Space Station #5 (1973)

I always thought that song was eminently crank-worthy. But geez, what a horrific story about his suicide (link).  Don't look if you can't undo such knowledge.

I Am Constant

I remember this one from early 1970's FM Radio in Madison:

Not In Nottingham

Compare & Contrast

Guys used to write this sort of lyrics:

It is the springtime of my loving-the second season I am to know
You are the sunlight in my growing - so little warmth I've felt before.
It isn't hard to feel me glowing - I watched the fire that grew so low.

It is the summer of my smiles - flee from me Keepers of the Gloom.
Speak to me only with your eyes. It is to you I give this tune.
Ain't so hard to recognize - These things are clear to all from time to time.

Talk Talk Talk Talk - I've felt the coldness of my winter
I never thought it would ever go. I cursed the gloom that set upon us...
But I know that I love you so

These are the seasons of emotion and like the winds they rise and fall

This is the wonder of devotion - I seek the torch we all must hold.
This is the mystery of the quotient - Upon us all, upon us all a little rain must fall...It's just a little rain...

Two decades later (1992), pop lyrics were met with this unrelated song:

What happened? Where did all that rage come from? What harshed the mellow? It couldn't have been Bush II. I blame bad parenting. Have I pointed out how Tom Morello and Barack Obama had nearly the same pedigree?

'Umble Pie

[I changed the title from "Humbler Pie" to 'Umble Pie because it reminded me of the Artful Dodger]

I guess Steve Marriott is an acquired taste. I'll never forget him as the leader of Humble Pie, the very first rock concert I saw. But he was more than that. He was a defining face (albeit a small one) of the 1960's rock and roll scene in Britain. I did a brief homage to him a year ago: link. But I forgot to mention that he was an uncredited inventor of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love (well, he along with Willie Dixon).  Listen to this 1966 version of "You Need Loving" and tell me it didn't influence Robert Plant three years later:

Of course both Led Zeppelin and the Small Faces were copying Muddy Waters' 1962 version of Willy Dixon's "You Need Love."  Dixon sued Led Zeppelin in 1985 over copyright infringement and prevailed. He never sued Marriott. In the words of Plant:

well, you only get caught when you're successful. That's the game.

The whole story reminds me of Bob Dylan recording Dave Van Ronk's version of "The House Of The Rising Sun" in 1962 and then being one-upped by The Animal's version a year or so later as told in Martin Scorsese's "No Direction Home."

Can You See The Real Me?

This is a very favorite Who song from Quadrophenia (1973).  It's one of just a handful that I used to spend hours trying to mimick as a teen.  I'd wear headphones and blissfully play along, trying to get every Keith Moon chop down. I once told that to somebody more talented than me: "Well that wasn't being very original, was it?" The withering disdain stung, but now, years later? pffft, whatever. While I take the point about originality (and our garage band did have nascent originals), copying your betters is important too.  I wrote about how drumming used to benefit from having great elders worth copying here. A little bit of the great rubs off in everybody.

50 Years Of MyTunes: 1973

Quadrophenia ~ The Who's second rock opera which I liked better than Tommy.  Keith Moon's drumming was never better. I had the good fortune to see them a few years later in Madison before he died.

Dark Side Of The Moon ~ Pink Floyd had been around for a while already but I wasn't hip enough to know them until this album came out.

Tres Hombres ~ ZZ Top opened for Alice Cooper that year at the Dane County Memorial Coliseum and I was lucky enough to see them then. This was pre-beard weirdness. They did nothing but get better over the years. I bought the album and remember being grossed out by the inside album cover:

Click to enlarge

I had no clue what Mexican food looked like in 1973 in Wisconsin. I was even a year or two years shy of liking beer IIRC (and I may not recall correctly).

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player & Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ~ Elton John.  I never bought either of these albums but I enjoyed a few singles off of both of them.

Queen ~ Queen.  My older brother and I were in a stereo shop one day that summer and somebody working there had this album and was playing it.  I saw Queen when they finally came to Madison during their "Night at The Opera" tour.

The Captain And Me ~ The Doobie Brothers. Kind of easy listening, but worth having and also worth seeing which I did when they "rolled" through Madison [cough].

The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle ~ Bruce Springsteen.  Springsteen was touted by a pair of local FM radio DJs long before he made it big. I first heard him around this time on WIBA-FM (Radio Free Madison).  I  never did buy his first album and I actually lost interest in him as a musician after "Born To Run."

Band On The Run ~ Paul McCartney & Wings. Well I never was a big Beatles fan and I guess that Paul McCartney was always too Beatles for me (sorry Ron). But I do like a few singles off this album.

Houses Of The Holy ~ Led Zeppelin  Not my fave Zeppelin album. "The Ocean" is awesome though.

The Beatles released their famous compilation albums in 1973.  BTO released two albums but I bought neither of them.

Miscellaneous Singles:

Hypnotized ~ Fleetwood Mac.  A great song from an OK album. Bob Welch was filling the shoes of departed Peter Green Then he left, only to be replaced by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

Radar Love ~ Golden Earring. Another great Dutch one-hit-wonder band.

Dream On ~ Aerosmith. Debut album.  I'm not sure I had this album until after I owned "Get Your Wings."

Killing Me Softly With His Song ~ Roberta Flack. Great radio hit.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door ~ Bob Dylan

The Joker ~ Steve Miller Band.  OK band whom I saw a few years later in Madison. Steve Miller had some student connection in his past to Madison.

Ramblin' Man ~ The Allman Brothers Band. The Allman's probably deserve their own blog post. I never did manage to see them and Duane and Berry Oakley's deaths were a tragic loss.  Is it just me or did Dicky Betts always seem like he had a chip on his shoulder?

Desperado ~ The Eagles were just getting on my radar then. I was a little shy because of their country sound (which I was escaping) but I came around eventually.

Tattoo'd Lady ~ Rory Gallagher.  Underrated guitarist of the time who put out a great live album the following year.

Get Up Stand Up & I Shot the Sheriff ~ Bob Marley & The Wailers.  I was never big on Reggae but if were this would be it.

Ballroom Blitz ~ The Sweet.  Love this guitar-driven glam rock.

Rock On ~ David Essex

Living For The City ~ Stevie Wonder

Can't You See ~ Marshall Tucker Band  I always liked them better than Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Rock And Roll, Hoochie Coo ~ Rick Derringer.  A nice come back for Mr. Hang On Sloopy.

Space Station #5 ~ Montrose

Who'd I miss?