Bit of a stop gap post as it's half term and I've not got round to writing a new top five. My other blog was supposed to just give me a place to record gig set lists but has kind of taken on a life of it's own and is rapidly growing into a journal of my complete failure to cut back on live music. I guess there are worse things to be obsessed with.
Kiran Leonard at The Waiting Room - Friday 11th April 2014 - I'd never been to Stoke Newington before. It seems the music industry's current focus on East London is determined to take me to new and unexplored areas of Town. When I was a teenager & getting to gigs on my moped my Dad refused to let me go to Walthamstow as he felt it was too rough. Kiran Leonard is 18 and not only allowed to visit the edgier parts of London but also creating some of the most unique new music I've heard for some time.
School Of Language at The Lexington - Wednesday 23rd April 2014 - I assume you know that School of Language are the band David Brewis has put together as a solo project for the moments when Field Music are on hiatus. Since Field Music went on a break, following their Mercury Music Prize nominated album Plumb, David has put together a live band to back Eleanor Friedberger on her recent UK tour, produced a the excellent new SoL album Old Fears and reworked several songs from the SoL debut LP for release as a pre-order enticement.
The Sonics at Concorde 2, Brighton - Monday 5th May 2014 - I had unfinished business with The Sonics. The last time I saw them live (which was also the first time the reformed line-up played in the UK) was back in 2008. I was near the back and I didn't really connect with the show the way I'd hoped for. Tonight I made sure I was right down the front and the band did not disappoint.
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So, finally, I can draw this whole Seventies top five thing to a close with the full Top 50. I have to admit that having originally compiled this at the end of last year for Twitter, running through the individual top fives has had me pondering a few changes but, experience tells me, that way leads to madness. There is one small change from my original Twitter Top 50 but I won't bore you with the details. If this is you're bag you can also check out my Top 50 Albums of the Nineties. I'm already working on the same sort of list for the Eighties but don't panic, it will be a while before I kick that off here.
Here's the full fifty and if you missed any of the individual top fives you can find them here > 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979.
1. Ramones - Ramones (1976) - I love the first four or five Ramones albums a lot but their debut remains my absolute favourite. It was the first I heard, has killer tunes from start to finish and set the template for a career blending Johnny's psycho guitar thrashing with Joey's love of great pop tunes.
2. Television - Marquee Moon (1977) - The twin guitar sounds of Verlaine & Lloyd are spectacular and captivating. A superb album from start to finish, one of the few I might consider perfect.
3. Nick Drake - Pink Moon (1972)- A beautiful album made poignant knowing Nick took his own life a year or so later and had been too depressed to do any more arrangements after the piano on the title track. I love his earlier albums now as well but Pink Moon is astonishing and a record I don't think I could ever tire of.
4. Status Quo - Live! (1976) - - "Is there anybody out there who wants to rock? ... Is there anybody out there who wants to roll? ... Is there anybody out there who wants to boogie?". That intro to Quo's Live! album by Jackie Lynton still sends tingles down my spine. Francis Rossi might not agree but to my mind this is Status Quo's greatest LP.
5. Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material (1979) - The debut album from a brilliant yet under appreciated band. It's full of excellent song writing, taking punk to it's catchiest limits and featuring two of my absolute favourite songs.
6. The Specials - The Specials (1979)
7. Jethro Tull - Aqualung (1971)
8. Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (1974)
9. The Undertones - The Undertones (1979)
10. Aretha Franklin - Spirit In The Dark (1970)
11. The Stooges - Funhouse (1970)
12. Genesis - Foxtrot (1972)
13. Genesis - Nursery Cryme (1971)
14. The Damned - Damned, Damned, Damned (1977)
15. Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
16. Jethro Tull - Benefit (1970)
17. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)
18. Motorhead - Overkill (1979)
19. Rush - A Farewell To Kings (1977)
20. The Clash - The Clash (1977)
21. Yes - The Yes Album (1971)
22. Status Quo - Hello! (1973)
23. Patti Smith - Horses (1975)
24. Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)
25. AC/DC - High Voltage (1976)
26. Wire - Chair Missing (1978)
27. Tom Waits - Small Change (1976)
28. X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents (1978)
29. David Bowie - Hunky Dory (1971)
30. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars (1972)
31. The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St. (1972)
32. Blondie - Parallel Lines (1977)
33. Caravan - In The Land Of Grey & Pink (1971)
34. Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (1974)
35. Magazine - Real Life (1978)
36. ZZ Top - Tres Hombres (1972)
37. Sly & The Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin On (1971)
38. Lou Reed - Transformer (1972)
39. Johnny Thunders - So Alone (1978)
40. Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)
41. Hawkwind - Hall Of The Mountain Grill (1974)
42. Led Zeppelin - III (1970)
43. John Cale - Paris, 1919 (1973)
44. Ian Dury - New Boots & Panties (1977)
45. Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977)
46. New York Dolls - New York Dolls (1973)
47. Dr. Feelgood - Down By The Jetty (1975)
48. The Fall - Live At The Witch Trials (1979)
49. Camel - Mirage (1974)
50. AC/DC - Highway To Hell (1979)
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The final year of the decade was a pretty great one on the album front if a rather miserable one in reality as the woman who had taken away our daily milk at school (not actually a bad thing in my experience as it was usually a bit off due to our school not having a fridge big enough to keep it cool) became British Prime Minister. This was probably the first General Election I remember and certainly created clear divisions in the play ground as we cheered on either Red or Blue with the same type of gusto we normally reserved for our football teams. In keeping with my lack of football success I was on the losing side with politics too.
In music news Iron Maiden, Samson, and Angel Witch shared a bill at the Music Machine in Camden, London, following which rock critic Geoff Barton coined the term "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" (this will be important knowledge should I continue this theme into the Eighties). Also the Sony Walkman went on sale for the first time in Japan.
1. Stiff Little Fingers "Inflammable Material" - The debut album from a brilliant yet under appreciated band. I discovered SLF thanks to a BBC drama called 'Iris In The Traffic' which was about a teenager growing up amidst the troubles in Ireland. It featured backing music and a live performance by the band as well as, lead singer & guitarist, Jake Burns in a cameo role. This would be both his first & last acting role. Inflammable Material is full of excellent song writing, taking punk to it's catchiest limits. It also includes two of my absolute favourite songs in Alternative Ulster & Suspect Device.
2. The Specials "The Specials" - An album I first discovered at my best pal's Blue Peter bring & buy sale but was unable to afford the £3.00 price tag! I tried haggling but seller wasn't interested in £1.48, an old pencil and a bit of string. It took me far too long to eventually buy it but having rectified that it has lodged itself as one of my all time favourite albums.
3. The Undertones "The Undertones" - Having described the SLF album as the catchiest limits of Punk was perhaps underestimating how ridiculously catchy The Undertones debut is. An instant shot of happiness. It's packed full of pop crackers and is an album for which almost every track could have been a single.
4. Motörhead "Overkill" - The second official album from the classic Motörhead line-up which nailed their sound and, I think, is the best of their career. Heavier than most Heavy Metal & punkier than most Punk.
5. The Fall "Live At The Witch Trials" - It took me ages to get into The Fall properly and I'm not sure I'll ever catch up with their complete catalogue but this debut LP is a great place to start. They have a fairly epic discography with as many difficult albums as brilliant ones but it's definitely worth the effort picking your way through them.
Near misses; AC/DC "Highway to Hell", Pink Floyd "The Wall", The Damned "Machine Gun Etiquette", Joy Division "Unknown Pleasures", The Clash "London Calling", Wire "154", Buzzcocks "A Different Kind of Tension", Magazine "Secondhand Daylight", Motörhead "Bomber", The Pretenders "The Pretenders", and Van Halen "Van Halen II".
Albums to try; B-52s "B-52s", Blondie "Eat To The Beat", Crass "Stations of the Crass", Gang Of Four "Entertainment", Magazine "Secondhand Daylight", Neil Young "Rust Never Sleeps", Nick Lowe "Labour Of Lust", Richard & Linda Thompson "Sunnyvista", Stranglers "The Raven", Swell Maps "A Trip to Marineville", Talking Heads "Fear of Music", The Jam "Setting Sons", The Only Ones "Even Serpents Shine", The Ruts "The Crack", The Slits "Cut", Throbbing Gristle "20 Jazz Funk Greats", Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers "Damn The Torpedoes", XTC "Drums and Wires" and, just for my pal Ian's benefit, The Pleasure Principle & Replicas by Gary Numan.
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The year that I really got into football. Underdogs Ipswich won a thrilling F.A. Cup final 1-0 against Arsenal. The following month the World Cup kicked off in Argentina, introducing me to the greatest spectacle in International Football (typically without any involvement from England). The most memorable game for me was the final itself and I still have a vivid memory of the packed stadium being filled with ticker tape as the teams ran out. It was also the year Pope John Paul II was elected Pope, introducing me to the "white smoke Pope, black smoke nope" process of announcing the papal decision. 1978 was also the year Pope John Paul I was elected but his papacy lasted only 33 days before he unexpectedly passed away due to either a heart attack or some mysterious deviousness.
In music Punk was changing into New Wave and, as if to indicate the end of an era, the Sex Pistols broke up mid-tour in San Francisco.
1. Wire "Chairs Missing" - Wire were a fabulously inventive band who I only really discovered thanks to Elastica's blatant appropriation of one of their chord sequences. It's difficult to separate their first three albums but Chairs Missing just edges it for me. They've had a couple of periods of hiatus but their 2013 album Change Becomes Us was one of my favourites of the year and pleasingly shows they've lost none of their spark.
2. X-Ray Spex "Germ Free Adolecesants" - This album is brilliant, one of the most unique & fascinating albums to come out of the UK punk scene. Typically it was only after Poly Styrene's death that I properly listened to it, having only really known a few singles, and of course I now regret not doing so sooner. Poly's lyrical skills are the real draw for me, her powerful yet off-kilter vocals providing the perfect delivery and an alternative to all those shouty blokes who were popular at the time.
3. Magazine "Real Life" - The debut album from Howard Devoto's post Buzzcocks outlet. My love for this LP may be somewhat skewed by the fact Shot By Both Sides is one of my all-time favourite songs but the rest of the album doesn't fall far short. It's also worth tracking down the Buzzcock's song Lipstick which uses the same tune as Shot By Both Sides but with different lyrics.
4. Johnny Thunders "So Alone" - Another album that might have made the list due to my enormous love of one particular song. This was the first proper solo record from former New York Dolls guitarist Thunders. I discovered it fairly recently thanks to 6Music & Marc Riley. Featuring Walter Lure and Billy Rath of Thunders other band Heartbreakers and a cornucopia of well-known guest musicians, including Chrissie Hynde, Phil Lynott, Steve Marriott, Steve Jones and Paul Cook. It's a mixed bag of originals and covers (including a fabulous version of the Chantays' surf classic Pipeline) but it's the sublime You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory that makes it a favourite for me.
5. Kate Bush "The Kick Inside" - Kate Bush was one of the first artists I remember liking though I didn't actually own any of her early albums until splashing out on the This Woman's Work box set in the early 90s. This is her debut album and has many of my favourite KB tunes including Wuthering Heights, The Man With The Child In His Eyes, Kite & James and the Cold Gun.
Near Misses; Buzzcocks "Another Music in a Different Kitchen", Peter Gabriel "Peter Gabriel II", AC/DC "Powerage", Kate Bush "Lionheart", Van Halen "Van Halen", Buzzcocks "Love Bites", Ramones "Road to Ruin".
Albums to try; Alternative TV "The Image Has Cracked", Blondie "Plastic Letters", Bob Dylan "Street Legal", Bruce Springsteen "Darkness on the Edge of Town", The Clash "Give Em Enough Rope", Crass "Feeding The 5000", Elvis Costello "This Years Model", Jilted John "True Love Stories", John Cooper Clarke "Disguise In Love", Little Feat "Waiting For Columbus", Pere Ubu "The Modern Dance", Siouxsie And The Banshees "The Scream", The Jam "All Mod Cons", Tom Waits "Blue Valentine", UFO "Obsession", Warren Zevon "Excitable Boy".
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The first thing that springs to mind about 1977 is the Queen's Silver Jubilee, the highlight of which (for me living in a small suburban village) was the massive Fayre on Giggs Hill Green. I helped out on the tombola stand run by my Cub Group and was rewarded with a special Silver Jubilee pen knife. I also won a Goldfish, who I named Oscar after the Six Million Dollar Man's boss, but he only lasted two weeks which made the effort it took to get a ping pong ball in a jam jar slightly wasted. Coincidentally the pen knife went rusty before a year had passed, I'm not sure what lessons to take from that though.
1977 saw the NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise make its first free-flight which made space travel seem like a genuine possibility, even if it did need a piggy back from a massive Boeing 747 to get there. The original Star Wars film opened in cinemas, this was a pretty cataclysmic event in my life and if nothing else ensured I spent most of the remainder of my youth collecting plastic models of characters from the film and trading bubble gum cards. This was also the year that Prog 1 of 2000 AD was launched. I did eventually get a copy of that first issue but not with the free "space spinner".
Musically it was a year of endings. EMI sacked the Sex Pistols, Glam rock pioneer Marc Bolan died in a car crash in Barnes and Elvis died in his home at Graceland. I had no idea who Elvis was before he died but I sure as hell did afterwards.
1. Television "Marquee Moon" - It took me three attempts, several years apart, to get my head around Marquee Moon but once I fell for it I fell hard. Those twin guitar sounds of Verlaine & Lloyd are spectacular and captivating. The album is superb from start to finish, one of the few I might consider perfect.
2. The Damned "Damned, Damned, Damned" - The band's debut album recorded in 10 days and one of the best collections of UK punk you're likely to find. It's everything punk was about; great tunes, packed with energy and recorded quickly & cheaply. I grew up with the less feisty 80s Goth version of the band and only discovered their earlier albums in the last few years but both this and follow up Machine Gun Etiquette are firm favourites now.
3. Rush "A Farewell to Kings" - Rush have been ridiculously consistent over their career (assuming you like the rockier end of the Prog spectrum, I certainly do) and released a lot of brilliant albums. 2112 may be better known but for me Farewell To Kings is their best seventies LP and one of my favourite of the band's entire catalogue.
4. The Clash "The Clash" - The Clash transcended punk but I've still not entirely fallen for their charms. Without doubt their debut is my favourite of their albums and the one I return to the most.
5. Blondie "Parallel Lines" - If you'd asked me what my favourite bands were when I was 12 I'd probably have said Madness, The Police & Blondie. Of that trio only Blondie are still a regular fixture on my playlists. I did a list of Top 10 Blondie songs for @jhoburgh recently and six tracks from this album made the list. Watching Debby Harry front the band on Top Of The Pops was something special, even for a nine year old.
Near misses; Ian Dury New Boots & Panties, Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, Pink Floyd Animals, Ramones Rocket to Russia, David Bowie Low, Wire Pink Flag, Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel I, AC/DC Let There Be Rock and Motorhead Motörhead.
Albums to try; David Bowie “Heroes”, Dennis Wilson Pacific Ocean Blue, ELO Out of The Blue, Gary Numan The Pleasure Principle, Iggy Pop The Idiot, Iggy Pop Lust For Life, John Martyn One World, Richard Hell & The Voidoids Blank Generation, Stranglers Rattus Norvegicus, Suicide Suicide, Talking Heads 77, The Residents Fingerprince and Thin Lizzy Bad Reputation.
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A year when my memories really start to kick in. It was the year of the great British drought. A long hot summer that I'd guess we've not seen the like of since, I have compared every summer since to 1976 and they've all failed to compete quite dismally. Björn Borg won the first of his five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles against Ilie Năstase. This was probably the first All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Championships I watched and I really wanted Năstase to win as he was funny and played exciting tennis.
'76 also provided my first memory of the summer Olympics, held in Montreal. Great Britain came 13th in the medal table and the only medalist I can actually remember is David Wilkie who picked up a Gold and a Silver in the swimming. Concorde's first commercial flight took place and for years after we would stop whatever we were doing to watch it fly over our house. Musically it was the year that Punk broke in the UK, though it would be some time before I knew anything about that.
1. Ramones "Ramones" - I love the first four or five Ramones albums a lot but their debut remains my absolute favourite. It was the first I heard, has killer tunes from start to finish and set the template for a career blending Johnny's psycho guitar thrashing with Joey's love of great pop tunes. There are fourteen brilliant songs in under thirty minutes. I don't think rock'n'roll gets any better than this.
2. Status Quo "Live!" - "Is there anybody out there who wants to rock? ... Is there anybody out there who wants to roll? ... Is there anybody out there who wants to boogie?". That intro to Quo's Live! album by Jackie Lynton still sends tingles down my spine. Francis Rossi might not agree but to my mind this is Status Quo's greatest LP and is a valid exception to the "no compilations or live album" rule I'd normally apply to these lists.
3. AC/DC "High Voltage" - Despite spending most of my teens as a Metal Head I didn't get into AC/DC until much later. High Voltage was the band's first internationally released album containing the best tracks from their first two Australian-only LPs. This might not be the best known of the band's output but it was the second album I bought, a random pick from the Rock Box in Camberley having decided I needed more than just Highway To Hell in my life. It's grown in my affections the longer I've owned it and I think is a hot contender for my all-time favourite AC/DC album.
4. Tom Waits "Small Change" - Small Change was the first Waits album I bought after several failed attempts to get to grips with Swordfishtrombones. This album gave me a way into to Tom Waits back catalogue and I'm making good progress (I have most of his seventies output and also love Rain Dogs & Mule Variations) though I still haven't given Swordfishtrombones another shot.
5. The Modern Lovers "The Modern Lovers" - Compiled from demos recorded in 1971 & 1972 but not released until 1976, two years after the original band had split up. Confusingly, this came out the same year as Jonathon Richman's new band released Jonathon Richman & The Modern Lovers. The Modern Lovers has more of a punk feel to it and features some of my favourite Johnathon Richman tunes; Pablo Picasso, She Cracked & the seminal Roadrunner.
Near misses; Thin Lizzy Jailbreak, AC/DC Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Status Quo Blue for You , David Bowie Station to Station and Queen A Day At The Races.
Albums to try; Blondie Blondie, Bob Dylan Desire, Bob Dylan Hard Rain, Budgie If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules, Harmonia and Eno ’76 Tracks And Traces, Jonathon Richman & The Modern Lovers Jonathon Richman & The Modern Lovers, Selda Selda and Warren Zevon Warren Zevon.
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1975 was the year I discovered football after Fulham reached the FA Cup final for the first, and so far only, time. Both my Dad and my Grandad were Fulham supporters so this was an exciting time in the Harris household. I don't remember much about the lead up games but by the final I had posters of both teams on my bedroom wall along with a Fulham rosette and a bunch of cuttings from the Evening Standard Cup special. Of course Fulham went on to lose 2-0 to West Ham, preparing me for the lifetime of football disappointment that was to come.
1. Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here - I was a massive Floyd fan in my teens but may have overplayed some of their biggest albums. Wish You Were Here has lasted the course though. It is probably their most accessible album but it's also a fabulous LP that I don't think I could live without. I love it from the industrial noises that usher in Welcome To The Machine, through the wonderful melody of the largely acoustic title track, to the epic conclusion of Shine On You Crazy Diamond.
2. Patti Smith Horses - Horses is the only proper Patti Smith album I own (I should probably look into that) but it's an absolute corker. Patti's voice is urgent and powerful when she sings whilst her poetic roots are evident in the spoken word introductions to Birdland & Horses. The reworking of Gloria makes the original seem quite tame and the fabulous Break It Up, co-written with Tom Verlaine, wouldn't sound out of place on a Television album (no doubt partly due to Tom's cameo on Guitar).
3. Dr. Feelgood Down By The Jetty - A relatively recent discovery having finally got over the Milk & Alcohol thing and realising how great a band they were in their early years. This was largely thanks to the soundtrack of Oil City Confidential and the inclusion of She Does It Right as a regular feature in JB & The Wolfmen's setlist. Wilko is an amazing guitarist, a true original with a genuinely unique style, and Lee Brilleaux was a fantastic front man. If you've not seen the film Oil City Confidential I highly recommend it.
4. Black Sabbath Sabotage - Hilarious cover aside this is a fabulous album. The final release of Sabbath's legendary first six after which things went downhill for all the usual reasons. There's a more progressive feel here but it also room for the fairly blatant pop of Am I Going Insane (Radio). Album opener Hole in the Sky is typical of Sabbath at their peak, a crunching Iommi riff backed by the dynamic rhythm of Butler & Ward with Ozzy's vocals managing to find the fine line between tunefulness and unadulterated screaming. The changes in pace and acoustic breaks are what makes this LP one of my favourite Sabbath albums. These are particularly evident in the London Symphony Orchestra featuring Symptom of the Universe. I was at college when I was introduced to Sabotage by a pal who was into Death Metal and wacky backy. He particularly liked the stereophonic madness of the latter part of the record, from Megalomania to The Writ, it's Sabbath at their most experimental but doesn't lose any of their trademark power. Interestingly, Wikipedia lists a David Harris as tape operator and saboteur, he's no relation as far as I'm aware. This is a good thing as it turns out Thrill of it All had to be re-recorded because of the reference tones the technician put on the master tape for the song, resulted in the original track being accidentally recorded over.
5. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run - I'm still getting to grips with Bruce's full catalogue but I had a bit of a Springsteen phase in the mid-Eighties, around the time I was revising for (and eventually failing most of) my O-Levels. I guess this was the album that really broke Bruce big and it's my current favourite Springsteen LP. The E Street band are in fine form, especially Clarence Clemons whose Sax is all over the album none more so than on album closer Jungleland. The production is sumptuous throughout and it seems no expense was spared with Bruce throwing as many instruments & musicians into the pot as possible, this never overwhelms the record though as the songwriting shines through.
Near misses; Camel The Snow Goose, Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks, Hawkwind Warrior on the Edge of Time, Status Quo On the Level, Tom Waits Nighthawks At The Dinner and Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti.
Albums to try; Brian Eno Another Green World, Curtis Mayfield There's No Place Like America, Neil Young Tonight's The Night, Neil Young & Crazy Horse Zuma and Nils Lofgren Nils Lofgren.
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Nothing remarkable springs to my mind about 1974, though this might have been the year I accidentally cycled into an old lady who was walking down our road. I got a serious thump for that from my Dad, who didn't accept my claim that it wasn't my fault as I'd been transfixed by the pattern of the pavement whooshing by as I cycled head down as fast as I could. Dad went and checked she was OK but I've always felt very guilty about it, realising afterwards that my over the shoulder shouted apology, as I hurriedly cycled off in the opposite direction, didn't quite cut it.
Wikipedia tells me that this was the year Swedish pop group ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with Waterloo. I don't really remember a time when ABBA weren't a fixture in Mum & Dad's record collection so I guess this was before my interest in music took hold. 1974 was also the year the Watergate scandal finally caused U.S. President Richard Nixon to resign and, of more direct import to me, the year Ceefax started by the BBC.
1. Genesis "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" - The fourth year in a row that Genesis have featured, which I guess shows that I really quite like them. It took me longer to get to grips with The Lamb than any of their other albums, it's a double with a fairly epic scope, but that might be why I still hold it in such high esteem. There's a background story that, if I'm honest, I never fully got to grips with but that aside this is a fine collection of songs. It was the perfect conclusion to the Gabriel era, and though the band made many more albums, I don't think they ever bettered this.
2. Richard & Linda Thompson "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight" - Fairport Convention's late sixites output is fantastic but they didn't make an album I really loved in the seventies. This is Richard Thompson's second solo LP (though the first credited as Richard & Linda) and it has become a bit of a favourite for me since picking up a copy last year. Linda has a great voice that brings out the warmth in Richard's compositions. Meanwhile the music is sublime and Thompson's guitar really shines.
3. Hawkwind "Hall of the Mountain Grill" - For me (and I think Lemmy) this was Hawkwind at their peak. Robert Calvert is absent, and his madcap input could only be missed, but this line-up includes Dave Brock, Lemmy & Nik Turner who were all on very fine form. The album opens with The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke) a corker of a tune that was also released as a single. Lost Johnny (written by Lemmy with Mick Farren of The Deviants) is a real rocker and was subsequently rerecorded by Lemmy's post-Hawks band, Motorhead. Side two starts and ends with a live track, both recorded at the Edmonton Sundown in January 1974, which might not suggest the most consistent of albums but actually work really well.
4. Camel "Mirage" - OK, a small confession. I'm not entirely sure this album is better than the entry at number five BUT I really wanted to squeeze Camel into my top 50 and, not wanting to give away any spoilers, already had a Status Quo albums making the cut. I listened to a lot of Camel in the build up to this, and struggled to nail down my favourite. The Snow Goose, Moonmadness and Breathless came close but Mirage edged them all out by a smidge. Mirage couldn't be more Prog with the punchy opener of Freefall and two epic tracks, the Lord Of the Rings influenced Nimrodel/The Procession/The White Rider and the 12 minute, multi-part genius of Lady Fantasy.
5. Status Quo "Quo" - So, not only have I slightly falsified it's position in the cannon of 1974 albums I also feel a little guilty that this doesn't score higher on my list of Quo albums. It's Quo's rockiest effort, thanks largely to the increased input of original bassist Alan Lancaster. The recent Frantic Four reunion shows have revived my love of Quo and also reminded me how brilliant an album this is. Perhaps if I ever revisit this top 5 or the whole 70s top 50 it will get it's due reward. In the meantime just know this is a cracking rock album that you really ought to own.
Near misses; John Cale "Fear", Tom Waits "The Heart Of Saturday Night", King Crimson "Red" and Jethro Tull "Warchild"
Albums to try; Budgie "In For The Kill", Eno "Here Come The Warm Jets" & "Taking Tiger Mountain", King Crimson "Red", Neil Young "On The Beach", Rory Gallagher "Irish Tour 1974", David Bowie "Diamond Dogs" and The Residents "Meet The Residents".
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I've been distracted by the 70s Album countdown and got behind with my gig post reminders. Here's the latest four, all absolutely cracking nights for many different reasons.
Anaïs Mitchell at The Elgar Room, Royal Albert Hall - Tuesday 18th February 2014 - This was the first time I'd seem Anaïs live and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction. The Royal Albert Hall is an impressive venue, tonight's show was in the Elgar Room, tucked away on the circle level but still exuding the aura of a posh night out.
Ezra Furman & the Boy-Friends at The Sebright Arms - Wednesday 19th February 2014 - The Day of the Dog was one of my top 5 albums of last year but it doesn't sound like a contemporary 2013 release. When I first heard Tell Em All To Go To Hell I thought it was by some obscure 70s glam act. The album is full of potential hit singles and, to my ears, could easily be a greatest hits compilation. I'm possibly not the best judge of what makes a top selling act but I really can't recommend that record highly enough.
JB & The Wolfmen at The Alleycat Club - Thursday 20th March 2014 - Having stumbled across this venue a few years back when in search of a late night beer after a Jim Jones Revue gig, it's taken me far too long to actually get along to one of these regular Blues From The Crypt evenings. Tonight's event saw four fairly diverse bands stretch the definition of Blues to it's outer limits for the princely sum of three pounds. A bargain if ever I've seen one.
Status Quo & Wilko Johnson at Hammersmith Odeon - Friday 28th March 2014 - Roughly this time last year I saw the classic "Frantic Four" line up of Status Quo live for the first time. It was everything I hoped it could be. Francis Rossi was never going to completely submit to a return to the old Quo long term though and so, for now, this was my last chance to see the greatest live band this country has ever produced and I sure wasn't going to miss it.
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I remember 1973 being a fabulous year, though I'm not entirely sure why. I was 5 so this was the year I started primary school and the year I first got to know my best mate. It was the year of the final Apollo mission and I really got into things to do with space including collecting the Race Into Space PG Tips cards which I think I still have tucked away in a box in the loft somewhere. It was also the year that IDEAL toys released the Evel Knievel stunt-cycle. I never had one but I did get a go with a friend's and remember it turning out to be a little disappointing.
1. Status Quo "Hello!" - Regular readers may remember that Hello! is my favourite Quo studio album. Having discovered them in the early 80s (I had my finger on the pulse of current music!) that's to such Radio 2 fodder as Rock'n'Roll and Marguerita Time, Hello! was one of the first classic Quo albums I discovered. They'd nailed their trademark sound with 1972's Piledriver but Hello! was the first album to feature all original compositions and their first UK number one.
2. John Cale "Paris, 1919" - This is perhaps a little higher than it should be. When I first compiled my 70s top 50 I was on a bit of a Cale groove and probably overestimated how much I liked it. There's no doubt this is a very fine album though. I'm not a big Velvet Underground fan at all but enjoyed the album Cale released with Lou Reed about Andy Warhol (Songs For Drella) and really should have investigated his solo catalogue sooner.
3. New York Dolls "New York Dolls" - I'd always ignored the New York Dolls due to the Glam image. There were a lot of 80s hair metal bands who took their image from this band who really weren't my thing. However, that view began to change when I read the book Please Kill Me about the American Punk revolution and realised how big an influence they were on many bands I like. Opening with the excellent Personality Crisis the pace rarely let's up, ten cracking originals and a storming cover of Bo Diddley's Pills.
4. Pink Floyd "The Dark Side of the Moon" - Perhaps an album I overplayed when I first got into Floyd. It is still a special album, I love the way it flows into one piece of music, but it doesn't quite enthrall me as much as it used to. This was one of two album covers I remember my junior school art teacher showing in class one lesson (the other was Animals so I guess this would have been around 1976) and it made a big impact on me and must have influenced my early interest in music that wasn't in my Mum & Dad's record collection.
5. Genesis "Selling England by the Pound" - Probably the most commercial of the Gabriel era albums. It's got a more polished sound than their earlier stuff and features the band's first charting single I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) which reached number 21 and opened the band up to a new audience. It also includes one of my all time favourite Genesis tunes Firth of Fifth which pretty much sets the standard for Prog bands trying to use awkward time signatures.
Near misses; Black Sabbath "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", The Stooges "Raw Power", Tom Waits "Closing Time" and Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band "The Spotlight Kid".
Albums to try; Roxy Music For Your Pleasure, Lou Reed Berlin, Bob Marley and The Wailers Catch A Fire, David Bowie Aladdin Sane, John Martyn Solid Air, Man Back Into The Future and Budgie Never Turn Your Back on a Friend.
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