Fifty Years of Music. 1973 was a great year musically and personally. Fifty years ago, I was spending the first Christmas with my new girlfriend, Mary Kit and so the songs of that year have that special place in time in my heart.
Here's a few personal opinions from the featured albums above.
- No sophomore slump with the Eagles, as their second album is their best.
- Stevie Wonder takes it to a whole other level. Stevie opens my ears to R&B and I start to expand my musical tastes.
- Paul Simon makes an album for the ages. My personal favorite from his great body of work.
- With this album, The Who cement the bronze metal just behind The Rolling Stones silver, and then there is The Beatles, at the top of the platform.
- Two albums by Elton John and Fleetwood Mac with song after song included here. I miss Christine.
- Jackson Browne is becoming a legend, but just wait for the one next year.
- Neil Young is drifting here, but I still want to believe.
- Dave Mason finally gets a little solo attention, and I'm including almost every song from the album.
- The Faces make a better album than The Stones in 1973.
- Seals and Crofts make their last great album, and I played that thing to death in my bedroom.
- Pink Floyd actually made some good songs that I listened to in 1973. Then, classic rock stations killed the song, Money as it goes into the category of "songs ruined by radio."
- Harry Nilsson can do it all. I miss Harry, I wonder if only...
- Bonnie Raitt is quietly picking up steam.
- Mary Kit gets me listening to David Bowie, but years later I realize his early sound is the rock 'n' roll greatness of Mick Ronson. How could Bowie let him go?
- Bob Dylan makes a wonderful soundtrack and song that is one of my favorites of all-time.
- Two albums by Paul McCarthy and one by John Lennon without much mention here.
- Tom Waits, what an incredible debut album. The songwriting and simple performance knocks me out 50 years down the road. I was so out to lunch and completely missed this one as an 18 year old.
- Love the acoustic arrangements as Led Zeppelin builds even a wider spectrum of fans.
- Joe Walsh. Always a great song or two on every album he made. Enough to fill arenas for years and years, and that's just the solo part of his career.
- Loggins and Messina sing Lahaina, and I cry listening to it 50 years later watching the town burn down in 2023.
- Steely Dan is just killing it by 1973, with more to come. Anybody remember Skunk Baxter? He's still alive by the way. Steely Dan always had great songs performed by some of the best players in the world.
- George Harrison makes a solid album. I know it's not necessary to root for George Harrison, but I always wanted him to do well after the Beatles. I missed George this week listening to the Traveling Wilburys CD in the car.
- Mark Twain and John Prine, now that's a couple centuries of Americana all spun in the wonderful writing of these two giants. I miss John Prine. Dear Abby, Dear Abby...
Enjoy my 1973 playlist compiled from all my #FiftyYearsInMusic blogs this year. There are lots of deep cuts here my friends.
p.s. Don't forget my Christmas Mix 2023, I've added a few more videos!