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Song of the Day #1,433: ‘Comfortably Numb’ – Pink Floyd

Best Albums of the 70s – #2
The Wall – Pink Floyd (1979)

The Wall, Pink Floyd’s two-disc concept album, came within a month of not making this list. Released in November of 1979, this nonetheless feels like a very 70s album to me.

Of course, I personally didn’t discover it until the late 80s, along with the rest of Pink Floyd’s catalog. Along with Wish You Were Here, Dark Side of the Moon and Animals, this record became the soundtrack of my high school experience.

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Song of the Day #1,432: ‘It’s Too Late’ – Carole King

Best Albums of the 70s – #3
Tapestry – Carole King (1971)

Carole King released 10 albums in the 70s, and I couldn’t name a single song from nine of them if you put a gun to my head. Nor could I name a single song on the five albums of original material she’s recorded in the 30+ years since.

But Tapestry, her second solo record — that one I can recite by heart. As can the millions of people who have made it one of the best-selling records of all time.

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Song of the Day #1,431: ‘Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)’ – Billy Joel

Best Albums of the 70s – #4
The Stranger – Billy Joel (1977)

It all comes back to the whistling. That plaintive but sensual whistled melody that opens the title track of Billy Joel’s The Stranger and then returns as the coda after the album’s final song. It settles you into the world of this marvelous record and prepares you for the treasures within.

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Song of the Day #1,430: ‘Political Science’ – Randy Newman

Best Albums of the 70s – #5
Sail Away – Randy Newman (1972)

Randy Newman is the first repeat artist on my 70s list (though he won’t be the last). As I said in my write-up of his 12 Songs album, this decade featured him at his finest.

And for my money, 1972’s Sail Away — Newman’s fourth album — remains his finest moment on record. Alternately biting, sweet and sad, this collection lifted the idea of popular songwriting to a whole new level. These songs feel more like literature.

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Song of the Day #1,429: ‘Seconds of Pleasure’ – Elvis Costello

Three of the last six Random Weekend decisions have come from Elvis Costello which I suppose makes sense given the law of averages. I have more Costello tunes than tracks by any other artist but Bob Dylan. I guess we can expect a flood of Mr. Zimmerman any time now.

Today’s track is another of the many bonus tracks offered up on the many reissues of Costello’s albums. And to point out the absurd degree of reissuing applied to Costello’s catalog, allow me to submit that this song has appeared in two different incarnations on four different releases.

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