Category ACROSS THE DECADES
1974 COUNTDOWN | #49 — #45
#49 JETHRO TULL — WARCHILD After Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play, some Jethro Tull fans were no doubt relieved that the band had moved back to standard song lengths and un-concept albums. Some of the songs do seem a little pedestrian, but the hits are irrefutable evidence that Ian Anderson and the […]
ALBUM COVERS | AMBIENT 1—4
Influenced by minimalist composition and his own explorations of less-is-more on 1975’s Discreet Music, Eno produced the hypnotic and hugely influential Ambient 1: Music For Airports in 1978. It was the beginning of a series of four ‘ambient’ albums linked visually by their cover art, and musically by the reflective, spacious atmospheres evoked by their […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #54 — #50
#54 GRATEFUL DEAD — FROM THE MARS HOTEL Given their penchant for live albums, it was a forgivable error to assume From The Mars Hotel was another; perhaps a one night stand at a seedy spaced-themed Las Vegas bar? But no, this is a studio album. Although the single “U.S. Blues” failed to chart, From […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | FIVE MORE LIVE
Five more 1974 live albums, including two appearances by a British organist and two with ‘oblivion’ in the titles. What are the chances? * VELVET UNDERGROUND — 1969 Released in September 1974 when Lou Reed was a star (if that’s the right word), this rambling double-LP live album is really rather a delight for Velvet […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #59 — #55
#59 DAN FOGELBERG — SOUVENIRS With Joe Walsh on guitars, Don Henley and Glen Frey guesting, plus backing vocals from Graham Nash, you could be forgiven for thinking Dan Fogelberg was a cut-price one-man Eagles. Except Souvenirs is no mark-down album, offering great songs in a melodic country-rock vein. This is an LP I taped […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | FIVE LIVE
Although several ‘in concert’ recordings have made it into the 74 FROM ’74 Countdown, there are lots that didn’t. Here are a handful. * BIRTHCONTROL — LIVE Almost a quintessential 70s prog rock band, Birthcontrol released this live double album to please their many German fans. It is energetic, with familiar songs getting extended treatments […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #64 — #60
#64 STEVIE WONDER — FULFILLINGNESS’ FIRST FINALE Compared to the sharp-edged focus of Innervisions, FFF is a mellow affair. Working pretty much on his own, Wonder delivers a selection of fine songs which are broadly about relationships and the journey of connection. “Boogie on reggae woman” and “You ain’t done nothin’” are obvious standouts; surely […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #69 — #65
#69 LOU REED — SALLY CAN’T DANCE Eternally suspicious of, well, everything actually, Lou Reed was not exactly overjoyed by the unexpected success of Sally Can’t Dance. His acidic comment ran thusly: “It seems like the less I’m involved with a record, the bigger a hit it becomes. If I weren’t on the record at […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | A JAZZ EXCURSION
Although there are a few jazz-rock albums in the main 74 FROM ’74 list, I limited the jazz component to make the selection process more manageable. But here are ten (from the eighty or so) from the VC collection, albums I enjoy greatly. Plenty of variety, both in terms of style and relative fame of […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #74—#70
#74 MACKENZIE THEORY — BON VOYAGE How fitting to begin another COUNTDOWN voyage with an album called Bon Voyage. How ironic saying “Hello” to another epic trek through more than six dozen albums (selected from a pool of around three hundred) with a ritual phrase of farewell. How ambivalent was your correspondent about attempting this […]
KALEIDOSCOPIC GLORY
Transatlantic are a genuine progressive rock supergroup, albeit a part-time one. Comprising members of Spock’s Beard (Neal Morse) Dream Theatre (Mike Portnoy) Marillion (Pete Trewavas) and the Flower Kings (Roine Stolt), the band released its first album, SMPT:e in 2000. In February 2014 Kaleidoscope, their fourth studio album, appeared. Another huge opus blending symphonic prog […]
BROUGHT THEIR ZZ GAME
Through the 1970s, Texan trio ZZ Top played music blending the boogie of Canned Heat with elements of Southern rock to produce an infectious style of blues rock. With hits like the irresistible “La Grange” they became a popular live attraction as well as selling plenty of albums. But that was nothing compared to the […]
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