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
Frequent Eagles collaborator JD Southers debut was released in tandem with the Eagles in the summer of 72. It frankly sounds like a companion piece like a lost Eagles album while it's sparse folk rock and piano ballads point to 1973' Desperado and beyond you can hear in Souther, Glenn Frey's vocal touchstones mixing a sweet nasal good Ol boy with some of Don Henley's rasp.
But to the album Jesus in 3/4 time is a hippie/anti religion song draped in a Jackson Browne contemplative vocal/piano. The song is elevated by exuberant backing vocals adding sweet vigour to Southers lilting arrangement. The track builds and reminds me of Elton John' Burn Down the Mission. Out to Sea starts quite downbeat but us again picks up slightly with stacked ragged countrified harmonies; there is more pedal steel in the background, a device notably left out of the Eagles sound in favour of the B Bender. Some People Call It Music is far more energetic with a sturdy beat and more energised Souther vocals and a elongated chorus melody and folk guitar licks; this is the heavier side of folk rock. Kite Woman is a more stodgy retread of the more fluid version heard the pioneering 1969 Longbranch Pennywhistle album. The Fast One is a perfect song for Flying Burrito Brothers, with the same rollicking roadhouse roots rock of Six Days on the Road, with harmonised pedal steel licks, stick drumbeat and more ragged two part harmonies.
The best though is Run like a Thief which could've been a Don Henley Eagles song with it's excellent dynamics building from a slow blues verse launching into a clarion call for escape like the soaring the chorus to Already Gone. It fits nicely into Eagles brand of stacked southern choruses and stilted folk rock if not this album is a little too subtle and folky for the band; there loss is our gain maybe Souther instead of being team player could've started his own rival country rock outfit.
Sparks's 1976 album Big Beat may have strong drums but there is a terse hard rock sound akin to black Sabbath and Kiss strangely present for a very Theatrical Pop Rock act, Big Boy mixes their flouncy lyrics with the meat and potatoes speed metal of bands like Deep Purple with heavy fuzz distortion and funky, needle point bass similar to Roger Glover; the multi-tracked solo is pure Brian May.
They were clearly trying out Classic Rock for a more commercial sound, for example; Nothing to Do is a Kiss sounding track with chugging distorted guitars and a messy mix as Russell sings in a more direct rock voice with a driving verse but a circular chorus melody that leaves much to desire. The title repeatedly sung with no real weight, gong through the motions it would be a common occurrence in their music; bland refrains of the title as seemingly on the nose statements. Throw Her Away (And Get A New One) follows in the Raspberries power pop and Paul Stanley sound of Nothing to Do with another inane chorus but interesting lyrics, Russell sounds like Geddy Lee while the abrupt stops, thudding drums and layered synths remind me of Rush.
Confusion is 70s Glam Rock wrapped in 80s New Wave Power Pop with a memorable sing along melody, I Bought the Mississippi River is playful arena rock with another driving melody and Knight rider bass thumping along with a some animated backing vocals and a Rocky Horror Picture Show piano turnaround. Mississippi Rover also has an exquisite Jimmy Page style guitar solo, but it doesn't compare to the Black Sabbath fuzz guitar foundation for I Want To Be Like Everybody Else, the sparse shuffle to the droning suspended chords and that incredibly fat fuzz tone and the haunting guitar vamps around the 1.50 point as well as the soaring blues guitar and the anti-conformity lyrics makes this; Sparks do Black Sabbath.
White Woman is a bawdy, old timey music hall track with a crisp drum sounds and Russell's throaty growl about 'gotta be White women!Everywhere', the entrance of a low organ or aria voice yodelling away in the background is the true highlight over the plodding funk guitar and 'scissor snip' tom tom effect. Screwed Up is based around another druid guitar march, chunky monolithic chord attack favoured by Judas Priest and Sabbath et al, a bizarre combination with Russell's fluttery vocals. Fill-Er-Up is screaming Sabbath like no other track with a a boogie based around Sabbath' Rock n Roll Doctor from the same year, the crunching guitar with it's Southern rock riffing interjecting is exhilarating.
Sparks last album of the 70s was a big one, a collaboration with Disco king and Techno pioneer, producer Giorgio Moroder. While I enjoyed their 1977 Introducing album most critics hated it, while I am not a fan of this album though it is lauded as a hugely influential in Synth pop and spawned a coupe hit singles. For me tracks like La Dolce Vita and Academy Performance are examples of Sparks' songwriting but lacking the clear concise hooks of their usual pop rock, Glam and Prog backing with a very dated, cheesy synthesizer led melody dominating both. The songwriting isn't especially good either but there are a few tunes that rise above Moroder' heavy handed disco beats and the Brother's Mael's declining knack for melodicism.
First up is opening track Tryouts for the Human Race, it starts with a classic Moroder beat, an oscillating bass note pattern that would fit a Donna Summer song, but Russell's whining croak works as a high tenor counterpoint to the deep synthesizer beat as it modulate and undulates in that Morodish way. The big chorus is melodic big pop and while it doesn't reflect Sparks' sound it does feature their interesting lyrics even if they by now they sound and look like Duran Duran, who hadn't yet debuted so this was an influential time for them.
My Other Voice, located deep on the LP's more accessible second side, starts with the sample of a sawing metal in a loop and Moroder wobble beat as crashing layers of a Mellotron sounding synth phase in and pan around like a sonic orchestra. A winsome keyboard plays some interesting lines before devilish talk box vocal sings. Let's be clear it's synth overload, the many tracks of drums synthesizers, keyboards envelope you in a dull cacophony, some sound choral and damn right angelic like Russell's vocal before we return to that buzzing metal sample with very little idea of what was the point of the whole build up and breaking down of all those effects. Beat the Clock is a bright 80s sounding synth tune with more chugging drum machine beats and buzzing alarm clock keyboards and some African sounding keyboard lines in the background whilst their is the Disco call of 'You Gotta to Beat the Clock, You Gotta Beat the Clock'. Their is a more 70s Italo Disco sounding keyboard solo with a watery church organ sound playing a series of scales up and down reminding me of Abba's Euro based pop. It's utterly forgettable and not really showcasing the best of either artist, but up next is the big hit; No 1 Song in Heaven.
For this closing track and No 1 single, all the elements gel, form the far more engrossing opening mix of driving synth bassline and Russell's most indelible vocal. He sings faster in time with less classical wailing and more understated while the military drum beats keep a heavy anchor while the electronica programmed keyboard lines keep this in the futuristic. Finally the upbeat nature along with the hallowed reverb fit the spiritual lyrics and once again the restrained vocals from Russell keeping this from veering off into their usual grating operetta theatrics while Moroder takes of the music with his propeller beat outdoing nay of Ron's excessive love of synths for this whole album.
