I wanted to compile a muxtape of some of Scott Miller's favorite songs of 1977, but I only had about a half-dozen of the songs in my iTunes, and it was the boring half that everyone knows.
Over the past few days, I've dug up some of Scott's more obscure songs, and here's a mix with seven of them along with five more songs that I'd probably include on a best of 1977 compilation.
Vintage 1977
Tracks 1-7 are from Scott Miller's "Music: What Happened? - 1977".
1. "Aliens In Our Midst" - The Twinkeyz
When I first heard the Twinkeyz song on their 1998 cd reissue, it sounded a lot like "Brimful of Asha" by Cornershop , probably because both songs borrow the same VU riff.
2. "Bored Teenagers" - The Adverts
I knew of the Adverts, but didn't know the b-side to "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" until I found it online this week. I don't listen to a lot of "punk rock", but this is a great song.
3. "Where The Fun Is" - Chris Stamey
Another b-side (to "Summer Sun") and another great song. I have this on some home-burned compilation I can't find, so I had to find the song online.
4. "Ca Plane Por Moi" - Plastic Bertrand
If "Ca plane" came out in 1977, what's it doing on all those "hits of the 80s" compilations? I have this on Sire's great Just Say Yesterday compilation.
5. "Father Christmas" - The Kinks
I discussed this one last December (on the 11th day of Hot Roxmas), but Christmas music in July is definitely a concept I can get behind.
6. "Go Your Own Way" - Fleetwood Mac
7. "Heroes" - David Bowie
Blah blah blah.. Everyone knows these songs. I wanted to include Van Duren's "Oh Babe", but haven't picked up that reissue of Are You Serious? yet.
Tracks 8-12 are from my best of 1977 mix tape (compiled circa-199?)
8. "I Want You To Want Me" - Cheap Trick
The magnetism of Robin Zander, the charisma of Rick Nielsen. I'm one of the few people who likes the studio version of this song more than the live version that broke CT to a wide audience.
9. "Johnny Carson" - The Beach Boys
From the Love You album. The lyrics are kind of silly, but this song is a work of genius, musically speaking.
10. "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - Abba
Is this the greatest song ever? Maybe not, but it's definitely one of the top three Abba songs ever. Can't believe this one got scrapped in the movie version of Mamma Mia!
11. "Mull of Kintyre" - Paul McCartney & Wings
There are two kinds of Macca fans: the ones who like "Mull of Kintyre" and the ones who don't. I'm in the former camp. Another Paul hit from 1977 was the live version of "Maybe I'm Amazed", which also starts with the letter M (these songs are in alphabetical order, btw).
12. "Night Fever" - The Bee Gees
When I saw Scott Miller cover this song solo at SF's Bottom of the Hill during the release show for the Eggbert Bee Gees tribute, I started to realize that beneath all that polyester and gold chains was one of the best hits of the 1970s.
Right up there with "Knowing Me, Knowing You".
3 comments:
Re: Cheap Trick.
You may find it funny to hear that Robin Zander has described the studio version of "IWYTWM" as "jaunty" (with the piano)- a word I thought captured the sound remarkably well.
Yeah, you are probably in the minority on liking that version better.
:)
Scott is wrong about "Watching the Detectives" being the Attractions' debut. It's Nick Lowe on bass, Steve Goulding on drums, and Bob Andrews on keyboards, sounding - strangely enough - exactly like the band that was about to become EC's backing group.
There are two kinds of Macca fans: the ones who like "Mull of Kintyre" and the ones who don't. I'm in the former camp.
I, too, am in the former. Except I more appropriately fall into the "I like Mull of Kintyre, but I love love love Girls Schools" camp. I was dumbfounded when Mull O' became the hit.
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