5 Awesome Albums Released 50 Years Ago This Month in October 1975

A whole 50 years is an awful long time by any standard. In the music world, a half-century feels closer to eons. That’s how quickly tastes change, rendering music that seemed modern at the time mighty dusty a few years down the road. For those reasons, these albums, released 50 years ago this month in October 1975, deserve all the acclaim they can get. They still sound sharp and fresh five decades after their release.

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‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ by Paul Simon

After a pair of albums where Simon showed off his eclecticism, diving into musical styles of other cultures and regions, he mostly returned to a more traditional singer-songwriter format for this record. He had some help. His old buddy Art Garfunkel (more on him in a bit) joins him on “My Little Town”. And Phoebe Snow guests on “Gone At Last”. The title track is Simon at his most confessional and evocative, while “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” displays his slick sense of humor. A stellar set from start to finish.

‘Breakaway’ by Art Garfunkel

Paul Simon allegedly wrote the biting “My Little Town” for Garfunkel because he thought the songs Artie was choosing to record were toothless. It’s likely Simon might have objected to the tone of the remainder of Breakaway, characterized by gentle readings of both classic songs and gems from up-and-coming writers. (A then-unknown Stephen Bishop offered two bittersweet beauties on Side Two.) Simon’s thoughts notwithstanding, you can do a lot worse than hearing Garfunkel’s gorgeous vocals blanketing the high-quality material available here.

‘Siren’ by Roxy Music

One of the most consistent bands of their era, Great Britain’s Roxy Music delivered standout LPs one after another, even as they continually adjusted their approach. Siren contains some of their typical eclecticism. For example, Bryan Ferry croons his way through the tender “End Of The Line”, right before the avant-garde noodling of “Sentimental Fool” appears. But this album is characterized by Roxy Music’s domination of the dance floor. Tracks like “Love Is The Drug” and “Both Ends Burning” provide sweaty beats alongside Ferry’s on-the-prowl lyrics.

‘The Who By Numbers’ by The Who

Pete Townshend just couldn’t rev it up again for another massive conceptual piece, as writer’s block hounded him. The Who By Numbers finds the band downshifting in terms of ambition. Their instrumental potency still carries them a long way on tracks like “Slip Kids” and “Squeeze Box”. This album also represents Townshend’s move to more personal lyrics. No longer writing through characters, he shows touching vulnerability on tracks like “Blue Red And Grey”, “Imagine A Man”, and “How Many Friends”.

‘The Last Record Album’ by Little Feat

An LA band that cooked up New Orleans-flavored rock gumbo, Little Feat hit one of their peaks here. As always, you could count on the rhythm section of bassist Kenny Gradney and drummer Bill Payne to keep things swinging, while Sam Clayton’s congas offered intriguing polyrhythmic possibilities. But the not-so-secret weapon on this record is the songwriting and singing of Lowell George. Whether waxing melancholic on “Long Distance Love” or delivering funky grit on “Down Below The Borderline”, his contributions make The Last Record Album a soaring song sampler.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns