Throwing it Back 50 Years: Celebrating the Sounds of 1974
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In the United States at least, the Sixties, for many, ended in 1974, when Richard Nixon resigned his presidency in the face of his looming impeachment over the Watergate scandal. Although the War in Vietnam raged on that year, it was over by the following year, exacerbating an already divided nation, mistrustful of its political leaders. Nixon’s resignation, the economic consequences of the previous year’s oil crisis, and the continuing clamorous and vociferous protests against the war, among other factors, plunged the US into uncertain times.
Television responded by looking back to an earlier, supposedly more serene and peaceful time, releasing television shows like Happy Days and The Little House on the Prairie. Barbra Streisand’s hit single “The Way We Were,” from her movie of the same title, dominated the radio airwaves, and the Ramones played their first concert at CBGB in NYC. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac, and the band released its bestselling Fleetwood Mac the following year. In 1974 disco swept the nation, ushering in a music that distracted the nation from its woes.
Amidst all the tumultuous events of 1974, a number of albums held steady to the musical visions their artists had articulated in their earlier work. Some of these albums signaled changes in direction, at least temporarily; Bonnie Raitt’s Streetlights, for example, departs from the blues that dominated her first three albums and features a more folk and pop-oriented sound. Although Gram Parsons’ Grievous Angel was recorded in 1973 and released posthumously early in 1974, it featured a blend of country and rock that Parsons called “Cosmic American Music.” The country rock scene that had been emerging in California since the late 1960s and early 1970s continued to thrive and artists frequently contributed to others’ projects. Bernie Leadon and Linda Ronstadt appear on Parsons’ Grievous Angel, for example. Reggae had become an emerging force in American music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and Bob Marley gained an even larger audience with his 1974 album Natty Dread.
We celebrate the music of 1974 by looking back to some of these albums, featuring a key song from them. Enjoy!
Bob Marley, Natty Dread, “No Woman, No Cry”
In 1974, Bob Marley, who had been recording with Peter Tosh and Bunny and the Wailers, released his seventh album, Natty Dread, without them. It contains “No Woman, No Cry,” perhaps Marley’s best-known song—and the one recorded by other artists as diverse as Jimmy Buffett, The Fugees, and Pearl Jam—that looks back on his growing up in Trenchtown, Jamaica.
Bonnie Raitt, Streetlights, “That Song About the Midway”
Bonnie Raitt’s fourth studio album, produced by Jerry Ragovoy, focuses on Raitt as a vocalist—she doesn’t play slide guitar on the album—and reaches out to a more pop-oriented audience with string arrangements. The album contains Raitt’s versions of songs like John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” James Taylor’s “Rainy Day Man,” and Joni Mitchell’s “That Song about the Midway.”
Doc and Merle Watson, Two Days in November, “Two Days in November”
In 1974, Doc Watson and his son Merle released Two Days in November, a gem of an album chock full of their interpretations of old-time, bluegrass, and country tunes such as Hank Williams’ “Kaw-liga” and Merle Travis’ “Kinfolks in Carolina,” as well as originals like “Doc’s Rag.” The album won a Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording in 1975.
Dolly Parton, Jolene, “Jolene”
Dolly Parton’s thirteenth album Jolene produced two number one country singles: the title track and “I Will Always Love You.” The album was released as Parton was emerging as a solo artist and leaving the Porter Wagoner Show, on which she had appeared for seven years.
Gram Parsons, Grievous Angel, “The Return of the Grievous Angel”
Gram Parsons’ second and final solo album Grievous Angel featured haunting songs such as “The Return of the Grievous Angel,” “Hickory Wind,” and “Brass Buttons” that conveyed his loneliness and the starkness of his life. Songbird Emmylou Harris, whose first album, Gliding Bird, was released in 1969, emerges as an ethereal harmony singer.
John Denver, Back Home Again, “Back Home Again”
John Denver’s eighth album Back Home Again, which went multi-platinum, contained several songs that would become some of his most popular hits: the title track, “Annie’s Song,” “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” (studio version).
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Jackson Browne, Late for the Sky, “Late for the Sky”
Late for the Sky is Jackson Browne’s third studio album contains some of Browne’s most introspective writing and some of his most spacious musical arrangements. The album went to number 14 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart.
Linda Ronstadt, Heart Like a Wheel, “Willin’”
Heart Like a Wheel, her fifth studio album and her final one on Capitol Records, became her first number one album in the US. Ronstadt lends her clear, pure, aching vocals to her versions of Hank Williams’ “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You”), which won the Grammy in 1976 for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, and Little Feat’s “Willin’,” among others.
Richard & Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, “When I Get to the Border”
Richard Thompson’s second album I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight marks the first time he and his then wife Linda Thompson appear together on a record. Most critics hail this album as a masterpiece of English folk rock.
Taj Mahal, Mo’ Roots, “Johnny Too Bad”
Inspired by reggae, Taj Mahal includes songs by Bob Marley (“Slave Driver) and Jamaican singer and songwriter Bob Andy (“Desperate Lover”) on his reggae-centric seventh studio album, Mo’ Roots.
