The music scene was abuzz with exciting sounds back in February 1975. Genres were colliding with one another across the radio dial, and artists were rising to the occasion with groundbreaking work.
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These five albums are really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wealth of excellent LPs released 50 years ago this month. But they’ll certainly give you an idea of what a thrilling time it was to be a music fan.
Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was expanding its music palette at such a rapid pace they just couldn’t pack it all into a single album. On top of that, there were excellent songs that didn’t make it to their other releases and were just waiting to be heard. Physical Graffiti collected it all, and it proved to be the last bit of super-dynamism they’d manage in their career before fatigue and, sadly, tragedy set in. They could still bring the thunder with the best of them on tracks like “The Rover” and “Trampled Under Foot,” but their scope had widened to include the alluring exotica of “Kashmir,” the trippy psychedelia of “In the Light,” and, in songs like “Ten Years Gone,” a little bit of all of the above.
Pieces of the Sky by Emmylou Harris
After making her mark as Gram Parsons’ main collaborator, Harris received the chance to reboot her solo career five years after a debut album came and went. Pieces of the Sky demonstrated just how ready she was for her close-up. While she could have sung anything and came out sounding great, Harris was determined to find the best material, even if it meant it was somewhat outside the country genre where she was lumped. As a result, classic barroom stompers like “The Bottle Let Me Down” coexist seamlessly with her devastating take on The Beatles’ “For No One.” To top it off, her original “From Boulder to Birmingham,” which mourned the loss of Parsons, was as sharp as any of the included evergreens.
Welcome to My Nightmare by Alice Cooper
Even the staidest members of society should have been able to tell by the middle of the ‘70s that Alice Copper wasn’t the menace he pretended to be when his band broke big at the start of the decade. Cooper realized this, and leaned into a kind of campy singer/songwriter vein with Welcome to My Nightmare, regarded by many as his best. Sure, there’s a story crawling through the margins of this thing, but the individual moments are what you’ll remember. Aided by the ace production of Bob Ezrin, Cooper proves compelling in just about every setting, from the sultry scare tactics of the title track, through the sensitive balladry of “Only Women Bleed,” all the way to the first-pumping anthems “Department of Youth” and “Escape.”
Rock ‘n’ Roll by John Lennon
There’s no way this tribute album forced on John Lennon due to legal proceedings ever could have met its potential. The chaos engendered by producer Phil Spector, combined with the fact Lennon was making it because it was something he needed rather than wanted to do, made sure of that. Nonetheless, there are instances throughout that allow you to imagine what might have been. Lennon’s energy never flags, which helps sustain interest through some of the odder production choices. His singing is also quite moving in places, as on his hit remake of “Stand By Me” and his emotional take on Lloyd Price’s “Just Because.”
Unrequited by Loudon Wainwright III
Considering how consistent he’s been throughout his career, it can be daunting for newcomers to navigate Wainwright’s vast catalog to find an entry point. Unrequited is a pretty good choice. On Side One, he plays the typical singer/songwriter game, surrounding himself with studio pros and giving a seven-song summation of what made him so special on that scene, how he could hit you with a one-liner in any moment to make you guffaw, and then stop you short with something heartbreaking. On Side Two, he plays seven new originals on his own in concert, and you can hear how he holds the audience in the palm of his hand. One other fun note: His future music star son is referenced in the lyrics of the album-closing “Rufus Is a T-t Man.”
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images
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