Tag Archives: Decades 1972

by

Song of the Day #2,521: ‘Last Night I Had a Dream’ – Randy Newman

sail_awayAnd my favorite album of 1972 is… Randy Newman’s Sail Away. This probably comes as no surprise to frequent readers of this blog, as I’ve featured almost all of its songs at one point or another.

I came across an interesting tidbit on the Wikipedia page for this album: Brian Wilson turned to it during the depths of his depression to lift his spirits and renew his creative spirit. I totally get that. Both the music and the underlying sensibility of Sail away are grounded and spiritually refreshing.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,520: ‘Tumbling Dice’ – The Rolling Stones

exileonmainstreetAccording to a scientific poll of one (me), the second best album of 1972 is The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street.

This classic album sits atop many critics’ lists of the best albums of not just that year but all of the 70s. It’s The Stones’ undisputed masterpiece, a drunken lost weekend of rock-n-roll perfection.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,519: ‘We Have No Secrets’ – Carly Simon

no_secretsMy third favorite album of 1972 (my birth year) is a record I consider among the most quintessentially 70s albums I own — Carly Simon’s No Secrets.

I’ve written about this on the blog before so I won’t dwell on it again here, but this record is forever cemented in my memory as one of those adult artifacts my parents shared with my sister and me, either directly or inadvertently.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,518: ‘Peace Like a River’ – Paul Simon

paul_simonMy fourth favorite album of 1972 is Paul Simon’s self-titled solo debut.

Hard as it is to imagine now, there were serious doubts in the early 70s over Simon’s prospects as a solo artist once Art Garfunkel left the band to pursue his movie career.

One reviewer of this album, quoted on Wikipedia, wrote “”I gather…this album is merely Simon’s way of keeping his hand in while Garfunkel makes movies….I’m now wondering if Garfunkel’s arranging work doesn’t include sending Simon back to rewrite some of his songs before recording them.”

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #2,517: ‘Starman’ – David Bowie

ziggy_stardustA few weeks back I decided to count down the best albums of my birth year, 1972.

When I dove into my collection to start the process, I was surprised to discover that I own only seven albums from that year, which certainly reduces the drama of the proposed countdown.

I guess it makes sense that I wouldn’t own a large number of records from one specific year more than 40 years back. But a little research revealed a couple of dozen albums that struck a nerve back when I was a mewling babe.

Continue reading →