There isn't anything that stands out to me about this year. It was a big year for Barry White.
20. Poetry Man by Phoebe Snow
Much of this early 70's music I didn't discover until later in life. Phoebe Snow would be one of those artists.
19. Dreamer by Supertramp
Supertramp is another of those bands. I liked their music when I was a kid, but I've grown to like them much more recently.
18. No Woman, No Cry by Bob Marley
As I've said before I didn't get into Marley until college, but he's so good.
17. Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Not my favorite Skynyrd song, but it seems like you have to include it on a list like this.
16. Killer Queen by Queen
Around 1981 or so when I had Queen's greatest hits album, this was my favorite song there for a couple of weeks.
15. Don't Let the Sun Go Down by Elton John
He just keeps putting out the hits.
14. Stars by Janis Ian
I discovered Janis Ian my sophomore year of college. I know a lot of people will point to Nina Simone covering Stars and I do love the performance, but you can't beat Janis Ian. She's such a great vocalist.
13. Lady Marmalade by LaBelle
I debated putting another song off of this album on this list instead, but at the end of the day this song has been more culturally relevant.
12. Sha La La by Al Green
He just keeps putting out the hits.
11. Rebel Rebel by David Bowie
A great song and one that you know the second you hear the opening.
10. Come Monday by Jimmy Buffet
Never been a big Jimmy Buffet fan, but I really like this song.
9. Can't Get It Out of My Head by ELO
Around 1981 I also had an ELO greatest hits album and this sone was my favorite song there for a couple of weeks.
8. The Needle and the Spoon by Lynyrd Skynyrd
There have been a lot of very good songs about drug addiction over the years. This is a really good one and a reminder that Skynyrd had a thoughtful side to their music that seems that have gotten lost in the interpretations of their music.
7. Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe by Barry White
I mean come on is there anything to say about this song other than it is great.
6. Lovin' You by Minnie Riperton
I have always loved this song. Loved it when I was a kid, love it still today.
5. Jolene by Dolly Parton
It's not my favorite Dolly Parton song, but it's a great song and it has become such an iconic song I felt like it deserved a high spot on this list.
4. The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand
My mom was a huge Streisand fan and so it is hard for me not to hold a lot of her music in a special place. This is a hauntingly beautiful song even with the 1974 over production.
3. Love's Theme by Barry White & Love Unlimited Orchestra
Best instrumental song that got consistent air time in my lifetime. I can never hear this song without thinking about being a kid and it always makes me smile.
2. Help Me by Joni Mitchell
I don't really know Joni Mitchell's music that well but I have always loved this song.
1. Septembur Gurls by Big Star
If an alien landed and asked me to provide them a song that represents rock and roll, this is the song I would give them. I knew nothing about Big Star, but they hugely influenced so much of the music I loved when I was 20 years old. First time I heard this song I knew I had heard a complete masterpiece.
There was a huge drop-off from 1973 to 1974.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't count the years where the country was at war, then 1974 is one of the worst years in the history of the United States. In 1974, the real U.S. economy shrank by 2.1 percent. Also between January 11, 1973 and December 6, 1974, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 45 percent. On January 11, 1973, the Dow reached 1,051.70. On December 6, 1974, the Dow closed at 577.60.
ReplyDeleteAfter the events of 1974, the USA would wander in a dazed stupor for years to come.
ReplyDeleteThis list is outstanding, especially given that you didn't have a lot to work with.
ReplyDelete"Saturday Night Special" also shows another side of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ronnie Van Zant should be on any list of Great Southerners.
ReplyDeleteI also like the version of "The Way We Were" by Gladys Knight.
ReplyDelete"Love's Theme," of course, is one of the greatest sports themes in history, as the theme for ABC Sports Golf in the late 1970's.
ReplyDeleteTrue!
DeleteI am surprised to learn this about the Queen album.
ReplyDeleteI listened to both the 1973 and the 1974 lists. They were both good, but the 1973 list was better.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd ever heard this Janis Ian song.
ReplyDeleteIt's neat that you immediately followed "Rebel Rebel" with "Come Monday," as Jimmy Buffett directly refers to glitter rock in his opening lines. Neither of these songs is my thing, but I've sure known some people for whom one or the other song is pretty much their biggest things. And I do enjoy seeing that Jimmy Buffett video with his sweet retrospective introduction.
ReplyDeleteELO has turned out to be as enduring an act from this era as all but about half-dozen for me.
ReplyDeleteIs that Cat Stevens playing guitar for Minnie Ripperton?
ReplyDeleteThe Minnie Ripperton-Dolly Parton-Barbra Streisand-Barry White-Joni Mitchell at 14-19 is a string of individual songs which alone would be enough to earn the artist lifelong acclaim for unique contribution to pop music. Nothing else sounds like “Lovin’ You;” nothing else sounds like “Jolene;” nothing else, “The Way We Were,” and so on.
ReplyDeleteThere's a thing that Gilmore Girls fans often choose September as the month to start rewatches of the (phenomenal) show, and I would've bet 100 times out of 100 because Amy Sheridan-Paladino used "September Gurls" in the pilot. But I would've just lost a lot of money; it's "There She Goes." Which ... oh, stupid Eric, of course, it is. But, for some reason, my brain has made "September Gurls" the Gilmore Girls song.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, I always think the last song to play in the last episode of Friends is a Big Star song, "Watch the Sunrise." It's not. It's "Embryonic Journey" by the Jefferson Airplane. Again, of course, it is. But, as with Gilmore Girls, my brain defaults to giving Big Star credit.