Classic Rock Bottom

1970

Anyone remember the 80's series we did a few months back? Thought it was cool, but for me, I've always had a sneaking suspicion about the 70's being a better musical decade. Time to find out.

So I'm going rogue, none of the other dudes that post forums on here know about this because they exclude me in their weekly collusion meetings. I'm good with it though, I like being independent.

Back to the 70's. It was the decade that I fell in love with music, it was also a decade of change. Tons of styles and fads as we will surely hear on this journey... The other reason I wanted to do this was to, in some way, beef up my early 70's collection. I was 4 on 1/1/1970 and 14 on 12/31/1979 so clearly those first few years of the decade are some that I would love to go back and hear more of.

So that’s that! 1970 is up first!


Some wiki-facts about 1970 to enhance the listening experience and to annoy Jon (all other content come from allmusic)...

  • January 4 – The Who drummer Keith Moon fatally runs over his chauffeur with his Bentley trying to escape a mob outside a pub. The death is later ruled an accident.
  • February 14 – The Who records Live At Leeds in Yorkshire, England. The Grateful Dead plays an equally historic concert on the same date at the Fillmore East, New York City.
  • March 6 – Cult leader and suspected murderer Charles Manson releases an album titled Lie: The Love and Terror Cult to help finance his defense.
  • April 10 – Paul McCartney publicly announces the break-up of The Beatles.
  • April 14 - Michael Nesmith announces he has left The Monkees
  • May 8 – The Beatles' last LP, Let It Be, is released.
  • May 16 – Randy Bachman leaves The Guess Who to start up Bachman–Turner Overdrive.
  • July 4 – The music countdown show American Top 40 debuts.
  • September 17 – Jimi Hendrix makes his last appearance, with Eric Burdon & War jamming at Ronnie Scotts Club in London. Hendrix, aged 27, dies the following day from a barbiturate overdose at his London hotel.
  • October 4 – Janis Joplin is found dead in her bedroom. She died from a heroin overdose, at the age of 27.
  • December 12 - The Doors play their final concert with singer Jim Morrison. After the concert The Doors decide that they will not play live anymore due to Morrisons unpredictable live persona.
  • December 31 - The Beatles officially and finally split up after 10 years.



PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a13edl53

Poco
Poco

1 - Hurry Up

The first two-thirds of Poco's second album is 25 minutes of some of their best music. These songs represent the group's blend of country and rock at its finest and brightest, with the happy harmonies of "Hurry Up" and "Keep on Believin'" totally irresistible. Jim Messina's "You Better Think Twice" is a perfectly constructed and arranged song, one that should have been a huge hit but mysteriously never found its place in the Top 40 pantheon. The knock was "too country for rock, too rock for country," but in fact, they were just ahead of their time, a tough spot to be in the world of popular entertainment. What about the last 15 minutes of this disc? It's a lengthy instrumental called "El Tonto de Nadie, Regressa." A cynic would say it's filler, but given the trend at the time toward side-long cuts, it's probably simply Poco's attempt at hipness. In retrospect, it can be seen as the forerunner to Messina's lengthy jams with Loggins & Messina a few years later; the sound is remarkably similar.

Three Dog Night
It Ain't Easy

2 - Out In The Country
Track was lifted off the compilation titled "The Complete Hit Singles"

After a remarkable string of hits through 1969, Three Dog Night released It Ain't Easy, its fourth album in less than 18 months. Once again, it was a hot seller, going to number eight. Once again, it consisted primarily of songs written by some of rock music's best, but as yet unheralded, composers. And this time, the group had its first number one hit, a memorable version of Randy Newman's fear-of-partying song "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)." Although much more melodramatic than Newman's own understated take on his 12 Songs album, Three Dog Night's rendering was cleverly orchestrated and impossible to escape. It Ain't Easy also included another Newman composition, "Cowboy," the song he'd written for Midnight Cowboy, which was rejected by the filmmakers in favor of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'." The album also provided a taste of Free with "Woman," Paul Williams' attractive "Out in the Country," and a Cynthia Weil-Barry Mann composition, "Good Time Living." The Elton John classic "Your Song" makes its first appearance on this album as well, predating his own recorded version by several months.

The James Gang
Rides Again

3 - Woman

With their second album Rides Again, the James Gang came into their own. Under the direction of guitarist Joe Walsh, the group -- now featuring bassist Dale Peters -- began incorporating keyboards into their hard rock, which helped open up their musical horizons. For much of the first side of Rides Again, the group tear through a bunch of boogie numbers, most notably the heavy groove of "Funk #49." On the second side, the James Gang departs from their trademark sound, adding keyboard flourishes and elements of country-rock to their hard rock. Walsh's songwriting had improved, giving the band solid support for their stylistic experiments. What ties the two sides of the record together is the strength of the band's musicianship, which burns brightly and powerfully on the hardest rockers, as well as on the sensitive ballads.

Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton

4 - Let It Rain

Eric Clapton's eponymous solo debut was recorded after he completed a tour with Delaney & Bonnie. Clapton used the core of the duo's backing band and co-wrote the majority of the songs with Delaney Bramlett -- accordingly, Eric Clapton sounds more laid-back and straightforward than any of the guitarist's previous recordings. There are still elements of blues and rock & roll, but they're hidden beneath layers of gospel, R&B, country, and pop flourishes. And the pop element of the record is the strongest of the album's many elements -- "Blues Power" isn't a blues song and only "Let It Rain," the album's closer, features extended solos. Throughout the album, Clapton turns out concise solos that de-emphasize his status as guitar god, even when they display astonishing musicality and technique.

Led Zeppelin
III

5 - Tangerine

Led Zeppelin III provided the band with the necessary room to grow musically. While there are still a handful of metallic rockers, III is built on a folky, acoustic foundation that gives the music extra depth. And even the rockers aren't as straightforward as before: the galloping "Immigrant Song" is powered by Robert Plant's banshee wail, "Celebration Day" turns blues-rock inside out with a warped slide guitar riff, and "Out on the Tiles" lumbers along with a tricky, multi-part riff. Nevertheless, the heart of the album lies on the second side, when the band delve deeply into English folk. "Gallows Pole" updates a traditional tune with a menacing flair, and "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is an infectious acoustic romp, while "That's the Way" and "Tangerine" are shimmering songs with graceful country flourishes.

Views: 269

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

There's five songs??!!

Its the deluxe edition!!!

I guess it's ok.....at least there's a picture of Goldie.

I wish I were a marker..............

Couldn't agree more!!!

GOOD STUFF!!!

Thank you sir!  1970 was indeed a very classic and pivotal year in Rock and Roll...   What a way to kick off a decade!  It didn't take long to leave the summer of love in the dust!!

Here's a trivia question (no cheating now).

What was the # 1 single on the charts when you woke on the 1st day of a new decade, Jan. 1, 1970?

No Wiki, No Google, No nothing...  = No Idea!  But Im going to guess anyway...

Beatles - Come Together...

NO!!!

It was Raindrops Are Falling On My Head by BJ Thomas.

And I am still not sure what that BJ signifies, lol!

I know what it means to me...hehehehehe!!!

This was long. I had to take a long break after the third song, a REALLY long break. Ok, I slept and finished the last two songs since my batteries were recharged. I guess you were trying to make a point with five songs instead of three, what the point is, I don't know. Hopefully in the future these SHT lists aren't this long. Some of us have a life, you know.

On to the music:

Not a big Poco fan, but this song was pretty good. More rock than country fer shure.

Have to dock a point for the Three Dog Night song since you showed the incorrect album cover and this was even after you stated what album you took the song from. In the future you need to match up with what you're saying.

James Gang, what an odd singer. Wonder if he sang any other songs. Just an odd voice. 

"Let It Rain" is one of the few Clapton songs I can stand. He just really never appealed to me with most of his solo stuff.  

I have the re-re-mastered version of that Zep album. AND I STILL HAVEN'T OPENED IT! Isn't that funny?

Please remember to donate to Wikipedia so your posts are 100% factual! Without Wikipedia, imagine where you would be! Just imagine it! Scary, huh????

After this series, I'm going back to prog...  first playlist is "Long Songs" - I'm going to post 5 tracks that are at least 15 minutes in length, and you and RJ have to listen!  ((insert contractual obligation note here))

I'm a big Poco fan, and songs like this are the reason why, but my favorite version of the band is when Paul Cotton joined in...  May have to showcase him someday (now don't you and RJ go gettin' any ideas for collusion)

To address your TDN album cover point.  This is a post about 1970, The Complete Hit Singles compilation didn't exist in 1970, so I chose to post the actual album cover the song was released on and note where I pulled the MP3 from in case there was differences.  So don't start any shenanigans, I'm right...

as usual...

Agree with you on Clapton.  My brother is his biggest fan.  I'm hit and miss...  But I do like his debut solo.

RSS

Question Of The Week

CRB Features (Click photo to visit)

Birthdays

There are no birthdays today

CRB Staff Members

 

In Memory Of

Norma Jean Fox
(11/30/1945-9/7/2010)

Photos

  • Add Photos
  • View All

Videos

  • Add Videos
  • View All

Badge

Loading…

© 2024   Created by RJhog (Admin).   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service