Tag: Seventies

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
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
(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
Lobo – “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo”, “How Can I Tell Her About You”, “I’d Love You to Want Me”, “Stoney”, “Hope You’re Proud Of Me Girl”, “It Sure Took a Long, Long Time”, “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend”, “Standing At The End Of The Line” and “Goodbye Is Just Another Word”

When I was about 16, I used to listen to Lobo over and over again. Songs like his big hit “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo”; “How Can I Tell Her About You” and “I’d Love You to Want Me”. Or “Stoney”, “Hope You’re Proud Of Me Girl”, “It Sure Took a Long, Long Time”, “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend”, “Standing At The End Of The Line” and “Goodbye Is Just Another Word”.

Seems he had one hit after another in the early Seventies, and as I was looking through his songs, one after another came back to me.

The words, and the melodies.

I’m not going to comment on them individually, just let you listen and enjoy them one after another.

This was his first big hit, in 1971, “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo”:

“I’d Love You to Want Me”went to No. 2 on the U.S. singles charts in 1972:

“Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” reached the Top Ten that year:

“It Sure Took a Long, Long Time” made it to the Top 30 the same year:

And in 1973 “How Can I Tell Her About You” did too:

In 1974 “Standing At The End Of The Line” peaked at 37:

The next three songs were album tracks –

“Stoney”:

“Hope You’re Proud Of Me Girl”:

“Goodbye Is Just Another Word”:

OK, so I did coment on (some of) them after all…

I must admit I was surprised how much I still like these songs.

Hope you do too.

Paul
Cold Chisel – “Khe Sanh” and “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)

Going out on a limb here: I don’t actually know any songs by Australian rock band Cold Chisel, who I saw live in Auckland, New Zealand as support act for Alice Cooper in April 1977, so I’m just going to present what I have read is their signature tune from the Seventies, “Khe Sanh”, and another of their live favourites, which U2 apparently also played on Australian tours, “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)”.

While Jimmy Barnes is familiar to me, I hadn’t realised he was the singer for Cold Chisel, at least most of the time.

Anyway, as you will discover if you listen closely to the lyrics, “Khe Sanh” is a song about Australian Vietnam veterans:

Like Jimmy Barnes and the Adelaide band as a whole, this one’s kinda wild – “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye):

The song and the singers still rock nearly 30 years later:

That’s what I call rock and roll…

Paul

Tag: Seventies

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”

Earth, Wind & Fire – “Boogie Wonderland”

(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”

Cold Chisel – “Khe Sanh” and “Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)