Uncovered 70s - Part One

So in between my 60s adventure and my new direction, I've decided to look at songs from the past year or so's 70's throwback shows that I never covered on previous go-rounds.  There were more than I expected.  This well is deeper than I thought, which is why the uncovered 80s stuff will have to wait a bit.  For now, let's just dive in to this decade, starting in 1970-71.

Dec. 12, 1970

31 - "Let's Work Together," Canned Heat
The fourth and last Top 40 for these L.A. blues rockers was this cover of a 1969 hit by soul singer Wilbert Harrison.  A catchy chugger about cooperation.  Fun for every boy, girl, woman, and man.

33 - "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," Neil Young
The rock icon's first solo hit was this acoustic ballad about loneliness.  Simple and beautiful, and perfect for a good cry. And Neil's been in the news lately for his activism regarding the Alberta oil sands.  He's still speaking out.  Good for him.

37 - "Heed the Call," Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
Kenny's last Top 40 with this band was an okay bit of gospel-pop about the spiritual power of music.  Not bad, but they had better stuff.

May 15, 1971

37 - "Booty Butt," The Ray Charles Orchestra
Brother Ray's last pop hit was this old-school R&B instrumental.  I'm sure both booties and butts have shook plenty to it.  Cool party music, and that closing horn blast was a nice touch,

40 - "The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley," C Company featuring Terry Nelson
Nelson, an Alabama disc jockey, had only one hit, but it was a controversial one.  Set to the tune of the Civil war anthem "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," Nelson sings from the point of view of William Calley, a U.S.Army lieutenant who had recently been convicted for his role in the 1968 killings of over 300 Vietnamese civilians in the village of My Lai.  Nelson portrays Calley as a heroic figure for fighting in the war while hundreds of thousands of antiwar protesters were "helping our defeat," and portrays his actions as that of a dutiful soldier in a strange land, trying to follow orders while unable to tell enemy combatants from innocents.  While Calley was far from the only soldier involved, and certainly not the highest ranking one, he would be the only one convicted of the murders.  He was sentenced to life in prison, but thanks in part to the intervention of Presiden Richard Nixon, he would only serve three-and-a-half years of house arrest.  The song's veneration of Calley definitely made me uncomfortable, but it would certainly seem that he took a disproportionate amonnt of public blame for the massacre.  All in all, an intriguing artifact of the time.

June 12, 1971

26 - "Funky Nassau (Part 1)," The Beginning of the End
Led by brothers Frank, Ray, and Roy Munnings, this Bahamian band scored their only major international success with this celebration of the soulfulness of their hometown.  It is indeed funky.  Solid island party music.

27 - "She's Not Just Another Woman," 8th Day
This song was actually by the band 100 Proof (Aged In Soul), but because they had another hit climbing the charts at the time, and their record label wanted to avoid competition, it was released under a different name.  Decent R&B tribute to a special lady who makes the singer's existence worthwhile.  Like it.

30 - "Don't Pull Your Love," Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds
The only Top 40 hit by the original lineup of Dan Hamilton, Joe Frank Carollo, and Tommy Reynolds was this big, "please don't leave me" ballad that is quite reminiscent of much of what Elvis was recording during this time period. The singer even sounds like The King.  It's better than I remembered, and much better than any of the stuff without Reynolds.

31 - "That's the Way I've Always Heard it Should Be," Carly Simon
The daughter of one of the founders of publishing giant Simon and Schuster, this New York native scored her first hit with this evocative ballad about a young woman's struggle with the idea of marrying her boyfriend.  She recalls the distant relationship her parents had, and sings of how her married friends seem dissatisfied with their lives.  And she also fears that marriage will restrain her, to the point that "I'll never learn to just be me first, by myself."  But at the end of the song, she does commit to matrimony, although the listener isn't at all sure why.  A beautifully performed, brilliantly realized emotional journey.

33 - "Never Can Say Goodbye," Isaac Hayes
Hayes' second Top 40 single was a cover of a recent Jackson 5 hit.  If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know how much I love this song in both its original and Gloria Gaynor versions.  I wasn't aware of this one, and I wondered if there was room in my heart for a third take on this song.  Turns out there is.  Hayes puts his own smooth, funky spin on it.  Same song, three different but equally rewarding listens.  You gotta love that.


34 - "Albert Flasher," The Guess Who
Burton Cummings and company picked up their tenth Top 40 with this midtempo piano boogie about...owning workshops, and uh, fixing diesels, and some guy who makes moonbeams.  And I have no idea if Albert was an actual flasher or that was his name.  Nonsensical, but catchy.

37 - "Puppet Man," Tom Jones
The follow-up to Jones' biggest American hit, "She's a Lady," was this soul number on which he volunteers to be "your personal marionette," promises to "crack a jack till the crack of dawn," and says "if you want to see me do my thing, baby, pull my string."  Interesting offer.  But Tom does this sort of thing well, and I enjoy the high notes from the backing singers.  And on a related note, my recent viewing of the movie American Hustle has given me a new appreciation for "Delilah."


July 31, 1971

9 - "Sooner or Later," The Grass Roots
The band's third and last Top Ten is this poppy warning to a woman that one of these days, she will succumb to her love for the guy who's singing.  Okay, but Creedless, so meh.

15 - "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again," The Fortunes
From Birmingham, England, this band scored two American hits in 1965, including the Top Ten  "You've Got Your Troubles."  Six years later, they picked up one more U.S. hit with this deceptively bouncy number about loneliness.  The singer reminds me of Frankie Valli at certain points.  Just average to these ears.

17 - "I Don't Want to Do Wrong," Gladys Knight and The Pips
Another soul nugget from GK&tPs.  On this one, Gladys begs her old lover for forgiveness because she found a new guy after he was away for just a bit too long.  Me, I think she was entirely justified.  If he didn't know enough to do whatever he could to someone like her, she was right to move on.  No apologies necessary.

23 - "Double Barrel," Dave and Ansell Collins
First of all, these two Jamaicans aren't brothers (Dave's last name is Barker).  The two have had long careers separately, but their biggest success came together with this single, a spare reggae groove over which Barker declares, among other things, that "I am the magnificent!"  It hit #1 in the U.K., and was one of the tracks that paved the way for reggae to become a worldwide phenomenon.

24 - "Get it On," Chase
This nine-man jazz-pop group had their only major hit with this horn-heavy ode to making love in the a.m. hours.  Raucous fun.  Unfortunately, the band's founder and namesake, Bill Chase, would die in a plane crash just three years later.

32 - "Moonshadow," Cat Stevens
Stevens' second American hit was this acoustic ballad on which he sees the bright side of losing various limbs, organs and appendages.  Now that's optimism.  I have to say, this is the most appealing of his more hippy-dippy tunes to me.

33 - "Summer Sand," Dawn
Tony Orlando and co.'s fouth Top 40 was this pop number about fleeting romances during the hotter months.  Probably in the middle of my list of their hits, but certainly one on which they sound more "of their time" than they often did.

35 - "Chicago," Graham Nash
The British quarter of CSNY had his only solo hit with this rock song about the injustices going on in America at the time.  The main point of reference is the "Chicago Eight," a group of activists who were arrested and tried for their actions during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.  The minor organ chords seem to indicate that the struggle against such inequities is unwinnable, but Nash's chorus of "We can change the world" seems to indicate the opposite, or at least that it's worth a try.  A terrific call to (figurative) arms.

38 - "Wild Horses," The Rolling Stones
The Stones' follow-up to the #1 "Brown Sugar" was this beautiful acoustic ballad about a relationship that's had its ups and downs, but is still one that Mick seems to want to hang onto.  Just a great rock love song.

39 - "Love Means (You Never Have to Say You're Sorry)," Sounds of Sunshine
Apparently these guys were three brothers from L.A., and their only hit, this square sleeping pill built on a phrase popularized by the movie Love Story, didn't get any higher than this.  And it was lucky to do even that.  Boring boring boring.


Oct. 23, 1971

40 - "I'm Comin' Home," Tommy James
The first solo hit by the Shondells frontman was this country rocker about his desire to return to "my father's mansion."  I'm not sure if theres a religious meaning to that, but a very good tune regardless.

Dec. 4, 1971

32 - "Hey Girl"/"I Knew You When," Donny Osmond
Donny's third solo Top ten was a double-sided affair.  Both songs are covers of 60's hits about wanting a lady to come back.  The former was originally recorded by Freddie Scott, the latter by Billy Joe Royal.  Donny sings both well, and I prefer both by a large margin to "Go Away Little Girl."

37 - "An American Trilogy," Mickey Newbury
Houston-born Newbury found most of his musical success as a songwriter, but he did manage one hit as an artist with this arrangement of three traditional songs: "Dixie" (as in "I wish I was in..."), "The Battle Hymn of The Republic," and the folk spiritual "All My Trials."  I'm not sure what statement he was trying to make about America with this, but it is compelling.  Later, Elvis Presley would not only record it, but also make it a staple of his live performances.  Seems about right.

38 - "Behind Blue Eyes," The Who
The second single from Who' s Next was this ballad about a lonely, angry man who still seeks comfort and redemption from the people he blames for his plight.  I think that's it.  A brilliant track from a classic album.

39 - "I'm a Greedy Man (Part 1)," James Brown
Another one from Brother James.  Over the usual reliable funk groove, he asks you to "pick up on this," advises "don't leave the homework undone," and insists his name isn't Jody.  What does it all mean?  Who cares, just dance.

40 - "Your Move," Yes
The first American hit for these English prog rockers was a shortened version of the album track "I've Seen All Good People."  It's a primarily acoustic number, with lyrics that seem to use chess metaphors ("Move me onto any black square,") as statements about how to get ahead in life.  A classic rock staple, but always worth a listen.

In Part Two: 1972-1974