Friday, September 23, 2011

Life Songs: ’70s, additional

Okay, so I’ve been pondering that last list and I realize I left a LOT out, and here’s some other ones I came up with. I know my list is way too freakin’ long now.

1970

1971
  • The Who – Behind Blue Eyes – Pete Townshend is such a poet, and Roger Daltry had the sexiest voice.
  • Richie Havens – Here Comes The Sun – possibly the best Beatles cover ever. I heard this version before I heard the Beatles version. What’s that you say, it’s a George Harrison song? That explains it.
  • Harry Nilsson – Without You, Coconut, Let The Good Times Roll – Everyone’s heard his version of Without You and didn’t realize it was him. The Muppets covered Coconut and, again, no one knew it was him. And his cover of Let The Good Times Roll (not the Cars song) rocks more than any other version has.

1972

1973

1974

1975
  • Loudon Wainwright III – Unrequited To The Nth Degree – this is the funniest song about threatened suicide that’s ever been written, and you must all listen.
  • Eagles – Journey of the SorcererHitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy placed this firmly in my psyche and it’s never coming out again.
  • The Who – Squeeze Box – No Mum, it’s about an accordion, really. They just like to play the accordion, I swear.
  • Willie Nelson – Blue Eyes Crying In The RainRed-Headed Stranger is another album you just have to have. At the time, Nelson had complete control of his own output (who has that nowadays?), so the record company had to put it out, though they were sure it would be an abject failure. Instead it became an instant classic, broke records all over. This is the saddest song I know, and no one does it like Willie.
  • 10cc – I’m Not In Love – Sure dude, keep denying it, we all know the truth.
  • Bee Gees – Jive Talkin’ – I hated it. I really did. I swear. But I’ve decided I don’t anymore, and now I realize it’s actually super-catchy.
  • Led Zeppelin - Kashmir – Adding an orchestra to a rock song almost always improves it. Strings especially. There’s something so majestic about this song. Have you heard the version The Ordinaires did? It’s pretty good too...
  • Roxy Music – Love Is The Drug – Bryan Ferry was the suavest thing I’d ever seen. Recently the awesome Greg Proops commented about the ridiculousness of someone so dripping with sex ever having to go looking for it (he has an awful lot of songs about being lonely), and he’s so right.
  • Vangelis – Heaven & Hell, Movement 3 – In 1980, PBS produced an awesome science show, hosted by Carl Sagan, called Cosmos. It was the first time scientific ideas about evolution, space, memory, etc. were presented in a manner that was easy to understand, and the America responded by making it the most-watched series on public television in history (until Ken Burns and his Civil War program 10 years later). This was the theme music. Do yourself a favour and find it.
  • Maxine Nightingale – Right Back Where We Started From – Remember this from Slap Shot?

1976

1977

1978

1979

I’ll put some links in there and then turn my mind to the ’80s...

I’ve updated my ’70s playlist combining all the years over on Grooveshark if you want to go over and give it a listen. There’s also individual ones for each year, you can access all of my playlists over there…

Previously: Life Songs: ’70s. Did you miss it?

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