Ticket 2 Ride

What was music like back in 1973, 50 years ago. Baby boomers were under age 30, the line of declaration between hip and hip replacement.

Fifty years is a very long time. Yet, music hasn’t changed much at all. Of course new genres and subgenres have emerged, more to go into the modern music stew.

Hard to believe, but Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player, was Elton John’s sixth album (followed by Goodbye Yellow Brick Road), as was Billion Dollar Babies by the Alice Cooper Group, and Aladdin Sane by Bowie. Larks’ Tongues in Aspic was King Crimon’s fifth, as well as Bob Marley’s Catch a Fire, and Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy. A Wizard, a True Star, was Todd Rundgren’s fourth album.

The early 1970s was still the singer songwriter era, deeply introspective and gentle, the seductive ballads we’re beginning to move in a soft rock direction. Albums included: Billy Joel, The Piano Man; Jackson Browne, For Everyman; Jim Croce, I’ve Got a Name; Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon; Dr. John, In the Right Place; Seals & Croft, Diamond Girl; Jimmy Buffett, A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean; Harry Chapin; Short Stories.

In addition, pop artists like Helen Reddy, The Captain & Tennille, Lou Rawls, The Osmonds, Anne Murray, Paul Anka and Frankie Valli, Maureen McGovern were charting AM hits. Olivia Newton-John had been releasing material for a couple of years, but in 1973, her music drifted over to the country chart with “Let Me Be There” and her career took off in America. She straddled the genres and enlarged her audience. This song won her a Grammy and a string of chart hits followed.

The year saw the country- rock debut of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils with their hit “If You Want to Get to Heaven.” The Marshall Tucker Band’s self titled album with the country-rock, “Can’t You See.” Former McCoys member Rick Derringer released his debut All American Boy, with the hit “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” Tom Waits charged onto the scene with Closing Time. Gram Parsons debuted with GP, his only album released during his lifetime. Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. was the debut from Bruce Springsteen. Aerosmith debuted with “Dream On,” which became a hit in 1975. Bachman-Turner Overdrive released their first album. Queen’s self-titled album debuted with the single, “Keep Yourself Alive.” (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) was released by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which included “Freebird.” Art Garfunkel released Angel Clare, featuring “All I Know.” A lot of great debuts.

Rock music was splintering into various offshoots such as Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, a marriage of jazz, rock and electronic music. A sliver of which was featured in The Exorcist film. Birds of Fire was the second jazz-fusion album by The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Rick Wakeman released his first progressive-rock album The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Billy Cobham, Herbie Hancock, Kraftwerk, and Tangerine Dream were some of the more eclectic artists who released albums.

Charlie Rich enjoyed his greatest success with two monster crossover hits. First came “Behind Closed Doors,” which won Rich Grammy and CMA awards, and an even bigger chart hit, “The Most Beautiful Girl.” Crossover country hits weren’t new, but made it look easy. His music was always hard to categorize: not really country, not enough pop, too much rockabilly, jazz piano that didn’t belong, and the dreaded “easy listening” catch-all label.

Barry White had been around the music scene for awhile, but his first solo album arrived in 1973. The first single was “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby” became a top five hit. Tower of Power, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Al Green, The Spinners, Billy Paul, Earth, Wind & Fire, Pointer Sisters, Sly & the Family Stone, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Labelle, Stevie Wonder and The Ohio Players were some of the charting R&B artists.

Popular Songs of 1973:

“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” Tony Orlando and Dawn

“Bad Bad Leroy Brown” Jim Croce

“Benny and the Jets” Elton John

“Killing Me Softly With His Song” Roberta Flack

“Will it Go Round in Circles” Billy Preston

“Me and Mrs. Jones” Billy Paul

“You’re So Vain” Carly Simon

“Frankenstein” The Edgar Winter Group

“Drift Away” Dobie Gray

“Rocky Mountain High” John Denver

“Dancing in the Moonlight” King Harvest

“Midnight Train to Georgia” Gladys Knight & the Pips

“Live and Let Die” Paul McCartney & Wings

“Dueling Banjos” Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel

“My Maria” B.W. Stevenson

“Takin’ Care of Business” Bachman-Turner Overdrive

“Break Up to Make Up” The Stylistics

“Do it Again” Steely Dan

“The Cover of the Rolling Stone” Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show

“Stuck in the Middle” Stealers Wheel

“We’re An American Band” Grand Funk Railroad

“The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” Vicki Lawrence

“Living for the City” Stevie Wonder

“La Grange” ZZ Top

My List of Influential Albums of 1973:

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon

Genesis, Selling England by the Pound

Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Little Feat, Dixie Chicken

Alice Cooper Group, Billion Dollar Babies

Doobie Brothers, The Captain and Me

Dr. John, The Right Place

Tom Waits, Closing Time

The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Birds of Fire

Bob Marley & the Wailers, Catch a Fire

Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells

Joe Walsh, The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get

Grand Funk Railroad, We’re an American Band

Steely Dan, Countdown to Ecstasy

Stevie Wonder, Innervisions

Marvin Gaye, Let’s Get it On

The Allman Brothers, Brothers and Sisters

Renaissance, Ashes Are Burning

The Who, Quadrophenia

Ringo Starr, Ringo

Billy Joel, Piano Man

Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Brain Salad Surgery

Paul McCartney & Wings, Band on the Run

Bachman–Turner Overdrive, Bachman–Turner Overdrive II

Yes, Tales from Topographic Oceans