Paste Magazine had an article recently on the 30 best albums of 1979. Reading through the list I had forgotten what an incredible year it was for popular music. I have very fond memories of music that year and some of my favorites made the list.
“Rickie Lee Jones” (#27). From the funky bohemian image on the cover to the earworm hit “Chuck E’s In Love” we were drawn into an album of incredible breadth and emotion. From the heartbreaking “Last Chance Texaco” to the sly comedown of “Weasel and the White Boy’s Cool” this was an artist emerging fully formed.
Graham Parker and the Rumour, “Squeezing Out Sparks” (#23) As I mentioned in a previous post, I had a great cassette bootleg from the 1979 “Sparks” tour. This album doesn’t have a bad song on it. As Parker sneers and the Rumour roars behind him they churn out instant classics like “Local Girls”, “Passion Is No Ordinary Word” and the deeply moving abortion song “You Can’t Be Too Strong”. This is another example of an artist who should have seen bigger success.
Fleetwood Mac, “Tusk” (#11) I really thought that this was a great follow up to the multi-platinum Rumours. Instead of trying to produce another Rumours they (mostly Lindsey Buckingham now fired writer/vocalist guitarist) came up with a double album of quirky, sometimes lo-fi, but catchy tunes. The double album format gave all three songwriters enough room to stretch out. A much better follow up than the Eagles‘ “Long Run” in which the band disappeared down the rabbit hole in pursuit of the perfect follow to “Hotel California”.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse, “Rust Never Sleeps” (#8) This was Young’s 70’s peak after a string of strong, though sometimes strange, albums. Rust was mostly a live recording[1]. The acoustic side was recorded at the Boarding House in San Francisco in the May 1978. Side Two, the electric songs, was recorded on tour with Crazy Horse in the fall of 1978. The electric side is partly a response to the punk movement and the Horse could be as primitive as any of the CBGB bands. Some of the songs (“Pocahontas”, “Ride My Llama” and “Powderfinger”) were written earlier in the decade. Along with songs like “Thrasher” this album was also a high water mark for Young’s songwriting.
Elvis Costello, “Armed Forces” (#7) “Oh I just don’t know where to begin…” and so starts the opener “Accidents Will Happen”. Along with this one, my favorites include the mercenary anthem “Oliver’s Army”, “Party Girl” (Costello’s work play on full display) and the emotional “(“What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”. The album also included a promo EP excerpt of live tracks from “Hollywood High” that had “Accidents” (solo piano version), “Alison” and “Watching The Detectives”. He and Graham Parker were running on parallel tracks in 1979 that would soon diverge. Costello continued his prolific ways putting out albums at a pace not seen since Elton John in the 70’s.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Damn The Torpedoes” (#2). The band broke big on this their third album. Producer Jimmy Iovine and engineer Shelly Yakus gave the Heartbreakers a sound that jumped from your speakers. And then there were the songs. From the drum break intro to the opener “Refugee” Side One might be one of the best in rock and roll. The “Big Jangle”, as Petty called this sound, would dominate their next two albums.
Doobie Brothers, “Minute by Minute” was not on the list probably because it was technically not a 1979 album. It was released in December 1978 and was all over the radio during 1979. Singer/songwriter/keyboardist Michael McDonald, who joined the band in 1975, was already emerging as the new sound of the Doobie Brothers taking them farther from their boogie rock roots. McDonald carries this album leading off with the near perfect trifecta of “Here To Love You”, the mega-hit “What a Fool Believes” and the title song. Ironically this commercial peak was the beginning of the end. Internal strife and road weariness resulted in the band dissolving in 1981.
Postscript: Last month an old friend of mine passed away. I met Pete in 1994 when we both worked on Wall Street but our friendship over the years was centered on music, mostly live music. Pete and I went to numerous shows in NYC, so much so that he was known affectionately around my house as “Concert Pete”. Pete loved music, his dog Otis and Dewey Beach (Delaware). I always liked his priorities. Rest in peace my friend.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Books – “Dark Sacred Night”, Michael Connelly. Connelly’s latest novel combines his long-standing character semi-retired detective Harry Bosch and his newest character LAPD detective Renee Ballard (who had her debut in “The Late Show” in 2017). The center of the story has Bosch and Ballard collaborating on a cold case that Harry has been working. Much of the book is filled with vignettes of smaller cases Ballard works during her midnight shift (punishment for a sexual harassment case she brought against another officer) and a drug case Harry is working in the Valley. It is a very long, busy and quite engrossing novel except for the end, which seemed rushed and a little contrived. Not really Connelly’s style.
Music – I made my annual sojourn to Vintage Vinyl Records in Fords, NJ a few weeks ago. This is supermarket-sized store that stocks vinyl of most musical categories though they are known for their thrash/metal/hardcore section. Nevertheless there are also ample offerings of classic rock, new rock and jazz on newly issued vinyl. There is also a large used section with some high quality vinyl. There are also a fair amount of bootlegs, both vinyl and CD. It can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t have a game plan going in. Some of my purchases will be reviewed in coming posts. This place is definitely worth the trip if you are in the NYC metro area.
Streaming – I have been revisiting the first season of “West Wing” on Netflix. Looking back this was groundbreaking television. The ensemble cast has terrific chemistry and soars with Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue. The pilot episode includes a storyline where White House speechwriter Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) “accidentally” sleeps with a prostitute and takes her pager by mistake. He then tries to explain it to his increasingly horrified co-workers. Hilarious. The show’s themes (e.g., hate crimes and controversial Supreme Court nominees) are still relevant today.
[1]With the crowd noise edited out.