Anniversary Series - 1977!

The middle of the month means it's time for another Anniversary Article, and I have to tell you that this year is a killer one for great rock music.  So many big bands putting out great albums, as things shift in a more FM radio-friendly direction.  Still, progressive rock wasn't quite out yet, as a few bands were still putting out some epic material.

In fact, the year starts off with one of the biggest prog rock bands: Pink Floyd.  Inspired by Orwell's allegorical novella Animal Farm, their Animals album shows them at their darkest, as well as their proggiest, with three very long songs dominating the album.  At around that same time, the often overlooked Starcastle would release the first of two albums.  While not quite as strong as their debut, I've always liked their mix of Yes and Kansas sounds, making for some very underrated prog.  Jethro Tull also released Songs of the Wood, the first of three very folk music heavy albums, and Journey went Next, starting to shift away from jazz-fusion into the hard rock they'd be known for.  The band would hire Steve Perry later that year.

As the spring warms things up, we get a slew of great hard rock albums.  Foreigner had their debut album, with the big singles "Feels Like the First Time" and "Cold as Ice," Heart warned us of the "Barracuda," AC/DC released Let There Be Rock, and Judas Priest committed Sin After Sin, as they further refined their heavy metal sound.  The Steve Miller Band would bring more of their southern-fried rock with Book of Dreams, featuring "Jet Airliner," "Swingtown," and "Jungle Love."

Summer would give us some more prog, as Yes would bring back Rick Wakeman for Going for the One, featuring one of their most beautiful songs, "Awaken."  Rush would push themselves further into prog territory with A Farewell to Kings, known for the ballad "Closer to the Heart" and the exotic "Xanadu."  Alan Parsons would return with his Project to provide the Asimov-inspired I, Robot.  However, the big album of the summer was Styx's The Grand Illusion.   Half the album remains on classic rock playlists across the country, and it was the first album I ever reviewed for this blog.  With standout classics like "Come Sail Away," "Fooling Yourself," "Miss America," and the title track, it's easy to see why this one was such a massive release.

The rest of the year would finish quite strong.  As we get into the fall, The Electric Light Orchestra release the double album Out of the Blue, which had "Turn to Stone," "Sweet Talkin' Woman," and the nearly overplayed "Mr. Blue Sky."  Kansas would follow that with Point of Know Return, a very solid, proggy, hard rock album from start to finish.  Then thing get epic with Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell, which I just reviewed, and Queen's News of the World, giving us the perennial stadium anthem "We Will Rock You," which flows into the titanic "We Are the Champions."  Eddie Money would then close the year out with his debut album, promising us "Two Tickets to Paradise."

Seriously, this is one amazing year, and I know I didn't cover everything, as you can see in the playlist below.  However, if you think I've missed something, just let me know.  Until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1976!

You'd think it would be hard to top 1971, but honestly 1976 is almost just as good.  Lots of great albums came out this year, even if not all of them were massive radio hits.  There's a lot to cover for this one, so I'd better get started!

The year starts with the massive Frampton Comes Alive!, featuring extensive use of the talkbox.  Live versions of "Show Me the Way," "Babe, I Love Your Way," and "Do You Feel the Way We Do" would find their way to rock stations around the world.  Kiss, who also found success with a massive live album last year, would release two albums this year: Destroyer and Rock and Roll Over, the former of which had big hits with "Detroit Rock City" and the ballad "Beth."  Led Zeppelin, while perhaps struggling with drugs and personal tragedies, still proved they still had it with Presence, featuring the epic "Achilles Last Stand."

Progressive rock was on its way out of public favor at this time, but there were still some solid albums this year.  Genesis released Trick of the Tail, which I reviewed late last year.  Rush also came to fruition with 2112, featuring the epic side-long title track that would propel them to the forefront of prog rock and hard rock fans across the world.  The Alan Parsons Project would begin this year as year, with Tales of Mystery and Imagination providing musical adaptations of the works of Edgar Allan Poe.  I also want to mention Starcastle's debut album.  Perhaps a little derivative of Yes, but I think it's a solid album, especially the opening track "Lady of the Lake."

Meanwhile, metal was starting to move toward its iconic sound, with help from Judas Priest's Sad Wings of Destiny, featuring classic tracks like "Victim of Changes" and "The Ripper," and Rainbow's Rising, which saw Ronnie James Dio really go all out on "Stargazer."  Black Sabbath would also release an album this year, but frankly Technical Ecstasy is not the band at their best, as they tried for a more commercial sound as the members were falling apart.

As the year went on, Blue Öyster Cult would tell us to "Don't Fear the Reaper," Steve Miller Band would help us "Fly Like an Eagle," and the Electric Light Orchestra would ask "Do Ya."  AC/DC would continue to perfect their sound with Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, which I reviewed two years ago.  Boston released their incredible debut album, probably one of the best ever!  With songs like "More Than a Feeling," "Peace of Mind," and "Long Time," Boston would be a staple for classic rock stations in the decades to follow.

At the end of the year, we have two more great albums.  Styx released Crystal Ball, which not only has a great title track, but also "Put Me On," a fun song about listening to rock records that balance the band's classic styles together.  And finally, The Eagles put out Hotel California, which features another great title track, as well as the massive hit "Life in the Fast Lane."

I told you this was a great year!  Honestly, there were others that I left off this article, but I made sure to throw them into the playlist below.  As always, if I've missed some, just let me know!  Until then, rock on!  \m/