Stories (1973) Bridges

From their Travelling Underground album, released with the accompanying Brother Louie single, a Hot Chocolate cover that only had one other song on this album that sounded remotely from the same genre; Mammy Blue which shared the deep piano dominated raspy RnB sound of their one hit. Whereas the album is full of crisp art rock, with pianos , acoustic guitars and electric guitars and psychedelic era harmonies there brush with success didn't represent the band's fuller sound. While the guitar on this track and singer Ian Lloyd's vocal still remain powerful and soulful there isn't so much of the sultry groove of Brother Louie just a lot of top notch, pristine sounding Prog rock though admittedly it does lack a little personality its refreshing, upbeat and heavily melodic heavy rock and miles away from that song they're known for!

The Alan Parsons Project (1977) I Robot

A funky prog song with strong dystopian qualities it has the sound of Todd Rundgren's Utopia with it's prominent bassline and Kraftwerk's cold urban synths giving a creepy eerie quality. The dated sound was meant to sound futuristic and while there are no lyrics the use of vibraphone and female aria vocals add some interesting personality while the phased synths keep a sinister undertone. Alan Parsons like much of the Prog Rock genre had some great melodies and instrumental lines but unfortunately too often the longer suites couldn't draw in as big an audience as the more mainstream likes of hard rock or even punk and New Wave that had begun developing around this point in time.

Flint (1978) Better You Than Me

As Grand Funk's engine, Bassist Mel Schacher, keyboardist Craig Frost and singer/drummer Don Brewer would reinvent themselves as 'Flint' with their former producer Frank Zapper's help with Zapp taking over for frontman Mark Farner' guitar leads. This new collaboration would feature dark lyrics such as 'You Make Me Wanna Kill' while Zapper's explosive licks bond well with the heavy RnB rhytmm section of Grand Funk if slightly lacking Mark Farner's soulful quality.

The Isley Brothers (1977) Voyage To Atlantis

 When funk groups like The Commodores and EWF broke out with Funkadelic sized versions of disco, The Isleys wisely went smoother yet keeping their talents in Raw 60's soul that they had over their competition, Voyage to Atlantis being a supreme example. The phased guitars create a Poseidon-esque soundscape, an ocean of emotion drenched in a meandering melody, characteristic of this album; note the sun kissed guitars of a track form the same album, Footsteps in the Dark, was sampled for Ice Cube's Today was a Good Day. Though they have some good funk and rock elements its this ballad that rises above all of the smoothness for a bit of their classic raw soul that set the world alight back in the early 60s.

Ron Isley's impassioned vocals caressing the listener along withe younger Isley's thick production, it already with its nautical theme, brother Ernie Isley's underwater filtered guitar work and reflective sentiment seem to hint at a quiet storm vibe, yet another genre they would create a hit in, 1983's Between The Sheets. The theme of returning home in and the mythological subject create a deeper experience than say the Commodores simple grooves. For all the embrace of funk, rock, quiet storm and smooth disco trends they remained a raw act; all their records are soul 101.

Tarney Spencer Band (1979) Don't

 From the British Pop Rock duo who had a couple hits in the very tail end of the 70s with a slight New Wave vibe. From their third and most successful album full of the soaring and bright pop guitar work and explosive drumming they were known for plus a nice upbeat melody accompanied by shouts of 'Don't' represents the band's catalogue pretty well. Interesting that this band actually broke up as their singles charted in 1979 just as success was seemingly dawning for them. They have elements of the same driving keyboard based soft rock of Sanford Townshend band and England Dan and John Ford Colley; Hmm some kind of trend that they all used the 'two person name' duo format as well.

Also the cheap paperback novel drawings of the album cover are inspired though if totally unconnected to the music inside.

Amboy Dukes (1974) Sweet Revenge

Though now rechristened as Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes after their now famous guitarist frontman's early 70s solo fame, this track features him blending Pete Townshend-esque windmill chords with some Pre- Van Halen fret work, its a heavier more subdued version of the band that had a psychedelic hit in the mid 60s. The best track could also be the instrumental Below the Belt that retains some of the band's psychedelic sound with the use of woodwind alongside a Dick Wagner/ Mark Farner Detroit sounding heavy metal playing by Nugent ; an authentic industrial sound similar to Sabbath, maybe Detroit and Birmingham should be twin cities.

Buckingham Nicks (1974) Without a Leg to Stand On

From their eponymous debut, unlike a lot of famous artists before they made it album's thus stands up to their best work introducing the direct folky rock sound of ballads packed with powerful vocals, guitar workouts and pop sensitivity. And while Nicks Crying in the Night maybe the strongest opener I've ever heard or there are other tracks that sound like Fleetwood Mac cutoffs it's this ridiculously short and catchy track featuring Lindsey schizophrenic delivery.

Sweet Sensation (1974) Sad Sweet Dreamer

A Philly sounding hit with an overabundance of 'sweet' balanced out by gentle jazz verses with nice saccharine strings being plucked along with lullaby styled choral vocals from this Manchester based soul group; while the lead singer's definitely channelling a young Michael Jackson. The slight repetitive and on the nose quality of the hit form this group which found fame first on a talent show (note to myself nothings changed.) meant they tried out to be Britain's' representative in the 1977 Eurovision but proved to have too much talent for the spot finishing 8th. Freakin sweet!

Supertramp (1974) Dreamer

 A largely forgotten hit single from 1974 when the Prog boom was slowing down in favour of soul and Disco trends but would hint at the Prog pop of the late 70s of which Supertramp would be one of the leading acts. This whimsical pop is driven by a grandiose prog verve from the scale of Roger Hodgson's character filled falsetto to the chamber reverb of the group harmonies to the little touches like the use of a vibraslap to add to the quirky, burllesque fun or the wistful wind chime coda.


Nothing can top the insistent Wurlitzer piano pulsing with a synthezised bass. The piano turns soft and oscillating Bohemian Rhapsody call and response section. The calls from other band mates such as 'come on and dream along' along with the band picking up and Hodgson's funky guitar scratching along. Its still very much an underappreciated 70s classic that stands up with no dated quality, supreme stereo quality, a modern yet timeless feel; just as great as Bohemian Rhapsody IMO.

Dan Fogelberg (1972) Long Way Home (live in the country)

From the singer songwriter and soft rock balladeer's debut this may be filled with gentle astral folk like Stars and Wysteria that would hint at his future direction of orchestrated love songs but I have chosen this track for its mix of his high vocals, piano rock rhythm and the the sparse country rock of some of the better tracks of this album, like Hickory Grove and Looking for a Lady.

Little Feat (1973) Two Trains

From the Cajun fried Dixie Chicken (1973) album, this is their best representation with this incredibly listenable collection of funky New Orleans soul music. The countrified blues outfit Little Feat take their rambunctious style to New Orleans style music, with its festive horns and piano dominated sound blending well with Lowell George's energy and their heavy boogie guitars. Particularly of note is Billy Payne's electric piano, along with  Lowell George's chicken scratch guitar playing, all draped with 'southern belle' backup singers.

Gerry Rafferty (1978) City to City

 The title track from his famous late 70s comeback album which spawned his latter day hit and the most iconic saxophone lick in history Baker Street. This country hoedown of a song chugs along with at a happy prospector pace with wailing harmonicas, the undercurrent of synths and even a bagpipe this has a rootsy jug band feel mixed with Rafferty's typically subdued, smoothed pop tenor that nicely counterpoints the jaunty vibe. The country overtones always present in his work capture a serious subject matter but in a more positive fashion similar to Baker Street, it also covers the same lonesome feeling of a man away from his family as this train pulls into to the station.

Grand Funk (1976) Love is Dyin

From their morbid and underrated Born to Die album where they posed in coffins this is a dark relentless guitar attack with Sabbath levels of menace and fatalism in the guitars including a blistering solo by Mark Farner with Don Brewer' proclamation as the title the song is a damning statement of fact to a lover.

Rush (1975) Fly By Night

Starting with shimmering guitar lines from Alex Lifeson with Geddy Lee's brutal bass and Neil Peart's vivid imagery steppin in to create a mid 70s hard rock classic. It all combines in this hook laden track with it's sidewinder rhythm and intricate guitar licks all draped in Geddy Lee's giddy high vocals delivering Neil Peart's spiriting sentiments. Together, Peart's words and the tremendous gusto of the energetic performance capture the exhilarating thrill ride of youth;"My ship's is a comin and I just can't pretend". Its also capped off with a great dialled down bridge where Geddy's vocals become phased and more intimate with the help of a Hammond Amp.

There's a certain sense of wide eyed wonder to the song underlined by the bright shimmering guitar work and high vocals; all ringing in unison with a celestial glow.

Though it's Lifeson's embellishments that make the song for me like the brisk downstrokes after the chorus is spat out by Lee, or the tumbling arpeggios make this a crystal ship of creativity, elegance and hard hitting rock n roll. Rush were emerging from the Zeppelin copycat claims that verged on full blown plagiarism into their own interesting kaleidoscopic vision of epic progressive rock a la Yes but with far more punch and grandeur and less classical sensibilities more deriving from Sci-Fi than fantasy, a vision they would soon be bringing to life on their ambitious concept album 2112.

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Flying Burrito Brothers (1976) Northbound Bus

A great upbeat rocker with a mix of rootsy bluegrass and solid rhythm section and piano. The pop harmonies are the best in this track all about escape and nostalgia "And I think of how it used to be, when we all played together just for fun; nobody had to come on strong", "Now I've got to get away, I can't see what is coming, I think I've been around too long" and "I think about the way, I was made for my troubles, it don't seem right so I got to sing this song"


 This was the album when the Burritos went for the Eagles approach of multiple lead singers and toning down the country/bluegrass overtones in favour of the kind of rock steady pop rhythms more common in mainstream rock and soul music. 
After all in the past four years the Eagles overtook them and all country rock artists in sales, virtually going airborne themselves with the multi platinum Greatest Hits 71-75 album selling a million copies a month for almost two years. All competition in countrified rock couldn't help but pale though this a rare track is hook laden enough to merit mainstream attention