Boz Scaggs (1977) Then She Walked Away - LOST 70s GEMS

A solid pop song from Boz who may not have the most popular voice but had one of the funkiest sounds with his smooth disco backing always a pleasure alongside other blue eyed disco bands like Bee Gees, Wild Cherry, Steely Dan and Player.

Aerosmith (1976) Sick as A Dog - LOST 70s GEMS

Starting with a killer phased echoplex guitar part full of ringing acoustic picking like bells before the main jam rocks up. The melody is backed by some smooth 'Pleeeeeeeaaaaase' backing vocals while the chorus refrain is nearly comical with lines like 'Sick as a Dog, Cat got your Tongue, Sick as a Dog, Cause you really ain't that young'. The rollicking bass work thrumming along with the party rock anthem vocals and general raucous rhythm creates a strong, clear rock sound I love. The quiet Hi-Hat laden bridge is monumental, the rhythm section doesn't get enough credit with the classic 50s shuffle beat heightened by the use of handclaps towards the end.

Nite City (1978) The Dreamer - LOST 70s GEMS

From Ray Manzarek's band's second album. Golden Days Diamond Nights, (their final album) the track The Dreamer is a clavinet driven funker with a sweet serene bridge about how "you served me breakfast in bed..yo got me going out of my head" and a chorus about "We got time we're gonna make it, I think we're gonna make it!" and even some la,la,la backing vocals to add campy fun. While ray Manzarek provides the campy vocal, the bridge vocalist's voice is far better, its also nice the central clavinet boogie at the centre of the song heard isolated at 4:20 seconds and the lilting country-esque disco guitar licks; all very 70s sounding.

Rush (1974) What You're Doing - LOST 70s GEMS

This rampaging rock number, dominated with a Aerosmith sounding guitar with its rolling, trebly bass lead guitar riff . Of course, the album with it's complete ripoff of the Led Zeppelin sound and even look right down to the double neck guitar and dark and blonde haired frontmen wasn't fresh, but their was some very melodic arena rock. I also particularly love the original drummer John Rutsey's bombastic fills full of rollicking energy and devoid of any jazz sophistication or retro rock n roll; just pure thunder.

'Don't know what you're feeling but your feeling wrong' cries Geddy Lee in what is a fine Plant esque echoed banshee wail. Though later Rush would add a prog mystique this is still arena rock lacking a deeper quality..aw shucks its still sounds Olympic sized, I'll give it that, unfortunately it has the same power chord crushing style of Led Zeppelin I five years prior, the sound that Kiss were also mining for their similar sounding debut from the same year.

Main Ingredient (1970) Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling In Love) - LOST 70s GEMS

The title track of their 1970 album Spinning Around is a wonderful joyous concoction of strings, smoky horns, guitars and percussion all crashing in with the band's soothing harmonies and arrangements.

David Gilmour (1978) No Way Out Of Here - LOST 70s GEMS

Vastly superior to the band Unicorn's original which had a rootsy feel, Gilmour instead focuses on the atmosphere of and strips it to its grungy melody with his liquid guitar lines and an organ providing a more weighty backdrop. The best is the wailing harmonica intro mimicking the back and froth/up and down melody that is significantly more emphasised here with Gilmour's downbeat vocal drawl.

The combo of Gilmour's power chords and deliberately restrained rock toughness would make this a grunge sound.

Nite City (1977) Bitter Sky Blue - LOST 70s GEMS

 A jazzier arena rock sound than the Doors, not surprisingly its all a little too mellow with little keyboards support from Manzarek. But ultimately driven just as much by lead singer Noah James who would depart before their second album, which is a shame as his melodic vocals are engaging and central to the AOR material. This is a solid package of rock songs but they lack any discernible character or personality to make them edgy enough for critics, though song for song they are far more consistently than say Journey who struggled to keep the deep cuts as catchy as their hits. Also the warped organ on Love Will Make You Mellow sounding like its emerging in and out of water is cool sounding along with more laser blaster synth work would have made this album a little more interesting.

Bitter Sky Blue with its winsome melody of an ELO mix of RnB rhytmm of buoyant piano, frosty synths and heavily treated pop guitar. But the aerial synths of Summer Eyes and the heavy blues of Caught in a Panic are worthy of a listen too.