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

BimboBob said:
It's also rather good for history. And beaches for the mutt. Oh...and a record shop. We are staying next to Skara Brae for the week there with loads of island hopping. Pity all the digs finish before we arrive.
Click to expand...
Yeah I knew it had a host of prehistoric interest. I saw a documentary that suggested the Orcadians taught the southerners how to build Stonehenge. Have a great time.
 
Jazzman said:
"Sheep", Pink Floyd
"Give a little bit", Supertramp
"Cat scratch fever", Ted Nugent
"Heroes", David Bowie
1977 was a great year!
Click to expand...
Ted Nugent!! My mates sister bought him 'Double live Gonzo' for his b/day, early 80's because " it looks like the type of shit music you like" !!
We loved it, but I never did buy an album of his, 'Just what the doctor ordered' is a million times better on that live album than the studio version...can remember jumping around in his house with Air Guitars!
....shame about his views on gun laws.
 
1977 was a superb year.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors. Their final release pre air crash, and the first with new guitarist/songwriter Steve Gaines. Easily their best work since their debut, and an indication of great things to come with that line up ... but wasn't meant to be.

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation. My favourite studio album of theirs, the title track alone for Downey's drumming.

The Jam - In The City

and of course:

Cheap Trick - In Color. Poppier than their debut a year prior, and weak production* but it was my first of theirs, and is special to me.
* they re-recorded it in the 90's, with Steve Albini producing. Yet to officially see the light of day for whatever reasons, but there are a few copies out there, and I have one. Most songs sound even better on it too.
 
MCFCTrick said:
Cheap Trick - In Color.
Click to expand...
The upside down picture of Rick and Bun E on the back cover on their crappy bikes, with the words "And In Black and White" written above them is great - it sums up the humour that made made me love the band. I Want You to Want Me is an all time classic.
 
Good Write up and choices.

1977 saw punk and new wave become a major staple of my musical diet.
Although I wasn’t a punk I loved the bands who could play and the new wave artists who had something new to say and I saw most of them live during that time.

1977 saw the release of a whole host of debut albums from artists I still enjoy today.
The Clash, became one of my favourite bands and i always preferred them to the Sex Pistols.They could all play and went on to make 5 great albums .Joe Strummer and Mick Jones went on to form other bands I liked.
‘LONDON’S BURNING’

My next 2 artists I was fortunate to see perform on the same bill, The Live Stiffs Tour’ Elvis Costello and Ian Dury along with Nick Lowe,Wreckless Eric and Larry Wallis.
Both released brilliant debut albums this year, bit of trivia ECs backing band was not the Attractions on this album but members of an American Country band Clover who would go on to become Huey Lewis and the News.

Ian Dury was previously in the pub rock band Kilburn and the High Roads.


‘LESS THAN ZERO’

‘SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK & ROLL’

My final pick is an American band who although part of the New Wave CBGBs scene did not sound at all like other bands of that genre but more like 60s soul and Latin Rock.Fronted by the late great Willy Deville one of the few bands I went too see as a support band but the headliners weren’t bad either Dr Feelgood.

‘VENUS OF AVENUE D’

Another of my favourite new wave bands released their debut this year but sadly I never got to see them live.Talking Heads who I’m sure will get a nomination.
 
MCFCTrick said:
1977 was a superb year.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors. Their final release pre air crash, and the first with new guitarist/songwriter Steve Gaines. Easily their best work since their debut, and an indication of great things to come with that line up ... but wasn't meant to be.

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation. My favourite studio album of theirs, the title track alone for Downey's drumming.

The Jam - In The City

and of course:

Cheap Trick - In Color. Poppier than their debut a year prior, and weak production* but it was my first of theirs, and is special to me.
* they re-recorded it in the 90's, with Steve Albini producing. Yet to officially see the light of day for whatever reasons, but there are a few copies out there, and I have one. Most songs sound even better on it too.
Click to expand...
Pick four tracks.
 
Protein Junkie said:
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.



.
Click to expand...

Enjoyable write-up. All the initial tracks you’ve picked find favour with me and will make my personal playlist as they are all in my collection.

Pretty Vacant is far and away my favourite punk track.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
Having slagged off all sorts of arena/hard rock my first choice for 77 is a little contrary. My next door neighbour gave me a loan of this album and I should have absolutely hated it but in fact I bloody loved it and still do to this day. Its bombastic, over the top, tongue in cheek from its pastiched cover art to its overwrought ballads to its 50s inspired rock opera nonsense. Bat out of Hell, by Meatloaf and his svengali Jim Steinman, they carried it off just by the strength of their songwriting and performance. Don't judge me too harshly.

The lyrics of this track still make me chuckle:

Paradise by the dashboard light - Meatloaf
Click to expand...
I love Steinman’s song and MeatLoaf was the perfect person to sing them.

Funnily enough, it was the Bat Out of Hell album that really got me interested in Springsteen.
 
southamptonblue said:
Good write up, agree that Ann Wilson has/had the most powerful female voice in rock (but Lizzy Hale in Halestorm presently, would match her) Foreigner, known for ballads, but imo their 'rock' songs are much better.....however, 1977 and you didn't even mention Fleetwood Mac released 'Rumours' !!!!!!!!
I would nominate..

Fleetwood Mac - Go your own way.
AC/DC - Let there be rock.
UFO - Love to love.
Click to expand...


Rumours is indisputably (well someone will) the album of the year. Every track on it will go on my 77 list when I compile it.

Both those heavier numbers will too.
 
southamptonblue said:
Ted Nugent!! My mates sister bought him 'Double live Gonzo' for his b/day, early 80's because " it looks like the type of shit music you like" !!
We loved it, but I never did buy an album of his, 'Just what the doctor ordered' is a million times better on that live album than the studio version...can remember jumping around in his house with Air Guitars!
....shame about his views on gun laws.
Click to expand...
I’m unashamedly a big Ted Nugent fan. He made a batch of excellent rock albums and was good fun live. Obviously, he has some extreme views these days. I have probably posted somewhere on this forum about seeing him in London at a venue that after hours hosted a Gay Disco once a week. I can’t exactly recall Ted’s comments on the subject and wouldn’t repeat them if I could.
 
First pick is easy - I’ll save you the trouble Rob.

Rush: Xanadu - possibly the greatest epic rock track this side of Kashmir.

I first encountered this track when Rush played it live at the FTH just before it had been released.

That gig was amazing. We were stunned by the amount of music three guys could produce - Geddy playing keyboards and bass pedals. The light show was the best I’d seen at that point.

I think I travelled to the gig in a friend’s car but a coach load (literally) of my school mates from Macc went to the gig. A gig and tour that was sold out despite Rush not having yet released and album in the UK.

A Farewell to Kings was the first official release and its crown jewel is Xanadu.
 
Last edited:
1977 was the year my gig going took off. I think I went to 32 gigs. Several of the bands have already been picked for the playlist. Skynyrd, Yes, Queen, Iggy (with David Bowie playing keyboards), Ted Nugent, Peter Gabriel & Supertramp.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top