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.

Mike’s Favorite Train Songs

Wasn’t able to give this a lot of thought, and didn’t peruse my collection for possibilities. Still very tough cutting this down to ten. It wasn’t until putting this list together that I realized how many train songs have become part of the repertoire of old timey songs that I play. Many of those are included here.

1. Mystery Train–Elvis Presley

2. Midnight Train to Georgia–Gladys Knight & the Pips

3. Train Kept a Rolin’–Yardbirds

4. Can’t You See–Marshall Tucker Band

5. This Train (Is Bound for Glory)–Sister Rosetta Tharpe

6. Train, Train–Blackfoot

7. The Wabash Cannonball–The Carter Family

8. Dixie Flyer–Randy Newman

9. The Rail Song–Adrian Belew

10. The Wreck of the Old ’97–Vernon Dalhart

Tim’s 1970 Top 10 Lists

Tim’s 1970 Top 10 Lists

1970 Top Ten Albums

1. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
2. Performance Soundtrack (Various/Randy Newman and Ry Cooder)
3. Lola Versus Powerman and The Money Go Round: Part One (The Kinks)
4. Vintage Violence (John Cale)
5. Sunflower (The Beach Boys)
6. The Madcap Laughs (Syd Barrett)
7. Shazam (The Move)
8. Loaded (The Velvet Underground)
9. Burrito Deluxe (The Flying Burrito Brothers)
10. Paranoid (Black Sabbath)

notable omission:
11. Parachute (Pretty Things)

1970 Top Ten Songs

1. Memo From Turner (Randy Newman & Ry Cooder)
2. Powerman (The Kinks)
3. Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin) – [I like the album version – but check out this BBC John Peel Session!]
4. So Long Frank Lloyd Wright (Simon & Garfunkel)
5. Gimme Shelter (Merry Clayton)
6. No Man’s Land (Syd Barrett)
7. By The Light Of A Magical Moon (Tyrannosaurus Rex)
8. Deidre (The Beach Boys)
9. Fields Of People (The Move)
10. The Ultimate Prophecy (J.D. Blackfoot)

‘Memo from Turner’ is probably my favourite song of all time. The vocal of this track comes from an unreleased track recorded by Jagger with Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi.  Jagger’s vocal was then reworked by a supergroup formed for the soundtrack album featuring Randy Newman, Russ Titelman (super producer), Jerry Scheff (The Doors/Elvis) and Gene Parsons (The Byrds/Flying Burrito Brothers.) A strangely manufactured track – but in my estimation even greater than the sum of it’s ingenious parts! Other standout album tracks are ‘Gone Dead Train’ with Randy Newman on vocals, Jack Nitzche and Randy Newman’s ‘Harry Flowers‘ instrumental, and the mesmerizig electo-psych of ‘Poor White Hound Dog‘ which features Merry Clayton on vocals. Merry Clayton’s 1970 single ‘Gimme Shelter’ (cover version) makes my top ten song list – definitely one of my favourite female singers.

With ‘Lola Versus Powerman…’ the Kinks finally got the great production they’d always failed to attain with previous albums. The first and best comeback from one of the most bands of the 1960s. The album also benefits from Dave Davies’ best songs and guitar work including ‘Rats’ and ‘Strangers’ which comes a very close second to ‘Powerman’.

‘Immigrant Song’ has one of the stupidest lyrics of all time – without its viking-fantasy-gibberish we would have missed a lot of hilarious 80’s metal!  However – this is also one of the heaviest riffs ever written – surprisingly restrained clean guitars complimenting the kick-drum-forward mix perfectly.

‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ is a contender for best album ever – there’s not a weak song on it, so it was excruciating choosing just one for my Top Ten list. ‘So Long Frank Lloyd Wright’ became a favourite after reading ‘Paul Simon A Life’.  In the book Simon explains that the song was written as a ‘goodbye’ to Art Garfunkel, after amicably deciding to call it quits. Garfunkel’s love of architecture spawned the nickname. Simon’s chorus is wonderful compliment and tribute to his long-time collaborator, while Garfunkel’s incredible vocal (and understanding of the meaning) makes the song even more poignant.

Along with Black Sabbath and Slade, Birmingham’s The Move are part of the ‘Black Country Rock’ movement parodied in Bowie’s song of the same title.  Essentially a pop group focussed on studio experimentation, The Move (later E.L.O) often fall short of the mark. ‘Shazam’ is the perfect storm of strong psychedelia, innovative arrangement and experimental instrumentation.

The Beach Boys’ ‘Sunflower’ marks an important reinvention of the band at a time when they really should have called it a day.  Bruce Johnston really stepped up on this album, and his song ‘Deidre’ is Brian-Wilson-standard songwriting as good as anything on ‘Pet Sounds’.

Though separated by decades, Pink Floyd and I went to rival colleges in Cambridge, making it verboten to be a fan. After I got over all my musical prejudices I realised that the only songwriting I like in Pink Floyd is that of Syd, whom I now adore. Sadly this was long after the period where my friends and I would follow him around or sit at his table in a cafe and wonder at his inane mutterings and chirps. A sad and brilliant man. Both Syd’s albums from 1970 are intensely weird and vividly portray his critically damaged persona. ‘No Man’s Land’ sums it all up for me – madness on tape.

J.D. Blackfoot’s ‘The Ultimate Prophecy’ is a pretty great album all around, but the epic title track is my favourite. Heavily borrowing from the Small Faces sound this is about as psychedelic as it gets!

Tyrannosaurus Rex released two album in 1970, the first ‘A Beard Of Stars’ contains some of my favourite Bolan tracks. ‘Elemental Child’ is an incredible feat of minimalism and ‘Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart’ was a close second to ‘By The Light Of A Magical Moon’ – Donovan’s influence is very apparent and the lyrics are idiosynchratic and clever. Kooky and brilliant.

Madherb (Mike’s) 1972

Albums

1. Roxy Music—Roxy Music (“Chance Meeting“)

2. Al Green—I’m Still in Love with You (“Love and Happiness“)

3. Nick Drake—Pink Moon (“Horn“)

4. Randy Newman—Sail Away (“Dayton, Ohio 1903“)

5. Willis Alan Ramsey—Willis Alan Ramsey (“Northeast Texas Women“)

6. Genesis—Foxtrot

7. Deep Purple—Machine Head (“Space Truckin‘)

8. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—Will the Circle Be Unbroken (“I Saw the Light“)

9. Steely Dan—Can’t Buy a Thrill (“Fire in the Hole“)

10. Yes—Close to the Edge

Songs
1. Julius Hemphill—”Dogon A.D.”
2. Argent—”Hold Your Head Up”
3. Van Morrison—”Almost Independence Day”
4. Annette Peacock—”I’m the One”
5. J.J. Cale—”Call the Doctor”
6. Stevie Wonder—”Maybe Your Baby”
7. Kevin Ayers—”Whatevershebringswesing”
8. Matching Mole–“Starting in the Middle of the Day We Can Drink Our Politics Away”
9. Rastus—”Lucy Bluebird” (excerpt)
10. Cymande—”One More”

All of these are car-wreck songs. That is, every individual song listed and every song off of each of these albums, when I hear one in the car the accelerator hits the floor and I either erupt in a dash-pounding shout-along or the tears generously flow. I hope you enjoyed revisiting this year as much as I did. It gave me an opportunity to revisit less stellar, but still enjoyable and occasionally invigorating stuff from the era as well as the many many greats. Still didn’t get through my entire collection of records from ’72 so in some cases relied on memory.

Enjoyed listening to a variety of folky stuff from the year like Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks (including his best ever song I Scare Myself, which just missed the cut here), Tir Na Nog, Steeleye Span, Morris On. Kevin Coyne’s first solo record (Case History—almost as good as it ever got for him, offering his cracked blues, empathetic character studies of the forgotten, lost souls of the street and of the institution). There is some dispute about whether it came out in 71 or 72. I have it as part of a ‘Dandelion’ box set that offers no help. I eventually decided it was 1971 so I could fit other things. Sure would have liked to include “God Bless the Bride” from that album. I understand the Willis Alan Ramsey is finally available on CD. If I had included songs off albums I selected, at minimum two of his would have made my top ten, but it would have been damn hard to choose them, every song off that album is so damn good. For starters, check out “Northeast Texas Women”. Same goes for any of the other album selections.

Some good hard rock stuff like Twenty Sixty Six, Randy California, Mick Abrahams Band, Atomic Rooster, West, Bruce & Laing, Blue Oyster Cult, etc. None of which of course comes within spitting range of Vol. 4 or Machine Head (not to mention Live in Japan). Only one could make it here. I’ve enjoyed acquainting myself with the hard rock since living in Cleveland from 97-03. There was a Saturday morning DJ who played only hard rock from the seventies. I listened to his show for several hundred hours and swear I never heard the same cut twice.

Some great psych and prog stuff of course. Aside from the classics—Foxtrot, Close to the Edge, Roxy Music (if that belongs in this category, but it doesn’t really belong in any category, does it?), Thick as a Brick, Focus 3, maybe even Argus and Trilogy—we get the first Scorpions album (more prog/psych than metal and maybe my favorite of theirs), two Gentle Giants, and my favorite Kevin Ayers (Whatevershebringswesing) and Captain Beyond albums. Trilogy is the only ELP I’ve listened to in 20 years and an album I continue to get a tremendous kick from, critical status thankgod notwithstanding. Then there’s all the Kraut stuff which I don’t have a great appreciation for, or collection of, I’ll admit. I do like the Amon Duul 2 album Wolf City and Faust So Far quite a lot though and considered a couple cuts off each album, “Green Bubble Raincoated Man”, especially. The Matching Mole song is a great opening cut off a weak album.

As far as jazz, fallouts include three of my favorite all-time cuts by Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Blacknuss, I Love You Yes I Do, Ain’t No Sunshine), one of my favorite Herbie records based only on spotify listens (forever on my LP wishlist), Space is the Place, a groundbreaking Joe Henderson (Black is the Color), a very fine Sonny Rollins (Next Step), and by far my favorite Santana album (Caravanserai) that moved them solidly into the jazz realm. The only Santana album I ever listen to. I’ve still never heard the entire Dogon A.D. album. Not a huge fan of Weather Report, but my favorite album of theirs is here (I Sing the Body). I was surprised that the first RTF record nearly made my top ten. This is just so damn fun, the melodies and ridiculous bass that is just so volcanic and prodigious it throws you on the floor and makes you giggle, I could play it all day long. Also, an unheralded (at least in this country) Neil Ardley  album (Symphony of Amaranths).

We’ve also got the best albums by six of my favorite solo artists: T. Rex (really, how much are we attributing to his cohorts?), Al Green, Nick Drake, Annette Peacock, David Bowie and Randy Newman (happy to debate this, it’s a close call in all cases). And admirable and better efforts from other favorite all-time, first name artists: J.J. (two!), Joni, Van, Neil, Elton, Stevie (two!). (Aside, Stevie Wonder’s two 1972 releases represent the first two of what would be an unbelievable run of releases following his emancipation from the production/song selection strictures of Motown. As it happens, Waylon and Willie in 1972 began to release albums under their personal control for the first time, free from the hit-making, string-laden reaches of the Nashville studios. This artistic independence would reach its greatest fruition for all three artists in 1973 with the release of the seminal Innervisions (SW), Honky Tonk Heroes (WJ) and Shotgun Willie (WN).)

Country was still in a pretty bad state in 1972, although hope emerged: Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Young, and inklings from the aforementioned. But then The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band produced an historical document of America, and they sowed the future of Americana. I guess the Stones’ Exile fits in this category as well as any other. I keep giving it a try, but I simply don’t like it much aside from a couple songs.

Several other albums from 1972 that I don’t care for are short-list critical faves. I know I’m missing out, but at this point in my life I can only say I like Something/Anything, tolerate Ege Bemyasi, and cannot stomach On the Corner, in case you’re wondering about their exclusion. I am going to have to give Big Star another try as well someday, but have to admit I’ve tried a few times now and it’s never hit home with me.

Have to mention The Harder They Come and my favorite song off the album, “Many Rivers to Cross”. Alas, they are another casualty, along with another favorite dub song, Prince Jazzbo’s “Crab Walk”.

I nearly added a pop hit of the day, “Guitar Man”, even if it were to disqualify me from any further contributions here. That bridge, man, cheesy as it is, just takes me to a higher plane:

Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along,
You want to get the meaning out of each and ev’ry song
Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own
And take them home.

Would have liked to include a couple of my other favorite pop songs, a should-have-been pop hit, the Raspberries’ “I Reach for the Light”, and Roy Wood’s “Wake Up”. Had to drop those along with one of my favorite Elton John songs, “Rocket Man”.

On the soul side, it doesn’t get much better than 1972, does it? Aside from the great Stevie albums, two all-time classics from Al Green, great Dramatics, Spinners and War albums, the all-time soul classic “Papa was a rolling stone” and the second consecutive start-to-finish classic from Bill Withers. Holy crap, “Backstabbers” and “Love train” too from the O’Jays and another near miss, Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th street”. Then, the early strains of disco in an unheralded Chakachas album, one cut of which I nearly selected (“Jungle Fever”). Imagine hearing that on the radio in 1972. Or, hell, any of this shit. Tell me, did it really happen? I gave serious consideration to doing just a soul top ten for the year. As it stands, the genre is underrepresented here. Seriously, “Superfly”.