Monday, December 08, 2014

My Music Monday

Yesterday during yoga, our instructor (whom I really enjoy) ended the practice by playing Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home".

EEEEEEEK.

I turned to David afterwards and said, 'the mid-70s had a lot of shitty music.'

I know each decade does. I can claim to love '80s music, but just as much of it was horrid as was good. Maybe a 50/50 split is the best one can hope for.

But it got me thinking about today's selection and if there were good '70s stuff that is outside the expected "hits". Sure, I could go all K-Tel on your ass, and I could never forgive myself to do a "Hotel California" thing.  ....not that the Eagles or a version of "Shannon" is considered 'good '70s music'.

Back in the day (there's that phrase again) I was way into Jefferson Airplane, which became Jefferson Starship. You'll know the latter from their huge 1975 hit "Miracles".  Do not confuse Jefferson Starship with the possibly more popular and definitely more shitty Starship and their "We Built This City" crap.

I'd say music is a matter of personal taste, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that "We Built This City" is one big turd.

I would call Jefferson Starship's 1974 release, Dragon Fly, their debut, but technically that isn't true. Blows Against the Empire was, as their band line-up was not really complete on that latter disk. To be fair, their personnel was quite fluid for their first three disks.

Dragon Fly was kind of billed as Paul Kantner and Grace Slick's Jefferson Starship. Marty Balin, who had the band's biggest hits, didn't truly make the transition from Airplane to Starship until 1975's Red Octopus.

Dragon Fly successfully moved their transition of a psychedelic rock band into more of a progressive rock band, before they went to AM radio fare.

I'm running with "Ride the Tiger", the opening number from Dragon Fly for the MMM selection. Kantner takes the lead vocals, which he never had that much of a chance to do in this or prior bands. Slick does a good job at harmony and it also introduces their use of an electric violin, which they'd use for the next few years, quite liberally. But it has some good guitar work done by then 19 year old Craig Chaquico.

Since it was 1974, there is not video, per se. Considering it is 40+ years old (yikes!), I still dig it and still play it.

1 comment:

Robert said...

For the record, I love "Celebrate Me Home". lol

But yes, "We Built This City" is TERRIBLE!!!