Bringing obscure songs from the 1970s such as deep album cuts, underrated cover songs and forgotten singles back on this blog. The 70s was a great time for music, possibly the best and the most diverse; that some gems that need to be rediscovered
The 1977 Introducing Sparks release was a disappointment for many, but for me it is one of their more exciting efforts with plenty of diverse melodies. A Big Surprise is a cracking glam Pop tune along the lines of Slade and Wizzard's rousing 50s soaked big band productions, while Occupation is even more startling with it's revved up guitar tensions shifting form wild fuzz guitars, flanged tones and ticker electric piano notes to the stacks of the same type of sped up, vacuum packed, high harmonies of Sweet, Styx, Queen and 10cc. Girls on the Brain is a stomping blues tune with a uncharacteristically gritty deep vocal from Russell Mael, while Forever Young is a Springsteen type of anthem reminiscent of the later U2 hit of the same name, possibly an inspiration.
Of course lyrics are key to Sparks' music, or rather the spark to their songs to their as often the highwire vocals and bashing guitars and pianos get tiresome in their over construction. I'm Not is a strong mix of sentiment and statement, while the Goofing Off is another where the music and the words are entwined as a restless but elegant Greek piano line carries Russell's vocal from drained to strained and back. Wonderfully the tempo notably slows right down for the verse lyrics concerning the daily grind before the upbeat chorus about the 48 hours of free time picks up into a violin strewn ha vela before ending in a Russian march; it's a diverse track of multiple European folk styles and timeless treatise on working hours and the lack of enjoyment, slowly feeling like a cog in a machine.
Those Mysteries a classic chorus laced track features the most pertinent questions known to man and is another example of their ability to write intriguing everyday philosophies into a big theatrical pop arrangements. Just check out my favourite verse below;
And why are there nuns?
And why do they pray?
And where do we go when we pass away?
And why, when I ask my Dad does he say
- Go ask your Mom or just go away?
And OK, I'll go away
But they won't go away
Those Mysteries features theatrical monologues in a Dylanesque vocal to a steady drum beat as was often in so many of 70s soft rock balladry; also not to mention the swirling backing vocals would be criminal. Over the Summer is a Beach Boys California Girls' styled rave up, with the same plodding piano based beat and Barbershop backing vocals and nice lyrics, the sparkling tambourine is the subtle touch that makes it more than a Beach Boys pastiche. Meanwhile the lyrics concern the transformation of a 'plain Jane' over the summer into a 'different girl much better', it's another cinematic tune with a story of a girl becoming more mature over the summer break, similar to the end of Grease, which was released in..1977..hmm
Indiscreet is a mixed album from Sparks, released in 75 it starts with Hospitality on Parade; a carousel, circus music tune with an odd circular backing harmony like a treatise on brainwashing, followed by Happy Hunting Ground which is full of sweet keyboard and pop guitar melodies, Get in the Swing sounds like Nilsson with vaudevillian vocals shifts and fun fair atmosphere. How Are You Getting Home is a heavily powered punk tune, Pineapple is catchy old timey jazz with nonsense for lyrics, Tits is built around a Spanish flamenco melody with powerful heavy punk interjections, The tunes get better during the second half, for instance; Looks, Looks, Looks is excellent, with accessible lyrics all about favouring brains over beauty with some sharp witticisms and perfect wording set to a Gene Krupa styled big band music. Profile is distinguished by a jerky beat driven mix of Russell's croaky falsetto and operatic phrasing with plodding rhythms, marching band beat and plenty of theatrical dalliances, not to mention a sweet little guitar solo. The Wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael maybe the creepiest phone call you've ever heard as we hear him propose via is usual glam singing voice via a crackly telephone line to the answering message to Jacqueline Kennedy; bizarre, in a good way. In the Future is madcap Glam pop with comically high pitched response vocals clashing with Russell's stringent lead like the 'Bismilla 'mid section of Bohemian Rhapsody, released in the same calendar year.
My two favourite songs from the album appear on the second half of the album with The Lady is Lingering with it's twisty pop, it's quite catchy while the bands' characteristic surrealist lyrics are backed by their usual backing of Ron's crystal piano strokes and eloquently delivered by Russell's extraordinary pipes along with meaty guitars and sweet synthesizers. It Ain't 1918 is a violin and handclap laced poetic rap with Russell going from quick talking verses to revered, operetta hooks and even an old monkey grinder organ, though it is distinctive delivering some post war baby boomer commentary in a telegram type of meter.
Sparks' second album release of 1974 is chocked full of Elizabethan and horror schlock styled grand guignol of theatre and operatic lead vocals, playing alongside prog and pop rock dynamics. However unlike prior albums this one has a very 'samey' feel to all the songs never really breaking from Ron Mael's effete vocal stylings which takes the max, meanwhile the cascading pianos are less interesting or technical here, they also overdo the opera on this album. Propaganda suffers form feeling too similar to the Kimono album but also too similar to each other, with many of the songs set to the same structure and tempo. There are a few interesting moments such Achoo, a track about catching a cold which starts with a treacly, artificially reverbed piano notes and Kraftwerk like bass parts before diverging into a standard Roxy Music styled number with 'atchoo' call and responses and hand-clap laden power pop. But by this point the lead vocals are just too distracting, similar to how old Jim dandy Mangrum's vocals got on Black Oak Arkansas's releases around the same time; what was once fresh is now stale; on a side note, remind me to go out a get some bread. Who Don't Like Kids is an odd tune with a very echoey, horror show multi-tracked intro followed by some incandescent harpsichord fills but again the track wears thin. However Bon Voyage has more emotion in the song as Russell's singin of the title is loftily delivered, while the rest of the track is a mix of Napoleon like posturing reminding me of Abba's European bubblegum. Marry Me is a lilting organ tune starting with the plea of "Someone will let me out" in what is a sweeter, poppier number that doesn't get reduced to silly, haughty refrains but some genuine insight not hammed up unlike almost the rest of the album.
The two best tunes, or only good tunes are At Home, At Work, At Play which is distinguished by a thrilling hard guitar/vocal interplay, as crunching guitars strike like a Beethoven symphony switching with Russell's determined vocals; the other tune is Don't Leave Me Alone With Her a supersonic pomp rocker with wailing operatic vocals which reveals so much of their inevitable influence on Queen and 10cc.
On the three year anniversary of Glenn Frey' passing, I must make a post about the Eagles' third album, On the Border, where Glenn reached the peak of his contributions; nowhere else would he have as many lead vocals, lead guitar and arrangement credits. His control of this album would be just before the Don Henley dominance of the band where the band would reach a whole new level of success on the One of These Nights, Hotel California and the Long Run albums. But it was Frey who dominated the band's image early on leading most of the singles and exemplifying the laidback style of the band with his reigned in vocals and patchwork flares.
His contributions increased with each album culminating in the Eagles 1974 album; listen to his fuzzed out slide guitar leading the heartbreaking procession that is the sweet high school ballad Is It True. Or listen to his little funky blues lick at the end of the title track or his distortion drenched slide parts at the end of Midnight Flyer bringing an original edge to the bluegrass tune much like the kettle boiling slide guitar hero added to Earlybird he was a creative rhythm guitarist and a team player also.
The chugging rocker Good Day in Hell, he mixes his countrified soul voice with some funky rock n roll guitars but slowing it down and elongating it to the max like he is on Valium. Then there is the lead off single Already Gone where Frey takes the mid tempo pacing of Take it Easy but eschews the gliding acoustics for pinging guitars and rock n roll stutters. Already Gone is a pretty vacuous tune lacking much feeling until the sensitive middle eight where Glenn's voice audibly softens, as does his sentiment, seemingly maturing from the disposable almost bratty delivery to a deeper, hushed tone as he stumbles upon a revelation; that 'heaven knows' he could take some of the blame for the breakup. This mix of gritty southern rasp and softened truths would make Already Gone a twin with later hit, Heartache Tonight, another song about prescient warnings, mixing bar band rock and Outlaw Country. Also of note is how in both songs Frey snarls a little tossed off remark at the end in a Southern growl; 'alright nighty night!' in Already Gone and 'break my heart!' In Heartache Tonight.
But I 'm going to look at the song I admit to hating originally;James Dean. The forced chorus is incredibly unmelodic in this revved up raver of a 50s novelty tune. It starts almost bizarrely with a very modern hard rock opening with a rolling Prog pop rhythm similar to the Who made up series of strung together, ascending RnB notes.It's a widescreen opening indicative of Frey' arrangement abilities, the chugging spirit of the song is introduced, building in aggression as Glenn wails over the top of it in a pentatonic based mini solo with some Jimmy Page like shredding. We soon devolve into a circular overdriven guitar pattern similar offers Already Gone' verses.
The lyrics are referential and reverential in the song's unabashed adulation but are still impeccably worded including cultural touchstones like the line "Sock hop, soda pop, basketball and auto shop". The revved up guitars and menacing electric blues guitar is Frey's signature as similar guitars can be heard in Chug All Night, Out of Control, Take the Devil etc. Frey's strident downhome vocals call and respond with the band' lacklustre group vocals. There is harmonised rockabilly solos in the middle and the end that would keep the energy pent up. The layers of overdriven blues and rock n roll guitars chugging and wailing in time keep the song heavy but a little cluttered in favour of more devastating single or dual guitar line. There is an excellent reprieve where now to the beat of just a single guitar pounding away Frey adapts the 'Along Came a Spider' poem to great effect;
Little James Dean up on the screen Wonderin' who he might be. Along came a spyder, picked up a rider Took him down the road to eternity
The best is the bridge when the intro scale returns, slowing the song down and creating quite the contrast, stirring up a slow boiling tension. The group repeats the songs' central mantra "you were too young to live, too young to die", Frey now takes the lead singing in a quietly dramatic tone 'bye bye..bye bye' over and over again before screaming out one last 'bye bye' as the sound effect of a car engine revving joins and the song is brought to a climax. The dual guitar solos play out the coda with the twin rhythm guitars roaring to the very end like a motor sputtering out.
Camel's 1978 release Breathless featured a pop disco sound of mellow synth lines and funky guitars, very smooth with only the slightest hint of the classical, rock and jazz textures of old. The album cover features another iconic image of their namesnake, head tilted to the sky, eyes closed in a pensive moment looking serene and relaxed and maybe breathless. The background is fade from a Maths workbook's chequed page to a desert night sky, the use of yellow particularly in the stylish font and rainbow coloured text are a nice touch. The title track is a mix of Prog Rock's relentless note based, busy drumming, as Andy Latimer's sweetly soaring guitar plays melodic rock parts over Barden's analogue electronica. Barden's keyboards range from pastoral flower power lines to Townshend like programmed soundscapes and everything in between loping and swooping like a restless tide alongside Latimer's guitar. The syncopated drums can be a little too intrusive but keep this in a Rush' like territory of Neo -Prog, the lyrics do not enter till 4 and a half minutes in with a New Wave accent and Hippie folk rock clarity. Wing and a Prayer is a different story altogether with a 80s RnB stunted bass intro before a spellbinding keyboard fill drowns the mix with a harpsichord quality; this needle-y fill also makes up the chorus as the song takes on a very 80s synth pop melody full of overlapping, droll nasal vocals. The chirpy electric piano riffs and jangly synth patch along with the melodious vocals make this a memorable tune; the flute and piccolo like melodies of the end are excellent additions.
Down on the Farm is harder fare with idiosyncratic rap like vocals set to a slinky blues guitar lick and soul piano; the vocals are so English and matter of factly in Latimer's limited semi-speaking voice. It's augmented by the standard elements of funky Disco guitar, synth electronica cycles and flute lines. The best flute playing is on the twinkly electric piano track Starlight Ride, Latimer's caressing vocals arrives crisply and angelic on some guitar arpeggios in a very melodic manner, while another guitar wails bluesilly... ok thats not a word..yet. You Make Me Smile is an incredibly funky synth bass track with very trebly, 8 bit Moogs and very delicate English harmonies set incongruously to a disco rhythm guitar as per many tracks on this oddity of an album. Rainbow's End is a gentle melancholic ballad to end the album with glistening fuzz synthesizer beds, confessional piano chords and heartfelt vocals from Latimer.
Nilsson Schmillsson is an excellent album, one highlight is Gotta Getup with it's ode to the 9-5 daily grind; the insistent piano and driving lyrics perfectly capture the day to day regime full of necessity and lack of choice makes the rigid form and structure of the song perfect if a little tedious after two minutes. But Driving Along a mild Calyspo tune as a great eulogy to losing you direction and enthusiasm with an exasperated vocal from Nillsson and a top notch vocal melody as he sings the following;"You can spot all the problems On faces so tired of facing each otherEach day they grow farther and farther away from each other"
The echoed refrains of farther and farther and the spot on lyrics in the sped up finale make this little gem really shine, I'll just leave you with some more of the words. They seem to say nothing They seem to go nowhere They seem to go farther They seem to go nowhere They seem to go farther They seem to go nowhere They seem to go farther And farther and farther
What a brilliant Beatles-eque tune with a strong Lennon vocal, ticking piano and bright bubblegum melodies, particularly the rolling organ laced chorus line and the churchy lyrics about going down to the valley where "the people all stay, down to the valley, gonna teach the children how to pray"
Slowboat is a spectacular pop song from the pirouetting vocal line to the that plodding 70s pop piano and soaring chorus of 'sail me far away from you' to the oscillating Moog cadenza that makes me feel dizzy and sea sick; it's a slick soft rock ballad from the increasingly quirky theatrical pomp rock band who specialise in their very own brand of Euro-prog pop.
Spark's third album and first of two in 1974 was their most successful and fondly remembered with the bizarro glam rock coming to the fore via pop rock hooks. This Town Ain't Big Enough for The Both of Us was a memorable, cinematic track with a glassy synth progression playing like on a demented loop while Russell sings in his winsome delicate vocals before the title refrain which overlays a Native American tribal beat and is sung a little too briskly too convey the awesome name of the song. Amateur Hour was the second hit that starts with a lilting Japanese guitar riff; a circular heavy metal riff with an Oriental flavour before another of their syncopated passages. Russell's nasal falsetto soars over the jumped up Rock n Roll like a clear aria, though I'm not a fan of the overlapping chorus the melodious 'ooh' middle 8 is fantastic.
Falling In Love With Myself Again is oddball pop at it's cringingly quirkiness but starts with a swaying organ/guitar riff and the line "Kiss her Kiss her, friends do concur" is sung excellently in their Viennese waltz style. Here in Heaven is built over a Horror movie soundtrack and filled to the brim in a schlock rock fantasia as Russell's trembling, anxiety inducing vocals complement the spooky synth, as he coos in ghostly groans. Thank God it's not Christmas is an ecstatic tune full of melody and hard organ infused rock, the chugging beat and regal tone remind me of Marc Bolan; who Russell must have taken some of his crisp tremolo vocal from. Talent is an Asset starts with an arresting intro of handslaps, dawdling bass line and vibraphone twinkles and anchors another of their European folk ditties dripping in Glammed up theatrical vocal. The album is more cohesive than prior albums with a formula of overdriven guitars, organs and syncopated rhythms overlaid by their European whimsy that frankly can lack any real feeling and be a bit overdone like the overwrought track, Complaints and the sweet but forgettable In My Family. Equator is excellent with it's the high and hollow macabre vocal of Russell Mael set to a plodding classical piano; full of Russell's best high spirited vocals and a carousel melody of blaring keyboards and Asian response vocals all culminating in an Acapella section with the vocals isolated in the mix. Barbecutie is a New Wave sounding track with it's pre-punk guitars revving along with a piano in a muddy mix, while the final track Lost and Found has a church organ that sounds like the sound of a Cathedral at certain points and captivating slow down middle 8.
This sweet tune from Nilsson is so unlike him with a hopeful upbeat spring in his step urging a lover "if life is a gamble..let the Wheel of Fortune spin". The circular melody at the heart of the song is best served by Nilsson' unshowy performance, his vocal gently glides as he sings about potentially getting a trailer and going to Vegas or winning the Lottery in this barely two minute ode to 'taking a chance'.
1972's Wolf in Tweeter's Clothing was the official coming out party to the industry for Sparks after their promising self titled debut. Girl from Germany is another of their patented mix of 50s good time bops and European carousel melodies; the pretty chorus melody is delicious. Beaver O Lindy starts as Glam Waltz complete with church organs and cellos before an explosive drum roll leads us into a raucous T Rex styled hard rock song with shout out vocals, subtle bass rhythm, circus organ interludes and some smashing guitar slashes. Nothing is Sacred starts with a roundabout vocal and some robotic guitar part before a Baroque pop verse that reminds me of Nilsson, there is a jittery rocked out version of Moon over Kentucky, a quivering pop version of Do Re Mi with oompah rhythms mixing with punk rock guitar, wet steel drum parts.and a very long coda. Angus Desire is a delightful yearning song with a wishy washy organ cadenza and climbing backing vocals. Underground features Russell Mael's clearcut wavering falsetto at it's most strident surrounded by country bumping bass line and twinkling synth and guitars. Batteries not Included was a little ditty about being a kid done in their perverse, schizo-operatic style. Whippings and Apologies follows on from Biology 2 from their first album with high pitched chipmunk vocals reappearing on this track with such a vaudeville falsetto absurdity to it; it's also very punk rock that this easily beats the formulaic Ramones tracks that were considered so 'revolutionary', give me a break I'll take Whippings and Apologies any day with it's jet packed animalistic garage rock!
From Mungo' 1977 album, Lovin' in the Alleys & Fightin' in the Streets,I Could Never Start Lovin You is a different lyric, the song is a funky hard rocker with an incredible call and response between Dorset and the scintillating guitar player; elsewhere organ is added for effect along with punchy group vocals but it's the use of tempo changes that keeps this number dynamic as well as the guitarists' excellent work. The Grease is another stalwart rack with a Louie Louie styled riff but slower and funkier laying the bedrock for this track, the tight hi-hat drumming keeps the whole thing grounded as the guitar plays the riff up and down in a circular melody and a delicate piano twinkles away in the fills. Heavy Foot Stomp is another by the numbers 50s number, with epic fuzz tone and comical baritone harmony vocals, Can't Keep It Down is a swirling funky number built on a endlessly rotating synth lick; the synth sounds like Steely Dan while the spacey blues guitar sounds like Carlos Santana while Dorset's vocals also ebb and flow in intensity.
Gone to Malaya is a complete Springsteen ripoff with half spoken verses and frenzied pop rock accompaniment, the electric organ solo is so soothing it's all forgivable as he reproduces that Born to Run sound of a highly emotive, movie score, there is a grand drama to the mix of wailing guitar phrases and layers of organs and keyboards and the aggressive contrast of relentless Mick Fleetwood styled drumming. The last two numbers both sound like Medicine Head with barrelling fuzz blues bops, ultimately the band really have an identity built on their sense of humour rather than specific aural techniques like Dr Hook, after all they pay too much homage to 50s rock n blues and never fully embraced the rootsy sound of their biggest hit!
Wild Love a acoustic bopper with a great screamin call and response chorus 'waaaah, give me wild love'. There is some upbeat bounce to the song while the first three tracks are generic rock n roll with ragged belting form ray Dorset this has proper energy including the reverbed call of 'Hey!' towards the end. O Reilly and the Sun is Shining are slurred messes of songs, the latter reminding you how close they could stick to the old fashioned blues and rock n roll sounds without deviation or originality
Summer's Gone is the most interesting it is almost musically an exact remake of their big hit form four years prior, IN The summertime, but now with a slightly different inflection in the guitar parts and vocal melody, and more delightful mix of piano though the noises Dorset makes are the same as are the inclusion of the same low grade imitation of a car engine revving. The big difference is of course the lyrics which are the reverse of the original focusing on the summer ending and features great lyrics about "Summers gone, comes the rain..Christmas time will soon be here"Back to Work and Back to School" and "Living just for the Week End" it's almost more impressive on all levels, an improvement of the original. Don't Stop is a an awesome Chuck Berry type of fast paced roller with Dorset's grooving vocals and backing calls of Dont Stop and a cool guitar and piano solo. Going Back Home is a more Glam rock and fresher mix of surfing backing vocals, fantastic backing rhythms, the piano solo even sounds different with it's clear toned elegance, Dorset's melody is delicious as is the clanky guitars. No Girl Reaction is also an improvement with haunting fuzz and wah distortion on the guitars in this very Psych rock sounding tune with Dorset practically aping Jim Morrison whilst draped in a ghostly hallow; wonderful. Little Miss Hipshake is about the 30th ripoff of Chuck Berry's formula I can take but the lyrics are still catchy as he describes a racy girl growing up fast. I Don't Wanna Go Back To School is the last song, starting with a school bell, when it was a basic ball in a cup bell, it features soulful Horns and Dorset singing in a lazy drawl perfect fro the lyrics about wanting have more fun than return after the summer picking up where Summers Gone started.
Impala Saga was one of Mungo's last albums from the 70s, released in 76 it represents a fresh start, Hello Nadine is a crisp modern sounding metallic mandolin strum full of Greek folk styled rhytmm, a piano track that sounds like a steel drum, Dorset's romantic pop melody and a McCartney-esque tune. The propulsive opening track is followed by sleepy country rock Nevermind I've Still Got my Rock n Roll where Dorset's carefree vocal is hollow but heartfelt as he pines for Rock n Roll's roots, it is followed by two misnomers though; Too Fast is actually too fast, and Ain't Too Bad is actually bad, both are derivative filler. What follows are more 50s Rock N Roll tunes resouped up with new lyrics but the same formula, wasting the vinyl space when their originality came from their roots material. The first fresh track for a while is the ninth track, hit Me with it's chugging speed metal tempo and thick wah wah making up for the retro material, Dorset's unhinged nonsense vocals add adrenaline to the standard 70s hard rock sound of the song. Quiet Man starts with a slow melodic rockabilly guitar part before the soothing vocal led rhytmm drifts in, where he states he sometimes he likes to relax and be a quiet man; another fresh lyrical stance. The last track It's a secret links back to the opening track, Hello Nadine, the same metallic strum of a mandolin but with some minor keyed piano accents, low key Dorset vocal, shamanistic backing vocals make it sound like a haunted house of a tune; the crisp, light stringed playing of the mandolin adds a dark flavour. The title track starts with some staccato guitar playing with a very oriental vibe in their high and whiny tone, it's an arresting sound as hard rock crunch is melded with some ancient medieval melody; blues guitar wailing and marching drum beat mix with an eastern scale fitting the odd title which based on the album cover is based on a make of car called an impala. The repetitive staccato guitar and pianos underline Dorset's direct vocal before breaking into a soaring into the instrumental hook; the thin whine of one of the guitars with it's sweet distortion ends up sounding close to a violin at one point during the song's solo, and a synthesizer during other parts.
Still the only real melodic gem for is the second track Nevermind I've Still Got my Rock n Roll, it even gets a reprise as the 11th track due to the short length.
