30 Days in the Hole, Humble Pie
(Steve Marriott)
After Steve Marriott left the Small Faces in 1969, he formed Humble Pie with guitarist Peter Frampton and scored a #4 U.K. hit with “Natural Born Bugie.” Frampton had left by 1972’s Smokin’ album, which went to #6 on the U.S. charts. “30 Days in the Hole,” a plaint about drug related jail time, has elements of gospel and blues, with a hard rock sound similar to Free/Bad Company. Sadly, Marriott’s career with sidetracked with chemical dependency issues and he passed away at the age of 44, from a fire he most likely caused by accident.
Ain’t That Peculiar, Fanny
(Pete Moore, William “Smokey” Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin)
California based Fanny were the first all female band to release an album on a major label. They scored two minor Top 40 hits (“Charity Ball” and “Butter Boy”), but this funk rock cover of Marvin Gaye’s 1965 Top Ten hit might be their best moment. June Millington played a gender neutral, mean slide guitar.
California Man, The Move
(Roy Wood)
The band’s last U.K. Top Ten hit was a tribute to 50’s rock ‘n’ roll – it sounds like “Bony Moronie” performed by Jerry Lee Lewis with a Little Richard horn section. While “California Man” looks backward and is obvious nostalgia, the b-side was the original version of “Do Ya,” later a hit from ELO and a peek into the future. Cheap Trick covered “California Man,” sans irony overkill, for their 1978 Heaven Tonight album.
Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll, Blue Öyster Cult
(Sandy Pearlman, Donald Roeser, and Albert Bouchard)
With a riff borrowed from Black Sabbath’s “The Wizard,” “Cities on Flame” is the type of hard rock song that BOC played both as a straight ahead rocker and also as a somewhat in joke lampoon of the form. The lyrics are (purposefully?) impossibly bad, but the guitar work earns the song its spot as an early ‘70s metal anthem. Kind of a neat trick to avoid satire by ensuring that nobody gets the joke.
Highway Star, Deep Purple
(Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice)
Speed metal didn’t evolve into a major commercial genre until the 1980s, when bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax popularized the form. Certainly Motörhead was a primary influence for the ‘80s speed/thrash movement, but the eight cylinders interstate throttle of “Highway Star” may have been the first true speed metal song. Equally exhilarating and influential, for my money Deep Purple’s best moment.
Howard Johnson’s Got His Ho-Jo Working, NRBQ
(Terry Adams)
NRBQ formed in the late 1960s and quickly impressed critics with their eclectic, jazz influenced approach to rock ‘n’ roll. On “Howard Johnson’s Got His Ho-Jo Working” the touring musicians receive a voodoo curse from a popular hotel chain, who takes all of the band’s hard earned funds. “Ho-Jo” combines the band’s spry charm with a complex, yet accessible, band arrangement.
It Doesn’t Matter, Manassas
(Chris Hillman, Rick Roberts, Stephen Stills) (#61)
Manassas was a short lived early 1970s project lead by Stephen Stills with support from Chris Hillman, formerly of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. The band didn’t think small, debuting with a double album that went Top Ten. “It Doesn’t Matter” is catchy Latin-tinged, psychedelic folk rock. Sounds like something the band America might crank out after eating mushrooms and having a jam session with Carlos Santana.
Mama Weer All Crazee Now, Slade
(Noddy Holder/Jim Lea) (#76)
After seeing Chuck Berry give a performance where the audience would sing entire portions of songs, Jim Lea of Slade was inspired to “write the crowd into the songs.” “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” a #1 hit in the U.K., had all the elements of Slade – the prominent power chords, pop handclaps, simple sing along lyrics. Noddy Holder improvised an extended “Mama” chant, to end this wall of sound glam rocker with a twist of deranged fury. No telling how many kegs have been emptied to this band.
Paper Plane, Status Quo
(Francis Rossi, Bob Young)
Status Quo is a one hit wonder band in the U.S., who landed at #12 in 1968 with the blissful psychedelic garage rock of “Pictures of Matchstick Men,” however they were a major international act that scored hits on the U.K. pop charts for over four decades. Lyrically, “Paper Plane” is a typical rock star road blues song, but, musically the verses are based on short, guitar downstrokes that would later be the bread and butter of the punk movement. While Status Quo is often pigeonholed as a “boogie rock” band, this Top Ten U.K. hit is pure proto-punk sweetness.
Slow Death, The Flamin’ Groovies
(Cyril Jordan, Roy Loney)
The Flamin’ Groovies started as a retro before retro was cool act in the 1960s, then moved to a more traditional blues rock formula in the early 1970s. They would later become synonymous with power pop. “Slow Death,” an anti-drug song, is a gripping Stones-meets-Beatles synthesis, combining hard rock aggressive (nice slide guitar riff) with their natural melodic sound. Addictive proto-punk garage rock.
Supernaut, Black Sabbath
(Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward)
Black Sabbath has known for their heavy, slow tempo, sludge metal, but on the swiftly paced “Supernaut” drummer Bill Ward starts with a high hat pattern similar to what was being played in funk music of that era and Iommi provides one of his most memorable riffs. Need proof that this band wasn’t a one trick pony? Check out the folk break that sounds like Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia” being played while on a cocaine bender.
Under My Wheels, Alice Cooper
(Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, Bob Ezrin) (#59)
“Under My Wheels” didn’t replicate the pop success of “I’m Eighteen,” maybe the Vegas horns meet hard rock guitar was too disconcerting. Nice guitar work complements Cooper’s growling vocals and he takes great satisfaction in running over a lover turned pest. The catchiest tune ever about vehicular homicide.
Virginia Plain, Roxy Music
(Bryan Ferry)
Roxy Music was categorized as a “glam rock” act coming out of the gate in 1972, but these art school students turned musicians were a one of a kind avant-garde dance rock band. On “Virginia Plain,” Brian Eno provided electronic music textures while Andy MacKay’s saxophone squalled with atonal abandon. Ferry’s provided stream of consciousness lyrics that sounded like a series of catch phrases and even on an upbeat rocker maintained an aura of elegant aloofness. This was their first single in the U.K. and a top five hit.
Whisky in the Jar, Thin Lizzy
(Traditional, arrangement Bell, Downey, Lynott)
“Whisky in the Jar” is a traditional Irish folk song that may date back to the 17th century. It was recorded by the Irish band The Dublinars in the 1960s and Thin Lizzy recorded a hard rock version, reportedly due to a dearth of original material at the band’s outset. Replacing bagpipes with guitar, Thin Lizzy had their first major hit in their native Ireland and in the U.K. with this tale of murder, love, and betrayal. Original guitarist Eric Bell on their first wave of success, “Once we had a hit, 2,000 people would suddenly come down from the balconies and the bars to listen to ‘Whisky in the Jar’ and then about 50 would stay on, when we started playing our own stuff.”
Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie
(David Bowie)
With his androgynous look, rumors of bisexuality, theatrical makeup, and eccentric costumes, David Bowie didn’t break through on the U.S. pop charts in a major way in 1972, but he did actively terrify parents while providing a most unusual safe haven for their outcast children. A glam power ballad about a self anointed rock ‘n’ roll messiah, “Ziggy Stardust” became an iconic character in music history. Bowie, “I packaged a totally credible plastic rock star.” Also, the guitar chords alone are swoon worthy
