He’s Gonna Step On You Again – John Kongos
Freedom To The People – The Heptones
You Know You know – Mahavishnu Orchestra
Dig Deep In Your Soul – Bobby Boyd Congress
Feel Flows – The Beach Boys
The Lady With The Braid – Dory Previn
People Make The World Go Round – The Stylistics
This is a nice play list! I did not know most of the bands.
Jonn Kongos was interesting, it reminded me a little of T-rex actually a little. The Heptones was great I love the brass, it some how reminded me of the wind instrument club at my high school ! ! ! I think you can tell they are having fun ! ! !
Mahavishnu Orchestra was……..interesting. I like jazz but I think I need to listen to this a little more to get into it. I sort of admired it more than liked it first time if you understand me.
Bobby Boyd Congress is from the more challenging section of soul. I liked it a lot, it is a interesting and complex arrangement and quite unusual compared to the soul I am more familiar with. But I did like it very much
The beach boys track was completely different from what I expected ! ! ! I love it when I get a surprise like that. I really liked this one ! ! !
Dory Previn was a really nice pop – country track and I loved her voice very much indeed !
The Stylistics was a really nice sophisticated track and the really like the voice in this and the arrangement.
1971 was good year I think so ! ! !
A good year indeed! That’s why it took me so long to choose 7 songs.
I see what you mean about Mahavishnu Orchestra, though this is probably the easiest of their songs to get into!
Glad you liked it, thanks for listening (and there is a bonus playlist).
I remember hearing John Kongos’ “Tokoloshe Man” on Top Of The Pops at the time. I know the Happy Mondays’ version of this tune but I don’t think I’ve ever heard the original. Good one.
The Heptones – here’a another one! I love Book Of Rules and I know this song (or at least a variation on it) by The Chi-Lites. Who did it first??
Mahavishnu Orchestra – he’s playing slowly! I just remember John Peel being forced (possibly at gunpoint) by his producer John Walters to play the odd track by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. I hated each and every one. Rather liked this though. More investigation needed (again).
Bobby Boyd Congress – didn’t get a thing out of this. Left me cold. Not sure why, just did. I will listen again to give it a chance to grow on me.
Beach Boys – I think this is from “Surf’s Up” A bit of an oddity. Probably needs a few listens. It’s not a leap out and grab you sort of song. Again I think it needs a few listens.
Dory Previn – this isn’t like any of the (few) tracks I’ve heard by her before. Loved it. Crying out for a Bobbie Gentry cover (was there one?)
The Stylistics – this is the business! I wish they’d recorded more stuff like this instead of Rock & Roll Baby and the like. Gorgeous.
Interesting selection and proves that any year can be viewed a number of different ways. I’d have just remembered Mungo Jerry, T-Rex and that lady in Middle Of The Road with the short shorts.
Hi Severin, glad you enjoyed it. I guess it’s my fault for limiting myself to a small amount of songs, but I could have included something from Al Green, Baby Huey, Can, Dave & Ansel Collins’ Double Barrel, Hunky Dory, What’s Going On?, Maggot Brain, There’s A Riot Going On, Who’s next?, etc. I “had” to leave out some favourites, and also, looking at last years lists, tried to avoid too much repeats in terms of who shows up.
I think the Chi-Lites got their first (same year though) but I wanted to go for a less nervous tone. Still the Americans’ version is my favourite. Feel Flows does grow after more listens, it starts out meh but it all makes sense in the end, and I like the noodly bit in the middle, that’s the bridge right?
In the movie of my life, every day starts with that Stylistics song.
Tough year… much as I’d like to give Mahavishnu Orch. some much needed love, Birds of fire is probably more to my tastes than the first album. You know, you know comes across as too studious in these surroundings, I suspect. But in all honesty it’s the only track I half like off this play list. (Or maybe I’m just in a bad mood after reading about the Thierry Henry statue).
I think I’d have gone for something off Weather Report’s eponymous album, it possibly hasn’t dated so much as the M.O.
Miles wasn’t in the studio in ’71, unfortunately.. Herbie’s Mwandishi or Joe Zawinul’s solo album would fit though… as would Harold Alexander, GSH’s Revolution, Cannonball’s Black Messiah, Orch. Poly Rhythmo, or Santana (III), which just shows how narrow my particular tastes are regarding the decade in question. You think it’s going to be any easier to do ’81? (Is it too late to send you The Clean’s debut track?)
Nilpferd! Like 1969 and 1970, this was the hardest year to narrow down (there is a bonus playlist though). I’m starting to think it’s proof that this period is the best in terms of music, or simply that I own more music from that era.
I prefer Birds of Fire too but I’ve always had a soft spot for You Know You Know, also I think finishing the playlist at night led me to a quieter vibe.
1981 is definitely looking easier, and the question with 1991 is wether to include tracks from the albums whose 20th anniversaries were surroundered by a lot of hoopla.
P.S. That statue is a bit cheeky, I’m slightly worried it’ll suffer some kind of abuse.
Heh heh… I have to admit I watched the goal in question last night with a certain amount of admiration… there’s probably some idiot around North London with enough of a chip on his shoulder to want to do some damage to the statue though.
I think I like You know, you know fine enough in the context of the album, but it does seem a bit overwrought in this company.
Have you heard the Miles Quintet Bootleg Vol 1., btw? There are some awesome versions of Footprints, in particular.
I haven’t heard the Miles Bootleg yet, but it’s on the Christmas list, looking forward to it though.
That was the year I started buying records (age 9), and in 2001 I did six C60s of 1971 music for a mate’s 30th. I think it’s the unsung hero of great music years, both in the singles charts and in hairier places. Great albums include The Move – Message From The Country and Traffic The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys as well as those you mentioned. And for GordonImmel, Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West) was number 1 in the UK 40 years ago !
I’ll try and listen to this over the weekend as there’s a couple of songs I don’t know…
Posted on There’s a scene in the classic film Cool Hand Luke where Luke, pylead by Paul Newman, gets into a fight with the biggest, baddest, dude in the work camp. He really doesn’t stand a chance, but there’s really no way out.He gets knocked down, hard, but picks himself back up. Then he gets knocked down again. And gets up again. And again. And again. Before long, everyone in the gathered crowd is yelling for him to just stay down, but he keeps getting back up.He won that fight, not by beating the other guy, but by winning over the crowd and by not giving up.I used a variation of this tactic once upon a time. Some dude tried to pick a fight with me by telling me I danced like an idiot. Well, he was right. I looked ridiculous out there on the dance floor. This wasn’t news to me. So I agreed with him. He kept trying to insult me along the same lines, but, since I wasn’t really offended by his observation at all, I kept agreeing with him.Needless to say, he got very frustrated and the gathered crowd quickly got bored. He just walked away.And I went back to dancing like a fool.
Yay, Stylistics!
What was the first track on the bonus list, that was fantastic. Rare Earth was a nice addition, forgot all about that one.
You mentioned Hunky Dory, that was kind of a big deal. I must mention Sticky Fingers though, arguably their very best.
amy – I think it’s ‘Bad Tune’ by Earth Wind & Fire
Sorry I haven’t replied sooner, I’ve been without internet at home since friday and can’t listen to the playlist on my phone. That is indeed Bad Tune by EWF, followed by:
Let Somebody Love Me by David Ruffin
Love Is Falling On Me by Rotary Connection
I Just Want To Celebrate by Rare Earth
Ama Teu A Vizinho Como A Ti Mesmo by Sà, Rodrix & Guarabira
Clean Up Woman by Betty Wright
I Won’t Be Hanging Round by Linda Ronstadt.
Thanks guys. Now i have always considered myself an EWF fan, and indeed saw them live twice. But i had never heard that song, so i googled it.
“Earth, Wind, & Fire is the self-titled debut album by the group Earth, Wind & Fire, released in 1971 on Warner Bros. Records. The lineup is quite different from the one that became famous during the mid-1970s. This edition of the group would be disbanded after its second album.
The music on this album is much tougher and more raw than the sound the group later became famous for. The vocals are very much a collaborative effort. Leads are freely traded, and many lines are sung by multiple voices. Leader Maurice White, who would front later editions of the group, is content to stay behind the drums here, blending his vocals with the rest.”
So that explains it, and no Philip Bailey then either. I’m off to explore when time permits!
It’s funny, but I was listening to The Inner Mounting Flame in the car this week and really enjoying it. You Know You know works brilliantly on the album, because it is a soothing pause in the pyrotechnics of the rest of the music.
I loved this set, I knew all of them apart from the Bobby Boyd Congress track. Surf’s Up is one of those Beach Boys albums that tends to get a bit overlooked in favour of Pet Sounds but I love it.
1971 was a pretty good year for music, I think. It is right slap bang in the middle of my teens too.
And Arsenal did the Double. I was at White Heart Lane when Ray Kennedy grabbed the goal that won it.
That Arsenal double was a strange thing. Legendary managers Revie, Clough, Shankly and Busby battling it out for the trophies, and the Arse go and promote the physiotherapist to manage the team, and you win the double !
And the LP known as Led Zep IV was that year – I love it all, especially The Battle Of Evermore and except for Stairway….
Doubly great year! I’m a bit jealous that you were there though.
2 killer diller playlists ejay – especially The Heptones & Mahavishnu Orch. I’m sure I’ve heard that sampled by Jill Scott …
Thanks Alba, it was indeed sampled by Jill Scott in The Real Thing.