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Song of the Day #6,486: ‘Sheep’ – Pink Floyd

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…

#7 – Animals – Pink Floyd

I was four years old for most of 1977, so I didn’t listen to any of these albums at the time. But it’s funny how many have a nostalgic pull for me nonetheless, based on the time in my life I first discovered them.

Pink Floyd’s Animals is the most prominent example. My Pink Floyd era, like that of most men who had one, came in high school. That’s when I gobbled up the progressive rock band’s catalog and memorized every spacey note.

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Song of the Day #6,485: ‘Guiltiness’ – Bob Marley & The Wailers

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…

#8 – Exodus – Bob Marley & The Wailers

Four years ago, I did a deep dive of Bob Marley, covering his 13 studio albums. Though I enjoyed every one of those records, 1977’s Exodus topped my eventual ranked list.

This is a perfect album to encapsulate the political, spiritual, and romantic resonance of Marley’s music. If all you’ve ever heard is Legend, like I had before the deep dive, this is a great next step.

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Song of the Day #6,484: “Next Time You See Her’ – Eric Clapton

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1977…

#9 – Slowhand – Eric Clapton

Slowhand is Eric Clapton’s fifth solo album and remains his best-performing in the U.S. (setting aside his live Unplugged album). It is best known for its hit singles ‘Lay Down Sally’ and ‘Wonderful Tonight.’

This is the only Clapton album I have ever owned, but I played the hell out of it in and around my college years. It’s a compulsively listenable record, a perfect vibe.

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Song of the Day #6,483: ‘Baltimore’ – Randy Newman

It’s time for another installment of the Decades series, which will eventually have me covering notable albums from every year between 1970 and 2009. Forty years, somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 albums. Wow.

I’ve made it through the first seven years of each decade so far. Twenty-eight years down, 12 to go. Over the next several weeks I’ll be covering the year 1977, first counting down my 10 favorites before covering albums that are new to me.

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Song of the Day #6,482: ‘(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration’ – The Righteous Brothers

The week of April 5, 1966, found The Righteous Brothers enjoying their second (and last) #1 hit, ‘(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration.’ Two years earlier, the duo reached the top spot with ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.’

You might have guessed the other #1 was 1965’s ‘Unchained Melody,’ but that classic peaked at #4. The Righteous Brothers’ other two top ten hits were ‘Just Once in My Life’ and ‘Ebb Tide,’ both also released in 1965.

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