Tag Archives: 1972 albums

SUPERNAUT

High School was well and truly done before I acquired my first stereo. Sure, the family home had several devices capable of emitting music: a Bakelite mantle radio in the kitchen, my Father’s Elcon reel-to-reel tape recorder, the sideboard sized stereogram in the lounge, all polished wood and frowning classical records. But all of these […]

1972: ALBUM COVER EXTRA

THE ART OF THE LP — 1972 Here are three albums that didn’t make it onto the 72 FROM ’72 list. If, however, the ranking had been about cover art and design they would have polled very well indeed. * This  LP by Family is a delightful conception, beautifully realised. The retro bakelite TV offers […]

1972 COUNTDOWN: #2

2  YES — CLOSE TO THE EDGE Some facts: Close to the Edge was released on 13th September 1972 as Atlantic Records SD7244. It was the band’s fifth album and was a critical and popular success, reaching the Top 5 of album charts in both the UK and USA. There are three pieces on the album: the […]

1972 COUNTDOWN: RECAP

72 FROM ’72 is reaching a climax. The top of the mountain, the pick of the bunch, the pinnacle of all things musical in 1972. The Top 10. As we launch into the final few posts, here is a list of all the albums covered in the countdown so far, with links to the original […]

1972 | A JAZZ SIX-PACK

Before the end of the 72 From ’72 series there will be a selection of my favourite jazz albums from the year in question. In the meantime, here is a somewhat random half-dozen 1972 albums that have tickled the jazz fancy over the years. * When I acquired this from Bentleigh Sewing & Records in […]

MOSE KNOWS

In the early 1970s jazz labels started to mine their back catalogues by re-issuing material repackaged for a new, younger audience. These compilations were often priced lower than a new release and provided opportunities to explore less familiar styles and artists. It was a fine idea and it worked. Well, for me, anyway.  Just recently […]

1972 COUNTDOWN — #30 – 26

30  GENTLE GIANT — OCTOPUS There’s no doubt that some progressive bands (or albums) require effort to get into. England’s Gentle Giant are one of those. With scintillating playing, complex compositional structures (featuring changes of time, key, and instrumentation) and melody lines that puzzle on first acquaintance, this is not a band that gives up […]

1972 COUNTDOWN — #35 – 31

35  CHICAGO — LIVE IN JAPAN Coming out the year after their epic four LP set Chicago Live At Carnegie Hall, this is a far superior document of the brass-driven outfit in concert. The playing is energetic and powerful while the recording is much, much better than the tinny sound of the 1971 release. The […]

1972 COUNTDOWN — #40-36

40  PINK FLOYD — OBSCURED BY CLOUDS Falling between Meddle (1971) and Dark Side Of The Moon (1973), Pink Floyd’s soundtrack music for the Barbet Schroeder film La Vallée tends to be only ever mentioned in passing. Showing their more straight ahead rock side and capacity for focus, Obscured By Clouds is an excellent, understated record […]

1972 COUNTDOWN — THE STORY SO FAR

As a warm-up to a possible resumption of play in the 72 FROM ’72 countdown, here is a summary of the posts and albums so far. GREEN AND SUBMARINE kicked things off in mid-January. Summer Downunder is a time for thinking about beaches and oceans and spinning one of my favourite film soundtracks ever. It […]