Bodacious DF …another fabulous 1973 album. The late great Marty Balin founder member of Jefferson Airplane. One of the few albums I bought because of an amazing review in NME ( or maybe MM).
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The other fascinating thing about Yes albums (LPs, not CDs) were Roger Dean’s ‘fantastical’ record covers. You could spend a large part of the time to hear the album working out what was going on in the illustrations.
I think that Roger Dean also illustrated covers of a long-forgotten group, Greenslade. I haven’t heard their music in decades, but would like to hear it again if copies of their albums could be tracked down.
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I gather there is a thread from album to album that I’ve never fully read up on. They are so ‘of their time’. The film Avatar brought them to mind too. But it’s not just looking at them, or any record cover for that matter, it’s also handling them, or rummaging in the record ‘bin’ looking for them. There is a sense of occasion, and I get that same sense of occasion when I see ‘phono’ on my NAC. I’m multi-source but I almost feel that to get the full 1973 experience, there’s a strong case for vinyl.
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Love Roger Dean’s work. I have a book of his work that I bought in the 80’s that covered so much of his work from 70’s. Album Covers, Book Jackets and later stage design as well as many other things.
Amazing Artist!
I’ve put his Wiki page link below. It’s well worth a read, he’s now 78 and still active in the Art world.
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A few years ago there was an exhibition of his art where I live, and I went to a reception where he attended. The images are even more stunning ‘in the flesh, with amazingly rich colours. Almost tempting to buy an original but far to expensive for me.
I must look out for such an event in the future. I’d have loved to see that!
And the year that Horslips released their first LP (in the UK)
.sjb
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One album from 1973 that I’ve always liked, though I don’t play very often, is Bursting at the seams by the Strawbs.
This album marked a move to a more prog style from their folky roots, apart from one more “poppy” song - a song that is perhaps particularly poignant now in Britain, 50 years on: Those days were marked by frequent industrial strikes, the previous year, 1972 having been particularly bad with power cuts arising from strikes by coal miners:
Part of the Union
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By gum, and I thought that ‘72 was a good year! I have so many of the albums listed above (18 up to this post).
That he did! I had their first LP, saw them live, lost the LP, got it back as a double CD with the second album.
He turned up last June at Yes’s CttE 50th Anniversary concert in Birmingham. Had lots of his artwork on display and gave a presentation (alas all too short) before the concert.
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Suntreader - ‘Zin-Zin’. Another record from 1973. Jazz-Rock with Morris Pert and Peter Robinson who later joined Brand X, Pert for ‘Moroccan Roll’ in 1977 and Robinson for ‘Masques’ a year later. These are still two of the my favourite records and the Suntreader album gives an insight into their origins.
Renaissance - ‘Ashes Are Burning’ (1973). The first album of the golden period of Renaissance. ‘Can You Understand?’ is the great longer track starting side 1 and the album builds to the epic title track which takes up the whole of side 2. The ‘Ashes Are Burning’ album was ably preceded by ‘Prologue’ and led to the classics ‘Scheherazade and Other Stories, ‘Live at Carnegie Hall’ and my personal favourite ‘Novella’. Great folk-prog including the keyboards of John Tout and the soaring vocals of Annie Haslam.
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I have recently seen the Greenslade albums on CD in extended versions with bonus material and the Roger Dean artwork. I have bought some of these to investigate their work further as they went under my radar first time around, even though Yes didn’t. Roger Dean covers immediately attract my attention and remind me of Yes!
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Just chanced upon this topic and am amazed at the listings so far, some real gems.
I’m currently listening to…
“There goes Ryhmin’ Simon” - Paul Simons first solo album (I think).
And would add Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” both Circa 1973
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Weather Report - ‘Sweetnighter’ (1973). After the great ‘I Sing The Body Electric’ in 1972, ‘Sweetnighter’ was the first album featuring a more accessible WR style beginning a series of great records culminating in ‘Heavy Weather’ in 1977. The first track ‘Boogie Woogie Waltz’ has a catchy groove. It became a live staple as the ‘Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz Medley’ and makes a triumphant return on the live album ‘8.30’ in 1979.
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Eagles - ‘Desperado’ (1973). Probably my favourite Eagles album, particularly the title track on Side 1 and in reprise on Side 2. The start of a classic period leading to ‘Hotel California’. A recurring theme here!
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