David Hepworth wrote a rather good article about Richard and Linda’s Thompson’s I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight in the New Statesman recently (apologies if someone has already posted the link). He’s right about two things. It’s an album that is absolutely still as magnificent as it was fifty years ago. And also -1974 – what a year! He mentions Court and Spark and Good Old Boys. So that’s three masterpieces for a start. But looking at the list of releases on Wikipedia there is classic after classic. To take just half a dozen that mean the world to me:
Veedon Fleece AND Its Too Late to Stop Now from The Man
Pretzel Logic by The Dan
Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne
Fulfillingness First Finale by Steve Wonder.
461 Ocen Boulevard by Eric Clapton
But honestly I could have picked twenty more. I know there will be many other albums here which Afterworders will hold dear in their hearts. Fill your boots and advocate for the best.
There’s this to listen to too.
Not just on YouTube.
Decent year:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_in_music
My top 3 could be:
No Other
Diamond Dogs
Veedon Fleece
I did a mix of some of my ’74 faves you may dig
Queen : Some Day One Day
Johnny Wakelin : In Zaire
Richard & Linda Thompson : The Calvary Cross
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band : Upon The My-O-My
Bad Company : Ready For Love
Brian Eno : Third Uncle
10cc : The Worst Band In The World
Renaissance : Mother Russia
Supertramp : Rudy
Helen Reddy : Angie Baby
King Crimson : The Mincer
Cockney Rebel : Singular Band
Ringo Starr : Snookeroo
Big Star : September Gurls
Genesis : The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging
David Essex : Stardust
David Bowie : Future Legend / Rebel Rebel
Sparks : Propaganda / Amateur Hour
Be Bop Deluxe : Rocket Cathedrals
Joni Mitchell : Free Man In Paris
Gordon Lightfoot : Sundown
Eric Clapton : Mainline Florida
Robert Palmer : Sneakin’ Sally Thru The Alley
Roxy Music : Triptych
Mick Ronson : Growing Up & I’m Fine
Jackson Browne : Late For The Sky
Roberta Flack : Feel Like Makin’ Love
Ken Boothe : Everything I Own
Billy Swan : I Can Help
I dig.
Thanks.
cheers! man in a bath
Blimey. Crime of the Century is from 1974. Still one of my favourite albums.
Slade bookended 1974 with Old Ne Borrowed And Blue, and Flame.
Probably their 2 best, and trying to move on from the Foot Stompin’, mispelt Glma Rokcism they’d been trading on.
Although post Flame is where the audience started moving away too.
Diamond Dogs. This is the correct answer.
OK, but couldn’t you make a bid for any year to be full of masterpieces? I’d be interested to hear about a year in music history when only shite records were released!
(Not trying to piss on your chips here, Blue Boy – just genuinely asking. I bet that there’s someone out there who could argue that even a year like 1987 – which I thought was dull at the time – is their favourite year in music! And looking it up on wiki just now, I wouldn’t protest too much, as it turns out to be the year when some bloody great albums came out, to my great surprise…)
It’s a good challenge @locust. I’m sure you’re right insofar as every year will have its share of classic records. But, to take your example of 1987, I’m not sure the ten best records from that year would come close to the ten best of 1974 (accepting that we’ll all have different views of what each of those ‘ten best’ would be).
My 1987 top 10 – all equally good in my ears
.
Box Frenzy – Pop Will Eat Itself
Come On Pilgrim – Pixies
Darklands – The Jesus and Mary Chain
Floodland – The Sisters of Mercy
Locust Abortion Technician – Butthole Surfers
The Perfect Prescription – Spacemen 3
Sign o’ the Times – Prince
Substance 1987 – New Order
Within the Realm of a Dying Sun – Dead Can Dance
The Young Gods – The Young Gods
Yebbut … 1987 is the generally accepted nadir
(at least in my little world anyway. I once wrote about it … I’ll be back when I find it)
Naturally, I had to check! And for me 1987 won that duel, but of course I dislike a lot of the classics that would make everybody else’s lists (I’m fully expecting to be kicked out of The Afterword).
My Top Ten of -74 would be:
1. Pugh Rogefeldt – Bolla och rulla (Swedish classic!)
2. David Bowie – Diamond Dogs
3. Randy Newman – Good Old Boys
4. Roxy Music – Country Life
5. Stevie Wonder – Fulfillingness’ First Finale
6. Kiss – Kiss
7. Sparks – Kimono My House
8. Supertramp – Crime of the Century
9. Nationalteatern – Livet är en fest (another local classic…)
10. Shuggie Otis – Inspiration Information
I only had two more albums that I considered (Sparks – Propaganda/Peps Blodsband – Blodsband – yes, you guessed it; another Swedish classic!) and bar my no. one I don’t think any of these albums would make it into my Top 100 albums of all times.
And my Top Ten for 1987:
1. Julian Cope – Saint Julian
2. Prince – Sign o’ the Times
3. Depeche Mode – Music for the Masses
4. The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come
5. David Sylvian – Secrets of the Beehive
6. The Cure – Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
7. Eric B. & Rakim – Paid In Full
8. Guns & Roses – Appetite for Destruction
9. Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing
10. Terence Trent d’Arby – Introducing…
Now, I had a difficult time getting my list down to ten, and I’m still not sure I put the right ones in (or in the right order) at the bottom of that list…they were competing against: Sinéad O’Connor – The Lion and the Cobra, George Michael – Faith, Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust, Public Enemy – Yo! Bum Rush the Show, Ronstadt/Harris/Parton – Trio, Erasure – The Circus, and Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night.
I’d say that the Top 5 has a good chance to make it into my Top 100.
Down my way, the best of 1987 is additionally
Sonic Youth — Sister
Throwing Muses —debut
Hüsker Dü —Warehouse: Songs and Stories
Loop—Heaven’s End
Gram Parsons – Grievous Angel
Randy Newman – Good Ol’ Boys
Tom Waits – Heart of Saturday Night
Mott the Hoople – The Hoople
Ry Cooder – Paradise and Lunch
J J Cale – Okie
Puzzling I know, but B.T. Express – Do It (till you’re satisfied) is omitted from many best album lists. It’s a street funk classic. Every track is a banger.
Well, I was released in 1974, so have always had a soft spot for that 12 months
Released in 74? Interesting, Which label were you on @slotbadger?
One of the indies or something more mainstream?
More generous than me @Kaisfatdad I picture @slotbadger standing with a cardboard suitcase in one hand as the studded prison doors are shut behind him.
‘Badger behind Bars? What a wonderfully vivid imagination you have, @hubert rawlinson.
Suddenly I too can imagine slotbadger as one of the cast of Porridge. Helping Fletcher with his crosswords.
Strangeways, Farewell!
Fear by John Cale
It seems like some acts released less celebrated records but actually they are pretty decent, if not the ones that get all the attention. Country Life would be one of the Roxy albums I play most, it’s got lots of great guitar, it’s more entertaining than some of the others. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll is a bit neglected but it’s got things like Time Waits For No One and Fingerprint File on it which are rather brilliant.
The Big Star record is fantastic regardless of what Hepworth says about it being a critics favourite because no one bought it. It probably made more sense years later.
I like all the Roxy albums – but Country Life is my favourite, making it one of my all- time favourites…
1974 (when I was a toddler ) also has Soon over Babaluma and Autobahn, of course. But don’t forget “Meet the Residents”.
I don’t know if there’s many ELO fans here or if their Eldorado record is recognised still. It’s better than most of what followed.
Of course. It is their best album by far, IMV.
A New World Record for me
It’s one of those two. A New World Record has some great songs but patchy, Eldorado doesn’t reach those standards though it’s a better more rounded album for me.
1974 Probably the first year I really got into music. I loved On The Border. Don’t judge me.
No judgement necessary – its a terrific record – their creative peak I’d say
I spent the summer of 1974 travelling round Europe with friends – in a red Cortina which drew interested looks in Romania and Bulgaria and Turkey. And in Rome where they nicked our suitcases from the roof rack (dumb I know but where else could we put our stuff?) Anyway 3 months out of the loop completely. Got back to London and what’s in the record stores? Only Good Old Boys, Walls And Bridges and It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll.
Homer Simpson: Why do you need new bands? Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It’s a scientific fact.
The writers chose 1974 because they felt it’s the worst year for rock music.
Some of the albums of ’74. Not all of them on my radar back then.
Eberhard Weber – The Colours Of Chloë
Gong – You
Keith Hudson & Family Man – Pick A Dub
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson – Winter In America
The Pointer Sisters – That’s A Plenty
Henry Cow – Unrest
King Crimson – Starless And Bible Black
King Crimson – Red
David Axelrod – Heavy Axe
Weather Report – Mysterious Traveller
Tangerine Dream – Phaedra
Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic
Santana – Borboletta
Hatfield And The North – S/T
Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Frank Zappa/The Mothers – Roxy & Elsewhere
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘)
Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen – Live From Deep In The Heart Of Texas
Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
Joni Mitchell – Court And Spark
Mike Oldfield – Hergest Ridge
Randy Newman – Good Old Boys
Little Feat – Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
David Bowie – Diamond Dogs
Ry Cooder – Paradise And Lunch
Rolling Stones – It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll
Robert Wyatt – Rock Bottom
Richard & Linda Thompson – I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Miles Davis – Big Fun
Miles Davis – Get Up With It
Gene Clark – No Other
Robert Palmer – Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley