70 CAN — FUTURE DAYS
There is a sinuous groove throughout Future Days that is beguiling and cool as fuck. Though I do miss the forceful, controlled-explosion energy of the earlier albums. Kraut-lounge? Jägermeister on ice? [Released August 1973]
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69 PETER BANKS — TWO SIDES OF PETER BANKS
With Steve Hackett (Genesis) and John Wetton (King Crimson) guesting, you are assured of great playing. But the secret centre of this solo outing from the onetime Yes guitarist is that it was co-written with Focus guitar master Jan Akkerman. An oft-overlooked prog gem. [Released August 1973]
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68 WALTER WEGMÜLLER / THE COSMIC COURIERS — TAROT
This entirely unhinged album is a long time VC favourite. In fact, it scored its own post here. Ravings, space grooves, prog-folk musings, psychedelic dreams… this double album has it all. Originals go for insane money, so when a lavish but ridiculously expensive vinyl re-issue came out a couple of years back I had no choice; the cards foretold it.
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67 FUNKADELIC — COSMIC SLOP
It’s no Maggot Brain, but it’s still pretty damn good. Only two tracks break the five minute mark but the sense of continuity is still very clear throughout these ultra-cool grooves. The music has some variation (especially in the vocal department) but is nowhere near as bizarre as the cover. [Released July 1973]
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66 IGGY AND THE STOOGES — RAW POWER
Proto-punk. What it says on the (back) cover. [Released February 1973]
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65 ZZ TOP — TRES HOMBRES
They didn’t always have long beards, but they always played a high octane brand of Texas blues that hit a chord with punters right from the off. This third album was their breakthrough, largely due to the totally infectious “La Grange”. Down, dirty, and rock solid, call Tres Hombres for a good-time. [Released July 1973]
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64 GONG — FLYING TEAPOT
The first instalment in the Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy is without doubt the most eccentric. Swinging wildly between three-legged space fandangoes and deranged fairytales, the sax of Didier Malherbe is prominent throughout. Although guitar astronaut Steve Hillage had joined the band, he doesn’t appear much on Flying Teapot. But fear not, herbal brethren, the pot head pixies will return. [Released May 1973]
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63 FRIPP & ENO — (NO PUSSYFOOTING)
Somehow managing to be both intense and drifting, this slightly paranoid sheet of ambient electronica has a magnetic attraction. For this who love haunting guitar moans and synth noir. [Released November 1973]
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62 BRAINTICKET — CELESTIAL OCEAN
Now that is how to do an LP facsimile re-issue on CD!
Inspired by the Egyptian Book Of The Dead, Brainticket’s third album is a trippy progressive jazz inflected journey through a mythical cosmos. Although often lumped in with ‘krautrock’ bands, Brainticket was formed by Belgian multi-instrumentalist Joel Vandroogenbroeck, here accompanied by vocalist/zither player Carole Muriel, an American. With folk touches and a variety of acoustic textures, it’s a delightful, largely instrumental album that still impresses despite some slightly disturbing vocal collages; presumably the mutterings of the dear departed.
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61 MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA — BETWEEN NOTHINGNESS & ETERNITY
The last LP of the first phase of the Mahavishnu Orchestra was recorded live in August ’73. Its release came after recording on a third studio album stalled, with new material from those sessions featuring. Comprising three long tracks (the third is the entirety of the second side), it demonstrates the incredible communication of a group of outstanding musicians, despite some recording limitations due to the live sound. Not to mention growing acrimony between the band members! [Released November 1973]
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vinylconnection.com.au 
Good stuff, Bruce. I’m happy to report at least I’m familiar with ZZ Top’s “Tres Hombres” (love it!), and I’ve also heard of various of your other picks.
One artist who is entirely new to me is Walter Wegmüller. I love how you describe his album “Tarot” as “entirely unhinged”! That said, based on sampling “Die Welt,” I think I understand where you’re coming from! 🙂
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Give Raw Power a try.
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I titled the feature article on this album “Wahnsinn”, Christian, which gives some idea of my assessment! (I love it, though).
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😆 I’m impressed time and again how you find all this music.
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Wandered into very many record shops in my lost 20s!!
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I hit on five of the ten this time around!! You can probably guess which. Of those I don’t have, I most want the Peter Banks based on your description and the players/co-writer (Wow!). If forced to declare, I’d least envy the Can, which is yet another band I have tried but failed to embrace.
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67, 66, 65, 61, and which other? The Fripp/Eno perhaps? Too electro-plink?
Have you tried earlier Can, like Monster Movie?
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Perfect score as I am going to give you credit for the Fripp/Eno (which I really, really like – no plink to be found). I listened to the Peter Banks this morning and… What the hell have I been doing with my life? 50 years of incredible music listening foregone (sigh)…
As for can, I probably exaggerate when I say I have tried them. It would be more honest to say I have tried unsuccessfully many times to force myself to like TagoMago.
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I mentally postulated Tago Mago as the culprit. I see you as more a Monster Movie fella. (grin)
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What a crop is this one. Cosmic Slop! Didn’t realize that was ‘73! Was kind of into that one as much as Maggot Brain if not more so actually! And like what you say about Future Days. The long lead-in to track 1 is my favorite part to that album. But they were just starting to turn here.
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A rich and varied selection, Bill!
I did wonder if the main diff between Cosmic and Magott was the knock-out punch of the latter’s title track. Both terrific, though!
(The odd thing about Future Days is that I play it at least as often as the more edgy earlier stuff. Go figure.)
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Yeah Future Days doesn’t have anything like overtly difficult or acrimonious does it? So there you go maybe. Heck, No Pussyfooting has more dissonance prolly,
dunnit?
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Yeah, I love the sinisteriness of No Pussyfooting.
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I want that Walter Wegmuller album, unhinged, insane right up my alley. I am so happy you resurrected these posts.
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Aw, thanks Neil. They’ll be a comin’ thick and fast!!
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I always appreciate the way you bring my attention to bands I’m not familiar with!
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Thanks Jadi. I’m delighted to have you on the journey, especially these countdowns! As you might imagine, many more familiar titles appear in the upper reaches. 🙂
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You are delving into music I listened to in high school… which means the bands and albums closest to my heart. Your posts have brought back some great memories from a period that involved a lot of partying!
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That’s great, Jadi. Lot’s of dancing round the lounge room I hope!
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The lounge room down in the cellar – yes, lots of dancing!
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VC The Jazz-Rock Funk influence permeated into the music scene in Melbourne by ‘73 with bands like Mackenzie Theory, Isaac Aaron, South Melbourne Sharks taking flight at venues like Much More Ballroom and Reefer Cabaret. I’m sure there were others including an early appearance of Renee Geyer as a member of a visiting Sydney band whose the name eludes me. Later Ayers Rock had a fusion thing going too. Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Birds of Fire album released early ‘73, was featured on a late night ABC radio program Room to Move. With Chris Winter as host. This was before Double J was launched unfortunately only in Sydney on AM before FM radio got going. Retrospectively caught up with the Funkadelic groove decades later but my Dad futuristically was into Deodata from day dot. Great series great time Woody.
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Hey Woody. Thanks for sharing some memories and a couple of ‘rare’ band names! I saw Ayres Rock at Melbourn Uni in ’75 and was amazed – they led me to Weather Report and on we went.
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PS> The ‘Introductory’ post (from January!) includes Mackenzie Theory. Saw them too. Great band.
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I grabbed that Walter Wegmuller reissue without hearing a note from it just because I’d read so much about how great it was online. Probably in part because of your post from 8 years ago! It did not disappoint. In some ways it’s the ultimate Krautrock album…I mean, it’s all there isn’t it? The length made me a little nervous but if anything it wasn’t enough!
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Fantastic story. Fabulous that you enjoyed it too (‘cos it wasn’t cheap, was it?!). I agree, it’s all of krautock in one bonkers package.
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there’s actually a bit more to it – it basically stemmed from a conversation I had with the local record store guy, about how basically everything is getting reissued anymore, so there are no “holy grails” anymore. and I mentioned this album, not really knowing much about it, other than the fact that it was an obscure cult classic that came in a tin and that original pressings were very highly in demand. the point I was trying to make was “if this thing gets a reissue, then truly nothing is off the table”. but it caused him to listen to parts of it on Youtube, and he liked it so much he bought several copies for the store, and I kinda figured well, now I guess I have to buy one (it was $40, not cheap but not insane for a double). very glad I did of course!!
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Thanks for fleshing out the story. That’s actually a great price. I bought it via the record company and paid twice that!
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Three of my absolute favourites right there Bruce, Iggy, Funkadelic (very underrated one of theirs), ZZ Top and the Eno/Fripp – oddly I’ve played all 3 of those in the last 12 days.
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You are obviously channelling the 50th anniversary zeitgeist, Joe.
Sometimes I think that once something is on a list such as this, the position is just a matter of individual fine-tuning of taste; no right or wrong, more agreement than arm-wrestling. Perhaps the best metric would be how many titles in total would be on both our lists.
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As a monomaniac I respectfully disagree, you should slavishly follow my tastes.
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I own 49 LPs from 1973, I’ve just discovered. Some big hitters in there too.
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Watch this space. 🙃
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If Space Ritual doesn’t win then I demand my money back, all of it.
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Do your own list! (Lazy sod)
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I’d rather just criticise yours in an amiable fashion, its much easier.
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Fair enough. So, here’s a teaser… You’l have to wait awhile to object to SR not winning.
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[…] Part 2: 70—61 […]
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Man this post and the last are just confirmation on how our listening habits are similar a high % of the time. I wore out the Banks and the Pussyfooting and the # 61 albums
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Nice, CB. Yep, I still play those three as well.
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[…] Albums #70 — 61 […]
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