40 Year Itch: Those We Missed from May'74

[Purchase]  More rocking than Preservation Act 1, this sequel is part of that period Ray Davies says he should never have been allowed to put any records out. Preservation Act 2 is an even more inconsistent rock musical, broken up by "Announcements", guest vocalists, Davies's  Marc Bolan impressions, and a dearth of actual songs. As such,  it is one of the most disappointing albums of 1974. Only because it may make you smile, check...

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40 Year Itch: Don't Look Ethel!

When 33 year old advertising executive Robert Opel interrupted the Oscars by streaking across the stage, he started a fad that swept the nation..at least for a while.On an airplane Ray Stevens read an article about streaking and knew he had to record something quickly. "There were 15 other streaking records already on the market by the time I got mine out. " he tells Billboard Magazine. "There ended up being 35-40 streaking records altogether....

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40 Year Itch: A Gift From the Groupies

                                     A Gift From the Groupies If You Know Wot I Mean                                               (Missed it? That's why you should be following us on Facebook)           ...

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1974's Sexiest Album Covers

America's largest record retailer, Sears,  refused to stock Buffy Saint-Marie's MCA debut Buffy because she exposes a breast on the album cover. Buffy said the photo " is a good-natured protest against gloom, as well  as support for any woman's right to take off her own shirt". In that spirit here are a few more of 1974's sexiest album covers.So scandalous a cover that future American printings only showed the evergreen trees.Is that hose...

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40 Year Itch: Victim of Contrived Hysteria

On May 26, 1974 750 people were hurt at a David Cassidy concert at the White City Stadium. A few days later 14 year old Bernadette Whelan died of heart failure --the first fatality at a British pop concert. Cassidy had already announced his retirement that week."I feel burnt up inside," he told the Mail. "I'm 24, a big star ... in a position that millions dream of, but the truth is I just can't enjoy it."  There were 35,000 fans at the...

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40 Year Itch : Lou Reed in Paris

   On May 25, 1974 Lou Reed performed at the Olympia Theatre in Paris. He'd just finished recording his fourth solo album Sally Can't Dance at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios before starting this European Tour. With bleached blond hair, the skinny as a rail Lou is barely recognizab...

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40 year Itch: Beatlesque Popsters

[Purchase]Last year Shindig! made a fab gear list of Beatlesque recordings. Having already featured Stackridge, here are two more from 1974.They've been called the Malaysian Badfinger. Singapore's Truck released Surprise Surprise in 1974, a re-working of the psychedelic 60's tracks brothers Bal and Jay Shotam, Peter Diaz and Jeremyh Star recorded as The October Cherries. For fans of bands that don't mind wearing the Beatles influences on their sleeves...

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40 Year Itch: The Formation of Dark Horse

[Purchase]On May 23, 1974 George Harrison announced the formation of his own record label, Dark Horse Records. For Harrison, who had helped nurture the recording careers of Apple artists Badfinger and Jackie Lomax, this was a way to continue helping artists he admired. The first release from Dark Horse was the Ravi Shankar single " I Am Missing You"The logo featuring a seven headed flying horse was inspired by a trinket Harrison saw in India. His...

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40 Year Itch: Such A Sweet Harmony

[Purchase]The quickest way to get on Ry Cooder's nerves is to refer to him as a musicologist. On Paradise and Lunch released in May of 1974, you can hear why so many critics did: you get Gospel, Blues, Salvation Army Band jazz--even Burt Bacharach. But this isn't Ry Cooder's attempt to educate the masses about the history of old time music. He just wants to play music that's feelin' good. The first edition of the Rolling Stone Record Guide gave this...

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40 year Itch : Musical Dada

[Purchase]We had tremendous fun. We couldn't go wrong. We had to keep ourselves entertained and being the people we were, you couldn't get away with anything. No cliche was allowed unless it was so obvious, we wanted it like that. -Graham Gouldman to Mojo MagazineIn May of 1974, 10cc followed up its debut with Sheet Music, an album that left both fans and critics breathless.Rolling Stone's Charley Walters joined the chorus of besotted critics...

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Hard Rockin May

[Purchase]Recruited from the Scorpions, 18 year old German guitarist Michael Schenker joined Brit space rockers UFO and, despite the language barrier and the constant butting of heads, made them more aggressive and more appealing to teenage boys. Phenomenon is phull of classic rockers. Essential 70's hard rawk.[Purchase]   The follow up to the monster hit They Only Come Out At Night is an uneven record. Some of it seems to be clearly trying...

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40 Year Itch: Heartbeat, Increasing Heartbeat

[Purchase]Originally based in LA,  former child models Ron and Russell Mael found little commercial success in the US so they relocated to London. There they recruited a new band and scored a UK #2 hit with their Gilbert and Sullivan meets Glam Rock mash-up "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both of Us". One look at the now infamous Top of the Pops clip below, and you'll see the appeal isn't all musical. Vocalist Russell looked like a...

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40 Year Itch: The Who Summer of 74 Fest

"Charlton was very disappointing , because when we went out the first thing I felt in the air was violence . It was like a feeling of something not quite right . I dunno what it was but I felt very uneasy for some time . The only way I could get myself together was by shutting out the audience and working with the group " -Pete TownshendOn May 18, 1974 The Who played before a sold out crowd of 50,000 fans at Charlton Athletic F.C. Despite the bill,...

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