AllMusic Loves 1977
June 6th, 2008 | 9:30 am est |
It was the year of “Strawberry Letter 23″ and “2-4-6-8 Motorway,” “Southern Girls” and “Southern Nights,” “Slip Slidin’ Away” and “Dancing the Night Away,” “Dancing Queen” and “Teenage Lobotomy,” “Margaritaville” and “Solsbury Hill,” “I’m So Bored with the U.S.A.” and “I Feel Love,” David Bowie and Iggy Pop, Bat Out of Hell and Pink Flag, and — of course — Aja and Suicide. Following our feature on the music of 1999, we take a look at some of our favorite albums and songs of 1977, a year that obviously was not just about punk and disco. While it might look like we forgot something, the odds are far greater that we remembered to leave it off.
John Bush
The Beach Boys - Love You
No one was going to mistake it for their best album, but for the first time in ten years, it sounded like it might actually be fun to live in Brian Wilson’s world. Backed by some brutal but effective synthesizers, Love You is a panorama of mini-masterpieces concerning everything from the solar system (”Solar System”) to Johnny Carson (”Johnny Carson”). And with a Side 2 suite of confessional love songs, it was easy to visualize that another Pet Sounds was just around the corner. Instead, it was MIU Album and Keepin’ the Summer Alive (aka Keepin’ the Summer on Life Support).
Barry Manilow - Live
Again, no one was confusing this with the best of anyone’s career, but Barry Manilow put on one of the best shows of the ’70s, and his punchy backup band follows him note for note and strut for strut through the hour-plus program. Add in a medley/apotheosis of his best television-commercial themes — the cumulative weight of them all is staggering — and you begin to realize what Manilow meant to “professional” pop music in the ’70s and ’80s. Still one of the best live albums of the ‘70s (which is really saying something).
The Clash - The Clash [UK]
Definitely the best punk album of all time (especially since the Sex Pistols were firmly “hard rock”), the first Clash album had it all — Strummer’s righteous anger at a series of soft targets, Jones’ furious guitar work, and the beginnings of punky reggae chillout on “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais” (especially if you didn’t listen to the lyrics). Strummer & Jones were headed for maturity by the time their first album was released, but adolescent rage never got any better than this.
Wire - Pink Flag
This was punk of a different sort. Even before punk grew predictable (as it quickly did), Wire were dispensing with formulas and instead trying — well, everything, then just as quickly moving on. (Fully three-quarters of the songs are less than two minutes long.) The brooding man’s punk masterpiece.
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned
Damned Damned Damned may have been only the second or third best punk album of 1977 (or the best of all time, as it turns out), but it’s definitely the wildest, most freewheeling moment in a very freewheeling year. “Neat Neat Neat” and “New Rose” stand above all else, moving so fast they sound as if everyone’s in a race to the finish.
Television - Marquee Moon
Twenty odd years after rock’s beginnings, how was it possible for four people, working in the standard rock-band format (guitar solos and all), to produce such a strange and invigorating record? After all, rock & roll was dead; a glance at any dinosaur band could tell you. Well, even if rock was dead (at least temporarily), then Marquee Moon was a most elegant and eloquent eulogy.
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
One of the oddest albums of 1977, along with Eno’s and Bowie’s experimental meisterworks, Peter Gabriel’s actually sounds the most natural and unforced, with an effective cycle of build-up and release, encompassing the wheezing clockwork production on “Moribund the Burgermeister,” Who-style anthemizing on “Modern Love,” and somehow, barbershop harmonies on “Excuse Me.”
Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick
Hard rock was big business in 1977, and with only a few exceptions, it hadn’t been much fun for at least five years. The debuts of Cheap Trick and Van Halen changed all that, with sleazy posturing (mostly) replacing real sleaze from the quickly fossilizing monsters of rock.
Steely Dan - Aja / Boz Scaggs - Down Two Then Left
Two of the mellowest records in a very mellow year for music. Aja was also the best production of the year, bar none. There’s plenty of space to hear every detail (and every solo), while the pacing couldn’t be better — virtually every track moves at no more than a strolling pace, except for the bright “Peg” (with an average of five minutes for each track). Even mellower than Aja, Down Two Then Left was one of the easiest, breeziest records of the ’70s. If you want a musical definition of laidback, “A Clue” is the perfect start.
Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
Who knew that the Beach Boys’ prankster/heart-throb was, at his heart, a tender balladeer? Well, Beach Boys fans, of course, who had been crying out for years to hear more of Dennis than just a ballad or two (great as they were) on Side 2 of the band’s ‘70s records. They got what they wanted with Pacific Ocean Blue, although it’s hardly just a Beach Boys record with Dennis vocals; dark and proggy, miles away from pop, with songs that detour into unexpected places. Placed next to the Beach Boys of the ’70s, it’s better than all but one or two (those would be Sunflower and fellow 1977 entry Love You), but it’s more emotional and affecting than anything they did barring Pet Sounds.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
1977 is an ideal definition of a perfect musical year: there was great stuff happening in the mainstream and underground. Being the year of punk and the year of disco, it’s heavy on canonical albums — the kind of records that show up on “greatest albums ever” lists, and deservedly so. Anybody familiar with these titles can be tempted to avoid these albums when putting together a retrospective list as there are just so many damn times you can see The Clash on a greatest-ever list, but you gotta go with your heart and put the albums you play the most; after all, there’s a reason why My Aim Is True and Marquee Moon are perennials. That said, I’ve pulled together a list of 15 favorite overlooked albums to shine a spotlight on some great LPs that tend to get shoved aside by the titans.
Also, for the singles list I decided not to cannibalize great singles that are on the albums I selected, so “Solsbury Hill” got axed along with “Neat Neat Neat,” which just may be my favorite punk single ever (this also applies to records on the Overlooked list, with the Motors’ “Dancing the Night Away” suffering the unkindest cut). It’s all a way to get different bands and sounds on there. I’m greedy that way.
David Bowie - Low
David Bowie - Heroes
Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick
The Clash - The Clash [UK]
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
Rodney Crowell - Ain’t Living Long Like This
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned
Ian Dury - New Boots and Panties!!
Dave Edmunds - Get It
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
The Jam - In the City
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell
Iggy Pop - The Idiot
Ramones - Rocket to Russia
Steely Dan - Aja
Talking Heads - Talking Heads: 77
Television - Marquee Moon
Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
The Brothers Johnson - “Strawberry Letter 23″ 
Glen Campbell - “Southern Nights”
Cheap Trick - “Southern Girls”
Climax Blues Band - “Couldn’t Get It Right”
Eddie & the Hot Rods - “Do Anything You Want to Do”
Electric Light Orchestra - “Livin’ Thing”
Marvin Gaye - “Got to Give It Up”
Andrew Gold - “Lonely Boy”
Hall & Oates - “Rich Girl”
Richard Hell & the Voidoids - “Blank Generation”
Waylon Jennings - “The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want to Get Over You)”
The Kinks - “Juke Box Music”
Little River Band - “Help Is on Its Way”
Nick Lowe - “Marie Provost”
Steve Miller Band - “Jungle Love”
Tom Robinson Band - “2-4-6-8 Motorway”
Boz Scaggs - “Lido Shuffle”
Paul Simon - “Slip Slidin’ Away”
Al Stewart - “Year of the Cat”
Utopia - “Love Is the Answer”
Wreckless Eric - “Whole Wide World”
15 Overlooked LPs:
American Flyer - Spirit of a Woman
Amazing Rhythm Aces - Toucan Do It Too
Clover - Unavailable
Rick Danko - Rick Danko
Eddie & the Hot Rods - Thriller
Kursaal Flyers - Five Live Kursaals
Milk ‘n’ Cookies - Milk ‘n’ Cookies
Frankie Miller - Full House
The Motors - The Motors 1
Pezband - Pezband
Blue Ash - Front Page News
The Rubinoos - The Rubinoos
The Scruffs - Wanna Meet the Scruffs?
Shoes - Black Vinyl Shoes
Dwight Twilley - Twilley Don’t Mind
Thom Jurek
Mink DeVille - Cabretta
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
Television - Marquee Moon
Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
David Bowie - Heroes
Julian Priester - Polarization
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Bridges
Ramones - Rocket to Russia
Steely Dan - Aja
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes - This Time It’s for Real
Muddy Waters - Hard Again
Woody Shaw - Rosewood
Ramp - Come into Knowledge
Bennie Maupin - Slow Traffic to the Right
Bobby Lyle - The Genie
Augustus Pablo - East of the River Nile
The Saints - (I’m) Stranded
Garland Jeffreys - “Wild in the Streets” b/w “Ghost Writer”
Marvin Gaye - “Got to Give It Up”
Andy Kellman
Horace Andy - In the Light
David Bowie - Heroes
Cluster & Eno - Cluster & Eno
The Congos - Heart of the Congos
Culture - Two Sevens Clash
Brian Eno - Before and After Science
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Steve Grossman - Terra Firma
Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
James Mason - Rhythm of Life
Bennie Maupin - Slow Traffic to the Right
Iggy Pop - The Idiot
Julian Priester - Polarization
Ramp - Come into Knowledge
Michael Rother - Flammende Herzen
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Bridges
Woody Shaw - Rosewood
Steely Dan - Aja
Suicide - Suicide
Television - Marquee Moon
Althea & Donna - “Uptown Top Ranking”
Ashford & Simpson - “Over and Over”
Roy Ayers Ubiquity - “Running Away”
The Blackbyrds - “Mysterious Vibes”
Buzzcocks - “Boredom”
Chic - “Everybody Dance”
Norman Connors - “Once I’ve Been There”
The Damned - “Neat Neat Neat”
First Choice - “Let No Man Put Asunder”
Marvin Gaye - “Got to Give It Up”
The Isley Brothers - “Footsteps in the Dark”
Metro - “Criminal World”
Junior Murvin - “Police and Thieves”
Parliament - “Flash Light”
Kellee Patterson - “Turn on the Lights”
Rufus & Chaka Khan - “At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)”
Slave - “Slide”
War - “Galaxy”
Wire - “Mannequin”
Stevie Wonder - “As”
Andrew Leahey
I’ve always wished the Bangles had covered Fleetwood Mac’s “I Don’t Want to Know.” It would’ve made a great B-side to their take on “Hazy Shade of Winter.”
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Ramones - Rocket to Russia
The Runaways - Live in Japan
The Rubinoos - The Rubinoos
Emmylou Harris - Luxury Liner
Ramones - Leave Home
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Exodus
ABBA - Arrival
The Runaways - Queens of Noise
Heart - Little Queen
The Rubinoos - “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”
Ramones - “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker”
Fleetwood Mac - “I Don’t Want to Know”
Buzzcocks - “Orgasm Addict”
Heart - “Barracuda”
ABBA - “Dancing Queen”
Fleetwood Mac - “Gold Dust Woman”
Eagles - “Hotel California”
Boston - “Peace of Mind”
Jackson Browne - “Running on Empty”
Jason Lymangrover
Radio singles of the year included “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” “You Light Up My Life,” and disco versions of themes from Star Wars, Close Encounters, and Rocky. Once Saturday Night Fever came out, music needed a good hard kick in the polyester slacks. Fortunately, punk rockers started lacing up their combat boots and taking aim.
Wire - Pink Flag
Television - Marquee Moon
David Bowie - Low
Ramones - Leave Home
Suicide - Suicide
Peter Tosh - Equal Rights
Parliament - Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Pink Floyd - Animals
Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
Iggy Pop - The Idiot
Ian Dury - “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll”
Ram Jam - “Black Betty”
Peter Gabriel - “Solsbury Hill”
Curtis Mayfield - “Do Do Wap Is Strong in Here”
Kiss - “Christine Sixteen”
J. Scott McClintock
Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue
Ian Dury - New Boots and Panties!!
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned
David Bowie - Low
David Bowie - Heroes
Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick
Saturday Night Fever
Weather Report - Heavy Weather
Deaf School - Don’t Stop the World
Split Enz - Dizrythmia
10cc - Live and Let Live
Peter Tosh - Equal Rights
Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
Bill Withers - Menagerie
Metro - Metro
Randy Newman - Little Criminals
The Jam - In the City
Pink Floyd - Animals
Goblin - Suspiria
Steely Dan - Aja (honorable mention)
James Christopher Monger
David Bowie - Low
The Clash - The Clash [UK]
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Pink Floyd - Animals
Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols
Steeleye Span - Storm Force Ten
Steely Dan - Aja
Rush - A Farewell to Kings
Television - Marquee Moon
AC/DC - “Let There Be Rock”
Cheap Trick - “Southern Girls”
Elvis Costello - “Less Than Zero”
Fleetwood Mac - “Second Hand News”
Peter Gabriel - “Solsbury Hill”
The Motors - “Dancing the Night Away”
Queen - “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions”
Ramones - “Teenage Lobotomy”
Television - “See No Evil”
Dennis Wilson - “River Song”
Heather Phares
David Bowie - Low
The Clash - The Clash [UK]
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
Ramones - Rocket to Russia
The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols
Television - Marquee Moon
Suicide - Suicide
Wire - Pink Flag
ABBA - “Dancing Queen”
David Bowie - “Sound and Vision”
The Brothers Johnson - “Strawberry Letter 23″
Commodores - “Easy”
The Doobie Brothers - “It Keeps You Runnin’”
Electric Light Orchestra - “Livin’ Thing”
The Emotions - “Best of My Love”
Fleetwood Mac - “Dreams”
Peter Gabriel - “Solsbury Hill”
Marvin Gaye - “Got to Give It Up”
Hall & Oates - “Rich Girl”
Heart - “Barracuda”
Thelma Houston - “Don’t Leave Me This Way”
Meco - “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band”
Steve Miller Band - “Fly Like an Eagle”
Elvis Presley - “My Way”
Ram Jam - “Black Betty”
Al Stewart - “Year of the Cat”
Donna Summer - “I Feel Love”
Stevie Wonder - “Sir Duke”
Tim Sendra
If you lived in small town Middle America in 1977, you weren’t listening to Television, you were watching it; Iggy Pop was the off-brand soda your mom bought at A&P; Lee Perry was the kid who sat behind you in biology; and the Ramones were that family down the street who never mowed their lawn. No, you were glued to the radio and Casey Kasem was God as he ran down the AT40 each week. That’s why you won’t find Wire, Kraftwerk, or Dennis Wilson on this list. And you know what? That’s okay. If you listen hard and check your expectations, you might realize that the aching pain of “Rich Girl,” the carefree strut of “Southern Nights,” or the epic grandeur of “Fly Like an Eagle” are nothing to be scoffed at, certainly nothing in need of being swept away. You might see Meco’s novelty tune as the work of subversive genius that it is. You might hear Shaun Cassidy’s feathered bounce as the power pop dream realized, Rose Royce’s all-inclusive funk as a capitalist utopia, or the Sylvers’ “Hot Line” as the best Jacksons single never released. You could even posit that without Leo Sayer, there would be no Maroon 5. Well, maybe we can forgive him for that because “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” is the giddiest, most smile-inducing record of ‘77 and maybe forever. (Right behind “Steal My Sunshine,” anyway.) Punk, new wave, and post-punk had to happen but we should never forget that among the casualties of time and standard rock-crit narrative are some moments of genius like these.
Glen Campbell - “Southern Nights”
Shaun Cassidy - “That’s Rock & Roll”
Earth, Wind & Fire - “Serpentine Fire”
Andy Gibb - “I Just Want to Be Your Everything”
Hall & Oates - “Rich Girl”
Meco - “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band”
Steve Miller Band - “Fly Like an Eagle”
Rose Royce - “Car Wash”
Leo Sayer - “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing”
The Sylvers - “Hot Line”
While some of the songs listed above appeared on albums released in 1976, they were either issued as singles (”As”) or peaked as singles (”Fly Like an Eagle,” “Lido Shuffle,” “Sir Duke”) in 1977.
Previously
AllMusic Loves 1999
Brilliant brilliant list. I believe 1977 to be the apex of Pop craftsmanship.
I was twelve, and my headphones were my most valued possession (my Farah Fawcett poster was a close second). It was the year I stopped buying 45’s and started buying LPs.
I can play (in my mind) almost every one of the tracks listed based on title alone. Thanks for the time trip!
Great article about a great year. There’s just one thing that mystifies me about it. You make no mention of The Stranglers.
You could be forgiven for overlooking the genius of their debut album ‘Rattus Norvegicus’, but the single ‘Peaches’ was huge, I mean really, really huge. In Britain anyway. I was 14 years-old and at school in London in 1977, and was forced to listen to everyone else playing the radio every day. And the two most popular, ubiquitous, unavoidable tracks of the year on radio in London were ‘Hotel California’ and ‘Peaches’. They decimated everything else.
Mind you, there was also a hilarious advert on local radio for the album ‘Pure Mania’ by The Vibrators, that went: “(cut crystal accent) 1977 will be remembered for The Silver Jubilee, Winmbledon and… (switches to cockney accent) Pure Mania by The Vibrators!”. It wasn’t a bad album, actually, but how wrong can you be?!
I remember the first time I heard steely dan’s aja was like perfect satisfaction. The production made each instrument come out so well and the playing was aces. The precise groovy drumming, the sheets of woodwind instruments luxuriating over the mix, the appealing vibe of the guitars, the vocals weren’t exactly delicious but the singer had an obvious knack for phrasing that didn’t take anything away from the smoothness of the music, and the lyrics, that I didn’t ever try much to understand, were easily hummable. Everything came together to make an entrancing listen.
Lou Reed Street Hassle
I’d offer a few additions:
Neil Young’s American Stars & Bars, for “Like a Hurricane,” and his three-LP Decade best-of collection.
Also: Talking Heads:77, which featured “Psycho Killer.”
I believe (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais is on the US edition of the Clash’s self-titled album, not the UK version.
I’m shocked to see a mention of Eddie & The Hot Rods, one of my personal favorite bands. Thriller is a great album, too.
Kudos for including Cheap Trick’s debut record on these lists. It is one their best records and a criminally underrated power pop classic.
Great list! Very pleased to see the much overlooked Mink De Ville, Goblin and especially Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson on the list. It was a very good year, from what I can rememebr of it.
Great post - I did this last year myself on my own blog once I realised how many of my favorite albums were spawned in ‘77:
http://spatulaforum.blogspot.com/search/label/1977
1977 was my 5th undergrad year. Yes, I was listening to Costello, T. Heads, Television, and the Bowie/Iggy/Eno contingent, but here are some things from that year missing from the lists above:
Air - Air Time
Parliament -Funkytelechy
Peter Tosh - Equal Rights
Richard Hell - Blank Generation
Peter Gabriel - S/T
Roy Harper - Old Cricketer
Professor Longhair - R&R Gumbo
Brand X - Moroccan Roll
U Roy - Rasta Ambassador
Ian Dury - New Boots and Panties
Sun Ra - St. Louis Blues
Wailers - Exodus
Little Feat - Time Loves a Hero
Fred Wesley - Blow for You
Room Full of Blues - S/T
Third World - 96 in the Shade
Mike Bloomfield - Analine
The Jam - In the City
Dixie Dregs - Freefall
Southside Johnny - This Time
George Thorogood - S/T
Buzzcocks - Spiral Scratch
Frankie Miller - Full House
In other words, anything but Jackson Browne or Peter Frampton.
PS:
It has just been brought to my attention (by someone who was there at the time) that I forgot to include the best record of 1977:
Ronnie Lane and Pete Townshend - Rough Mix
Since I listen to it every April Fool’s Day (at least), I had misremembered that it is more than thirty years old !!
tlea — Rough Mix was on my short list and if I had just a little more space on my list it would have definitely made the cut. Terrific album — just goes to show how great the year was!
Let us not forget:
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (if for nothing else than the Joan Baez cover)
Ted Nugent - Cat Scratch Fever
Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Boogie Woogie String Along for Real.
Great lists all over….1977 was the single coolest year ever.
Kraftwerk, Wire, Suicide, Television, Bowie, Eno…..Wish I was alive to see it all.
The Scruffs, “Twilley Don’t Mind”, “Juke Box Music” by The Kinks… I’m impressed Stephen. Outstanding choices. Not that others lists are weak either. It’s especially nice to see Top 40 getting some love via Tim’s list. The 70’s were not the ridiculous, cartoonish stereotype they have come to be portrayed as (is there any way to file a restraining order against Will Ferrell requiring him to stay a certain distance away from the 1970’s?).
Need any help on 1976? (raises hand)
Ahhh, 1977: I was 5. This means, of course, punk rock has been around since my entering the real world (if kindergarten can be considered entering “the real world”). And of course I wasn’t some green-haired kindergartner pogoing during naptime, but it always held a fascination for me(thanks to my uncle’s killer record collection), in between the geekier coming-of-age pastimes like “Star Wars” movies and Dungeons & Dragons campaigns . That being said, here are a few minor additions:
Dead Boys- “Young Loud & Snotty”
Blondie- “Plastic Letters”
The Boys- “The Boys”
Eddie & the Hot Rods- “Life On The Line”
The Diodes- “The Diodes”
The Vibrators- “Pure Mania”
The Saints- “(I’m) Stranded”
Ultravox!- “Ultravox!”
Cheap Trick- “In Color And In Black & White”
Boomtown Rats- “Boomtown Rats”
Motorhead- “Motorhead”
Kudos to including Eno’s “Before & After Science” and Culture’s “Two Sevens Clash”.
Sex Pistols were “firmly ‘hard rock’”? This is new to me. Certainly they were hard rock among other things…I would say they were also, if not more so, ‘punk rock.’ Sex Pistols were a ‘punk rock’ band. That’s not too wild an assertion, is it? Please correct me if I am mistaken.
i am astounded that not one person has cited “blank generation” by richard hell and the voidoids. from when and where i come from, this is a true rock classic. he was the dylan of punk, and the guitar attack of bob quine and ivan julian leave tv and t.heads way back in the dust.
I’m definately on the same page with Thom Jurek.
I don’t know how anyone can leave out “Cabretta” by Mink DeVille and “This Time It’s for Real” by Southside Johnny.
Really love 99.9% of everything above.
Were these forgotten?
Eric Clapton - Slowhand
Muddy Waters - Hard Again
Third World - 96 Degrees in the Shade
Commodores - Brick House
Kansas - Dust in the Wind
Marshall Tucker Band - Heard It in a Love Song
Grateful Dead - the entire ‘77 tour
Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult
I believe you underappreciate “God Save The Queen”! Truly one of the greatest and most exciting singles of 1977!
My story’s a bit different than these. I was a 24 “audio sales consultant” on Lake St in Minneapolis who, at the time, thought of Springsteen as a new artist. Marquee Moon and Talking Heads ‘77 spun my head around, and it’s never snapped back to normal. Is it just me, or is “Think Before You Speak” really just a tribyte to David Byrne?
Hey, what happened? My list got deleted. Did somebody get jealous because I listed all the good stuff they forgot?
I get positively gitty when lists like this come out. I own most of what is listed. David Bowie’s Low is my favorite of that year. Keep these lists coming. How about 1979???
I was fortunate to have graduated high school/entered college in 1977. What a diverse year for music. What strikes me is how many of these discs have “legs”. They are talked about, passed on to the next generation, reissued and revered. I’m always tickled when someone much younger than I mentions one of these or praises the era, in general.
Speaking for myself, I discovered some of these years after their release. Still others fall into the category of being fully appreciated with time. It’s the year that keeps on giving.
I’ll single out Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True. An articulate “angry young man” is a rare breed. It took me a while to realize that the man could, flat out, sing. A talent for the ages.
David Bowie “Low”, “Heroes”
Iggy Pop “The Idiot”, “Lust For Life”
Brian Eno “Before & after Science”
Wire “Pink Flag”
Television “Marquee Moon”
Richard Hell and the Voidoids “Blank Generation”
Ramones “Rocket to Russia”
The Clash “The Clash”
Elvis Costello “My Aim is True”
Thin Lizzy “Bad Reputation”
Ronnie Lane and Pete Townshend “Rough Mix”
Neil Young “Decade”
Dennis Wilson “Pacific Ocean Blue”
Willie Colón y Rubén Blades “Metiendo Mano”
Caetano Veloso “Bicho”
Fela Kuti “Zombie”
77 was the begining of a three year peak or wave crest in popular music, that’s why, if pressed, I would rather choose 78 as THE year.
Everything, every style came to a rare maturity. Most singles from the top 50 (and many from top 100) are essential, a rare achievement to find in just anyother… decade? Maybe not most great music might had been created then, but surely what was done, was made in a new light. Everything got crossbreaded; dinosaurs and rats; jazz, rock, punk, funk, R&B, glam, disco, pop, ballads, classical, musicals, new wave, electronica, experimental… name it.
Ten choices list? It’s just an impossible task; I’d prefer to check the whole weekly TOP100 lists when available. ;)
Or… complement the typical Anglo-media bias by adding one pop moment; the unreleased-complete “The Girl with the Golden Hair” live rendition by ABBA at April 77 at Australia. A minimusical in which orchestral/vocal pop goes into a progressive rock ride, where ingenuity gets eaten by stardom while being performed by clean popsters, expecting their peak of their influence and singing themselves as Marionettes while discovering the excess of fame (including a concert stop by bomb scare).
An orchestral hall of mirrors derailing and a perfect blend as a summary of some of the best of what mature European producers were contributing to that wave; Queen, ELO, Mododer, Chapman&Chin, etc and no forgetting some great film music scores from that time, pbbly another subject altogether.
You remebered to leave off “Once Upon a Time” by Donna Summer. While Ms. Phares rightly included “I Feel Love” as a single, “Once Upon a Time” was an attempt to maintain that predominantly electronic sound for much of an album — a very brave and expensive project. Also, although “Dancing in Your Head” was recorded from 1973-75, it appeared in 1977, and listeners at the time didn’t distinguish it as being an “older” Ornette Coleman album - it fit in with everything else that was coming out at the time.
Also the debut album of Tubeway Army was worth mentioning, if not quite on the level of say “Trans Europe Express.” ‘77 was a great year, though perhaps not as conseqential as ‘78. Overall this list IS a good representation of ‘77.
was Ornette’s “Soapsuds, Soapsuds” released in 77?
I like it. Since I was only 5 at the start of 1977, I’ll have to offer up a “retroactive” list. Note also that I’m going strictly by release date, not “date of greatest impact.” Because it’s easier (again, I was 5).
Brian Eno - Before And After Science
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
Pink Floyd - Animals
Ramones - Leave Home and Rocket To Russia
Original Soundtrack - Saturday Night Fever
Television - Marquee Moon
ABBA - “Knowing Me, Knowing You”
Bee Gees - “If I Can’t Have You”
Blue Öyster Cult - “I Love The Night”
David Bowie - “Heroes”
Jackson Browne - “Running On Empty”
The Commodores - “Easy”
Elvis Costello - “Watching The Detectives”
Electric Light Orchestra - “Mr. Blue Sky”
Fleetwood Mac - “Dreams”
Foreigner - “Feels Like The First Time”
Marvin Gaye - “Got To Give It Up [Live]”
Peter Gabriel - “Solsbury Hill”
Ramones - “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
Rush - “Closer To The Heart”
Styx - “Come Sail Away”
Supertramp - “Give A Little Bit”
Television - “Friction”
10cc - “The Things We Do For Love”
Wings - “Mull Of Kintyre”
I was 19 in ‘77 and during that time I drifted from Prog Rock to Punk Rock…go figure…
Like,my favourite Band jumped from being Genesis & Queen to The Clash & The Jam!
My favourite album of all time came from this year.
Marquee Moon- Television.
Never really been quite a year like it.
> I believe (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais is on the US
> edition of the Clash’s self-titled album, not the UK version.
Well-spotted, JD — turns out it wasn’t even released as a single until 1978. I grew up on the US version of the debut (cassette, natch) so I hadn’t even inspected which tracks were original to the UK version.
That said, it’s not going to change my vote in the slightest.
Wow, look at Erlewine’s list of 15 overlooked LPs. Seven of them fit easily within power pop (many of them are classics in the field), and you could jam two or three more in there if you stretch the genre definition. (The Motors quickly went from pub rockers to power poppers. Check out 1978’s superior “Approved by the Motors” for proof. The Kursaal Flyers did much the same thing, basically morphing into the Records. Graeme Douglas also left the band to join Eddie & the Hot Rods.) Those of us who love the music understand we will always be overlooked, and honestly, some of us not only expect it but have come to embrace it. One trivial correction. “Twilley Don’t Mind” is technically by the Dwight Twilley Band. Twilley was still working with Phil Seymour, may he rest in peace. The song “Sleeping” from that album, which no Twilley fan ever seems to mention, may have been his most sublime composition ever.
Yet another forgotten landmark from 1977 …
Weather Report - Heavy Weather
you always hear about ‘77 obviously being absolutely crucial for punk rock. interesting thing i saw about these lists is how crucial ‘77 was for reggae as well. horace andy’s album, the congos, culture, augustus pablo, peter tosh, bob marley. all of which are some of the most essential not just in their discography, but also for any person wanting to dabble in reggae appreciation at all.
In Sydney Australia one of the most played punk albums was “Blondie” by Blondie. Although AllMusic has it as released in December 1976 I think it has to be one of the top 5 albums of ‘77. (The others are Marquee Moon, Blank Generation, My Aim is True and Talking Heads 77).
The Vibrators “Baby Baby” is certainly one of the best singles that year.
Queen’s “News Of the World” is probably their most underrated LP, over-shadowed by that Double A Side single that need not be named.
it’s great to see Marquee Moon on so many lists.
Good god almighty!
Would Radio Birdman’s ‘Radios Appear’ not be in the top 10? This is an all-time underrated killer for sure. May have release date wrong but if it’s 1977 - it’s gotta be in.
Look at those classics. ‘77 was definitely a strong year.
I definitely agree with the albums that were picked as some of the best of 1977. Here are 11 more albums that were overlooked, but were/are truly classic:
Camel: Rain Dances
Phil Manzanera: Listen Now
Klaus Schulze: Mirage
Gong: Live Etc.
Van der Graaf: The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome
T. Rex: Dandy in the Underworld
Throbbing Gristle: The Second Annual Report of Throbbing Gristle
Popol Vuh: Coeur de Verre
Ashra: Blackouts
Hawkwind: Quark Strangeness and Charm
The Saints: (I’m) Stranded
Thanks.
they may have reached ‘dinosaur’ status by then, and I may have only been 2 years old…but Animals is my favorite Floyd album, from any era, but especially of the post-Dark Side phase. A brilliantly dark and progressive experiment that serves up the meat in the Wish You Were Here/Wall sandwich.
Rolf Chakras wrote:
“Twilley Don’t Mind” is technically by the Dwight Twilley Band. Twilley was still working with Phil Seymour, may he rest in peace. The song “Sleeping” from that album, which no Twilley fan ever seems to mention, may have been his most sublime composition ever.”
Amen to that. “Sleeping” actually pulls off being pop perfection, while being epic at the same time. Everything about the tune works, including the sweeping string section. We haven’t forgotten, man. Thanks to Stephen for reminding us. DTB made a couple of the best power pop records ever! Raven Records out of Australia last year released a two-fer of “Sincerely” & “Twilley Don’t Mind”. Essential listening! And don’t forget Phil Seymour’s self-titled pop treasure too!
Great lists by the way guys. Hope to see more of these yearly reflections.
LOVE seeing Utopia’s “Oops, Wrong Planet” on the list. One of my all-time favorites, but so over looked. And “Aja”, quite possibly my all-time favorite album.
While I agree with the majority of what’s previously been mentioned, let me add a few more.
Jean-Luc Ponty - “Enigmatic Ocean”
Pat Metheny - “Watercolors”
Jimmy Buffett - “Changes In Latitude, Changes in Attitude”
UFO - “Lights Out”
Charlie - “No Second Chance”
Al DiMeola - “Elegant Gypsy”
Steve Winwood - “Steve Winwood”
What a great year!
One more overlooked gem from 1977:
NRBQ - “All Hopped Up”
In addition to the usual faultless covers and Q wackiness, this album (yes, I’m that old) contains two of the best pop songs ever committed to tape/vinyl/plastic/ZerosAndOnes/electrons - “That’s Alright” and “Ridin’ In My Car”
I like these features. And I like that this list doesn’t just bang on about all the seminal punk albums of that year. Yes, they’re highly influential and an important part of pop-music history and all that, no denying it, but they’ve also been praised and expounded upon endlessly; it’s nice to see some of the mainstream classics of the time get mentioned (I’ve been on a Fleetwood Mac and ABBA kick lately, and they both get love here), as well as some unknowns and sorely underappreciated albums. I wasn’t even alive yet (I suppose I would’ve been -8 years old) and this gives me fodder for exploration, too.
That being said: what, no “S-s-s-Single Bed”?
Great lists. How about doing 1979 next? (my personal favorite)
1979? Not to jump the gun, but…
Buzzcocks “Singles Going Steady”.
Hands down, best album of the year.
Again the fact that The Stranglers were left off provides proof that some people were not listening.
There contributions are still being felt to this day.
Or do you have cloth ears?
Rush - A farewell to kings
:)
Glad to see a few fans mention the Feat’s ‘Time Loves a Hero’ and Buffett’s ‘Changes in Latitude’.
Don’t forget another unsung band’s ‘77 contribution, a great one, if not their very best, Poco’s ‘Indian Summer’, the last Poco collection with Timothy B. Schmit, who was to be the second Poco bass player to be lured over to the Eagles, after Randy Meisner’s departure.
Queen - News of the World, this should have been heralded as a modern day White Album, at least in my books, anyways. If anyone paid attention to this mess of a masterpiece, no one would be talking about A Night At The Opera as Queen’s greatest LP…
Besides We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, songs number 1 and 2, respectively, Queen bring on a briliant album with their Johnny Rotten knock-off Sheer Heart Attack, one of the greatest singles that never made the charts, Spread Your Wings, and the eerily and influential Get Down, Make Love.
It may not have been relevent to the age of music in 1977 but more than any of Queen’s albums, it is by far the least dated. The true essence of this album is that it could be considered as much a modern day record today than it was back in 1977.
And sadly, we won’t get a 5.1 version of this gem since some of the tapes are lost…
Why are we praising 1977 as a great year for rock? It was the year the King bowed out…
“No Elvis, Beatles, or Rolling Stones in 1977!”
Should have been the end of the beginning. Sadly it was the beginning of the end.
Elvis Costello’s “My Aim Is True” and Television’s “Marquee Moon” rank near the top of my list, not only because they’re incredible albums, but because of the element of surprise. Debut albums can’t be perfect…or can they? But the old school of the day was quite fine, too–I had a lot of fun playing Johnny Guitar Watson’s “A Real Mother For Ya” and Muddy Waters’ “Hard Again.”
The biggest mainstream artistic success of the year had to be
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Street Survivors,” where they escaped the trappings of southern rock to create a magnificent set, aided greatly by the addition of second vocalist Steve Gaines.
I don’t think anyone mentioned it, but “SS” still stands up today.
Few liked it at the time, especially because of the bad sound, but
“The Beatles Live! At the Star-Club, Hamburg, 1962″ was an inconsistent yet blazing snapshot of their rough and tumble roots rock. Mistakes or not, the Fabs were playing with fervor akin to the punk rock of 1977.
I still dig Garland Jeffreys’ “Ghost Writer” and “Joe Ely,” the solo debut of the great Texas rocker.
One question: It says “Cabretta” on the back cover of Mink DeVille’s first album (yet another great one from ‘77–”She’s So Tough” was my fave track). But it only says “Mink DeVille” on the front cover, on the spine, and
on the record label–at least on my copy (It’s also listed only as “Mink DeVille” in Joel Whitburn’s album guide). So why should we call it “Cabretta”?
andy’s list is my favorite.
various albums unmentioned heretofore (though singles from some of these were cited):
giorgio moroder-from here to eternity
cameo-cardiac arrest
cerrone-cerrone’s paradise
al green-the belle album
junior murvin-police & thieves
chic-s/t
heptones-party time
slave-s/t
rose royce- rose royce ii: in full bloom
heatwave-central heating
isley brothers-go for your guns
cheap trick-in color
iggy pop & james williamson-kill city
rufus & chaka khan-ask rufus
earth, wind & fire-all ‘n all
brainstorm-stormin’
bar-kays-flying high on your love
brothers johnson-right on time
l.t.d.-something to love
loleatta holloway-loleatta
stranglers-no more heroes
ac/dc-let there be rock
claudja barry-sweet dynamite
donna summer-i remember yesterday
emotions-rejoice
armond schaubroeck-ratfucker
brick-s/t
love and kisses-s/t
also, i would like to second uncle dave lewis’ mention of donna summer’s all-time masterpiece once upon a time. normally, the star ratings at amg don’t bother me and i don’t really question them as grading albums is subjective and all that, but i have to say that three stars for this virtually flawless, peerless, pivotal, essential release is too low, to say the least. is the goofy cinderella opera concept detracting from the obviousness of its magnificence? seriously, if you just throw the album on at random and forget there is a story, it should be readily apparent that every single song is spectacular. not only that, an entire side of the double LP is totally proto-techno/house in the vein of “i feel love” (the pinnacle of 20th century music in my world) from her other album from 1977! i can’t imagine anyone with the slightest love for eurodisco not totally digging this album. yes, “love to love you baby” and bad girls are great, but this is her greatest sustained achievement, and probably one of my 5 favorite albums of all-time.
Rush >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> rest of the world
I believe Rufus’ “Ask Rufus” is from 1977. I recently acquired this and I think it’s amazing. The band is tight, the compositions are superb, and Chaka Khan’s voice is sensual and majestic.
Any list that includes BAT OUT OF HELL, THE CLASH, BAD REPUTATION and THE STRANGER gets a thumbs-up by me.