https://exchange.prx.org/p/500665
It's pretty simple, really. We work our way up to 1971, and then decide to stay there for awhile before moving up a little further in the decade for our concluding tracks.
Artist: Doors
Title: Hello, I Love You
Source: CD: The Best Of The Doors (originally released on LP: Waiting For The Sun and as 45 RPM single)
Writer(s): Jim Morrison
Label: Elektra
Year: 1968
I have to admit, when I first heard Hello, I Love You I hated it, considering it only a half step away from the bubble gum hits like 1,2,3 Red Light and Chewy Chewy that were dominating the top 40 charts in 1968. It turns out that the song was originally recorded in 1965 as a demo by Rick And The Ravens (basically a Doors predecessor) using the title Hello, I Love You (Won't You Tell Me Your Name). The single pressing of the song is notable for being one of the first rock songs to be released as a stereo 45 RPM record. The song went to the top of the charts in the US and Canada and became the first Doors song to break into the British top 20 as well.
Artist: Big Brother And The Holding Company
Title: Ball And Chain
Source: European import CD: Pure...Psychedelic Rock (originally released on LP: Cheap Thrills)
Writer: Willie Mae Thornton
Label: Sony Music (original label: Columbia)
Year: 1968
In June of 1967 Big Brother And The Holding Company, fronted by Janis Joplin, electrified the crowd at the Monterey International Pop Festival with their rendition of Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton's Ball And Chain. Over the years Joplin, both with and without Big Brother, continued to perform the song. One of the finest performances of Ball And Chain was recorded live at the Fillmore in 1968 and included on the band's major label debut, Cheap Thrills. In retrospect the recording marks the peak of both Big Brother and of Joplin, who went their separate ways after the album was released.
Artist: James Gang
Title: Bluebird
Source: CD: Yer' Album
Writer(s): Stephen Stills
Label: MCA (original label: Bluesway)
Year: 1969
One of the highlights of the first James Gang album was a six-minute-long cover version of Bluebird, a Stephen Stills song that had originally appeared on the second Buffalo Springfield album. The James Gang version of the tune opens with a string backed instrumental intro written by drummer Jim Fox (playing piano), which leads into a short second intro featuring Joe Walsh on backwards-masked guitar. This in turn segues directly into the body of the song itself, which is played at a considerably slower tempo than the Springfield original (sort of a Vanilla Fudge approach, you might say). Yer' Album (so named in response to friends of the band always asking "when is yer album gonna come out?") was the only album by a rock band ever released on ABC's Bluesway subsidiary. The next four James Gang LPs would all appear on the ABC parent label.
Artist: Steppenwolf
Title: I'm Asking
Source: LP: For Ladies Only
Writer(s): Edmonton/McJohn
Label: ABC/Dunhill
Year: 1971
This is another one of the Steppenwolf songs that sound like someone else besides John Kay is singing lead vocals. As it was co-written by drummer Jerry Edmonton and bassist George Biondo, I'd guess it's actually one of those two, but, as always, there is a serious lack of background infomation on the album cover (or anywhere else, for that matter).
Artist: Audience
Title: Jackdaw
Source: CD: The House On The Hill
Writer(s): Werth/Gemmell
Label: Caroline Blue Plate (original US label: Elektra)
Year: 1971
At seven and a half minutes in length, Jackdaw was designed to set the pace for Audience's third LP, The House On The Hill. Unless they happened to run across a UK pressing of the album, however, Americans were completely unaware of this for two reasons. First, The House On The Hill was only the first Audience album to be released in the US, and second, in order to make room for the non-album single Indian Summer to be included on the LP, Elektra Records chose to move Jackdaw down to the middle of the album's first side, thus diluting its effectiveness. Too bad, too, as the song is a good showcase of guitarist Howard Werth's range as a lead vocalist.
Artist: Alice Cooper
Title: Be My Lover
Source: LP: Killer
Writer(s): Michael Bruce
Label: Warner Brothers
Year: 1971
I spent the early 1970s doing my level best to avoid becoming an adult. One of the more effective ways of doing this was to become a member of a series of rock bands. Having not developed any apparent songwriting ability, I concentrated on learning how to play some of the more popular songs among myself and my bandmates. At the very top of the list of songs played by the last band I was in before getting what looked like a real job was Be My Lover, from Alice Cooper's Killer album. I even got to sing the tune while playing bass. Unknown to me at the time was the fact that Be My Lover was actually written by Alice Cooper's bass player, Michael Bruce (which explains why vocalist Alice Cooper referred to himself in the third person within the song itself). I didn't care. It was our most popular song and I was having fun.
Artist: Jeff Beck Group
Title: Raynes Park Blues (aka Max's Tune)
Source: LP: Rough And Ready
Writer(s): Jeff Beck (credited on US release); Max Middleton (actual writer)
Label: Epic
Year: 1971
Even though his previous albums had appeared in the US on the Epic label, Jeff Beck was actually signed to Mickey Most's RAK label until 1971, when he signed with CBS, the UK branch of the record company that owned Epic, thus putting him on the same label on both sides of the Atlantic (ocean, not records). The first thing that the people at CBS did was to reject a week's worth of recordings at London's (the city, not the label) Island Studios that were intended for the album Rough And Ready. The reason for this was dissatisfaction with the vocals of Alex Ligertwood. Beck, being a much better judge of guitar playing than of vocals, agreed to replace him, and brought in Bobby Tench from a band called Gass to complete the album. Rough And Ready, although doing OK commercially, was not well-received by the rock press, with the exception of the album's single instrumental track, Max's Tune. For some reason, however, the eight and a half minute long instrumental was titled Raynes Park Blues on the US release of Rough And Ready, with songwriting credits going to Beck rather than keyboardist Max Middleton, who actually wrote the tune. Within a couple of years Beck would come to realize that his forte was with instrumentals rather than songs with vocals, and ended up releasing some truly fine albums starting with 1974's Blow By Blow.
Artist: Robin Trower
Title: Bridge Of Sighs/In This Place
Source: LP: Bridge Of Sighs
Writer(s): Robin Trower
Label: Chrysalis
Year: 1974
One of the most celebrated guitar albums of all time, Bridge Of Sighs was Robin Trower's second solo LP following his departure from Procol Harum. Released in 1974, the LP spent 31 weeks on the Billboard album charts, peaking at #7. Bridge of Sighs has served as a template for later guitar-oriented albums, especially those of Warren Haines and Gov't Mule.
Artist: Deep Purple
Title: Rat Bat Blue
Source: Japanese import CD: Who Do We Think We Are
Writer(s): Blackmore/Gillan/Glover/Lord/Paice
Label: Warner Brothers
Year: 1973
The final album by the most popular lineup of Deep Purple was Who Do We Think We Are, released in 1973. By this point, after an extensive and exhausting touring schedule, several of the band members were no longer on speaking terms and ended up recording their own parts at separate times. Nonetheless, the album hangs together pretty well, especially on tracks like Rat Bat Blue, which opens the LP's second side.
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