I chose for this playlist, I realized that mellow music had really started to take over the mainstream. It didn’t help that a number of harder rocking bands didn’t put out albums in ’74: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the aforementioned Black Sabbath and Paul McCartney & Wings all sat out that year. The general mellowness, highlighted by a lot of piano and acoustic guitar was almost as if the rock establishment was inviting the Punk movement to spring up. Don’t get me wrong there was still some great, harder rock – Deep Purple, Aerosmith, Queen and Montrose all show up. Great debuts from Bad Company, Kiss, Rush and solo debuts from Ronnie Wood and Robert Palmer. Reading the artists on this list is like a who’s who of 1974: Eagles, Steely Dan, Joe Walsh, Doobies, Ronstadt, the Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Elton. There was also some great soul from Smokey, Aretha, Parliament, Sly Stone, and Al Green. It makes for a pretty good blend. At least, I hope you like it.

As usual with our playlists, I always recommend turning on the “shuffle” or “random,” whichever you like to call the twisty arrow thing. Or you can always listen in order, whatever your vibe dictates. I base these lists on the release date of albums – we’re all about the “long players” here at B&V – and I choose only 1 song per album. I have listed the songs below by Artist, Album Title, “Song Title.” They came to me rather organically so we swing from soul to metal to mellow. If there’s a song that pops up you don’t like, skip it. Or, better yet, if there’s a song I didn’t put on here from an album from 1974, please recommend it in the “Comments” section and I might add it. Here’s the playlist, with my musings on each track below.

  1. Big Star, Radio City, “September Gurls” – A classic, classic song that was virtually ignored in 1974. It’s criminal that more people didn’t discover this band back in the 70s. Although admittedly, I only discovered Big Star through the Cinemax series Quarry.
  2. Joe Walsh, So What, “Turn To Stone” – From the solo album Joe released right before joining the Eagles. If you listen you can hear Henley and Frey warbling in the background. One of the greatest riffs ever… and yes, this was the second time Joe recorded the song.
  3. Grand Funk Railroad, All The Girls In The World, Beware!, “Some Kind Of Wonderful” – While I’ll admit to always getting Grand Funk, Bachman Turner Overdrive and the Guess Who mixed up… I always dug this song. It makes me wanna clap my hands over my head…maybe hold a lighter up in the air. And yes, this sums up my thoughts on the Rock Chick pretty well.
  4. The Doobie Brothers, What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits, “Eyes Of Silver” – I could have picked a number of songs from this album, including “Black Water” which is on my Playlist of Favorite Country Rock Songs, but I’ve always dug this track.
  5. Steely Dan, Pretzel Logic, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” – Monster hit from the third Steely Dan LP, which heralded the end of their touring days.
  6. Bobby Womack, Lookin’ For A Love, “Lookin’ For A Love” – Classic soul track originally done by the Valentino’s. Bobby’s version may be definitive, but I really dig the J. Geils Band version.
  7. Bob Dylan (& the Band), Planet Waves, “Forever Young” – Dylan reunited with the Band to record this classic album which I believe is the only studio album the (entire) Band played on with Dylan. Although, I could be wrong about that. Classic track covered by many including Joan Baez and Rod Stewart.
  8. Graham Nash, Wild Tales, “And So It Goes” – I may need to reevaluate Wild Tales for inclusion on my list of Best CSNY Solo/Duo Albums. I listened to this again and it really sounded great. Clearly further study is needed. Neil Young plays piano on this song and it totally has his vibe all over it.
  9. Gram Parsons, Grievous Angel, “Love Hurts” – Nazareth actually might have the more famous cover of this song but I’ve always been partial to this version from Gram’s posthumous release Grievous Angel, probably because he’s singing with Emmylou Harris. Although Roy Orbison’s version is pretty damn good too.
  10. Linda Rondstadt, Different Drum, “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” – I love Linda Rondstadt, but I especially love when she covers great stuff written by Dylan, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon or Lowell George. This is an exceptional Dylan cover that may belong on my Playlist of Favorite Dylan Covers… She really puts the country swing into it.
  11. Gordon Lightfoot, Sundown, “Sundown” – Sadly, we lost Gordon last year. Great track from an oft overlooked artist. I heard them use it on the James Spader show The Blacklist a few years ago and immediately put it in high rotation here at the B&V labs.
  12. Dolly Parton, Jolene, “Jolene” – With Dolly newly inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, I felt I had the right to include this classic… I also like the covers by the White Stripes and Miley Cyrus (yes, Miley Cyrus, what a voice).
  13. Deep Purple, Burn, “Burn” – Along with Sabbath and Zeppelin, Deep Purple were considered one of the Three Horsemen Of the Heavy Metal Apocalypse. I still hear elements of prog in this song…but maybe that’s just me.
  14. Kiss, Kiss, “Cold Gin” – From Kiss’ debut. I’m not huge into Kiss but a song about drinking gin had to make it on a B&V playlist. It was on one of my first Playlists, about Drinking.
  15. Aretha Franklin, Let Me In Your Life, “Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” – Perhaps not one of her iconic classics, but not a bad track from the Queen of Soul.
  16. Jimmy Buffett, Living In 3 / 4 Time, “Come Monday” – Alas, we lost Jimmy Buffett just a few months ago. I’m not a huge fan but I love what he did for the environment (Save A Manatee Club, https://savethemanatee.org/).
  17. Johnny Winter, Saints And Sinners, “Stray Cat Blues” – Great, great Stones’ cover. Johnny was the real deal… on a song about a young girl that is likely not cool.
  18. Queen, Queen II, “Seven Seas Of Rhye” – Epic, hard rock from Queen. Great riff but that Freddie Mercury galloping piano always grabs my ear too.
  19. Aerosmith, Get Your Wings, “Train Kept A’Rollin'” – Aerosmith covering the Yardbirds. Oh, yes. A track we put on our Playlist: Favorite Train Songs.
  20. Rush, Rush, “Working Man” – From Rush’s debut album. I included this one on my Labor Day Playlist… for the working stiff in all of us. Their first truly epic song.
  21. Elvis Presley, Good Times, “I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby” – The King, near the end, rattles off this track that was a hit on the country charts. Alas we only had three more years until we lost the King.
  22. Smokey Robinson, Pure Smokey, “Virgin Man” – I dig Smokey, but uh, I have to admit this song completely baffles me. Even when I was a virgin, no one thought I was… Great vocal.
  23. Eagles, On The Border, “Already Gone” – A song I loved to listen to whenever I went through a breakup… “I will sing this victory song…”
  24. Peter Frampton, Somethin’s Happening, “Doobie Wah” – Funky rock song about the joys of smoking pot. I’m more of a whiskey man myself, but to each their own.
  25. Dr. John, Desitively Bonnaroo, “Mos’ Scocious” – I just love a little New Orleans flavor on a playlist. Reminds of a trip to the Big Easy where a couple of friends of mine thought the cab driver was a Russian spy… the Cold War was well over? That’s why everyone should avoid Jagermeister.
  26. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Second Helping, “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd’s angry response to Neil Young’s songs “Southern Man” and “Alabama.” Neil responded by writing “Powderfinger” and offering it to them. They declined but the friendship was on.
  27. J.J. Cale, Okie, “I Got The Same Old Blues” – J.J. Cale was such a great songwriter. I love the gravel in his voice here. And yes, this was another track Clapton covered. I get the feeling Clapton just followed Cale around singing what he sang in the 70s.
  28. Richard & Linda Thompson, I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight, “When I Get To The Border” – The lead off track from the couple’s landmark album.
  29. The Kinks, Preservation Act 2, “Money Talks” – A track that should have been on my Songs About Money Playlist. I may have added it…
  30. David Bowie, Diamond Dogs, “Rebel Rebel” – Great riff, great song. We truly miss Bowie. Almost Stonesy.
  31. New York Dolls, Too Much Too Soon, “Stranded In The Jungle” – I love this song, but I know more than one person is going to reach out and say, “WTF is this?” The Dolls were sowing the seeds of punk rock that would spring up and shake rock’s foundation in only a few years.
  32. Bad Company, Bad Company, “Can’t Get Enough” – From the ashes of Free sprang Bad Co… One of my favorite tracks from their debut. What a riff. And who can get enough?
  33. Billy Preston, The Kids & Me, “Nothing From Nothing” – Classic song, one might also think of it as a standard. Billy had played with the Beatles (on Let It Be) and the Stones. The ultimate keyboard sideman!
  34. Rufus (Chaka Khan), Rags To Rufus, “Tell Me Something Good” – I just saw Chaka inducted into the Rock Hall. It immediately had me singing this track.
  35. Grateful Dead, From The Mars Hotel, “U.S. Blues” – Great track from the Dead. Also on my July 4th Playlist.
  36. Elton John, Caribou, “The Bitch Is Back” – I believe Elton may be referring to himself as the titular character.
  37. James Brown, Hell, “My Thang” – The real funk. Amazing track.
  38. James Taylor, Walking Man, “Walking Man” – Great song from a weak album.
  39. Jerry Garcia, Garcia (Compliments), “Let It Rock” – Jerry goes solo and covers Chuck Berry in a way that only he could do. I love this version of the oft covered track.
  40. Parliament, Up For The Down Stroke, “Up For The Down Stroke” – My younger brother had a Parliament/Funkadelic album in his crate. George Clinton is a genius. I’m not sure I can comment further on this title as there’s nothing I can say that won’t sound vulgar.
  41. Stevie Wonder, Fullfillingness First Finale, “Boogie On Reggae Woman” – “I’d like to see you in the raw, under the stars above.” This song only contributed to my confusion over what the term “reggae” meant. I didn’t realize it was a genre of music…I thought it might be an aphrodisiac like Spanish Fly and I was too afraid to ask my parents. But if it made this woman dance naked, outside no less, I figured it must be powerful stuff. Turns out I was right…
  42. Eric Clapton, 461 Ocean Blvd, “I Shot The Sheriff” – Speaking of reggae, Clapton doing the classic Bob Marley track. I think Clapton inadvertently (along with the Stones) helped break reggae to a broader audience.
  43. Sly & The Family Stone, Small Talk, “Time For Livin'” – Sly’s prime was behind him but what a great song. “Time for livin’, time for givin’…” Who couldn’t use more time for that.
  44. Barry White, Can’t Get Enough, “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe” – I dated a girl over on the East side of town who once called Barry, “the Walrus of Love.” Ouch. Anyway, this is one of the greatest tracks of all time. Put it on next Valentine’s Day and see for yourself…
  45. Little Feat, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, “Rock N Roll Doctor” – I could ride Lowell George’s slide guitar on this song all the way home.
  46. Harry Nilsson, Pussy Cats, “Many Rivers To Cross” – John Lennon produced this album and this Jimmy Cliff cover sounds so mid-70s-Lennon to me. It’s a shame Harry blew out his vocal chords during a wasted, late night studio jam with Lennon where McCartney and Stevie Wonder dropped by… A missed opportunity by the two drinking buddies.
  47. Leonard Cohen, New Skin For The Old Ceremony, “Chelsea Hotel #2” – A track he wrote about Janis Joplin. He always said he regretted letting people know that it was about Joplin and listening to the lyrics it’s easy to understand why he’d feel bad. Kind of a dick move, Leonard. Great track but I get a mean-spirited vibe around the edges. I do love the line, “You told me again you prefer handsome men but for me you’d make an exception…” Sounds like something the Rock Chick would say to me…
  48. Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Not Fragile, “Roll On Down The Highway” – If I ever do a Highway Playlist, this track will be on it. I like the Donnas cover as well.
  49. Tina Turner, Tina Turns The Country On!, “He Belongs To Me” – Sadly we just lost Tina, and I had to include her doing this Dylan cover to honor her memory. I always liked her earlier stuff but Tina doing Dylan on a country covers album… I’m intrigued.
  50. Judas Priest, Rocka Rolla, “Rocka Rolla” – Early, fierce metal from Judas Priest.
  51. Ronnie Wood, I’ve Got My Own Album To Do, “I Can Feel The Fire” – The title of this album was a jab at his Faces bandmate Rod Stewart who was fond of saying that to the Faces when he didn’t wanna work on their music. Ronnie wrote this and “It’s Only Rock N Roll” with Mick Jagger during an evening of jamming. Mick talked him into giving him “It’s Only…” and he’d give Ronnie this song. You can hear Mick singing the co-lead/harmony vocal as a thank you.
  52. Fleetwood Mac, Heroes Are Hard To Find, “Heroes Are Hard To Find” – I feel like I’ve said this a lot on this playlist, but having lost the wonderful Christine McVie only a year and a half ago, I had to include this great song from her.
  53. Randy Newman, Rednecks, “Lousiana 1927” – Randy Newman is Mark Twain with a piano. I considered the title track, but there is something so stately about this song…maybe it’s the strings. I used this on my Virtual Vacation: 50 Songs For 50 States playlist.
  54. Jackson Browne, Late For The Sky, “Late For The Sky” – Title track from his best album… a true masterpiece.
  55. J. Geils Band, Nightmares…And Other Tales From The Vinyl Jungle, “Must Of Got Lost” – This is, hands down, my favorite J Geils Band song.
  56. Electric Light Orchestra, Eldorado, “I Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” – Great ballad from a band that I’ve always thought was derivative of the Beatles… but my friend Doug loves them… so here it is.
  57. Joe Cocker, I Can Stand A Little Rain, “You Are So Beautiful” – Joe Cocker singing a song I wish I’d written for the Rock Chick. Stripped down to voice, piano and strings, man what a song.
  58. Gene Clark, No Other, “No Other” – Title track from a masterpiece album. What a vibe. If this record couldn’t break Gene Clark commercially, nothing was going to do it. I wish it had.
  59. Lou Reed, Sally Can’t Dance, “Sally Can’t Dance” – From Lou’s follow up to Berlin, one of the grimmest records of all time. Surprisingly, this remains Reed’s highest charting album in the U.S.
  60. Robert Palmer, Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley, “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley” – Palmer’s solo debut album is one of my favorites from him. When he sings on this song, “Trying to double talk, get myself in trouble talk, catching myself in lies…” I can’t help but smile. We’ve all been in that jam, baby.
  61. Bonnie Raitt, Streetlights, “Angel From Montgomery” – Raitt’s version of this John Prine song may be definitive? Maybe I’m just fond of this one…
  62. Traffic, When The Eagle Flies, “Walking In The Wind” – This is a touch on the obscure side, but what a great song. I can’t believe I never heard this song on the radio… well, at least in KC.
  63. The Who, Odds & Sods, “Long Live Rock” – This epic song was recorded in ’72 but wasn’t released until 1974 on the aptly titled vault release Odds & Sods. “We were the first band to vomit in the bar and find the distance to the stage too far,” pretty much sums up the Who ethos if you ask me.
  64. Rod Stewart, Smiler, “Mine For Me” – This album is always maligned and admittedly it’s not up to the standards of Rod’s previous 4 albums, but there are gems like this Paul McCartney written song to be found. I’ve always wondered if there is a McCartney version of this song but I’ve never found it.
  65. John Lennon, Walls And Bridges, “Scared” – The howling wolf that starts this track sets the tone. Being on Nixon’s “Enemies List” and facing deportation, he was indeed frightened…
  66. Montrose, Paper Money, “Connection” – Sammy Hagar’s first band. Always loved their take on this Stones track from Between The Buttons.
  67. Billy Joel, Streetlife Serenade, “Los Angelenos” – Great track about Los Angeles… Love the keyboards.
  68. Jethro Tull, War Child, “Bungle In The Jungle” – This song divides Tull fans but I always liked it.
  69. Tom Waits, The Heart Of Saturday Night, “(Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night” – Waits purportedly wrote this song for Frank Sinatra… It would have worked for Ol’ Blue Eyes, but I’m glad Tom kept it. The man knows how to set a mood.
  70. The Rolling Stones, It’s Only Rock N Roll, “It’s Only Rock N Roll” – I love this song and the album it comes from. And true, it may only be “rock n roll, but I like it.” Indeed I do.
  71. Supertramp, Crime Of The Century, “School” – A track we included on our Songs About School list. One of my favorite Supertramp songs.
  72. Bob Marley & The Wailers, Natty Dread, “Lively Up Yourself” – One of the all time great Marley songs. Sadly, it’s not on Legend, but if you dig into Bob’s catalog you’ll find a ton of gems like this song.
  73. Van Morrison, Veedon Fleece, “Streets Of Arklow” – An obscure little ballad that makes me feel like I’m in a small village in Ireland. I can almost feel the cobblestones under my feet and the sea breeze in my hair…ghosts of Vikings trailing me… Also later beautifully done by Van and Mick Hucknall as a duet.
  74. Al Green, Explores Your Mind, “Take Me To The River” – Al’s original version… later covered by the Talking Heads. I love Al, but the Heads might own this song for me. Don’t get me wrong, this original version is absolutely great.
  75. Thin Lizzy, Nightlife, “Still In Love With You” – Great ballad where you can feel the anguish in Phil Lynott’s voice. Searing guitar solo.
  76. Queen, Sheer Heart Attack, “Killer Queen” – Queen with their second album of the year. The monster hit still stands up well today.
  77. Ringo Starr, Goodnight Vienna, “No-No Song” – I love Ringo, but have never been a huge fan of his music. This song always made me laugh… it’s almost a novelty song. But it’s Ringo, so it’s groovy. Peace & Love.
  78. Sweet, Desolation Boulevard, “Fox On The Run” – Hard rocking guitars, a synth, a giant arena rock sound… What isn’t in this song.
  79. Ohio Players, Fire, “Fire” – People may forget how huge the Ohio Players were in the early to mid 70s. I remember… probably because of the album covers… I was impressionable. This song is an absolute classic.
  80. Linda Rondstadt, Heart Like A Wheel, “Willin'” – Our second entry from Ms. Rondstadt. I love when she sings Little Feat songs! Hearing the lyric “And if you give me weed, whites, and wine
    And you show me a sign I’ll be willin’… to be movin’…” in Linda’s voice just hits me different, in a good way.
  81. George Harrison, Dark Horse, “Far East Man” – Harrison voice, much like Harry Nilsson’s on song #46 on this list, was fried. He should have delayed his tour and recorded when his voice was back in shape. I’ve always liked this track which was also recorded by Ronnie Wood who co wrote it.
  82. Jimmy Buffett, A-1-A, “A Pirate Looks At Forty” – The perfect track to end our look at 1974 with. A party guy starts to look at 40 and wonder if changes might be in order…

That’s it folks. I know this one was a really long post, but I’ve been sitting around since Xmas listening to 1974’s music and thinking about this for a long time. Other than Guns N Roses new track, “The General,” that’s all I’ve been doing… I might have had a little pent up writing in the ol’ chamber. I hope y’all enjoy this as much as I did putting it together. Again, if there are any great tunes from ’74 I missed, let me know in the comments.

Again, Happy New Year! I think we’ve got some great stuff coming out this year and am really looking forward to another year here at B&V! Cheers!