|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 31, 2024 10:00:18 GMT -5
Favorite albums of 1974
#6-- Nightlife-- Thin Lizzy
I have an affinity for this band the way Slam_Bradley has an affinity for Jason Isbell & 400 Unit.
This group, along with another individual artist (which will be revealed in my #1 favorite for '74) have long been my top favs of popular music since I was a teen. Most Americans know very little about this band outside of the Jailbreak album from 1976, and even in the UK they were something of a puzzler in terms of success.
Nevertheless, Thin Lizzy had great success on the global stage, especially in Germany, France, Sweden, Japan and Australia. Even so, I don't expect this record to pop up on the radar of very many people at all. It's definitely a deep-dive album, and usually only appeals to the most ardent of Lizzy fans. Like it or not, I happen to fall into that category, sooooo...
Nightlife is the fourth studio album by Thin Lizzy, and by many standards is also their most enigmatic. It was the first album to feature a twin guitar line-up, as the first three albums found the band in power folk/prog trio mode. After the abrupt departure of their original guitarist, Eric Bell (literally in the middle of a gig), Phil Lynott, the band's leader, songwriter and bassist/vocalist decided that never again would he be held at the mercy of a single guitarist. So, taking a cue from groups like the Allman Brothers and Wishbone Ash, Phil decided to fill out the band with two guitarists, who could each hold their own in the role of lead or rhythm. Interestingly, this direction took the band from being a purely Irish outfit to a more cosmopolitan makeup, as he hired a Scotsman and a Californian as his new young guns.
The album is real bridge between Lizzy's early progressive folk/blues direction and their later straight-up rock tendencies. As the primary songwriter for the group, Phil Lynott has always had the penchant for combining the sneer of early Elvis-style attitude with the romanticism of the classic Irish Poets. It clearly shows throughout the record, with only a couple of hard-rocking numbers balancing out an album largely comprised of string-laden ballads, straight-up blues, and a dash of R&B swagger. Even at this early stage, the musicianship is spot-on, even if the production values are lackluster.
There are no hits or singles on this album, but I'll showcase a few cuts for the sake of diversity.
Still In Love With You-- this slow blues lament is the closest thing to a hit on the album, as it became a live-concert staple for the band, and was even re-recorded a couple of times. This track was actually recorded slightly before the rest of the album, and features future blues legend Gary Moore on lead guitar, and Frankie Miller in a duet vocal trade-off with Lynott on the lead vocals.
Night Life-- The title cut (albeit spelled as two words instead of one), This is a bit of funky blues rock that also borrows part of the chorus from Willie Nelson's song of the same title, made popular by Ray Price in the early 1960's. You'll know it when you hear it. The verses are all Lynott, though.
It's Only Money-- and to show that they hadn't gone completely soft, this is one of a couple of tracks that demonstrates the edgier side of the band that most people associate with them.
Not an album for everyman's taste, it is still relevant to me and the development of my music experience as both a writer and performer. Not recommended as an entry point to the band's catalog due to its haphazard lack of focus in terms of both writing and production.
Thin Lizzy is a group I pretty much only know from the radio cuts that played on classic rock radio for years. I will have to give this album a listen though, because there's some interesting stuff happening in those songs, particularly Night Life. There's some cool bluesy things working there...along with the Willie Nelson love.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 31, 2024 10:26:04 GMT -5
Favorite albums of 1974
#5 - George Jones - The Grand Tour
I've talked about Jones a fair bit and have mentioned several times that, while he released a lot of albums, it was rare they were anything better than...okay. Jones was a singles guy. On any given album there'd be one or two hit singles and a whole lot of filler. This is one of those rare exceptions.
Jones had teamed up with producer Billy Sherrill earlier in the 70s, but it hadn't struck the kind of gold that Sherrill hit with Charlie Rich. That is, until this album. It is just rock solid country songs from top to bottom. Jones does a great version of "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)" which had been a hit for Johnny Rodriguez. He kills on Johnny Paycheck's "Once You've Had the Best." And he shows he can still honky-tonk with the best of them on "The Weatherman." Hell, we even get the rare song from the pen of Jones with "Our Private Life," co-written with soon-to-be-ex-wife Tammy Wynette.
And then we get to the title track. The Grand Tour. You can make a strong argument that this is Jones' greatest single vocal performance. I'm probably not going to do that right now...but if I feller wanted to do so, I wouldn't argue very hard against it. Co-Written by Wynette's future husband, George Richey, this is just a gut-wrenchingly sad song, even with the surface listen that most people give it. But if you really listen to and digest the lyrics it's just a devastating song. And I'm not sure anyone but George Jones had the vocal ability to really pull it off. It is a true masterpiece in three minutes and six seconds.
|
|
|
Post by tartanphantom on Mar 31, 2024 10:36:24 GMT -5
Favorite albums of 1974 #5 - George Jones - The Grand Tour
I've talked about Jones a fair bit and have mentioned several times that, while he released a lot of albums, it was rare they were anything better than...okay. Jones was a singles guy. On any given album there'd be one or two hit singles and a whole lot of filler. This is one of those rare exceptions. Jones had teamed up with producer Billy Sherrill earlier in the 70s, but it hadn't struck the kind of gold that Sherrill hit with Charlie Rich. That is, until this album. It is just rock solid country songs from top to bottom. Jones does a great version of "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)" which had been a hit for Johnny Rodriguez. He kills on Johnny Paycheck's "Once You've Had the Best." And he shows he can still honky-tonk with the best of them on "The Weatherman." Hell, we even get the rare song from the pen of Jones with "Our Private Life," co-written with soon-to-be-ex-wife Tammy Wynette. And then we get to the title track. The Grand Tour. You can make a strong argument that this is Jones' greatest single vocal performance. I'm probably not going to do that right now...but if I feller wanted to do so, I wouldn't argue very hard against it. Co-Written by Wynette's future husband, George Richey, this is just a gut-wrenchingly sad song, even with the surface listen that most people give it. But if you really listen to and digest the lyrics it's just a devastating song. And I'm not sure anyone but George Jones had the vocal ability to really pull it off. It is a true masterpiece in three minutes and six seconds.
Exactly the sort of thing I listen to whenever I drive my riding lawn tractor to the liquor store...after I've had my driver's license suspended, of course.
Though unlike my previous wife, Tammy doesn't seem to mind.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 31, 2024 10:40:42 GMT -5
Favorite albums of 1974 #5 - George Jones - The Grand Tour
I've talked about Jones a fair bit and have mentioned several times that, while he released a lot of albums, it was rare they were anything better than...okay. Jones was a singles guy. On any given album there'd be one or two hit singles and a whole lot of filler. This is one of those rare exceptions. Jones had teamed up with producer Billy Sherrill earlier in the 70s, but it hadn't struck the kind of gold that Sherrill hit with Charlie Rich. That is, until this album. It is just rock solid country songs from top to bottom. Jones does a great version of "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)" which had been a hit for Johnny Rodriguez. He kills on Johnny Paycheck's "Once You've Had the Best." And he shows he can still honky-tonk with the best of them on "The Weatherman." Hell, we even get the rare song from the pen of Jones with "Our Private Life," co-written with soon-to-be-ex-wife Tammy Wynette. And then we get to the title track. The Grand Tour. You can make a strong argument that this is Jones' greatest single vocal performance. I'm probably not going to do that right now...but if I feller wanted to do so, I wouldn't argue very hard against it. Co-Written by Wynette's future husband, George Richey, this is just a gut-wrenchingly sad song, even with the surface listen that most people give it. But if you really listen to and digest the lyrics it's just a devastating song. And I'm not sure anyone but George Jones had the vocal ability to really pull it off. It is a true masterpiece in three minutes and six seconds.
Exactly the sort of thing I listen to whenever I drive my riding lawn tractor to the liquor store... after I've had my driver's license suspended, of course.
Unlike my previous wife, Tammy doesn't seem to mind, though.
Dude lived the kind of life he sang about. You can't argue with that.
|
|
|
Post by tartanphantom on Mar 31, 2024 10:42:32 GMT -5
Exactly the sort of thing I listen to whenever I drive my riding lawn tractor to the liquor store... after I've had my driver's license suspended, of course.
Unlike my previous wife, Tammy doesn't seem to mind, though.
Dude lived the kind of life he sang about. You can't argue with that.
No doubt. And I love me some 'Possum... bad liver and all.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 31, 2024 10:49:41 GMT -5
Dude lived the kind of life he sang about. You can't argue with that.
No doubt. And I love me some 'Possum... bad liver and all.
Liver and possum. You really are a Southern gourmand.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 31, 2024 10:51:18 GMT -5
I'm already starting to second-guess myself after saying earlier that I thought I had my ten decided but anyway here's my first pick, going by wikipedia's chronological list of 1974 album releases: Here Come the Warm Jets - Brian Eno (Feb 1974) This is Music, with a capital M - that's what I remember feeling, more than thinking, on my first listen to this record. I didn't hear it in 1974 but a few years later - hard to pin it down exactly, I suddenly find as soon as I make the attempt - probably around 1977 or 78, at a guess. What I think I felt was, even though it sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before, it captured and transformed many of the effects I had experienced previously or would later in music - from the high energy of the punk that was yet to come to the experimental prog that had come before - and yet still sounding like none of the above. I also think it might be one of the best assembled albums in terms of how the various tracks are arranged - sometimes when I hear this record I think it should have been the soundtrack to a movie that's never been made.I don't think I had ever heard anything with quite the same unique energy of the first one, Needles in the Camel's Eye, and then the following tracks kept surprising me with a completely different kind of novelty. Anyone listening for the first time and not reading along the song list on the album cover would think the elegaic Some of Them are Old must be the perfect and therefore obvious and appropriate ending but then the title track succeeds it, unexpectedly bringing back the upbeat tempo of the opener but with a subtle nuance of all the varied emotional tones of everything that's happened in between. The crazy thing is, this isn't even the best album Eno released this year. I didn't mean to skip you, Berk. Eno is a name I know...as a name. I'm not remotely convinced I could name a single song of his or pick him out of a line-up. Cultural osmosis is a weird thing.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 31, 2024 10:53:50 GMT -5
In slightly different and pretty picky news...Kris Kristofferson keeps coming up on a Spotify playlist of the "60s." I love me some Kristofferson...especially his early stuff. But his first album released in 1970. He does not belong here.
|
|
|
Post by tartanphantom on Mar 31, 2024 10:59:54 GMT -5
I'm already starting to second-guess myself after saying earlier that I thought I had my ten decided but anyway here's my first pick, going by wikipedia's chronological list of 1974 album releases: Here Come the Warm Jets - Brian Eno (Feb 1974) This is Music, with a capital M - that's what I remember feeling, more than thinking, on my first listen to this record. I didn't hear it in 1974 but a few years later - hard to pin it down exactly, I suddenly find as soon as I make the attempt - probably around 1977 or 78, at a guess. What I think I felt was, even though it sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before, it captured and transformed many of the effects I had experienced previously or would later in music - from the high energy of the punk that was yet to come to the experimental prog that had come before - and yet still sounding like none of the above. I also think it might be one of the best assembled albums in terms of how the various tracks are arranged - sometimes when I hear this record I think it should have been the soundtrack to a movie that's never been made.I don't think I had ever heard anything with quite the same unique energy of the first one, Needles in the Camel's Eye, and then the following tracks kept surprising me with a completely different kind of novelty. Anyone listening for the first time and not reading along the song list on the album cover would think the elegaic Some of Them are Old must be the perfect and therefore obvious and appropriate ending but then the title track succeeds it, unexpectedly bringing back the upbeat tempo of the opener but with a subtle nuance of all the varied emotional tones of everything that's happened in between. The crazy thing is, this isn't even the best album Eno released this year.
Although I knew of Eno from his Roxy Music days, I think he was largely overshadowed in that band by Ferry, Mackay and Manzanera. I'm familiar with this record, but ultimately prefer the Ambient series, as I can literally play those all day in the background and they never sound obtrusive (mission accomplished, Mr. Eno). But my personal preferences shouldn't detract, nor deter anyone from giving this album a spin. It is indeed its own thing and should be appreciated as the launching pad for the man's extremely prolific solo career. I especially like his collaborations with Robert Fripp.
Eno is an excellent modern example of the difference between a songwriter and a composer.
|
|
Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 9,641
|
Post by Confessor on Mar 31, 2024 16:27:30 GMT -5
In slightly different and pretty picky news...Kris Kristofferson keeps coming up on a Spotify playlist of the "60s." I love me some Kristofferson...especially his early stuff. But his first album released in 1970. He does not belong here. That would annoy me too. But, on the other hand, I would say that there is a difference between the 1960s in terms of the calendar years and "the Sixties" in the public consciousness. When you hear older folks who were there at the time talk about "the Sixties", what they generally mean are the years 1962 to about 1973. So, probably a lot of Baby Boomers would consider Kristofferson a '60s artist. That might be why Spotify classify him as such?
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 31, 2024 16:32:55 GMT -5
In slightly different and pretty picky news...Kris Kristofferson keeps coming up on a Spotify playlist of the "60s." I love me some Kristofferson...especially his early stuff. But his first album released in 1970. He does not belong here. That would annoy me too. But, on the other hand, I would say that there is a difference between the 1960s in terms of the calendar years and "the Sixties" in the public consciousness. When you hear older folks who were there at the time talk about "the Sixties", what they generally mean are the years 1962 to about 1973. So, probably a lot of Baby Boomers would consider Kristofferson a '60s artist. That might be why Spotify classify him as such? Probably. I can kind of see that. But, on the other hand, Kristofferson’s songwriting has a big influence on the Outlaw Country movement, which was very much an early to mid-70s phenomenon. It’s not a huge deal, it just struck me weird.
|
|
|
Post by commond on Mar 31, 2024 17:24:05 GMT -5
Takeo Moriyama's East Plants... Moriyama is a Japanese jazz drummer who plays avant-garde jazz. I struggle a bit with anything that's too avant-garde, but there are certain free jazz/spiritual jazz artists whose work I enjoy. This record wasn't too challenging, and I felt it was a fairly engaging jazz record.
Echo & The Bunnymen's Porcupine... man, it's been a long time since I've listened to Echo & The Bunnymen. It's a welcome return. This is one of those albums that gets overlooked because it's sandwiched between two of their more popular LPs. A lot of the comments about this record I find to be baffling. It's often described as a "prickly" and difficult listen. That's not my experience. Love the guitarwork and Ian McCulloch's vocal work.
Minutemen's What Makes a Man Start Fires? Love the Minutemen, but I think I prefer their EP Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat from this year. This is definitely part of the Minutemen back catalogue you should listen to, though, especially if you've only heard Double Nickels.
The Go-Betweens' Before Hollywood... speaking of bands I love, here's one of Australia's greatest bands, The Go-Betweens. This was their breakthrough record. It still has post-punk elements as opposed to being full on jangle pop, but the signature songwriting is there and I adore Grant McLennan's vocals.
Miharu Koshi's Tutu... this a Japanese art pop record produced by Haruomi Hosono of Yellow Magic Orchestra fame. It's an interesting record as it continues to build on the techno kayo sound while offering up quirky art pop that stands in stark contrast to the standard idol pop of the day. Not all of the songs are winners, but it's interesting to compare this to some of the other idol stuff from '83.
Opposition's Intimacy... this is what we like to hear, a post-punk record with a bit of emotion. The closer, In the Heart, was particularly gripping.
Mark Stewart + Maffia's Learning to Cope With Cowardice... this was a harsh sounding mix of dub, post-punk and industrial, but it got its message across.
Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones... I've never really jumped onto the Tom Waits bandwagon. I've listened to most of his records, and I like and respect them, but I can't imagine a scenario where I'd want to put this on. You can't relax to it. You can't chill to it. You can't dance to it. It's a record you need to pay attention to like watching a film or reading a book. I'm more interested in catchy hooks these days.
|
|
|
Post by tartanphantom on Mar 31, 2024 19:11:04 GMT -5
Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones... I've never really jumped onto the Tom Waits bandwagon. I've listened to most of his records, and I like and respect them, but I can't imagine a scenario where I'd want to put this on. You can't relax to it. You can't chill to it. You can't dance to it. It's a record you need to pay attention to like watching a film or reading a book. I'm more interested in catchy hooks these days.
I'll agree with you on this-- Not a passive listening experience. I run hot and cold on Waits, I love several of his albums (Nighthawks at the Diner, Small Change and Blue Valentine are my personal favorites), and others just don't do it. I don't have a problem with Swordfishtrombones, Frank's Wild Years, or Rain Dogs, but must definitely be in a certain frame of mind to listen to them. One of my bandmates said that those three albums sound like a "Drunken Romanian Midget Carnival" (his words, not mine); though I can definitely see where he could have envisioned that. Ever since, any time I hear any of them, visions of Tod Browning's Freaks comes to my inner vision. Disturbing.
|
|
|
Post by tartanphantom on Mar 31, 2024 19:57:40 GMT -5
Favorite albums of 1974
#5-- On the Beach-- Neil Young
This one had to grow on me, but I must say, I'm glad that it did.
On the Beach was the fifth solo studio album by Neil, and it finds him sounding rather career-weary at this point. Other than the opening cut, "Walk On", and "Revolution Blues", the rest of the record initially left me a bit flat, and took me a while to appreciate. It's probably one of Neil's darker, acerbic albums in terms of themes and lyrics, and sales and popularity weren't helped by the fact that it contained no real "marketable" singles, and it was in print for a little less than 10 years, and wasn't released on CD until the early 2000's. This makes original copies rather difficult to find, and they generally command a premium over most other standard-release Young material of the era.
Since I'm not a rabid fan of Young, I didn't get around to buying this until around 1982-- my sophomore year in college. Even so, I was already aware of the record, as the album rock station that I grew up with in Birmingham AL (WRKK) occasionally played the two songs I previously mentioned. I always liked Buffalo Springfield and CSNY, and I did own copies of his second and fourth albums (Everybody Knows This is Nowhere and Harvest), and I actually found a used copy of On the Beach for about $3.00... at that price I figured, "Why not?" Upon repeated listening, I discovered that, damn, there are a number of solid tracks here.
Anyhow, if there's anything Young is an expert at, it is emoting cynicism in his lyrics. This record has that in spades, but it's not as bitter as some of his other records from the period. Like my previous pick (Thin Lizzy- Nightlife), this may not be the artist's strongest or most memorable album to most people, but in my personal ranking of Young records, it has come to earn the #2 spot right behind Everybody Knows..., and right before Rust Never Sleeps.
I find it to be Neil's introspection via disgruntled projection, if that makes any sense-- almost as if Neil is saying to himself, "Yeah, this stuff matters and it bothers me, but what am I going to do about it-- I guess I'll write a song, because the rest is beyond my control, and I must accept that."
It also has my favorite cover art of any Neil Young record. If you can handle Neil's voice, I strongly recommend this album. If not, move along, nothing to see here.
Walk On--
Revolution Blues--
On the Beach--
|
|
|
Post by berkley on Mar 31, 2024 21:45:15 GMT -5
Favorite albums of 1974
#5-- On the Beach-- Neil Young
This one had to grow on me, but I must say, I'm glad that it did.
On the Beach was the fifth solo studio album by Neil, and it finds him sounding rather career-weary at this point. Other than the opening cut, "Walk On", and "Revolution Blues", the rest of the record initially left me a bit flat, and took me a while to appreciate. It's probably one of Neil's darker, acerbic albums in terms of themes and lyrics, and sales and popularity weren't helped by the fact that it contained no real "marketable" singles, and it was in print for a little less than 10 years, and wasn't released on CD until the early 2000's. This makes original copies rather difficult to find, and they generally command a premium over most other standard-release Young material of the era.
Since I'm not a rabid fan of Young, I didn't get around to buying this until around 1982-- my sophomore year in college. Even so, I was already aware of the record, as the album rock station that I grew up with in Birmingham AL (WRKK) occasionally played the two songs I previously mentioned. I always liked Buffalo Springfield and CSNY, and I did own copies of his second and fourth albums (Everybody Knows This is Nowhere and Harvest), and I actually found a used copy of On the Beach for about $3.00... at that price I figured, "Why not?" Upon repeated listening, I discovered that, damn, there are a number of solid tracks here.
Anyhow, if there's anything Young is an expert at, it is emoting cynicism in his lyrics. This record has that in spades, but it's not as bitter as some of his other records from the period. Like my previous pick (Thin Lizzy- Nightlife), this may not be the artist's strongest or most memorable album to most people, but in my personal ranking of Young records, it has come to earn the #2 spot right behind Everybody Knows..., and right before Rust Never Sleeps.
I find it to be Neil's introspection via disgruntled projection, if that makes any sense-- almost as if Neil is saying to himself, "Yeah, this stuff matters and it bothers me, but what am I going to do about it-- I guess I'll write a song, because the rest is beyond my control, and I must accept that."
It also has my favorite cover art of any Neil Young record. If you can handle Neil's voice, I strongly recommend this album. If not, move along, nothing to see here.
Walk On--
Revolution Blues--
On the Beach--
Not an album I know well, though I seem to have heard a fair bit of it somehow or other as all three of those tracks I've heard before. I remember reading a very positive review of it when it first came out - for once the critics got it right the first time and didn't have to backtrack years later when it had become an acknowledged classic! I really should have obtained a copy of it by now, after all these years. I can see this thread or topic is going to have me searching for more than a few cds in the coming weeks.
|
|