1972. How 'Bout You? Thirty Albums In A List Form I Made Up!
To minimize the amount of inevitable butthurt, here is how I came up with the list: I have a copy of the album or at least part of it on my hard drive. If I don't, it doesn't qualify because I didn't feel like tracking down X number of albums to definitively blah blah GOD this sentence is boring. So if you're like "Why isn't "What's Going On?" by Marvin Gaye on here?!?! That shit's a classic!!!," you'll know why. (It came out in 1971; THAT'S WHY! IN YO FACE!!!)
All right. On with the show. The Top 30 Albums Of 1972:
30. Dave Brubeck "Truth Is Fallen"
Probably his worst album. It's a concept record about the Kent State massacre, and it's like a low low LOW rent version of Jesus Christ Superstar. At no point would you think this was a Dave Brubeck record at all.
29. The Doors "Full Circle"
Speaking of bad ideas, The Doors made three albums after Jim Morrison died, two of which do not have Morrison on them and none of which were good ideas. In fact, "Full Circle" was the second of this ill-conceived triad, and it came out thirteen months after their erstwhile singer's passing. Not really sure how their quality could decline so rapidly between "L.A. Woman" and "Other Voices" (especially since they were released six months apart), but to hear it dwindle further in the 10 months between "Other Voices" and "Full Circle" is...kinda predictable, really. The writing was on the wall. Fact is, this is tripe that shouldn't exist. The end.
28. Joan Armatrading "Whatever's For Us"
27. Bonnie Raitt "Give It Up"
26. Alice Cooper "School's Out"
25. The Edgar Winter Group "Frankenstein"
24. The Rolling Stones "Exile On Main Street"
WHAAA??? One of The Rolling Stones' most revered masterworks coming in at the low end of the spectrum? BLASPHEMY! Hey, I dig The Stones casually, but this album was not my cup of tea. I liked about four songs out of eighteen. I've always been a bit of an iconoclast, and this list comes down to personal taste. Is what it is.
23. Frank Zappa "Waka/Jawaka"
22. Styx
Styx wouldn't hit it big until 1975 or 6, but they had a ton of albums before that. This was the first, and none of the songs are knowns, though there are decent head bobbers to be had.
20/21. [TIE] Michael Jackson "Ben" / "Got To Be There"
News Flash for the uninitiated: "Off The Wall" was Michael Jackson's fifth album. "Got To Be There" was his first solo joint. It has some okay songs, but ultimately stays in a narrow box. "Ben" has less good songs per capita, yet the good ones stand out more than those on "Got To Be There", so split the difference.
19. Frank Zappa "Just Another Band From L.A."
Side One of this album is a 24 minute story song about an anthropomorphic mountain and his wife winning a free vacation and going across the United States crushing everything in their path because they're fucking mountains. Frank Zappa, y'all.
18. Little Feat "Sailin' Shoes"
If I was to do a "Top 20 Songs" blog for 1972, "Cold, Cold, Cold" would be in the Top 10 without question. But aside from "Easy To Slip", "Got No Shadow" and "Willin'", there's not a lot else to write home about. Still, I grew up on this shit, and it gets a space.
17. The Guess Who "Rockin'"
Only four semi-decent ones on here, though "Guns, Guns, Guns" is pretty flippin' sweet (also Top 10-worthy; possibly because of the three word repetition theme...). Toward the end of the band's run and near their creative ebb.
16. David Bowie "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars"
I'm not much of a Bowie guy, it turns out. I didn't dislike this album, but it doesn't do anything for me either. Outside of "Suffragette City", there's nothing that really reaches me. The lyrics to "Five Years", maybe. That's just how I feel, or rather don't, about Ziggy.
15. Tower Of Power "Bump City"
Title track is classic in my household. Album is so-so.
14. Savoy Brown "Hellbound Train"
13. Pink Floyd "Obscured By Clouds"
12. Brian Auger's Oblivion Express "Second Wind"
11. Yes "Close To The Edge"
An album with three songs on it, about six decent spots, and about half of it is absolute whispy garbage. This is the perfect representation of albums in 1972. Not one of them is without potholes, but there are some really great gems in the midst of the minefield.
10. Gil Scott-Heron "Free Will"
I can't really say much about this as an album, as I came to Gil-Scott Heron through a bunch of compilations. As a result, his first three albums are all just mish-mashes to me with a few stray deep cuts I haven't heard yet. It's hard to let go the collection of songs I know and just judge the quality of "Free Will" as an album. To confound matters further, side two is all spoken word pieces, so it isn't just songs we're trying to assess here. Still, "Free Will", "The King Alfred Plan", "Billy Green Is Dead" and "Ain't No New Thing" are hella important parts of the Gil Scott-Heron canon.
9. Loggins And Messina
Yes, that Loggins. Kenny Loggins used to have good songwriting game in the early 70's, especially when paired up with Jim Messina. If You're Mama Don't Dance and your daddy don't rock and roll, shoot them some Angry Eyes, then sip some Whiskey with a Good Friend Til The Ends Meet. I just named the five good songs on this album in that last sentence. Figure it out.
8. Paul Simon
7. The Doobie Brothers "Toulouse Street"
6. War "The World Is A Ghetto"
5. Traffic "The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys"
4. Frank Zappa "The Grand Wazoo"
You're not reading incorrectly; Frank Zappa put out three albums in 1972. This was not his most productive year, and he did this on the reg. "The Grand Wazoo" was a good set up to the career height of 1973's "Apostrophe (')", with highlights "Eat That Question" and "Cleatus Awreetus Awrightus" being worth the price of admission alone. Hell, Fila Brazillia sampled "Eat That Question" to make the equally awesome "Ridden Pony" from "A Touch Of Cloth". It's jazz fusion goodness up and down.
3. Captain Beyond
In 2003, I saw an LP at Half Price Books that said "Captain Beyond", and it was only $5, so I was like "I have to have this". I didn't know anything about the band (only later did I find out it was made up of members of Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly). Bucking the trend, this is a solid album for its entire 35-minute run. Nine minute, multiple-part songs, hard charging rock n roll, fucking decent vocals...if you can lay your hands on this album, I recommend you do so.
2. Led Zeppelin "Houses Of The Holy"
As an album, "Houses" doesn't quite measure up to some of the surrounding Zeppelin albums, but it's loaded with some of their most recognizable songs. "Dancing Days", "No Quarter", "Over The Hills And Far Away", "D'Yer Maker" and "The Ocean", with the bonus of "The Rain Song" and "The Song Remains The Same". Pretty solid, dude.
1. Black Sabbath "Vol. 4"
"Vol. 4" is one of Sabbath's best albums. In spite of a few throwaway noise tracks, there's still "Wheels Of Confusion", "Snowblind" and...oh yeah, MUTHAFUCKIN' "SUPERNAUT". Seriously, if you've never heard this song, you don't know what hard rock is all about. LISTEN to this shit. "Vol. 4" was not perfect, but the good was real good, so I can't help but give it the crown.
And that's it. Check another one off the list between now and 1963 (which was the first year I could scrape a Top 5 together for to retroblog back in 2010)! So hey, keep the eyes peeled for the next one. Biggie's Ghost for President!
All right. On with the show. The Top 30 Albums Of 1972:
30. Dave Brubeck "Truth Is Fallen"
Probably his worst album. It's a concept record about the Kent State massacre, and it's like a low low LOW rent version of Jesus Christ Superstar. At no point would you think this was a Dave Brubeck record at all.
29. The Doors "Full Circle"
Speaking of bad ideas, The Doors made three albums after Jim Morrison died, two of which do not have Morrison on them and none of which were good ideas. In fact, "Full Circle" was the second of this ill-conceived triad, and it came out thirteen months after their erstwhile singer's passing. Not really sure how their quality could decline so rapidly between "L.A. Woman" and "Other Voices" (especially since they were released six months apart), but to hear it dwindle further in the 10 months between "Other Voices" and "Full Circle" is...kinda predictable, really. The writing was on the wall. Fact is, this is tripe that shouldn't exist. The end.
28. Joan Armatrading "Whatever's For Us"
27. Bonnie Raitt "Give It Up"
26. Alice Cooper "School's Out"
25. The Edgar Winter Group "Frankenstein"
24. The Rolling Stones "Exile On Main Street"
WHAAA??? One of The Rolling Stones' most revered masterworks coming in at the low end of the spectrum? BLASPHEMY! Hey, I dig The Stones casually, but this album was not my cup of tea. I liked about four songs out of eighteen. I've always been a bit of an iconoclast, and this list comes down to personal taste. Is what it is.
23. Frank Zappa "Waka/Jawaka"
22. Styx
Styx wouldn't hit it big until 1975 or 6, but they had a ton of albums before that. This was the first, and none of the songs are knowns, though there are decent head bobbers to be had.
20/21. [TIE] Michael Jackson "Ben" / "Got To Be There"
News Flash for the uninitiated: "Off The Wall" was Michael Jackson's fifth album. "Got To Be There" was his first solo joint. It has some okay songs, but ultimately stays in a narrow box. "Ben" has less good songs per capita, yet the good ones stand out more than those on "Got To Be There", so split the difference.
19. Frank Zappa "Just Another Band From L.A."
Side One of this album is a 24 minute story song about an anthropomorphic mountain and his wife winning a free vacation and going across the United States crushing everything in their path because they're fucking mountains. Frank Zappa, y'all.
18. Little Feat "Sailin' Shoes"
If I was to do a "Top 20 Songs" blog for 1972, "Cold, Cold, Cold" would be in the Top 10 without question. But aside from "Easy To Slip", "Got No Shadow" and "Willin'", there's not a lot else to write home about. Still, I grew up on this shit, and it gets a space.
17. The Guess Who "Rockin'"
Only four semi-decent ones on here, though "Guns, Guns, Guns" is pretty flippin' sweet (also Top 10-worthy; possibly because of the three word repetition theme...). Toward the end of the band's run and near their creative ebb.
16. David Bowie "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars"
I'm not much of a Bowie guy, it turns out. I didn't dislike this album, but it doesn't do anything for me either. Outside of "Suffragette City", there's nothing that really reaches me. The lyrics to "Five Years", maybe. That's just how I feel, or rather don't, about Ziggy.
15. Tower Of Power "Bump City"
Title track is classic in my household. Album is so-so.
14. Savoy Brown "Hellbound Train"
13. Pink Floyd "Obscured By Clouds"
12. Brian Auger's Oblivion Express "Second Wind"
11. Yes "Close To The Edge"
An album with three songs on it, about six decent spots, and about half of it is absolute whispy garbage. This is the perfect representation of albums in 1972. Not one of them is without potholes, but there are some really great gems in the midst of the minefield.
10. Gil Scott-Heron "Free Will"
I can't really say much about this as an album, as I came to Gil-Scott Heron through a bunch of compilations. As a result, his first three albums are all just mish-mashes to me with a few stray deep cuts I haven't heard yet. It's hard to let go the collection of songs I know and just judge the quality of "Free Will" as an album. To confound matters further, side two is all spoken word pieces, so it isn't just songs we're trying to assess here. Still, "Free Will", "The King Alfred Plan", "Billy Green Is Dead" and "Ain't No New Thing" are hella important parts of the Gil Scott-Heron canon.
9. Loggins And Messina
Yes, that Loggins. Kenny Loggins used to have good songwriting game in the early 70's, especially when paired up with Jim Messina. If You're Mama Don't Dance and your daddy don't rock and roll, shoot them some Angry Eyes, then sip some Whiskey with a Good Friend Til The Ends Meet. I just named the five good songs on this album in that last sentence. Figure it out.
8. Paul Simon
7. The Doobie Brothers "Toulouse Street"
6. War "The World Is A Ghetto"
5. Traffic "The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys"
4. Frank Zappa "The Grand Wazoo"
You're not reading incorrectly; Frank Zappa put out three albums in 1972. This was not his most productive year, and he did this on the reg. "The Grand Wazoo" was a good set up to the career height of 1973's "Apostrophe (')", with highlights "Eat That Question" and "Cleatus Awreetus Awrightus" being worth the price of admission alone. Hell, Fila Brazillia sampled "Eat That Question" to make the equally awesome "Ridden Pony" from "A Touch Of Cloth". It's jazz fusion goodness up and down.
3. Captain Beyond
In 2003, I saw an LP at Half Price Books that said "Captain Beyond", and it was only $5, so I was like "I have to have this". I didn't know anything about the band (only later did I find out it was made up of members of Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly). Bucking the trend, this is a solid album for its entire 35-minute run. Nine minute, multiple-part songs, hard charging rock n roll, fucking decent vocals...if you can lay your hands on this album, I recommend you do so.
2. Led Zeppelin "Houses Of The Holy"
As an album, "Houses" doesn't quite measure up to some of the surrounding Zeppelin albums, but it's loaded with some of their most recognizable songs. "Dancing Days", "No Quarter", "Over The Hills And Far Away", "D'Yer Maker" and "The Ocean", with the bonus of "The Rain Song" and "The Song Remains The Same". Pretty solid, dude.
1. Black Sabbath "Vol. 4"
"Vol. 4" is one of Sabbath's best albums. In spite of a few throwaway noise tracks, there's still "Wheels Of Confusion", "Snowblind" and...oh yeah, MUTHAFUCKIN' "SUPERNAUT". Seriously, if you've never heard this song, you don't know what hard rock is all about. LISTEN to this shit. "Vol. 4" was not perfect, but the good was real good, so I can't help but give it the crown.
And that's it. Check another one off the list between now and 1963 (which was the first year I could scrape a Top 5 together for to retroblog back in 2010)! So hey, keep the eyes peeled for the next one. Biggie's Ghost for President!
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