40 Year Itch: Those We Missed Feb '74

[Purchase]They were one of the biggest bands in America and by the sounds of this album, they weren't going to do anything to jeopardize that. What's surprising is America didn't fall for all of the "Long Train Runnin'" sound alikes on Vices, they made deep cut "Black Water" (US#1) and the Chicago-by-way-of-Steely-Dan single "Another Park, Another Sunday" (US#32) the hits.[Purchase]Produced by George Martin, the third album from those whimsical British...

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40 Year Itch: Keep My Wheels A-Rolling

[Purchase]   Before Hootie, South Carolina's most famous contribution to rock and roll was Spartanburg's Marshall Tucker Band. When the hard-touring MTB sat down to write the lyrics for their sophomore album, A New Life, it sounds like they looked out the windows of their tour bus and started name-checking Houston, Texas, Arkansas, Texarkana, Georgia, Denver, and South Carolina. Write what you know.     As on the debut album,...

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40 Year Itch: Eno the Frontman

"Jumping around the stage is the most self-conscious activity for me. I knew it was the wrong decision from the first night of the tour. I was happy when my lung collapsed."-Brian EnoOn February 26, 1974 Brian Eno and his backing band, The Winkies, recorded a tight, rocking Peel Session that would air a week later on BBC1. The songs include " The Paw Paw Negro's Blowtorch", "Baby's On Fire/ I'll Come Running" and a cover of "Fever". "I'll Come...

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40 Year Itch : Chicken on the Run

[Purchase]On February 25, 1974 ( or so the YouTube poster would have us believe) , The Bee Gees performed their new single, "Mr Natural" on The Mike Douglas Show. ( My guess is this happened in late March at the earliest.) In any case it was our first chance to hear what the Bee Gees had been up to since the poorly received Life in a Tin Can.The title cut may not do much for you but , believe me, the album Mr Natural is worth a listen if only...

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40 Year Itch: Glitter Wrap Up

[Purchase]   By 1974, Marc Bolan was a has been. It happened quickly. At one moment he was the biggest star in Britain. But by 1974, he was overweight, often drunk or coked-out, and living in California. Although the new album featured a new Top 20 single in "Teenage Dream", Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow was a half-assed, lifeless mess. There are forays into funk, some copy cat versions of his old T.Rex sounds and quite a...

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40 Year Itch : Storm the Master Marathon

In late February of  1974, filling in last minute for an unavailable David Bowie,  Queen performed their third single "Seven Seas of Rhye" on Top of the Pops. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of this one TV appearance for the band. NME wrote "this single showcases all their power and drive, their writing talents, and every quality that makes them unique."  The song, featured on the forthcoming Queen II, would...

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40 Year Itch: You Look So Divine

[Purchase]On February 22, 1974 the Native American rock band, Redbone, performed their funky Top 5 single "Come and Get Your Love" on The Midnight Special. They'd been on the music scene for years  Elton John called Redbone his favorite band way back in 1971. Formed by brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas, who had worked for years as session musicians and songwriters ( "Niki Hokey" ( Aretha Franklin), "Juju Man" (Dave Edmonds)), Redbone specialized...

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40 Year Itch: Haunting and Celestial

[Purchase]After the influential British DJ John Peel declared Tangerine Dream's Atem 1973's album of the year, Virgin Records president Richard Branson presented Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Peter Baumann with a five year contract. The trio entered Manor Studios where they worked from 11am to 2 am working with synthesizers and sequencers. "Just tuning the instruments took several hours each day," remembers Froese.     On Phaedra's...

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40 Year Itch : Top 20 Albums Feb 1974

On February 16, 1974, riding the wave of excitement over his just completed concert tour with The Band,  Bob Dylan's Planet Waves took the top spot on Billboard Album Chart. Among those who attended the last concerts were celebrities whose reactions were obtained by Rolling Stone.Neil Young:   Man this is so fuckin funky I think I'm gonna go out of my mindNeil Diamond   After tonight, how is anybody going to do a concert...

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40 Year Itch : American Music Awards debut

On February 19, 1974 Dick Clark did his best to steal the thunder away from the Grammy Awards by airng the first American Music Awards two weeks earlier. Winners were decided by surveying 200,000 Americans in three areas of music: pop, soul and country. Each area had five categories. It was a bland affair hosted by Helen Reddy, Smokey Robinson and Roger Miller. The highlight was having Donny Osmond and Michael Jackson hand out awards with the tot...

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40 Year Itch : Where Are My Boys?

On February 18, 1974 10cc opened their US Tour at The Club Richard's in Atlanta GA. Promoted as "the  most highly acclaimed group to appear on the American music scene in years", this Manchester band played songs from the debut album, as well as their yet to be released Sheet Music, including "Wall Street Shuffle" , "Old Wild Men" and "Oh Effendi".Some of the songs played:Speed KillsSand In My FaceDonnaOh EffendiOld Wild MenShips Don't Disappear...

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40 Year Itch : Dazed and Dopey

[Purchase]Thunderbox. That's British slang for a toilet. And that's pretty much where things lie for Humble Pie after such a promising start to the decade. There are a few choice covers here but Steve Marriot on the boys have really dumbed things down Witness the lyrics to the title cut.Some say you from Dallas thereAnd you're hooked on pork and beans But I think it might be you're from LouisianaRoundabout New Orleans Rolling Stone's Gordon...

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40 Year Itch : Ooga Chaka

[Purchase]On February 16, 1974 Blue Swede's future chart-topping single,  "Hooked On A Feeling", entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time at #87, 18 spots behind another hot new single, Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets". Released in Sweden in May of 1973, Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling" is not an original tune.It's a cover of a 1969 Top 5 hit by B J "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"  Thomas.Not  even the goofy chant is...

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40 Year Itch : Cinderella Coverdale

[Purchase]    Despite outselling every other act in the US in 1973 ( at nearly 15 million albums), tour-weary Deep Purple could not stay together. It's the typical story of a clash of personalities that came down to either bassist Roger Glover and vocalist Ian Gilliam ( and their prog pop sensibilities)  leave Deep Purple or founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore would go. The band chose Blackmore. Glenn Hughes, 1974   ...

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40 Year Itch: Illusions and Movies

[Purchase]My songs are my diary-Roy Harper   Now this is how you throw a record release party! On February 14, 1974 the English folk rocker Roy Harper was joined onstage by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, Ronnie Lane and Keith Moon. It happened at London's Roxy Theater to mark the release of Valentine on which  Page, Lane and Moon play.  They'd only practiced the Valentine cut "Male Chauvinist Pig Blues"  that...

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40 Year Itch : And So I'll Go

[Purchase]   Upon the release of Jolene, the country music world was abuzz with Dolly Parton's decision to leave Porter Wagoner, and his syndicated country music show to go solo for good. Wagoner had helped Dolly secure a contract with RCA and, thanks to big hits like "Joshua" (#1), "Coat of Many Colors" (#4)  and "Jolene" (#1) she'd already become a huge country star in her own right. But Dolly didn't want to be tied down to a country...

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40 Year Itch : Some Mythic Soul

[Purchase]On Black Bach the legendary Motown songwriter and producer Lamont Dozier ( of Holland-Dozier-Holland fame) steps into the spotlight with plans to swing for the fences. With dozens of session players (including Ray Parker, Jr) making up a symphony and choirs featuring the likes of Darlene Love, Dozier --and his very plain voice--take on the subjects of life, love and death. Singled out as one of the greatest albums of all time by The Mojo...

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40 Year Itch: Animal Lou

[Purchase]Rock 'n'Roll Animal, what a degrading thing that was-Lou ReedRock 'n'Roll Animal is Lou Reed making good on a promise. He promised RCA he'd made a commercial album after Berlin bombed. The public's disinterest in that 1973 concept album must have hurt. But by the same token, Lou had a hit record under his belt ( "Walk on the Wild Side") so what better time to show the world where he started. Four of the five songs on Rock n Roll Animal...

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40 Year Itch: Music So Loud

[Purchase]Big Star are the greatest thing to happen to American rock since The Buffalo Springfield Jon Tiven, Circus   At the Tulane University radio station, WTUL-FM, in the mid-80's,  the name Big Star kept coming up over and over again in interviews with all the jangle pop bands that came through town: R.E.M., The dB's, Let's Active and others talked about this Memphis band with reverence. I'd even run into Alex Chilton in New Orleans...

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