200 Lost Gems & Forgotten Diamonds:-->Pt 13




"You are the music...
while the music lasts."
- T. S. Eliot -


This personal list of "lost gems & forgotten diamonds" continues.
(A reminder...songs will be from the 70s decade...but not exclusively.)

I strongly encourage everyone to purchase the albums for an even better understanding.

Part 13 - Let's Begin...

80:-->BOC -------"The Red & The Black" (5:57) --------Tyranny and Mutation (1973)
"Hornswoop me bungo pony on dogsled on ice.
Make a dash for freedom baby... Don't skate on polar ice."
Treacherous metal riffing coupled with BOC lyric weirdness makes for some tasty head rockin'.


79:-->Bob Welch -----"The Ghost Of Flight 401" (3:12) -------Three Hearts (1979)

"In flesh & bone & clothes it came
on an eastern airline I can't name."
Always a treat...when Welch throws his spooky-cool attitude into the telling of an unexplained occurrence that catches his fancy.

78:-->Stills-Young Band ----"Fontainebleau" (3:58) -----Long May You Run (1976)
"Where the surfer works
'til the break of day...'cause it takes a shark to catch a wave."
A classic composition from Young about the decadence at an infamous hotel with Stills and Young trading fuzz-bite guitar.


77:-->Frank Zappa ------"Zomby Woof" (5:10) ------- Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
"Three hundred years ago
I thought I might get some sleep.
I stretched myself out on an antique bed
And my spirit did a midnight creep."
Monster musicianship abounds with Zappa keeping everyone intensely focused. Catchy. Entertaining. Amazing. One of his best.

76:-->Steve Forbert ----------"Wait" (5:31) ----------Jackrabbit Slim (1979)
"Dancers and snow queens
handsome and lovely
skate on the lake
and fall deeply in love."
Forbert and his uniquely descriptive obs...create vivid snapshots of winter with all its wonders and sadness. Shiver.

75:-->Jackson Browne ------"Rosie" (3:41) -------- Running On Empty (1978)
"Of all the times that I've been burned,
by now you'd think I'd learn...
That it's who you look like, not who you are."
One of JB's best vocals. As honest as it is gorgeous. Say hello to Miss Palm.

74:-->Lou Reed ----------"Kill Your Sons" (3:40) ------------Sally Can't Dance (1974)
"All your two-bit psychiatrists
are giving you electroshock."
A powerful dose of personal truth about shock treatment delivered in matter-of-fact Lou Reed style. Biting guitar spank provided by Danny Weis.

73:-->Ted Nugent -------"Terminus El Dorado" (4:17) -------Scream Dream (1980)
"The crows be pickin' at your flesh...
and you got no control over the situation."
Some wicked funkiness about the perils of taking daddy's car without permish.

72:-->Steely Dan -------"Show Biz Kids" (5:26) ------Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)
"While the poor people sleepin'
with the shade on the light.
While the poor people sleepin'
all the stars come out at night."
Hypnotizing groove. Buzzing guitar spank courtesy of Rick Derringer. Terrific lyrics. And perhaps the most well-placed F-bomb in RnR.


71:-->Grand Funk --"Sin's A Good Man's Brother" (4:51) -Closer To Home (1970)
"Ain't seen a night, things work out right, go by.
Things on my mind, and I just don't have the time
and it don't seem right."
Heavy Metal Poundage, indeed!
Bass. Guitar. Drums...Daddy like.

All good stuff!   ...to be continued.


 Casey Chambers
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Comments

Anonymous said…
How appropos, since I literally stumbled upon this post while seeking BOC lyric references to literature.

The college crowd digs me? Do I correctly interpret this to mean you are not of the college crowd? Not to keyhole anyone by their musical tastes but at least 2/3 of your "Lost Gems, etc." are the hallmark companion to my coming of age in the 70's. BOC's lyrics and music composition 35 years later, still fascinate me as do Eliot's poetry. Music and lyric layered with nuance of the dark, teasing those who truly listen down one path, then another--rudely in your face when you least expect it.

But they're too easy to pick out among the lesser known but more worthy music of the 70's. I didn't really bite until I got to your Bob Welch selection. That is the supporting beam of my hypothesis regarding your DOB. Bob Welch was not famed for much in the way of popular music and what did hit the charts was at best pedestrian. He was at the top of his game when he cut loose and stopped trying to reach people and instead channeled his muse. Tricky for someone not entrenched in the day to be able to separate his wheat from chaff. It was all so entwined and most of his recording after Fleetwood Mac jostled bland and sometimes stupid pop up against flashes of brilliance.

Thanks for the memory.
November 5, 2009 at 10:05 PM
Casey said…
Anon...Much appreciate the insightful comments.

Hope you enjoy some of my choices...though on a different day I might have chosen a different tune.

Growing up, I was surrounded by parents heavily in love with music and primarily rock of the 70's.

Lps and cassttes and CDs from that era were/are always in constant states of rotation.

(I can only let you imagine the # of albums my folks collected that have a "Poverty Records" sticker on the front from a now defunct record trade store.)

I also remember tons of discussions around the coffee table on the merits of a ...supergroup"...Or who was the more talented...Emerson...Lake or Palmer? That's just the way it has always been around my house growing up. Still is!

The tag..."The College Crowd Digs Me" was a weekly column (give or take) I contributed for 3 years while in college. The Vantage from Newman University. I liked it and just kept it.

I graduated this spring and have recently been hired by a major airlines. (We'll just have to wait and see where that goes).

Anyway...I find rock music from the 70's (and old movies)...fascinating and often surprising...so I tend to keep my hands dirty in this RnR mud.

I encourage you to return from time to time...or even subscribe.

Set me straight if you think I've goofed.

And tell it when I get it right.

Thanks again!
November 5, 2009 at 11:24 PM
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