IT WAS A JAMBOREE – Twenty great albums of 1973

[email protected] September 4, 2020

Ten years on from the hysteria arising from the first wave of Beatlemania, there was still no evidence of rock music pausing for breath.

Although the Fabs had since split amid rancour and diverging musical paths – 1973 roughly the halfway point between the going of The Beatles and coming of the Sex Pistols – the creative energy that had propelled popular music to unimagined levels of accomplishment through the 60s and early 70s, showed little sign of abating as the new decade entered its third year.

Indeed, when the 12 months was up the key question seemed not how much higher rock could aim in regard to artistic expression, but had it moved too far from the simple exuberance and youthful rebellion of its core origins?

Worth bearing in mind is that several pioneers of the form, Dylan, Lennon, McCartney, Wilson, Jagger, Richards, were barely into their 30s, while others, Townshend, Gaye, Davies, Wonder, had yet to reach that milestone – in most cases their outlook not yet darkened by negative perceptions of wealth and fame.

Lennon had seemingly written the 60s out of his system with the magnificent ‘Plastic Ono Band‘ (1970), while Pete Townshend would shortly address the contradictions of being a rock star at 30 on the equally compelling ‘The Who By Numbers‘.

Yet in 1973, Townshend, a true visionary of the time, found inspiration in looking backward, conjuring ‘QUADROPHENIA‘ a second thematic Who album (1969 rock opera ‘Tommy‘ being the first) – this latest based upon the life of Jimmy, a devout member of a teenage movement known as ‘Mods’ with whom The Who identified at the time of their 1965 emergence.

While the music was strident, complex and innovative (The Who producing no end of audacious performances across the double album), lyrically Townshend examined the insecurities, disaffection and unanswered questions of youth – themes that made rock music so identified with the young, but here articulated with great eloquence and delivered amongst some of the most ambitious musical progressions ever recorded.

If anything the Pink Floyd opus ‘THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON‘ was layered with even more complexity. For their eighth album they produced an epic meditation on death, greed, paranoia and conflict – wrapped in the unsettling notion of modern life amounting to little more than sacrifice and forlorn hope.

Despite such a disconcerting message, the music was a breathtaking mix of bold tangents and rich textures ranging from the potent, sneering rock of ‘Money‘ to symphonic pieces such as ‘Time‘ and ‘Us and Them.’ Amidst the sound effects and synthesised plot devices, the inventive use of saxophone and keyboards added extra dimensions to a record already extraordinary in scope.

Indeed, such is the inch-perfect cohesion, there is a sense the songs only realise their full value when heard within the entity – ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ a strong contender for the most fully developed conceptual work rock music has produced.

While the synthesizer enhanced the work of The Who and Pink Floyd, it was used to no lesser effect by Stevie Wonder on his stunning ‘INNERVISIONS.’

At the age of 23 he completed the transition from young wonder to man genius, his one-person exercise in astounding creativity (Wonder wrote and played virtually every note himself), resulting in a heady mix of soul, funk, rock and jazz. Using background effects of traffic noise and street talk, he infused the songs with sure-footed immediacy while addressing inequality, racism and poverty, the closing ‘He’s Misstra Know-It-All‘ a thinly veiled attack on then US President Richard Nixon.

Having had his say on the disaffection being felt in black neighbourhoods of urban America on the monumental ‘What’s Going On‘ two years before, Marvin Gaye followed one masterpiece with another – but with ‘LET’S GET IT ON‘ turned his focus from social deprivation to sensuality, the title track at once the most glorious paean to sex ever attempted.

Formerly a Motown stablemate of Gaye and Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips had jumped ship to Buddah over what they felt was label neglect. ‘IMAGINATION‘ however, ensured they were overlooked no longer and having a slew of marvelous Jim Weatherly songs come their way (‘Midnight Train to Georgia,’ ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me‘ to name two), set the seal on a superb collection of soul/pop – the cutting down on production polish from the Motown days allowing Gladys to be heard in all her captivating glory.

Also reaching a high-water mark was Elton John. In the autumn of 1973, he was just one ledge below the rock mountain top in terms of sales and popularity, the double set ‘GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD‘ elevating him to the summit. His seventh studio release in four years was chocked with engaging, coherent songs, he and lyricist Bernie Taupin striking an admirable consistency across the four sides in encompassing ballads, soft rock and whatever other styling took their fancy.

Of the other singer-songwriters hitting their chops, old hand Paul Simon produced a marvel of lyrical sophistication and musical diversity on ‘THERE GOES RHYMIN’ SIMON‘ while relative newcomer Jackson Browne followed the impressive high-standard of his self-titled debut (1972) with the equally accomplished ‘FOR EVERYMAN‘ – the momentous title-track a clear-eyed distillation of the late-60s counter-culture ethos, yet despite his concerns for the world, ‘Ready or Not‘ showed he was not without a sense of humour.

Joining them at the table reserved for wordsmiths of the highest order was Alan Hull, guitarist and chief songwriter for English folk-rockers Lindisfarne. With a dozen memorable songs already to his credit, Hull weighed in with the solo album ‘PIPEDREAM‘ – an LP that not only enhanced his already glowing reputation but went on to challenge ‘No Other‘ (1974) by ex-Byrd Gene Clark, as the great lost masterpiece of the decade.

New Jersey-born Bruce Springsteen had not yet scaled the heights of word-wizardry he would go on to attain (18 months later ‘Born to Run‘ dispelled any doubts on that score), his 1973 debut ‘Greetings From Astbury Park, N.J.’ and same year follow-up ‘THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E-STREET SHUFFLE‘ both contained portents of what would follow. More so the latter, which included ‘Rosalita‘ (Come Out Tonight), a song of such verve and originality it would have been career defining in the roster of just about anyone else.

The careers of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr had already been defined by their membership of a 60s group who had made some interesting records, but whereas 1970 had been the year of John and George (‘All Things Must Pass’), then in former-Beatle terms 1973 belonged to Paul and Ringo.

With ‘BAND ON THE RUN‘ Paul (and nominally Wings) finally made the striking statement people had been willing him to make since the Fabs’ split three years before – ‘Jet‘ and the title-track both joyously majestic, while ‘Let Me Roll It‘ was a sassy riposte to Lennon’s barbed ‘How Do You Sleep‘ indictment of Paul on ‘Imagine,’ McCartney even throwing in a sarcastic primal scream for good measure.

In many ways ‘RINGO‘ was even more revelatory.

Starr and producer Richard Perry gathered together a collection of fine performances and engaging songs, eight of which had Beatle fingerprints (the current antipathy between Paul and John not affecting their inclination to do Ringo a good turn). George, meanwhile, was often at the forefront of an all-Starr cast (sorry), including The Band, Billy Preston, Marc Bolan, Bobby Keyes, Martha Reeves, Jim Keltner and Harry Nilsson.

Together George and Ringo wrote the charming hit single ‘Photograph‘ a song featuring great 12-string guitar work from Harrison, the 12-string guitar making a welcome return to Beatle-circles with Paul adorning ‘Band on the Run‘ with some tasteful flourishes.

The one place where it could be most expected, however, was the reunion album of the five original Byrds, the trademark instrument of this groundbreaking band. Sadly, it was buried in a poor production job and amidst (save two decent Gene Clark songs) lacklustre material.

While 1965 had been a fantastic Byrd-year, the group creating folk-rock with the sonic majesty of ‘Mr Tambourine Man‘ then 1973 was a disaster.

The reunion record sullied the name, but worse still were the deaths of one-time Byrds Clarence White and country-rock founding father Gram Parsons – whose drug-related death at the age of just 26 in September, came a few months after release of his ‘GP‘ solo record. Showing just how soulful country-rock could be, Parsons did not live long enough to see others pick up his thread and carry it all the way to the bank.

In the two years prior to his death, Parsons found a kindred spirit in Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, the fruits of this friendship found in the country overtones found in several Stones tracks of the era. Their 1973 offering ‘Goats Head Soup‘ was a mixed bag with regard to quality and styling – weighty in places, thin in others, it broke a run of exemplary albums and was the first Rolling Stones LP in five years not essential in any comprehensive record collection.

In fact, the Stones were better heard in their influence on ‘ALADDIN SANE‘ by David Bowie and ‘MOTT‘ the sixth album from Mott the Hoople. Under pressure to repeat the massive commercial success and huge cultural impact of ‘Ziggy Stardust,’ at times Bowie sounds in a quandary on whether to strike out for new ground or stay and consolidate which serves to make ‘Aladdin Sane‘ an uneven ride, but at certain moments (‘The Jean Genie,’ ‘Drive-In Saturday‘), a no less exhilarating one.

Having produced their previous album and provided the title-track (‘All the Young Dudes‘), Bowie stood aside when Mott the Hoople came to make ‘Mott‘ – this self-produced effort, a wonderful evocation of rock and roll attitude and arrogance. Tracks such as ‘All the Way from Memphis‘ and ‘Honaloochie Boogie‘ sounded crisp and mean, while ‘Hymn for the Dudes‘ and ‘Ballad of Mott‘ showed a quieter if no less emotive side, front man Ian Hunter displaying a nice line in lyrical smart-arseary.

His lyrics were not willfully obtuse like some of those Steely Dan were making their name with – their second outing ‘COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY‘ meticulously played and arranged. The jazz rock sensibilities of dismissive duo Walter Becker and Donald Fagen gave off a superiority complex that was well-founded or arrogant, given your take on their slick, uncluttered production values.

There was (and never would be) anything amiss with the way Led Zeppelin albums were produced – the best recorded rock band on the planet, not to say most successful, marked 1973 with ‘HOUSES OF THE HOLY.’ While (just) falling short of previous standards, it showed more willingness to embrace different styles.

If to the faithful ‘No Quarter‘ and ‘Dancing Days‘ were sublime then to the unconverted ‘The Crunge‘ (Zeppelin were still splitting critics as late as ’73) was ridiculous, variable reviews having no effect on gargantuan sales – even so two years would pass before release of their next album.

Those unsure if reggae had the capacity to be rousing reckoned without ‘CATCH A FIRE‘ by Bob Marley and the Wailers. With the most influential reggae album to so far appear Marley gained international recognition, its influence felt not just in Caribbean communities, but embraced by those who in time would carry its social critiques (‘Concrete Jungle‘) into punk.

As if to emphasise just how arbitrary tastes were, among the biggest selling albums released in 1973 was Mike Oldfield’s ‘TUBULAR BELLS,’ a largely instrumental album performed mostly by multi-instrumentalist Oldfield, whose creation incorporated rock, folk and orchestral themes. With structure and accomplishment outweighing spontaneity, this was in direct contrast to the aptly named ‘RAW POWER‘ by Iggy Pop and The Stooges.

Co-produced by David Bowie, this mob of US punk rockers unleashed rather released a record of unmitigated ferocity and abrasive messages.

In a year when ‘Quadrophenia‘ (‘And yet I’ve lived your future out and pounded stages like a clown‘) and ‘The Dark Side of the Moon‘ (‘Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way‘) made big statements and reached for the stars with regard to intent, had Iggy and the Stooges come along and simply thrashed out what needed to be said?

For rock music in 1973 it was already the eternal question.

Twenty Great Albums of 1973:

1. QUADROPHENIA – The Who;
2. THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON – Pink Floyd
3. INNERVISIONS – Stevie Wonder;
4. BAND ON THE RUN – Paul McCartney & Wings;
5. FOR EVERYMAN – Jackson Browne;
6. LET’S GET IT ON – Marvin Gaye;
7. THERE GOES RHYMIN’ SIMON – Paul Simon;
8. MOTT – Mott the Hoople;
9. GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD – Elton John;
10. PIPEDREAM – Alan Hull;
11. RINGO – Ringo Starr;
12. ALADDIN SANE – David Bowie;
13. GP – Gram Parsons;
14. HOUSES OF THE HOLY – Led Zeppelin;
15. COUNTDOWN TO ECSTASY – Steely Dan;
16. THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E-STREET SHUFFLE – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band;
17. CATCH A FIRE – Bob Marley & the Wailers;
18. RAW POWER – Iggy Pop & the Stooges;
19. IMAGINATION – Gladys Knight & the Pips;
20. TUBULAR BELLS – Mike Oldfield; 

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