Have A Nice Decade: The '70s Pop Culture Box 1998

Here's another in my mission to discuss my collection of box sets. This is another Rhino product, and it is excellent, so long as you want to hear this stuff again. The set consists of seven jam-packed CDs, with 160 songs arranged chronologically from January 1970 with Edison Lighthouse's Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) to April 1979 and McFadden and Whitehead's Ain't No Stopping Us Now.

The set features songs immediately recognizable from '70s commercial radio. That means there are songs in multiple genres, including Rock, Soul, Funk, Disco, Singer-Songwriter, and Pop, including quite a few cringe-worthy tunes. The only thing missing is Country music, with the exception of a few crossover hits. These are not deep cuts- everything here was a radio hit, at least top twenty on one of several possible charts. Many selections represent one-hit-wonders like Starland Vocal Band, The 5 Stairsteps, Gallery, Paper Lace, Five Man Electrical Band, and Jigsaw. The chronological presentation makes for a nice exploration of how music evolved (not much really) during the '70s. 

The set comes with a very good 89-page book that includes a couple of good essays, one of which, The Tackiest Decade in the History of Civilization, makes a strong case for it's premise. The book also includes a short blurb about each song, and plenty of pictures of artists and pop trivia. It is a fine package as these things go.

Rock: American Woman (The Guess Who), Rock And Roll Part 2 (Gary Glitter), Radar Love (Golden Earring). Soul: Have You Seen Her (Chi-Lites), Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder), Let's Stay Together (Al Green). Funk: The Payback Part 1 (James Brown), Theme From Shaft (Isaac Hayes), Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Parliment). Disco: We Are Family (Sister Sledge), I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby (Barry White), Disco Inferno (The Trammps). Singer-Songwriter: Fire and Rain (James Taylor), Sometimes When We Touch (Dan Hill), Wild World (Cat Stevens). Pop: You're So Vain (Carly Simon), Chick-A-Boom (Daddy Dewdrop), The Morning After (Maureen McGovern). 

If you're interested in just how eclectic the tracks are, it is probably easier to just take a look at the track listing at Discogs. The crazy thing was that you could easily hear any of these songs back-to-back on the same radio station in the '70s, before stations started specializing in only one genre. It's probably not one you'll sit and listen to repeatedly, but it's a great source for several '70s playlists, and a fine example of reissue programming.

Dwight Yoakam Dwight Sings Buck 2007

And why not? Buck Owens is and has always been the primary influence on Dwight Yoakam. It's hard to imaging anyone else doing a better job of covering Buck Owens' songs, although Vince Gill and Paul Franklin did a great job on Bakersfield 2013 in tribute to both Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. In fact, if you like this, that would be a great one to pick up next.

Yoakam generally does these great songs true to the original arrangements. Even some of the pedal steel guitar leads are lifted directly off the original Buckeroos recordings. And why not? Buck's originals are some of the best country music of the sixties and seventies, especially when Nashville was adding strings and "fancy" arrangements to many country hits of the day. In fact, it is in rebellion against that slick Nashville sound that Owens and Haggard staked their claim to a more basic, more direct sound, which came to be known as the Bakersfield sound.

So what is different between this and listening to Owens' originals? Well, the recording is fuller and more modern, with more bass, than the somewhat thinner sound on Buck's originals. And Yoakam has a different voice than Owens, less reedy, a little deeper, and with even more twang and that hiccup thing Yoakam does. But that's about it. The band here is exactly the way the Buckeroos were staffed. Yoakam's acoustic rhythm, Josh Grange on pedal steel, Kevin Smith on bass, Mitch Marine on drums, and the excellent Eddie Perez on lead guitar and harmony vocals (filling the big shoes of Don Rich from the Buckeroos). Bobbye Hall plays some additional percussion. 

Every song is a winner. Buck wrote most of them himself, and the rest are carefully chosen songs that fit right into Buck's style, like Act Naturally and Close Up The Honky Tonks.

Buck Owens' fans with large collections might not need this, unless they also happen to like Yoakam. And why not? Dwight Yoakam fans should own this so they can understand what inspired his work. Plus, as Yoakam records go, this one has nothing but good songs on it, not unlike This Time. A+, five stars.

Pete Townsend and Ronnie Lane Rough Mix 1977

Here's one that deserves to be ranked among the better rock records of it's day, and certainly more revered than it seems to be. Townsend was asked to produce a solo record for Lane, and instead it became this lovely duo recording. The record, other than the recognizable voices, mostly bears little resemblance to The Who or Faces records, and stands as a singular recording in either artists oeuvre.

Songwriting is shared democratically, and Lane comes through with several excellent examples of his work. Nowhere To Run is a great lyric and vocal, Annie is sweet melancholy, Catmelody is a fine old time rocker, and April Fool is the English folk music that features in much of Lane's solo work. 

Townsend contributes Keep Me Turning, which sounds like one from Who Came First, Misunderstood, a great ode to being the mystery man, Heart To Hang On To which features the two stars alternating lead vocals, the magnificent, observational Street In The City, which has a grand string orchestra arrangement by Pete's father-in-law, and My Baby Gives It Away, a spritely appreciation of a, shall we say, generous lover. It rocks.

They are both credited with writing the rocking jam title track with Eric Clapton adding hot lead guitar. Clapton plays dobro on a couple others, Pete Evans adds harmonica to a couple, Mel Collins plays sax on Catmelody, Henry Spinetti's drums and Rabbit Bundrick's keyboards feature on most of the record. 

The heartfelt Don Williams cover Till The Rivers All Run Dry closes the record on a sentimental note.

There's nothing quite like it in either artist's other work by The Who, Faces, or their solo outings. Two great songwriters that clearly enjoy each other produce an exceptional work of understated elegance.

Cher 3614 Jackson Highway 1969

 

I'm not what anyone would call a big Cher fan, but I've never had anything against her either. I enjoyed her 60s singles with Sonny, and over the years she's put out a string of interesting and enjoyable singles, often shifting styles and genres, and being a consummate performer on stage, film, and video. I like her attitude.

I recently discovered her duet single with Harry Nillson of A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Every Day), produced by Phil Spector from 1975. It's worth checking out on YouTube. The b-side is Cher doing (Just Enough To Keep Me) Hangin' On, from the 3614 Jackson Highway album. I love the version of A Hangin' On (same song) by Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis on their Our Year record from 2014, and Cher's version is good.

And so, I sought out 3614 Jackson Highway. In 1969, Cher had had a string of unsuccessful singles and had fallen out of favor with the new hip (hippie) music fans, and so she went to Muscle Shoals in an attempt to revive her career. Long story short, it didn't work, although in 1971, Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves would start her 70s revival.

The Jackson Highway record features the hit-making Muscle Shoals rhythm section, a core of great back-up singers, mostly well chosen and trendy cover songs, and production from Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler. Well-arranged horns and strings embellish a few songs. How could it not be good? Maybe the better question would be How could it not be a hit? 

It was a flop, and Atco dropped her immediately. And it just makes no sense at all, except that the record buying public had decided that Cher just wasn't cool anymore, and so the record didn't sell. 

There's eleven songs, and the first nine all work. She does a perfectly fine For What It's Worth, and the aforementioned Hangin' On is good. Her (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay is surprisingly good, taken with a more mellow vibe than Otis Redding. I Walk On Guilded Splinters is another surprise success. There's three Bob Dylan songs (Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You, I Threw It All Away, Lay Baby Lay), and they all work just fine. Only the last two songs bring the rating down a notch. The awful "stay for the kids" message of Save The Children is pretty bad, and absolutely no one should ever try Do Right Woman, Do Right Man after Aretha Franklin did it. (There's a mixed bag of outtakes on the 2018 CD reissue that mostly add little value.)

Why review a record from 1969 that nobody bought new? Well because it's a good record made by an interesting artist with the inimitable Muscle Shoals rhythm section, and you haven't heard it. I mean, the odds that anyone living today has heard this, other than dyed-in-the-wool Cher fans, is extremely low. But if you are even remotely interested, I'll bet you'll like it. 

Gyasi Here Comes The Good Part 2025

 

Maybe you are someone who loved Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, or Mott The Hoople's Mott or T Rex's Electric Warrior, or anything by Slade, and you wish that the glam era wasn't so short-lived in the seventies. Well, Gyasi (pronounced Jah-See) is here for you.

The record kicks off with the pounding Sweet Thing, big buzzsaw guitars and hooky melodies. Lightening follows, another pounding rocker that's just fine. Snake City features a nice skronky lead break and a chorus made for arena sing-alongs. Solo bass starts off She Says, and then it kicks into high gear, driving fast and hard with big guitars and another catchy chorus. Street Life is riff rock of high caliber, and then American Dream is the big ballad that sounds like a Ziggy outtake (a good one), ending the first side in fine style.

Side two comes driving out of the gate with Cheap High, a fast and furious workout with a smoking lead guitar. Big crunching guitar announces Baby Blue, with another riff supporting a catchy melody and more wailing lead guitar. Bang Bang (Runaway) rocks hard, Star starts off like a lost Led Zeppelin track and then morphs into a Mott the Hoople song. Piano is featured on 23, and it's a mid-tempo number with an interesting rhythm and yet another searing lead break. The record ends with Grand Finale, a sweet Bowie-inspired ballad with synth strings and a sentimental lyric, that turns into a big arena ballad before it ends, and closes with a hot lead guitar.

Throughout the record, Gyasi sings in an affected nasal style that is a cross between Bowie and Marc Bolin, and also employs a strong Robert Plant falsetto for the high parts. Melodies are strong, lyrics are good, and the band is tight. 

What more could a glam rock fan ask for?

The Golden Era of Rock 'n' Roll 1955-1963 2004

During the 1990s and early 2000s the reissue market took off like crazy. Motown, Stax/Volt, Atlantic and others all released box sets of their back catalog hits, usually with nice booklets with essays and track information. Rhino Records and Hip-O Records both did excellent work in the reissue field, and especially in various artist compilations. This set is a companion to The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll set I discussed way back here.  

This is one of the better compilations of it's ilk, and hits most of the highlights (with the usual licensing issues) that one might want in covering this early rock and roll era. Bill Haley, the Moonglows, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins show up on the first CD (the set is nicely chronological). The Ventures, Dion, Del Shannon and Roy Orbison populate the third CD. All the names you might remember or that you may have studied through reading about the era are here, but so are some of the lesser artists such as The Bobettes, Lee Andrews and the Hearts, The Five Satins, Shirley and Lee, and Joey Dee and the Starlighters. Their songs are more familiar than their names in most cases.

It isn't quite the revelation that the Roots of Rock 'n' Roll set was, as that one explored the era before rock really took over the airwaves, and was a deep dive into less familiar music and varied genres. But for someone born in the seventies or later, much of this material might be quite alien, and perhaps even as revelatory. And if you were listening to the oldies station in the sixties or seventies, much of this will sound pleasingly familiar, and some of it will be new. The set ends in 1963 with The Angels' My Boyfriend's Back, The Chiffons' He's So Fine, and The Beach Boys Surfin' USA. Let's just say they nailed the landing.

I've explored a number of Box Set collections in the past, and the good ones are mighty fine listening. You can check those entries out here. Additionally, most of them are available at bargain prices these days. I'm going to try to review the remainder of these sets in my collection in the near future. Stay tuned.

Lindsey Buckingham Go Insane 1984

Lindsey Buckingham seemed to relish his chances to go solo, and he makes a concerted effort not to sound like Fleetwood Mac. Which makes sense, but it also means that Mac fans would have mixed feelings about Buckingham solo. His first was very good with just a few exceptions, and I guess this one could be assessed pretty much the same way. 

The records open with the rocking I Want You, with tinny keyboards, speeded-up vocal section, and smoking hot lead guitar, with a hook for a chorus. Nice way to kick things off. The title track is next and has layered keys, layered vocals, sharp percussion, with another catchy chorus. The warbly high register that is his vocal on Slow Dancing is classic Buckingham. The pulsing beat and and complex arrangement keep a simple tune interesting. I Must Go gets a little more experimental, and that either detracts or you like it. Lots of keyboards, but it runs for a minute or two longer than it has ideas. And then Play In The Rain brings the crazy theme to the fore, with quiet vocal parts interrupted by clamorous percussion segments. Then the Indian instruments come in to raga the song out. 

Flip over to side two and Play In The Rain continues, starting with the raga, then shifting back to alternating vocal sections with percussion and big keyboard/guitar segments. It all comes together to rock out the ending. The slinky rock of Loving Cup is familiar territory for Buckingham, and rocks pretty hard. We get a hot guitar solo, and a big stadium-rock sound. It's good, but again seems to milk the motif for a few extra minutes. Bang The Drum opens without drums (of course), and the "bang the drum" chorus is catchy with  those eighties synths and layered vocal harmonies. The song ends on the banging drums (thank goodness). The D. W. Suite (honoring Dennis Wilson) is in three parts. The gentle opening section with Scottish folk overtones morphs through some cacophony into a Beach Boys inspired, harmony packed song, and then into a march of the familiar Scottish folk song "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" (or something awfully close) that serves as a funeral march for the recently deceased Wilson. It's a bit out there.

Listening to it after a long time away made for fun and intriguing listening. I suppose if you didn't like Tusk you probably won't like his early solo work (this is his second). Side one is better than side two. The record plays for 38 minutes, and even at that, some of it feels like it's stretched out a bit. And so yes, it's very good, with a few exceptions.