Australia’s neo-psychedelic band, The Church, hit the college radio airwaves with a fresh twist of airy vocals from Steve Kilbey and the slice & dice guitar work of Marty Wilson-Piper. The group is probably best known for their hit “Under The Milky Way” which was recently covered by singer/songwirter Sia. Today’s track “The Unguarded Momenet,” was the band’s first single, but an undiscovered gem to many. The song comes from their 1981 debut release Of Skins and Heart.
Rick James’ debut album Come Get It! is best known for “Mary Jane,” a classic love song directed at a certain burning bush, and “You and I,” a funky up-tempo love song about abiding love with a special woman. But there’s also a love song, of sorts, dedicated to the love of pursuing dreams against tremendous odds called “Hollywood.” This is Rick James at his most vulnerable.
When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You Marvin Gaye
Label: Motown
Released: 1978
On his in 1978 double album release, Here My Dear, Marvin Gaye chronicled the disintegration of his ill fated marriage to Anna Gordy in a bracingly explicit fashion. Fans used to Gaye’s sweet, seductive sounds were shocked at blunt bitterness on display on this epic divorce album. Rather than cooing sweet lines such as “let’s get it on,” Gaye croons lyrics such as “how could you turn me into the police” and “you have scandalized my name.” Despite the frankness of the lyrics, Gaye backs them with a lush, funky orchestration that’s groovy and irresistible, making this a dark horse classic in his catalogue.
(You Gotta Walk And) Don’t Look Back Peter Tosh & Mick Jagger
Label: EMI
Released: 1978
When a national television audience tuned into Saturday Night Live in December, 1978, they not only saw some great comedy, but their perceptions of who and what reggae was may have been both shattered and illuminated. Peter Tosh – an original Wailer (you know, that Marley guy’s band) – had hooked up with the Glimmer Twins (a/k/a Mick & Keef). The result was his third solo album; the classic Bush Doctor. So, that night when Elliott Gould announced the musical guest, it was Peter & Mick, performing that album’s “(You Gotta Walk And) Don’t Look Back.” And, for 5 glorious minutes, the nation understood reggae. It was feel good, introspective and fun. Sure, reggae has presented some of our history’s most potent political thought, but it also gives us real life. And allows us to enjoy it. Even if our eyes are squinting just a bit…
Eddie Van Halen turns 55 today, and the first song that comes to mind is the one that insists on being heard. Picture a suburban bedroom in 1978, as an unsuspecting listener slips Van Halen’s eponymous debut from its shrink-wrap and drops it on the turntable. The needle falls, then braces itself for shred. “Eruption” remains by far one of the most confident statements for any young band. Not a word is spoken, but Eddie’s voice on guitar is loud, strong, and clear. It’s the sound of confidence, of youth, of new beginnings, of freedom unchained. The song’s less than two minutes long, but, really, what more needs to be said? Nearly 32 years later, if “Eruption” doesn’t blow you into the next room, give my compliments to the craftsmen who reinforced your walls.
Q: Are We Not The Ventures?People seem to forget that “Whip It” was from the band’s 3rd album, and before they became synthesizer poster children, Devo were using lots of guitars.Taken from their classic debut, “Gut Feeling” starts off a little like Booker T. and the S.P.U.D.’s, but when the vocal hits, you know you’ve devolved.The track builds and builds until the rockin’ “Slap Your Mammy” coda takes it to a whole different place.One constant about Devo is that you can’t blink – something different is always around the corner.And, if you only think of them as the guys with flower pots on their heads, I’ve got a gut feeling this track will change your mind.
“They say that these are not the best of times, but they’re the only times I’ve ever known,” sang Peter, Paul and Mary on their 1978 version of Billy Joel’s “Summer, Highland Falls.” But Mary Travers, Peter Yarrow, and Noel Paul Stookey always were dedicated to making these the best of times, raising consciousness through songs that educated while confronting injustices in the world.
As PP&M sang Bob Dylan’s “How many deaths will it take ’til he knows that too many people have died,” their brand of folk rendered Burl Ives hootenanny irrelevant. With songs like “If I Had A Hammer” and “This Land Is Your Land,” the trio re-raised the Baby Boomer generation, transmuting their energies into activism. Though Mary Travers’ passing is heartbreaking, with comrades Peter and Paul, she left behind a recorded legacy and contributions to culture that most politicians and leaders can’t even begin to emulate.
In Hollywood, on the Sunset Strip, stands a last holdout of rock ’n’ roll’s truly debauched and wilder side—the Rainbow Bar & Grill. In the ’70s, it was the swilling den for musicians and their groupies, and in the ’80s it stayed that way—except with even bigger hair and a heavy metal edge. The club also inspired the name for heavy metal band Rainbow, which was formed in ’75 by Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and members of Elf, including lead vocalist Ronnie James Dio. This track is from their third record, Long Live Rock ’N’ Roll.
Van Halen’s ride began on what’s considered one of the most impressive fully formed debuts of all time. The slab eponymous boasts live perennials “Runnin’ With The Devil,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” and the four-alarm arpeggios of “Eruption,” Eddie Van Halen’s bold statement of intent that mind-blown shredders are still sorting out. But one of its best tracks is “Little Dreamer”—or Van Halen after dark, when all the other hits have gone to bed. Eddie’s devil-lip riff coats the night in storm clouds, his solo tone-perfect, with just enough showoff gusto to please the techs. David Lee Roth expounds on good times gone bad: “Now no one’s talkin’ ’bout those crazy days gone by,” he warns ominously, as Michael Anthony howls against the moonlit chorus. Brrr.
Despite Cheap Trick’s hooky songs, Rick Neilsen’s lyrics often involved darker and more ambiguous themes than those that usually found their way into late-’70s popular music. “On The Radio,” with its candy groove and sing-along choruses, reveals Cheap Trick’s ability to connect with their audience and pull back the curtain on what the culture was actually feeding them. The lyrics portray a man’s relationship with radio, laying bare the oasis of inspiration/consolation that the medium had been for many years. However, the song ends with typical rambling DJ patter. And for all the genuine feeling the listener invests in the songs and the man who spins them, this patter reveals itself to be nothing more than blatant hucksterism and half-baked attempts to sound “hip.” Everyone now knows that this is all radio’s really ever been, but Cheap Trick called “bullshit” pretty early in the game.
Having proven himself capable of scoring big hits with singles about solitude (“Lonely Boy”) and camaraderie (“Thank You For Being A Friend”), Andrew Gold should have knocked one out of the park when he tackled the greatest of all subjects—love —on “Never Let Her Slip Away.” Warbling “I feel like a kid with a teenage crush on a school day,’’ the California troubadour sounds utterly smitten. With its handclaps-and-stomps rhythm bed, juicy synth riff, and pillow-soft backing vocals, the track is easily the equal of prime Hall & Oates, straddling a fine line between yacht rock and blue-eyed soul. Alas, this selection didn’t resonate with the American public, stalling far outside the Top 40 in 1978. Across the pond, however, British listeners embraced “Never . . .” with all the affection it exuded, and it remains a staple on U.K. oldies radio.
