Here at TVD it's well known that we love the 70's, but it seems you guys REALLY love the '70's if the web tracking is any indication. Those two weeks of posts are still the highest viewed pages for any tracking period, but alas -- those links have all expired.
But fear thee not! As a little gift for the holidays, we've compiled all the tracks from those two weeks of posts into three handy (but large!) links below. So set those PCs to download while you're out clogging the malls exchanging gifts and upon your arrival home -- a nice bit o' nostalgia awaits.
Thanks for reading folks and Happy Holidays! TVD'S 70's COLLECTION |
1970 The Beatles - The Long and Winding Road | Carpenters - Close to You | Mungo Jerry - In the Summertime | B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head | Partridge Family - I Think I Love You | George Harrison - My Sweet Lord | Badfinger - Come and Get It
1971 Badfinger - No Matter What | David Bowie - Changes | Alice Cooper - Eighteen | Donny Osmond - Go Away Little Girl | T-Rex - Jeepster | The Temptations - Just My Imagination | Steven Stills - Love The One You're With | Rod Stewart - Maggie May | Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye | Osmonds - One Bad Apple | Chicago - Saturday in the Park | Marvin Gaye - What's Going On | Elton John - Your Song
1972 America - A Horse With No Name | Mott the Hoople - All The Young Dudes | T-Rex - Bang A Gong (Get It On) | Looking Glass - Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) | Raspberries - Go All The Way | Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now | Jim Croce - Operator | Doobie Brothers - Listen To The Music | Paul Simon - Mother and Child Reunion | Gary Glitter - Rock & Roll Part 2 | Elton John - Rocket Man | Alice Cooper - School's Out | David Bowie - Space Oddity | Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze | America - Ventura Highway | Nilsson - Without You
1973 The Four Tops - Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got | Alice Cooper - No More Mister Nice Guy | Jim Croce - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown | Sweet - Ballroom Blitz | Wings - Band On The Run | Doobie Brothers - China Grove | The Spinners - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love | Elton John - Daniel | Seals & Crofts - Diamond Girl | Steely Dan - Do It Again | Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me | Paul Simon - Kodachrome | Doobie Brothers - Long Train Runnin' | Wings - My Love | Ringo Starr - Photograph | Steely Dan - Reelin' In The Years | David Essex - Rock On | Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You
1974 Elton John - Bennie And The Jets | The Eagles - Best of My Love | ELO - Can't Get It Out of My Head | Harry Chapin - Cat's In The Cradle | Joni Mitchell - Help Me | Wings - Jet | Wings - Junior's Farm | Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting | Pilot - Magic | Barry Manilow - Mandy | Maria Muldaur - Midnight At The Oasis | Steely Dan - Rikki Don't Lose That Number | Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat | Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun | Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown | Steve Miller Band - The Joker | Grand Funk Railroad - The Locomotion | ABBA - Waterloo | John Lennon - Whatever Gets You Thru The Night
1975 ABBA - SOS | Sweet - Action | Doobie Brothers - Black Water | Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody | ELO - Evil Woman | Sweet - Fox On The Run | Ace - How Long | 10cc - I'm Not In Love | Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Jackie Blue | Wings - Listen To What The Man Said | Minnie Ripperton - Loving You | Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover | Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom | KISS - Rock and Roll All Nite | America - Sister Golden Hair | KC and the Sunshine Band - That's The Way (I Like It) | The Eagles - Take it to the Limit
1976 Eric Carmen - All By Myself | KISS - Beth | Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like We Do | Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart | Gary Wright - Dream Weaver | Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around and Fell in Love | Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon | Seals & Crofts - Get Closer | Hall & Oates - Sara Smile | Mary MacGregor - Torn Between Two Lovers | Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right | Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music | Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me | Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way | Rod Stewart - Tonight's The Night | Barry Manilow - Weekend in New England | John Sebastian - Welcome Back | C. W. McCall - Convoy
1977 Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded By The Light | Linda Ronstadt - Blue Bayou | Foreigner - Cold As Ice | Fleetwood Mac - Dreams | Steve Miller - Fly Like An Eagle | The Eagles - Hotel California | Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love | Wings - Maybe I'm Amazed | ELO - Mr. Blue Sky | The Eagles - New Kid in Town | Hall & Oates - Rich Girl | Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night | Paul Simon - Slip Slidin' Away | Glen Campbell - Southern Nights | Fleetwood Mac - The Chain | 10cc - The Things We Do for Love | ELO - Turn To Stone | Queen - We Are The Champions | Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat
1978 ABBA - Take A Chance On Me | Eddie Money - Baby Hold On | Patti Smith - Because The Night | Queen - Bicycle Race | Kansas - Dust In The Wind | Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls | Nick Gilder - Hot Child In The City | Alicia Bridges - I Love The Nightlife | Exile - Kiss You All Over | Chic - Le Freak | Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good | Sweet - Love Is Like Oxygen | Bee Gees - Night Fever | Steely Dan - Peg | Randy Newman - Short People | Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing | Meat Loaf - Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad | The O'Jays - Use Ta Be My Girl
1979 Styx - Babe | Player - Baby Come Back | Rod Stewart - Do Ya Think I'm Sexy | ELO - Don't Bring Me Down | Chic - Good Times | Supertramp - Goodbye Stranger | Blondie - Heart Of Glass | Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me | KISS - I Was Made For Loving You | Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive | Supertramp - Logical Song | Donna Summer - MacArthur Park | The Knack - My Sharona | Peaches & Herb - Reunited | Anita Ward - Ring My Bell | Supertramp - Breakfast in America | Bee Gees - Too Much Heaven | Bee Gees - Tragedy | Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes
TVD's 70's Collection | Part 1 - 1970-1973 (252 MGs)TVD's 70's Collection | Part 2 - 1974-1976 (259 MGs)TVD's 70's Collection | Part 3 - 1977-1979 (285 MGs)
(The links will stay active until 1/2/08 or until the bandwidth is exceeded.)
The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Mp3) 
Here at TVD it's well known that we love the 70's, but it seems you guys REALLY love the '70's if the web tracking is any indication. Those two weeks of posts are still the highest viewed pages for any tracking period, but alas -- those links have all expired.
I'm reminded of how the Melody Maker would often do reviews of shows or new releases. Everett True, for example, would ostensibly be writing about this or that -- and never even mention this or that. Just a free-form, associative meandering on the page. Worthwhile reading, for sure - just not, shall we say, pertinent to the topic. 
I had a pen pal back in the day when people used pens who turned me onto Japan. Hilde was a bit older, worldlier, with an established taste in music at times far from my own. So, it was "Oil on Canvas" posted to me in the mail after numerous letters and raves about the band -- copied from her LP onto cassette. Seduced, I was. I mean, what was THIS? That opening bass line - those vocals...off-putting and embraceable at once. Japan was done by then and 'Brilliant Trees' slithered into my consciousness in Winter '84 as a senior in high school. I was working at a KB Toy Store in the Mall -- holiday help for the Christmas season then. This odd, brooding, troubled LP became the soundtrack to such wonderful memories only enhanced by the rush of a crush on Lisa, the cashier. I think we dated for about an hour. One of those girls who was just too pretty to not stop dating just in GENERAL -- why waste all those good looks, right? She could do no wrong, I could do no right and Sylvian's singing "...why do I fail, just when I'm needed?" amid the toys and the children and the Christmas lights. I came upon 'Brilliant Trees' in the dollar bin over at Som Records last weekend. I was almost tempted to repurchase it despite owning it on vinyl and CD. I miss this record, I thought. I miss the me then, eons ago, amid the toys and the children and the Christmas lights and the pictures of the people who've come and gone, the lives and loves, who I've actually shared this record with. ...Sylvian's singing "..the sound of waves in a pool of water, I'm drowning in my nostalgia..." in the dollar bin.
Something happened along the way to one of my favorite New Wave bands -- it shed the "of the moment" vibe for something more - timeless - which is an odd proposition when it's coming from Talk Talk whose first LP's slick, professional -- and quite lifeless (although the single "Talk Talk" still remains a favorite.) Newly signed to Polydor in 1991 (the 90's again?!) "Laughing Stock" was released on the Verve imprint which befits the minimalist, experimental, improvisational, often jazz-like vibe of the release. I found myself one evening at the much missed Warehouse Next Door watching band after band shoot for this Can-like groove without pulling it off and I thought, "Damn -- that Talk Talk was onto something..."
"The '90's Didn't Suck Shock" continues with the Auteurs' "Now I'm a Cowboy" from '94. (Maybe the better bands were just ...overlooked?)
SHUFFLE BORED. 
Joe Jackson - King Pleasure Time...brand new track! (Mp3)
Maybe subconsciously I've been trying to convince myself this week that the '90's didn't suck for music -- with some obvious exceptions, of course. I've been surprised to see that much of this week's grabs from the stacks have been mid-90's releases much to my chagrin. I really loathed THEN and STILL despise much of that college/alternative rock that permeated the 90's. (REM - I'm looking right at f'n YOU.) But there were highlights -- the releases from Jellyfish, Suede, Supergrass, Crowded House, Grant Lee Buffalo come to mind, as does yea - Nirvana and reluctantly Oasis. This Grays release, '94's "Ro Sham Bo," brings together Jason Falkner from Jellyfish and LA studio whiz Jon Brion into one hell of a pop group -- produced by Jack Joseph Puig who engineered the two Jellyfish releases (among many others) and who was also behind the board for yesterday's Fabulon LP. Nice stuff here for your Friday...
When asked if the Teardrop Explodes would ever get back together, Julian Cope quipped: "Would you ever return to having your mother wipe your asshole?" Which begs the question, are Page's, Plant's, and Jones' mothers still around? I wonder?
Big Andy and I are rattling toward the USAir Arena in his truck on our way to pick up some very last minute tickets to see the Page and Plant Tour in '95. It's our friend Gary's birthday and as a last minute idea, we're going to pick up any old tickets for the show while his girlfriend takes him to dinner. The show's been on sale for months and at this point -- and on a lark, the rafters will be a-ok. The tinny radio's buzzing with the local rock station playing tons of Zep in advance of the show. We've had a few beers and we're chatting about the Zep and I say, "Y'know man -- sometimes I hear a Zep tune on the radio that I've heard for eons now, and I'm never sure of the title. Like this one -- Bron-Y-Aur Stomp -- I mean, c'mon." Andy's got a cig hanging from his mouth as he's driving, "Dude, so right -- I have the SAME problem." So, we sidle on up to the Will Call and request four tickets. Dude slides four tickets under the glass to us, his hands covering the face of them so we can't see what they are...gives us a wink and says, "If you two can name five tunes Page and Plant are playing on this tour, these four are yours -- face value." "Mother f'er," I'm thinking, "we just HAD this conversation! We don't KNOW the song names -- SHEEZUS!" Andy's looking at me, I'm looking at him -- WTF? "OK, OK -- I just saw the Unplugged special on MTV...uh, er..." People in line behind us are are literally fuming as we're standing there, pulling Zep song titles out of our ass. But y'know -- we DID. Andy's on about "Are these obstructed view - are these OBSTRUCTED VIEW??" Guy says, "If you don't want 'em fine" -- slides the tickets in a block under the window and Andy's unfurling the lot and running toward the seating chart posted on the wall. "DUDE," he says "...LOOK." So, Gary shows up after dinner with his then girlfriend. Gary's a truly fantastic guitarist, a hay-uge Zep fan and an even bigger Jimmy Page fan -- literally could be his guitar idol. "Thanks for getting the tickets guys," he says not expecting all that much for the evening's vantage point. We head into the arena where the lights have already gone down. Andy's holding the strip of four tickets as the ushers are flashlighting them up and down and moving us on...lower, ...lower, ...lower.............second row.........f'n ...CENTER. I literally got splashed with Plant sweat, we were so close. And Gary? I think he had a rather decent Birthday.
Led Zeppelin will play their first public gig in 19 years at the O2 Arena in London, and their first UK show since 1979 THIS EVENING and yes, I entered the lottery to win tickets and yes, I didn't win and yes, I'm wearing a tie right now getting ready for work. And yes, here's the last gig Led Zeppelin played with Bonzo on 07/07/80 in Berlin. (Smell the Plant sweat? I do.)
