Over the years I’ve presented compilation CDs on Thursdays, I’ve noticed the ones with 1970s music seem to be the most popular. Fortunately, I have dozens of compilation CDs from the 1970s I haven’t listened to yet. Flashback! and Extreme 70s were two of them. I listened to them over the 4th of July weekend.
Flashback! from 1991 includes plenty of Name groups and singers. Classics like Eric Clapton’s “I Shot the Sheriff” and Stephen Stills “Love the One You’re With” still sound great! Who can forget Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” or Foreigner’s “Hot Blooded”–songs that still get airplay on our Oldies radio staton today.
Extreme 70s from 2003 includes Name groups and singers, but many of them are second-tier. I still hear Looking Glass’s “Brandy” from time to time. Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” still gets played. Eddie Money is still making money with “Baby Hold On.”
Do you remember these Seventies songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: Flashback!: B+ Extreme 70s: B-
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Deep Purple– | Smoke On The Water | 5:40 |
| 2 | Foreigner– | Hot Blooded | 4:23 |
| 3 | The Allman Brothers Band– | Ramblin’ Man | 4:48 |
| 4 | Bruce Springsteen– | Badlands | 4:02 |
| 5 | Pink Floyd– | Money | 6:23 |
| 6 | Cheap Trick– | I Want You To Want Me | 3:39 |
| 7 | Bad Company (3)– | Can’t Get Enough | 4:14 |
| 8 | Kansas (2)– | Carry On Wayward Son | 5:23 |
| 9 | Eric Clapton– | I Shot The Sheriff | 4:23 |
| 10 | The Cars– | Let’s Go | 3:33 |
| 11 | Stephen Stills– | Love The One You’re With | 3:05 |
| 12 | Lynyrd Skynyrd– | Freebird | 9:08 |
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Looking Glass– | Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl) | 3:06 |
| 2 | Santana– | Oye Como Va | 4:17 |
| 3 | Earth, Wind & Fire– | Shining Star | 2:51 |
| 4 | The Isley Brothers– | That Lady | 5:34 |
| 5 | The Amazing Rhythm Aces– | Third Rate Romance | 3:22 |
| 6 | Albert Hammond– | It Never Rains In Southern California | 3:19 |
| 7 | Eddie Money– | Baby Hold On | 3:30 |
| 8 | Redbone– | Come & Get Your Love | 4:57 |
| 9 | Blue Öyster Cult– | (Don’t Fear) The Reaper | 5:07 |
| 10 | The Edgar Winter Group– | Frankenstein | 4:45 |
EXTREME is a mildly worse collection, but I hope both didn’t run you too much…the Vargas brothers’ band Redbone did allow Lolly Vargas to go on to a more sustained career as “Leon Redbone”, and their song is one of the better ones there. The Santana is the best, by me, by some distance, and I’ll listen to the Edgar Winter record. “Brandy” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper” are a bit too far into the unpleasantly creepy school of AOR.
FLASHBACK does gather more staples of today’s ’70s Oldies stations, and I certainly liked the Kansas and the Foreinger better when they and I were new. The Springsteen I barely remember, but remember too many of the others too well.
Todd, I don’t know what made the songs on EXTREME 70s “extreme.” I seem to recall I paid around 50 cents for these compilation CDs.
For me, the top spots goes to the Allmans on the first and Albert Hammond on the second. I can’t listen to “Carry On Wayward Son” without thinking of SUPERNATURAL. “I Shot the Sheriff” has become a 70s self-referential meme. Of the two albums, FLASHBACK! has the better songs by far, but I will listen to all the songs on both albums without feeling too bad about my taste (or lack thereof) in music. Always liked Leon Redbone.
Jerry, Leon Redbone still gets airplay on our Oldies radio station.
Let me beat Deb to the punch here: Eddie Money is NOT still making money from “Baby Hold On” or anything else.
He died in 2019.
Ha! I was just about to post that comment, lol.
Jeff, you’re right about money…you can’t take it with you!
While I know most of the songs on the first CD, I – by far – would take the second. We saw Santana last week (for example), and “Oye Como Va” still sounds great. And we’re seeing Earth, Wind & Fire next week.
Jeff, Santana never gets old! I have the new documentary on EARTH, WIND & FIRE on my Watch List. The reviews have been stellar!
Jerry, NOT Leon Redbone but just Redbone, the first Native American group to sell a million with “Come and Get Your Love,” which reached #5.
Jeff, Redbone and groups like them could occasionally sell a million records back in the day. Now, groups make pennies on Spotify and iTunes. The whole “record” industry has completely changed…and not for the better for singers and groups.
Well…yes and no. (And I thought I might’ve noted the Vargas/”Redbone” matter rather deftly in the middle of the night–“Leon” was indeed one of the Vargas Brothers at the heart of Redbone the band.) The vast majority of bands and musicians were not well-served by the old system, and they can make living money in some ways more readily than they could…just the once-lucky few are lmuch ess likely to make sybaritic money than previously…
Using the patented Deb method of determining a song’s worthiness (“If this song came on the radio, would I switch to another station?”), all of the songs here are listenable. My two absolute favorites are Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” and Springsteen’s “Badlands” (which I don’t remember being a single, but I guess it must have been).
Deb, once again your music choices reveal your excellent taste in hits from the Seventies! Music from that era sounds very different from contemporary albums. I’m listening to Madonna’s latest CONFESSIONS II–dance music–and it is worlds away from “Come and Get Your Love” and “Badlands.”
Look, I’m as fond of classic Madonna as any 70s Disco Dolly and 80s Reagan-era Go-Go Girl, but she is literally ten months younger than me and it’s time for her to accept that her attempts to be relevant to Gen Z just look desperate and creepy.
Half a century will tend to do that, George, unless one is a traditionalist/revivalist.
And Everything Ciccone has recorded is worlds away from the Vargas brothers’ and Springsteen’s work…by intent.
And I see I picked up the Vega rather than Vargas Bros. and “Leon Redbone” connection incorrectly–apologies! “Leon” was apparently born Dickran Gobalian…and died rather young (69) from effects of dementia….wonder what I was not smoking (since I don’t) when conflating those over the years…
Todd, my memory of songs and artists of the 1970s get a little misty, too!
Looking Glass, Hammond, Isleys and Winter. I can take or leave the others, none I actively despise although the Cheap Trick comes close. For Deep Purple, I’d choose HUSH instead of SMOKE ON THE WATER.
Fred, I’m with you on “Hush.” A Deep Purple tribute band performed at the Rivera Theater in North Tonawanda–just a mile from my house–recently. It was either Beyond Purple or Deeper Than Purple .
Deb, I’m reading Kevin McNally I REGRET ALMOST EVERYTHING about his life, the restaurants he opened (Odeon, Balthazar).
He talks about when they opened Nell’s (nightclub) on 14th Street they had a policy – everyone, no matter who they were, had to pay the same (democratic) $5 to get in. He specifically mentioned Mick Jagger and Dylan, who had no issue paying.
And then there was Madonna. After her “don’t you know who I am?”moment, she demanded to be let in for free. When they said no, she stormed out and said she’d never come back.
McNally’s answer: Good.
Just seeing her at the recent Paris fashion show cuddling up to Connor Storrie (of “Heated Rivalry”), trying desperately to gain some relevance in reflected fame, was equal parts cringey and sad. Girl, you are almost 68—you are literally old enough to be his grandma—go home and take an ibuprofen and a nap.
Deb, some people are addicted to Fame regardless of their age…
Jeff, I’m listening to Madonna’s new album, CONFESSION II now.
Mostly stuff I can listen to, but not with peals of rapture! Except for a few faves, like Redbone and Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper!
Bob, you have stated in the Past that you love the music of the 1970s!
Not exactly! I said most music after 1972 was bad, especially disco. I have mellowed a bit in my dotage!
Bob, if only 1970, 1971, and 1972 count, that’s not a lot of music for a decade!
I recognize and like nearly all. Especially like the Redbone mention. Wish walk away by the James Gang had been included
Maggie, The James Gang doesn’t show up on many of these compilation CDs.
Apropos of little, this video is remarkably inane while attempting to insist all the covers are better because (very arguably, in many instances) more popular. (Typically of WatchMojo.) Reminders of some good and good-enoiugh recordings, however.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UthtyplEVJg
Todd, thanks for the link!