So, you've probably figured out the Top 5. There are two new albums on my 1975 Mt. Rushmore. The biggest fall was Queen's Night at the Opera, which dropped to 3.5 Stars and didn't make the list. There were so many records in 1975 that were full of weird, McCartney-esque, tin pan alley songs. Night at the Opera was one of those. Certainly, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is still one of my favorite songs, but most of the rest of the album is pastiche. An even more egregious example is 10CC's album, The Original Soundtrack. "I'm Not in Love" is a fantastic song, but the rest of the record is unlistenable schmaltz. And I'll never understand Sparks. Well, enough complaining about the crap. Here's the Top 5.
5. PINK FLOYD - Wish You Were Here ( 5 Stars )
This is still one of my favorite albums, but I had to drop it to #5 for 1975. The title track will be near the top of my song list, but other albums are just more loaded and have more variety. This Top 5 is literally all legends.
4. JONI MITCHELL - The Hissing of Summer Lawns ( 5 Stars )
Why did I spend the vast majority of my life dismissing Joni Mitchell out of hand? Maybe I considered her too folk adjacent or too Dylan adjacent. Well, once again, I was a dumb ass. Joni Mitchell is a national treasure...for Canada. Her compositions and vocal style are entirely unique. Who else in 1975 would have written a song like "Jungle Line" with its mesmerizing Burundi drumming. There are few artists who possess her skills as a storyteller, and she makes it seem effortless. Evidence, the track "Don't Interrupt the Sorrow". Her breezy, tossed off delivery belies the depth of her lyrics. My favorite song is "Harry's House". It's quite acerbic and jazzy. I really need to start making up for lost time.
3. NEIL YOUNG - Zuma ( 5 Stars )
This was a first-time listen, and one of the few old Neil Young albums I don't own. Nobody seems to talk about this one and I don't get it. It presages 90's and 2000's lo-fi. The opener, "Don't Cry No Tears", sounds like a lost Guided by Voices song. "Danger Bird" could be a Jason Molina track. Zuma is right in my wheelhouse of fuzzed out, raggedy-ass indie rock. On "Pardon My Heart". Neil out CSN's Crosby, Stills and Nash. "Lookin' For a Love" is jangle pop perfection. The vocals on "Barstool Blues" sound like mid-period Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. "Stupid Girl" is a great example of why I love Neil's Crazy Horse albums the best. The guitar tone and drumming are exquisite. And "Cortez the Killer" is such an intense, slow burn that builds an almost unbearable tension that isn't released until four minutes into the song. The lyrics are as biting as those on his song "Ohio". I could see this eventually being my top album of 1975. Where was this all of my life?
2. LED ZEPPELIN - Physical Graffiti ( 5 Stars )
This is my favorite Zeppelin album. I love double albums. Jimmy Page's riff on "Custard Pie" is one of the all-time greats. Bonham's drumming on "The Rover" is so dynamic. Robert Plant is in peak form throughout. And John Paul Jones is a bad, bad man. I can understand people who think this should have been a single album, because the first seven songs are perfect. But I love the later tracks as well. However, the song that rules Physical Graffiti is "Kashmir". It's their greatest. It's cinematic. While this album, as a whole, isn't as immediate as Zuma or the one at #1, it's a monumental release.
1. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND - Born to Run ( 5 Stars )
This is unquestionably the best album in the genre of Heartland Rock. "Thunder Road" is arguably the best song written by an American artist. Springsteen was able to tap into the zeitgeist of small town life in 70's America. It's kind of surprising critics didn't look down their noses at Springsteen's odes to the little guy who always get fucked over by the system, but never gives up on hope or love. The other appeal of Born to Run is, obviously, the theme of escape. "It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap. We gotta get out while we're young. Cuz tramps like us, baby we were born to run." It's universal. Then there's Clarence fucking Clemons. He was the heart and soul of the E Street Band. I crap on The Boss sometimes. Especially his 80's stuff, but his 70's albums are all phenomenal. Peace.
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