Great Lost Albums Of The 70's

By Clark F. Paull, III

There used to be nothing like popping the shrinkwrap on a new LP and breathing in the heady aroma of cardboard, ink, glue, and vinyl. Don't tell me to get a life - I already tried that. I was dragged into the digital age kicking and screaming when I came to the jarring conclusion that the odds on the new Cramps album (at that time, "Stay Sick") being released on vinyl weren't looking all that great.

If it was up to me, I'd still be buying vinyl instead of aluminum of whatever the heck it is CD's are made of. Analog recordings are warm, rich, and comforting and while I can appreciate the convenience of CD's, there's something about their stripped, clinically clean, and overcompressed sound that leaves me cold. Besides, how can you fully appreciate cover art and graphics when you're viewing it on something that fits in your pocket?

Although I've upgraded many of my old vinyl LP's to CD, my collection still numbers in the thousands and at the risk of boring anyone to tears, I thought I'd share some which may have slipped through the cracks or just don't quite get the attention they deserve.

"Mondo Deco" - The Quick (1976)

After The Runaways grew disenchanted and distanced themselves from their Lothario-like manager Kim Fowley, Fowley didn't sit around gathering dust and/or cobwebs, quickly moving on to his next group of pubescent kids armed with guitars, bass, drums, amps, shag haircuts, and a dream - The Young Republicans - whom he rechristened The Quick. Now considered legendary in some circles, the band is probably better known for the groups its members went on to (Rembrandts, Cruzados, Three O'Clock, Weirdos) rather than this terrific little gem, which stylistically resides in that black hole between Anglo glam and new wavy power pop. Comparisons to Sparks are inevitable in light of the fact that vocalist Danny Wilde (later of Rembrandts and "Friends" theme song fame) chirps like an adolescent Russel Mael on helium (is that redundant?) and "Mondo Deco" was produced by ex-Sparks guitarist Earle Mankey. Although sleepy-eyed guitarist Steven Hufsteter's songs lack the skewed pop smarts and wiseguy wordplay of the Mael brothers, "Mondo Deco" shouldn't be so quickly dismissed. Sure their cover of The Four Seasons' "Rag Doll" is cute, but songs like "No No Girl," "Hillary," and, especially, "Hi Lo" are coated with thick wads of goo and full of more hooks than a tackle box, all targeted for your frontal lobe. I still occasionally come across this album in dollar bins, but it's a treasure at any cost.

"Stomp Your Hands Clap Your Feet" - Slade (1974)

I remember sitting down in the basement when I was in high school looking at the back cover of Slade's "Sladest" album for what seemed like hours, daydreaming of the day when I'd finally get to see the yobs live, a day I'm unfortunately still waiting for. The back cover depicts the band in all of its platformed and tartaned glory, playing on a low-slung stage over in England, probably in some place with the words "free trade," "Polytechnic," "Odeon," or "pool" in its name. As great an album as "Sladest" is, it's a hits compilation tailored for the U.S. market. As far as albums proper go, "Stomp Your Hands Clap Your Feet" has to be the band's masterpiece, if you can use that word in conjunction with four guys mainly concerned with just having a good time. It's hard to believe that four such homely blokes (Noddy Holder in particular looking like Robert Plant on a bad hair day) could make such a beautiful noise, but make it they did. "When The Lights Are Out," "Do We Still Do It," "How Can It Be," and "Don't Blame Me" easily stand up to anything in the band's canon. They even throw in a few curves, like the vaudevillian piano in "Find Yourself A Rainbow" and a ballad (yipes!) in "Everyday." It's too bad that Slade will probably be more famous for being one-upped by Quiet Riot who took their "Cum On Feel The Noize" to the top of the charts. Go figure...

"Four Wheel Drive" - Bachman Turner Overdrive (1975)

Detroit is the only place in the U.S. where you have to travel south in order to reach Canada and if I had enough time and hadn't consumed so many recreational beverages over the past 30 years, I could probably draw some sort of analogy between that piece of trivia and why Bachman Turner Overdrive was so big around here back in the 70's. Conventional wisdom probably dictates that it has something to do with the band's music resembling the din heard in auto plants and factories, but I say it can probably be attributed to people drinking water that's flowed past a chemical plant. Let's face it - BTO's music is just what the doctor ordered for those looking to get numb with a bongful of dope and a warm six-pack and while they may not have invented the power chord, they certainly raised it to an art form. "Four Wheel Drive" was released on the heels of 1973's "Not Fragile" and while it may not reach the heights scaled by that hearty blastarama, it's a serviceable example of authentic 70's chug. The title track, "Hey You" (the hit this time), and "Lowland Fling" may not be full of pithy, brilliant truths, but they all pack a wallop, the band's twin towers of tonnage, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, grunting, groaning, and maybe even drooling a little, amps on "11" and rocking mightily. Those who dismiss BTO's music as musclebound, airheaded weekend rock are missing the point. Their ultra-crude lyrics and amplified minimalism was never intended as art. That's something I can live with.

About the Author:

Punk rock changed my life, but unfortunately it didn't change the world. I spent my teen years in the 70's, an era in which we figured rock & roll couldn't get any worse. So much for prescience... Needless to say, I've been around too long to fall for any new marketing trends, and heck - let's face it - I've just been around too long. I'm old and tired and if you ever met me you probably wouldn't like me. That's something I can live with.

As a married, 45-year-old father of three, I enjoy rainy fall days, eating greasy food, watching "B" movies, listening to loud fast music with loud fast words, and adusting to the realization that somewhere along the way, I turned into my Dad. I can't wait to move out of Detroit, which I feel is really beginning to slip in its quantity and quality of murders. Although I've never been associated with organized crime, I feel living like I'm in the witness protection program in the wilds of Northern Michigan would suit my lifestyle needs. My favorite color is "clear."

I believe absolute values exist in art. There is good and bad. There is rock & roll and there is mere music. There is writing and there is typing. There if film and there is crass advertising. I will tell you which is which. You won't believe me anyway. I can live with that, too.

Article courtesy of http://www.suite101.com.