Black Betty
To continue this tribute to the year of the serpent, let's increase the beat a little bit with this head banging piece of rock & roll excess, Black Betty.
Bill Bartlett took the song from an African-American work song often credited to Lead Belly and wrote music to it, becoming a regional hit. Producers in NY took the hit and formed a band around Bartlett to re-release the song, the group Ram Jam was born. On its release there was a call to boycott the song due to its "racists" lyrics, even so it reached #18 on the singles charts. On this subject, there has always been a controversy about the lyrics but according to Wikipedia "Black Betty" was a common name for a bottle of whiskey in some places a long time ago.
What makes this song what it is, is its very catchy guitar riff combined with the play of words of the lyrics. It has all of the elements of a the a classic 70's bombastic song, the bombo intro, the mini guitar solo on the beginning, the fat rhythm guitar, the extensive guitar solo, the drum solo, the harsh vocals, the other guitar solo, the guitar outro, the theatric end, well... it is has everything. A true classic 70's hard rock anthem.
Fleetwood Mac
Dreams
Fleetwood Mac is a band that has been in constant change since the day it was formed. It started as a blues band but periodically undertook changes in style until it became an adult-contemporary act in the 90's. The changes were not only in its musical direction but mostly in its lineup, being the most successful the team made by Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckinham, Steve Nicks, Christine McVie and Nick McVie. Rumors, released in 1977, was Fletwood Mac's most best-selling album reaching the top of the charts around the world and selling to this day more than 40 million copies.
One of the most successful singles to come out the album is "Dreams" a piece written by Steve Nicks in 10 minutes. A beautiful dreamy midtempo ballad that appeals me specially for Lindsey's delicate guitar playing and Steve Nicks lovely vocals. The backing vocals are another element that makes this song interesting specially Christine's voice.
Iggy Pop
Sister Midnight
From the collaboration in the Berlin era between Iggy Pop and David Bowie comes a song that I think is one of the best ones from the album "The Idiot". Funky and dark it's no secret this is one of Bowies musical electronic experiments using Iggy Pop as a guinnea pig for his future musical approaches. Based on a riff by guitarist Carlos Alomar, Bowie managed to create a futuristic robotic-funk, but you can still hear some traces of the R&B period of previous Bowie's albums. The lyrics are Pops but with Bowie's collaboration on the first verse. Although "The Idiot" was a well recieved album and marked Iggy Pop as a serious artist, for Pop's purists this is not representative of his output.
David Bowie also included a re-worked version of this song with different lyrics in his 1979 album "Lodger" called "Red Money". He also used to play "Sister Midnight" on his Station to Station tour in 1976. Here you can appreciate his approach to the song in a more psychedelic manner. Nice guitar solo by the way!
Donna Summer
I Feel Love
To end the commemoration of 1977 I want to present you one of the most influential pieces of electronic music ever recorded.
Before this, disco music was backed by acoustic orchestras, but italian producer Giorgio Moroder known for his innovative use of synthesizers, produced a totally electronic background for Donna Summers provocative voice. The result was a dance track so powerful that to this day it keeps spinning in the turntables of Djs around the world. It's said that its influence was critical in the development of disco, electronica, house and techno to name a few.
David Bowie recognized that while in the process of recording his Berlin Triology; the song had an impact on the gender's direction:
"One day in Berlin ... [Brian] Eno came running in and said, 'I have heard the sound of the future.' … he puts on 'I Feel Love', by Donna Summer … He said, 'This is it, look no further. This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next fifteen years.' Which was more or less right." David Bowie & Kurt Loder (1989). Sound and Vision: CD liner notes
Not only is this song pioneering in the use of electronic instruments, it's a very fine, cool, hypnotic and sexy song, of course taking center stage is the synthesizers loop that until this day keeps sounding exciting. Summer's vocals are of course also an essential part of the appealing of the song.
It's a shame this video is not complete, there are other versions but this is as close to the original as you can get.
So this is it, I hope you enjoyed this commemoration of 1977 as I did making it. Until the next time.
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