#70smusicfortoday — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #70smusicfortoday, aggregated by home.social.
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For your bookmarks, here's the full list of @ChrisMayLA6 's music compilations (so far) as Qobuz playlists.
Killer Cuts
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/28398665Jazz Intro
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/31730712Funky 50
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/3298643650 Disco Classics
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/3469841270s Music for Today
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/37897566#KillerCuts #JazzIntro #Funky50 #50DiscoClassics #70sMusicForToday
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I'm taking a break from music posts for a while, but for those of you looking to enjoy some recommendations from my large record collection, as well as
which concluded yesterday,
you might also enjoy:
And you'll find @clinfoot has put them all onto Qubuz as well
enjoy
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.70
James Brown. (Get up I feel like being a) Sex Machine
Fittingly this series of posts ends at No. 70, with the artist who for my my money had the greatest long-lasting influence on music - James Brown. This JB classic, has it all: chanted vocals, that incomparable funky guitar lead backed by the funky drummer & a massive bass line in a sparse production and of course is all about the groove. Get on Up!
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.69
Mud. Tiger Feet
For my penultimate 70s classic, I'm going back to my early teenage years for this (albeit cheesy) classic slice of pop. Mud were part of the revival of Rock 'n' Roll in the 70s (at the margins of early glam rock). This party favourite is a simple bit of nonsense which somehow transcends its origins to become a real pop treat. Great rhythm (which a simple associated dance) & nonsense lyrics. Hilarious!
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I am sorry to report the second streaming miss in only a few days.
Keep On Keeping On is the first track on Wayne Henderson's 1977 album Big Daddy's Place on the ABC records label.
It is not on any streaming platform that I can find.
You can find it on YouTube and, of course, Discogs.
https://www.discogs.com/release/1017937-Wayne-Henderson-Big-Daddys-Place
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.68
Dr John. Right Place, Wrong Time
This slice of New Orleans funk sets Dr John's gravelly vocals against a funky backing, with a signature electronic keyboard motif, provided by the Meters. It doesn't sound quite like anything else, partly due to Dr John who really was a musical maverick. And of course, if you like this there's plenty of Dr John & (separately) Meters repertoire to explore. Welcome to the swamplands!
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.67
Wayne Henderson. Keep on Keeping on
Wayne Henderson's jazz fusion classic remans a Prof DJ jazz night favourite. Drawing from his long career in The Crusaders this track melds some great jazz paying with a brilliant jazz-soul shuffle backing the simple chanted message (you gotta keep on keeping on). Jazz pursuits hate this sort of stuff, but for many Henderson & the Crusaders were how they (we) discovered jazz.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.66
Van Morrison. Moondance
This Van Morrison classic is (yet another) example of 70s music genre mash-up. Bringing a jazz sensibility to Morrison's richly melodic sound (developed while lead singer of Them in the 60s) this track has all the feeling of a jazz club while remaining firmly routed in Morrison's great pop songwriting, with a great arrangement of piano, flute & horns offering a foil for his voice. Lovely!
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.65
Muddy Waters & Johnny Winter. Mannish Boy
Late on his career Muddy Waters collaborated with 70s rock legend Johnny Winter to produce an album of modern blues. My favourite track is this (shall we say) muscular version of the blues standard Mannish Boy. They certainly sound like they had fun recording it, and it is electric blues at its most forthright; heavy riffing, relentless drumming & great vocals!
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.64
Pink Floyd. Echoes
OK, a bit of a change in gear today; Pink Floyd's long-form Echoes (over 20 mins) is a really interesting testament to how progressive rock changed the way pop music was configured. This mesmerising, slow-burn piece is dreamy & atmospheric which slowly builds with vocals that are hardly central to the piece & includes a funky mid-section. Very much part of my mid-70's teenage years.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.63
Minnie Ripperton. Lovin' You
Minnie Ripperton's beautiful & sparsely produced ballad is a wonderful example of how sometimes all you need is a compelling voice to make a classic. Its minimalist soul sensibility remans timeless; while the piano & effects offer a great foil for Ripperton's voice, its her voice that hold the attention effortlessly. Just magical!
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For the first time in a while we have a streaming miss.
Very little of Salena Jones' oeuvre exists on streaming services and, sadly, this is one of the many omissions.
You can find it on YouTube and, of course, Discogs is your friend.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.62
Salena Jones. Light My Fire
This obscure cover of the Doors Light My Fire by Salena Jones is an exercise in cool jazz. A seemingly unlikely combination of cover & form actually delivers a great bit of latinesque shuffle, with some great orchestral arranging & while the makes for something that at times sounding like something from a 70s TV special, it still has a great musicality & hipness to it. Lovely.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.61
David Newman (feat. Roy Ayers). Fire Weaver
This great bit of R&B inflected jazz from David Newman is underpinned by a Marvin Gaye derived bass line & riffs on the soul jazz of the previous decade. Against a funky danceable backing the soloists take it in turns (as always) to get funky. This genre crossing typical of the 1970s for jazz this also involved an expansion of its audience, now sadly mostly lost.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.60
David Essex. Rock On
David Essex's Rock On is hardly typical of his repertoire, but is a great bit of moody (almost experimental) pop minimalism. It has a slow strange funkiness, with some weird semi-synthised backing and snatches of strings & horns. Altogether not so much a song as an exercise in mood development, and unlike anything else. Its almost reggae/dub sensibility makes it a real one-off, but mesmerising!
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.59
Bob & Marcia. Young, Gifted & Black
This great reggae cover of Nina Simone's celebration of blackness comes from the famous Trojan Records, the label that really broke reggae in the UK. Bob & Marcia makes this a jaunty pop-reggae string backed classic. While reggae would get much earthier in the later 70s, tracks like this really made young people (like me) sit up & listen, and enjoy a new genre of music.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.58
Kool & the Gang. Jungle Jazz
Another jazz/soul fusion but this time crossing genres from the soul direction; Kool & the Gang, whose main output was funk (and latterly disco), looked towards jazz for this brilliant bit of jazz-inflected funk. Marrying a funky rhythm & some great jazz soloing (and some chanting), this again stresses how fluid genres were in the 70s (an emerging theme of this series).
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.57
Roberta Flack. Killing Me Softly With His Song
Although more recently associated with the Fugees cover version, Roberta Flack's original version is a lovely soul ballad, full of emotion backed by a wonderfully sparse production. The conversational vocals are beautifully offset with her piano playing & the etherial backing vocals. Its a real case of less is more, and established Flack as a major soul artist.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.56
Grover Washington. Hydra
Another dimension of the genre-bending music of the 1970s, was the openness of jazz to funk sensibilities. Here's Grover Washington, an early mover on that fusion, and a great bit of modal jazz, cross-pollinated with funk, to produce a long jazzy mid-tempo track with a range of colours (from strings and horns to percussive shifts) that is just brilliant (and a ProfDJ fave on jazz nights).
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.55
Earth Wind & Fire. You Can't Hide Love
This low tempo, funky classic from EWF is a a lovely example of their horn-driven signature arrangements, but for a change at a much lower tempo. Alongside the horns, the signature vocals are backed by some great percussive rhythm playing. I saw EWF around this time when they supported Santana on tour... and what a night that was!
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.54
The Police. Walking on the Moon
Part of the post-punk new wave, the Police's reggae infused major early hit, (again) is genre bending. Reflecting the wide-spread success of 70s' reggae, this mash-up typifies the early Police sound; a sparse, dub-influenced production backs Stings strident vocals to produce a low-tempo & atmospheric classic. What I love most is the empty spaces in the sound, great stuff.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.53
Daryl Hall & John Oates. She's Gone
This great blue-eyed soul ballad from Hall & Oates once again shows how 70s music was often genre bending. A real soul sensibility is reflected in the arrangement which has a lot in common with Philadelphia International's output, with its symphonic backing, but the sparse basic sound is all Hall & Oates own. The soaring vocals & sax solo give this a real punch; lovely
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.52
Hot Chocolate. Brother Louie
Before Hot Chocolate hit the big time with their infectious pop-soul, their first LP was a much more funky affair, with this stand-out track focussing on racism & inter-ethnic relationships. The great lilting rhythm track & trilling guitar acts as a great foil for the gruff vocals & spoken word scene-setting. Its great political soul & shows the UK soul scene was thriving in the 70s.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.51
Carole Bayer Sager. You're Moving Out Today
Carole Bayer Sager's song of annoyance with her romantic partner & her list of things he should take when he moves out is a wonderful bit of pop (music) sociology. The backing presents this as a jolly ballad of break-up but the lyrics offer a wonderful snapshot of the mid-70s. So while the arrangement is great, its the lyrics & Sager's delivery that make it great!
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.50
Isley Brothers. Harvest for the World
This Isley Brothers classic is another demonstration of how 70s soul music was often political; this is a plea for humanity in global politics. The backing led by an acoustic guitar riff & some great shuffle drumming (and clapping) offers a lovely foil for the positive vocals. The message remains as apposite as it was then. What's not to like?
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.49
Kraftwerk. Trans-Europe Express (LP version)
Kraftwerk's epic medley includes a great mid section 'Metal-on-Metal' which is juts a drum machine & the sound of metal being beaten. This exercise in electronic minimalism is a masterclass in less-is-more & is mesmeric in its evocation of rail travel. Perhaps, surprisingly to the band it subsequently became a major influence on hip-hop's sub-genre electro, see: Planet Rock
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.48
George McRae. Rock your Baby
George McRae's proto-disco classic is driven by an early drum machine, and a wonderful scratchy guitar riff. But of course its McRea's vocal that is so memorable making this a dance floor (sing-along) classic still. Its lilting dance rhythm punctuated by some great backing orchestration still makes me sway & groove as much as the first time I heard in in my teens - just genius!
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.47
Manhattan Transfer. On a Little Street in Singapore.
Manhattan Transfer were part of a mid-70s rediscovery of the jazz age & its stylistic sensibility. This lovely track is a great example of the use of a knowing revival of the 20s re-envisioned through modern production techniques & arrangement. Behind its wonderful arranged vocals the arrangement manages to bridge jazz & 70s pop to offer three minutes of delight.
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.46
Donna Summer. Love to love you baby (LP version)
Donna Summer's break out hit is a tour-de-force of funkiness, stretched out (for the LP version) over nearly 17 mins into a mediation on variations on a groove. Its modal jazz for the dancefloor, as it modulates through different versions of the basic groove, with burbling guitar, great bass, a syncopated rhythm section & Summers' evocative vocals reprised at intervals
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Music from the 1970s that remains timeless, no.45
J.J. Cale. After Midnight
JJ Cale's signature sound was a relaxed, lilting groove with whispered vocals, well exemplified on this little classic. A lovely piano riff & a subtle percussion backing is the perfect foil for Cale's sleepy vocal & his lovely guitar solo. Very much part of the 70s (re)discovery of Americana in music, his music always sounds like ti would be best listened to late at night in a prone position!
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Music from the 1970s that remans timeless, no.36
T Rex. Get it On
Marc Bolan's boogie classic is a mash up of the blues, glam rock & a classic rock groove. Its a simple rumbling rhythm arrangement backing Bolan's arch vocals & includes some great burbling sax in the background. This is from the first LP I ever bought (I still have my original copy), Electric Warrior, which is full of great songs & is worth checking out (if you've never heard it).
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Music from the 1970s that remans timeless, no.22
Tamiko Jones. Touch Me Baby
This low-tempo groove from Tamiko Jones is a masterclass in restraint; the whole track is so laid back as to be almost horizontal but retains a lovely funkiness. Jones quiet (almost spoken) vocals are backed by a sparse rhythm track underpinned by some lovely (almost drone like) orchestration. Lovely.
(there's also another version by Maria Morgan which is pretty funky too)