1975, What a Crazy Year in Music

SONGS

Nights on Broadway (Bee Gees). Was tempted to skip this one since Main Course already appears in Tim’s album list, and I’ve mentioned this track before in a previous theme. But this song has one of my favorite bridges, and, remember, I was a living, breathing, hardcore AM radio listener in 1975. This song takes me back like no other.

30 Seconds Over Tokyo/Heart of Darkness (Pere Ubu). How would my life be different if I’d picked up this single in 1975 instead of, what, America’s “Sister Golden Hair?” What would I have thought of it if I had? Can’t select one of these songs over the other, they are both so utterly ground-breaking. Not my favorite early Ubu single, that would be their next one released in early ’76, “Final Solution,” but this is close.

Shining Star (Earth, Wind, and Fire)

Love Rollercoaster (Ohio Players). Another one that took my head off in 1975.

Simple Twist of Fate (Bob Dylan). I have a hard time listening to the studio version of Blood on the Tracks ever since Bob sent me the boot of the New York recordings. Thought of listing that in albums, because it is one of my desert island records, but it wasn’t released as a boot until sometime in the 90s I think. This track is one of the five NY recordings that wasn’t re-recorded in Minneapolis, and appears on the original studio album. What a love song.

Desperadoes Waiting for a Train (Guy Clark)

Stranglehold (Ted Nugent). If you can get past the lyrics.

Muddy Mouse (c) which in turn leads to Muddy Mouth (Robert Wyatt)

Beat the Retreat (Richard & Linda Thompson)

Cortez the Killer (Neil Young)

ALBUMS

Bruce Cockburn–Joy Will Find a Way. 10 tracks delivered straight from heaven. And I’m not even religious.

Slapp Happy/Henry Cow–Desperate Straights. Like all the great ones, it took me a while to get this. Glad I did.

Julius Hemphill–‘Coon Bid’ness. The final 20 plus minute “Hard Blues” groove orgy turned me on to this initially. Have grown to appreciate the other tracks even more (“Skin,” “Lyric“), if that is possible. Two great groups that both include one of my favorite musicians of all time, Abdul Wadud, who always makes me wish the cello appeared more often in jazz, and that there was more of him on record. But you can be endlessly thrilled focusing on any of the musicians on this record, or the combination.

Eno–Another Green World

Joni Mitchell–The Hissing of Summer Lawns

Neil Young–Tonight’s the Night

Jerry Lee Lewis–Boogie Woogie Country Man. My favorite country album by the Killer.

Mary McCaslin–Prairie in the Sky. This album is a masterpiece of western country. I listened to one of Emmylou Harris’ 1975 releases and this one back to back. The songs on the much-lauded Elite Hotel don’t approach these. They really don’t.

Steely Dan–Katy Lied. I know they are not beloved by all here, especially their mid-70s records. I love everything about this and Aja. The studio precision and perfection and the incredible musicianship and arrangements don’t detract a bit from the great melodies and increasingly mature lyrics, they enhance them.

Budgie–Bandolier. To add a little balance this year that includes great music of every type, I’ve got to include one of the great hard rock albums here.

I tried to listen to every record in my collection released in 1975 last month, and might have made it had I not played these selections and others multiple times. There are dozens of other albums I might have listed on another day. I even tried to list my favorite 75 from 75, if you’re interested. I might have included any of the top 50 or so. Here’s every 1975 record in my collection, most rated on a scale of 1-5.

Guitar Solos

As I considered this topic over the course of the month, I had similar criteria to Tim’s with one addition: the solo must be memorable. So, after listening to hundreds of songs with solos that I thought might qualify, it is interesting that those that finally made it were the same that I probably would have listed at the beginning of the month, off the cuff. Some of these songs are overplayed, yes, and we’ve heard them a million times, but still, in every case I am transported by not just the solo but the song. Like Bob, I’m not even listing some of my favorite guitarists here: Don Rich, Sonny Sharrock, Robin Trower, Fred Frith, Richard Thompson, Frank Zappa, Steve Hackett.

Stranglehold (Ted Nugent)–Ted Nugent. 8 minutes or so of melodic guitar solo bliss.
Sailor’s Tale (Robert Fripp)–King Crimson. The only solo here that consists entirely of chords. So unlike any guitar solo that had probably ever been done before, and since! But not just groundbreaking, earth-shattering and apocalyptic. Few pieces of music have such power.
Hammond Song (Robert Fripp)–The Roches. And then here’s the other side of Fripp. Such a unique sound, it gets me on his guest solos with Bowie, Gabriel, Eno, Heads, etc.. As with all the others, this one takes an already spellbinding song and catapults it into the stratosphere. When I see this album available for $3 or so in every used record store on the planet, I am always tempted to hand it to someone along with a $5.
Starship Trooper (Steve Howe)–Yes. Could have easily selected any song off this album. Given my current listening habits–Bakersfield country–there was no way I could exclude him. As influenced by guys like James Burton and Don Rich as anyone and that is especially clear on this song.
Sultans of Swing (Mark Knopfler)–Dire Straits. Just can’t help it. Lyrical. Check the closing solo on the live Alchemy version as well.
Bohemian Rhapsody (Brian May)–Queen. Another obvious one that I could not in good conscience exclude.
Resemblances (Arto Lindsay)—Arto Lindsay. Brief but perfect noise execution.
Loan Me a Dime (Duane Allman)—Boz Scaggs. Gotta include my favorite blues solo here (especially 7:44-12 something where the song ends just when the solo REALLY gets going).
Time (The Revelator) (Dave Rawlings)–Gillian Welch. Another jaw-dropping instrumentalist who can do absolutely anything he wants with a guitar. One of dozens that I could have picked without embarrassment. I love the Welch songs where he basically solos throughout the song, the guitar acting acting as a melodic counterpoint alongside Gillian’s perfect rhythm.
Machine Gun (Jimi Hendrix)—Band of Gypsys. What can I say, just takes me completely over the edge.

Oh, and one other old favorite from a Wisconsin neighbor: Renaissance (Daryl Stuermer)–Jean Luc Ponty. Plays it like a mandolin.