As “Dark Side of the Moon” turns 50 years today, having been released on March 1st, 1973, I thought I would chat about the albums that rocked my world back in 1973. It was an awesome year for music as a whole, but rock ‘n’ roll ruled the year for sure.
1973 was a coming of age year for me. I was 16 years old and half-way through High School. That was the last of my “carefree” summers where I spent a majority of my time hanging with friends. I mowed lawns as my source of income so I could buy Frisbees, models, and, of course, record albums.
These albums have stuck with me for a long time and most of them are still on heavy-rotation in my playlists today.
- Pink Floyd – “Dark Side of the Moon”
- Just one of those “whoa, man” moments. Best listened to late at night on headphones. Smoked my first joint while listening to a song from this album. I was doing my generation proud. Another album that I studied the mixing and use of sound effects as I dreamed of being a recording engineer someday.
- Bachman-Turner Overdrive – I & II
- Solidified my love for hard rock, or heavy-duty rock as BTO called it. Cranking out two albums in a single year is something few groups ever accomplish. Their first album will rock your world and “Give It Time” from their second offering was my Friday evening anthem my freshman year in college.
- Queen – Queen I
- Most people didn’t discover Queen until “Bohemian Rhapsody” came out. Their first album rocks hard with an energy few groups ever accomplish, let alone on their first outing. It is one of those albums you don’t need to skip a single track. For me, Queen was always at their best when they rocked.
- The Who – “Quadrophenia”
- This album is panned by critics and fans alike, but it is Townshend’s pinnacle of concept albums. The writing and execution of “Quadrophenia” puts its predecessor “Tommy” to shame. The band would not capture the energy and sound of this album, or of the “Who’s Next” album, ever again on tape. It is, in my opinion, the last great Who album.
- Emerson, Lake and Palmer – “Brain Salad Surgery”
- I was already a fan of ELP, but this album sealed the deal for me. “Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression—Part 1 & 2” was worth the price of admission alone. Keith Emerson’s use of Moog synthesizers motivated me to build and play my own synthesizers.
- Deep Purple – “Who Do We Think We Are”
- Ian Gillan’s vocals rock my world. It was the song “Rat Bat Blue” that got me yelled at for playing too loud. It demanded to be played loud. Another album purchased on reel-to-reel tape as I slowly became an audiophile. This is Purple’s second best album after 1971’s “Fireball”.
- Doobie Brothers – “Captain and Me”
- Seminal album for me. I studied this album on headphones to digest the way it was recorded and mixed. Being a recording engineer was an early career goal of mine, and this album had such a clean sound that it demanded to be studied. It was one of the first albums I bought on reel-to-reel tape. It was even recorded at 7 ½ inches per second, so the recording was ultra clean and free of noisy needle pops and scratches.
- Paul McCartney & Wings – “Band on the Run”
- In the early ‘70s, I was a bigger McCartney fan than Harrison fan. He cranked out TWO albums that year, with “Band on the Run” the one that was played most on my turntable. From its opening guitar and organ tête-à-tête rocketing into the title song, to the blistering ending of “1985”, this album grabbed you and kept you going for the whole ride.
- George Harrison – “Living In The Material World”
- Harrison stood second in line to McCartney in 1973 for me, but that would change as I aged. This is the follow up studio album to “All Things Must Pass” and it was highly anticipated. The title song is a fun, upbeat song depicting Harrison’s career with the Beatles. George’s voice and guitar playing are at an all-time high with this album, and it would take a decade or more before he accomplished the same heights as in this album.
- Alice Cooper – “Billion Dollar Babies”
- The Coop. “School’s Out” hooked me as a Coop fan. I purchased this album on cassette and it was played non-stop in my car. It is one of Cooper’s better albums from this time period. It is another album that you could listen to from start to end without skipping a track.
- Joe Walsh – “The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get”
- What can you say about Joe Walsh? I got started with him with the James Gang “Thirds” album and stuck with him all this time. Most people purchased this album for “Rocky Mountain Way”, but it was “Meadows” that I feel is the best song on the album and has been on my mix tapes for decades.
- Grand Funk Railroad – “We’re An American Band”
- I was a so-so Grand Funk fan, but with this album they added an organist and took a much different direction musically, and I was hooked on this album. After that, Grand Funk just never came back up on my radar.
- Free – “Heartbreaker”
- The last album for Free, and it is the title song that grabbed me. Such a heavy, pounding song with an anti-drug theme that it didn’t matter what the rest of the album sounded like.
- Elton John – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
- Elton was on fire in 1973. I had followed him from the beginning of his career and this album just knocked me off my feet. Best song for me: “Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock and Roll)” Elton could rock when he wanted.
- Fanny – “Mothers Pride”
- My infatuation with rock group Fanny got another dose in 1973. Todd Rundgren produced the album, and for this fan, it was a nice change up on their sound. Nickey’s rockers always hit home with me, but it was bassist Jean Millington’s upbeat bass line on “Summer Song” that demanded the volume be turned up.
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