1972

[key_wiz]

1972 was the first year I seriously got into pop/rock music. I turned 11 that year. I started listening to American Top 40 religiously every week beginning in March, the week “Heart of Gold” was #1. I had already purchased a handful of singles before then going back to ‘71. Stevie Wonder’s “If You Really Love Me” was the first single I ever purchased. Bread’s “Baby I’m a Want You” was my first LP purchase probably in summer of ‘72 (3 hit singles!)

After that, probably a week didn’t go by that I didn’t purchase at least one single and probably about an album a month. Until I got older and could afford more.

I have a lot of fond memories of that era of course. But was it actually the best year for music ever? I dunno. Hard to be objective. Nostalgia is a powerful drug.

 

[barfle]

Nostalgia is a powerful drug.

Ahh, the good old days, when nostalgia was “in.”

 

[THX1136]

I would agree with Q-Eight and would extend the years to 68-75. Just a literal ton of good music. I took an afternoon and listened to the Who's Quadrophenia at a very low volume on really cheap speakers (they were a ubiquitous inclusion with many 8-track players in the late 60s - maybe 2x4 in a plastic, open bottomed wedge to be placed on the rear deck of the car). I was totally impressed with the mix at that volume - full and powerful. There are nothing missing - seriously. Of course I know I wasn't hearing much of anything below 200 Hz, but still the mix held up quite well.

Also agree with Keywiz: nostalgia is a strong 'drug' when it comes to memory.

 

[jamoke]

Something on this list struck me as very strange for 1972. Jim Morrison died the year before so was the band performing without Jim? I don't remember anything after LA Woman except for "Other Voices".

The Doors played Aug 16th on Boston Common with Dr. John, and two nights later in Hartford CT with The Beach Boys/ The Kinks/ and Flo & Eddie.

 

[tarkusnj]

View attachment 81406

I never considered the band to be the Doors after Jim Morrison... simple...

 

[jamoke]

I never considered the band to be the Doors after Jim Morrison... simple...

You would probably think that if you hadn't seen the show. While it is was confusing and disappointing to see them, the Doors proved they were more than just Jim Morrison.
Before the show I remember asking myself...why?

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Lot's of prog rock albums saw their release in 72.

I usually keep a listing of all the reissues in surround year by year (not included quadraphonic though), unless reissued in a modern day format. These I have for 72 ,

Deep Purple - Machine Head DVDA , SACD , SQ CD ,BOX SET
David Bowie -The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars , SACD , DTS,DD DVD
Allman Brothers - Eat A Peach SACD
Neil Young - Harvest DVDA
Yes - Fragile DVDA(twice) , Bluray
Elton John - Honky Chateau SACD
Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn DTS CD , SACD
Genesis - Foxtrot DTS DD DVD, SACD
Hawkwind - Space Ritual DTS, DD DVD(upmix)
Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick DTS, DD DVD
Yes - Close To The Edge DVDA , BLU-RAY
Emerson ,Lake, and Palmer - Trilogy DVDA(twice)
Gentle Giant- Octopus Blu-Ray
King Crimson - Earthbound DTS DVD
Deodato - Prelude SACD
The Guess Who - Rockin' SACD
Santana/Buddy Miles - Live SACD
Buddy Miles - Booger Bear SACD
Chicago 2- Bluray
Doobie Brothers - Toulouse Street Bluray
The Rolling Stones - Ladies And Gentlemen (live 72)DVD DTS DD , Blu-ray
Led Zeppelin- How The West Was Won(live 72) DVDA , Blu-ray



(I'm probably missing a few DV'S that I don't have)


You should see the 70 listing I kept....much bigger!!!


And for what it's worth, I personally think "1967- 1975" ,are the pivotal years for Rock/progressive artistic achievements
1967 for all the debuts ,from Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced ,The Doors- The DOORS , Strange Days , and The Beatles 2 most unique ,SGT Pepper, and Magical Mystery Tour , and although not a debut but unique Cream Disraeli Gears probably one or two others that escape me.

 

[Petr Kropotkin]

And for what it's worth, I personally think "1967- 1975" ,are the pivotal years for Rock/progressive artistic achievements

As a prog. fan, I'd round it off to just a great decade: 1967-1977 (well, OK, 11 years, but it looks like a decade ). So those extra two years would include:

Yes: Going For The One (and the solo albums like Olias of Sunhillow and Fish Out Of Water).
ELP: Works (both volumes)
Genesis: Seconds Out, A Trick Of The Tail, Wind & Wuthering
Jethro Tull: Too Old..., Songs From The Wood
Pink Floyd: Animals

Obviously a few more in the prog. realm, but they were the ones I bought in 1976/77. There was also some great fusion stuff released in those two years, e.g.

Return To Forever: Romantic Warrrior, Musicmagic.
Weather Report: Black Market, Heavy Weather.
Mahavishnu Orchestra: Inner Worlds.

And other stuff from Tony Williams, Santana, etc. After that, well, eveything seemed to be punk, Abba, or disco...

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Aaah ,sheet !

I always forget one or two obvious ones , so additionally for 72, these :

Frank Zappa - Waka Jawaka fr/QuAudiophiliac
Pink Floyd - Pompeii
Tangerine Dream- Zeit

and embarrassingly , not Chicago 2 but " CHICAGO 5 "



Oh he'll, I probably forgot a few more 72's.
SO I'll let someone else fill in the blanks (for this blank).

 

[Stephen W Tayler]

Return To Forever: Romantic Warrrior, Musicmagic.
Weather Report: Black Market, Heavy Weather.
Mahavishnu Orchestra: Inner Worlds.

And other stuff from Tony Williams, Santana, etc. After that, well, eveything seemed to be punk, Abba, or disco...

ooh, a couple there I was assistant engineer/tape-op on for the mix sessions, back in the Trident days!

 

[Petr Kropotkin]

ooh, a couple there I was assistant engineer/tape-op on for the mix sessions, back in the Trident days!

Were you lost during the Mahavishnu sessions?

 

[Stephen W Tayler]

Were you lost during the Mahavishnu sessions?

Never aware of those!! However....
(John with producer/engineer Dennis MacKay)

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Cool pic , Stephen .

Are you at liberty to divulge some of the albums (or artists) you worked on while at Trident ?
I'm already envious . ( fwiw.)

 

[Stephen W Tayler]

Cool pic , Stephen .

Are you at liberty to divulge some of the albums (or artists) you worked on while at Trident ?
I'm already envious . ( fwiw.)

sorry if this is a bit of a clunky cut and paste!! Some of the credits I can remember...... lots missing!!

AS TEABOY: 1974-5
QUEEN
ACE
SUPERTRAMP
ELTON JOHN
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR/PETER HAMMILL

AS TAPE OP: 1975-6
RETURN TO FOREVER
STANLEY CLARK
LENNY WHITE
BRAND X
STOMU YAMASHTA
TOMMY BOLIN
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA
SHAKTI
NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN
GENESIS
KAYAK
TINA TURNER
MARIANNE FAITHFULL
DUANE EDDY
T REX
COCKNEY REBEL
QUANTUM JUMP

AS ENGINEER: 1976-9
GONG
TOMMY BOLIN
BRAND X
BILL BRUFORD
U.K.
ROD ARGENT
PETER GABRIEL
CITY BOY
KAYAK
CLAUDE FRANCOIS
STOMU YAMASHTA

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Waaaaay, Kool.

Thanks

 

[par4ken]

In 1972 I was listening to a lot of great albums from 1971 and earlier. In 1973 I was listening to a lot of great albums from the previous year (1972). It was common back then to buy the hit single first, then later on (the next year perhaps) to pick up the album. Or skip the singles altogether and wait for a deal on the album.

In my mind Alice Cooper "Killer" was really a 1972 album, but it was actually released late in 1971. My original copy had the fold out 1972 calendar (with him hanging himself). Honorable mention here as it is technically not a 1972 release. Likewise Five Man Electrical Band "Coming of Age" was a 1971 release but contained many Canadian hit singles that were released in 1972.

To try to remain "pure" the following is to the best of my recollection are the 1972 releases that I was actually listening to in 1972. I'm posting "my list" as I see very few of those on my list posted by others.

Mountain – Live: The Road Goes Ever On

Melanie – Four Sides of Melanie

Manfred Mann's Earth Band – Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Neil Young – Harvest

Yes – Fragile

A Foot in Coldwater – A Foot in Coldwater

The Grass Roots – Move Along

The Guess Who – Rockin'

The Hollies – Hollies' Greatest Vol. 2

James Gang – Straight Shooter, Passin' Thru

Jefferson Airplane – Long John Silver

John Kay – Forgotten Songs & Unsung Heroes

Eric Clapton – History of Eric Clapton

Deep Purple – Machine Head, – Early Purple

Various – Maple Music Vol.1

Carpenters – A Song for You

Neil Diamond – Diamond's Diamonds

You will notice that some are compilations recorded in previous years, do they still count?

 

[Marplot]

A fun thread to read, thanks for sharing. My first album was The Wurzels Golden Delicious so it will be a few years before I get to fully participate.

 

[humprof]

Lost in all the Revolver hoopla, maybe: Stevie Wonder's Talking Book released 50 years ago yesterday. Wouldn't it have been nice if UMe had quietly dropped Robert Margouleff's unreleased quad mix in Dolby Audio as an anniversary present?

Here's an amazing multi-media online feature put together by the New York Times ("gifted" version of the link for non-subscribers who have already used up their monthly quota of free articles):
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/27/arts/music/stevie-wonder-talking-book.html
One of Margouleff's longer quotes from the piece suggests how central "quad" was to the conception of Wonder's string of early 70s classics:

We built a studio at the Record Plant, Studio B, with a quadraphonic control room. The industry was touting a system called QS, a methodology of putting quad in vinyl. It was a miserable failure. But it changed my life forever, because I was able to start recording and tracking the records with Stevie in quad. When Steve was in the control room working on a record, the Clavinet could be over here [pointing right] and the Rhodes could be in the back with the background vocals, the lead vocal in the middle of the front. And the first record I ever made in quad — in surround, really — was “Superstition.”​

​

It was fantastic. We couldn’t deliver it to the public — we didn’t have the electrical information to do it. But it worked extremely well creatively in the control room. We could hear the instruments really talking to one another. Everything had a place. We occupied the same space as the music, versus listening to the music emulating the illusion of people playing on a stage in front of you. If you’re going to record a symphony orchestra, then you want that sonic texture. But our music had nothing to do with reality. It was floating electrons. All of that stuff came out of the ether, flowing out of Stevie’s brain directly into the medium. Technology was driving the art.​

 

[Electric Moo]

Speaking of TONTO, here is a great interview with Malcolm Cecil, where he talks about working with Stevie Wonder, Gil Scott Heron, and all kinds of other fascinating stuff:



RIP

 

[Doug G.]

What the Doors needed to do was get another singer who could sing like Morrison, me for instance. I could sing just like him. Same baritone voice. OK, I'm being a braggart and egotistical, but I was too chicken anyway. I always told everybody, "I can sing just like Morrison but I won't."

When they tried to carry on with Manzarek singing it was a failure because he was terrible, just irritating to listen to.

Doug