My Seventies Music

Author: Paul

  • Lynn Anderson – “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden”

    In addition to topping the U.S. country chart, in late 1970 country singer Lynn Anderson scored a Number 3 Billboard Hot 100 pop chart hit with “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden”.

    The following year the song, written by Joe South, also hit No. 3 in the United Kingdom and became one of the most successful crossover hits ever in Europe, not just in the Seventies.

    On 16 March 1971 Lynn Anderson received a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her singing of “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden”.

    I must confess I thought Lynn Anderson was Canadian and also sang “Snowbird” – turns out I was confusing her with Anne Murray…

    Anyway, here’s “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden” (by American, not Canadian, country singer Lynn Anderson):

    Not a snowbird in sight…

    Paul

  • The Captain & Tennille – “Love Will Keep Us Together” And “Do That To Me One More Time”

    The Captain & Tennille single "Love Will Keep Us Together" (1975)

    The Captain & Tennille certainly picked the right song when they sang “Love Will Keep Us Together” back in 1975 – not only did the record go to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 nine weeks after its debut, the husband and wife team really are still together.

    “Do That To Me One More Time” also did pretty well for them. It too went gold and reached Number 1 in 1979.

    “Captain” Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille married on 11 November 1975, and the following year they sang in the White House for Queen Elizabeth II and President Gerald Ford during the American Bicentennial celebration.

    Toni Tenille was also involved as a session singer on albums by top artists such as The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Elton John and Art Garfunkel.

    Here’s the Neil Sedaka/Howard Greenfield song “Love Will Keep Us Together” that did so well for The Captain & Tennille in 1975 (looks like she’s going to jump off the chair any minute…):

    And their 1979 hit “Do That To Me One More Time”, written by Toni Tennille, at a somewhat more sedate pace:

    Nice beach.

    Paul

  • Jim Stafford – “Spiders And Snakes”, “Swamp Witch”, “Wildwood Weed” And “I Got Stoned And I Missed It”

    For some reason I just recalled “Spiders And Snakes” by comedian and musician Jim Stafford, which reached Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1974.

    Not that I remembered that, but a little research goes a long way….

    In fact at first I just remembered the line “I don’t like spiders and snakes but that ain’t what it takes to love me like I wanna be loved by you”.

    Some things just stick in your mind :-).

    Then I found that it was sung by Jim Stafford, and the name was instantly familiar.

    So here’s “Spiders And Snakes”:

    The previous year, i.e. 1973, he had a chart hit with “Swamp Witch”, another familiar title, which was produced by his friend Kent LaVoie, otherwise known as Lobo:

    And in 1975 “Wildwood Weed” peaked at Number 7:

    A year later Jim Stafford reached the Top 40 with a song in a similar vein, “I Got Stoned And I Missed It”:

    Y’all come back now.

    Paul

  • The Motors – “Airport”, “Forget About You” And “Dancing The Night Away”

    In 1978 English band The Motors reached Number 4 on the UK charts with their single “Airport”.

    This was another song I got to know through it being played by the resident band at the Majestic Hotel in Palmerston North, New Zealand, when I was a student.

    The Motors reached Number 13 in the UK with “Forget About You”.

    This is the album version of “Airport”:

    I also found this live version of “Airport” from 1978:

    Here’s “Forget About You” live:

    Both of these tracks are from the album “Approved By The Motors”, as I have just confirmed by looking at my record collection.

    And for something a little different, from the previous year, here’s “Dancing The Night Away” (later also covered by Cheap Trick):

    The video is definitely different…

    Paul

  • Ringo Starr – “Photograph”, “You’re Sixteen” And “Six O’Clock”

    "Ringo" by Ringo Starr (1973)

    In 1974 while visiting my older brother in Invercargill at the very bottom of New Zealand’s South Island, I bought the Ringo Starr album “Ringo”, featuring the single “Photograph”, which went to No. 1 in America.

    Another song from the album, also a Number 1 hit in the USA, was “You’re Sixteen”.

    I also rather like “Six O’Clock”, penned by Paul McCartney.

    Here is the album version of “Photograph”, which was co-written by another former member of The Beatles, George Harrison, and produced by Richard Perry:

    I’m not sure when this live version of “Photograph” was performed, it is Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band, featuring John Entwistle of The Who on bass, Billy Preston on keyboards and Ringo’s son Zak Starkey on drums (at least I think it is, I had to change the video, this one is 1995 apparently):

    As both John Entwistle and Billy Preston are no longer alive, it must have been a while ago.

    And here is “Six O’Clock”, not a hit, but I like it:

    I have found an interesting connection with Ringo Starr: a fellow (earlier) graduate of Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand, the late Dave Jordan, wrote one of the songs on his 1976 album “Rotogravure”.

    Paul

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