So, 1978 turned out to be tougher than I thought at first look. My number one hasn't changed, but it was difficult cutting down to four albums. Revisionism lost out in 1978, because Chairs Missing by Wire and Third/Sister Lovers by Big Star missed the cut. The final cuts were painful. I wanted to get Some Girls by The Stones, Heaven Tonight by Cheap Trick and Darkness on the Edge of Town by Springsteen on the Mt. Rushmore, but couldn't. Other cuts were Devo Are We Not Men?, Dire Straits self-titled, The Jam All Mod Cons, Peter Gabriel Scratch, David Gilmour's debut solo album, Boston Don't Look Back, Elvis Costello This Year's Model and Foreigner Double Vision.
The obvious number one is the brilliant debut album by The Cars. This is basically a greatest hits album. Every song was on the radio. It was the first record I bought where I felt cool buying it. I have posted on this previously, so please go back and check that out. There's not much else to say. This was a no-brainer.
Number two is a record that I originally hadn't intended to put on the Mt. Rushmore. Not sure why, because it's a juggernaut of musical virtuosity... Hemispheres by RUSH. This album has my favorite RUSH instrumental, "La Villa Strangiato", which includes one of Alex Lifeson's top three solos and his homage to Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse". "Circumstances" and "The Trees" are RUSH classics. And the side long "Cygnus X-1 is epic. It's a fitting end of an era iin RUSH's catalog.
Number three is another great debut, Van Halen I. This album is incendiary. It opens with "Running With the Devil", then EVH kills it on "Eruption", then a rare amazing cover performance on The Kinks "You Really Got Me". Next is my favorite track, "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". "I went to the edge. Then I stood and looked down. I lost a lot of friends there baby. I got no time to mess around". "Jamie's Cryin'" is a great pop tune and "Atomic Punk" is a stone cold jam. Then there's the happy, fun time track "Ice Cream Man" and it's juvenile double entendre. Classic DLR!
Finally, I had to get these guys on a Mt. Rushmore. Yet another great debut in 1978, Outlandos d'Lamour by The Police. It's basically on here just because of "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You". Those are top twenty songs all-time for me. Back in the day, I always compared them negatively to RUSH in the battle of rock trios. Over the years, I've grown to appreciate what a musically gifted band they were. I've even come around on Sting. Great album.
Looking ahead to 1977, there's another locked in number one and it is revisionist. However, there are a ton of great albums so the other three spots will be problematic. The rest of the Seventies looks to be a hard slog of getting down to four albums every year. Peace.
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