Bachman-Turner Overdrive - BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE***

Gimme Your Money Please/Hold Back The Water/Blue Collar/Little Gandy Dancer/Stayed Awake All Night/Down & Out Man/Don't Get Yourself In Trouble/Thank You For The Feelin'

Self titled debut album from hard rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive, formed by former Guess Who guitarist Randy Bachman. They would achieve their commercial breakthrough with the next album. (US:70)

“Bachman Turner Overdrive's debut set was a melange of blue collar-style boogie, competent hard rock, and even a jazzy bossa nova number in Blue Collar.”

“Bachman Turner Overdrive's self titled debut long play is good solid testosterone rock. Great lead guitar, solid bass lines and a sturdy drummer are all there. This music is not intellectual or progressive in anyway, just good steady boogie rock.”

“Bachman-Turner Overdrive's debut is a wonderful slice of super hard and chunky yet hooky and sublime 70s hard rock heaven. They really know how to write gems and every song is spectacular. The album starts with a real one two punch in Gimme Your Money Please and Hold Back The Water. Blue Collar has a wonderfully mysterious air about it, and Stayed Awake All Night is a riff monster.”

“A good debut album. All the elements are here, the pot needed a little bit of stirring. Gimme Your Money Please and Hold Back The Water provide a strong opening before the blues-jazz of Blue Collar takes us to a completely different place all together. After the change of pace the album settles back in to the rock and roll groove and pretty much stays there.”

“The big boys from Bachman-Turner Overdrive started grindin' gears with over-the-road blues-based hard rockin' cuts on their self-titled debut.” “BTO do one of the best jobs of using the rock guitar to its full potential than any group in history. They also mix it with melodic arrangements, and the result is several all-time gems.”

“The band had much bigger hits later on, and maybe some still rank among their best, but for sheer power, tunefulness, and energy, this debut album is the one to get. Not a dud track in the whole bunch.”

Brothers & Sisters - THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND****

Wasted Words/Ramblin' Man/Come & Go Blues/Jelly Jelly/Southbound/Jessica/Pony Boy

Prior to the release of Brothers & Sisters the Allmans had tragically lost Duane Allman & Berry Oakley in motorcycle accidents. Despite these setbacks this release topped the US album chart with Ramblin’Man reaching No. 2 in the singles chart. (US:1 UK:42)

“It is a bit surprising how good this album is considering the passing of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. It would have probably been easier to disband than continue without two of the founding members. Instead, the group steps it up and produced Brothers & Sisters. In particular, the efforts of Dickey Betts should be noted as he takes the Allmans guitar playing in a different direction. He also is responsible for more than half of the tracks on this album, including Ramblin' Man.”

“The Allman Brothers Band were never known for their amazing studio albums, but they were necessary as a foundation for their live releases. There is a solid foundation underpinning this album, with upbeat and faster paced country songs, slower blues inspired ballads, and all the room for extended improvisation. However, that room is often times left empty compared to their previous albums.”

“The album sees them develop slightly from the dual-guitar southern rock blues-jam sound that they had done so much to popularise. Here they begin to assimilate a slightly more rootsy country-rock sound, with Gregg Allman’s opening Wasted Words being one of the finest examples of this revised sound. The whole album has an unmistakably American 70s rock vibe, at an audio junction where multicultural long-haired hippydom, blues-rock, country-rock and FM radio rock meet for a jam.”

“Competently played and sung but rather unexciting southern blues, verging more towards country-rock. That said Jessica is one of the sunniest tracks ever made, guaranteed to put you in a good mood, and Ramblin’ Man is superb as well. But as a whole the album didn't blow me away.”

“The Allman's give it a shot without Duane. You have to give them credit for going on, but this is the last album where they had even a little of the creative spark they'd once had. Brothers & Sisters has two gems, great as almost anything the Allmans ever did, Ramblin' Man and Jessica, and a solid rocker in Southbound. The rest vary from decent to mediocre.”

Hard Nose The Highway - VAN MORRISON***

Snow In San Anselmo/Warm Love/Hard Nose The Highway/Wild Children/The Great Deception/Bein' Green/ Autumn Song/Purple Heather

Hard Nose The Highway follows the trend of Van Morrison’s early 1970s albums in that the chart placing is lower than its predecessor. This confirms the views of some critics that his songwriting is beginning to decline. (US:27 UK:22)

“Opener is really weird, operatic country-soul-jazz. Apart from this it's more of the same stuff he does so well, maybe a bit more jazzy and jamming at times and less magic, but the ten minute jazz piece Autumn Song makes me lower the rating. A great album to play in the background, but it's hard to find any highlights here.”

“Had Morrison continued the direction that he showed on the opening track it would've been a very interesting record indeed, but immediately Warm Love makes things sound trite. The title track is good, but it is too long with repetitive choruses. Great Deception starts off sounding like the great lost Van song, but winds up sounding like a confused rant. On the other side, Bein' Green is fun and sounds fine with its brass and bold arrangements. Overall, this is a minor effort.”

“One of his more understated early 70s releases. It features the absolutely amazing Snow In San Anselmo, which I am at a loss to describe, only to say that it contains a jarring mix of rock, jazz and a classical choir that floors me every time I hear it.”

“I love Van Morrison when he's mellow, but he's relaxed to the point of comatose on this roadblock to an otherwise great run of music.”

“Could easily be re-titled “Snow in San Anselmo and other stories”, such is the shadow cast by the opening song over the rest. The breakneck jazz refrain, the soaring choral backing and the lyric rising from slumber to clamour conspire to produce an incredible five minute symphony. What follows is standard sweet-but-unremarkable fare.”

“Although I am a fan of all of Van's many periods, moods and styles, I find myself coming back to this album again and again. There's just a certain depth and spirituality to the music, a passion in the playing that makes this one stand out as a deeply personal and expressive piece of music-making. For me, this album begins Van's long spiritual quest, in which shorter song structures were abandoned for more open, personal tone poems.”

Tres Hombres - ZZ TOP***

Waitin' For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago/Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers/Master Of Sparks/Hot Blue & Righteous/Move Me On Down The Line/Precious & Grace/La Grange/Shiek/Have You Heard

Tres Hombres provided boogie-rock trio ZZ Top with their commercial breakthrough. Despite their limited musical range they would remain consistently popular with American audiences for the next decade. (US:8)

“Good, greasy, well played southern boogie/blues-rock from the top. They are really getting into their stride now, the band is tighter and punchier from the first note.”

“This could be their best studio recording. Rockin’ southern blues with some absolutely fantastic guitar and well written tunes. If you have never heard ZZ Top, this is the place to start.”

“It offers the perfect blend of rock and blues. The songs manage to gather a pretty unique sound while remaining interesting and enjoyable at the same time. What really holds the spotlight is the amazing guitar work throughout. There are some real jaw dropping moments ranging from the catchy riffs to the melting solos. This is an album that is all about hard rock fun, and it accomplishes just that. There is only the issue of lack of variety.”

“The name of the game is southern rock and Tres Hombres is a definitive album of the genre. Billy Gibbons' bluesy guitar wails like no other, his voice is perfect for this kind of music and the rock solid rhythm section adds a powerful performance.”

“There are some mildly interesting guitar solos, but when it comes down to it, ZZ Top remain dull, no matter what instruments they're using.” “From start-to-close, Tres Hombres is a gritty, down 'n' dirty set of cookin' cuts that signalled the arrival of ZZ Top as a power to be reckoned with. Shootin' off their guns and smokin' from the off, the down-home Top trio packed their unique brand of Texas style three chord blue-collar rock, blooze 'n' roadhouse boogie.”

“There is not a single weak moment on Tres Hombres. Every cut is top notch. There's quite a bit of variety too, from the mid-tempo blues of Jesus Just Left Chicago to the hard rock of Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers to the Memphis soul of Hot Blue & Righteous to the John Lee Hooker boogie of La Grange. Even the lesser known cuts are excellent.”

Innervisions - STEVIE WONDER****

Too High/Visions/Living For The City/Golden Lady/Higher Ground/Jesus Children Of America/All In Love Is Fair/Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing/He's Misstra Know It All

Soul legend Stevie Wonder was riding the crest of a wave during the seventies, although it could be argued that his reputation was rather overrated. Innervisions features the US top ten hits Higher Ground and Living For The City. (US:4 UK:8)

“There is very little exuberance here, nor joy. The light-hearted playfulness of 'Little' Stevie's sweet Motown blockbusters is all but gone. In its place comes a raw, down to earth, at times angry or despondent mood that taps into the darker sides of American society.”

“Boring, tepid soul that mistakes itself for something great. Gaudy keys abound over Wonder sounding as if he's about to fall asleep at the wheel. The songs are all slow-tempo vaguely optimistic piano-driven pieces that barely bother to punch their target, which is oppression.”

“Far too dated and plastic sounding to be deserving of its incredibly overblown reputation. The entire product was composed with a single synthesiser, and it sure sounds like it. Featuring culturally important messages in the lyrics might give Stevie a slightly messianic vibe, but that isn't going to garner this album any further points.”

“Innervisions is a soulful and creative record which sees Stevie Wonder at the peak of his creative powers and sees him producing, composing, arranging, singing and, on several tracks, playing all the accompanying instruments. This is what makes this such a genius work of art which should be admired by everyone.”

“I can pretty much understand why many people love this, and I respect the whole personal visionary creative aspect and the talent and passion behind it, but ultimately it's really just wimpy, slick 70s funk pop radio fodder.”

“One of those albums that is absolutely perfect in every way, from the lyrical content to the production and beyond. Better yet, it's full of both heart and soul, while at the same time managing to provoke thought and reminiscing. This is music at its finest, and it's all the work of just one man. Even taken in individual parts, the album is breathtaking, but taken as a whole, it is something truly magnificent.”

“Avoiding the artistic excesses that would threaten to topple his later works, Stevie perfected his sound, production and vocal delivery on these nine flawless numbers.”

Long Hard Climb - HELEN REDDY***

Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)/Lovin' You/A Bit OK/Don't Mess With A Woman/Delta Dawn/The West Wind Circus/If We Could Still Be Friends/Long Hard Climb/Until Its Time For You To Go/The Old Fashioned Way

With her distinctive voice Helen Reddy enjoyed considerable success in the USA during the early 1970s. Long Hard Climb features the US No.1 Delta Dawn and No.3 Leave Me Alone. (US:8)

Two big hits highlight this album, Delta Dawn and Leave Me Alone, but there are so many fine cuts that I recommend this collection highly. Helen's singing is both powerful and subtle. When you hear her voice you know instantly it's her - not many singers can be identified by their voice. Her West Wind Circus is especially haunting and tells a story which makes you imagine it in your head like a movie.”

“Her vocal styling made an impact on the pop sound for female vocalists in the early 70s. This LP is an educational experience in the sound of that period - pure pop that could be mellow.”

“Sans beating the drum of the Top Ten hits from this album the majority of the non single tracks are absolute gems by top notch songwriters of the time.”

“She was such a huge seller in the seventies. I have never understood why she is so underrated. I just love these old songs which take me back there. She has the voice of an angel.”

“So different and refreshing, that pure voice still gets me with its inflection of humour. Nothing beats Helen Reddy for picking me up at the end of hard day. I love A Bit OK played loud in the car and Long Hard Climb is a sumptuous ballad.”

“For those who like the record for its sound, its layered, early 70s soft rock, AM pop, MOR sound, this is quite enjoyable, particularly because the quality of the songs is quite consistent.”

“Ironically for a singer so associated with a tale of empowerment, Reddy isn't a particularly assertive vocalist; she tends to blend into the production of the record. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since it enhances the enjoyment as sheer sound and as a period piece, since they certainly stopped arranging and producing records like this a few years after it was released.”

We're An American Band - GRAND FUNK***

We're An American Band/Stop Lookin' Back/Creepin'/Black Licorice/The Railroad/Ain't Got Nobody/Walk Like A Man (You Can Call Me Your Man)/Loneliest Rider

With the release of We’re An American Band Grand Funk achieved peak popularity with their adolescent male fan base. Some critics dismissed this as too commercial, but the title track still topped the US singles chart. (US:2)

“A great deal more melodic than their earlier offerings but still good. Their chunkier offerings are a little faceless here but the longer slower ones have a grand and sweeping solidity.”

“They were getting a bit too much on the polished, slickly, commercial side by this album. I love the opening track but everything that follows pales in comparison. They're all good enough tunes, but they seem to be lacking something. Still a fun listen overall though.”

“Consistently decent, but by no means great, semi-commercial hard rock, with a somewhat heavy sound. But what is lacking here, and what prevents it from being great, is any really interesting material. Rundgren's rather commercial production makes it sound really slick, but there doesn't seem to be much of a foundation in the song writing department.”

“Why does everyone say Grand Funk are not original? Can someone name a band with better straightforward rock, fine songwriting and excellent playing? It is not really subtle, I admit, but I do like this very much.”

“This is the album where Grand Funk Railroad turned commercial. The funk is still there, though not as noticeable as before. The hard rock is still there, but again, it was more noticeable on previous albums. What this album does very well is succeed in sheer amazing songwriting. You can practically sing along to any one of these vocal melodies, and the album feels like it would work really well at a party.”

“Grand Funk Railroad often lost the respect of the critics, but never of their fans. Employing the production talents of Todd Rundgren, and a introducing full time keyboardist, Mark, Don and Mel came up with a highly successful meeting of commercial ditties, with a hard rockin' edge. The best example, Creepin', has an almost mystical background, with strongly hypnotic vocal, that no hard rock fan should be able to resist. Although the title track, We're An American Band, has become a rock and roll anthem, little else on the album will disappoint.”