Mike’s 1977

I agree with Tim, 1977 is one of the great years in recorded music history. A complete list of the 1977 records I own is available here, and my top 77 from 77 too.

Albums:

1. Talking Heads–Talking Heads: 77. An album to nod along with, rather than head bang to. Love Byrne’s optimism.
2. Television–Marquee Moon. Well, we all know this one by heart, don’t we? Even if I hadn’t already seen Tim’s list, I would have bet that many of the same albums would appear this month. And I would have also bet on this one appearing most often. I have a hard time imagining a list of the most-beloved 77 records without this one. Hard for me to pick any one song over another, which makes for a pretty great album, I’d say.
3. Keith Jarrett–The Survivors’ Suite. As with so many of his works, just intensely lovely and melodic. This is by far my favorite. Doesn’t seem to be available online.
4. The Clash–The Clash. I find that I don’t pull this one out very often, but each time I do I sure am glad I’ve done so. Just noticing now that four of these 10 albums are first releases. I agree with Tim on his selections, but this is another one where every last song is brilliant. Allow me to just add “Police and Thieves.”
5. Brian Eno–Before and After Science. Prefer the second side, which I would regard as some of the most beautiful music of the 20th Century. I mean, seriously, “Here He Comes,” “Julie With,” “By This River,” “Through Hollow Lands,” and “Spider and I” one after the other.
6. Joni Mitchell–Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter. Criminally underrated. Joni, and her band, at an entirely other level. Nothing else quite like it that I’ve ever heard. Have you noticed yet that each time I list this, or something from it, I don’t write anything. I find it indescribable, really.
7. The Stranglers–Stranglers IV (Rattus Norvegicus). “Jet” was nearly forty when this was recorded. Heh.
8. Van Der Graaf–The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome. I take it that many VDGG fans loathe this release, I suppose in much the way that some Genesis fans dislike post-Gabriel Genesis. Shorter songs, that may be more accessible, as though that were a bad thing in itself. Still plenty progressive, I’d say, however you want to define it. “Siren Song.”
9. David Bowie–Low
10. Pink Floyd–Animals. What a kick to be able to turn a son on to the Floyd. “Comfortably Numb” and the Wall is where it is at for him right now, as it was for me too initially. He’ll get to this and the early stuff on his own one day, I’m sure of it.
11. Tompall Glaser–Tompall Glaser and his Outlaw Band. Couldn’t restrain myself from listing one more album. Try the great Tennessee Blues.

Songs:
1. Anthony Phillips–“God if I Saw Her Now.” Hard as I’ve tried, I can’t say I really love any other Ant song. This is timeless.
2. The Motors–“Dancing the Night Away”
3. AC/DC–“Whole Lotta Rosie.” So juvenile, and thank god, I can’t help but continue to get a huge kick out of it.
4. NRBQ–“Call Him Off Rogers”
5. X-Ray Spex–Oh Bondage Up Yours/I’m a Cliche
6. Al Green–“Belle”
7. Bill Evans–“A Child Is Born”
8. Donna Summer–“I Feel Love”
9. Phil Manzanera/801–“Island”
10. Electric Light Orchestra–“Standing in the Rain”
11. Sex Pistols–“Anarchy in the U.K.” I admit it, I don’t ever play the entire album. I pull it out to play a specific cut or two, including, always, this one.

Knives in W11

Okay – so 1977 is the best year ever for music – so here’s my super-indulgent gull-wing Brazilian blow-back list.

Songs:

1. All This and More (The Dead Boys) – The Dead Boys don’t get enough credit for their amazing sound, and the influence they clearly had on the Sex Pistols. This is one of the greatest punk anthems – gives me shivers.
2. Complete Control/White Man In Hammersmith Palais (The Clash) – IMO ‘Complete Control’ is one of the best rock songs ever. Perfect guitar sound. ‘White Man in Hammersmith Palais’ is the Clash’s best song. Real reggae – real punk – real good.
3. Breakdown (Buzzcocks) – Formed immediately after hosting one of the first Pistols gigs, this seminal Manchester band released the first Independent UK punk single ‘Spiral Scratch E.P.’ It is still one of the most modern and arresting releases of the UK punk scene.
4. Stranded (The Saints) – Meanwhile – in Australia (!) The Saints were crafting their own distinctive punk sound – one of my favourite Rock vocals of all time.
5. Young Savage (Ultravox) – and before they became popular as one of the early UK electro groups, Ultravox had a tight punk ethic.
6. Marquee Moon (Television) – this is just an amazing song, regardless of the confusing genres typically assigned to Television.
7. Let There Be Rock (AC/DC) – I have to admit that I can’t really stand AC/DC – but I highly recommend watching the documentary ‘Let There Be Rock’ and witness the weirdness of the original Bon Scott-led line up. In 1977 AC/DC were womanizing hard-drinking Aussie scumbags with a great sense of humour. This is by far their best song IMO – Bon Scott all the way.
8. Hanging Around/Peaches/No More Heroes (The Stranglers) – yeah that’s right – my #7 is three singles by The Stranglers. This band had so much potential, but somehow never broke out like they deserved to. I think the punks were confused by the beardy drummer and the keyboard arpeggios – that’s what makes them brilliant.
9. Three Little Birds (Bob Marley & The Wailers) – I typically loathe Bob Marley’s music – not only is it overplayed to the point of exhaustion, but I get very tired of the constant Rasta preachiness and squeeky clean production. That said – this is one of the most positive songs of all time and I love it. Check out Naomi Campbell in this video!
10. Lust For Life (Iggy Pop) – not a huge Iggy fan, but its just one of the greatest songs from the punk era. Jim Morrison would have been proud. This is the best version BTW – Manchester 1977 filmed for Tony Wilson’s TV show.
11. Psycho Killer (Talking Heads) – Its good.
12. Short People (Randy Newman) – they got no reason.
13. Billericay Dickie (Ian Dury) – If you haven’t seen it – I highly recommend ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll’, a biopic of Ian Dury starring Andy (Gollum) Serkis. One of the best music movies ever made, regardless if you’re a fan of Dury or not (I wasn’t til I saw it!)
14. Rockin’ All Over The World (Status Quo) – I don’t know if this band is even known in the US, but they’re a bit of a joke in the UK, which is a shame. A truly great (if predictable) rock band. This is their biggest hit – stick your thumbs in your belt-loops, take a rock stance and start headbanging.

Albums:

1. ABBA: The Album (ABBA) – This album accompanies the excellent ‘ABBA: The Movie’ which contains some of the best concert footage of the band. If you think ABBA are shit – watch them live. ABBA: The Album is my favourite ABBA album for a number of reasons – the production is awesome – check out Benny/Bjorn’s supertight production on ‘Hole In Your Soul’, as well as the proto-LLoyd-Weber vocal breakdowns and Agnetha’s insanely high scream! The album kicks off with the Pink Floyd-esque ‘Eagle’ – moves on to superhits  ‘Take A Chance on Me’ and ‘The Name of the Game’ as well as the saccharine and rather hateful ‘Thank You for the Music’ (hey – its ABBA – there’s gotta be something terrible on every album!) And perhaps you can forgive Benny & Bjorn for Mama Mia the musical, when you listen to the powerful  ‘I Wonder’ and the insane ‘I’m a Marionette’, both part of a mini-musical performed live during this era of touring. If you feel like taking a chance on ABBA, start here.
2. Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols (Sex Pistols) – Best album ever.
3. Rocket To Russia (Ramones) – if I was going to recommend a Ramones album to anyone, it would be this one. Ramones at their purest. Highlights are ‘Rockaway Beach’, ‘Here Today Gone Tomorrow’ their classic ‘Sheena is a Punk Rocker’, the psychedelic ‘Teenage Lobotomy’ and their version of ‘Surfin Bird’. I read an interview with album producer Tony Bongiovi (Jon Bonjovi’s cousin) where he talks about recording ‘Surfin Bird’. Apparently they recorded the backing track first, and then Joey did a vocal take. There was no click-track or marker where he was supposed to come back in after the psychedelic section, and he nailed the timing, first take. He credits Joey Ramone as one of the greatest musicians he’s worked with.
4. From Here To Eternity (Giorgio Moroder) – Moroder is the best dance producer ever, and this is his best album. Non-stop frickin’ awesome. Own it.
5. The Clash (The Clash) – Debut album, fast, gritty, nasty, awesome. I personally prefer the US version (released years later) that includes different versions and extra tracks, but the original UK version is consistent and no-nonsense. Highlights for me are Mick Jones’ ‘Protex Blue’ and the genre-defining ‘Police Thieves’.
6. Trans Europe Express (Kraftwerk) – its trippy from start to end – everyone should take the time to listen to this album every few years. Truly beautiful.
7. Damned Damned Damned (The Damned) – totally raw, totally rock ‘n’ roll, totally punk. Brian James’ guitar is stunning, Scabies drums are amazing – Sensible’s bass and vocals are brilliant and Vanian’s at his best. A perfect album and heavier/faster/punker/funnier than all the rest.
8. Motörhead (Motörhead) – not their best, but a seminal metal album. White Line Fever.
9. Low (David Bowie) – not to be out-done by the punk scene that he had unwittingly fostered, Bowie takes us on a very spooky and Germanic journey into the bleak future. Side two all the way.
10. Young Loud and Snotty (The Dead Boys) – my #1 song is from this album, but the rest of it is pretty good as well, especially ‘Caught With The Meat in Your Mouth’ which has got to be one of the best song titles ever, right?
11. Star Wars (John Williams) – Leia’s theme. Damn!

Oh yeah – ‘Knives in West Eleven’ is a lyric from the Clash’s 1977 b-side ‘1977’ – one of their worst songs.

Tim’s Leaps

Sorry I’m late to the party – just got back in the country! I must admit that I found the ‘Leap’ concept pretty tricky – all the important leaps are the really obvious ones, but after reading all the posted lists I’m feeling inspired and excited to check out some of these seminal albums.

Leap Albums:

1. Screamadelica (Primal Scream) – With the chance intervention of newbie remix DJ Andy Wetherall, Primal Scream transformed themselves from  arch black-leather rockers to eclectic psychedelic house gurus. Anyone who took drugs in the UK in the 90s has a very special relationship with this album.
2. Fantasma (Cornelius) – This was the breakthrough album for Jap Pop in the UK. The production, humor, minimalism, choppy editing and sampling was unlike anything I’d ever heard. Keigo Oyomada made art-rock fun again – very very cool music. 
3. Ace Of Spades (Motorhead) – lumped in with the ‘New Wave Of British Heavy Metal’ Motorhead’s 4th album is unparalleled in rock music. While there are plenty of albums that influenced the later thrash scene, Motorhead were the first to play so unrelentingly fast! 
4. Kings Of The Wild Frontier (Adam & The Ants) – Early Adam Ant material is dark and edgy art-punk, inaccessible to most – but manager Malcolm McLaren’s bizarre additions of Burundi drumming, Vivienne Westwood pirate costumes and Native American yodelling transformed Adam into the biggest star of British pop in the 1980s. Yet for all its pop filliness, this is a brilliant and weird album with some of the most incredible vocals I’ve ever heard.
5. Debut (Björk) – the Sugarcubes were interesting, then this album came out and everyone realised that in fact it was just Björk that was interesting; actually she was fascinating, confusing and mesmerizing! 
6. Omslag: Martin Kamm (Bob Hund) – Bob Hund are the best-known and most beloved band in Sweden (after ABBA of course!) Their second album ‘Omlsag: Martin Kamm’ put them on the map with its quirky pop hooks amid the signature madness. The album actually has no title, ‘Omlsag: Martin Kamm’ translates as ‘Graphic Design: Martin Kamm’ and the inside-out white card CD sleeve features a black and white portrait of the eponymous designer. 
7. Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (The Byrds) – an obvious choice, but I couldn’t omit it – I’m always stunned to think that Roger McGuinn was set on making an instrumental Moog album at this point in The Byrds career, but was open-minded enough to let Gram Parsons join the band and create the first country-rock album. Its a shame the record company insisted on McGuinn replacing many of Parsons’ vocals (his demo versions are my favourite), but its still an incredible album. A massive leap for one band, and an even bigger leap for country music.
8. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (Pavement) –  in the wake of Nirvana, there were suddenly a lot of very contrived and over-produced bands in the charts. Steven Malkmus’ sardonic and effortless lyrics on the singles ‘Cut Your Hair’, ‘Gold Soundz’ and ‘Rangelife’ ushered in something new that became known as ‘Slacker’, though the likes of Beck and Eels never came close to Pavement’s irreverent and strung-out sound. 
9. Reveille (Deerhoof) –  When I first heard it, Deerhoof’s 4th album was the most modern and alien thing I’d ever heard. A decade later it still is.
10. Too Rye Aye (Dexy’s Midnight Runners) – considered a one-hit-wonder in the US, Dexy’s are actually a pretty well respected band in the UK. Their switch to violins and banjos was a huge shift from the band’s former incarnation as a working-man’s Northern Soul band (check out ‘Geno‘.) 

 

Leap Tracks

1. I Feel Love (Donna Summer) – after feeling rather disappointed with Daft Punk’s new album, I put on some Giorgio Moroder and felt much better. ‘I Feel Love’ was the track that took electronic music onto the dancefloor – it’s every bit as futuristic and exciting today as in 1977!
2. The Electrician (The Walker Brothers) – Scott Walker’s strange career has peaked and trough-ed between pop, easy listening and disquieting avant-garde. Perhaps the most unexpected point in his career was a contractual reunion with the other Walker Brothers for the 1978 album Nite Flights, the highlight of which is Scott Walker’s ‘The Electrician’. 
3. Fool’s Gold 9:53 (Stone Roses) – the Manchester indie scene in the late 80s rather clumsily merged funk, hip-hop and psychedelic guitar-pop – the Stone Roses’ Fools Gold took it one step further – 10 minutes of grooves and hooks done in inimitable style. The Roses never did any advertising or interviews during their early career which made this 12″ single extremely mysterious and compelling. 
4. Painbirds (Sparklehorse) – ‘Good Morning Spider’ should have been on my album list, but its represented here by its devastating second track. Mark Linkous’ writing and production style were revolutionary. 15 years later I’m still hearing the Sparklehorse sound on new indie releases. A massive leap for music production, and a brilliant song to boot.
5. Doctor Who (Delia Derbyshire) – the original theme from the BBC TV series is one of the most important pieces of early electronic music, and the masterwork of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. I won’t go into the incredible way in which this piece was composed and recorded, but I highly recommend that you watch this brilliant documentary about Delia and her counterparts at the BBC in the early 60s! 
6. Stone Cold Crazy (BBC Session version) (Queen) – often credited as the first ‘thrash’ song, Stone Cold Crazy established Queen as a very serious and heavy band.
7. Anarchy In The UK (Sex Pistols) – its hard to say that the song was a leap for the band, as they recorded so little, but this was a huge leap from the US punk scene that spawned it. “I only like the Pistols – everything else is boring”.
8. Blue Monday (New Order) – Until Blue Monday, New Order were still recognizable as Joy Division – the transition was slow and uneasy – but this song marked Bernard Sumner’s triumphant grasp of pop music, production and songcraft. 
9. Freakscene (Dinosaur Jr.) – it was very hard not to put Nirvana on this list – their innovations are countless and brilliant, but including them would mean including The Pixies, Husker Du, Mudhoney, Butthole Surfers et al. For me, Freakscene is the song that eclipses the proto-grunge scene – snarly and devil-may-care, dirty, funny, profane and just plain cool.
10. Somethin’ Else (Eddie Cochran) – Eddie was in danger of becoming a bit more of a pop star than a rocker but this song, and particularly its production cements his legend as one of the great rockers. The riff at the start of Somethin’ Else is among the heaviest in rock.