1972 music
Related: music - 1972 - 1970s music
Key recording: Soul Makossa (1972) - Manu Dibango
After hour clubs [...]
"Continental Baths was getting popular around the time I started at Better Days (may/july 1972). Larry Levan was just getting started at that time."--Tee Scott
Blaxploitation [...]
1972 saw the artistic peak of the blaxploitation soundtrack. Several of America's biggest black artists were working on soundtracks simultaneously. [...]Glam rock [...]
Glam rock, androgyny, David Bowie, New York Dolls, [...]Nuggets [...]
Rock critic (and future Patti Smith guitarist) Lenny Kaye first defined and named the movement in 1972 as compiler of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. This legendary double album was perhaps the first collection of older recordings to treat the music as worthy of lasting attention and not just as a quickly fading "oldie but goodie" memory. As such, Nuggets helped plant the seed for Rhino Records, which returned the favor in 1998 with an expanded 4-CD edition of the seminal compilation.
Dub [...]
In 1972, encouraged by Bunny Lee, King Tubby, an electronics engineer and sound system owner, began to mix records in four- track, and by late 1973 his name graced many b-side ' versions' (the name is a corruption of instrumental version, or 'Version 2') of other people's records, notably those of Bunny Lee and Lee Perry. --Colin Larkin, 1998
Funk and Soul Singles
- Cymande - Bra/The Message (1972)
- Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman (1972)
- Eddie Kendricks - Girl You Need A Change Of Mind (1972)
- Dramatics - What You See Is What You Get (1972)
- War - City, Country, City (1972)
- Manu Dibango - New Bell
- Chakachas - Jungle Fever - http://www.allthingsdeep.com/dge/chakachas.htm
- Timmy Thomas - Why Can't We Live Together
- Sun Ra - Space is the Place
- Babe Ruth - The Mexican
- The Isleys - Work To Do
- Lyn Collins - Think (About It)
- Jorge Ben - Taj Mahal
CDs
- Africa's Blood - Lee "Scratch" Perry [1 CD, Amazon US]
1. Do Your Thing 2. Dream Land 3. Long Sentence 4. Not Guilty 5. Cool And Easy 6. Well Dread Version 3 7. My Girl 8. Saw Dust 9. Place Calle dAfrica Verson 3 10. Isn't It Wrong 11. Go Slow 12. Bad Luck 13. Move Me 14. Surplus Even though it's credited to Lee Perry, this album is mostly made up of Upsetters instrumentals. Despite the heavy sounding title, the music is rather tame, with Winston Prince's "A Place Called Africa (Version 3)" and "Do Your Thing" by Dave Barker standing out as the only two killers. Not bad, but not great. Perhaps the greatest thing about the album is the cover photo! - Mick Sleeper - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust (1972) - David Bowie [CD, Amazon US]
[FR] [DE] [UK]
After flirting with heavy guitar rock ("The Man Who Sold the World") and lighter pop ("Hunky Dory"), Bowie found middle ground on Ziggy Stardust. The creation of the Ziggy Stardust persona would live on well after Bowie shed the alien skin, marking the first rock concept album by a sexually ambiguous, artistically bent musician who confounded critics at every turn. A blend of dramatic strings, swaggering saxophones, jagged guitars, and theatrical arrangements, the album's darker rock numbers like "It Ain't Easy," "Moonage Daydream," "Ziggy Stardust," and the irresistible "Suffragette City," still serve as solid excursions into the future (then and now) of rock. The buoyant "Hang on to Yourself" and the dreamy "Star" offer hints of optimism in Ziggy's bleak world. The dramatic "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and the image-heavy "Star Man" ("he'd like to come and meet us but thinks he'd blow our minds!") no doubt provided plenty of stage-worthy moments when Ziggy toured in the '70s, but years later they still thrill. Bowie blew our minds! --Lorry Fleming for amazon.com [...] - Neil Young - Harvest[Amazon US] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Proclaiming his intentions with "Are You Ready for the Country?" Young detoured briefly to the Nashville mainstream. On this No. 1 1972 album, even the singer's acquired-taste voice comes across smooth and beautiful--the smash "Heart of Gold," with steel guitars and Linda Ronstadt's backup vocals, is by far Young's most commercial-sounding song. His usual dissonant touches, like the otherworldly guitar in "Out on the Weekend," are less spooky in this new context. The last two tracks, the deceptively gentle "The Needle and the Damage Done" and the hypnotic rocker "Words (Between the Lines of Age)," predict "Tonight's the Night," Young's haunted 1975 classic. --Steve Knopper - Exile on Main Street (1972) - The Rolling Stones [1 CD, Amazon US]
From the swaggering frustration in the first song ("I only get my rocks off while I'm sleeping," Mick Jagger sings in the hyper "Rocks Off"), the Stones speed through familiar neighborhoods of country, blues, and R&B on Exile. They never even bother to stop when they've crashed into something. They don't leap into new worlds so much as master the old ones, turning Slim Harpo's blues obscurity "Hip Shake" into a harp-and-piano steamroller and setting spines a-cracking in "Ventilator Blues." Both "Tumbling Dice" and Keith Richards's "Happy" have become hits, but the 1972 album is most notable for its overall murky adrenaline. --Steve Knopper for amazon.com [...] - Soul Makossa (1972) - Manu Dibango [1 CD, Amazon US]
1. Soul Makossa 2. Big Blow 3. Bayam Sell 'Am 4. Baobab Sunset 5. Mwasa Makossa 6. Mimbo 7. Super Kumba 8. Qui Est Fou de Qui 9. Soir au Village 10. Bekosa 11. Senga 12. Pepe Soup 13. O Boso
This cd is an early African dance classic. The title track soul makossa was a hit worldwide, spawning some 40 cover version. This is hot funky afro-soul eith punchy drums, and wild sax. This is without a doubt one of Dibango's best. Christopher Spadone for amazon.com [...] - Clube Da Esquina - Milton Nascimento [1 CD, Amazon US]
1. Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser 2. Cais 3. O Trem Azul 4. Saidas E Bandeiras No. 1 5. Nuvem Cigana 6. Cravo E Canela 7. Dos Cruces 8. Um Girassol Da Cor De Seu Cabelo 9. San Vicente 10. Estrelas 11. Clube Da Esquina No. 2 12. Paisagem Da Janela 13. Me Deixa Em Paz 14. Os Povos 15. Saidas E Bandeiras No. 2 16. Um Gosto De Sol 17. Pelo Amor De Deus 18. Lilia 19. Trem De Doido 20. Nada Sera Como Antes 21. Ao Que Vai Nascer
Milton Nascimento/Lo Borges "Clube do Esquina" (EMI Odeon, 1972) Nascimento's masterpiece. A 2-LP set covering a very wide range of styles, from folky space rock and tropicalia, to hints of jazz fusion. Includes some of his loveliest melodies and most memorable tunes, as well as trippy tracks which push the envelope a bit. Issued here as a single disc CD -- highly recommended. [...] - Greetings From L.A. [IMPORT] - Tim Buckley [1 CD, Amazon US]
1. Move with Me 2. Get on Top 3. Sweet Surrender 4. Nighthawkin' 5. Devil Eyes 6. Hong Kong Bar 7. Make It Right
This is tremendous album. Buckley's voice was something else: he had a truly astonishing range, great control and timbre, and the ability to be both powerful and delicate. He was also a fine artist, who used his amazing voice more like a musical instrument. But just one note of correction: this album was NOT recorded live. It is a STUDIO album. Apart from the fact that there is no crowd noise whatsoever (even in between the tracks), the CD itself clearly states: "Recorded at Far Out Studios, Hollywood, CA"! For me, the two standout tracks are Sweet Surrender and Hong Kong Bar. The former is a simply amazing vocal performance. The latter is an acoustic number that is more reserved, but is quite emotional and touching. Move With Me, Get On Top and Devil Eyes and are all good. The weakest tracks are Nighthawkin' and Make It Right, but only because they seem almost ordinary compared to the others. Alistair Langford-Wilson for amazon.com [...] - Babe Ruth - First Base[1CD, Amazon US]
"Babe Ruth" remains a baseball player to most and a candy bar to many, but for those "in the know" they are one of the Great Undiscovered prog-rock bands of the 70's. "First Base" was thier finest hour, and stands the test of time rather well. Very strong arrangements and powerful lead vocals by Jenny Hann push this set right along.Standout songs include "The Mexican", with its Latin-tinged hard rock riffing and cleverly incorporated Morricone "quote" during the break. The compelling "Joker" benefits from a dynamic "trade-off" lead vocal duet. The band also displays formidable musicianship with an excellent cover of Frank Zappa's complex instrumental "King Kong" (very few groups have covered Zappa material, and there's a reason-it requires some serious chops!)A successful balance of melody, hard-driving rock and jazz-like complexity that doesn't quite sound like anyone else in the genre. Recommended for the adventurous! - D.Hartley for amazon.com <[1972 progressive rock classic, which features The Mexican, a track made popular in countless nightclubs around the world, has been sampled numerous times. You can buy the 'the Mexican'- track on the Afrika Bambaata comp on strut records.]