Ticket 2 Ride

Nineteen seventy-five was a huge year in music. Every kind of was popping with great releases, and genres were being redefined as the old terms didn’t quite apply. How confusing! Originally, this was going to be 50 albums released 50 years ago, but there were too damn many to include.

These are not necessarily the best, or my favorites, but they do deserve a mention.

This list is in no particular order.

That’s The Way Of The World – Earth, Wind & Fire. “School Boy Crush,” “Groovin’ the Night Away” and the title song were reasons the album topped charts and won a Grammy. “Reasons” wasn’t a single, but it’s a concert favorite. This album pushed the band into the stratosphere.

Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen. I loved the title track, but I didn’t understand the fuss about the rest of the album. What was I not hearing? It’s obvious now, but this album did not fit my rock & roll paradigm at the time.

Mothership Connection– Parliament. George Clinton and Parliament lifted off with his silly, but effective concept. “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)” had the be the song heard around many family holiday meals. Seriously, while it wasn’t happy meal music, it was appealing and brought the groove home.

Blood On The Tracks – Bob Dylan. This has to be Dylan’s most talked about album. The album went through a great deal of metamorphosis during recording. Dylan used teams of different musicians and changed the songs.

A Night At The Opera – Queen. An exercise in extravagance? The entire decade was. The gamble paid off, Queen rules.

Physical Graffiti – Led Zeppelin. Not an album as much as a cobbled together collection of songs. Was it too much? It stands the test of time. The album represents the band at their most creative, certainly not as slick as Led Zeppelin IV, but a more honest rendering of the band.

Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd. Maybe the last true Pink Floyd band album, with participation from everyone.

Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan – Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. Not the banger that Rufusized was the previous year, but the band was still in the groove. Backed by Tower of Power horns, this album was smokin’.

Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy – Elton John. Hailed as one of Elton’s best works. I don’t see it. Good. Certainly.

Toys In The Attic – Aerosmith. A career-making album. Aerosmith fulfilled their promise. A classic, but they would descend into the abyss for a decade or so until resurrecting their career.

Alive! – Kiss. I’m not a Kiss fan, but there’s no denying the impact of this album. KISS gained a new legion of fans with this record.

Horses – Patti Smith. I didn’t get this album. I had no idea what the New York critics were gushing about. When Waves came out several years later, I got it.

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac. What would the 1970s been without this rocking, fun album?

Why Can’t We Be Friends – War. The title track and “Low Rider” couldn’t be more different, yet the sound is unmistakable. Funk, rock, progressive-soul, funk-fusion – whatever it is, War had plenty of social commentary along with good times.

Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon. The album that finally established Simon as the talent we knew his had. A big seller and awards magnet.

Honey – Ohio Players. “Love Rollercoaster” and “Sweet Sticky Thing” were big hits on both the pop and R&B charts. The erotic cover didn’t hurt.

One Of These Nights – The Eagles. Although this album sold well and offered up several hits, it’s a mess. This was the last “group” album before the Henley-Frey reign.

Live! – Bob Marley & The Wailers. Reggae is best felt, and the force of Bob Marley was best in front of an audience. Reggae was still a mystery to American audiences.

Love To Love You Baby – Donna Summer. Love or hate Donna Summer, her influence to hard to ignore. The title song of the album clocked in at nearly seventeen minutes, great for the club scene. She had a dynamic voice allowing her to sing any genre of music.

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns – Joni Mitchell. Like fellow Canadian Neil Young, Joni never sought to plow the same ground twice. She had experienced commercial success with Court and Spark, now it was time to dig deeper and follow a more experimental vibe.

Welcome To My Nightmare – Alice Cooper. I had mixed feelings about this. Loved the Alice Cooper Group and was sad to see Alice go solo. However, this is a wonderful album and it holds up 50 years later. Nicely produced by Bob Ezrin.

Young Americans – David Bowie. While I loved “Fame,” I didn’t really dig this album. It would take me a couple of decades to really give this album a chance. Bowie never stayed in the same groove, he was constantly evolving.

Steppin’ – The Pointer Sisters. A great of soul and R&B. One of their strongest efforts.

Marcus Garvey – Burning Spear. Reggae was still a secret to many, but that would change. Marcus Garvey was one of the albums that made the music more accessible to the masses.

Blow By Blow – Jeff Beck. Rock fusion, or something like it. As it jazz or progressive rock? Instrumental albums for a rock audience are risky, but with the help of producer George Martin, this album was a homerun.

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Daryl Hall & John Oates – Hall & Oates. Fourth studio album, yet the first that really displayed what would be their definitive sound. “Sara Smile” was the hit, but album has some clunky numbers that seem like filler. They weren’t quite there yet.

KC & The Sunshine Band – KC & The Sunshine Band. Disco or funk, these songs were very popular. “That’s the Way (I Like It)” and “Get Down Tonight,” were part of the wave of danceable songs that would be a staple of radio through the end of the decade.

Southern Nights – Allen Toussaint. He was New Orleans rhythm and blues, a giant of a writer and producer. The title song was a hit for Glen Campbell, but not for Toussainte.

Fly By Night – Rush. First album with drummer Neil Peart.

Red Octopus – Jefferson Starship. Not a hint of LSD or revolution on this album. Life in the commercial lane was sweet, and very rewarding. This was the best lineup of the group.

Another Green World – Eno. I admit, I bought this album and I hated it. Aside from that, it’s a highly influential and groundbreaking album. Eno is one of the real characters of rock.

Never Can Say Goodbye – Gloria Gaynor. Forever associated with disco, Gloria Gaynor scored some strong R&B songs with a strong beat and disco strings. The title track of this album was a huge international hit.

Sabotage – Black Sabbath. I wouldn’t say this is their best album, but it was powerful and persuasive. Heavy metal was now a genre Black Sabbath no longer owned, life would be more challenging for the band.

Diamonds & Rust – Joan Baez. A commercial breakthrough for Joan. At her most accessible.

The Tommy Film Soundtrack – various artists. There are several standout covers: Tina Turner’s “The Acid Queen” and Elton John as the “Pinball Wizard.”

The Original Soundtrack – 10cc. A very popular album, but the band couldn’t stay together. Conflicting creative drive.

Zuma – Neil Young. A truly underrated album. It’s brash, gentle and winsome, typical Neil Young. Young albums of the era are often songs from different recording sessions with a changing cast. The styles, ill fitting and lacking in focus, but here, these songs fit remarkably well. Young also released the uneven Tonight’s The Night during the year.

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Nashville – various artists. Keith Carradine won an Academy Award for his song, “I’m Easy.”

Nighthawks At The Diner – Tom Waits. Mr. Waits was only into his third album, but had already nudged his way onto the music scene with his very eclectic sound. Waits and producer Bones Howe recreated the late night jazz club feel to the recording process, where Waits thrived.

Katy Lied – Steely Dan. Not the best or worst from the “group.” There are several classic tracks, and the others are interesting enough.

Blues For Allah – The Grateful Dead. If you are a Deadhead, this likely one of your favs from that period. It’s a bit out there for me, but think about the boundary-pushing many bands are engaging in. Drugs or spiritual awakening or just musically adventurous – this was a time of exploration and genre-bending.

Main Course – The Bee Gees. A major musical course correction for the group. What they had been doing, wasn’t working, and they were in trouble. An injection of R&B and funk took them in a new, and career-saving direction.

The Who By Numbers – The Who. Of all the Who albums, this felt like a Pete Townshend solo album. It’s personal and low tech, but the sound and performances are riveting.

Siren – Roxy Music. Whatever you call Roxy, art rock, avant garde, glam rock, they carved out their own niche. “Love is the Drug” was the international hit from his album.

Coney Island Baby – Lou Reed. This is the only Lou Reed album I enjoy.

Beautiful Loser – Bob Seger. Why it took so long for this guy to hit big, I’ll never know. The title track, “Travelin’ Man” and “Katmandu” are song that still play on the radio.

Stampede – The Doobie Brothers. The last album with co-founder Tom Johnston at the front, for 14 years. A diverse collection of songs and genres; some of their most mature and textured music. The first album with Skunk Baxter on guitar.

Nuthin’ Fancy – Lynyrd Skynyrd. Not their best album, but “Saturday Night Special” is a great song. Artemis Pyle joined the band for this album, Ed King left during the tour and the band moved on from Al Kooper as producer.

Face The Music – Electric Light Orchestra. My favorite album from the band. A transitional album, more conventional song structure and less prog. More radio play.

Pieces of the Sky – Emmylou Harris. Emmylou’s big-label album debut. Hailed as rising star, this album clearly introduced her eclectic and rootsy style.

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Fool For The City – Foghat. The title track and “Slow Ride” are killer tracks from this album.

T.N.T. – AC/DC. Released only in Australia and Asia, some of the songs on this album would appear on an album released internationally as their debut album. Big things were ahead for this band.

Gorilla – James Taylor. The first James Taylor album I ever bought. This album had a vibe that his other records lacked. Recorded in LA and produced by Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker, this album fit comfortably in the SoCal sound.

Atlantic Crossing – Rod Stewart. The sixth solo album, but one the changed his course. New label, new producer, new country, Rod Stewart was now a bonafide rock star.

Teaser – Tommy Bolin. Splitting his time between Deep Purple and his solo album, Bolin’s album came up on the short side. He mixes a variety of genres on this his solo debut album. Deserves a listen.

Cut The Cake – Average White Band. “School Boy Crush,” “Groovin’ the Night Away” and the hit title song kept the band on the road and on the radio. This was an all white band until Steve Ferrone joined. “Cut the Cake is an irresistible song.

Hearts – America. Perhaps the last big album by the group. Subsequent albums would lack the creative firepower and audience connection as through the first half of the decade. “Daisy Jane” and “Sister Golden Hair” were big bits.

Playing Possum – Carly Simon. Not Simon’s best, but a selection of songs and Richard Perry production that really shows her off.

Ambrosia – Ambrosia. The debut album. Soulful pop and art rock collided here. Charting songs were “Holdin’ on to Yesterday” and “Nice, Nice, Very Nice.”

Straight Shooter – Bad Company. “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad”, “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Shooting Star” were huge songs on their second album.

Judith – Judy Collins. “Send in the Clowns” was a major success from this album, although it had been recorded by others and from a Broadway show. Produced by Arif Mardin, Collins really shines and the album sold extremely well. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” is another excellent song.

Initiation – Todd Rundgren. The young wizard left the world of pop for industrial fusion, by way of prog rock. This might be the longest amount of music on a 33 & 1/3 vinyl disk. One side has normal songs, the flip side is a long suite of synthesized rock.

The Dream Weaver – Gary Wright. The synthesized sound of The Dream Weaver dropped on the scene. Spacey, electric and rocking, especially the title track and “My Live is Alive.”

Scheherazade and Other Stories – Renaissance. The art rock-folk-classic band’s sixth album and a transitional one. This has an epic sound, songs larger than life and a heavenly vocalist.

Nightingales & Bombers – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. Reinventing themselves, the Earth Band had a very successful decade, proggy and hard rocky, “Spirit in the Night” was a great cover.

Wind on the Water – Crosby & Nash. The duo’s best album, top songwriting and incredible session players.

Fish Out of Water – Chris Squire. The best solo album of any Yes members. What it lacks in vocals, it makes up for as tapping into a primal Yes musical vein. Squires is not a bad vocalist, but his bass playing and songwriting are what puts this album over the top.

Equinox – Styx. Yes, Styx has been around 50 years and then so. Equinox was the album where their sound came together. “Light Up”, “Lorelei” and “Suite Madame Blue” were great songs on the album.

No Mystery – Return to Forever featuring Chick Corea. One of the most successful jazz groups of the 1970s, they helped rewrite what was acceptable as splinter influences. No Mystery is almost a prog-jazz album, inventive, stylistic and different rhythms.

Mister Magic – Grover Washington, Jr. One of the giants of jazz-R&B, whatever that is, Washington was a leading jazz artist at the time. With the help Bob James, Eric Gale and others, this album is one of the top Washington albums during a long career.

Little River Band – Little River Band. The Aussie’s debut, featuring, “It’s a Long Way There”, the long version. They would go on the had a number of adult contemporary hits, but nothing as rocking as “It’s a Long Way There.”

Journey to Love – Stanley Clarke. A member of the Jazz-fusion group, Return to Forever, Clarke steps out for his second solo album, joined by a plethora of friends including Jeff Beck. It’s difficult to know where the fusion and funk overlap, Clarke’s creative style is unique to the bass instrument.

Pressure Drop – Robert Palmer. On his second album, Palmer continues his evolution mixing reggae, funk, new wave, rock into his own eclectic style. “Give Me an Inch” was the hit single from the album.

Will O’ the Wisp – Leon Russell. Featuring the hit “Lady Blue”, this was one of Russell’s most accessible albums, during his most popular years.

Red Headed Stranger – Willie Nelson. After signing a big record deal, Nelson submitted a record the company didn’t want to release, but it proved to be a hit, including his cover of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.”