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1970 - Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Ah, the 60's... a time when psychedelic drugs, flower power and The Beatles ruled the world. So how do you usher in a new decade in music? Well, you back-track a bit to when blues was the genre of choice, then you read some books and watch the news. Follow up with forming a four-piece band and voila! You have "War Pigs." British rockers Black Sabbath released Paranoid in November 1970 in the U.K. (January 1971 in the U.S.), founding heavy metal in the process. Despite their name, most of the band's songs deal with themes of the psychological and social nature, as their staples "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" make evident. And although the only thing Ozzy Osbourne has learned since the 70's is how become more of a pansy, deep down he's still that pivotal frontman whose name we can't escape.
"Hand of Doom" by Black Sabbath
1971 - Led Zeppelin - (Untitled Fouth Album)
Often referred to as Led Zeppelin IV since it follows the band's other self-titled releases, Led Zeppelin became one of the greatest artists of all-time by authoring one of the greatest albums of all-time. Subjective, I know. But Led Zeppelin IV was for 70's AOR what Thriller was for 80's pop. All the songs on the album are single-worthy, and many tracks, like "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll," enjoy heavy rotation on classic rock radio. And who can forget "Stairway to Heaven?" I mean, ignoring the fact that it may be plagerized and that every noob guitarist wants to learn it on their first day, it's a really moving piece. I prefer Houses of the Holy myself, but the fact remains that a simple song like "Going to California" is more definitive 70's than "Over the Hills and Far Away" or "D'yer Mak'er."
"Misty Mountain Hop" by Led Zeppelin
Listen to a live recording here.
1972 - The Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn
Seventh Sojourn is the eighth studio album of The Moody Blues, and it's more moody than blues. It's like "bread n' cream" with more Bread than Cream. The band brings a very 60's sound, with harps and flutes galore. When the best representation of the album is "Isn't Life Strange," you know you're in for a snooze-fest. Don't get me wrong, I love "For My Lady," but I was expecting a bit more from a progressive band, especially after hearing the song below on the radio.
"I'm Just A Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)" by The Moody Blues
1973 - The Stooges - Raw Power
The last release by The Stooges, Raw Power captures the underground energy of the past and lays out a blueprint for the future. If Ozzy Osbourne is the Grandfather of Heavy Metal, then Iggy Pop is the Godfather of Punk, and the opening track "Search and Destroy" makes that perfectly clear. Very loud, very grimy and very Townshend-inspired, Raw Power was that protopunk album that had disgruntled youths excited for years to come, including Kurt Cobain who cites it as his number one favorite. Curiously enough, it was mixed by pop-sensation David Bowie; there's a bootleg floating around titled Rough Power that contains demos for Raw Power before Bowie got his sparkly fingers all up in it (he did a pretty bang-up job though, not gonna lie).
"Shake Appeal" by The Stooges
1974 - Rush - Rush
Although they would eventually write "Limelight" and "The Trees," Rush started out as a hard rock group. But I mean, most everyone was back then. That same year saw Get Your Wings by Aerosmith ("Train Kept a Rollin'") and Bad Company by Bad Company ("Bad Company"). Rush is short and sweet, with Geddy Lee's characteristic vocals and even some "punky" tracks like "Need Some Love." Unless you knew beforehand, you'd have a tough time believing these guys were from Canada; "In the Mood" sounds like it was written right across the street from Lynyrd Skynyrd's favorite bar.
"In the Mood" by Rush
1975 - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
I'm getting into progressive rock, but I'm not all the way there yet. From what I hear, Wish You Were Here is a must-have. And from what I have heard personally, it's the best of Dark Side of the Moon (released two years prior) and The Wall (released four years later). Pink Floyd is still a big name nowadays, but it's gonna take a bit more than that for me to get the nine-part and 26-minute long "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."
"Have a Cigar" by Pink Floyd
1976 - Queen - A Day at the Races
Following A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races is what I would call a standard Queen album. Not that I know Queen all that well, but the songs are mostly karaoke-worthy sing-alongs ("Sombody to Love") with some interspersed rock ("White Man"). The remnants of the previous year's "Bohemian Rhapsody" are still there ("Millionaire Waltz"), along with multiple harmonies in excess. If ever you're in the mood to feel "oh, so pretty" or to have Freddie Mercury serenade you from back in time, just play this record and let the magic happen.
"You Take My Breath Away" by Queen
Listen to a live recording here.
1977 - Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
This is punk rock. Not much more can be said and not much more should be said, because it is what it is. The product of pent-up socio-economic angst and inevitable musical progression, the Sex Pistols exploded onto the airwaves with Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, their first and only studio album. The lyrical content span a wide range of issues, from narcissism ("No Feelings") to abortion ("Bodies") to authority and leadership ("God Save the Queen"), with enough ambiguity and subtle sarcasm integrated so as to give each song both a pro- and an anti- interpretation to its specified subject matter. As Johnny Rotten would say, it's "thought provoking." As I would say, "They're anti-everything." Take it as you will, the Sex Pistols showed everyone that if you have something really important to get off your chest, just yell really REALLY loud and stand your ground as the world tells you to keep quiet.
"Anarchy in the U.K." by Sex Pistols
1978 - Styx - Pieces of Eight
With the decade drawing to a close, Pieces of Eight a bit of everything 70's. Styx is kind of like Kansas watered down for the mainstream masses... you know, the ones who like AC/DC but are turned off by Kiss. Pieces of Eight is alright, but the synthesizers can get excessive and the arena rock can be pompous at times. Nonethelss, I'll occassionaly jam out to "Blue Collar Man" and I think "Queen of Spades" makes for a pretty cool band name. All I can say is that if you're into 80's glam, then you'll enjoy this blast from the past.
"Renegade" by Styx
1979 - Joe Jackson - Look Sharp!
An underrated album from an underrated band, it's hard to pin down exactly what Look Sharp! is. From the get-go, Joe Jackson creates a driving punk feel ("One More Time"). But the themes on the album are very personal and deal a lot with unrequited love ("Is She Really Going Out With Him?"). So is it pop? No, it's not quite Madonna. How about pop-punk? Well, these guys aren't teenagers and this isn't the early 00's. But how do you explain the ska in "Fools in Love"... is it New Wave? I think we're getting close...
We can keep this discussion going, but the end result is that Look Sharp! is a dang good album! From white-boy funk ("Baby Stick Around") to doo-wop ("Pretty Girls") to "get outta my way, man" ("Got the Time"), there's something for everybody. Sincerely, it's a cornucopia of good tunes and good times. =]
I, like several of my generation, discovered this album when "One More Time" was featured on a Taco Bell commercial last year. And YouTube comments like "Taco Bell brought me here!" are quite common. But how cool would it be if the top rated comment for this song (or any song) on YouTube was, "The Nocturnal Investment brought me here!"? I don't know... maybe somebody should start that trend...
"One More Time" by Joe Jackson
Listen to a live 1979 recording here.
Listen to a live 1991 recording here.
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I am by no means an expert on 70's music, so it is encouraged to take all that I have discussed on the matter with a grain of salt. Moreover, it is encouraged that you enjoy yourself in the process, because what music ultimately boils down to is entertainment. =D
One more time,
Kelvin
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