https://exchange.prx.org/p/498440
This is another one of those weeks where we start off early in the decade and work our way forward through the years, one song at a time. In this case, however, we do a turnaround and start working our way backward, at least until we run out of time.
Artist: Black Sabbath
Title: The Wizard
Source: CD: Black Sabbath
Writer: Osborne/Iommi/Butler/Ward
Label: Warner Brothers/Rhino
Year: 1970
Often cited as the first true heavy metal album, Black Sabbath's debut LP features one of my all-time favorite album covers (check out the Stuck in the Psychedelic Era Facebook page's Classic Album Covers section) as well as several outstanding tracks. One of the best of these is The Wizard, which was reportedly inspired by the Gandalf character from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
Artist: Cream
Title: What A Bringdown
Source: CD: Goodbye Cream
Writer(s): Ginger Baker
Label: Polydor/Polygram (original label: Atco)
Year: 1969
Right around the time that Cream's third LP, Wheels Of Fire, was released, the band announced that it would be splitting up following its upcoming tour. Before starting the tour the band recorded three tracks, each one written by one of the three band members. Both Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce worked with collaborators on their songs, while drummer Ginger Baker was given full credit for his tune, What A Bringdown (which was sung by Bruce). As it turned out those would be the only studio recordings on the final Cream album, Goodbye Cream, released in 1969, which in addition to the three new songs had several live tracks from a 1968 performance at the Los Angeles Palladium.
Artist: Santana
Title: Mother's Daughter
Source: LP: Abraxas
Writer: Gregg Rolie
Label: Columbia
Year: 1970
Carlos Santana once said that his original lineup was the best of the many bands named Santana. With talented songwriters such as keyboardist/vocalist Gregg Rolie in the band, it's hard to argue with that assessment. Rolie, of course, would go on to co-found Journey, but I try not to hold that against him.
Artist: Yes
Title: Starship Trooper
Source: LP: Classic Yes (originally released on LP: The Yes Album)
Writer(s): Anderson/Squire/Howe
Label: Elektra/Rhino
Year: 1971
Although technically it was the third LP released by the band, The Yes Album was, in many ways, the true beginning of the Yes story. The Yes Album was the first to feature guitarist Steve Howe, whose contributions significantly altered the band's sound. This influence is particularly strong on the third section of Starship Trooper (subtitled Wurm), which Howe had brought with him from his previous band, Bodast. The opening section of the song, Life Seeker, as well as the title of Starship Trooper itself, was inspired in part by the Robert Heinlein novel, with Jon Anderson's lyrics centering on a search for God. The middle section, Disillusion, was provided by bassist Chris Squire, and was actually based on a section of an earlier piece called For Everyone. Starship Trooper, although for obvious reasons never released as a single, quickly became a popular (and permanent) part of Yes's stage repertoire.
Artist: Genesis
Title: Horizons
Source: CD: Foxtrot
Writer(s): Banks/Collins/Gabriel/Hackett/Rutherford
Label: Rhino/Atlantic (original label: Charisma)
Year: 1972
Although credited to the entire band, Horizons is a short acoustic guitar instrumental written by Steve Hackett, who is the only member of Genesis to actually play on the track. The tune, based on a piece by J.S. Bach, opens side two of the 1972 LP Foxtrot.
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Title: No Quarter
Source: CD: Houses Of The Holy
Writer(s): Jones/Page/Plant
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1973
Recorded in 1972, No Quarter was first released on the fifth Led Zeppelin album, Houses Of The Holy, and remained a part of the band's concert repertoire throughout their existence. The song is a masterpiece of recording technology, showing just how well-versed the band had become in the studio by that time. The title of the song comes from the military phrase "No quarter asked, none given" (don't ask a foe for mercy, nor grant mercy to a fallen enemy), with several references to the concept appearing in the lyrics throughout the song.
Artist: Eric Clapton
Title: I Shot The Sheriff
Source: CD: The Best Of Eric Clapton (originally released on LP: 461 Ocean Boulevard)
Writer(s): Bob Marley
Label: Polydor/Chronicles (original label: Atco)
Year: 1974
Following the breakup of Derek And The Dominos, guitarist Eric Clapton became a bit of a recluse for several years, dealing with a heroin addiction. Finally, in 1974, he resurfaced with his second solo album, 461 Ocean Boulevard. The best known track from the album was a cover of Bob Marley's I Shot The Sheriff, which was a surprise top 40 hit that helped popularize reggae music in Britain and the United States.
Artist: Ambrosia
Title: Nice, Nice, Very Nice
Source: CD: Anthology (originally released on LP: Ambrosia)
Writer(s): Vonnegut/North/Pack/Puerta/Drummond
Label: Warner Brothers (original label: 20th Century Fox)
Year: 1975
Although Kurt Vonnegut's name was included in the credits for the first track on Ambrosia's self-titled 1975 debut LP, Nice, Nice, Very Nice actually contains very little of Vonnegut's poem, taken from his novel Cat's Cradle. For that matter, they edited out some of the words from the lines they did use, changing "I wanted all things to seem to make some sense so we could all be happy, yes, instead of tense" to "I wanted all things to make sense so we'd be happy instead of tense." I guess they thought it fit the music better. When Warner Brothers reissued the song on the 1997 CD Anthology they left Vonnegut's name out of the credits altogether.
Artist: McKendree Spring
Title: My Kind Of Life
Source: LP: Too Young To Feel This Old
Writer(s): Chris East
Label: Pye
Year: 1976
There really is no other band like McKendree Spring. They have been characterized as a progressive folk-rock band, but that label falls far short of emcompassing the breadth of this unique band from Glens Falls, NY. By 1976 the band had been cut from their original label, Decca (when that label got merged into its MCA parent label), and had recently signed with Pye, a British label that had just opened up a US division. One of the two albums McKendree Spring recorde for Pye was Too Young To Feel This Old. The album is a bit more country-rock oriented than previous efforts, as can be heard on My Kind Of Life.
Artist: Les Variations
Title: Superman Superman
Source: LP: Cafe De Paris
Writer(s): Vitalis/Haubrich/Wendroff/Les Variations
Label: Buddah
Year: 1975
Les Variations was a French band formed in the late 1960s by three Moroccan-born Jews and one Italian. By the early 1970s they had added Tunisian born Robert Fitoussi on lead vocals and had developed a unique style that has come to be called Moroccan Roll. Their fourth LP, Café De Paris, was the sceond album by a French rock band to be released on an American label (Moraccan Roll being the first). Most of the songs on Café De Paris were band originals. The sole exception was Superman Superman, written by French songwriters Any Vitalis and Michaël Haubrich. The song was released as a single in 1975, peaking at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Artist: Robin Trower
Title: Little Bit Of Sympathy
Source: CD: Bridge Of Sighs
Writer(s): Robin Trower
Label: Chrysalis/Capitol
Year: 1974
Released in 1974, Bridge Of Sighs was the second solo LP by former Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower. The album was Trower's commercial breakthrough, staying on the Billboard album charts for 31 weeks, peaking at #7. In addition to Trower, the album features James Dewar on lead vocals and bass, along with Reg Isidore on drums. The album was a staple of mid-1970s progressive rock radio, with several tunes, including album closer Little Bit Of Sympathy, becoming concert favorites.
Artist: Mothers
Title: Camarillo Brillo
Source: CD: Over-Nite Sensation
Writer(s): Frank Zappa
Label: Zappa (original label: DiscReet)
Year: 1973
Although he had already developed a devoted cult following dating back to the release of the first Mothers Of Invention album, Freak Out, in 1966, it wasn't until the release of Over-Nite Sensation in 1973 that Frank Zappa began to reach a more mainstream audience. The opening track of the album, Camarillo Brillo, deliberately mispronounces the name of a California city and uses several made up words to tell the story of an encounter with a "magic mama". Whether it was based on a true story or not is anyone's guess, although I imagine Gail Zappa would know if anyone does.
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