Customs Holiday Bash Day 7, Slot 1: AIRHeads Do the Classics, part 2! (1970-1981).

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Hey all!

Welcome back to our journey through the roots of the music we love. If Part 1 was about the foundations of Rock & Roll and the psychedelic explosion of the 60s, Part 2 finds us diving deep into probably the best and most beloved decade for music – the 70’s! We will see the birth of Heavy Metal, the rise of the sensitive singer-songwriter, the polish of pop-rock, and eventually the sharp edges of New Wave and Post-Punk – as we shortly dip into the 80’s as well.

So let’s go!

1970-1971: The Dawn of a New Decade

We open the 70s with three distinct flavors of rock: the swampy, high-energy jam of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Ramble Tamble,” – already featuring a lengthy guitar jam for you. Than, we have the gentle, acoustic spirituality of the legendary Grateful Dead’s “Ripple,” and the whimsical, eccentric folk of Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett with “Here I Go.”

1971 remains one of the greatest years in music history, and our selection gives a nice taste. We have the powerhouse piano-pop of Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move“ – from the legendary “Tapestry” album, and the melancholic beauty of the Carpenters’ “Rainy Days And Mondays.” For those who like it heavy, Mountain’s “Nantucket Sleighride“ and Deep Purple’s “Strange Kind of Woman“ bring the riffs, while Bill Withers injects pure soul with “Harlem.”

We also feature the theatrical storytelling of the ridiculously underrated (Seriously she’s so good!) Dory Previn, who brings the jazzy “Yada Yada La Scala“, and finally – one of the grandest tracks of his career, Paul McCartney’s epic “The Back Seat Of My Car“, which closes the legendary Ram album, an is honestly a career highlight fro the man.

1972-1975: Glam, Groove, and Masterpieces

As we move into the mid-70s, the “Art Rock” influence begins to seep in. Lou Reed gives us the quirky “Andy’s Chest“ – dedicated to Andy Warhol – while his former bandmate John Cale delivers the lush “Andalucia.” The Rolling Stones bring the grit with Keith Richards taking the lead on “Happy,” and Todd Rundgren provides the ultimate power-pop melody in “I Saw the Light.” We also see the rise of biting social commentary with Randy Newman’s “Political Science“ and the folk-humor of Loudon Wainwright III’s “The Swimming Song.”

Finally, we’re happy to bring major tracks with some of the biggest legends, two sophistication peaks: Stevie Wonder’s Latin-infused “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing“ – an absolute blast of a song – and the jazzy, flawless songwriting of Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me“, which also has a phenomenal band and is a pleasure on every instrument. And finally, Led Zeppelin – they were bound to appear at some point – with the underrated, beautiful and atmospheric “Down by the Seaside“.

1975-1979: To the Stadiums

By the late 70s, rock was splitting into a dozen different directions, with the rise of stadium rock and roll. Fleetwood Mac kicks off Rumours – one of the most successful rock and roll albums of all time – with the frantic energy of “Second Hand News.” The power-pop perfection continues with Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me“ and the cinematic balladry of Olivia Newton-John in the Grease classic “Hopelessly Devoted To You.”

A peak into the 80’s

As the decade closed, we are moving full force into the 80’s – which we will not really enter, but we might just take a peak. The superstars of tomorrow were already announcing their arrival: a young Prince shreds on the hard-rocking “Bambi“, while a young Kate Bush brings the beautiful and haunting “Army Dreamers“. And of course, there was disco: we see ABBA embraceing the dark, pulsating beat of the dancefloor with “Lay All Your Love On Me“.

Outside the mainstream, Marianne Faithfull’s raspy, synth-driven “Broken English“ signaled the arrival of New Wave, and the politics of the time with very Cold-War-influenced lyrics. While Tom Waits, who will become an underground hero with his experimental 80’s masterpieces, teases his new style with the bluesy, booze-soaked “Heartattack And Vine.”

Finally, the end of the 70’s also marked the death of a musical titan, as John Lennon was murdered near his home in New York. One of the most legendary figures of music, it’s only fitting we close this collection with Lennon’s bittersweet, posthumous optimism of “Nobody Told Me“. Strange days indeed.

1. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Ramble Tamble (1970)
2. Grateful Dead – Ripple (1970)
3. Syd Barrett – Here I Go (1970)
4. Carole King – I Feel the Earth Move (1971)
5. Carpenters – Rainy Days and Mondays (1971)
6. Mountain – Nantucket Sleighride (1971)
7. Deep Purple – Strange Kind of Woman (1971)
8. Bill Withers – Harlem (1971)
9. Dory Previn – Yada Yada La Scala (1971)
10. Paul & Linda McCartney – The Back Seat of My Car (1971)
11. Lou Reed – Andy’s Chest (1972)
12. John Cale – Andalucia (1972)
13. The Rolling Stones – Happy (1972)
14. Todd Rundgren – I Saw the Light (1972)
15. Randy Newman – Political Science (1972)
16. Loudon Wainwright III – The Swimming Song (1972)
17. Stevie Wonder – Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing (1973)
18. Joni Mitchell – Help Me (1974)
19. Led Zeppelin – Down by the Seaside (1975)
20. Fleetwood Mac – Second Hand News (1977)
21. Cheap Trick – I Want You to Want Me (1977)
22. Olivia Newton-John – Hopelessly Devoted to You (1978)
23. Prince – Bambi (1979)
24. Marianne Faithfull – Broken English (1979)
25. Kate Bush – Army Dreamers (1980)
26. ABBA – Lay All Your Love on Me (1980)
27. Tom Waits – Heartattack and Vine (1980)
28. John Lennon – Nobody Told Me (1980/1984)