1978 was a good year. You can really feel a change in the air with music and there are some real standout albums in 1978. Kate Bush explodes onto the scene, The Cars put out what is one of the best debut albums of all time. Lots and lots of good music.
20. Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty
There was that whole 70's easy rock movement and this song in many ways for me represents it. In my mind I also think of this song as kind of the end of it. Curious to do 1979 and see what we see.
19. Just What I Needed by The Cars
This is an amazing debut album. So many good songs, but this one for me is the perfect Cars song. If you want to introduce The Cars to someone put this song on.
18. Cry Together by The O'Jays
OK I discovered this song in like 2005 or so when a friend of mine encouraged me to listen to all the O'Jays albums. Love this song.
17. Tired World by Saga
This is off of Saga's debut album. I've been playing this song a lot lately just for the guitar solo. I really like Ian Crichton as a guitarist.
16. You Belong to Me by Carly Simon
This is a great song.
15. Blue Collar Man by Styx
I debated whether to do Renegade or Blue Collar Man for this list. It's probably been 40 years since I've heard this song and the second I heard that opening I remembered it all.
14. In the Warm Room by Kate Bush
Kate Bush put out two albums in 1978. This has always been my favorite song on Lionheart.
13. Runnin' With the Devil by Van Halen
Another great debut album. I was never a big Van Halen fan growing up but I have come around to them as I've gotten older. I had a hard time deciding what song to pick off this album, but nothing represents them better than this song. Now when I listen to this music I'm struck by how incredibly influential it would be on so much of the 80's rock that would follow.
12. Mirage by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Another debut album and another very influential artist. If you want to introduce someone to the sound of Siouxsie and the Banshees this is a great song to start with.
11. Heart of Glass by Blondie
Blondie put out two albums in 1978, their second album Parallel Lines made them stars. Love this song.
10. I'm Every Woman by Chaka Khan
I have learned that Chaka Khan is in many ways the mother of modern R&B female vocalists. No one really sounds like Aretha or Patti. They all want to be Chaka.
9. Is This Love by Bob Marley
What a great song.
8. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
If I were to pick a song to represent 1978 this would probably be it.
7. Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits
Such a classic.
6. Here Come Trouble by Tuff Darts
I was tempted to pick a few songs off of this album for this list, but just narrowed it down to this one.
5. Spellbinder by Foreigner
OK this song ranks so high because of how much I loved it when I was in middle school.
4. Candy's Room by Bruce Springsteen
Always my favorite song off of this album, it has held up well.
3. Moving in Stereo by The Cars
The use of this song in "Fast Times" is just amazingly brilliant.
2. Reminiscing by Little River Band
When I would work on Saturdays for my dad I was usually working alone. I wasn't allowed to have music and I often found myself just singing songs. This is one I would always come back to.
1. Feel It by Kate Bush
Off of her debut album this song is Kate Bush to me more than any other.
Because of this list, I bought The Cars' debut album.
ReplyDelete"Baker Street" also is a vibe.
ReplyDeleteLooking over this list and Wikipedia's article on 1978 in music, I don't think I was buying albums yet. I was buying 45s (for, I think, 85 cents apiece) from Kmart, and I owned a few albums that people gave me. But I don't think I'd yet invested my own money (birthdays, allowance, etc.) in an album.
ReplyDeleteI thought that started in 1977 because I definitely acquired Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good record, and that came out in 1977--but I'm pretty sure I also got Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits in that same first order from the RCA or Columbia record club. That album didn't come out until November 1978.
Furthermore, it's possible that my first full album for which I spent my own money was an eight-track tape, Ten Years of Gold by Kenny Rogers, which came out in January 1978 and I definitely did purchase. But I was crushed to discover after buying the eight-track that "The Gambler" isn't on it, and that song also didn't come until November 1978. Also, I'm pretty sure I got that 8-track out of an off-peak bargain bin at Uncle Lee's and not as a new release at Kmart.
So, upon further review, I feel pretty confident that very late 1978 and probably 1979 is when I was genuinely turning on to music. That's fifth grade when we were in Mrs. Titsworth's and then Mrs. Ousley's class, and I was totally girl crazy by then and acquiring all sorts of cultural interests beyond football, like European folk dancing and Three's Company. It makes sense that I was discovering my own authentic music taste, too, and finally wore down Mom into letting me place an order with one of the sketchy record clubs.