1977 – Did punk really kill Prog Rock?
Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee, the King of Rock ‘n Roll Elvis Presley passed away and Red Rum did a city by winning a hat trick of Grand Nationals. More important than those events in 1977 was the fact I first took notice of the wide world of rock music. Indeed, it was a year of the Juxtaposition between Punk and Mainstream rock.
Did Punk really Kill Prog Rock?
So, what was Punk all about? In brief it was an anti-establishment, promotion of individual freedom movement that was sick to death of the stuffy, old-school mentality and social conditions of the 1970’s. The sub-culture was also anti-establishment in its music. Lyrics often echoed the ideals of the culture and the music itself “typically produced short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles with stripped-down instrumentation.”
Did punk kill prog rock? Hindsight is a wonderful, glorious friend in this case but hang on a minute. Punk reared its head in 1977, and what it did over time, either directly or indirectly was align Prog with a more streamlined, slimmed down approach which removed a lot of the excess in the latter. What it did not do was immediately impact on what was a glorious year for the world of prog/pomp/stadium rock.
State of Play.
In America, things were very much “as you were.” Although the “Land of the Free” was the mother of invention with punk, the New York Dolls and The Ramones being prevalent, it was “Stadium Rock” that held sway. Bands such as Foreigner, Kiss, Kansas, Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, Styx, and Heart were at the forefront.
Back home in Blighty, music was about to undergo a significant sea change. While most of the UK was spending their hard-earned money on delights such as David Soul, Baccara and the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, the more erudite listener was gorging on what became the first year of the Golden Years of the Hit single. At the other end of the scale, any self-respecting rocker would not be seen dead buying a seven-inch single.
My Soundtrack to 1977.
I could have used a multitude of criteria in which to choose ten tracks that would define the year. Top Five albums, Top Five singles, tracks from different genres etc. In the end I decided to plump for Ten Songs/Artists which, whilst attempting to be diverse. still highlight what had a profound effect on my musical taste or on my memory for decades to come.
The Stranglers – Dagenham Dave.
In my opinion, The Stranglers were placed into the wrong cohort. Due to the fact they needed to secure much needed exposure as support act for the likes Patti Smith and The Ramones, the band were way too proficient especially in the bass and keyboard departments.
Although it took me until 1979 to appreciate their worth, tracks like Down in the Sewer, No More Hero’s, Tank, and my chosen cut put them in the then rarified atmosphere of my favourites alongside Yes, Genesis and Kate Bush. An unlikely alliance.
Yes – Turn of the Century
My Introduction to music was my dad. He was a Music Teacher, and I dined out on Classical Music until one of his pupils gave him a cassette recording of Rick Wakeman’s “Journey to the Centre of the Earth.” This was it, rock and classical combined, was I now “Cool?”
A year or two later and a new best friend in school told me that Rick Wakeman was in a band called Yes and they had just released the “Going for the One” album.
This album is Yes at their zenith. A beautiful, melodic track which to me emits thoughts of Arwen and Aragorn in Lord of the Rings.
Andrew Gold – Lonely Boy.
I was 14 years of age in 1977, and it was the year of my musical awakening. In retrospect I was searching for a musical identity. We used to have a private bus home from school every day and this track was always on the radio.
Although I love my rock music, I do sometimes enjoy simplistic yet catchy melodies such as Andrew Gold, Crowded House, Alannis Morrissette and The Stereophonics. This was Gold’s breakthrough hit followed by the equally pleasing “Thank you for being a Friend” and “Never let her slip away.”
Electric Light Orchestra – Telephone Line
Did you know I very nearly ended up being an ELO fan? I was developing the buds that would resonate with its complexities and skill.
That is where ELO failed to win my ultimate support. Classical leanings of course and occasional cuts like Telephone Line still put them above the ordinary people that occupied the Top Forty of the day.
ELP – Fanfare for the Common Man
I was still studying how to play the piano at fourteen years of age. Top of the Pops was the only place to go on a Thursday evening an on one occasion I was impressed by these three guys in the Montreal Olympic stadium looking seriously cool whilst rocking out on a classical number.
I could never really get into ELP though. I found a lot of their compositions either bloated or boring. Having said that, “Karnevil 9” is a work of the highest order.
Foreigner – Feels Like the First Time
Harking back to the mid- seventies and Top of the Pops, it felt that if you wanted to rock out a bit it was Slade, Sweet or T-rex. I wanted something a bit more ballsy and yet again it was that radio on the way home from School that worked it out for me.
Foreigner have endured a lot of bad press since their album “4”. Slushy and overplayed ballads have tended to define them. If you delve into their first three albums there is a wealth of blues-based rock from what was a British/American (and not solely the latter) band.
The Carpenters – Calling Occupants
My parents were big fans of The Carpenters. They seemed to alternate with Elvis Presley on a weekly basis. Listen to something or someone long enough and you become so accustomed to that sound. Karen Carpenter was also a beautifully toned vocalist.
“Calling Occupants” was a radical departure from the trademark sound. A Futuristic Conspiracy theory instead of the trusted love song it certainly made a profound impact on my senses at that time.
10cc – The Things we do for Love.
Did you know that Godley and Crème were once lined up to be the British version of Simon and Garfunkel? In any case they had disappeared by the time this song appeared in the charts.
Manchester’s own continued with Stewart and Gouldman and whilst musically it has more in common with Andrew Gold, on a personal level they almost became a band for me to follow. Almost.
Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant
Please do not get me wrong. I hated everything about the Sex Pistols. I was setting myself up to be a parochial rock fan. I idolised Rick Wakeman and Chris Squire of Yes. Let us not pretend, The Sex Pistols were musically, extremely limited and did not hang about for long.
Why choose this as one of my Ten tracks of 1977? The simple answer is that this song was the epitome of Punk to me. It is indelibly stamped on my brain and no review of this year would be complete without the Sex Pistols.
Heart - Barracuda
Just to share something with you all. There have been two distinctly different versions of Heart. Most will know of the glam/arena rock power ballads of the MTV age. Prior to this, the Seattle based band were a mix of folky acoustic numbers mixed with a penchant for Led Zeppelin type numbers.
For my final track I want to revert to their initial soundscapes. This is the standard bearer for everything Heart and it is a beacon for surely the most powerfully voiced woman in rock. Step forward Ann Wilson.
And there it is. Not the best, not my favourite but two tracks each from pop, soft rock, punk, progressive and classic blues based rock to hopefully, accurately reflect the year that was.
.
