1973 music
Related: music - 1973 - 1970s music
Key recording: Soul Makossa (1972) - Manu Dibango
Larry Levan
The resident DJ at the Continental Baths walks out and the owner tells light-man Larry Levan that he’s got six hours to find a record collection. Levan becomes resident. The nightclub soundtrack of Motown and Soul gives way to Gamble and the Huff’s Philly sound. MFSB release; ‘Love Is The Message’ typifies gay clubbing in NYC. Disco as a genre is born with the success of Soul Makossa, based on its club play at the Loft.
First article on disco
MEDIA - Discotheque Rock '72: Paaaaarty! - Vince Aletti in Rolling Stone. The first major article citing disco and its music. Discotheques Break Singles - The first major mention of disco in a trade publication. This appeared in Billboard Magazine in late September. [[read the article]Funk and soul singles
- MFSB - 'Love is the Message'
- Manu Dibango - 'Soul Makossa'
- Gil Scott-Heron - The Bottle
- Boris Gardiner Happening - Melting Pot
- Barrabas - Woman/Wild Safari
- Tribe - Koke
- First Choice - Armed and Extremely Dangerous/Smarty Pants
- First Choice -Love & Happiness
- Getting Together - Brothers Guiding Light Featuring David (Mercury, 1973)
- King Tubby (1973) stereo dub album 'Blackboard Jungle'
- O'Jays - For The Love Of Money
- Sun Ra - Space Is The Place
- The Moments - Sexy Mama
- Brief Encounter - Human
- Skull Snaps - My Hang Up is You
- Intruders - I'll Always Love my Mama
- Fatback Band - Goin' to See My Baby
- Incredible Bongo Band - Apache/Bongo Rock http://www.allthingsdeep.com/dge/bongo.htm
- Yellow Sunshine - Yellow Sunshine
- Chuck Mangione - Land of Make Believe
- Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes - The Love I Lost
CDs
- Catch a Fire (1973) - Bob Marley [Amazon US] [FR] [DE] [UK]
With this, his major-label debut, Bob Marley not only became an international superstar, so did reggae itself. The world of music would never be the same after the burning, classic tracks of "Stir It Up," "Slave Driver," and "Concrete Jungle." Everything about this 1973 platter is seminal--Marley's lyrics are political, but never preaching; there's not a dud track on the entire disc; the accompaniment of Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston is unbeatable; and while this is classic reggae, it never sounds clichéd. This is, quite simply, as timeless as music gets. With great packaging, this deluxe edition gathers the original album and the unreleased Jamaican version. The Jamaican disc features a different mastering and sequence, and two additional tracks that show Marley's softer side--"Hide Tide or Low Tide" and "All Day All Night." --Jason Verlinde - Wild and Peaceful (1973) - Kool & The Gang [Amazon US]
Originally formed as the Jazziacs in 1964, Kool & The Gang took their new identity in 1969 when they signed with DeLite Records. Led by bassist Robert "Kool" Bell, this horn-driven band left their jazz roots behind when they combined the rhythmic elements of funk with the party flavor of disco. With no formal lead vocalist, their songs relied more on grooves and instrumental power than pretty lyrics sung by a pretty voice (though this would change in the 1980s when they added lead singer J.T. Taylor). Released in 1973, Wild and Peaceful broke them to a wider crossover audience. Fueled by three killer hit singles--"Funky Stuff," "Jungle Boogie," and "Hollywood Swinging"--the Kool & the Gang sound hits full throttle here. For killer party jams, this is the one. --Tom Vickers for Amazon.com - Funky Kingston (1973 - Toots & The Maytals [1 CD, Amazon US]
By 1975, rock audiences were finally getting heavily into reggae, thanks to the success of Bob Marley's first two albums and Jimmy Cliff's soundtrack for The Harder They Come. Funky Kingston, a collection of early '70s Maytals singles, was released to capitalize on the newfound demand for Jamaican sounds, and it did not disappoint--nor will it disappoint anyone who comes across it today. With Toots Hibbert's gritty vocals at the fore, this is the closest reggae ever got to American soul music. If sublimely funky tracks such as "Time Tough," "Got to Be There," and "Pressure Drop" don't make you smile, then their ganja-laced cover of John Denver's "Country Roads" (complete with a shout-out to "West Jamaica") should definitely do the trick. --Dan Epstein for amazon.com - Coffy [SOUNDTRACK] (1973) - Roy Ayers [1 CD, Amazon US]
1. Coffy Is the Color Listen Listen 2. Pricilla's Theme Listen Listen 3. King George Listen Listen 4. Aragon Listen Listen 5. Coffy Sauna Listen Listen 6. King's Last Ride 7. Coffy Baby 8. Brawling Broads 9. Escape 10. Shining Symbol 11. Exotic Dance 12. Making Love 13. Vittroni's Theme-King Is Dead 14. End of Sugarman
The film that gave Pam Grier her first leading role and vaulted her to queen bee of the blaxploitation movement also inspired a soundtrack that is arguably Roy Ayers's most rewarding work. Grier plays a disgruntled nurse who goes "underground" to exact revenge on the pusher men who put the monkey on her junkie sister's back. Ayers matches her step for gun-totin' step with crisp, percolating drum lines; colorful ripples of electric piano; and his signature, lissome vibe work. Ayers' twin talents--the head-scratching virtuosity of his jazz runs and the ass-shaking grooves of his R&B rhythms--are in full flower on this recording. But Coffy is more than an acid-jazz archetype. The classically inspired solo harpsichord piece and the wack auxiliary percussion freak-out also included here hint at a deeper pool of inspiration that Ayers would rarely return to again. --Matt Hanks for amazon.com [...] [...] - Chuck Mangione - Land of Make Believe [1 CD, Amazon US]
Land of Make Believe is a live concert album, recorded before Chuck Mangione broke through with his hit "Feels So Good". It's a great view into some of his earlier (and argueably better) music. To me this album rests on two songs: "Land of Make Believe" and "Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor". Legend starts off this set with a driving percussion riff. It then breaks into a great, upbeat tempo'ed, instrumental piece that provides many solos to enjoy. Land takes the concert into another direction, bringing a great vocalist [Esther Satterfield] onto the stage to mesmorize you. The lyrics to the song are at once both hopeful and haunting, and the music just absolutely soars. All other songs on this album, although decent in their own right, pales in comparrison to these two. - African Herbsman (1973) - Bob Marley [1 CD, Amazon US]
1. Lively Up Yourself 2. Small Axe 3. Duppy Conqueror 4. Trench Town Rock 5. African Herbsman 6. Keep On Moving 7. Fussing And Fighting 8. Stand Alone 9. All In One 10. Don't Rock The Boat 11. Put It On 12. Sun Is Shining 13. Kaya 14. Riding High 15. Brain Washing 16. 400 Years
[...] the "tinny" sound just comes with the territory (sometimes) when you delve into the older Wailers recordings. If you are new to the Wailers, this would not be my first recommendation, but it is a very fine album none the less, worthy of inclusion in any Marley collection. However, may I also recommend an alternative... "Bob Marley and The Wailers: The Early Years". You'll get a lot of the same songs, plus other great hard to find tunes, plus better sound. I normally hesitate to recommend "greatest hits" type albums but this one is exceptional and a safe bet if you're unable to collect each individual album from Bob's early work. Also, if you like "African Herbsman" or "...The Early Years" check out "Rasta Revolution"...a groundbreaking and overlooked gem, in my opinion. Any of the above mentioned albums are an excellent way to explore Bob's music before the more commercial Chris Blackwell production values came into the picture. A Lee Perry production. -- big_wheel from Los Angeles for amazon.com [...] - The New York Dolls (1973) - New York Dolls [1 DVD, Amazon US]
In 1972, when rock & roll was all but dead in Manhattan, five cross-dressing glam punks from the boroughs convened and began hammering out crude, sub-Chuck Berry rock for the downtown in-crowd. It took another year before a record company dared to sign them, thus foisting The New York Dolls on an essentially uninterested world. Taking their cue from the band's guitarist/Keefalike Johnny Thunders, hardcore Dolls fans pooh-poohed Todd Rundgren's production as wimpy: twenty-five years after its release, songs like "Personality Crisis" and "Looking for a Kiss" sound more trashily invigorating than ever. With the Rolling Stones finished as a vital force by '73, the doomed Dolls were there to step into the void. A classic. --Barney Hoskyns for amazon.com [...] -
Milagre Dos Peixes - Milton Nascimento [1 CD, Amazon US]
This album was the 1973 follow-up to '72's epochal "Clube Da Esquina." It's a brave, integrity-filled move that doesn't attempt to duplicate "CDE" in the least. Emotion-filled and at times a bit creepy, it features wordless vocals and sound effects in lieu of lyrics, most of which were banned by the military dictator schmucks then in power in Brazil. This reissue has a different cover than the original and inferior sound, but the great, proper Abbey Road-remastered version seems to be out of print (EMI, what are you DOING! ). Nevertheless, this is an important work that deserves to be heard one way or another. Musically, it's nothing like you might expect, it's a work you need to set aside some time to absorb properly. Its riches will reveal themselves to you eventually, and you'll then embark on a mission to track down the good CD version of this, which even reproduces the lavish packaging of the original. This is music as deep and wide as the ocean... -- Greg Casseus for amazon.com [...] - Herbie Hancock - Headhunters [Amazon US]
Album Details
Limited Millennium Edition. Packed in a Heavy Weight Card Wallet that Faithfully Recreates the Original Vinyl Sleeve, Right Down to the Inner Bag. The Wallet Comes in a Plastic Cover.
Sampled by Ashley Beedle in 'Blacker than Thou' [...] - Skull Snaps [IMPORT][Amazon US]
1. My Hang up Is You 2. Having You Around 3. Didn't I Do It to You 4. All of a Sudden 5. It's a New Day 6. I'm Your Pimp 7. I Turn My Back on Love 8. Trepasssing 9. I'm Falling Out of Love
Is it for "It's a New Day" by any chance? If you don't have this, then click "Buy Now" and add one of the all-time classics to your collection. By itself, this fantastic tune justifies the price of admission. And if you're a beatmonger digging deeper? Weeeell.... the rest of this album is an enjoyable, if inessential, slice of soul'n'funk. You _can_ live without it. I guess it's a shame the enigmatic Skull Snaps never got more material onto disc. But when your only album includes one of eternity's phattest drum breaks, I'd say you've done enough already. a music fan for amazon.com - Space is the Place - Sun Ra[Amazon US]
The 20 minute plus title cut is one of the most amazing songs ever recorded in the history of music recording. It is one of the very few pieces, of all time by anyone, which deserves adjectives such as "mindblowing." The shorter pieces are upper level Sun Ra recordings. Powerful, incredible music. - John Martyn - Solid Air [1 CD, Amazon US]
What a totally wonderful album!! It's one of those works that truly have something for everyone. A love of left-field jazz and blues led him to this scintillating formula that you can kick back and enjoy (repeatedly!) or pick through for cool, groovy samples. I had long heard of this album as a big influence on folks I really respect, but that still didn't prepare me for the bewitching effect of this magical effort. Why, pray tell, is this guy not world famous? Upon further investigation, I found that "Bless The Weather" and "Inside Out" are also incredible, especially the former. This is ideal for listening on a cool, breezy, sensuous evening, but the moments on it that challenge that idyllic scenario are the ones that will keep you coming back for more. Also highly recommended to Terry Callier fans. I wish some ad agency would put something from here in some commercial, and get him some deserved recognition while he's still around to enjoy it, unlike his late buddy Nick Drake. GET THIS ALBUM -- Greg C from NY for amazon.com [A friend of mine has been listening to this for quite some time, I discovered it through Gilles ]
- Cosmic Slop - Funkadelic [1 CD, Amazon US]
My favourite Funkadelic recording, including 'Cosmic Slop', later versioned by Bill Laswell's Material. 1973. Detroiter George Clinton was both behind Parliament and Funkadelic. [...]