Classic Rock Discussion thread, including Catfish's Top 20 Lists.

[Hoodat]

1978  -  Patti Smith, Easter album

Rock N Roll N*gga  (Not yet cancelled)

[Hoodat]

More 1978 Punk  -  Elvis Costello

Pump It Up

[Hoodat]

More 1978 Punk  -  The Ramones

I Wanna Be Sedated

[Hoodat]

And now something to cleanse the palate:  (Punk is not really my thing.  Too NYC for my taste.)

1978  -  Joe Walsh

Life's Been Good

[corbe]

TRAFFIC - Forty Thousand Headmen


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgc0qPo8FgI#

[catfish1957]

July 1978 List

1. Boston (No change)
2. Aerosmith (No change)
3. Led Zeppelin (No change)
4. Rush (No change)
5. Eagles (+1)
6, Kansas (-1)
7. Foghat (No change)
8. Styx (+1)
9. Emerson Lake and Palmer (-1)
10. Moody Blues (+2)
11. Fleetwood Mac (-1)
12. Ted Nugent (-1)
13. Steve Miller Band (+1)
14. Boz Scaggs (+1)
15. Bob Seger (-2)
16. ZZ Top (No change)
17. Chicago (No change)
18. Nazareth (+1)
19. Queen (-1)
20. Bruce Springsteen (No change)

Vinyl/Tape Additions-

Fleetwood Mac- Rumours


Remember the buzz around syncing DSOTM and the Wizard of Oz? And how so much of the film followed the dynamics of the song.   25 years ago or so, I went to the trouble of setting it up.  Nowadays, YT does if for you.  If you ask me, I just didn't see enough of the so called "coincidences" that would make me think there was any intentional intent by Pink Floyd.  You can see it for yourself, if so inclined.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtExVJlgEC0&t=772s

This web site gives a narrative of the sync, and the film similarities to how the music progresses.....

https://www.goldminemag.com/features/how-to-view-the-wizard-of-oz-with-dark-side-of-the-moon

[Hoodat]

For the Southern Rock scene, 1978 marked the end of Lynyrd Skynyrd as we knew them and the troubled reunion of the Allman Brothers.  But there were some bright spots as well.  Atlanta Rhythm Section put out their best album, Champaign Jam.  And Molly Hatchet broke out of the same State that had given us Lynyrd Skynyrd.

ARS  -  Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight (Live Recording, Doraville, GA 1979)





Molly Hatchet  -  Gator Country

[Hoodat]

Great version of this Doobies song. The sax solo is something to behold.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AsoLlavSTk

Wolf Trap is one heck of a venue.  The sound carries so well.  Never saw the Doobies live, but a friend of mine who did said they put on a fantastic show.

During Jethro Tull's final tour, one of the shows was at Wolf Trap.  This instantly became a bucket list item for me.  But unfortunately I was stuck offshore and had no chance of making that show.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

You guys listen to vinyl? My wife bought me a record player, still haven't set it up.

[Hoodat]

You guys listen to vinyl? My wife bought me a record player, still haven't set it up.

Belt drive or direct drive?

Can't let vinyl get hot.  I remember accidentally leaving an AC/DC album in a hot car.  The warp wave was about half an inch, but it still played without skipping.

[corbe]

   I listen to Vinyl quite often, at least once a week and I buy new music on vinyl.  I have 2 turntables, one a Technics direct drive and in my office a Panasonic belt drive.  I have managed to keep all my records through the years, which is remarkable.

[catfish1957]

Belt drive or direct drive?

Can't let vinyl get hot.  I remember accidentally leaving an AC/DC album in a hot car.  The warp wave was about half an inch, but it still played without skipping.

lol...I think we all learned that lesson......   once.

[Kamaji]

Belt drive or direct drive?

Can't let vinyl get hot.  I remember accidentally leaving an AC/DC album in a hot car.  The warp wave was about half an inch, but it still played without skipping.

I had a couple of vinyls that warped like that, and they were still playable afterward.  It was a little strange watching the stylus move up and down so much, but they played.  I'm sure an audiophile could have found the degradation of the sound easily, but then I'm not and never have been an audiophile.

[catfish1957]

August 1978 list

1. Boston (No change)
2. Aerosmith (No change)
3. Rush (+1)
4. Led Zeppelin (-1)
5. Eagles (No change)
6. Foghat (+1)
7. Kansas (-1)
8. Foreigner (New)
9. Styx (-1)
10. Moody Blues (No change)
11. Emerson Lake and Palmer (-2)
12. Fleetwood Mac (-1)
13. Al Stewart (New)
14. Steve Miller (-1)
15. Boz Scaggs (-1)
16. Bob Seger (-1)
17. Ted Nugent (-5)
18. Chicago (-1)
19. ZZ Top (-3)
20. Nazareth (-2)

Vinyl/Tape additions

Al Stewart- Year of the Cat
Boston - Don't Look Back (most anxiously anticipated album since Physical Graffiti- bought August 18, 1978
Van Halen- Self title (will cover VH in next installment- bought August 29, 1978)

Foreigner-   Really really liked this band.  Though a tad formulaic, they were excellent song writers, and wrote tunes that rocked.  "Hot Blooded" was easily one of my top 3 favorite tunes of that year.  Their first 5 studio albums ALL made it into the Top 5 Billboard sales.  They paid off like a slot machine with good albums and an obligatory 2-4 hits per album.  Got to see them about 6 years later in their Agent Provocateur tour, and it did not disappoint.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug1qRiLUwac

Al Stewart- Kind of flash in the pan, two hit wonder singer song writer who did okay with Year of the Cat and Time Passages.  11 of his 16 albums didn't even make it into the Top 100. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bvw4yDvRX0

[Hoodat]

1978  -  Gerry Rafferty

Right Down the Line

[Hoodat]

1978  -  Neil Young

Comes a Time

[catfish1957]

September 1978 List

1. Boston- (No change)
2. Aerosmith (No change)
3. Led Zeppelin (+1)
4. Van Halen (New)
5. Rush (-2)
6. Foreigner (+2)
7. Foghat (-1)
8. Eagles (-3)
9. Kansas (-2)
10. Styx (-1)
11. Moody Blues (-1)
12. Bob Seger (+4)
13. Emerson Lake and Palmer (-2)
14. Fleetwood Mac (-2)
15. Al Stewart (-2)
16. Boz Scaggs (-1)
17. Chicago (+1)
18. ZZ Top (+1)
19. Steve Miller Band (-5)
20. Ted Nugent (-3)

New Vinyl/Tapes

Rush- Archives
Mott the Hoople- Live

Van Halen- The guitar wizardry of Eddie Van Halen is well documented, and out like a buzz saw in their entire collection.  No one, and I mean no one had ever sounded like this.  VH had many hits that are etched in archive now on classic rock FM stations.  They sold a plethora of albums over nearly 25 years, and spawned one of the oldest debates in rock.  David Lee Roth vs Sammy Hagar.  Personally, I love their big hits, and their are close to a dozen that clog my Ipod.  But one other fact in my opinion is that as good as VH was, many of their albums had 2nd and 3rd tier filler that pretty much was unlistenable. Here's my favorite cut from the band.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-rTKd-Alk8

Now for an anecdotal tale of the time...  On September 8, 1978, I parked my car in front of my university library, sat my first serious girl friend on the hood of my car.  Cranked up this tune on my Craig Power Play 8-Track, and sang the song it to her, as if I was Joey himself. Afterwards, I got applause much like it would be at movie scene.   


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDvtkIp8UU4

[deb]

Van Halen- The guitar wizardry of Eddie Van Halen is well documented, and out like a buzz saw in their entire collection.  No one, and I mean no one had ever sounded like this.  VH had many hits that are etched in archive now on classic rock FM stations.  They sold a plethora of albums over nearly 25 years, and spawned one of the oldest debates in rock.  David Lee Roth vs Sammy Hagar.  Personally, I love their big hits, and their are close to a dozen that clog my Ipod.  But one other fact in my opinion is that as good as VH was, many of their albums had 2nd and 3rd tier filler that pretty much was unlistenable. Here's my favorite cut from the band.

I swear, Van Halen’s first album was life-changing. Loved it. Spent an entire summer listening to it. Never really liked any of their music after that. And I preferred Sammy Hagar when he was with Montrose.

[Hoodat]

1978  -  Van Halen

Little Dreamer





Ice Cream Man (Live '77)

[Hoodat]

1978  -  Rush  -  Hemispheres

[Best Rush album ever.  This album and Farewell to Kings (with Cygnus X-1 Book 1) were the only two recorded in Wales.]

Cygnus X-1 Book 2




I. PRELUDE
When our weary world was young
The struggle of the ancients first began
The gods of Love and Reason
Sought alone to rule the fate of Man

They battled through the ages
But still neither force would yield
The people were divided,
Every soul a battlefield…

II. APOLLO BRINGER OF WISDOM
‘I bring truth and understanding,
I bring wit and wisdom fair,
Precious gifts beyond compare.
We can build a world of wonder,
I can make you all aware’

‘I will find you food and shelter,
Show you fire to keep you warm
Through the endless winter storm.
You can live in grace and comfort
In the world that you transform’

The people were delighted
Coming forth to claim their prize
They ran to build their cities
And converse among the wise

But one day the streets fell silent
Yet they knew not what was wrong
The urge to build these fine things
Seemed not to be so strong

The wise men were consulted
And the Bridge of Death was crossed
In quest of Dionysus
To find out what they had lost…

III. DIONYSUS BRINGER OF LOVE
‘I bring love to give you solace
In the darkness of the night
In the Heart’s eternal light
You need only trust your feelings
Only Love can steer you right’

‘I bring laughter, I bring Music,
I bring joy and I bring Tears
I will soothe your primal fears
Throw off those chains of Reason
And your prison disappears’

The cities were abandoned
And the forests echoed song
They danced and lived as brothers
They knew Love could not be wrong

Food and wine they had aplenty
And they slept beneath the stars
The people were contented
And the Gods watched from afar

But the winter fell upon them
And it caught them unprepared
Bringing wolves and cold starvation
And the hearts of men despaired…

IV. ARMAGEDDON THE BATTLE OF HEART AND MIND
The Universe divided
As the Heart and Mind collided
With the people left unguided
For so many troubled years
In a cloud of doubts and fears
Their world was torn asunder into hollow hemispheres

Some fought themselves, some fought each other
Most just followed one another
Lost and aimless like their brothers
For their hearts were so unclear
And the truth could not appear
Their spirits were divided into blinded hemispheres

Some who did not fight
Brought tales of old to light
My Rocinante sailed by night
On her final flight

To the heart of Cygnus’ fearsome force
We set our course.
Spiraled through that timeless space
To this immortal place

V. CYGNUS BRINGER OF BALANCE
I have memory and awareness
But I have no shape or form
As a disembodied spirit
I am dead and yet unborn

I have passed into Olympus
As was told in tales of old
To the City of Immortals
Marble white and purest gold

I see the Gods in battle rage on high
Thunderbolts across the sky
I cannot move, I cannot hide
I feel a silent scream begin inside

Then all at once the chaos ceased
A stillness fell, a sudden peace
The Warriors felt my silent cry
And stayed their struggle, mystified

Apollo was astonished
Dionysus thought me mad
But they heard my story further
And they wondered, and were sad

Looking down from Olympus
On a world of doubt and fear
Its surface splintered into
Sorry hemispheres.

They sat a while in silence
Then they turned at last to me
‘We will call you Cygnus
The God of Balance you shall be’

[Hoodat]

1978 - Rush

La Villa Strangiato (Live '80)

[catfish1957]

October 1978 List

1. Boston (No change)
2. Aerosmith (No change)
3. Van Halen (+1)
4. Foreigner (+2)
5. Led Zeppelin (-2)
6. Styx (+4)
7. Rush (-2)
8. Eages (No change)
9. Foghat (-2)
10. Kansas (-1)
11. Bob Seger (+1)
12. Moody Blues (-1)
13. Emerson Lake and Palmer (No change)
14. Fleetwood Mac (No change)
15. Al Stewart (No change)
16. ZZ Top (+2)
17. Boz Scaggs (-1)
18. Chicago (-1)
19. Steve Miller Band (No change)
20. Ted Nugent (No change)

Vinyl/Tape additions

Foreigner- Double Vision
Neil Young- Harvest
Bad Company- Straight Shooter
Willie Nelson- Before his Time
Kiss- Rock and Roll Animal
ZZ Top- Rio Grande Mud
Ted Nugent- Live Gonzo

Neil Young- This is about the time (within a year) of a turning point in my musical tastes, where though I continue with Prog tendencies, the Singer Songwriter genre starts seeping in.  On surface, NY is easy in my top 10 to this day, but in retrospect in put me in a meloncoly mood for probably a decade. Listening to a lot of sad and retrospective tunes will do that to you.  But as far as Neil Young, his career is beyond legend.  Think about it, he took part in the response to the British Invasion with Buffalo Springfield, did Woodstock with CSN&Y, broke away as a solo artist, then took the legend to the point of being able to use Pearl Jam as your back up band on an album.  He pretty much lived the ultimate rock and roll expeerience.

There was a point in time in the '90's that I owned every NY album, which was no easy feat. With one exception, I enjoyed his absolute chamelon like change of styles that were pretty much trademark for him.  I spent many hours with headphones on trying to figure out and interpret his enigmatic lyrics, and what the meanings were.  But again, I can't put a finger on why his music could influence a mood so much.  In the past 10-15 my listening has dropped considerably.  Back then I considered it edgy and profound.  Now....  more just kind of whiney.

And finally, I will go on record and say that one of the two concerts of his that I attended, was the absolute worst in my life. Details of that will come later.

For samples, I'll go with a couple that rock, instead of folkilize.

Here's one him doing at age 70+


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRfiwIhG4gU

Shredding the Les Paul this time


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmKrcOB7udA

[catfish1957]

November 1978 List

1. Boston (No change)
2. Aerosmith (No change)
3. Foreigner (+1)
4. Van Halen (-1)
5. Styx (+1)
6. Led Zeppelin (-1)
7. Kansas (+3)
8. Rush (-1)
9. Bob Seger (+2)
10. Eagles (-2)
11. Foghat (-2)
12. Moody Blues (No change)
13. Emerson Lake and Palmer (No change)
14. Fleetwood Mac (No change)
15. Bad Company (New)
16. Ted Nugent (+4)
17. Al stewart (-1)
18. Chicago (No change)
19. Steve Miller Band (No change)
20. ZZ Top (-4)

Vinyl/Tape addtions

None

Maybe the best part of the close of 1978 was that Disco was dying a slow death.  The flood of crappy artist were canabalizing their genre into a flood of mediocrity.  It was the best of times, and in honor here's an apt tribute to Disco from an AC-DC 1978 performance.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8xNn4td37k

[Hoodat]

1978  -  Little Feat releases their first live album Waiting For Columbus, recorded the preceding year in London and Washington, DC.

Join the Band / Fat Man in the Bathtub

[Hoodat]

1978  -  Paul McCartney & Wings release London Town.

With a Little Luck