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The Clash – “Complete Control”, “I Fought The Law”, “London Calling”, “Train In Vain”, “The Magnificent Seven”, “Rock The Casbah” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”

The raw energy of the punk movement of the late Seventies was personified by UK band The Clash, whose most well known tracks include “Complete Control”, “I Fought The Law”, the iconic “London Calling”, “Train In Vain”, “The Magnificent Seven”, “Rock The Casbah” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”.

1977 track “Complete Control” was actually a criticism of their record label CBS for releasing a track as a single against their wishes:

From their debut album “The Clash”, “I Fought The Law” only appeared as a single in 1979:

It was followed by the single “London Calling” from the definitive album of the same name:

“Train In Vain”, from the same album, was only added at the last minute and not featured in the credits, yet became their first entry to the US Top 30:

Another piece full of vibrant energy – “The Magnificent Seven”:

Like many songs by The Clash, “Rock The Casbah” had a political background:

And finally, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”, which in more recent times was used in a parody of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. When it was re-released early in 1991 it gave The Clash their first and only Number 1 single in the UK, five years after they broke up:

Some of the members continued to work together now and then, but years later The Clash frontman Joe Strummer (actually John Graham Mellor) died suddenly in December 2002, just weeks before the band was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, ending any possibility of a reunion.

The legend lives on.

Paul
Little River Band – “Help Is On Its Way”, “Happy Anniversary”, “Reminiscing”, “Lady”, “Lonesome Loser” and “Cool Change”

Probably one of the most successful Australian bands of the Seventies – or since – was the Little River Band, whose string of hits in the USA included “Help Is On Its Way”, “Happy Anniversary”, “Reminiscing”, “Lady”, “Lonesome Loser” and “Cool Change”.

Can anyone say “harmonies”….

And one of their most successful albums was “Diamantina Cocktail”, named after an Australian (Queensland) speciality made with Bundaberg Rum, condensed milk and an emu’s egg!

“Diamantina Cocktail” was released in Australia in 1976 and with a slightly different lineup of songs internationally in 1977.

The first two songs here, perhaps two of their most memorable hits, are from that album:

“Help Is On Its Way”:

“Happy Anniversary”:

“Reminiscing”, from the Little River Band album “Sleeper Catcher”, went to No. 3 in America in 1978:

Here’s Glenn Shorrock singing his hit “Reminiscing” 30 years later in 2008:

“Lady”, from the same album, went to No. 10 in the States in 1978:

And in 1979 “Lonesome Loser”, from the next album, “First Under The Wire”, peaked at No. 6 there:

It was followed by “Cool Change”, another track on that album, that also reached No. 10, the Little River Band’s last hit in the Seventies:

All I can say to this music is…. cool!

Paul
Earth, Wind & Fire – “Boogie Wonderland”

American R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire from Chicago had quite a distinguished career in the Seventies, but the only (original) song from them that instantly comes to mind for me is “Boogie Wonderland”, from 1979.

I guess I just didn’t listen to their kind of music that often.

Nevertheless, the band was very successful, with six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards.

They were inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

What I do remember is the very strong horn section, and you’ll notice it here in “Boogie Wonderland”:

Short and sweet today.

Paul
Magazine – “Rhythm Of Cruelty”, “Believe That I Understand”, “I Wanted Your Heart”, “Talk To The Body”, “Permafrost”, “The Thin Air”, “Feed The Enemy” and “Back To Nature”

Magazine is another of those UK New Wave bands whose music I first heard played by the house band (Snatch) at the Majestic Hotel in Palmerston North, New Zealand, prompting me to buy their album “Second Daylight” with songs like “Rhythm Of Cruelty”, “Believe That I Understand”, “I Wanted Your Heart”, “Talk To The Body”, “Permafrost”, “The Thin Air”, “Feed The Enemy” and “Back To Nature”.

Listening to some of the tracks now I’m not so sure why I bought it, but I think it might have been “Rhythm Of Cruelty” I heard at the Majestic (though I don’t recall the women at the pub being dressed like this…):

“Believe That I Understand” might have been another one I heard in Palmerston North:

Not sure about “I Wanted Your Heart”:

Here are some more tracks from “Secondhand Daylight”, some of them seem a bit obscure for a “post punk” band, but you might like them, so I’ll let you make up your own mind…

“Talk To The Body”:

“Permafrost”:

“The Thin Air”:

“Feed The Enemy”:

“Back To Nature”:

That last one wasn’t quite what I was expecting, think I confused it with “Slow Motion” by Ultravox…

Paul
(UK) Squeeze – “Goodbye Girl”, “Cool For Cats”, “Up The Junction”, “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)”, “Tempted”, “Black Coffee In Bed” and “Annie Get Your Gun”

Squeeze are a UK band (I always thought they were called UK Squeeze) who began charting in the late Seventies with songs like “Goodbye Girl”, “Cool For Cats” and “Up The Junction” and continued to record in the Eighties and Nineties.

Actually I’ve just seen that they were called UK Squeeze initially outside the UK to avoid legal conflicts with other bands in North America and Australia, this must have been the time when I first became aware of them.

I don’t know any of the songs from their first album, “Squeeze”, but I do recognise numbers from the second, “Cool For Cats”.

Two tracks from this one reached Number 2 on the UK charts, “Cool For Cats” and “Up The Junction”.

I remember the live band at the Majestic Hotel in Palmerston North, New Zealand, playing “Cool For Cats” in 1979.

Most of their other songs I know I actually taped off a live show in Germany a few years later.

Here’s the 1978 track “Goodbye Girl”:

“Cool For Cats”, from the album of the same name, went to No. 2 in the UK and 5 in Australia:

Many Squeeze songs tell a story, and the 1979 track “Up The Junction”, another No. 2 hit, is no exception (if you’ve heard of the big railway junction just south of London, you’ll get the play on words in this one) :

The following year Squeeze again had a number of singles, one of them was “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)”, sung here live on TV a few years later in 1985:

Another Squeeze favourite from around this time is “Tempted”:

And “Black Coffee In Bed”:

“Annie Get Your Gun” is a typical Squeeze track:

And this is “Annie Get Your Gun” live in 1982:

I hear Squeeze are together and touring again, must keep an eye out for them…

Paul

Blog

The Clash – “Complete Control”, “I Fought The Law”, “London Calling”, “Train In Vain”, “The Magnificent Seven”, “Rock The Casbah” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”

Little River Band – “Help Is On Its Way”, “Happy Anniversary”, “Reminiscing”, “Lady”, “Lonesome Loser” and “Cool Change”

Earth, Wind & Fire – “Boogie Wonderland”

Magazine – “Rhythm Of Cruelty”, “Believe That I Understand”, “I Wanted Your Heart”, “Talk To The Body”, “Permafrost”, “The Thin Air”, “Feed The Enemy” and “Back To Nature”

(UK) Squeeze – “Goodbye Girl”, “Cool For Cats”, “Up The Junction”, “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)”, “Tempted”, “Black Coffee In Bed” and “Annie Get Your Gun”