Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…
#3 – My Aim is True – Elvis Costello
Earlier this week I selected the Talking Heads’ debut album for this list, and today I’m featuring a debut album by an artist I love even more: Elvis Costello. Imagine getting your first taste of both of those acts in the same year!
I wrote about My Aim is True almost 16 years ago as part of my Costello Weekends series, and I think it’s been long enough that I can repurpose a few of those paragraphs here.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…
#4 – Running on Empty – Jackson Browne
I did a Jackson Browne deep dive five years ago that gave me a strong appreciation for the man’s work. But even after digging into 14 studio albums, it was hard to find anything that compares to the one I already loved: Running on Empty.
This is a concept album about life on the road that was recorded on the road — in front of live audiences, on a tour bus, in hotel rooms and backstage rehearsal spaces. It captures the lazy haze of that vagabond existence and drips with the sweat of hard-working musicians and their supporting crews.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…
#5 – Talking Heads: 77 – Talking Heads
This is the first of two debut albums in my top five, making 1977 not just a great year for music overall but a great year for the introduction of important new artists.
I can only imagine what it was like to hear Talking Heads for the first time in 1977. Here was a band of former art school students blending punk, new wave, and world music in songs with provocative lyrics and a lead singer whose clipped, chirping vocals were simultaneously funny and unnerving (but sometimes surprisingly sweet).
Austrian artist Falco owned the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 the week of April 12, 1986, with ‘Rock Me Amadeus,’ one of only nine non-English songs to top the chart.
At #2 was Prince with his iconic hit ‘Kiss,’ which would reach #1 the following week and stay there for two weeks. ‘Kiss’ is the third of five chart-topping hits for Prince, all released between 1984 and 1991.
Throwing back to the week of April 11, 1976, we find Johnnie Taylor holding on to the #1 spot of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Disco Lady.’
At #2, on its way to a single week atop the chart, was The Bellamy Brothers’ ‘Let Your Love Flow.’ This country crossover hit was the duo’s debut single and by far their biggest success on the Hot 100 (their second most popular song reached #39).
Meet Me In Montauk 