1974 Top 25 Songs

      As hard as it was to come up with 25 great albums in 1974, it was harder to limit this list to 25 songs. I have no songs from my #1 album, or my #3, or my #5. Rather than laboring over my list of potential tracks, I just went instinctively in rapid fashion. The most disappointing omissions turned out to be, "Diamond Dogs", "Can't Get it Out of My Head", "Ballroom Blitz" and "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". I guess that's not horrible, but I feel bad. I don't feel confident about my number rankings, but here we go. 

1. September Gurls - Big Star

     This is a gorgeous, perfectly crafted pop song. 

2. Rebel, Rebel - David Bowie

     Great riff, great pre-chorus. One of my favorite Bowie tracks. 

3. Fox on the Run - Sweet

     One of the songs that made me fall in love with music and record collecting. 

4. Rikki Don't Lose That Number - Steely Dan

     A languid, yacht rock classic. "Send it off in a letter to yourself". 

5. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight - Richard and Linda Thompson

     Fantastic song of empowerment delivered magnificently by Linda Thompson.

6. Carefree Highway - Gordon Lightfoot

     His 1974 album was kind of boring, but this track is sublime. "Picking up the pieces of my sweet, shattered dream".  

7. Lady Marmalade - Labelle

     One of the great songs to incorporate French, like Psycho Killer. Seriously, this song is a bop. 

8. Fountain of Sorrow - Jackson Browne

     I already gushed about this song. Exquisite lyrics and vocals. 

9. Fracture - King Crimson

     Possibly the high point in progressive rock. 

10. Now I'm Here - Queen

     This is a Brian May composition. The arrangement is amazing. Top 5 Queen song.

11. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me - Elton John

     Caribou is a disappointing album, but this may be my favorite Elton John performance.

12. Calvary Cross - Richard and Linda Thompson

     I can't do this song justice. Just listen to it.

13. Cosmik Debris - Frank Zappa

     My favorite Zappa song. Love the chorus. 

14. Help Me - Joni Mitchell

     A singular track by a singular artist. She has a one-of-a-kind vocal delivery. 

15. Dreamer - Supertramp

     I can't explain why I love Roger Hodgson but can't stand Frankie Valli. We are all dreamers.

16. Here Come the Warm Jets - Brian Eno

     This sounds like a lost Guided by Voices track.

17. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll - The Rolling Stones

     I wasn't a huge Stones fan as a kid, but this song always resonated with me. I like it yes, I do.

18. Nothing From Nothing - Billy Preston

     Really fun songs from the man who saved the Let it Be sessions. 

19. Killer Queen - Queen

     Extraordinarily nice! 

20. Bloody Well Right - Supertramp

     I love Rick Davies vocals on this track and the chorus is delightfully British. 

21. Bad Company - Bad Company

     I will always love this album and this song. 

22. See the Sky About to Rain - Neil Young

     Neil at his most beautiful.

23. Any Major Dude Will Tell You - Steely Dan

     "When the demon is at your door in the morning it won't be there no more".

24. Working Man - RUSH

     Thank God Donna Halper promoted this song in Cleveland and broke RUSH in the U.S.

25. They Say I'm Different - Betty Davis

     The funkiest origin story in the history of recorded music. Peace.

     

1974 Deep Dive: Part Five

      Well, we've made it to the final five. It's quite a diverse group of artists and three of them were new listens. My next post will be the Top 25 Songs of 1974, then I will continue with the Guided by Voices dive. After that, probably a 2004 deep dive although I could use a break from dives. Tastes Like Music is going to be doing a Prince dive soon. I didn't plan on participating, but I could conceivably change my mind. We shall see. 

5. King Crimson - Red (4.5 Stars)

     Red picks up where Starless and Bible Black left off. It's the final album of a trilogy of albums featuring Robert Fripp on guitar, Bill Bruford on drums and John Wetton on bass and vocals which began with 1973's Lark's Tongue in Aspic. It really is almost a continuation of SABB as it includes the song "Starless", which was meant to be the title track of that album. "Starless" is a serene piece for the first four minutes. It features Ian McDonald on saxophone. He also appears on the song "One More Red Nightmare". Two years later, McDonald would become a founding member of Foreigner. At about the 4:30 mark, "Starless" becomes more menacing with the arrival of Fripp's guitar. Then, right before the eight-minute mark, it erupts into total bombast. McDonald returns with an incendiary sax solo. The title track has some phenomenal multi-track guitar by Robert Fripp. With more listens, this could get an upgrade to 5-stars and trade spots with...

4. Big Star - Radio City (5 Stars)

     I've mentioned before that I feel like a bit of a fraud ranking this record so high. I never heard of Big Star until the documentary about them came out in 2012. But in reality, hardly anyone heard Radio City when it was released in 1974. A combination of crappy distribution and a crappy record label doomed Radio City and the exquisite single, "September Gurls". With 20/20 hindsight, this album has reached the iconic status that was long overdue. Every song on Radio City is a beautiful tale of longing, loss and heartache. Even with the loss of Chris Bell, Alex Chilton managed to create a jangly, power-pop masterpiece with Andy Hummel and Jody Stephens. And seriously, "September Gurls" is the perfect pop song. Well, that and "Sparky's Dream" by Teenage Fanclub.

3. Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs (5 Stars)

     Imagine the band Cream, if Eric Clapton was replaced by Jimi Hendrix. Well, that's what Bridge of Sighs sounds like. This album blew my mind. I knew Robin Trower was supposed to be a great guitarist, but I had no idea. Right from the opening track, "Day of the Eagle", the similarity to Hendrix is apparent. The title track is a slow burning blues number with a fantastic vocal performance by singer James Dewar. The feeling of being in a desert wasteland continues into the next track, "In This Place". The Hendrix influence returns on the next song, "The Fool and Me". The hit from Bridge of Sighs was "Too Rolling Stoned". That was back when you could have a hit that clocked in at 7:30. Once again, very Hendrix-y. 

2. Richard and Linda Thompson - I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (5 Stars)

     Jesus Christ! What a beautiful and devastating album. This is another instance of me having an unfounded bias against an album based on critical acclaim or whatever nonsense kept me from listening to it in the past. Ordinarily, I don't enjoy Irish folk music, but this has some great guitar playing, especially on "The Calvary Cross". It's hard to believe this record came out in 1974. It sounds very contemporary, like a Jason Molina album. On my first listen, I was digging Richard Thompson's singing and then Linda steps up and delivers "Withered and Died". Simply stunning. Then she tops that with her performance on the title track. "Meet me at the station, don't be late. I need to spend some money and it just won't wait". Or this line, "A couple of drunken nights rolling on the floor is just the kind of mess I'm looking for". Now I need to check out, Shoot Out the Lights. I don't know if I can though. It's apparently their breakup album. 

1. Genesis - Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (5 Stars)

     The final Genesis album with Peter Gabriel and the greatest prog album of all-time. Probably the greatest concept album as well. Gabriel is in complete control of the story of Rael and his adventures in NYC. Musically, this is Genesis at its peak. It's a testament that the second greatest prog album is the one after this, without Gabriel, A Trick of the Tail. Steve Hackett's guitar playing is inspired and Phil Collins drums like a man possessed. This is a Peter Gabriel production though and it's a masterpiece. Unfortunately, it needs to be listened to in one sitting. I can pick out some favorite songs, like the title track, "The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging", "Counting Out Time" and "Carpet Crawlers", but I never listen to Lamb unless I can sit down and play it all the way through. Oddly, I have the same policy with, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. 

     So, next time will be the top songs. I'm going to attempt to rank them, but there's a chance I won't. When I look at my preliminary list, I don't know how I can choose between many of these songs. I realize that's a cop out and I will try to rank them. Peace.

     

1974 Deep Dive: Part Four

      It wasn't uncommon in the early days of recorded music for artists to put out more than one album a year. By the 70's, this was less common, but there are two bands in my 6-10 group who released two albums in 1974. It's amazing that they were all well produced, original studio albums. When Bowie did it in 1973, one of the albums was all covers. 

10. Queen - Sheer Heart Attack (4.5 Stars)

     Queen released two albums in 1974, Queen 2 and Sheer Heart Attack. I rated Sheer Heart Attack higher because it's a stellar rock album; whereas Queen 2 is a prog album that I don't like as much as several other prog records that came out that year. Queen was probably able to put out two albums in 1974 because every member of the band was a songwriter. SHA has three classic Queen rockers, "Killer Queen", "Now I'm Here", and "Stone Cold Crazy". "Now I'm Here" is my favorite track. The performances by the band members and the composition of the song are mind blowing. In general, Queen is a "hits" band for me, but even the album cuts are excellent here. I could argue it's their best "album". 

9. David Bowie - Diamond Dogs (4.5 Stars)

     One result of this deep dive is I listened to many albums for the first time. Consequently, Sweet's Desolation Boulevard and Bowie's Diamond Dogs were knocked out of my 1974 Mt. Rushmore. It's no knock on those records, I just hadn't listened to several classic 1974 records until this dive. Diamond Dogs is still a top 5 Bowie album for me. It marks the end of my favorite period of Bowie. The title track starts out with the disclaimer. "This ain't rock 'n' roll, this is genocide". Well, it's also rock 'n' roll. In fact, it's throwback 50's rock 'n' roll with insane Bowie lyrics. "As they pulled you out of the oxygen tent you asked for the latest party". The standout track though is "Rebel, Rebel". The riff is great, and it probably has the best pre-chorus ever. "They put you down, they say I'm wrong. You tacky thing, you put them on". Diamond Dogs is divisive album in Bowie's catalog, but I love it.

8. King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black (4.5 Stars)

     I love prog, but King Crimson had always been a blind spot for me...until this dive. They released two albums in 1974 and they are both masterpieces. The lineup of Robert Fripp, John Wetton and Bill Bruford is brilliant. I was familiar with Wetton from his time in the supergroup Asia and Bruford is a prog drumming legend, but I had no appreciation for Robert Fripp. I knew of him, but never really listened to him. On the album Starless and Bible Black, he sounds like John McLaughlin from the Bitches Brew sessions. He's amazing. The parts I like most on this album are the ones that sound like Bitches Brew, "We'll Let You Know", "The Mincer", and the title track. This would be a 5-star album if the song "Trio" had been left off. Fripp does a lot of staccato playing on this album, especially on "Fracture" and the opener "The Great Deceiver". Musically, "Fracture" has a similar sound to parts of Genesis' Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, which also came out in 1974. "The Great Deceiver" is a bonkers jam. Then Wetton keeps singing about cigarettes, ice cream, Cadillacs, blue jeans and the Virgin Mary. It's awesome. I can also see where this album was probably an influence on The Flaming Lips' Embryonic era. 

7. Frank Zappa - Apostrophe (4.5 Stars)

     Granted, there is a ton of Zappa that I haven't gotten around to listening to yet, but Apostrophe is my favorite of what I've heard. It starts out with a suite of songs where Frank dreams he's an eskimo named Nanook. His favorite seal is clubbed by a trapper with a lead-filled snowshoe. He gets revenge by rubbing yellow snow into the trapper's eyes. Then the trapper goes on a journey to restore his eyesight. This may sound juvenile, and it sort of is, but Zappa's delivery is hilarious, and the music is technically brilliant. The standout track on Apostrophe is "Cosmik Debris". The guitar solo is incendiary and the chorus of backup singers singing "Look here brother, who you jivin' with that cosmik debris" is exquisite. Another highlight is the nearly six-minute title track. It's a bombastic instrumental that features Jack Bruce and Jim Gordon. George Duke is featured on the gospel inspired track, "Uncle Remus". Seriously, the musicianship on Apostrophe is worth checking out.

6. Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark (4.5 Stars)

     This is an album, much like Carol King's Tapestry, that I had some kind of inexplicable bias against. I decided to give it a listen for the dive and it's phenomenal. I did remember the song "Help Me" and it certainly resonates with me more than it did when I was 10 years old. I have a vague recollection of "Free Man in Paris", which features backing vocals by Crosby and Nash. Joni's vocal performance is incredible on this whole record, as are her lyrics and piano playing. There is a jazz element as well, provided by guitarist Larry Carlton and Tom Scott on reeds. "Raised on Robbery" is an up-tempo rocker which features Joe Sample on electric piano and Robbie Robertson on guitar. There's also a crazy cover of "Twisted" which features Cheech and Chong on backing vocals. I've finally learned my lesson about unfounded biases. Peace.

1974 Deep Dive: Part Three

      I was going to say my 11-15 picks were the most diverse group of artists on these deep dives, but then I looked at the rest of my list, and they are all remarkably diverse. I forget how much musical variety there was in the 70's. Even on the Top 40 charts. There are a couple new discoveries, and my favorite singer, in this group. 

15. YES - Relayer (4 Stars)

     Relayer is proggy, but not as proggy as the album cover would lead you to believe. Certainly, the opening epic "Gates of Delirium" is classic YES. The lineup on Relayer is slightly different with Patrick Moraz on keyboards, but it's a showcase for Anderson, Squire and Howe. Steve Howe, in particular, really stands out on Relayer. He branches out into playing blues and slide guitar, but there's still plenty of classical. When I've mentioned before that The Flaming Lips were influenced by YES, it's evident on the closing track, "To Be Over", which sounds very Soft Bulletin-y. In past interviews, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have both mentioned Relayer as their favorite album. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough to make my list. 

14. Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets (4 Stars)

     I've never had any interest in Brian Eno. I'm not exactly sure why that was. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of him as a producer, and I was never exposed to him as an artist when I was younger. However, Here Come the Warm Jets is fantastic. It sounds remarkably modern for 1974. I'm guessing this record was a huge influence on the Talking Heads. The title track is my favorite new discovery song of the 1974 deep dive. 

13. Toots and the Maytals - In the Dark (4.5 Stars)

     I feel a little guilty about this pick. I gave it 4.5 stars because it's the perfect album for a white guy laying by the pool on vacation in the Florida Keys. I would never listen to it again in any other context. But it's tremendous for that.

12. Jackson Browne - Late For the Sky (4.5 Stars)

     Jackson Browne has the most beautiful voice in the history of recorded music. Fight me! Seriously, listen to "Fountain of Sorrow" and tell me I'm wrong. I'm not. And his right-hand man, David Lindley, is amazing on all manner of guitars and strings. Jackson Browne is an incredible lyricist as well, and Late For the Sky is Exhibit A. "Lookin' through some photographs I found inside a drawer. I was taken by a photograph of you. There were one or two I knew that you would have liked a little more, but they didn't show your spirit quite as true." I rest my case. 

11. Bad Company - Bad Company (4.5 Stars)

     During my formative years, this album was unavoidable. It's practically a greatest hits album. "Can't Get Enough", "Rock Steady", "Ready For Love", "Bad Company", "Movin' On" and "Seagull". Bad Company were one of the early Supergroups, led by powerhouse frontman Paul Rodgers. The group was rounded out by Mott the Hoople's Mick Ralphs, and Boz Burrell and Simon Kirke. "Now these towns, they all know our name. 6 gun sound is our claim to fame". Fuck yeah! Peace.

1974 Deep Dive: Part Two

      The albums from 16-20 in this deep dive are an eclectic mix. There are two albums that are considered by some to be prog (but not by me), the band that got me into record collecting, a classic rock band and the second wife of a jazz legend. Let's do this thing.

20. Supertramp - Crime of the Century (4 Stars)

     Supertramp have long been one of my favorite "hits" bands. They are in my top three bands whose name starts with Super- (the others being Superchunk and Superdrag). However, the only Supertramp album I had actually listened to, until this exercise, was the 5-star classic Breakfast in America. Turns out, Crime of the Century is a great album as well. Of course, I knew the singles "Dreamer" and "Bloody Well Right", but there are no bad tracks on this record. My least favorite is probably the other single "School", but it's not horrible. Supertramp have a singular sound. They are keyboard dominant, but Roger Hodgson sprinkles in some nice guitar work, particularly on "Bloody Well Right". The band also has two singer-songwriters; Hodgson and Rick Davies. They have quite distinct vocal styles. Hodgson, who sings on most of Supertramp's hits, operates in the Frankie Valli register. Rick Davies has a little more gravitas. He's a combination of Billy Joel and a yacht rock vocalist. On most Supertramp songs they both contribute to the vocals, or at least do some harmonizing. Supertramp made some lineup changes before Crime of the Century, and it turned out to be their breakthrough album. The main addition to the band was John Anthony Helliwell, who played clarinet, every size saxophone, and was the third keyboardist. Many consider this a prog album. To me, it's in the ballpark of E.L.O., which seems more like art pop. Whatever you call it, it's #20.

19. Procol Harum - Exotic Birds and Fruit (4 Stars)

     I have some Procol Harum in my collection, but not this one. They are considered a one-hit wonder, "Whiter Shade of Pale", but they released several albums and had at least one other hit with "Conquistador". At this point in the band's career, guitarist Robin Trower is gone, and the focus is on singer/songwriter/pianist Gary Brooker. His vocals and lyrics are really good throughout. There are a couple standout piano rockers, "The Idol" and "Butterfly Boys". The latter has some excellent guitar playing, but in general I could use more guitar on this record. 

18. Betty Davis - They Say I'm Different (4 Stars)

     This might be my favorite discovery of the deep dive. As a Miles Davis fan, I knew about Betty but never checked out this album until now. She comes right out with "Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him" bringing the funk and attitude. "I'm gonna do it 'til the cows come home" and her background singers have her back. Mademoiselle Mabry follows that up with "He Was a Big Freak". Her vocals are passionate and raspy, and her delivery is singular in soul singing. She's not singing to show off her chops, she's standing in her power and telling her story. And the bass and drums are funkier than hell. On the title track, she lists of many of the artists that inspired her, such as Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, Big Mama Thornton and John Lee Hooker. I'm gonna have to circle back and check out her first album when I have a chance. Nice.

17. Sweet - Desolation Boulevard (4 Stars)

     I know I'm repeating myself, but the first two 45 rpm records I bought with my own money were "Ballroom Blitz" and "Fox on the Run". In still love those songs! The rest of the album is pretty good, too. They are grouped in with Glam, but they do everything from power-pop to pub rock to metal on this album. I'm basing my inclusion of Desolation Boulevard on the UK release date of November of 1974. The US release was 1975 and "Ballroom Blitz" was actually a single in 1973. However, for the sake of these deep dives, I'm going with 1974. 

16. The Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (4 Stars)

     I've always loved the title track. I just found out that Ron Wood played on it before he actually joined the band. It also features Wood's bandmate Kenney Jones on drums, and David Bowie on backing vocals. Crazy! This album gets crapped on somewhat because it falls between Exile on Main Street and Some Girls and doesn't quite measure up to that standard. It's still great though. I like their cover of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", as well as "If You Can't Rock Me" and "Dance Little Sister". It's only rock 'n' roll kids. Peace.

     

     

     

1974 Deep Dive: Part One

      This 1974 deep dive was full of new discoveries, but it was also a long slog. It was a great year for prog and glam. It was not a great year for jazz, fusion, or former Beatles. It was a fantastic year for songs. In the end, I only had four 5-star albums, and two 3.5's made my top 25. And two albums made it onto my Mt. Rushmore. Today's bottom five are by artists I really like, mostly, but these particular records aren't among their best, in my opinion. 

25. RUSH - RUSH (3.5 Stars)

     Obviously, RUSH's debut album is an outlier in their discography with the absence of Neil Peart. He would join for this tour after original drummer, John Rutsey, left the band. The single, "Working Man", broke them right here in Cleveland and they spent years grinding to build a dedicated fan base. Jimmy Page was a huge influence on Alex Lifeson and it shows on the debut. When listeners to WMMS in Cleveland first heard "Working Man" they called in to request the new Led Zeppelin song. This album is probably in the bottom third of RUSH albums, but it's good enough for 1974 to make my top 25. As I've mentioned before, I do own a copy of the original Canadian pressing of this record and it's the most valuable record in my collection. So, great album!

24. Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (3.5 Stars)

     Pretzel Logic is also in the bottom of Steely Dan's catalog, but it has two of my favorite songs, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Any Major Dude Will Tell You". Otherwise, it's the least Steely Dan sounding Steely Dan record. And the album cover is dumb. Pretzel Logic sums up 1974; average album with a couple tremendous songs. 

23. KISS - KISS (4 Stars)

     Seldom is a debut album also a band manifesto. KISS is one of those. While I'm not certain about the order of importance, KISS came to town to rock, drink and have lots of sex. While parents were terrified of KISS, we knew they were just a fun pop band with cool makeup. RUSH opened for KISS quite a bit and viewed them as important business mentors. It's too bad KISS continued well past their expiration date and are now just considered horrible bastards. They were fantastic in the mid-70's. It's cold gin time again!

22. Mott the Hoople - The Hoople (4.0 Stars)

     While The Hoople isn't All the Young Dudes, it is still a really good record. Although he didn't make my Mt. Rushmore of singers, Ian Hunter would be the first head on my second Mt. Rushmore. He's arguably the most underrated frontman in rock. "The Golden Age of Rock and Roll" is an exuberant and infectious lead track. The band does suffer from guitarist Mick Ralphs leaving in 1973 to form Bad Company. However, "Golden Age", "Roll Away the Stone", and "Born Late '58" are Mott the Hoople classics. It's a really fun album. 

21. Neil Young - On the Beach (4 Stars)

     On the Beach is one of those albums that has become great as a result of revisionist history. It wasn't well-received in 1974, but since the grunge era rediscovery of Neil Young, On the Beach has become a beloved album. In reality, it was always a great album. The opening 1-2 punch of "Walk On" and "See the Sky About to Rain" is gorgeous songcraft. Neil's vocals aren't for everyone, but they take center stage on this record. While I prefer the ramshackle raucousness of the Crazy Horse albums or Live Rust, On the Beach is excellent. Peace.

  

Guided by Voices: Styles We Paid For ( 2020 )

      So, we have arrived at the current midpoint of the catalog of the "new" lineup of Guided by Voices. When Styles We Paid For was released in 2020, I vaguely remember thinking the cover was weird and that the album wasn't that great. Turns out, I was wrong on both counts. It's remarkable how confident and free-wheelin' Styles We Paid For sounds, considering the band members recorded separately due to the covid lockdowns. And the album cover is a fun throwback to Robert Pollard's pre-Guided by Voices days. In the Watch Me Jumpstart documentary, Pollard talks about how he would come up with band names and make album covers and invent song titles based on what he thought the imaginary band would sound like. I can imagine this album being made by the stylish dudes on the cover of SWPF. There is also a word search on the cover that has the last names of the Guided by Voices lineup hidden in it. 

     SWPF kicks off with "Megaphone Riley". This track starts at a menacing mid-tempo and builds to a crescendo while Pollard provides all the dynamics with his vocal delivery and excellent lyrics. Uncle Bob really delivers on this whole album. His lyrics are inspired, and his voice is confident. Musically, this album is full of tension and release. This is no more evident than on the 4:33 epic "Slaughterhouse". The track, "In Calculus Strategem", sounds like an outtake from the album Universal Truths and Cycles, which featured Doug Gillard on guitar. The standout track is the exuberantly strutting "Mr. Child". This swaggering rocker can stand proudly in the great Guided by Voices canon. Then Pollard follows that up with the beautiful, slower tempo song "Stops". There are so many killer songs on SWPF, "Endless Seafood", "Electric Windows to Nowhere", "Liquid Kid" and "Time Without Looking", to name a few. And it ends with "When Growing Was Simple", which is an autobiographical exploration by Pollard. I know I'm repeating myself, but this is such a confident album. Styles We Paid For is the biggest surprise of this deep dive, so far. I don't remember why I dismissed it out of hand upon its release, but I have it at a solid 4.5 stars. 

     Since I'm at the halfway point of this particular discography, I will take a break to do my 1974 deep dive. I'm down to a few more albums, then I will compile my lists. 1974 was a weird year. It falls between the outstanding years of 1973 and 1975. It is stronger for singles, not albums. Most of the top songs of 1974 were holdovers from 1973. However, I discovered several really good records, and my Mt. Rushmore is in shambles. Peace.

Guided by Voices: Mirrored Aztec ( 2020 )

     Mirrored Aztec finds Guide by Voices playing it safe. There are no high highs or low lows. Pretty much every track is in the band's wheelhouse of indie rock and pop. This may sound like a criticism, but since 2019 Guided by Voices had recorded nearly 100 songs in countless styles and fidelity levels. I'm certainly not going to begrudge them producing a quality rock album. And the absence of standout tracks does mean there aren't some really good songs here. I would also point out that the album cover's 60's concert poster vibe is a bit of a tell. Of course, there has to be one goofy song and that would be "Math Rock". However, the seeming mockery of Math Rock as a music genre is outweighed by the production values and use of a children's choir. I've been wavering on my rating for Mirrored Aztec, but I think I'm at a light 4-stars. 

     My favorite track on Mirrored Aztec is "To Keep an Area". It's a perfect power-pop song in the vein of Half-Smiles of the Decomposed era Guided by Voices. Pollard's lyrics and vocals are point, as are the guitars and drums. "Bunco Men" is another really good song. Classic Doug Gillard guitar work, at turns insistent and chiming. Another great Pollard performance, as well. The production on "Show of Hands" is top notch for a Guided by Voices track. Speaking of top notch, I love the absurdly titled, one-minute rocker, "A Whale is Top Notch". These are the kind of songs that have built the legend of Robert Pollard. Everything else on this album is solid. 

     As far as my 1974 deep dive is concerned, I am down to a hand full of jazz and fusion albums to listen to, then I can put my lists together. As of now, I have 22 albums at 4-stars and up. I'm hoping to not have any 3.5's in my top 25. The song list is going to be a nightmare. I don't know if I can give them a number ranking, but I'll try. There will be a major shakeup with my Mt. Rushmore, as well. Those Mt. Rushmores were mostly impulsive choices based on albums I already knew, so these deep dives have been an eye-opening exercise. I'm hoping to begin the 1974 series sometime this weekend. Next week at the latest. Peace.

     

     

Guided by Voices: Surrender Your Poppy Field ( 2020 )

      Apologies in advance, but I don't have a lot to say about Surrender Your Poppy Field. This is the first of three albums the band released in 2020. At the time, I don't remember being particularly jazzed about any of them. As I've listened to SYPF again, it seems more like a schizophrenic Robert Pollard solo album than a follow up to Sweating the Plague. Almost every song is a collage of Pollard's different song styles. Imagine if you had a radio and every station played songs from different eras of Uncle Bob's career. Now change stations every ten seconds for two minutes at a time. That approach worked fine over thirty years ago for Propeller, but for now, I have SYPF rated at 3-stars. 

     Regardless, every release by Robert Pollard has at least a few gems that are superior to most other bands best songs. "Windjammer" is divinely inspired by The Who, including a dynamic Keith Moon- esque drum fill spectacular by Kevin March. "Physician" starts out like a slowed down "Blitzkreig Bop" and the entire band is locked in. This track is the most successful use of stylistic change within one song. "Man Called Blunder" is a classic, in the pocket, indie rock guitar jam. Bob's vocals are right in his sweet spot. "Always Gone" has a sloppy, late-60's, garage-y sound that I love. It runs about a minute and a half, which is where most great Pollard songs fall. 

     There are also plenty of weird ditties. "Woah Nelly" is a bizarre, one-minute throw away track that sounds like an old 78 RPM record. The song "Cat Beats a Drum" has virtually no drumming, except Kevin March tapping a cymbal repeatedly. "Stone Cold Moron" seems to be a thinly veiled commentary on a certain state sanctioned, armed violence career that I won't explicitly identify here. "Cul-de-Sac Kids" is a goofy song about...Cul-de-Sac kids throwing great parties! The chorus is pretty great though. 

     I know I made it sound as if I don't like SYPF, but it does have some high highs. Even songs like the single "Volcano" and "Queen Parking Lot" are really good. Everything else on the album sounds like a step back from Sweating the Plague. It's hard to set aside being a fanboy and look at these records objectively, but I'm trying. Peace.

Guided by Voices: Sweating the Plague ( 2019 )

      Sweating the Plague. Interesting album title for October 25, 2019. Just saying. 

     After four albums and four EP's, this lineup of Guided by Voices found their sound. Robert Pollard finally had a powerhouse rock band; a band capable of playing in any style with electric chops. Now he could do lo-fi with intent, rather than out of necessity. He could bring the power to power-pop. He could bring the energy and ambition of The Who. More importantly, he had a band that could competently pull off prog and psychedelic rock. An undeniable chemistry had developed between bassist Mark Shue and drummer Kevin March. Shue is, by far, the best bass player Pollard has ever worked with. Doug Gillard and Bobby Bare Jr. are a deadly combination of guitar licks and crunchy chords. Pollard's lyrics have also become less word collage and more direct over the years. And they kill it as a live band. 

     The opening track, "Downer", is a menacing song that is periodically interrupted by the rhythm section going off for a few bars at a time. "Street Party" is a 2-minute rocker where March does some interesting off-beat rhythms. After the down-tempo "Mother's Milk Elementary", we come to the meat of the album with the run of the infectious and propulsive "Heavy Like the World", the riff-tastic "Ego Central High" and the downhill assault of "The Very Second". Other songs of note are "Unfun Glitz", which is a muscular banger and "Your Cricket is Rather Unique", featuring Kevin March on lead vocals and Mark Shue on backing vocals. Robert Pollard is in top form on tracks like "Immortals". And just for good measure, they throw in "My Wrestling Days Are Over", which sounds like a lost song from the Propeller sessions. Sweating the Plague is an impressive, solid 4-star album. 

     On the housekeeping front, I am currently working on my 1974 album deep dive, while also plowing through these Guided by Voices albums. So, if I don't post for a couple days it's because I'm trying to make more headway on the deep dive. Ideally, I can squeeze 1974 into the middle of the Guided by Voices series since I have time before the new album comes out in late June. After that, I will move on to 2004. Peace. 

 

     

Guided by Voices: Zeppelin Over China ( 2019 )

      Ok. I'm on the record as being generally in favor of double albums. Love the White Album. Love Physical Graffiti. Exile on Main Street should just be a single album. I'm also on the record that there should be no limits to the amount of music Robert Pollard releases...ever. That said, we are about to enter an era of Pollard-ian excess. I'm still alright with that, but it's a bit of a slog. Guided by Voices begin 2019 with the release of another double album, consisting of 32 tracks, called Zeppelin Over China. They will also release a compilation album, Warp and Woof, which is a collection of four EP's from 2018-9 that has 24 tracks. Finally, they would put out a tight 12 song album, Sweating the Plague. If my math is correct, that's 68 songs. In addition, they will release three more albums in 2020. At the time, it was too much even for me to take in. For this exercise, I will be listening to most of these albums for only the second time. I couldn't keep up. 

     As I re-listened to Zeppelin Over China the other day, my initial reaction after the first 20 songs was that this would be a solid 4-star album. Unfortunately, there were 12 more tracks that consisted of mostly of demo quality scraps and assorted filler. The exceptions being "Cold, Cold Hands" and "My Future in Barcelona". Both of these tracks are well-conceived rockers that are reminiscent of early 2000's Guide by Voices. I'm not going to argue that ZOC should have been a really good single album, but I did have to knock it down to a high 3.5 stars. 

     In general, I love the fleshed out, 3+ minute songs here, such as, "Step of the Wave" with its turbo-charged chorus, "Your Lights Are Out" with its masterful vocal performance by Uncle Bob, "You Own the Night", and the exquisite chord play on "Charmless Peters". Somewhere in here is a 5-star album, but I will never begrudge Pollard following his muse wherever it leads him. These early albums serve as a testing ground for this new lineup. You can hear them launch off from the solid ground of Earthquake Glue and Half-Smiles of the Decomposed where Pollard, Gillard and March carry most of the load. Soon, this band will develop its own unique sound with Mark Shue and Bobby Bare Jr. featured more prominently. A perfect example is the dynamic track "Windshield Wiper Rex" which features some excellent bass work by Shue. "Holy Rhythm" is a stomping, prog song that is the template for many a future Guided by Voices track. "Jack Tell" is like a rock opera by The Who crammed into 3:20. 

     Maybe after repeated listens to the scrap songs, I could get back up to 4-stars on ZOC, but for now I need to keep pressing on. I will be skipping Warp and Woof, because it's a compilation, not a proper album. Maybe some time in the distant future I will circle back to it. I will leave you with the single from ZOC, "The Rally Boys". Peace.

David Sanborn: Straight to the Heart ( 1984 )

      I just want to take a few minutes to remember the legendary alto saxophonist, David Sanborn, who passed away a couple days ago. I played the saxophone in my youth and David Sanborn was one of my heroes. I played the tenor sax, and I'll admit I was kind of snobby about the alto sax. I thought the alto was too squawky. That is until I was exposed to David Sanborn. In his hands, the alto sounded smooth and soulful. It's safe to say, every saxophonist of the past 40 years is standing on the shoulders of Sanborn. His sound is ubiquitous. 

     David Sanborn was afflicted with polio as a child and his doctor suggested playing the saxophone to build up his chest muscles. Hank Crawford of the Ray Charles band was a major influence on Sanborn's style. By the age of 14, he was playing with Albert King. In the late 60's he was in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and performed with them at Woodstock. He played the amazing sax solo on James Taylor's version of "How Sweet It Is". The list of people he played with and albums he performed on is vast and all-encompassing. Bowie, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and even Ween. 

     When my wife's uncle passed earlier this year, I acquired a couple of David Sanborn records from his collection. As I'm typing this, I have the album Straight to the Heart playing in the background. The album came out in 1984 and won the 1986 Grammy for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. The brilliant Marcus Miller produced and played bass on this record. In addition, the tremendous Hiram Bullock is on guitar. Straight to the Heart features the Sanborn track, "Hideaway", the fantastic Marcus Miller track, "Run For Cover" and a couple great covers of "Love and Happiness" and "One Hundred Ways". Most, if not all, of these songs were live recordings. 

     When great jazz musicians are discussed, David Sanborn is seldom mentioned. For better or worse, he is credited with starting the "smooth jazz" genre, which is looked down upon in jazz circles. It's a great disservice to Sanborn's career to pigeon-hole him in this way. He is easily one of the most influential jazz musicians of the past 50 years. David Sanborn's fingerprints are all over the playing of every saxophonist of the last 40 years. Hopefully, with his passing, his career will receive a long overdue reassessment. Peace. 

Guided by Voices: Space Gun ( 2018 )

      Guided by Voices really slacked off in 2018, only releasing one album. That album was the 5-star banger, Space Gun. All the promise of Robert Pollard's new lineup comes together here. Pollard is at the top of his game, as well. Space Gun is a fun, high energy, tour de force. I actually picked up this album at Sonic Boom Records in Seattle, while on vacation. 

     My favorite track by this lineup of Guided by Voices is "Gray Spat Matters". Pollard's delivery is perfect, and I love Doug Gillard's insistent chord changes. It's a classic, hit and run Guided by Voices song that clocks in at 1:29. The next track is "That's Good", which is the most beautifully produced song in the band's entire catalog. It would fit magnificently on The Flaming Lips masterpiece The Soft Bulletin. Bob's vocals are subdued, but confident. The other standout track on Space Gun is "See My Field". It's a fast-paced rocker in the tradition of the bands Earthquake Glue era when Gillard and Kevin March were originally members. 

     There are a number of delightfully bonkers tracks on Space Gun. Rather than being goofy throw away tunes like Pollard has done in the past, they are actually nice, fleshed out songs. "Colonel Paper" is a fantastic song title and it's a mash up of references to Colonel Saunders and rolling cigarettes. It has some classic Pollard lines like, "Are you like extra crispy when you wake up", "Is it fish or chicken", and "Who is this Colonel Paper of whom you speak?" Another great song title is "King Flute", which is exactly what the song is about. "Blink Blank" begins with the epic stanza, "Lighthouse black. Coffee can blue. I lost an umbrella looking for you in a shit storm". By far, the wackiest song is "I Love Kangaroos". It's a sweet pop tune about youth, growing up, and being amused by kangaroos. 

     The rest of the album is comprised of top-notch, straight-ahead rockers. "Evolution Circus" closes out the record and opens with another brilliant lyric by Pollard, "Columbus and all his troops were photographing bulldozers before they flattened back the Earth". There are no duds on this album. Oh, and the title track is pretty good too. Peace.

Guided by Voices: How Do You Spell Heaven ( 2017 )

     How do you spell heaven? I usually spell it G-b-V. Unfortunately, the second Guided by Voices album of 2017 doesn't quite reach that celestial level. Don't get me wrong, it's a good album. The band really brings it on this one. However, when the band lays back the sound is murky and turgid. Many tracks are saved by the band kicking in the door on the chorus. Guided by Voices albums are often a mixed bag. It's part of Robert Pollard's charm, but on this record his highs are higher, but not as frequent, and his lows are lower. It almost sounds like a high-quality Robert Pollard solo album. 

     If it's any indication, my favorite track is a four-minute instrumental, "Pearly Gates Smoke Machine". It was co-written by Doug Gillard, and he kills it on lead guitar. It has that strutting 70's rock vibe. If there's one thing this album does, it solidifies that Pollard has found his perfect lineup. They make nearly every song on here at least solid to really good. However, I doubt any tracks on HDYSH while make my top songs list, except possibly the instrumental. I was going to give it a 3-star rating, but after a few more listens I bumped it up to 3.5 stars. The quality picks up quite a bit in the second half with songs like "Diver Dan", "Paper Cutz", "Nothing Gets You Real" and the title track. 

     Maybe it's because Pollard has worked with them a lot over the years and they have his trust, but Doug Gillard and drummer Kevin March do all the heavy lifting on HDYSH. It's where all the forward momentum comes from. We hear this right from the jump on, "The Birthday Democrats". The second track, "King 007" starts out kind of jazzy, but when the band kicks in at 53 seconds it's a phenomenal rocker...until it rides out with the jazzy bit again. "Steppenwolf Mausoleum" is a slow burner in the verses that also kicks in on the bridge and chorus. "They Fall Silent", is the obligatory bizarre under one-minute Pollard track. Overall, HDYSH is a solid record, but it's not at the level of the best Guided by Voices albums. There's no shame in that. Peace.

Guided by Voices: August by Cake ( 2017 )

      You may have noticed that Sound Mind went through a roughly six-year period of dormancy beginning in the mid-2010's. This coincided with Robert Pollard overhauling the lineup of Guided by Voices and establishing the group's personnel that continues to the present. To celebrate the fact that this iteration of Guided by Voices will be releasing its 16th album, King of Struts, next month, and that I will be seeing them again at the Grog Shop in July, I'm planning to post about each album and come up with a top songs list at the end. 

     I was kind of at ground zero for the events that lead to the current lineup of Guided by Voices. In the early 2010's, there was a revival of Guided by Voices classic lineup with Tobin Sprout and Mitch Mitchell. I had tickets to see them again in 2014, when Pollard abruptly disbanded the group and cancelled the remaining tour dates. I still have my ticket as a souvenir. Then in 2016, Pollard put together a lineup consisting of Nick Mitchell, Bobby Bare Jr., Mark Shue and former Guided by Voices drummer Kevin March. I went to the Grog Shop show on that tour. At that show, the band didn't come out for an encore. We were all waiting and confused. Eventually, Kevin March, came out with a bemused look on his face and said that was it for the show. Turns out, Pollard fired Nick Mitchell in the dressing, room and he was replaced later that month by long-time Pollard guitarist, Doug Gillard. Now the current lineup was set. 

     "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you August by Cake!" This announcement by Robert Pollard begins their first album; a double album where everyone in the band contributes songs. The first thing you notice on the opening track, "5 Degrees on the Inside" (Baby, that's cold), is this lineup is a tight, hi-fi rock and roll outfit. The addition of Mark Shue's active bass playing to the veterans Gillard and March gives Guided by voices a new, fresh sound. Shue is easily the best bassist Pollard has ever worked with. These guys can play all of Robert Pollard's "P's" of Rock; Pop, Prog, Psych and Punk. However, there is still plenty of Pollard brand weirdness, as on the second song, "Generox Gray", and "Fever Pitch", which sounds like an outtake from Bee Thousand. Doug Gillard contributes two tracks, a fantastic straight-up rocker "Goodbye Note" and an angular, indie rock tune "Deflect/Project". Mark Shue contributes three amazing songs; "Sudden Fiction", "Chew the Sand" and the standout track "Absent the Man", which features a fantastic, 60's psych influenced guitar solo by Gillard. Kevin March's songs "Overloaded" and "Sentimental Wars" are solid, but he's not as strong a vocalist as Gillard or Shue. Bobby Bare Jr.'s songs, "High Five Hall of Famers" and "Upon the Circus Bus" are delightfully lo-fi and Pollard-esque. 

     August by Cake seems like an album where Pollard is feeling out his new band to see what he has to work with. His contributions are standard fare. I do like the lyrics for "Cheap Buttons". "10 billion Ringo fans can't be wrong. Target your audience then write them a song". For a 32 song, Guided by Voices double album, August by Cake is very consistent and doesn't overstay its welcome. I would rate it as 4 stars out of 5. Peace.

Yard Act: Where's My Utopia?

      There have been several album releases so far this year that I'm really digging; The Smile, Rosali, Friko, Ducks Ltd., Waxahatchee, Cloud Nothings and of course, Yard Act's Where's My Utopia? Their 2022 album, The Overlord, was a Mercury Prize finalist and my favorite album of the year. It was a biting commentary on Brexit and covid lockdowns and capitalism. So, how do you follow that up? You make a follow up album about making a follow up album. Where's My Utopia finds Yard Act's James Smith more introspective and reflective on success, fatherhood and his past. Musically, the band have pushed themselves with more production and grooves. Even their music videos had a running concept and plot with recurring characters. Many people I know who have listened to the album got a distinct "Gorillaz" vibe. I think that's mostly attributable to the track "The Undertow". There are several songs, such as, "We Make Hits", "Dream Job", "When the Laughter Stops" and "Petroleum" that are very much made for the dance club. 

     The pivotal track is the seven and a half minute spoken word piece, "Blackpool Illuminations". James recounts an incident from his childhood, which may or may not be true, when he went to Blackpool with his family and was injured. Toward the end we realize he's talking to his son. "Finally, I made it and for the first time, I felt truly free with my beautiful family and my dream job no longer a dream. Still now it baffles me. I attained perfection with you, I attained perfection. So why the fuck was I wondering what wankers would think of album two". In "The Undertow" he sings about the guilt of being away from his family to pursue his music career (I'm a slave to sound). The final lines of "We Make Hits" are a transition from The Overload to Where's My Utopia", "I'm still an anti- C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-T. It just so happens that there's other things I happen to be. So, I'm gonna keep flinging shit until enough of it sticks. Break down the walls. And if it's not a hit, we were being ironic". 

     My favorite track is "Petroleum". It has a funky, slinky groove and the lyrics are great. "My bones burn. And the brain that's controlling them knows that the soul needs petroleum". The bass on this track is tremendous and the guitars are incendiary. Yard Act took a great leap forward on this album. I'm looking forward to seeing them this fall at The Grog Shop. Can't wait for the next album. Peace.