Post by salparadise on Jul 3, 2006 0:16:34 GMT -5
The 1970's are a very tricky decade as far as good Rock music is concerned. There are so many great records that I happen to love more than anything on Earth that it is very hard to narrow down the best five.
Before I write this list, I would like to offer my most sincere apologies and utmost respect to the following artists that did not make the cut:
The Ramones
Bruce Springsteen
Patti Smith
Funkadelic
Gang of Four
Blondie
The Grateful Dead
Brian Eno
The Buzzcocks
Pere Ubu
Joni Mitchell
Neil Young
Richard Hell & the Voidoids
Rocket from the Tombs (Not to be confused with Rocket from the Crypt)
Harry Neilson
The Vibrators
Wire
Television
I love all of you and listen to you much. But I can only pick five.
5. Exile on Main St.- The Rolling Stones
So what if they're Affluent British Crackers? You can still smell the sawdust and Black sweat of the Southern Mississippi Loveshack that all of the music on this record was stolen from. The only Brits I can forgive for the bold-faced thievery of great American Blues are the Stones. This is the ultimate Eat-Your-Heart-Out-Eric-Clapton-We-Do-It-Way-Better-Than-You-Do, You-Coke-Ridden-White-Boy album of all time.
Whatever Exile's fakeries (and there are many), it is truly fine music and a record I'll never give up. There's just too much here to enjoy. It somehow avoids the Brit-Thief trappings and allows you to forget that it's all a rip-off con job.
4. Fun House- The Stooges
This is the first Stooges album, The Stooges, without the 10 minute waste of time interruption of "We Will Fall"; which makes it one of the best records ever, of course.
To be sure, there are some long-ass tracks on Fun House, but unlike "We Will Fall", "L.A. Blues" and "Dirt" are strokes of genius, albeit strokes of genius of the brain-peircing, teeth-grinding, vomit spattered variety.
Say what you want about the Stooges, their records were an all out sonic assault unlike that of any other band, regardless of how "hard-core" anyone else ever tried to be since then, and Fun House is Iggy's triumphant moment.
3. 77- The Talking Heads
Of course, the Talking Heads. I place 77 pretty much on par with More Songs About Buildings and Food and Fear of Music. What gives their debut record the edge is its daring aside from everything else happening at CBGB (with the exception of Patti Smith and Television), and that it presented the intellectual edginess and high-minded precision without the assisstance of Brian Eno or John Cale. There are those that say that Byrne offered as much to Eno with 77 that Eno offered Byrne by producing their subsequent records, and I believe them.
It was as though Eno wanted to be in on Byrne's meticulous artistry rather than elevate it, and the evidence of that truly exists in the splendor of 77.
2. Low- David Bowie
The cool thing about talking about (good) albums from the 70's is that by doing so you are never more than a few "Seven Ways to Kevin Bacon" steps away from Brian Eno. Low is the first installment of Bowie's profound "Berlin Trilogy" collaborations with Brian Eno. Like its predecessors Heroes and Lodger, it has been a staple influence for avant-garde projects of all sorts since its release.
Much like the Talking Heads and Bob Dylan, it is especially difficult to single out just one David Bowie record as "the best". Most of his albums, particularly from the 70's (esp. Aladin Sane and Hunky Dory) , are knock-down drag-out works of complete brilliance.
Low makes my list because it has proven to possess the most consistency and longevity among all of Bowie's albums; however, there are any number of Bowie albums that could fit nicely into this slot depending on my mood. It's hard to single out Low as the most artistic or expressive Bowie project, because I could easily argue myself out of that when many of his other albums are taken into consideration.
1. London Calling- The Clash
When all of the breakthrough's, aesthetics, scenes, milestones and restructuring of Rock music in the 70's is taken into consideration, the one album that can genuinely be considered to represent the best of all worlds is The Clash's London Calling. From the howling and determined punk title track to the 50's homage sensibility of "Brand New Cadillac"... to the creative forces of "Guns of Brixton" all the way to what was then the first suggestions of a "New Wave" in Rock in "I'm Not Down", London Calling brings a burgeoning, jam-packed, sprawling and relentless expression of artistry and talent.
This is an essential album, hands down a must have and without a doubt the best album release of the 1970's.
-Sal
Before I write this list, I would like to offer my most sincere apologies and utmost respect to the following artists that did not make the cut:
The Ramones
Bruce Springsteen
Patti Smith
Funkadelic
Gang of Four
Blondie
The Grateful Dead
Brian Eno
The Buzzcocks
Pere Ubu
Joni Mitchell
Neil Young
Richard Hell & the Voidoids
Rocket from the Tombs (Not to be confused with Rocket from the Crypt)
Harry Neilson
The Vibrators
Wire
Television
I love all of you and listen to you much. But I can only pick five.
5. Exile on Main St.- The Rolling Stones
So what if they're Affluent British Crackers? You can still smell the sawdust and Black sweat of the Southern Mississippi Loveshack that all of the music on this record was stolen from. The only Brits I can forgive for the bold-faced thievery of great American Blues are the Stones. This is the ultimate Eat-Your-Heart-Out-Eric-Clapton-We-Do-It-Way-Better-Than-You-Do, You-Coke-Ridden-White-Boy album of all time.
Whatever Exile's fakeries (and there are many), it is truly fine music and a record I'll never give up. There's just too much here to enjoy. It somehow avoids the Brit-Thief trappings and allows you to forget that it's all a rip-off con job.
4. Fun House- The Stooges
This is the first Stooges album, The Stooges, without the 10 minute waste of time interruption of "We Will Fall"; which makes it one of the best records ever, of course.
To be sure, there are some long-ass tracks on Fun House, but unlike "We Will Fall", "L.A. Blues" and "Dirt" are strokes of genius, albeit strokes of genius of the brain-peircing, teeth-grinding, vomit spattered variety.
Say what you want about the Stooges, their records were an all out sonic assault unlike that of any other band, regardless of how "hard-core" anyone else ever tried to be since then, and Fun House is Iggy's triumphant moment.
3. 77- The Talking Heads
Of course, the Talking Heads. I place 77 pretty much on par with More Songs About Buildings and Food and Fear of Music. What gives their debut record the edge is its daring aside from everything else happening at CBGB (with the exception of Patti Smith and Television), and that it presented the intellectual edginess and high-minded precision without the assisstance of Brian Eno or John Cale. There are those that say that Byrne offered as much to Eno with 77 that Eno offered Byrne by producing their subsequent records, and I believe them.
It was as though Eno wanted to be in on Byrne's meticulous artistry rather than elevate it, and the evidence of that truly exists in the splendor of 77.
2. Low- David Bowie
The cool thing about talking about (good) albums from the 70's is that by doing so you are never more than a few "Seven Ways to Kevin Bacon" steps away from Brian Eno. Low is the first installment of Bowie's profound "Berlin Trilogy" collaborations with Brian Eno. Like its predecessors Heroes and Lodger, it has been a staple influence for avant-garde projects of all sorts since its release.
Much like the Talking Heads and Bob Dylan, it is especially difficult to single out just one David Bowie record as "the best". Most of his albums, particularly from the 70's (esp. Aladin Sane and Hunky Dory) , are knock-down drag-out works of complete brilliance.
Low makes my list because it has proven to possess the most consistency and longevity among all of Bowie's albums; however, there are any number of Bowie albums that could fit nicely into this slot depending on my mood. It's hard to single out Low as the most artistic or expressive Bowie project, because I could easily argue myself out of that when many of his other albums are taken into consideration.
1. London Calling- The Clash
When all of the breakthrough's, aesthetics, scenes, milestones and restructuring of Rock music in the 70's is taken into consideration, the one album that can genuinely be considered to represent the best of all worlds is The Clash's London Calling. From the howling and determined punk title track to the 50's homage sensibility of "Brand New Cadillac"... to the creative forces of "Guns of Brixton" all the way to what was then the first suggestions of a "New Wave" in Rock in "I'm Not Down", London Calling brings a burgeoning, jam-packed, sprawling and relentless expression of artistry and talent.
This is an essential album, hands down a must have and without a doubt the best album release of the 1970's.
-Sal