September 1974 was an outstanding month if you were a music fan. Looking at the list of albums released in that stretch of time, it’s quite impressive how many of them are considered classics today, some even adorning best-of lists half a century later.
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Choosing only five of these albums to spotlight weren’t easy. But we had a lot of fun doing the research (i.e. listening to the music) to make the choices.
Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne
The third album is the charm for so many legendary artists, and Jackson Browne certainly lived up to that adage with Late for the Sky. If you were to try and explain the singer/songwriter heyday of the ’70s to an alien, this LP is a great place to start. Browne epitomized the seeking, questioning writer who is startlingly self-aware and effortlessly eloquent enough to pinpoint the emotional upheaval of his narrators. Lost love (the title track), death (“For a Dancer”) and worldly concerns (“Before the Deluge”) all get the same sensitive, aching treatment.
Good Old Boys by Randy Newman
Randy Newman went at it a bit differently than his West Coast counterpart Jackson Browne. Instead of portraying the victims in his song’s scenarios, Newman often dared to look through the steely eyes and enter the dark hearts of his antagonists. A concept album of sorts about the American South, Good Old Boys is filled with fierce portraits of unsympathetic characters, even as Newman’s musical lightness and wry vocals make clear whose side the artist is on. When he drops the facade and simply tells the story straight on “Louisiana 1927,” he delivers one of the best songs ever about American history.
Eldorado by Electric Light Orchestra
The story goes that Jeff Lynne’s father didn’t think all that much of the first few ELO albums, so his son decided he’d show the old man what he could do. Eldorado was the result. This is the album that leans into classical music more than any other of the band’s albums. It begins with a sweeping overture, which then opens up into “Can’t Get It Out of My Head,” one of the most gorgeous ballads Lynne ever penned. There’s a loose storyline running through the record, but it’s nothing you need to know to enjoy wonderful individual moments like the title track and “Mister Kingdom.”
Nightbirds by Labelle
The name came from lead singer Patti LaBelle, but she had a lot of help in giving this trio their breakthrough album. Nona Hendryx contributed much of the songwriting, including “You Turn Me On,” the stunning vocal showcase for LaBelle that closes out the album. Allen Toussaint’s production lends the album elegance and swagger. Member of The Meters make sure the instrumentation is tight and funky. Let’s not leave out writers Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, whose bilingual blast of a song (“Lady Marmalade”) brought the masses to the doorstep of LaBelle, Hendryx, and Sarah Dash.
Starting Over by Raspberries
The title turned out to be ironic, as Starting Over was the final album by these Cleveland maestros. At least they went out with guns blazing. Many of the album’s songs build off the unforgettable opening track “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” as they deal with the ups and downs of being a rock and roll band. And while Eric Carmen’s acrobatic vocals certainly stand out, this was certainly a group effort, one which features all four men contributing in the writing department and three of them taking lead vocals. This album didn’t do a ton of business, but its influence on future power-poppers is undeniable.
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