RFI: 1972

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I'm putting together another 650-MB-worth-of-MP3s CDR comp of stuff from 1972, mostly as an excuse to have Funkadelic's "Miss Lucifer's Love" and Black Sabbath's "Supernaut" in close quarters. Thing is, once I get through with picking what Al Green and Rolling Stones and Curtis Mayfield and Pink Floyd and Steely Dan songs I want to use, I'll probably have a ton of space left that I need to fill with stuff I'd've otherwise not gotten around to thinking of.

So: Here is where you tell me what relatively obscure and/or underheralded stuff from that year I should check out.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Mahavishnu Orchestra, Birds of Fire
Miles Davis, On the Corner/Get Up With It
James Brown, Get on the Good Foot

― Jordan (Jordan), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:31 (twenty-two years ago)

neil young's 'harvest'

― RJG (RJG), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:37 (twenty-two years ago)

note to self: next time put "obscure" and "underheralded" in super huge all-caps boldface underline italic

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:40 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, shoulda done.

I just read Al Green and Rolling Stones and Curtis Mayfield and Pink Floyd and Steely Dan.

sorry for wasting your time.

― RJG (RJG), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

ah, it's okay. That Neil, he's a nice boy.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:43 (twenty-two years ago)

"Metal Guru" by T. Rex was obscure and unheralded over here, so you have to put that in (or alternately "The Slider").

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Well then get 'Introducing Larry Coryell and the 11th House' and Donald Byrd 'Black Byrd', but I don't consider those obscure or unheralded either. Get the Rahsaan Roland Kirk 'I, Aye' live at Montreaux album that was issued a few years ago, it's fantastic.

― Jordan (Jordan), Sunday, 11 May 2003 01:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Johnny Cash - "A Thing Called Love"
Fleetwood Mac - "Spare Me a Little of Your Love"
Kraftwerk - "Harmonika"
Roxy Music - "Virginia Plain"

― paul cox (paul cox), Sunday, 11 May 2003 02:14 (twenty-two years ago)

How could I forget?! One of my favorite songs ever is from 1972: Big Star - "Ballad of El Goodo"

― paul cox (paul cox), Sunday, 11 May 2003 02:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think any of my suggestions are unheralded or obscure, so whatever...

― paul cox (paul cox), Sunday, 11 May 2003 02:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Budgie-"Hot as a dockers armpit"
Allman Brothers-"Aint wastin' time no more"
Dr. John-"Junko Partner"

― Michael B, Sunday, 11 May 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Anything from Joe Tex's From The Roots Came The Rapper is good:"Lovin' Man", "Somethings In Life Are Worth Dying For", "Hate Yourself In The Morning". Mandrill's album Mandrill Is from 72 is pretty great as well:"Ape Is High","I Refuse To Smile", "Lord Of The Golden Baboon". Um, not obscure stuff really, but not stuff you would hear that often. Just good funky music from a supremely funky time.

― Scott Seward, Sunday, 11 May 2003 03:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Gene Clark's 'Roadmaster' album
Manu Dibango's 'Soul Makossa'
Cluster's s/t

Excuse the obvious: Betcha By Golly Wow, Back Stabbers, Superfly, Superstition etc. 1972 was a great, great time for soul music, with 60s giants still working at genius level and the new decade beginning to find its style.

― Curt (cgould), Sunday, 11 May 2003 03:25 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm sure messrs. zappa, bowie, ferry, and gamble & huff had some interesting music circa 1972.

― Tad (llamasfur), Sunday, 11 May 2003 03:40 (twenty-two years ago)

re mr. bowie: 1972 was when ziggy stardust was released. i'm sure that you could find something interesting on that obscure recording ;-p

re captain beefheart: 1972 was when the spotlight kid and clear spot were released ... i imagine anything off either of those wouldn't sound that out of place next to steely dan or the allman brothers

re mr. zappa: actually, i just remembered he was still in recovery from being pushed offstage in London by a deranged concert-goer. so 1972 wasn't exactly his most productive year. still, zappa did release both just another band from l.a. (from whence "billy the mountain" came) and waka/jawaka (from whence "big swifty" came) in 1972.

elton john: in 1972 he released honky chateau .. "rocket man," "mona lisas and mad hatters," and "honky cat" are some obvious choices therefrom.

the kinks: everybody's in showbiz was released, which featured "celluloid heroes" and "supersonic rocket ship"

― Tad (llamasfur), Sunday, 11 May 2003 03:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Gato Barbieri's 'Last Tango in Paris' soundtrack
Chi-Lites 'A Lonely Man' album, w. "Oh Girl"
'The Late Great Townes Van Zant' album
David Ackles - 'American Gothic'
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - s/t

― Curt (cgould), Sunday, 11 May 2003 05:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't be bothered trying to guess what you might already have on the list, so here are some thoughts:
James Brown - King Heroin.
Chairmen of the Board - Everybody's Got A Song To Sing and Let Me Down Easy.
Chicory Tip - Son Of My Father
Alice Cooper - School's Out and Elected
Rod Stewart - You Wear It Well
Aretha Franklin - I've Been Loving You Too Long
Linda Jones - Your Precious Love (maybe the greatest version of this peerless soul number)
Don Julian - Message From A Black Man
Mott The Hoople - All the Young Dudes
Temptations - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
O.V. Wright - A Nickel And A Nail
Lou Reed's Transformer album has a few winners. The first album I ever bought, Slade Alive, was from 1972. Slade also did Mama Weere All Crazee Now that year. T. Rex's Telegram Sam was 1972.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 11 May 2003 10:42 (twenty-two years ago)

i was gonna say Elected, also...instead then its Sea Diver~mott

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Sunday, 11 May 2003 12:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Mostly unheralded in the English speaking world anyway (does that count?):

Justo Bentacourt: "Pa Bravo Yo"

Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe: "Pirana" from the album El Juicio which came out in 1972.

― Rockist Scientist, Sunday, 11 May 2003 13:16 (twenty-two years ago)

You are all wicked awesome. Extra thanks for the international stuff; I wanna put some Afrobeat and Brazil funk on here too*, and some ska/reggae (starting with The Harder They Come).

*I've got Black Rio on MP3 but I don't know what years any of the songs were released. Damn it.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Sunday, 11 May 2003 15:06 (twenty-two years ago)

find yourself a copy of Discoteques 72 Guinee on Syliphone; bask, rejoice, gibber in astonishment, et al

hey, what about country? according to that new 500 Best Country Singles book, the picks to click in '72 are:
Charlie Rich: “I Take It on Home”
* The Flatlanders: “Dallas”
Tanya Tucker: “Delta Dawn”
Sammi Smith: “Kentucky”
Joe Sampley: “Soul Song”
Mel Street: “Lovin’ on Back Streets”
* George Jones: “A Picture of Me (without You)”
Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band: “Garden Party”
Tammy Wynette: “Till I Get It Right”
Waylon Jennings: “Good Hearted Woman”
Elvis Presley: “He Touched Me”
Cal Smith: “The Lord Knows I’m Drinking”
Bob Luman: “Lonely Women Make Good Lovers”
O.B. McClinton: “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You”
* John Prine: “Illegal Smile”
* Elvis Presley: “Burning Love”
Marty Robbins: “This Much a Man”
Connie Smith: “If It Ain’t Love (Let’s Leave It Alone)”

* = I've heard it too and it's great; the rest I don't know.

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 04:33 (twenty-two years ago)

How's that book anyway, Matos? It's on my wishlist.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 12 May 2003 04:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Can't really think of much that isn't pretty obvious. Talking Book by Stevie Wonder is 1972, I think. I love that whole Flatlanders record, not just "Dallas." Exile on Mainstreet, obviously. Sail Away by Randy Newman is from 1972, maybe a lesser known album track from that -- "Old Man," "Dayton, Ohio," "Simon SMith and His Amazing Dancing Bear?"

I couldn't pinpoint specific years for early 70s singles without a reference book, but "Delta Dawn" is a guilty pleasure of sorts -- Tanya Tucker was 14 I think when she recorded that.

― chris herrington, Monday, 12 May 2003 04:45 (twenty-two years ago)

it's pretty good, Diamond. writing's sort of overly folksy (yeah, I know, that's the idea), but some interesting ideas and I learned plenty (not hard since I know fuckall about country).

Chris, I was just copying and pasting. my favorites on the F-landers album (which is ALL FUCKING GREAT, buy it immediately et al) are "Keeper of the Mountain" and "Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown"

search: www.rhino.com, which has full liner and track notes on most of their releases, including their more recent box sets like Can You Dig It? The '70s Soul Experience; this is very helpful in finding stuff.

wish I knew more '72 Grateful Dead stuff better, but there's Europe '72 and Dick's Picks 11 and 23; my gut sez the "Dark Star" on 11 is probably the way to go, though it is 31 minutes long. then again, you may hate the Dead.

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 04:50 (twenty-two years ago)

if you can find anything from Mer-Da's "Long Burn the Fire," snap it up--a weird, lost funk/soul album from '72 that David Byrne should reissue pronto, if only to repent for Shuggie Otis

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 04:52 (twenty-two years ago)

also, this was the year Ornette Coleman's Science Fiction and Skies of America came out, which helps jazz-wise.

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 05:12 (twenty-two years ago)

repent for Shuggie Otis

???!

You consider that a sin? Shame on you, you egghead. That's a great album.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 12 May 2003 05:17 (twenty-two years ago)

::snorts::

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 05:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I wondered at that too. I have to think Matos probably intended something more nuanced with that word and it got lost...

Anyway, don't forget about Machine Head for god's sake; one of the greatest heavy metal records ever, from '72.

Annette Peacock's beautiful I'm the One lp also dates from '72 and it's her best record.

On the soul tip, I don't think the following have been mentioned:

Stylistics - "I'm Stone in Love With You"
Staple Singers - "I'll Take You There" & "Respect Yourself"
Dennis Coffey - "Taurus"
War - "The Cisco Kid"
Spinners - "I'll Be Around" & "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - "If You Don't Know Me By Now"
The JB's - "Giving Up Food for Funk"

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 12 May 2003 05:38 (twenty-two years ago)

oops, I x-posted with a snort, so I guess he just dislikes it - fair enough.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 12 May 2003 05:39 (twenty-two years ago)

also search Wil Malone's "Death Line" (theme to a movie, on the The Score: 20 Ultra-Cool Soundtracks from the Prodoucers of Mojo giveaway CD, think David Axelrod doing the Pink Panther theme only clunkier)

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 09:15 (twenty-two years ago)

cymande's first s/t ('dove', 'bra' and 'the message')
can's "ege bamyasi" ('vitamin C')
milton nascimento "clube da esquina"
bill withers "still bill" ('use me')
leon thomas "blues and the soulful truth" (either 'china doll', 'love each other' or 'gypsy queen' which sounds like a spiritual out jazz with vocals take on d'n'b)
pharoah sanders "wisdom through music"
tim buckley "greetings fro LA" ('sweet surrender' - one of the best songs in the entire world)
todd rundgren "something/ anything" ('i saw the light' - which sounded so great at the end of yesterdays f*cked up Six Feet Under)

― JasonD (JasonD), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

also, find Fela Kuti, "Shenshema" (it's on Roforofo Fight/The Fela Singles CD)

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

and Keith Hudson, "Satan Side"

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Gilberto Gil, "Expresso 2222"
Ann Peebles, "I Feel Like Breakin' Up Somebody's Home"
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, "Be for Real"
Thin Lizzy, "The Rise and Dear Demise of the Lost Nomadic Tribes"
Edgar Winter, "Frankenstein" (NOT obscure but you better put this on)
Caetano Veloso, "Julia/Moreno"

― Neudonym, Monday, 12 May 2003 18:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww shit.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 02:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Tom T. Hall's fantastically horrific "Turn It On, Turn It On, Turn It On" and Think's fantastically awful "Once You Understand" demand space on that CDR.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 02:46 (twenty-two years ago)

And my personal '72 touchstone, Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now."

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 02:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh god. "Once You Understand"? Isn't that the "oh no I argued with my son and I hate him but he died of an OD so I could never tell him I loved him" song? I think I'll save the space for Argent. And Frankenfuckingstein~~~

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 02:50 (twenty-two years ago)

nate, i'm so glad you linked to the-breaks.com. i'd thought that the sample faq had been taken down because it wasn't working for so long.

― JasonD (JasonD), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 04:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Things I've learned:
1) For some odd reason, most shared MP3s of '70s music are 128kbps (as opposed to the near-exclusive 192kbps of '02 stuff)
2) Soulseek is not especially good if you are looking for country music
3) There is an instrumental version of the theme to 1972 cinematic masterwork of nunchaku-wielding fury Way of the Dragon that is basically Ennio Morricone crossed with the Bar-Kays.
4) Every single ultra-obscure funk single ever can be readily found on soulseek. It took like ten seconds for it to pull up the Delegates' "Funky Butt".

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Saturday, 17 May 2003 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

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