Rock Evolution – The History of Rock & Roll - 1985 - (page 203)

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

This.

Tangerine is very underrated as is the album. Its probably my favourite (maybe because of aimless hours playing with the rotating album cover to see who would pop into the windows next) ;-)

Absolutely, and I think LZ III is perhaps my favourite album cover for that reason. Still have that one, and loved that rotating touch.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

I was just talking to my wife about “In the Summertime”, which I’ve already nominated, it was I think the biggest hit single in the UK in 1970 and it is a song that I would have probably dated a year later if asked because it is a song that I remember liking a lot as a boy - still do: I bought a Mungo Jerry anthology a couple of years or so back. As I will probably repeat a few times, I always say (Autumn) 1971 was when my love of music really took root but I am now thinking the seeds were sown in the summer of 1970 and not 1971.

We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.... at least for me. ;-) Coming somewhat soon.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

As you may have gathered by now, I do count Zep as my favourite band. I think Zep II outsold III in the UK in 1970. Its reception was mixed as was fan response at the time due to it being rather different from its predecessor. Where I’d rank it doesn’t matter as I love all Zep’s studio albums. I do consider “Tangerine” to be the best song on III.

As a kid in the mid-late 70's, I'd rank those first 4 as: IV, II, I, and then a distant III.

As an adult, it is a firm III, then I, II and IV. I blame FM (mostly "classic rock") radio for the latter and what's to come next year.

 

[Saddleworth2]

As a kid in the mid-late 70's, I'd rank those first 4 as: IV, II, I, and then a distant III.

As an adult, it is a firm III, then I, II and IV. I blame FM (mostly "classic rock") radio for the latter and what's to come next year.

I would probs go III,II,I, PG,HoH,IV, I will be featuring IV next year because of its iconic place in rock history but I seldom listen to it now through overplaying.

 

[OB1]

I would probs go III,II,I, PG,HoH,IV, I will be featuring IV next year because of its iconic place in rock history but I seldom listen to it now through overplaying.

PG is my favourite as you may know. I would put IV next. Overplaying is not one of those things that concerns me on the whole. I’ll save other comments on IV until we get there. Presence is probably third on my list. I started listening to to Zep with PG so I just love the sound and style they had developed by that point. Not much to choose between HoH & II, then III, ITTOD & I. All albums I’d mark at between 8 & 10.

 

[Saddleworth2]

PG is my favourite as you may know. I would put IV next. Overplaying is not one of those things that concerns me on the whole. I’ll save other comments on IV until we get there. Presence is probably third on my list. I started listening to to Zep with PG so I just love the sound and style they had developed by that point. Not much to choose between HoH & II, then III, ITTOD & I. All albums I’d mark at between 8 & 10.

Mrs S is a huge Zep fan. She still listens to everything they have ever recorded. I listen less these days but when I'm in the mood nothing quite hits the spot like them.

 

[OB1]

Mrs S is a huge Zep fan. She still listens to everything they have ever recorded. I listen less these days but when I'm in the mood nothing quite hits the spot like them.

Clearly a discerning lady.

I am always happy to listen to any of the Zep albums. I’ve also bought several of the unofficial live albums that have come out in the last few years.

I do still buy quite a lot of cds so I don’t overplay anything these days. I have played PG more than any album and some tracks are on multiple playlists but I still get a kick out of listening to it and tracks from it.

 

[OB1]

Today’s offerings:

Hawkwind: “Hurry On Sundown”
Faces: “Three Button Hand Me Down”
Mott The Hoople: “Walkin’ With A Mountain”
Johnny Winter: Rock n Roll Hoochie Koo”
Van Morrison: “Moondance”
Jimi Hendrix Experience: “Voodoo Chile”
Beatles: “Let it Be”
Dave Edmunds: “I Hear You Knockin”
Simon & Garfunkel: “Cecilia”
Cactus: “Parchman Farm”

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

It would be a shame if we missed the reformation and comeback of the classic English progressive and jazz rock band Traffic in 1970. Especially as John Barleycorn Must Die should be considered among the greatest guitarless classic-rock albums of all time. This release put this band firmly on the map in the US in their highest charting release (even higher than the UK), and was a sign for what was later to come this decade.

Steve Winwood got two of his former bandmates back together after his 1 year stint with the supergroup Blind Faith. Drummer and lyricist Jim Capaldi and saxophone/flute player Chris Wood rejoined Traffic, and only former lead guitarist Dave Mason wasn't involved here.

Winwood shines on this track in vocals, on bass guitar, piano, and Hammond organ. Chris Wood's inspired flute and sax playing on this track cannot be overstated either - it's fantastic and very distinct.

While tough to pick just one, this is perhaps my favourite track from a fantastic album that in a whole is greater than the sum of its parts:

"Freedom Rider" - Traffic

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

It would be remiss of me not to nominate something from Trespass.

The Knife - Genesis

Just going through the thread and adding the suggestions, but just wanted to say how good early Genesis were. Incredible musicianship and just really well put together songs and albums! I know they changed direction somewhat under Phil Collins but they are one of those bands that - to me - seem a bit underrated.

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

Nice picks!

I slept on mine last night as I simply ran out of time, but George Harrison's 1970 double album All Things Must Pass was a stunning masterpiece with hints of songs from the Get Back sessions, and it was one I was going to lead off with, just not that song. ;-)

I'm going to instead highlight a non-single track from another of my favourite albums of all time, and a highly underrated one in a vast catalog. Released in the US in October 1970 and in the UK in January 1971, I'm going to make this one count. Lots of other songs off of this I could have Burned Down, but we'll go with a non-obvious gem.

Wiki perfectly explains the backstory for this album, so I'll let them here:
Co-writer Bernie Taupin said of the album, "Everybody thinks that I was influenced by Americana and by seeing America first hand, but we wrote and recorded the album before we'd even been to the States. It was totally influenced by The Band's album Music From Big Pink and Robbie Robertson's songs. I've always loved Americana, and I loved American Westerns. I've always said that 'El Paso' was the song that made me want to write songs, it was the perfect meshing of melody and storyline, and I thought that here was something that married rhythms and the written word completely." John has remarked, "Lyrically and melodically, that's probably one of our most perfect albums. I don't think there's any song on there that doesn't melodically fit the lyric."

"Where To Now St. Peter?" - Elton John

Superb pick. Elton John in his early days really was something else and he made quite a few great albums around this time and is a great example of the singer-songwriter from this period.

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

Have to get the classics onto the list:

Derek & the Dominoes: “Layla”
Black Sabbath: “Black Sabbath”
ELP: “Lucky Man”

Even if there was nothing else written in 1970, these 3 tracks alone would make it rank as one of the best years for music! :)

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

Close to You - The Carpenters

Not a bad debut single if you like that genre to put it mildly.

They are not everybody's cup of tea and for a long time were not mine either but you cannot deny their talent and Karen's voice one of the best if not the best female voices I have had the pleasure of listening to sadly was not heard nearly long enough to the masses because of her insecurity and misplaced desire to live up to expectations on and off stage.

He Ain't Heavy , He's My Brother - The Hollies

By far my favorite cover version of this song and one I butchered often at choir in school doing my best impression of Allan Clarke.

Lay Down ( Candles In the Rain ) - Melanie

Her quintessential anthem to Woodstock and on occasion don't we all love to sing along to a good anthem.

For some reason this was one of the first songs I could recite.

The Carpenters were superb at what they did. It's been labelled as 'easy listening' which I think does them a great disservice. In a way, they remind me of Abba where a lot of music 'snobs' dislike them just because they write and perform great pop music.

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

Great write up mate !!
One thing, Across the Universe is a John Lennon song, not George.
I like the Let it Be album very much but surprisingly George's two songs on the Beatles final album were quite poor imo. For You Blue and I Me Mine.

Well, you learn something new everyday! When I was a lot younger, someone told me he wrote it ha ha! Thanks Bill! :)

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

I've added the nominations to the playlist now and I've a few more to add that I didn't mention in my review but I had on my list:

Mama told me not to come - Three Dog Night
Ball of confusion - The Temptations
Spirit in the sky - Norman Greenbaum
Come & get It - Badfinger
Get into something - The Isley Brothers
We can work it out - Stevie Wonder
The long and winding road - The Beatles
Get Back - The Beatles
The only living boy in New York - Simon & Garfunkel
The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel
Cracklin Rosie - Neil Diamond
The wonder of you - Elvis
I think I love you - The Partridge Family
If you could read my mind - Gordon Lightfoot
Make it with you - Bread
Venus - Shocking Blue
Instant Karma - John Lennon
Reflections of my life - Marmalade

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

I've said it before, but look at that list of songs from 1970 - it was absolutely normal for world class albums and singles to the released almost on a weekly basis. The range and quality of the playlist is incredible and I wish I'd been around to have heard this music as it came out!

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

I've added the nominations to the playlist now and I've a few more to add that I didn't mention in my review but I had on my list:

Just a few - ;-)

Ironically, I had "Cracklin Rosie" on my shortlist as that was a staple around the house growing up.

Thankfully, you didn't get this one, so I'm going to put it forth while I still can. OB1 already listed one by this band, but I'm going for another "2 for 1" song in the same vein as "I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home".

The Guess Who were a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1965. They found their greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman. The name "Bachman" should be familiar with most as his next band I'm sure will have some songs featuring in about 3 years.

But onto this track from the American Woman album. I simply love the backstory to this song, and I always appreciated how this medley stuck with me as a kid.

The inspiration for the song arose after an incident when Bachman was visiting California. He was walking down the street with a stack of records under his arm, when he saw three "tough-looking biker guys" approaching. He felt threatened and was looking for a way to cross the street onto the other sidewalk when a little car pulled up to the men. A woman about 5 feet tall got out of the car, shouting at one of them, asking where he'd been all day, that he had left her alone with the kids, didn't take out the trash, and was down here watching the girls. The man was suddenly alone when his buddies walked away. Chastened, he got in the car as the woman told him before pulling away: "And one more thing, you ain't getting no sugar tonight". The words stuck in Bachman's memory. The rest, as they say, is music history! ;-)

"No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature" - The Guess Who

No sugar tonight in my coffee, no sugar tonight in my tea...

 

[RobMCFC]

Currently working my way through the playlist.

Some great music but 8 and a half hours / 104 songs is not what I had in mind when I floated the idea of us looking at the best music from each year.

• That version of "Layla" feels like a bad edit - no piano coda :(
• Also not sure what John Legend and Sarah Bareilles are doing on a playlist 8/9 years before they were born
• Great organ on "Speed King"
• Obviously I've heard "Lola" many times before but it was really great listening to this
• Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" feels like a possible seed for 80s MOR but with added horns.
• Never heard "Where to Now St. Peter" by Elton John before - kudos to whoever nominated this song, I really enjoyed it.
• I think I first heard "The Green Manlishi" thanks to a thread on here. This is perhaps one of the picks of the playlist.

 

[KS55]

Currently working my way through the playlist.

Some great music but 8 and a half hours / 104 songs is not what I had in mind when I floated the idea of us looking at the best music from each year.

• That version of "Layla" feels like a bad edit - no piano coda :(
• Also not sure what John Legend and Sarah Bareilles are doing on a playlist 8/9 years before they were born
• Great organ on "Speed King"
• Obviously I've heard "Lola" many times before but it was really great listening to this
• Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" feels like a possible seed for 80s MOR but with added horns.
• Never heard "Where to Now St. Peter" by Elton John before - kudos to whoever nominated this song, I really enjoyed it.
• I think I first heard "The Green Manlishi" thanks to a thread on here. This is perhaps one of the picks of the playlist.

The playlists are too long. How to get them down? Limit each posters amount of nominations? Give the OP for that year editorial powers to reduce the year to no more than a dozen?

 

[RobMCFC]

The playlists are too long. How to get them down? Limit each posters amount of nominations? Give the OP for that year editorial powers to reduce the year to no more than a dozen?

There is actually only one rule for this thread - post one song and then give others a chance before maybe posting another later in the week.

Now, given the small numbers who are invested in the thread, I'm happy to up the numbers to 4 or 5, but it feels a bit wild at the moment with little chance to take it all in.