Playlist: We Kick Off 2025, As Usual, Looking Back 50 Years, Rock Songs From… 1975

It snuck up on me again this year, but I noticed we’ve completed our latest trip around the sun. As most people are spending the dawn of this new year, 2025, looking ahead – making resolutions, planning vacations and weddings – we at B&V, in what has become an annual tradition, are looking backwards. We’ve put together a playlist to celebrate the rock n roll that was recorded 50 years ago, in 1975.

So much happened in 1975 that seems iconic now. Nixon was gone, having resigned in disgrace in late ’74 and his VP Gerald Ford had taken over as President. I remember him handing out buttons that said, “WIN,” which was an acronym for “Whip Inflation Now.” Unfortunately, handing out the buttons was the extent of Ford’s attempts to curb inflation… spoiler alert, it didn’t work. The nation was still reeling from the whole Watergate thing and early in the year Nixon’s henchmen Haldeman & Ehrlichman (aka the Berlin Wall) were convicted for their crimes. Also in 1975, Saigon fell which really did mean the end of the Vietnam war. I can remember seeing helicopters pushed off aircraft carriers into the ocean. I’m sure people were turning to a more hedonistic lifestyle to distract  from that double whammy (Watergate & Vietnam) and I think the music reflects that. It was called the “Me Generation” after all.  Ali fought Frazier in the “Thrilla In Manila.” Cuban troops were in Angola. A new late night comedy show debuted on Saturdays… Saturday Night Live with the Not Ready For Prime Time Players. They excoriated Ford who had a penchant for falling down. The Rocky Horror Picture Show debuted as well. And, key for Gordon Lightfoot’s career, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank.

Unfortunately, I was too young to watch SNL. While my age was finally in the double-digits by ’75 I was still considered a youngster and my parents wouldn’t let me stay up past 10. I was becoming more aware of world events and more self aware… at least I think so. Then I look at those pictures of all the family in matching leisure suits and I wonder, “How self aware was I to allow my mother to dress me like that?” In ’75 we moved and for the first time my brother and I didn’t have to share a room. In his room he already had a stereo… I’m not sure where that money came from? While I wasn’t “into” music like I would soon be, my brother was very into music and I often heard the Beatles, the Doors, or George Harrison through our shared wall…I would occasionally barge into his room and make requests, which I’m sure he dreaded. Sorry, man.

I remember riding around in this dark green Ford my mom drove. That bucket of bolts had a recurring, intermittent engine problem and would stall at the most inopportune times, usually in traffic. But while riding in the backseat of the Green Monster, I would be treated to my brother playing DJ in the front seat. Either that or he’d beg my mom from the backseat to tune it to Q104 (aka “Super Q”) or KY102 so he could hear some tunes. I was mostly oblivious, but I was listening. Although admittedly, I would only turn on the radio of my clock/radio when I was listening to a Royals game… We also had some new kids in the neighborhood who were more outdoorsy and I often found myself at the neighborhood pool with them where I also heard a lot of the songs on this playlist. If I close my eyes I’m at the OP pool with the music coming over that tinny speaker…dreading the Adult Swim when I had to get out of the pool…staring at the buxom, blonde lifeguards (are all lifeguards blonde?) but being too young to understand why. While I can’t say I was into music or was actively listening to this music, by 1978 many of the albums with songs featured here were on my list of albums to buy. And indeed, I now own many of these albums. The three years from ’75 to ’78 when I become a rock music fanatic were only 36 months but it seems like it was a lifetime.

As usual with my playlists tied to a certain year, I only put songs from albums that were released in 1975. I’m an album oriented guy, so that’s how I do it. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the LP has to be released in the calendar year of 1975 for a song from it to be included here. Occasionally I’ll throw in a stray single or a soundtrack song or two. With epic tracks from Zeppelin and Queen it’s crazy to think Punk rock was waiting in the wings. Of course there is a lot of So-Cal mellow music here as well, because that was a thing. We’ve got hints of the upcoming onslaught of Disco. We can argue when the era of the 60s ended and the 70s began (I don’t subscribe to the idea that come 1/1/1970 everything changed… it takes a while… I think the 70s really began in ’72 when Nixon was re-elected and so many 60s rock stars passed away) but by 1975 we are in the meat of the 70s. There are bands on this list that could only come from the 70s. Elton John, who among others, released 2 albums and was featured on the soundtrack of the Who’s movie Tommy was probably King of 1975.

Here is our 1975 playlist (with 3 former Beatles and Crosby/Nash, Neil Young (2x) and Stephen Stills, among other notable leftovers from the 60s) which can be found on the dreaded Spotify. If there’s an artist who I overlooked, please make any suggestions in the “Comments” section. I started this thing with over 100 songs so I really had to edit this down… and yet I still have 79 songs. Oh well… enjoy!

1. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up In Blue” – One of Dylan’s greatest songs from one of his greatest albums, Blood On The Tracks. It wasn’t until much later that I bought this record, but I can’t overstate how much it means to me.
2. Rush, “Fly By Night” – The first of two songs from the 2 albums Rush put out in 1975. This title track from the first of their 1975 albums introduced Neal Peart to the world. This song is also featured on our Playlist: Songs About Night.  
3. Led Zeppelin, “Kashmir” – Zeppelin’s epic from Physical Graffiti, one of our favorite old school, double albums. Plant cites this track, not “Stairway To Heaven,” as Zeppelin’s best track.
4. Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Saturday Night Special” – A surprisingly pro-gun control track from the Southern rockers.
5. Elvis Presley, “Promised Land” – The King, still showing signs of life…
6. John Lennon, “Stand By Me” – From Lennon’s album of covers of old rock songs. We do love our cover albums here.
7. Alice Cooper, “Welcome To My Nightmare” – The first solo album from singer Alice Cooper after the band Alice Cooper had disbanded.
8. Ambrosia, “Holdin’ On To Yesterday” – Cheesy? Yacht Rock? Perhaps. But I remember hearing this song on the radio in mom’s car. It was produced by Alan Parsons who worked with Pink Floyd before forming his own band.
9. David Bowie, “Fame” – One of Bowie’s most famous tracks, co-written by John Lennon.
10. Earth, Wind, & Fire, “Shining Star” – Everybody knows this song.
11. 10cc, “I’m Not In Love” – This is another of those songs, that despite my not being into music, I can remember hearing everywhere. This song comes on and I’m back at the neighborhood pool, listening to this over the tinny loudspeaker while I stared at the lady lifeguard.
12. America, “Sister Golden Hair” – One of those mellow, So-Cal hits.
13. Barry White, “What Am I Gonna Do With You” – I love Barry White. I always have and I always will… and he will be on any playlist I can squeeze him onto and I am not ashamed of that.
14. Bad Company, “Shooting Star” – I could have gone with the ubiquitous “Feel Like Makin’ Love” but I always liked this song better. Certainly a harrowing tale about the Music Biz.
15. Peter Frampton, “Show Me The Way” – These post-Humble Pie, pre-Frampton Comes Alive albums are so good. I realize the definitive versions of these songs are likely the live ones, but man I dig early solo Frampton.
16. Steely Dan, “Black Friday” – To clear up any confusion around my earlier post on Yacht Rock, I do not think Steely Dan was ever Yacht Rock. Their lyrics were entirely too sophisticated to be considered Yacht Rock.
17. Elton John, “Pinball Wizard” – From the soundtrack to the Who’s movie version of Tommy. Rod Stewart was set to sing it, but then Elton told him it’d ruin his career… Rod backed out and Elton seized the opportunity. Those guy’s friendship was different than most.
18. Eric Clapton, “The Sky Is Crying” – One of my all time favorite blues tunes by Clapton (original by Elmore James) from one of his weaker albums of the 70s.
19. Aerosmith, “Sweet Emotion” – From the peak era of Aerosmith.
20. ZZ Top, “Tush” – I was once told that Billy Gibbons improvised this song on stage when the band had run out of songs to play for an encore. I don’t know if that’s true, but I like the story.
21. The Doobie Brothers, “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)” – From the Tom Johnston-era of the band…the best era in my opinion.
22. Nazareth, “Hair Of The Dog” – “Now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch…” Indeed.
23. Bob Seger, “Katmandu” – Like Frampton, Seger’s early albums were overlooked until he broke through with his first live album. I actually really like early Seger… would love to see those LPs re-released. This was epic live, but it’s epic in the studio as well. A wonderful travelogue.
24. Joan Baez, “Diamonds And Rust” – Folk legend doing a song she wrote about her time dating Dylan in the 60s, later covered by Judas Priest. How could I not include this song?
25. James Taylor, “Mexico” – One of the greatest voices in all of music.
26. Elton John, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” – From Elton’s Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which I believe was the first album to debut at number 1 upon it’s release.
27. Elvis Presley, “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” – Elvis’ second album of the year. Colonel Tom kept the King busy until the eventual end, only a few years hence.
28. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Letting Go” – Nice rocker from the former Beatle.
29. Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “Hey You” – Nothing says 1975 quite like a song from B.T.O.
30. Eagles, “One Of These Nights” – One of their biggest hits and greatest songs. “I’m searching for the daughter of the Devil himself, I’m searching for an angel in white…” Aren’t we all searching for that?
31. Willie Nelson, “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” – Such a beautiful song. Willie is a national treasure.
32. Jefferson Starship, “Miracles” – From the Marty Balin era of the band. I remember my brother playing this album in his room.
33. War, “Low Rider” – An all time favorite here at B&V. It’s on our Playlist: Songs About Cars.
34. Neil Young, “Roll Another Number” – Nothing like Neil singing a song about a “wake-and-bake” morning before a long drive. “I think I’ll roll another number for the road, I feel able to get under any load…”
35. Stephen Stills, “As I Come Of Age” – One of those great, seemingly overlooked Stills tracks. Ringo, Crosby and Nash are all playing on this song.
36. Gary Wright, “Dream Weaver” – Oh, who doesn’t remember hearing this on the radio?
37. Bee Gees, “Nights On Broadway” – This is one of the few Bee Gees’ tracks I always dug. This was before their whole disco superstardom thing.
38. Fleetwood Mac, “Rhiannon” – From the Mac’s first album with Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham in the band. I could have gone with a Christine McVie track, but have always been drawn to this song about a witch.
39. Black Sabbath, “Am I Going Insane (Radio)” – I’ve always felt that Sabotage was the album where the wheels came off for the original lineup of Sabbath.
40. Glen Campbell, “Rhinestone Cowboy” – Glen’s signature song.
41. Rod Stewart, “Sailing” – I saw Rod sing this song in Vegas.
42. Hall & Oates, “Sara Smile” – This is a song everybody loves. I played it for my daughter one time and she immediately took to it.
43. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Spirits In The Night” – This was their first Springsteen cover… they found a lot of success covering the Boss in the mid 70s.
44. Al Green, “L-O-V-E (Love)” – Another classic from the soul legend.
45. Ohio Players, “Love Roller Coaster” – The infamous song with a murder lurking in the background… but that’s another post.
46. The Marshall Tucker Band, “Can’t You See” – This one is on our Playlists: Songs About Trains.
47. Allman Brothers Band, “Can’t Lose What You Never Had” – Great Muddy Waters cover from a meh album.
48. Grateful Dead, “Franklin’s Tower” – The deeper I dig into the Dead, the more I like them.
49. Bruce Springsteen, “Born To Run” – Classic title track from a classic album. I could have picked virtually any song from this album but had to go with the title track, Springsteen’s signature track.
50. Rainbow, “Man On The Silver Mountain” – This track introduced most of us to the vocal awesomeness of Ronnie James Dio… at least I don’t think I ever heard his first group, Elf, on the radio?
51. Kiss, “Rock And Roll All Nite (Live)” – From their landmark live album, Alive! I never got on the Kiss train, but I had friends who dug them.
52. Thin Lizzy, “Rosalie” – Thin Lizzy covering a Bob Seger tune about a woman who works in a record store… I think I’m in love.
53. Foghat, “Fool For The City” – Another quintessential 70s blues-rock band. I love this song and yes, I am a fool for the city.
54. Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here” – Title track from my favorite Pink Floyd album.
55. George Harrison, “You” – Personally I’ve always considered this album, Extra Texture, to be an overlooked gem.
56. Crosby/Nash, “Carry Me” – From one of those great Crosby/Nash duo albums.
57. Rush, “Bastille Day” – Rush back to rock us again in 1975. I considered going with “The Necromancer,” but it’s 12 and 1/2 minutes long.
58. Electric Light Orchestra, “Evil Woman” – Probably my favorite ELO track…
59. The J. Geils Band, “Orange Driver” – People forget how bluesy the J. Geils Band was.
60. John Fogerty, “Rockin’ All Over The World” – From his second solo album. Later covered by, yes, Bon Jovi.
61. Linda Ronstadt, “Love Is A Rose” – Written by Neil Young who hadn’t released his version of the song yet. I do love Linda’s version.
62. The Who, “Squeeze Box” – Funny song from a great album. Who By Numbers is considered the Who’s singer/songwriter album for reasons unclear… Townshend did write from a very personal point of view on this album…
63. Art Garfunkel (Simon & Garfunkel), “My Little Town” – Simon and Garfunkel reunited for this one song, which was on each of their solo albums from 1975.
64. Aretha Franklin, “Mr. D.J. (5 For The D.J.)” – A great call and response track from the Queen of Soul. I’ll always include Aretha Franklin tracks on a playlist.
65. Roxy Music, “Love Is The Drug” – I can’t hear this and not think how far ahead of their time Roxy Music was. These guys were so far out in front of everybody… love this song that the Rock Chick turned me onto.
66. Elton John, “Island Girl” – From Elton’s second album of the year… between 2 albums and the hit from the Tommy soundtrack, this may have been Elton’s year.
67. Paul Simon, “Still Crazy After All These Years” – One of my all time favorite songs. “I met my old lover on the street last night, she seemed so glad to see me, I just smiled…” Oh man, I’ve been there.
68. Dr. Feelgood, “Going Back Home” – I was completely unaware of Dr. Feelgood until Wilko Johnson hooked up with Roger Daltrey and re-recorded some of Wilko’s great, old songs. Dr Feelgood put out two albums in 1975, but I went with only one song…
69. Tom Waits, “Better Off Without A Wife” – From his first, very entertaining live album.
70. Patti Smith, “Gloria: In Excelsis Deo” – From the legendary album Horses.
71. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, “Cortez The Killer” – This track was banned in Spain.
72. Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody” – The Queen epic. I’ve never been a huge fan of this song but how could you not include it on a playlist from ’75?
73. Styx, “Lorelei” – I remember hearing this as a kid and wondering why this guy was so excited about his girlfriend moving in… then puberty hit and it all made sense.
74. The Band, “It Makes No Difference” – The Rick Danko plaintive vocal on this song will break your heart.
75. Bob Marley & The Wailers, “No Woman, No Cry (Live)” – Bob Marley never put out a bad live album.
76. Joni Mitchell, “In France They Kiss On Main Street” – I’ve never been deeply in to Joni but she’s truly one of the most important artists out there.
77. Robert Palmer, “Pressure Drop” – Smooth Robert Palmer covering a classic Toots & the Maytals song. I do love rockers doing Reggae music. 
78. Burning Spear, “Marcus Garvey” – One of my favorite Reggae songs.
79. Little Feat, “Long Distance Love” – Ah, the perfect track to end on… Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, in my opinion, was the last great Little Feat album but this proves they still had some great songs left in them even if Lowell George was pulling away from the rest of the band.

At almost 6 hours, this thing will get you through a long evening of drinking, if you’re so inclined. Later this year I’m sure we’ll be back with our 40-year lookback to 1985. It’s amazing how much music would change in that decade interval. Again, if there’s an artist who put out a smokin’ album in 1975 that I missed, please make a song suggestion from the album in the comments section and I’ll add it.

Cheers & Happy New Year to all of you! Thanks for all the support in 2024. Let’s have a rockin’ ’25.