#15
LOU REED — ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ANIMAL
Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner on guitars supercharge this live Lou Reed classic. Drawing heavily on his Velvet Underground period, but in updated arrangements, the song-list is user friendly but never cuddly. The version of “Heroin” is scarifying and “Lady Day” despairing. But at other times the energy fizzes out of the speakers (“White LIght/White Heat”) as Lou puts out, much to the delight of fans. Oddly, 1975’s sequel live LP from the same concerts falls flat, suggesting that the choice of tracks for Rock ’n’ Roll Animal was perfect.
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#14
POPOL VUH — EINSJÄGER UND SIEBENJÄGER
Probably my favourite Popol Vuh album, Einsjäger und Siebenjäger is also one of their most rock-orientated with guitars well in evidence. This more muscular sound serves the music well, and pulls the pieces back from a kind of cloying spirituality that undermines, say, Hosianna Mantra. Nevertheless, Florian Fricke’s delicate melodies and mastery of minimalist repetition infuse the album and help meld it into a most satisfying whole. In particular, the interchange between Daniel Fichelscher’s singing electric guitar guitar parts and Fricke’s piano chords adds a certain robustness to the music that I find particularly satisfying.
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#13
BETTY DAVIS — THEY SAY I’M DIFFERENT
If jazz has bop and hard bop, it is reasonable to call Betty Davis’ second LP Hard Funk. With capital letters. Continuing the in-yo-face thrust of her debut, Davis delivers a set of originals that feature her gravelly, libidinous voice… and lyrics to match. Sex, society and street life all feature as the players cook up a funky storm.
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#12
JACKSON BROWNE — LATE FOR THE SKY
Although there is little on Jackson Browne’s third album that could be described as upbeat, listening to it through is far from a miserable experience. Through themes of love and loss, disaster and deluge Browne’s melancholy voice ties it all together into a satisfying slice of humanity that may not leave you happier, but nevertheless comforted. A good album for difficult times.
PS. The album cover image is an homage to Rene Magritte and his 1950 painting “Empire of Light”, acknowledged by the musician on the back cover.
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#11
MIKE OLDFIELD — HERGEST RIDGE
The story of Mike Oldfield’s debut is well-known; it brought both the multi-instrumentalist and Virgin Records considerable success. Yet his second album is a much more satisfying work. Blending rock instrumentation with folk themes, Oldfield crafted an album that sings (without vocals) and engages without any gimmicks or narration. This, its successor (Ommadawn) and the later Platinum are my favourites in his catalogue, and Hergest Ridge is the most played of all his albums over the past half century.
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Still to come in the 1974 COUNTDOWN top ten: Beaches, Bob, and Bibles.
vinylconnection.com.au 
Take a walk on the wild side.
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And he did!
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You have really taken a measured approach to 1974, rather than my slap it on and see if you still like it approach. The Jackson Browne is special I’ve played it a few times on the dreaded commute and really enjoy the mood it creates. Lou is still to come. I’m really looking forward to the top ten as some of your choices have surprised me
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Hope the surprises were not all bad, Neil. 😉
Because of the fragmentation of rock that accelerates through the 1970s, this exercise has become quite challenging. I’m still pondering whether to attempt the exercise again for ’75. The starting list of around 250 is less of a problem than the diversity of styles/genres/etc. How to compare Tomita’s ‘Snowflakes are Dancing’ with Neil Young’s ‘Tonight’s the Night’? 😜
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No the surprises were welcome diversions. Maybe top tens for each genre. Or some other random organizational decision.
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Well to answer the Young Tomita question as Neil Young once said. “It’s all one song”
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That Lou Reed album is really cool. Of course, the other name I recognize in this set is Jackson Browne, a long-time favorite artist. “Late for the Sky” has some great songs! Once again, you impress me with your knowledge of German music acts. Well, at least, this time I can say the name Popol Vuh rings a distant bell. I think I previously may have read about them on your blog! 🙂
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LOL. You may well have encountered Popol Vuh here, Christian. I really like Florian Fricke’s work; not really like anyone else. This is one of their best!
And yes, Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal is a scorcher. 🔥🔥
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Just listened to the Wyatt album you recently featured. Im hearing this guitar noise at the end of the last cut and I’m thinking it would make sense that Fripp would show up on the record. So doing a little research (which lazy CB rarely does) I find out it was Oldfield. I hate being wrong. Ridge is a good one for sure
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Mike played with Kevin Ayres too. That young man and his guitar got around. Thanks for being on the journey, CB.
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Enjoying hearing familiar music from way back and also hearing and liking music I missed. Just ticked off the Gong model. The music is hitting the spot. I guess I have had my ears in a different sup so Im ready for his. Thanks for the nudge.
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Fabulous workout with Lou Live!
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One fine mornin’, she puts on a New York station
And she couldn’t believe what she heard at all
She started dancin’ to that fine-fine-fine-fine music
Ooohhh, her life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll
Hey baby, rock ‘n’ roll
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GREAT choices, particularly Rock and Roll Animal
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Glad you enjoyed the post. Many thanks!
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Great stuff as always
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[…] #15 — #11 […]
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I love that Popol Vuh album too. Never fails to remind me of this video. Why does Daniel Fichelscher play like that? Why is he turned up so loud?
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