Paul McCartney - McCartney (1970)

"McCartney" (1970) is the debut solo album by Paul McCartney. Apart from Linda McCartney's vocal contributions, McCartney performed (and recorded) the entire album solo. Featuring loosely arranged (and in some cases, unfinished) home recordings, McCartney further explored the "back-to-basics" style

Paul McCartney retreated from the spotlight of the Beatles by recording his first solo album at his home studio. Appropriately, McCartney has an endearingly ragged, homemade quality that makes even its filler and there is quite a bit of filler rather ingratiating. Only a handful of songs rank as full-fledged McCartney classics, but those songs the light folk-pop of "That Would Be Something," the sweet, gentle "Every Night," the ramshackle Beatles leftover "Teddy Boy," and the staggering "Maybe I'm Amazed" (not coincidentally the only rocker on the album) are full of all the easy melodic charm that is McCartney's trademark. The rest of the album is charmingly slight, especially if it is read as a way to bring Paul back to earth after the heights of the Beatles. At the time the throwaway nature of much of the material was a shock, but it has become charming in retrospect.

Tracklist

01.  The Lovely Linda  - 0:42

02.  That Would Be Something  - 2:37

03.  Valentine Day  - 1:40

04.  Every Night  - 2:30

05.  Hot as Sun/Glasses  - 2:06

06.  Junk  - 1:54

07.  Man We Was Lonely  - 2:57

08.  Oo You  - 2:47

09.  Momma Miss America  - 4:04

10.  Teddy Boy  - 2:22

11.  Singalong Junk  - 2:34

12.  Maybe I'm Amazed  - 3:49

13.  Kreen-Akrore  - 4:14

Personnel

Paul McCartney - bass, drums, acoustic guitar, lead guitar, piano, Mellotron, organ, toy xylophone, lead vocals

Linda McCartney - Harmony, backing vocals

Notes

Released:  20 April 1970

Recorded at:  McCartney's Home; Morgan Studios, Willesden and

Abbey Road

Studio No. 2, London

Genre:  Rock, Pop, Experimental

Length:  35:03

Label:  Apple

Producer:  Paul McCartney

All songs written by:  Paul McCartney

Melanie - Candles In The Rain (1970)

1970s "Candles in the Rain" was Melanie Safka's third album, but while her first two LPs found her trying to make a coherent whole out of her grab bag of influences and ideas, this was where she seemed to truly hit the mark for the first time. "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" was that rarity, a hit single that truly presented an eclectic artist in her best light -- the Woodstock rock festival that inspired the tune was just the sort of event that would appeal to Melanie's hippie-styled idealism, and with the power of the Edwin Hawkins Singers backing her, she had a level of musical strength on hand that would prevent her from sounding histrionic. While "Lay Down" was easily the most effective track on Candles in the Rain, the rest of the album found Melanie sounding more confident and expressive than ever before -- there's a emotional gravity to "Citiest People" and "Leftover Wine" that's compelling even when she pushes a little to hard for pathos, and "What Have They Done to My Song Ma?" was the first of her many musical broadsides against the music business, and its wit doesn't blunt its wounded passion. And while Melanie is generally thought of as a singer/songwriter, she was always an imaginative interpreter of the songs of others, and her versions of "Ruby Tuesday" and "Carolina on My Mind" exist on an entirely separate plane from the originals. Finally, the production and arrangements by Peter Schekeryk create fine backdrops for Melanie, punctuating her performances and complementing her emotional peaks and valleys without getting in the way (and the accompanists deliver uniformly superb work).
"If Candles in the Rain" was the album that broke Melanie to a larger audience, it did so not just because it featured her biggest hit single to date, but because it matched material and interpretation with greater skill than she had in the past, and it ranks with her finest work.

Tracklist

01.  Candles in the Rain  (Taylor)  - 1:42

02.  Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)  (Melanie)  - 3:49

03.  Carolina in My Mind  (Taylor)  - 3:37

04.  Citiest People  (Melanie)  - 3:32

05.  What Have They Done to My Song, Ma  (Melanie)  - 4:02

06.  Alexander Beetle  (Melanie, Milne)  - 2:35

07.  The Good Guys  (Melanie)  - 3:08

08.  Lovin' Baby Girl  (Melanie)  - 4:20

09.  Ruby Tuesday  (Jagger, Richards)  - 4:32 

10.  Leftover Wine  (Melanie)  - 6:06

Personnel

Melanie - Guitars, Vocals

Alan Parker - Guitars

Alan Hackshaw - Keyboards, Organ

Edwin Hawkins - Keyboards, Piano

Harold McNair - Fiddle, Flute

Herbie Flowers - Bass

Barry Morgan - Drums

Rico Reyes - Congas, Percussion

Notes
Released:  April 1970

Genre:  Pop

Label:  Buddah Records

Length:  37:41

Producer:  Peter Schekeryk

(30) Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Deja Vu (1970)

Déjà Vu is the first album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the second by the trio configuration of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It was released in March of 1970 by Atlantic Records. It topped the pop album chart for one week and generated four singles: “Teach Your Children,” “Our House,” “Woodstock” and “Carry On”. Déjà Vu was greatly anticipated after the popularity of the first CSN album and the addition of Young to the group. Stills estimates that the album took around 800 hours of studio time to record; this figure may be exaggerated, even though the individual tracks display meticulous attention to detail. The songs, except for “Woodstock”, were recorded as individual sessions by each member, with each contributing whatever was needed that could be agreed upon. Young does not appear on all of the tracks, and drummer Dallas Taylor and bassist Greg Reeves are credited on the cover with their names in slightly smaller typeface. Jerry Garcia plays pedal steel on “Teach Your Children” and John Sebastian plays mouth-harp on the title track. The popularity of the album contributed to the success of the four albums released by each of the members in the wake of Déjà Vu: Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush, Stephen Stills’ self-titled solo debut, David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name, and Graham Nash’s Songs for Beginners. In 2003, the album was ranked number 148 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Track listing

01.  Carry On  (Stephen Stills)  - 4:26
02.  Teach Your Children  (Nash)  - 2:53
03.  Almost Cut My Hair  (Crosby)  - 4:31
04.  Helpless  (Young)  - 3:33
05.  Woodstock  (Joni Mitchell)  - 3:54
06.  Déjà Vu  (Crosby)  - 4:12
07.  Our House  (Nash)  - 2:59
08.  4 + 20  (Stills)  - 2:04
09.  Country Girl:  (Young)  - 5:11
       (a) Whiskey Boot Hill/
       (b) Down, Down, Down/
       (c) Country Girl (I Think You're Pretty)
10.  Everybody I Love You  (Stills, Young)  - 2:21

Released:  March 11, 1970
Recorded at:  Wally Heider's Studio C, San Francisco and Wally Heider's Studio III, Los Angeles
Genre:  Folk Rock, Country Rock
Length:  36:24
Label:  Atlantic
Producer:  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Engineer:  Bill Halverson

Personnel
David Crosby - rhythm guitar, vocals
Stephen Stills - guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
Graham Nash - rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals
Neil Young - guitar, keyboards, harmonica, vocals
Dallas Taylor - drums, percussion
Greg Reeves - bass
Jerry Garcia - pedal steel guitar
John Sebastian - harmonica

(17) Ekseption - Beggar Julia's Time Trip (1970)

Ekseption's successful debut-album had made them a big name even outside of Holland but Kruisman, Kampen and Leeuwe decided to leave the band in 1970. Dick Remelinck and Dennis Whitebread soon replaced them. The band also included singer Michael van Djik in the new line-up, introducing vocals to their sound. Their second album "Beggar Julia's Time Trip" was an ambitious and continuous concept-album that stands as one of the band's finest moments. The concept told the story of a female beggar who lived in year 900. One day she encounters some kind of a time-machine/space-ship that takes her on a journey through the centuries and up to our time. Musically, the album mixes classical themes with original material written by van der Linden. This includes a very beautiful, medieval-influenced overture, the rocking/jazzy "Pop Giant", the baroque "Feelings" and the vocal-number "Julia". The classical adaptations included Albinoni's "Adagio", Bach's "Italian Concerto" and Tchaikovsky's "Concerto". The latter also includes an uncredited theme from Beethoven's "Patetique". All these pieces are tasty and beautifully arranged in the typical Ekseption-way, dominated by van der Linden's organ, piano, harpsichord, mellotron and the various horns and wind-instruments of Broek and Remelinck. Overall I think that this was maybe Ekseption's most typical progressive album, and that would probably also make it the best starting point for many of you.

Tracklist

01.  Ouverture  (R. van der Linden)  - 3:22
02.  Prologue  (R. van der Linden, L. van Dijck)  - 2:21
03.  Julia  (R. van der Linden, M. van Dijk)  - 2:21
04.  Flying power  (R. van der Linden)  - 0:31
05.  Adagio  (Tomaso Albinoni, Remo Giazotto)  - 3:45
06.  Space I  (J.S. Bach)  - 0:44
07.  Italian concerto  (J.S. Bach)  - 4:59
08.  Concerto  (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)  - 3:52
09.  Space II  (R. van der Linden)  - 0:26
10.  Pop giant  (R. van der Linden, M. van Dijk)  - 3:54
11.  Space III  (R. van der Linden)  - 0:22
12.  Feelings   (R. van der Linden)  - 3:09
13.  Epilogue  (R. van der Linden, L. van Dijck)  - 0:57
14.  Finale (a) Music for mind (b) Theme Julia  (R. van der Linden, M. van Dijk)  - 3:55

Release:  1970
Label:  Philips
Genre:  Progressive Rock
Length:  34:39
Producer:  Tony Vos

Personnel
Cor Dekker - Bass
Dennis Whitebread - Drums
Rick Van Der Linden - Piano, Spinet, Xylophone, Organ [Hammond], Organ [Pipe], Mellotron, Percussion
Dick Remelink - Saxophone [Tenor], Saxophone [Soprano], Flute
Rein Van Den Broek - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Michel Van Dijk - Vocals, Percussion
Tony Vos - Saxes, Tonytone, Electronic effects
Linda van Dijck - Voice On "Prologue" & "Epilogue"
Eric van Lier - Trombone, Tuba

(10) Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970)

"Burnt Weeny Sandwich" is a studio album with live elements by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, released in 1970. In contrast to "Weasels Ripped My Flesh", which is predominately live and song-oriented, most of "Burnt Weeny Sandwich" focuses on studio recordings and tightly arranged compositions.
The album was essentially a 'posthumous' Mothers release having been released after Frank Zappa dissolved the band. Ian Robertson Underwood's contributions are significant on this album. The album, like its counterpart "Weasels Ripped My Flesh", comprises tracks from the Mothers vault that were not previously released. Whereas Weasels mostly showcases the Mothers in a live setting, much of "Burnt Weeny Sandwich" features studio work and structured Zappa compositions, like the centerpiece of the album, "Little House I Used To Live In," which consists of several movements and employs compound meters such as 11/8 with an overlaid melody in 10/8 (parts of which were recorded by the Mothers, while the middle violin solo section featuring *Don "Sugarcane" Harris, was an outtake from the Hot Rats sessions).
The album's rather unusual title, Zappa would later say in an interview, comes from an actual snack that he enjoyed eating, consisting of a burnt Hebrew National hot dog sandwiched between two pieces of bread with mustard.

Tracklist

01.  WPLJ (Four Deuces)  (Frank Zappa)  - 3:02
02.  Igor's Boogie, Phase One  (Frank Zappa)  - 0:40
03.  Overture to a Holiday in Berlin  (Frank Zappa)  - 1:29
04.  Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich  (Frank Zappa)  - 4:35
05.  Igor's Boogie, Phase Two  (Frank Zappa)  - 0:35
06.  Holiday In Berlin, Full Blown  (Frank Zappa)  - 6:27
07.  Aybe Sea  (Frank Zappa)  - 2:45
08.  Little House I Used to Live In  (Frank Zappa)  - 18:42
09.  Valarie (Jackie and the Starlites)  (Frank Zappa)  - 3:14

Released:  February 9, 1970
Genre:  Jazz Fusion, Experimental Rock
Length:  41:07
Label:  Bizarre/Reprise
Producer:  Frank Zappa
Engineer:  Dick Kunc
Arranger:  Frank Zappa

Personnel
Frank Zappa – organ, guitar, vocals
Jimmy Carl Black – percussion, drums
Roy Estrada – bass, vocals
Janet Ferguson – vocals
Bunk Gardner – horn, wind
Buzz Gardner - trumpet
Billy Mundi - Drums (Uncredited, left group in December 1967)
Lowell George – guitar
Don "Sugarcane" Harris – violin, vocals
Don Preston – bass, piano, keyboards
Jim Sherwood – guitar, vocals, wind
Art Tripp – drums, percussion
Ian Underwood – guitar, piano, keyboards, wind

(09) Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic and Stereo formats.
Though many fans find the previous album, "Bookends", to be the apex of the duo's artistic creativity, it's hard to think of another pop act that exited with a success comparable to this album and its title track. Despite Garfunkel's initial reservation, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" made good on Simon's feeling that it was the best song he'd ever written, topping the Hot 100 for six weeks and winning Grammy awards for song and record of the year. Though the recording is deeply tied to Garfunkel's brilliant vocal performance, the composition spawned dozens of successful covers, including Aretha Franklin's Grammy-winning R&B chart-topper and Buck Owens' Top 10 single. In the 1970s it became a staple in Elvis Presley's stage show, and cover versions continue to be recorded to this day, with a live version from the 2010 Grammys having charted,
But the title song is far from the album's only jewel. With Garfunkel away for the better part of 1969 filming Catch 22, Simon was left to work alone, and apparently consider a post-Garfunkel career. "The Only Living Boy in New York City" and "Why Don't You Write Me" are easily heard to be contemplations of Simon's isolation, while "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" includes the telling lyric "so long Frank Lloyd Wright, all of the nights we harmonized `til dawn," an allusion seemingly tied to Garfunkel's study of architecture at Columbia. The seeds of Simon's multicultural solo career can be heard in the Peruvian flute of "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)," broad rhythm instrumentation of "Cecilia," and reggae styling of "Why Don't You Write Me."

Tracklist

01.  Bridge Over Troubled Water (Paul Simon)  - 4:52
02.  El Condor Pasa (If I Could) (Daniel Alomía Robles, Paul Simon)  - 3:06
03.  Cecilia (Paul Simon)  - 2:55
04.  Keep the Customer Satisfied (Paul Simon)  - 2:33
05.  So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright (Paul Simon)  - 3:41
06.  The Boxer (Paul Simon)  - 5:08
07.  Baby Driver (Paul Simon)  - 3:14
08.  The Only Living Boy in New York (Paul Simon)  - 3:58
09.  Why Don't You Write Me (Paul Simon)  - 2:45
10.  Bye Bye Love (live recording from Ames, Iowa) (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant)  - 2:55
11.  Song for the Asking (Paul Simon)  - 1:39

Released:  January 26, 1970
Genre:  Folk Rock
Length:  36:29
Label:  Columbia Records
Producer:  Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Roy Halee

Personnel
Paul Simon – lead vocals, guitar
Art Garfunkel – lead vocals
Los Incas – Peruvian instruments
Joe Osborn – bass guitar
Larry Knechtel – piano
Fred Carter, Jr. – guitar
Hal Blaine – drums
Pete Drake – Steel guitar, Dobro
Jimmie Haskell and Ernie Freeman – strings
Bryan Beck – flute, saxophones, horn section

(08) Elton John - Elton John (1970)

"Elton John" is the eponymous second album by English singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1970.
This self-titled album was Elton John's second and breakthrough release in America. Mr. John and Bernie Taupin had been collaborating for a few years, but they really started to gel as a team on this release. The album has almost a baroque sound to it with alot of strings, harpsicords and airy syntheseisers. Of course everyone knows the megahit "Your Song", but the album contains others that would become Elton John classics. "Sixty Years On" is a stirring lament about growing old, "The Greatest Discovery" is a sweet ode to the birth of a brother, while "The King Must Die" ends the album in dark epic fashion. "I Need You To Turn To" & "First Episode At Hienton" carry on in the somber-like tone. The album is dominated by, but not regulated to classical stylings. "No Shoestrings On Louise" has a country twang, "The Cage" is a funky rocker, while both "Take Me To The Pilot" & "The Border Song" have gospel influences (Aretha Franklin had a big hit with "Border"). While not as radio-friendly as future Elton John releases, this album has an experimental feel and is worth repeat listenings.

Tracklist

01.  Your Song  - 4:02
02.  I Need You to Turn To  - 2:35
03.  Take Me to the Pilot  - 3:47
04.  No Shoe Strings on Louise  - 3:31
05.  First Episode at Hienton  - 4:48
06.  Sixty Years On  - 4:35
07.  Border Song  - 3:22
08.  The Greatest Discovery  - 4:12
09.  The Cage  - 3:28
10.  The King Must Die  - 5:04

Released:  10 April 1970
Recorded at:  Trident Studios, London
Genre:  Rock
Length:  39:27
Label:  DJM
Producer:  Gus Dudgeon
Engineer:  Robin Geoffrey Cable
Arranger:  Paul Buckmaster
All songs written by:  Elton John and Bernie Taupin

Personnel
Elton John - piano, harpsichord, vocals
Frank Clark - acoustic bass
Colin Green - guitar, Spanish guitar
Roland Harker - guitar
Clive Hicks - acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, 12 string guitar
Alan Parker - rhythm guitar
Caleb Quaye - guitar
Les Hurdle - bass
Dave Richmond - bass
Alan Weighall - bass
Brian Dee - organ
Diana Lewis - Moog synthesizer
Paul Buckmaster - cello
Skaila Kanga - harp
David Katz - violin
Terry Cox - drums
Dennis Lopez - percussion
Barry Morgan - drums
Tex Navarra - percussion
Madeline Bell - background vocals
Tony Burrows - background vocals
Roger Cook - background vocals
Lesley Duncan - background vocals
Kay Garner - background vocals
Tony Hazzard - background vocals
Barbara Moore - vocals, choir, chorus

(02) Chicago - Chicago II (1970)

"Chicago" is the second album by Chicago-based rock band Chicago. It was released in 1970 after the band had shortened its name from The Chicago Transit Authority after releasing their same-titled debut album the previous year.
The Chicago Transit Authority recorded this double-barreled follow-up to their eponymously titled 1969 debut effort. The contents of Chicago II (1970) underscore the solid foundation of complex jazz changes with heavy electric rock & roll that the band so brazenly forged on the first set. The septet also continued its ability to blend the seemingly divergent musical styles into some of the best and most effective pop music of the era. One thing that had changed was the band's name, which was shortened to simply Chicago to avoid any potential litigious situations from the city of Chicago's transportation department -- which claimed the name as proprietary property. Musically, James Pankow (trombone) was about to further cross-pollinate the band's sound with the multifaceted six-song "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon." The classically inspired suite also garnered the band two of its most beloved hits -- the upbeat pop opener "Make Me Smile" as well as the achingly poignant "Color My World" -- both of which remained at the center of the group's live sets. Chicago had certainly not abandoned its active pursuit of blending high-octane electric rockers such as "25 or 6 to 4" to the progressive jazz inflections heard in the breezy syncopation of "The Road." Adding further depth of field is the darker "Poem for the People" as well as the politically charged five-song set titled "It Better End Soon." These selections feature the band driving home its formidable musicality and uncanny ability to coalesce styles telepathically and at a moment's notice. The contributions of Terry Kath (guitar/vocals) stand out as he unleashes some of his most pungent and sinuous leads, which contrast with the tight brass and woodwind trio of Lee Loughnane (trumpet/vocals), Walter Parazaider (woodwinds/vocals), and the aforementioned Pankow. Peter Cetera (bass/vocals) also marks his songwriting debut on the final cut of both the suite and the album with "Where Do We Go from Here."

Tracklist

01.  Movin' In  (Pankow, Kath)  - 4:06
02.  The Road  (Kath, Cetera)  - 3:10
03.  Poem for the People  (Lamm)  - 5:31
04.  In the Country  (Kath, Cetera)  - 6:34
05.  Wake Up Sunshine  (Lamm, Cetera)  - 2:29
06.  Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon  (Pankow, Kath, Lamm)  - 12:55
       a. Make Me Smile
       b. So Much to Say, So Much to Give
       c. Anxiety's Moment
       d. West Virginia Fantasies
       e. Colour My World
       f. To Be Free
       g. Now More Than Ever
07.  Fancy Colours  (Lamm, Cetera)  - 5:10
08.  25 or 6 to 4  (Lamm, Cetera)  - 4:50
09.  Memories of Love  (Kath, Matz)  - 9:12
       a. Prelude
       b. A.M. Mourning
       c. P.M. Mourning
       d. Memories of Love
10.  It Better End Soon  (Lamm, Parazaider, Kath)  - 10:24
       a. 1st Movement
       b. 2nd Movement
       c. 3rd Movement
       d. 4th Movement
11.  Where Do We Go from Here  (Cetera)  - 2:49

Released:  January 26, 1970
Recorded:  August 1969, Columbia Recording Studios, New York and Hollywood
Genre:  Jazz, Fusion, Rock
Length:  67:21
Label:  Columbia
Producer:  James William Guercio

Personnel
Peter Cetera – bass, vocals
Terry Kath – guitar, vocals
Robert Lamm – keyboard, vocals
Lee Loughnane – trumpet, vocals
James Pankow – trombone
Walter Parazaider – woodwinds, vocals
Danny Seraphine – drums