The 70’s were a decade of social restlessness. This was the era of the Viet Nam War, civil rights activism, President Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal, women’s liberation, and widespread drug experimentation. Music often reflects social change and I, growing up in this turbulent decade of the 70’s, had many rock favorites. You Tube subscribers have done a great job of finding and uploading rock videos from some of my favorites from the 70’s.
One of my all-time favorite 70’s rock groups was Chicago. I say was because of the original seven member group, only four members tour and record on a regular basis with the band. The biggest change to the rock band Chicago was in 1978 when Terry Kath, their guitarist, died from a gunshot wound to the head at the age of 31. On October 13, 1977, Chicago performed their classic “25 or 6 to 4” (first released in 1970) in Houston, Texas, at the Summit Arena. Three months later, Kath would be dead. On You Tube, you can find this performance here: www.youtube.com/watch. Although the poster says that Kath’s performance was “lifeless” here, I would disagree. Any guitar renderings by this musician that the great Jimi Hendrix was said to have lauded are worth watching. This concert shows his versatility on the guitar and is much longer than the Caribou Ranch studio version found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCAbdNXx2sE. The second link is neat because all the members of the original band are shown not only in but also outside the studio. Thus, you see Terry Kath riding his motorbike up a rocky hill, Laudir de Oliveira stream fishing with his son, James Pankow target practicing, Walter Parazaider with his wife and daughter, and Danny Seraphine riding a horse. The group seemed to be enjoying themselves more in this setting. This was the 70’s rock band Chicago that I remember.
Another 70’s rock band that has changed over time is Kansas. “Dust in the Wind” is a classic Kansas song from the ‘Point of Know Return’ album. This You Tube music video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN8GZwrOSD8 has a stark, slightly gloomy background somehow reflective of the lyrics. This 70’s rock ballad was written by Kerry Livgren, one of the original members of the band. “Dust in the Wind” reminds one of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible where the writer, King Solomon, meditates on all of the vanities of life. He discovers that man will return to the dust from whence he came, just as this 70’s rock song indicates. Livgren’s search for spiritual meaning is reflected in this and other songs he had written in the 70’s. This is a haunting video with Steve Walsh singing the lead, Robbie Steinhardt singing harmony and playing the violin, and Kerry Livgren and Rich Williams providing the simple melodic acoustic guitar background. Of these, Steve Walsh and Rich Williams are the only original members of the 70’s rock band Kansas still with the group. Kerry Livgren became a born again Christian and formed another group. Robbie Steinhardt left the band in April 2006 and was replaced with David Ragsdale on the violin. I like the simplicity of the melody and acoustic guitars, and the visual setting, in my opinion, emphasizes the meaning of the lyrics.
The 70’s rock scene also included a sister pair from Seattle, Washington, who formed the nucleus of the band Heart. In 1976, Ann and Nancy Wilson released their album ‘Dreamboat Annie.’ With Nancy Wilson’s energetic guitar stylings and her sister’s emotion-packed vocals, several songs from the album climbed the charts. “Crazy On You” was one of them and is captured on this 1978 or 1979 You Tube music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcAn3z7D1Pc. Because of the illegal copyright infringement of an over-zealous fan, You Tube was asked to pull many of the videos showing Heart in concert. This is one of the few actual performances from this 70’s group you will see at the peak of their popularity. But this is more than enough. In the beginning of the video, you are treated to an extended guitar solo by Nancy Wilson, longer and more complicated than the album version. This section, about two minutes in length, is a delight as she hints at the well-known guitar riff beginning, then pulls away into something a little different only to come back to it again. Then Ann Wilson begins to sing and does so with great emotion and vocal power. This is an amazing performance of the two sisters. The man supplying the electric guitar solo sections toward the end of the piece, maybe the Roger Fisher who played this part on the album, does a fantastic job, too. A quieter ballad-like song, “Dog and Butterfly,” from the 1978 album of the same name is featured on another You Tube music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thcl2LQe9oo. Here, Ann Wilson’s strong beautiful voice is featured with Nancy providing a surprisingly nice vocal harmony. This is not a song that features the guitar as prominently as on “Crazy On You.” Heart was one of my favorite 70’s rock groups and “Dog and Butterfly” a favorite song by them.
About the only song from the 70’s rock band Queen that I listened to much was “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I enjoyed the opera-like qualities of the song. The song went to the number one spot on the charts in Great Britain and stayed there for nine weeks after it was released October 31, 1975. The song went platinum. Freddie Mercury wrote this rock opera for the album ‘Night at the Opera.’ The song is quite long, a full 5 minutes and 52 seconds in length and was the first rock song to be promoted via its own music video. This You Tube selection http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veTm1sZz2eo comes from Queen’s Kind of Magic tour and was performed before a gigantic crowd in 1986 at Wembley Stadium. Freddie Mercury puts a lot of energy and passion into this performance, even though because of a throat condition he could not attain the high notes as recorded on the album. His showmanship is worth watching. The performance skips the tight four part harmony which begins the original recording and goes directly to Freddie at the grand piano and his ‘confession’ to murder. Brian May’s guitar solo transition to the trial scene is haunting. For the trial where Freddie Mercury (“I’m just a poor boy; nobody loves me”) and the ones who would condemn him (“No, we will not let him go”), scenes from the promotional video were projected on the big screen behind. For someone who had never seen that particular video, I thought this section with its special effects was spectacular. When the trial scene ends, Freddie returns to the piano and ends the song still with a high energy level. Of the videos of “Bohemian Rhapsody” that I viewed, this is about the best. Freddie Mercury died of AIDS complications in 1991 when he was 45 years old, but “Bohemian Rhapsody” lives on as one of his best songs. It was used in the 1992 movie “Wayne’s World” and appealed to a whole new young generation. Brian May and Roger Taylor are performing as Queen featuring Paul Rodgers of Bad Company, but the rock band Queen is not the same minus Freddie Mercury.
Carlos Santana, who melded rock and Latin blues into a distinctive sound, is another 70’s icon whose performances are mesmerizing to watch. He is a guitar virtuoso. The song “Samba Pa Ti” was released in 1970 on Santana’s second album ‘Abraxas.’ This You Tube offering was from a concert he gave in Dortmund, Germany, on June 12, 1980: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THSeSWkbO38 He was 33 years old at the time. The man knows his guitar and feels his music in a way words can not describe. Just sample this performance and you will understand what I mean. If you want to see more, You Tube also has a music video of “Europa,” a tune from 1975’s ‘Moonflower’ album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym-O90uCF0E Santana dedicated this song performance to “the heart and soul of Australia” when he was playing in Sydney in October 1979. This also features a pretty impressive percussion section. You can see how much Santana was enjoying himself at times during this song, and then you would see him slip away into that intimate world where it seemed he was alone with the music he was making. Like I said, a mesmerizing music video of one of the 70’s best guitarists and groups.
I have already mentioned a sister duo who formed the 70’s rock band Heart. Now meet a brother trio that composed a popular 70’s group called the Bee Gees. In 1977, they released “Stayin’ Alive” as a single from the album ‘Saturday Night Fever.’ This song, along with others on the album, were featured on the movie of the same name. The mid-70’s were a time when disco as a dance form was popular and “Stayin’ Alive” was one of the songs of the genre. With Barry Gibb supplying the high falsetto that became a trademark of the Brothers Gibb, Barry, Maurice, and Robin strut their way through this You Tube music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQifYc62LSM The Gibb brothers had a unique sound; the video is well-arranged. Maurice Gibb, sadly, is no longer alive, having died in 2003 of cardiac failure from complications from a constricted intestine. If you have never heard disco, let this music video be your introduction.
The last You Tube music video is one that combines drama with a song that was popular in fall of 1978, the year I met my husband-to-be. Forever Autumn” was sung by Justin Hayward, the lead singer of The Moody Blues, and came from the album ‘The War of the Worlds.’ This version is from the 2006 United Kingdom tour of ‘War of the Worlds.’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7vfjJHcfeE It, like the “Bohemian Rhapsody” performance I mentioned before, relies upon clips and, here, a Richard Burton narration from Jeff Wayne’s ‘War of the Worlds’ DVD to support the stage show. The effect in this case is stunning. The lyrics of the song, one of lost love, form a counterpoint to the lines narrated directly from the H. G. Wells novel and the pictures of the Martian invaders. The only thing I thought was a bit eerie was the disembodied head of the narrator which floats in the background whenever he speaks. My appreciation of the bittersweet melancholy of this song was enhanced through this music video.
For anyone who grew up in the stressful decade of the 70’s, may I suggest a visit to You Tube to sample music videos from these and other 70’s rock groups. You will find your visit to be as memorable as mine.
