Everybody has to have a Seventies Compilation Double CD in their record collection. You think that is just typical madmusings hyperbolic generalisation, but it is actually a legal fact under Common and Statute Law, confirmed by precedent and upheld on appeal by the House of Lords and The European Court.
This one is subtitled '40 Sensational Hits' which only brings Tony Blackburn to mind.
Watching The Rotters Club is an experience, mostly education, partly memory. The Seventies. A strange decade. A decade of racism and industrial unrest, but also the decade where the Sexual Revolution turned into first tentative steps towards Sexual Equality and racism led to concerted efforts, some more successful than others, to racial equality.
But my quote of the series was when the Rotters Club band were playing progressive, concept rock, inspired by Rick Wakeman.
You know, it was imperative that Punk happened.
Musically, the seventies was not a good decade. But then what was? I despair of the state of modern Naughties Pop Music. The Sixties are viewed nostalgically by those who choose to ignore the gallons of dross that abounded. The Nineties had their glorious highpoints - notably, but not exclusively, Pulp and Oasis - but some quite dreadful lowpoints. The Eighties was *my* decade, and even though I will wax nostalgic, saying 'you don't get class like this now' there was nevertheless, lots of rubbish. The simple answer that most pop is music is transitory and disposable; the class acts I deify transcend genre and defy classification.
This product is quaintly divided into 4 parts - each one side of a double album, even though I have it on CD, and there is no evidence it was ever released as an LP. I have deleted a sentence that states what each part is. There is some coherence, especially Part 1, broadly Glam Rock, and Part 2, black music. But I am not sure of the commonality that links Hot Chocolate with Status Quo or Rod Stewart with Rose Royce.
I have a few of the tracks on artist albums. The best of the rest are I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor. This was big at our Junior 4 leaving disco. It's a classic because the words speak so directly to so many people, but, also, although it has an unchanging (potentially boring) bassline/beat, it has a decent tune, and some intelligent key changes. In otherwords, all the ingredients of a top song, including that wonderful rallantando near the end.
I do rather like Le Freak by Chic, but that may be just born of years old familiarity. My sister bought this single, when we had very few singles, and even fewer albums, so it tended to be played a lot.
I didn't especially like Barry White's "You're The First, My Last, My Everything" back in those days, but I really got to like it with that whole Ally McBeal/John Cage thang especially those drum beats at the start of the chorus. What a build up...
I am also surprised that I like Earth, Wind and Fire's Boogie Wonderland. I know I had their 'September' but I'm not sure we ever had this. I have no recollection of being a 70s Disco Queen, in fact I am positive I wasn't. This is actually quite scary, I might start inhabiting 70s Nights at suburban discos.
I like Blockbuster by Sweet; Can't Live - Nielsen - yeah, I know it's cheesy, but a small amount of cheese is always welcome; I quite like So You Win Again by Hot Chocolate, but my very very favourite song by them is I'll Put You Together Again. I must have it somewhere in my collection, but I can't find it on my Database. Sigh
I feel I ought to like 10CC's I'm Not In Love, but I really can't stand it. It's not actually as bad as all that concept crap, but it's bad enough.
ELO is a band that is massively underrated. Well, maybe not massively, but Mr Blue Skies is not their best - that honour belongs to The Diary of Horace Wimp. Which I've only got on 'taped off the radio'.
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick is a very clever song, and a song I like very much.
So, overall, not a bad compilation, but, really, the Seventies wasn't that great a decade
She says eagerly anticipating the highlight of the blogging year Troubled Diva's Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? - he thinks it will start on Tuesday...
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