Desperate Straights, released on February 21, 1975, is the first of two collaborative studio albums by British avant-rock groups Slapp Happy and Henry Cow. At first glance, these might appear as two rather divergent, though both progressive, ensembles to bring together, but the proof was in the final, vinyl pudding — this worked out nearly perfectly!
From the opening “Some Questions About Hats,” we are placed into a musicscape reminiscent of a German Cabaret with Dagmar Krause executing a delivery appropriate for Brecht/Weill material (think Three Penny Opera). Four more brilliant, short, and pithy songs follow, maintaining a playfully tongue-in-cheek mood. After this, we get the first of two instrumentals, the title track, reflective and a bit out of place with the preceding material. The last song on the first side sets us back on course, with its quirky chord changes and time signatures, upbeat mood, brevity, and general whimsy.
“Apes in Capes,” one of the several gems composed by pianist Anthony Moore, evokes the surreal nature of its title with a circus-waltz atmosphere. The arrangement supports the theatrical mood, as do the rhythmic contours provided for the syllables of the lyrics. The next song, “Strayed,” is reminiscent of Lou Reed and is the sole track delivered by guitarist Peter Blegvad. “Giants” is in reflective waltz-time with its always topical message, “Giants exist to deceive. They retreat if they’re clearly perceived,” and is followed by a quirky arrangement of part of Handel’s “He was Despised” aria from the Messiah, which amazingly fits into the overall mood of the album. The penultimate track is the poignantly haunting “In the Sickbay,” which tapers off, with its dying breaths, into the expressionist “Caucasian Lullaby,” a formidable, generally atonal work that, though not a natural fit for the general tone of the album, is so well composed and performed that we forgive it for any break with the album’s overall mood.
Overall, Desperate Straights endures as a successful exhibition of the creative synergy between Slapp Happy and Henry Cow, blending their unique styles into a cohesive and intriguing musical journey. The masterwork not only showcases their individual talents but also their remarkable ability to forge something truly original and captivating through collaboration.
George Washington Jr.: Mister Magic
I love the first track, and in general, like the entire album, which was released February 7th, 1975, ultimately climbing up the jazz charts to #1, the soul charts to #1, and perhaps even more remarkably, rising up to #10 on the po charts.
The main reason for calling out this album, though, is historical. Like it or not, this album is at least partly responsible for the launching of the smooth jazz genre of the 1970s, paving the way for even more popular albums like George Benson’s Breezin’ and Chuck Mangione’s Feels So Good.
Released in December of 1974, Gryphon’s instrumental concept album, “Red Queen to Gryphon Three” masterfully blends progressive rock, folk rock, and renaissance musical elements into diligently crafted, richly-textured, exciting and sonically colorful musical experience.
As there are not lyrics, and limited discussion by bandmembers on the intent of the album and its underlying concept, it seems that the game of chess functions as a metaphor — whether this metaphor is representative of human conflict, interaction, some life event or simply the traditional four movement classical symphony where there is an opening movement, a second movement, a more reflective movement (often the second movement but also sometimes the third movement) and a finale (the checkmate), is left for the listener to consider. What is beyond dispute is the music is the propulsive, dramatic nature of the music and the meticulous arrangements with its balanced instrumental layering.
The first track, “Opening Move” begins with a fanfare flourish, followed by a contemplative piano solo revealing the main theme, offset and contrasted by the use of a wealth of exploratory and developmental musical material. The movement gathers intensity appearing to push for a grand finish, but instead dissolves into a more thoughtful coda-like section that serves as reflective musical commentary.
The second track, “Second Spasm” is jaunty, filled with the spirit of English folk and renaissance with a sequence of interesting themes, including a second theme based on material from the first movement, a subsequent section that showcases the distinctive sounds of crumhorn and bassoon, and a march-like fourth section. The original them returns, altered instrumentation and character, developing a bit before followed by the second theme which with at full force concludes the first side of the original LP.
The third track, is the more reflective “Lament” with a contrasting, mostly upbeat section, and the return of the opening theme which ultimately smoothly transitions into an effective coda for the section.
The fourth track, “Checkmate” is an upbeat, energetic finale teaming with energy and colorful creativity. New musical material dominates, but, somehow, it all seems related to what has occurred earlier even without any discernable restatement of earlier material. The track and album conclude with a flourish similar to the material prior to the coda of the first track, which effectively wraps up a wonderful and memorably distinctive musical experience.
In late 1973, I had purchased Gentle Giant’s Octopus based on falling in love with “Knots, the most stunningly unique track on a two LP sample set issued by Columbia in 1973 and included as one of several albums my sister purchased for a total of ninety-nine cents to start a membership in the Columbia record club. I had not yet heard of Gentle Giant’s import-only album, “In a Glass House” when I first spotted The Power and the Glory the week of its release at the record store near the college I was attending. Having bought their second and third albums, at this point, I was expecting something similar, and when I brought the album home and put it on, I was a bit mystified of how different it was stylistically than the previous Gentle Giant albums I had listened to.
I did not find it immediately appealing, and was a bit disappointed in the high occurrence of repetitive musical phrases and lack of imitative counterpoint and vocal acrobatics which had made me fall in love with “Knots”, and which gave me hope there might be one selection that would approach “Knots” in terms of inventiveness and artistry. Nonetheless, there was still something appealing about the music, and I played the album a second time the next day, finding that it was already growing on me. By the third or fourth listen, I was embracing this new stylistic direction, particularly enamored by the band’s clever use of repetition of strongly angular and syncopated musical phrases.
Musically, this is another masterwork by Gentle Giant. Besides the group’s deft handling of intriguing, atomic musical components (those concise, angular, cleverly repeated melodic phrases previously mentioned), there are moments of lyrical beauty enhancing and contrasting with the abundant rhythmic vitality . Gentle Giant again uses melodic diminution (repeated musical ideas that get shorter in time by dropping out notes and/or shortening the length of notes) in some of the melodic material in the first and last tracks, “Proclamation” and “Valedictory” with the relationship between these two pieces reminiscent of classical-era exposition, development and recapitulation. The remastered released of this album also contains the initially unreleased studio track “Power and the Glory” recorded as late as June 1974, two months before Richard Nixon resigned his presidency.
The Power and Glory album, itself, is a concept album around political power and its abuse, something quite topical for 1974 with the Watergate hearings having just wrapped up in June of 1974 six months after the recording of the album in later 1973 and January 1974 — and three months before the release of the album into record stores. Readers of this blog, all three of them, may recall that I rarely discuss lyrics, but the topicality of these lyrics are extremely relevant to today’s political chaos in the United States. Here are some excerpts.
(“Proclamation”: The equivocation of political yammering with content scarily reminiscent of recent political speech)
You may not have all you want or you need all that you have has been due to my hand, it can change, it can stay the same, who can say, who can make their claim
The situation we are in at this time neither a good one, nor is it so unblest it can change, it can stay the same, I can say, I can make my claim.
Hail … Hail … Hail
Unity’s strength and all must be as one, confidence in you hope will reflect in me I think everyone not as my nation for you are my people and there must be no change It can change, it can stay the same I can say, I can make my claim
(“So Sincere”)
Hear, he’ll do it all for you, you will see it, wise and knowing what to do, what to be and every word is …
Lies, he only tells the truth, for he means it, means, not anything he says, eyes unseen, but everything is …
So sin–cere, so sin–cere, so sin–cere, so sin… Yes, that is to say no, understanding wrong, he makes his promise right, with your hand you’ll never know why
… So, sincere his thoughts so full, always empty Good, or maybe things are bad, so sincere, and every word is … So sin–cere, so …
(“Aspirations”) As our faith, maybe aimless blind, Hope our ideals and Our thoughts are yours And believing the promises, Please make your claims Really so sincere.
Be our guide, our light and our way of life And let the world see the way we lead our way. Hopes, dreams, hopes dreaming that all our Sorrows gone. In your hands, holding everyone’s Future and fate It is all in you, Make us strong build our unity, All men as one It is all in you.
(“Playing the Game”) … I can view the power of my position and my eyes can see more than anyone in any place, I’ll play the game and never ever lose.
I will steer the helm of all the nation as the captain take my rewards for all the good I’m doing now, and no words that I’m the knave will alter my philosophy for if any are heard, the games started again I’ll never ever lose.
(“Cogs in Cogs”)
Empty promise broken the path has Not been paved any way. Cogs in cogs the machine Is being left where it lay. Anger and the rising murmur breaks The old circle, the wheel slowly turns around.
All words saying nothing The air is sour with discontent. No returns have been tasted Or are they ever sent. Slowly burning is the fire, rising murmur breaks The old circle, the wheel slowly turns around.
(“No God’s a Man”)
Now the words and claims are seen as always The way they’ll always be, way they’ll always be Truth is halfway true, the man is only a man Who fails to know, The people shouting for him have turned now Telling him to go
(“The Face”)
Choose your way, realizing our mission, Figures lay, pulling strings for position. Take your bows, hear the people are calling. Play the game, Take the blame as you’re falling. Time to confess, clean up the mess, Stand in the white, step in the light.
Use the time, show the face that is sorry…
(“Valedictory”)
And though the hard times, Are really due to me, it is still in me, To wave all this unrest. Things must stay, There must be no change, Anyway, time to rearrange.
You must believe, that there’s Been no betrayal all that I’ve done, I’ve really done for you.
(“Power and the Glory”)
Run, run, the shotgun has got you in its range. Turn, turn away, when it’s time to make a change. Look where you’re going. try not to lose your way. What good is knowing you have to go away?
Go, you make go, never know, never know. Time’s run away, so have to go, have to go. Put back the ace black, you never made it good. Go while you can go. Go while the going’s good.
And the power and the glory is over, so I’ll take it. The power and the glory is over, so I’ll make it. The power and the glory is over, and I’ll break it. The power and the glory is over….
Face up to reason, you know it’s up to you. Do what you can do, all that you have to do. Move over now, and I’ll try to take your place. Time to remember that I have won the race. Go, you make go, never know, never know. Time’s run away, so have to go, have to go. Pick up the pieces, to you I’ll have to stand. Break up the power, the glory’s at the end.
And the power and the glory is over, so I’ll take it. The power and the glory is over, so I’ll make it. The power and the glory is over, and I’ll break it. The power and the glory is over….
If you have not heard this album, a youtube link is provided below.
Electric Light Orchestra: Eldorado
This is my favorite ELO album, of those I have heard — I admit I haven’t listened to some of their later albums. I love the orchestration, the overall cohesion of the album, and its simple, melodic appeal. I consider this such a nice combination of musical quality and musical accessibility, I purchased multiple copies of this to give to some of my piano-lesson pupils for Christmas of 1978.
Hawkwind: Hall of the Mountain Grill
Just a quick mention of Hawkwind’s fourth studio album, released on September 6, 1974, with its title an amalgamation of the title of the famous Grieg orchestral composition and the name of a local dining hangout frequented by Hawkwind and other musicians in West London — the Mountain Grill.
The album is mostly Hawkwind-style space rock, with “Web Weaver”, a track played often on one of my local FM radio deep-album cuts stations, the instrumental title track, and two live selections, “You’d Better Believe It” and “Paradox.”
Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends ~ Ladies and Gentlemen
Released in August of 1974, this album will always be particularly special to me as it captures ELP at the peak, and possibly from a concert I attended. I say possibly, as my close friend, and continuing great friend (and girlfriend in late 1973 and early 1974) and I attended either the February 1st or February 2nd concert, and the recording was made at one of those two concerts. In August 1974 my sister purchased, from her record club, a pair of cassettes of the concert, which I promptly took possession of when driving in my parents Toyota Corolla. I would later purchase the album, but mostly heard the cassette, played in the care.
I am pretty sure that I haven’t listened to this album since 1974, and, it was with mixed emotions that I put it on my audio system, but once it was playing, I was pulled back into not those moments in the car when I had it played it over and over again, but into the Anaheim Convention Center, back in February 1974, sitting again next to my dear friend, in the lower part of the first of the two levels of balcony almost directly opposite the stage — not close, but not desperately far away, either.
The Anaheim Convention Center was a special venue for me anyway. My dad had taken me to see the Los Angeles Stars there for the ABA finals in 1970. Originally located in Anaheim and called the Anaheim Amigos, the team changed their name after the ABA’s inaugural 1967-1968 season and moved to Los Angeles as the Stars, playing in the L.A. Sports Arena. The first year in L.A., they improved on their previously dismal record of 25 and 53, but still did not qualify for the playoffs with their unremarkable win-loss record of 33-45, For the third year, they hired Bill Sharman as their head coach (who would later be the first coach to lead the Lakers to their first NBA championship since leaving Minneapolis and moving to L.A.), and his presence attracted some additional talent to the roster, most notable of whom was Mack Calvin Calvin was the talented USC guard who helped USC actually beat UCLA at Pauley Pavillion, ending UCLA’s streak of 41 straight wins and 51 consecutive wins at Pauley Pavillion, and USC’s steak of 17 consecutive losses to UCLA. The Los Angeles Lakers selected Calvin as a late round draft pick, but he ultimately chose to go with the L.A. Stars, much to their benefit.
With several new players, including the talented Wayne Hightower who was acquired from Denver Nuggets, the Stars got off to a decent 9-5 start. But by February 22, due partly to injuries, including a back injury to Hightower in January, the Stars record was only 25-34, and apparently no plans were made for a venue for them to play in, in case they did make the playoffs. With a couple of six game win streaks, and a four game win streak in May, the Stars barely qualified for the playoffs with a 43-41 record, and ended up playing their playoff games in the Long Beach Sports Arena and the Anaheim Convention Center. The tickets to see the Stars were more affordable than tickets to the Lakers, and I am very thankful that my dad stretched his very challenged household budget to take me to see the Stars play the Dallas Chaparrals in the first round, the Denver Nuggets in the second round, and then the Indian Pacers in the finals.
The highlight of my Anaheim Convention memories was not those Stars games, as exciting as they were, but the ELP concert. I had looked forward to it for several weeks, and when it finally arrived, it far exceeded my expectations. This recording of the concert we attended (or of one from the adjacent night at the same venue) brings back many memories listening to it for the first time in almost fifty years. I had forgotten that speakers were placed at multiple locations in the Convention Center to provide a novel surround sound effect for certain synthesizer parts during the concert, or that the crowd was so enthusiastic. Also, two of the commercial drawbacks of this live recording — no overdubs added later on or any attempt to improve the sense of distant from the performers, as if one was hearing it from the front of the lower balcony — provide a fairly authentic recreation of how we heard the music at the concert. The musical content captured is nothing short of spectacular. Keith Emerson was indisputably the best keyboard player of any rock group and a high-energy performer, Carl Palmer was one of the best percussionists of any rock group, and Greg Lake, that night, was on top of his game, but on bass and guitar, and vocally. The concert contains some fine solo piano work by Emerson, as well as including a fine rendition of both “Tarkus” and “Karn Evil 9”. That night the group performed a twenty to twenty-five minute encore version of their rendition of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which, sadly, is not included in this live album, and as far as I know is not available, and may not have even been recorded.
All in all, a great document of one of the top Progressive Rock groups of all time, at the peak of their creativity and excellence. Later that year, in April of 1974, the group appeared at the California Jam as the closing act. Fortunately, ABC filmed either part or all of ELP’s performance for their “In Concert” program and some of this footage is available for viewing on youtube today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqhd8JDThkI
Released on July 22, 1974, Stevie Wonders follows up the magnificent Innervisions album with another remarkable musical achievement. The album begins with the mellow, uplifting “Smile Please” which effectively sets the tone for the entire album. Each track could qualify as a highlight of the album, depending on one’s musical preferences. Of particular note are “Creepin”, a hauntingly beautiful song with a misty dreamlike quality and the always politically relevant (unfortunately) “You Haven’t Done Nothin’,” My favorite track is “They Won’t Go When I Go” which with its simple, solemn piano introduction, and profoundly compelling musical material. The album ends with the upbeat yet pleading “Please Don’t Go” with its effective gospel arrangement providing a solid finish to a very memorable album.
Robert Wyatt: Rock Bottom
Released on July 26, 1974, over a year after Robert Wyatt’s accidental fall from a fourth floor window that sadly left him paralyzed from the waist down, this is one of the most exceptional, individually idiosyncratic prog rock albums of the 1970s. It is clearly a work of love and dedication. Wyatt used material mostly written before the accident and singularly sculpted it into an unconventionally effective and rather original album. Wyatt excels at making quirky chord changes sound both natural and logical, and then he furthers elevates his material through highly interesting arrangements that profoundly enhance the musical material. Innovative and compelling, stimulating and emotionally engaging, the album fully delivers a challenging and rewarding listening experience.
Renaissance: Turn of the Cards
I first discovered this album in 1974 on a visit to our local library. Scouring the very limited LP lending section of the library, this was one of the few rock albums available. It had just been released in July of 1974, and the library had put a shiny plastic covering over it, which along with its promising cover art, made it further stand out from the other albums in its bin and the bins that were adjacent to it. I brought it home and was very pleased with the opening piano introduction, particularly appealing to a Keith Emerson fan like myself. I had assumed it was original material, but now know it is an excerpt of a work by French composer and organist, Jehan Alain. Fifty years later, this album sounds even better than I remember — sometimes majestic, often adventurous, progressive rock, sometimes symphonic and often emotive, showcasing Annie Haslem’s soaring vocals and Jon Touts driving, punctuating keyboard work.
Though the original Italian version of The World Became the World was released in March of 1974, the English version, recorded in the same sessions as the Italian version, we not released until June 1974. Though the original Italian works better with the music, the English version contains an additional track, an updated English version of the classic “Impressioni di Settembre”, and these English lyrics are all authored by Peter Sinfield, making this version essential. With bassist Patrick Djivas joining the group, the band continues to be in top form, creatively and technically, providing a range of moods, particularly excelling in the more melancholic, tender and introspective passages.
Le Orme: Contrappunti
Though some progressive rock groups have flirted with imitative counterpoint, and some, like ELP and Gentle Giant have pulled it off nicely, I know of no group that actually opens an album with a fugue-like subject. Though there is no fugue that follows, the minor-key melodic subject provides a very dramatic introduction to a strong, well executed album. As good as their previous album is, which is generally considered their best, this album, for me, is incredibly enjoyable with some beautiful, heartfelt, very Italian, ballad writing, some heavier, harder-edged material, and amazing instrumental performances by the band. Its myriad contrasts and diverse elements blend nicely into a comprehensive and very compelling album.
Cluster: Zuckerzeit
With this 1974 masterpiece, Zuckerzeit, Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, the two musicians that comprise Cluster, break away from the less accessible, more “experimental” style of their two earlier albums, to provide shorter, more accessible, rhythmically precise, musically-narrative nuggets — sugary delicacies (Zuckerzeit means “sugar time”) that, though, dessert-like in nature, still have such substance that they significantly influence the direction of late seventies and early eighties popular music.
The album starts off with the most substantial piece of the set, Roedelius’s “Hollywood”, a work that slowly evolves over its framework of sequences and robotic rhythm. Within a short of four minutes and forty-eight seconds, Roedelius rewrites the history of electronic music, surpassing the previous impact and import of academically-approved giants like Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Schaeffer and Luciano Berio. Amazing works like “Caramel”, “Marizipan”, and “Rotor” follow, with each musician contributing five short pieces, composed and performed individually, finely crafted and polished, each with their own ethos, character and story to tell.
Besides having an impact on other German bands like Tangerine Dream and bands under the Brain music label, Brian Eno has cited Cluster as a major influence on his own work. In addition, though hard to gauge to what extent, the rhythmical-stubbornness prevalent in later music of the seventies and eighties as exhibited by bands like Stereolab (and perhaps even some albums of the nineties, like Biosphere’s Substrata and Air’s Moon Safari) can partly be attributed to Zuckerzeit‘s direct and indirect influences.
Edger Froese: Aqua
Edger Froese of Tangerine Dream releases his first solo album in June of 1974. Recorded around the time Tangerine Dream’s Phaedra was recorded, given the prominent role Froese had in the band, it is no surprise to find aesthetic and musical similarities between Aqua and Phaedra.
I just enjoy Aqua as a listening experience. With the exception of the last track, “Upland”, and the start of “NGC 891”, this is a great album to relax to, compatible with either active listening or as use as a soundtrack for reading or working. “NGC 891” is particularly notable as preview of the spacey. rhythmic-driven, slowly evolving music that will be a staple on upcoming Tangerine Dream albums.
Triumvirat: Illusions on a Double Dimple and Bebop Deluxe: Axe Victim
Both of these albums are often criticized for their relatively weak production quality and for being derivative — Illusionson a Double Dimple mimics actual basslines and ostinatos from ELP’s albums, and Axe Victim is highly influenced by David Bowie, and in particularly the Ziggy Stardust album. (Axe Victim’s includes a track about the band “Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus” which clearly invokes the Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
But neither of these albums should be dismissed for being heavily influenced by talent at the level of David Bowie and ELP. Illusionson a Double Dimple lacks the coherence and purpose of Triumvirat’s later third album, Spartacus, but the musicianship and music is still highly enjoyable with “Mister Ten Percent” being the strongest of the two long tracks of the album. Axe Victim, though derivative and lacking in consistency, has some excellent music composed from the exceptionally talented Bill Nelson, whose guitar work rivals, if not surpasses Bowie’s bandmate Mick Ronson, at least in terms of technique and innovation. Nelson also is a capable lyricist. Nelson’s vocals fall short of Bowie’s more dramatic and compelling delivery, effectively shortchanging the potential of his own material. One could consider that if Bowie had sung and produced these songs, this would be an album of much higher merit, however, the album still has much to offer, much more than implied by the two out of five stars given it in allmusic.com, and is, compositionally, one of the better glam rock albums of 1974.
Released on May 24, 1974, Diamond Dogs is a further testament to Bowie’s ability to evolve his musical vocabulary and associated lyrics to stay on the leading edge of rock music relevancy. The album is generally darker and more detached than Aladdin Sane, more dramatic and gritty, providing a new urban-influenced glam that effectively provides a novel combination of alienation, bleakness and soulfulness. Two particularly notable tracks include “1984”, one of several of the songs redeployed from Bowie’s earlier effort at crafting a musical from Orwell’s 1984, and the incessantly inescapable 4/4, punk-influenced (and punk influencing) “Rebel, Rebel.”
Sparks: Kimono My House
Released on May 1, 1974, with the album title slyly referencing the David Seville/William Saroyan song, “Come On a My House”, Kimona My House is one of the great art-rock classics of the 1970s successfully blending glam and baroque-like progressive rock elements together to create a unique and impressive work. The music is quirky but easily accessible, and the combination of Russel Mael’s upper range vocals, and Ron Mael’s innovative composition, lyrics and arrangements bring this to the level approaching Queen’s upcoming albums (Killer Queen and Night and the Opera.) This is the Sparks first big success, but with the passage of time has not been given the weight it deserves in the canon of rock classics despite being one of those rare albums that transcends all stylistic and genre categories, while also being one of the most enjoyable works of its time. If you haven’t yet give this a listen, you will be in for a treat once you do!
Slapp Happy: Slapp Happy (aka Casablanca Moon)
Released in May of 1974, with this, their second album, the trio of Dagmar Krause, Peter Blegvad and Anthony Moore decide to seriously apply their talents to commercial music, and come up with an album both musically and lyrically impressive. The album was first recorded, with members of Faust adding bass, drums, and sax, for Polydor which rejected it, and then later re-recorded with Virgin records with new arrangements by Roger Wootton (of prog-folk band Comus) effectively using violin, trumpet, and saxophone (Geoff Leigh of Henry Cow) to further distinguish the original compositions. The original Polydor recording was rereleased in 1980, titled Noom Acnalbasac and the Virgin rendition is not only more interesting but much more effectively deploys Dagmar’s exquisite vocals, showcasing them in such a way that anticipates the female vocalists of some of the new wave bands. It’s worthwhile to have both albums to compare the two versions — both instructive and enjoyable!
Henry Cow: Unrest
Released May 27, 1974, Unrest is one of the finest examples of “avant-garde” progressive rock of the mid-seventies. The first side starts with a short angular, motivic instrumental from Fred Frith, “Bittern Storm Over Ulm”, cubistically based, so to speak, on the Yardbird’s “Got to Hurry,” showcasing Frith’s precision guitar work, followed by two miniature masterpieces, John Greaves’ “Half Asleep; Half Awake” with prepared piano, and Frith’s “Ruins” which rhythmically leverages the Fibonacci series, ala Béla Bartók, and takes advantage of multi-tracking editing with slowed down and sped up instrumental parts.
The introspective “Solemn Music” opens side two, followed by a little over 15 minutes of four tracks of highly creative, mostly improvised studio work that includes some tape manipulation, direct use of piano strings on “Arcades,” and some remarkable bassoon and oboe contributions from Lindsay Cooper. All in all, a fine album that significantly outshines most of the music produced in academic avante-garde circles at that time.
Rick Wakeman: Journey to the Center of the Earth
Recorded in January of 1974 and released on May 3, 1974, Rick Wakeman’s Journey to the Center of Earth is a musical retelling of Jules Verne’s classic story of three explorers’ journey into a forgotten subterranean world that included ancient humanoids and sea creatures. Wakeman engages the London Symphony Orchestra, the recently formed English Chamber Choir , a narrator, and a few bandmates to realize the forty-minute, single LP work. There are many fine moments due to Wakeman’s effectiveness at creating dramatic musical episodes — and also notable is the choir’s contributions to the battle between the prehistoric sea creatures, reminiscent of similar passages in 18th and early 19th century classical choral works.
If the whole effort doesn’t quite come together, that is remedied with Wakeman’s 2012 re-recording of the work which engages an additional vocalist who shares duties with the original, weaker vocalist from the original album. The newer 2012 recording includes additional material, but is most notable for its superior production, sound, and overall impact.
Recorded Live at the Drury Lane Royal Theater on October 28, 1973 and released on April 19, 1974, this live album presented a mix of new material and a composition from their 1970 album and their 1972 Waterloo Lily album arranged and performed with a decently sized orchestra conducted by Martyn Ford. The recording quality is good for that era, and the combined effort between the band and the orchestra works well, providing a new dimension to previous studio work. Fortunately, there is a re-issue of this album that adds additional tracks including a preliminary set without the orchestra of three compositions from their previous album, For Girls That Go Plump in the Night as well as arranging the tracks in the original order from the concert. This reissue also provides an exciting encore with the orchestra: a energetic, well-performed rendition of their instrumental “A Hunting We Should Go” from their previous album. Overall, this live album is a real joy to listen with the orchestra enhancing the colorful nature of Pye Hastings compositions and Caravan’s arrangements.
Arti e Mastieri: Tilt (Immagini per un orecchio)
Released in April of 1974, Arti e Mastieri (Arts and Crafts) debut album was indeed “Images for the Ear!” Each composition has its own character and musical path. The album starts off strongly with “Gravità 9,81” which includes sax, mellotron, clarinet and violin, followed by “Strips” with comforting vocals somewhat similar to PFM. The third track, the short energetic “Corrosione,” flows seamlessly into one of my favorite tracks on the album “Positivo/Negativo”, which includes violin, vibes, violin and particularly propulsive percussion from their very talented drummer, Furio Chirico (love that name!) “In Cammino” provides a welcome contrast with its initial mood, and develops into a strong rock fusion piece by its conclusion. This is followed by the brief, beautiful, initially contemplative “Farenheit” which, even within its short timespan of seventy-five seconds, evolves and develops effectively. The most notable piece on the album, is the lengthiest — the dramatic “Articolazioni” — a true prog-rock masterpiece, seemingly greater in both length and scope that its actually timing of “13:24” would indicate. The album ends with the anomalous title track, “Tilt”, which, though interesting and well-done, stands out from the rest of the album, perhaps only to signal an end to the album rather than devised to fit in with the mood of the previous tracks. All and all, an amazing album. Though this is the debut album, it is evident that these are experienced and very knowledgeable musicians, who clearly achieved what they set out to do, and in the process delivered one of the great Italian Progressive Rock albums of all time. Those seeking this out should go with the CD reissue which provides superior sound to the original LP.
Focus: Hamburger Concerto
Released in April 1974, Focus’s fourth studio album is my personal favorite of the Focus studio albums I am familiar with. The first side starts out with Jan Akkerman’s arrangement of a composition from late renaissance lutenist and lute composer Joachim van den Hove, and is followed by catchy Thijs van Leer composition “Harem Scarem.” The third track is the impressively-wrought “La Cathédrale de Strasbourg” with its strong dramatic first theme and its effective use of pipe organ and acoustic piano, vocals, and contrasting jazz theme. Akkerman’s “Birth”, which ends side one, opens up with harpsichord introducing the theme which is then referenced in the main progressive rock section with Akkerman’s guitar work and van Leer extensively on flute. Quite memorable.
The second side of the album is devoted to Akkerman’s “Hamburger Concerto” which is inspired and based on Brahm’s Variations on a Theme By Haydn, and which effectively becomes a progressive rock theme and variations. The Haydn theme opens up the work with van Leer on organ, Allen on timpani and drums and Akkerman providing a short counter theme on guitar with a third theme introduced on Hammond organ. In general, the Haydn theme provides the thematic foundation but the creativity of Leer and Akkerman (including the incorporation of other themes including a Dutch Christmas Carol) and Van Leers yodel-like vocals (a la their big hit “Hocus Pocus”) take this beyond a straightforward theme and variations exercise with the work effectively and interestingly ranging in moods and blending various musical influences into a cohesive experience making this the highlight of a rather remarkable album by this talented Dutch progressive rock group.
Gryphon: Midnight Mushrumps
Released in April of 1974, Gryphon’s second album merges their medieval and renaissance influences with a modern progressive rock sound, placing them closer to the progressive rock mainstream of 1974. The first track, for example, is a single side composition, the title track of the album, one that pushes them beyond the constraints and expectations governed by shorter pieces. Fortunately, the band handles this nicely, with an surprisingly extensive nine-minute, introduction that effective sets up the main section of the work for the final ten minutes. The second side has shorter pieces, including the notable episodic “Dubbel Dutch” which skips through a range of styles appropriately analogous to the work’s title. The final track, “Ethelion”, takes the elements of an early renaissance dance composition and envelops them into an exhilarating, rhythmically displaced, complex metrical arrangement that transitions to a simpler, emphatically repetitive section that brings the album to a satisfying close.
The Residents: Meet the Residents
This neo-Dadaist musical work was released to minimal fanfare and meager record sales, timed fittingly for April fool’s day, 1974. This is clearly either a labor of love or an extreme instance of obsessive chaotic, disruptive agitation. Either way, it distinguishes itself from the established rock-world non-conformists of the day (Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart) with its distinctness and eccentricities. Overall the effort is noteworthy for its consistent inconsistency, eclecticism and its overall artistic identity. One particularly noteworthy track is “Rest Aria” which combines a simple beautiful folk-pop melody, 1960s classical minimalism, and a bizarre, westernized deconstruction of Indonesian Gamelan music into a truly effective and interesting result. If you don’t know the Residents, this first album is a great place to start your entry, or attempt at entry, into their world.
Released March 1974, Starless and Bible Black drifts further into free improvisation than previous albums, successfully showcasing both the virtuosic skills of the band, particularly those of Robert Fripp, as well as the band’s other-worldly improvisational skills. The first two tracks provide enough accessible progressive rock to make the album an absolute must for the prog-rock fan, and the rest of the album mixes studio and live material to present a less accessible, but highly impactful musical experience. Particularly noteworthy is the live track “Trio”, an improvisation that the always amazing Bill Bruford wisely allows the rest of the band to develop and finish without forcing his own entrance, fully sensitive to the mood and the masterpiece being created. The gem of this collection is “Fracture”, worthy of lengthy musical analysis far beyond my capabilities. It’s intricacy and irregular rhythmic and structural aspects makes this a particularly challenging composition to perform, but the band is unfazed and undaunted, and not only succeeds technically but fully imbues it with the necessary emotion and expression to make this one of the most meaningful listening experiences in the King Crimson catalogue.
Camel: Mirage
Ethereal and wistful, Camel’s Mirage was released in March of 1974, first with the album cover showed above, and then with replaced (as demanded by the Camel cigarette company) with an alternative cover. Andrew Latimer (guitar, flute, vocals) and Peter Bardens (keyboards, vocals) produce a set of compositions that blend together seamlessly creating a distinctive lush and compelling sound experience. “Supertwister” is the most dynamic and energetic track of the album, a short instrumental that marks off many traditional prog-rock check-boxes with the rest of the album being more introverted and contemplative.
Queen: Queen II
Queen’s second album, released on March 8, 1974, gives us a much more ambitious and artistic effort than the previous, making this their first must-have albums. The production is more polished and the group clearly invested substantial hours in the studio capturing the perfected harmonies and instrumental layering. Side one is mostly Brian May’s compositions, with one work by Roger Taylor, showing off Queen’s own brand of hard rock, while side two, is completely dedicated to Freddie Mercury’s fantastical compositions, with their abrupt musical shifts and endless harmonic energy. Drama and musical theater abound, particularly on the second side, and the musical diversity and level of instrumental excellence have made this an album that never wears out its welcome in the listening room.
Kansas: Kansas
Kansas released their first album on March 8, 1974, with six musicians from the American Midwest — five of the six born in Kansas or Missouri. The album is particularly American in sound, with hints of boogie rock, country, folk-rock and similar American Rock styles. Notably different than other American Midwest and Southern Rock groups is their facile integration of contemporary prog-rock elements, some of which are very similar to Genesis and Gentle Giant material, though not in the least derivative or perceivably mimicked. Particularly notable is the work of Kerry Livgren on synthesizer and the contributions of violinist Robby Steinhardt. One of the finest debut albums of 1974.
Weather Report: Mysterious Traveller
Weather Report begins to unleash is full range of jazz-fusion capabilities with the release of their fourth studio album on March 24, 1974, climbing to number 2 on the US Jazz Charts, as high as 46 on the US Pop album charts, and up to 31 on the US R&B charts. Additional funk and world music influences are incorporated, possibly leading to creative differences with legendary Miroslav Vitouš, who makes this his last recording with the group, appearing on two of the eight tracks on acoustic bass, replaced by bass guitarist, Alphonso Johnson on the other six tracks.
The album is inventive, innovative and filled to the brim with interesting improvisation — fusing jazz, world music, including Latin influences, funk, rock, and hints of classical. Album not only showcases the creativity and imaginative brilliance of Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter, but includes memorable contributions from everyone involved included several guest musicians on percussion instruments, ocarina and woodwinds (on “J0ungle Book”) and vocals (“Nubian Sundance.”)
Peter Hammill: The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage
Released in early February of 1974, even though there is ample participation by fellow Van Der Graaf band mates, this is clearly a personal, Peter Hammill solo effort. From the start Hammill dives inward stirring up and capturing a range of emotional turbulence.
The album opens with the metrical tempestuous “Modern,” and ends with one of Hammill’s greatest classics, the deeply emotional “A Louse Is Not a Home.” Hammill often performed these two songs along with “The Lie (Bernini’s Saint Theresa)”, also on this album, in the 1970s on solo tours in small venues, injecting every ounce of energy into his dramatic renditions.
Generally the featured instrument is Hammill’s expressive vocals appropriately supported by piano, mellotron, acoustic and electric guitar with additional support from the VDGG band members with Spirit’s Randy California on lead guitar on one track. The production emphasizes a sense of intimacy which underscores the uncompromising, unsuppressed intimacy, immediacy, and intensity which makes this album so remarkable.
Todd Rundgren: Todd
Todd Rundgren’s eponymous double album, released in February 1974, proclaims energetically, or rather electronically, that Mr. Rundgren is a master composer and arranger, delighting us with a wide array of electronic timbres and effects. Yes, we still have beautiful Rundgren ballads, such as “I Think You Know” and “A Dream Goes On Forever” included amidst all the voltaic dazzle, but the main attractions are Rundgren’s summoning of artfully deployed electronic-generated special effects, his command of various studio production techniques, and his venturing into more challenging musical compositions, like the metrically unbalanced “Drunken Blue Rooster”, the whimsical “An Elpee Worth of Tunes”, and ” the snide, unbridled ”Heavy Metal Kids.” Altogether, this is a extremely enjoyable, adventurous yet cohesive work that some may chose to classify as prog-rock, yet clearly stands separate from anything previously released commercially. This no doubt contributed to it going over the head of just about every major rock critic that reviewed the album in 1974 but also contributes to this being one of the most notable albums from 1974.
Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic
This is just one of those classic rock albums. Released on February 20, 1974, there really isn’t any single track that is at the level of “King of the World” from their previous album, but just about every track here is very close to that level of excellence. They group seems to have intentionally kept each song to AM airplay length — this means that jazz influence is more densely embedded in the tracks, but still handled very artfully and tastefully, retaining the classic Steely Dan sound.
Brian Eno: Here Comes the Warm Jets
Brian Eno’s debut solo album, Here Comes the Warm Jets, released on February 8, 1973, is a unconventional rich tapestry of accessible pop (think Sid Barrett) set into ingenious contexts. Truly delightful, this album showcases Eno’s unconventional brand of creativity.
Tangerine Dream: Phaedra
Released on the 20th of February 1974, this engaging album overtakes Harmonia’s Musik Von Harmonia, released the previous month, in the race for approaching the fully mature sequence-driven, repetitive, German Prog Rock that would soon become so prevalent. The music truly pulls the listener out of their current environment and into another universe — a universe where sound is not differentiated from sensation, imagery, or existence.
Chase: Pure Music
After a very successful first album, and a weaker second album, it seems Bill Chase finally figured out the best direction to go in — emphasizing a more jazz-based brand of jazz rock, with mainly instrumental material. Every track works nicely, but alas, this would be Chase’s last album due to the crash of the twin-engine charted plane flight to his scheduled performance at the Jackson County Fair. Also lost to us all was drummer Walter Clark, guitarist John Emma, and the especially talented Wallace “Wally” Yohn, who provides some excellent keyboard contributions to this last Chase album.
Chase brings some of his Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson experiences into the music on this album, elevating the content with more sophisticated arrangements and showcasing his personal solo skills at their very best. While Chicago, Lighthouse, If, and Blood, Sweat and Tears, best work was now in the past (by February 1974) is appears that Chase’s best work was tantalizingly close but, unfortunately, for all of us, never captured.
Mick Ronson: Slaughter on 10th Avenue
Released in February 1974, this is about as close to a David Bowie album as one can find which doesn’t have David Bowie involved in singing, performing or producing. We do have another member of Ziggy’s Spider From Mars band, Trevor Bolder on bass, trumpet and trombone, and we have Mike Garson on keyboards (notable especially for his piano contribution on Aladdin Sane) — and we also have two original songs by Bowie, ”Growing Up and I’m Fine” and “Hey Ma, Get Papa.” Ronson’s vocals are second best to Bowie, but good enough to carry the album off nicely. Truly a recommended record for any Bowie fan.
