I’m currently listening to All My Friends, an amazing four hour celebration of the music of Gregg Allman. The album includes performance by an incredible selection of rock/country performers and the man himself. Today’s Special Performance post features one of those performances with Gregg and Jackson Browne joining forces on Gregg’s Melissa. For those of you that don’t know, Gregg and Jackson have been friends since the 60s, having once shared an apartment in LA before either of them were successful. This is a really great performance that you don’t want to miss! Enjoy……
This new series of mid-week posts will feature special performances by interesting combinations of some of my favorite artists. To kick things off, I have a great performance of Racing In The Streets featuring Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne. Enjoy…..
(For a great story about the Abandoned Luncheonette cover checkout this blog post)
Some people will tell you that the 70s were a vast wasteland for music. To those people I say….”You don’t know what the hell you are talking about!” Take a look at the unbelievable collection of albums that were released in the last three months of 1973 and I dare you to find another three months in any year that produced the same level of music quality and diversity. I’m proud to say that I have these albums in my collection.
So get ready….I have well over an hour of music below celebrating the best albums released at the end of 1973. Enjoy…….
October 1973 Album Releases
Selling England By The Pound – Genesis
This is probably my favorite Genesis album of all time. It was back during the days when the band was fronted by Peter Gabriel (i.e. it was the “real” Genesis). I know what I like and here it is……
Time Fades Away – Neil Young
This is the rarest Neil album of all time to the best of my knowledge. I am lucky enough to have the vinyl album…I say that because Neil has never released this one as a CD. Here’s one of my favorite songs from Neil which is one of his most autobiographical numbers. It’s also a great New Years Resolution if you are still looking for one……Don’t Be Denied……
Quadrophenia – The Who
I’m quite sure that I’ve talked about this before…..Quadrophenia is my favorite album by the Who and this is my favorite song from that album…….
For Everyman – Jackson Browne
I think Jackson Browne may be the most talented singer/songwriter of my generation. I’m currently working on a major blog post that provides a critical analysis of a set of Jackson’s songs including the title song from this album. Since I will be talking about Everyman in that post, I have chose to feature These Days my second favorite song from this album……
Laid Back – Greg Allman
Wrapping up the October albums is Greg Allman’s first solo album which is a classic by anyone’s standards. I love Greg’s voice and he is a terrific songwriter as well. Here is Multicolored Lady from Greg’s album.
November 1973 Album Releases
Abandoned Luncheonette – Hall and Oates
Before Hall and Oates produced their string of “Pop” hits they produced that absolute masterpiece. It is without a doubt my favorite for their albums and the title song from the album is stunning. Give it a listen and you will see what i mean…..
Piano Man – Billy Joel
What can you say about Billy Joel that hasn’t already been said? This is the album and the title song that started it all for him………
Mind Games – John Lennon
This was John’s fourth solo album. He started working on the title song during the Get Back sessions by his first band that you might remember as The Beatles :-). Let’s listen……
Keep on playing those mind games together
Raising the spirit of peace and love
I want you to make love, not war I know you’ve heard it before
Fergusile Park – Stealers Wheel
Stealers Wheel was a great but very much under appreciated group. Fergusile Park was the group’s second album and by the time the album was released it was down to the duo of Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty each of whom was a great songwriter so I’ve chose to highlight a song from each of them from this album. First up is Star that was written by Joe Egan…..
Next up is Who Cares that was written by Gerry Rafferty. When I listened to this song back in 1973 I knew that Gerry was going to have a very long career. Unfortunately we lost Gerry way to soon back in 2011!
Stealers Wheel didn’t last long after this album. Gerry’s went on to have a great solo career while Joe’s career kind of faded away. Sometimes talent just isn’t enough…..the music business is tough.
Montrose – Montrose
Montrose was a powerhouse that featured Ronnie Montrose on guitar and Sammy Hagar on vocals. They rocked on their debut album which you can see for yourself by listening to the first song, Rock the Nation (written by Ronnie)……
December 1973 Album Releases
Band On The Run – Paul McCartney and Wings
Not to be outdone by John’s release of Mind Games, Paul released this Wings masterpiece the very next month. The title song, with its three independent parts beautifully woven together, is an absolute classic……
Tales From Topographical Oceans – Yes
One double album featuring four sides of music each of which is made up of a single song. Yes it has to be Tales from Topographical Oceans. My favorite of the four songs….The Remembering…..see what you think……..
Ozark Mountain Daredevils – The Ozark Mountain Daredevils
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were a very much under appreciated band. Their first, self titled, album featured one hit (If You Wanna Get To Heaven) but a lot of other great music as well. Today let’s listen to Colorado Song. I think you will like it……
Ridin The Storm Out – REO Speedwagon
The REO Speedwagon of the early 70’s rocked. While they would go on to have significant “pop” success in the 80s, I have always preferred their early stuff from the 70s. The title song from this album is my favorite…….
Wild Tales – Graham Nash
Graham’s second solo album was a great piece of work. Let’s listen to the final song from the album, Another Sleep Song……
Today’s Sunday Session features one of my all time favorite performers, Jackson Browne, performing with the group that released my favorite record this year, Dawes, during the Occupy Wall Street protests. Enjoy….
Today’s interview is a little unique. It includes Jackson, Henry Diltz (the photographer that took some of the most iconic rock photographs of all time) and Gary Burden talking about the creation of the cover for Jackson’s amazing first album. I think you will like it…….
So if you are wondering about the bonus part of the post, here it is……click on the video below to hear Jackson’s first album in it’s entirety. It was an amazing album…….I hope you enjoy it!
Jackson Browne speaks the truth which is why his music has always spoken to me. Today he gives us something to think about over the holidays. I hope you enjoy it.
My surprise gift to you today is a great 1976 live performance of For A Dancer by Jackson and David Lindley. This song is on my final playlist and it is on my mind today because a coworker that I have known for over 30 years died of a brain aneurism yesterday.
For A Dancer
Keep a fire burning in your eye
Pay attention to the open sky
You never know what will be coming down
I don’t remember losing track of you
You were always dancing in and out of view
I must have thought you’d always be around
Always keeping things real by playing the clown
Now you’re nowhere to be found
I don’t know what happens when people die
Can’t seem to grasp it as hard as I try
It’s like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
That I can’t sing
I can’t help listening
And I can’t help feeling stupid standing ’round
Crying as they ease you down
’cause I know that you’d rather we were dancing
Dancing our sorrow away
(right on dancing)
No matter what fate chooses to play
(there’s nothing you can do about it anyway)
Just do the steps that you’ve been shown
By everyone you’ve ever known
Until the dance becomes your very own
No matter how close to yours
Another’s steps have grown
In the end there is one dance you’ll do alone
Keep a fire for the human race
Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Don’t let the uncertainty turn you around
(the world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful sound
Into a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But you’ll never know
Too many things to do, too many people to keep happy, and no time for me or the things that I want to do. Fortunately for me I have lots of songs about being empty and today is the day of the week when I share those songs with you…..my loyal readers/listeners.
Let’s kick things off with my favorite Empty song of all time, and the one that best captures my feelings this evening, Running On Empty by Jackson Browne. This is a great live performance from his 1977 tour. I was lucky enough to see him twice on this tour, once in Birmingham and once in Nashville.
Empty – Ray LaMontagne (I love the lyrics to this song!)
I never learned to count my blessings,
I choose instead to dwell in my disasters.
I walk on down the hill,
through grass, grown tall and brown
and still its hard somehow to let go of my pain.
On past the busted back of that old and rusted Cadillac
that sinks into this field, collecting rain.
Will I always feel this way?
So empty, so estranged.
Big Empty – Stone Temple Pilots
Empty Pages – Traffic
Often lost and forgotten
The vagueness and the mud
I've been thinking I'm working too hard
But I've got something to show
Staring at empty pages
Centered 'round the same old plot
Staring at empty pages
Flowing along the ages
The Emptyness – Hall and Oates
If I can get over my emptyness, I have some great stuff I need to finish and post for you. I am working on:
a great post about Racism and Politics
a review of a superb first album by “or The Children’s Crusade”, a young new local group that I have posted about before
No….I haven’t forgotten that we need to finish up the Southern California Sound Series of posts! I have just gotten diverted by other music over the past couple of weeks. That happens a lot with me so you might as well get used to it 🙂
To get us moving back in the right direction, today I am introducing you to Dawes….some more new music that doesn’t suck. Dawes is a modern day embodiment of the Souther California Sound and I really like their music. They released their second album, Nothing is Wrong, about this time last year and I have listened to it frequently since then. Take a listen to my favorite song from the album, If I Wanted Someone, and see what you think…..
Sometimes groups can sound great in a studio but just don’t have the raw talent to pull off their sound in a live setting. To prove that this is not the case with Dawes, I offer you this live acoustic version of If I Wanted Someone that was recorded in a Chicago alley.
Awesome performance, especially the harmonies!
Over the last couple of years Dawes has spent time backing up Robbie Robertson and Jackson Browne. Jackson in particular has had some pretty high praise for the group stating: “It’s a pleasure to play with these guys, who are themselves some of my favorite songwriters.” As a bonus, here is a clip of Jackson and Dawes playing a new Jackson song called Whose Side Are You On at Occupy Wall Street late last year.
So, while we are on the topic,……whose side are you on????
thebestmusicyouhaveneverheard 