Anniversary Series - 1972!

A new year means a new batch of Anniversary articles!  Starting with 1972, we've got some pretty big albums reaching 50.  Rock was definitely expanding at this time, with progressive rock really starting to peak.  However, we also see some early evolutions of metal and hard rock as well.  Let's get into it.

Starting the year is actually a handful debut albums.  Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions, and Styx would start their storied careers in the first quarter of 1972, with very little fanfare.  Scorpions and BOC were deep in the psychedelic rock style, and Styx was also very proggy, much like an American ELP, even featuring their own version of "Fanfare of the Common Man," which was used as part of a longer track.  However, all three had some of the hard rock crunch these bands would be known for later on.

That being said, the big album for the early part of the year was Deep Purple's Machine Head, which I reviewed nearly three years ago (where does the time go?).  Featuring their future hit "Smoke on the Water," the jam friendly "Space Truckin'," and proto-metal stomper "Highway Star," this album would celebrated years later as very influential for rockers around the world.

As the year goes on, we see many of the major prog rock releases.  Jethro Tull decided to pull a bit of a prank with their satirical concept album Thick as a Brick, which ended up becoming a celebrated masterpiece, despite (or, perhaps because of) the joke.  Pink Floyd would release Obscured by Clouds, a selection of songs the composed for a film that has pretty much since been forgotten if not for the Floyd connection.  I think it's a bit of an overlooked gem, with some neat little songs and spacy hammond organs.

However, the big prog releases came later, with ELP giving us Trilogy, Genesis dancing a Foxtrot, and Yes's titanic Close to the Edge.  Here, we see bands really pushing their song-writing limits, often writing epics that go over the 18 minute range.  I'm sure prog heads have their favorites, but for me, it's all about Close to the Edge and its masterful melodies and arrangements.  An incredible album from start to finish.

From here, the year gives us a few more highlights.  Eagles would also debut this year with their self-titled album providing several big hits with "Take It Easy," "Witchy Woman," and "Peaceful Easy Feeling."  In harder rock, Alice Cooper would let us know that "School's Out," and Black Sabbath would carry on with drug-addled Vol. 4.  Uriah Heep would release two albums this year, with Demons & Wizards and The Magician's Birthday, streamlining their own sound into a hard rocking outfit (and those Roger Dean covers are nice, too!).

Finally, the year would end with Deep Purple coming back with Made In Japan, a live album that wasn't even supposed to be released outside of it's titular country, but found itself in record players all over the world, with the band's improvisations extending their classic songs far beyond their original track lengths.  I enjoyed this one quite a bit myself when I reviewed it two years ago.

As you can see, this was quite the year for longer rock songs.  Fortunately, they're worth their runtime.  As always, I've got a playlist that has even more, and if you think I've missed something, let me know!  Until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1971!

Yup, we're back with these again!  I just want to say up front that 1971 is an incredible year for rock music.  Lots of great stuff came out this year, and now we get to celebrate the 50th anniversary of these iconic and excellent albums!

The year starts off with a lot of solid progressive rock.  Yes brings in Steve Howe for The Yes Album, writing the first of many epics in the form of tracks like "Yours Is No Disgrace" and "Starship Trooper," while "Your Move" (the first half of "I've Seen All Good People") found success on the radio.  Jethro Tull would follow up with Aqualung, the title track of which having one of the best opening riffs in all of classic rock.  Emerson Lake and Palmer released Tarkus, and the middle of the year would see albums from Caravan, The Strawbs (then featuring future Yes member Rick Wakeman), and Gentle Giant.

Of course, bands from the 60s were still rocking into the new decade.  The Doors released LA Woman, with big hits like the title track and the epic "Riders on the Storm."  The Rolling Stones were right there with them with Sticky Fingers and "Brown Sugar."  Then The Who released Who's Next, with the massive tracks "Baba O'Riley" and "Wont' Get Fooled Again."  

Hard rock and metal would be busy this year as well.  Alice Cooper released "I'm Eighteen," T. Rex would encourage us to "Get It On," Deep Purple sent out their Fireball, Uriah Heep produced two albums in Salisbury and Look at Yourself, and Black Sabbath would get even heavier with their third album Master of Reality, featuring great riffs with "Children of the Grave" and "Into the Void," and setting the template for many metal bands to follow in the future.

At the end of the year, prog would take over again, as Pink Floyd finally put their melancholy stamp on the genre with Meddle, Genesis told us us a Nursery Cryme, King Crimson had Islands, Emerson Lake and Palmer finally got to release their live interpretation of Pictures at an Exhibition, and Yes would also release a second this year, this one being the renowned Fragile, not only featuring their big hit "Roundabout," but also my favorite Yes track "Heart of the Sunrise."  I absolutely love how it shifts from chaos to peaceful moments, along with Chris Squire's iconic bass solo.  A masterpiece from the band that has been a staple of their live shows for many years to come.

Of course, any discussion of this year wouldn't be complete without Led Zeppelin's epic and mysteriously title fourth album.  Massive tracks like "Black Dog," "Rock & Roll," and "Stairway to Heaven" would become staples of classic rock stations to this very day, and the bane of guitar stores across the country.  Often considered of the one greatest rock albums every recorded, and it's hard to argue against it.

I think that wraps up 1971 pretty well, and I've put them all (along with a few extras) in the playlist below.  If I've missed any, be sure to let me know.  Certainly a great year, and full of albums that I go back to regularly.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1970!

I've been talking about doing more kinds of articles this year, and this is the beginning of one idea I've been tinkering with for a while: anniversary articles!

Okay, so maybe it's not the most original idea, and I admit that I'll be talking about music that came out before I was born for some of these, but it's still something different, right?  At least it breaks up all the video articles I keep doing, right?  Anyways, let's get started with 1970 and celebrate it's 50th anniversary!

While the year started with big songs from Chicago and The Guess Who, namely "25 or 6 to 4" and "American Woman" respectively, but the one that stands out the most (at least retrospectively) is Black Sabbath's debut album, kicking off the beginning of heavy metal.  While critics didn't care for what they doing, often calling them Cream knock-offs, the band gained an immediate fanbase, and it's easy to see why.  With it's big riffs and horror-like sound, they made a distinct impact to the music of the time, and set the stage for so many other bands to follow.

1970 was also a time of endings, as it provided the last Beatles album to be released from the band just after their official break-up.  Famous for a rooftop concert that provided takes for the album, it features the iconic ballad as the title track, "Let It Be," and the back-to-roots rock song "Get Back," showing their departure from the more complex arrangements from their Sgt. Pepper's days.  Overall, it marked the end of a saga that had changed rock and roll forever.

As the year moves on, we see a number of bands really standing out, with Deep Purple coming into their own with In Rock, and bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and Santana only getting bigger, with songs like "Lookin' Out My Back Door," "Who'll Stop the Rain," and "Black Magic Woman," "Oye Como Va," respectively.

Progressive Rock would make some significant steps during this year as well.  Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother shows the band getting closer to their iconic sound, Hawkwind makes their debut as does Emerson Lake & Palmer with their ballad "Lucky Man," Genesis gives us "The Knife," and Yes start including a symphonic orchestra to their efforts with Time and a Word.

As the year winds down, we get more hard rock and heavy metal.  Led Zeppelin's III, with massive tracks like "The Immigrant Song," "Celebration Day," and "Gallows Pole" becoming arena rock standouts (even if that last one is acoustic, it's still an epic song!).  This is followed up by Black Sabbath's second record, featuring massive hits like "Paranoid," "Iron Man," and "War Pigs."

At the end of the end of the year, Creedence Clearwater Revival also gives us a second record in Pendulum, notable for the hit "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," while Eric Clapton forms Derek and the Dominos to give us "Layla."

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that retrospective of 1970, clearly a big year for rock and metal music.  I've thrown together a Spotify playlist for the year that includes all these songs and many others.  If you feel I've missed something, let me know!  Until then, rock on! \m/