I had a day off to really dig into 1972 and my album perceptions changed radically. However, number one has remained unchanged. There were a hand full of contenders that I felt were all about the same, but a few emerged to make it on to the Mt. Rushmore. Those missing out are: Todd Rundgren Something/Anything?, Big Star #1 Record, Elton John Honky Chateau, Miles Davis On the Corner, Steely Dan Can't Buy a Thrill and Neil Young Harvest. I had Big Star as a lock going in, but it didn't quite hold up.
Number one is obviously The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars by Bowie. As I revisited the album it struck me that it arguably has the best four song run at the end of an album ever; "Hang on to Yourself", "Ziggy Stardust", "Suffragette City" and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide". Throw in "Starman" and "Moonage Daydream" and you have a masterpiece. Even though I like Aladdin Sane more, Ziggy was up against much easier competition. Still it's pretty much six of one between the two albums.
My number two is an album by a group of Bowie proteges. They came out of nowhere to make my Mt. Rushmore after I fell into a You Tube rabbit hole. I give you Mott the Hoople with All the Young Dudes. The title track was given to the band (after they rejected "Drive-in Saturday") by Bowie, who was a fan and didn't want the to breakup. While it's a Bowie song, it was made great by the idiosyncratic vocals of Ian Hunter. Hunter added spoken word bits to the "All the young dudes" parts and it turned out fantastic. Hunter is one of rocks most unique frontmen. As he says in "One of the Boys"..."I don't say much, but I make a big noise". There's also a good cover of "Sweet Jane" and an early version of "Ready For Love" by Mick Ralphs, who would end up in Bad Company and it would be a hit for them. This version is interesting because Ralphs sings, but Hunter has extra sections that weren't in the Bad Company version. There's also a long guitar outro. The original tracks "Sucker" and "Jerkin' Crocus" are tremendous as well. I forgot how great this album is.
Number three wasn't on my radar either, but it is a stone cold classic. Machine Head by Deep Purple is a crimally overlooked album. Ritchie Blackmore was my favorite guitarist at one point, until he became a renaissance fair weirdo. Every track on Machine Head is great and it gave us "Highway Star", "Space Truckin'" and the iconic "Smoke on the Water". There's no denying how important this record was.
Finally, I went with Close to the Edge by Yes. Of course, "And You and I" and "Siberian Khatru" are classics. I wasn't super familiar witth the title track, but it's actually very much like Genesis, except when Jon Anderson is singing. I love these guys, especially the classic lineup. They will be returning to the Mt. Rushmore discussion soon.
Looking ahead to 1971, it seems like a strong year. There's definitely a locked in number one and two. The other two spots will be hotly contested. I'm listening to The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys as I type to see if it will make the cut. Stay tuned. Peace.
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