Aphrodite's Child - Babylon (1972)

This Greek group first came together in 1967 and began as a backing band named “Vangelis and his Orchestra” after their lead member and multi-instrumentalist, Vangelis Papathanassiou. Although it wasn’t a smooth process, the band left their home country of Greece, which was under a newly formed dictatorship, and recorded their first album (End of the World, October 1968) in Paris, France. Their second and third albums were recorded in London, England. It was during the recording of their third album, 666, when the band members began to find new, separate interests and come apart from one another. The band’s lead vocalist, Demis Roussos, for example, had become more interested in pursuing a solo career. Vangelis, on the other hand, had begun recording scores for television documentaries. He, too, would pursue a solo career and became renowned for his electronic music. Vangelis also worked on numerous film scores, most notably winning an Oscar for his score for the film Chariots of Fire. Although you may not recognize the name, you’d probably recognize the main track. By the time of 666’s release in June 1972, the band had already broken up.

The song heard below is the second track on the band’s final album, 666. It was written by Vangelis Papathanassiou and had lyrics contributed by Costas Ferris. Although it sounds live, the crowd noise was layered behind the song. Lyrically, the song introduces the apocalyptic theme found throughout the album. Although not a chart-topper when released, the album is now considered a classic, as well as one of the first concept albums.



Aphrodite's Child - Babylon (1972)

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Lyrics:

Fallen, fallen, fallen
Is Babylon the great
Space is getting bounded
Time is getting late
Getting late

Masters fall and wonder
People rise and wait
Fallen, fallen, fallen
Is Babylon the great

You don't need a coin
I don't have to shine
We don't know the reason

But, I need you madly
And you need me too
And we need each other
Need each other
Need each other

Fallen, fallen, fallen
Is Babylon the great
Space is getting bounded
Time is getting late
Getting late

Masters fall and wonder
People rise and wait
Fallen, fallen, fallen
Is Babylon the great

You don't need a coin
I don't have to shine
We don't know the reason

But, I need you madly
And you need me too
And we need each other
Need each other
Need each other

Hot Tuna - Water Song (1972)

Jack Casady (b. April 13, 1944) and Jorma Kaukonen (b. December 23, 1940) had first met in the city which they were both born, Washington, D.C. in the United States, while growing up. Together as teenagers, the duo formed their first band together called The Triumphs. While Casady remained enrolled in high school, Kaukonen went off to Ohio for college, before abruptly following his family to live overseas. Eventually Kaukonen found his way back to the States and re-enrolled in college in California. In 1965, Kaukonen joined Jefferson Airplane and, within a matter of months, recruited Casady to join the band on bass, replacing Bob Harvey. Although Jack and Jorma wound find great success with the psychedelic sounds created in Jefferson Airplane, it was the blues to which they always remained loyal. In 1969, Jack and Jorma began a side project, this band, which allowed them to perform the blues and record original material of their own. Although Jefferson Airplane would eventually split up, and although Jack and Jorma have each had their own share of solo albums and guest appearances on other records, it is only Hot Tuna which still remains intact today. From 1969 until the present, the band has never broken up, continues to release new material, and continues to put on live shows which can last anywhere from three to six hours.

The first two albums released by Hot Tuna were live albums (Hot Tuna from 1970 and First Pull Up, Then Pull Down from 1971). The album that this song appeared on was the group’s third release, but first studio-recorded album, titled Burgers, and released in February 1972. Written by Jorma Kaukonen, the song featured Kaukonen on guitar, Jack Casady on bass, and Sammy Piazza on drums.



Hot Tuna - Water Song (1972)

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Lyrics:

(instrumental)

Nick Drake - Which Will (1972)

Nick Drake was born June 19, 1948 in Rangoon, Burma, but was raised and lived in Berkshire, England. His mother taught him to play piano and write songs, ultimately influencing his style and voice. As for schooling, Drake attended the same school in Wiltshire, England which his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all attended. While enrolled, Drake ran track and set a school record for the 100-yard dash, a record that stood for decades before being broken. He went entirely unnoticed by others, with old classmates often claiming they knew very little about him. Around 1964 or 1965, he started a band known as The Perfumed Gardeners. By 1967, Drake was continuing his education in France, traveling to Morocco with friends in his free time to indulge in marijuana and hallucinogenic drugs. Eventually, Drake enrolled at Cambridge University, but had more interest in drugs and music than in making friends or his academics. He began performing songs locally at coffee houses and clubs, but failed to impress his audience, whom he never interacted or made eye contact with. Luckily for Drake, he was discovered by Ashley Hutchings (of Fairport Convention) who thought there was a talent in Drake. This connection led to Drake landing a record deal.

In 1968, as a professional twenty year old singer-songwriter, Drake thought he had found his big break and dropped out of Cambridge nine months before graduation. From 1969 until 1972, he put out three albums. The first album, Five Leaves Left, was a collection of baroque folk that failed to sell well; so, in an effort to “go mainstream,” Drake’s second album, Bryter Layter, featured more instrumentation and pop production. Unfortunately, this album, too, sold less than a few thousand copies and Drake became even more withdrawn from those around him. Drake decided to record his third album entirely by himself with just his acoustic guitar, sans one piano overdub. Drake's record company didn't even know about the album, titled Pink Moon, until it had already been recorded. Unfortunately, the album sold worse than his first two and Drake, further depressed with his lack of success, quit the music business.

In the years to come, Drake was described by family and friends as extremely distant. He had been visiting a psychiatrist, would disappear for days at a time, had difficulty sleeping, and suffered a mental breakdown, hospitalizing him for five weeks. Finally, in November 1974, Nick Drake’s mother found her son in his bed, next to a bottle of antidepressants, dead. As cruel fate would have it, Drake's work eventually reached the popularity he sought in the 1980s, posthumously. He was cited as a major influence to members of R.E.M. and The Cure, with the latter having chosen their band name from one of Drake’s song’s lyrics. All three of Drake’s albums are now on Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list.

Written and composed by Nick Drake, this song was included on Drake’s last album, Pink Moon. With the exception of the title song which featured some piano work by Drake, the entire album was composed entirely of Nick Drake’s voice and acoustic guitar playing. The album was recorded in two separate two-hour sessions, each at midnight, in October 1971. The album itself was released in February 1972 and has been described as Nick Drake’s purest work.



Nick Drake - Which Will (1972)

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Lyrics:

Which will you go for?
Which will you love?
Which will you choose from-
From the stars above?
Which will you answer?
Which will you call?
Which will you take for-
For your one and all?
And tell me now
Which will you love the best?

Which do you dance for?
Which makes you shine?
Which will you choose now
If you won't choose mine?
Which will you hope for?
Which can it be?
Which will you take now
If you won't take me?
And tell me now
Which will you love the best?

Road - I'm Trying (1972)

Noel Redding started the band Fat Mattress while still enrolled as the bassist of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Although he would often play in both bands in the same night, he played his last concert with the Experience in June 1969. He quit Fat Mattress later that same year. Living in Los Angeles and deciding what to do next, he was contacted by Hendrix’s manager, Michael Jeffery, a few months after Woodstock (August 1969) about getting back together with Jimi Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell to reform the Experience. All three members got together for an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, but no concerts or recordings ever came about. Instead, Redding got together with ex-Rare Earth member Rod Richards and drummer Les Sampson to form this semi-supergroup in the beginning of 1970. Together, the new band only recorded one album, self-titled Road and released in 1972, sharing lead vocals throughout the album. The LP was criticized as being a “watered-down, post-Experience” attempt at hard rock and was quickly forgotten. A short time after the release of the album, the band called it quits and Redding and Sampson went on together forming The Noel Redding Band, while Richards attempted a solo career and had stints with various bands in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

The opening track on their only album, this song was written and sung by Rod Richards. Although Redding had been a guitarist originally, he switched to the bass when joining The Jimi Hendrix Experience. He switched back to the guitar for his band Fat Mattress; and found himself back on bass for this band.



Road - I'm Trying (1972)

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Lyrics:

I’m trying
To forget the past
I’m trying
How long will it last?

Hope I can do something
What I want you for

Well, maybe
Someday, somewhere
You’ll remember things you said
We should finish them
As you said hi to me
That was love to me

I’m trying
To forget the past
Hope you won’t be long
Feelings coming strong

I’m trying
Oh, I’m trying
I’m try…

New Riders of the Purple Sage - Rainbow (1972)

Often shortened to the New Riders or NRPS, this country rock band was formed in San Francisco, California in 1969 by a handful of notable musicians in the Bay area. As far back as the early ‘60s, John Dawson, nicknamed “Marmaduke,” had been known by his friends to have a penchant for the country music heard in the eastern parts of the United States. In 1966, Dawson’s tastes had expanded quite a bit (along with his mind) through the blooming drug culture and acid experimentation popular at the time. After some short stints performing in various bands in 1967 and ’68, Dawson began performing in local coffeehouses where he blended his new found love of psychedelics with his classic love of country and bluegrass. By 1969, Dawson began featuring his old friend, Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, in his shows when the Dead were taking a break from touring. As luck would have it, country rock had been climbing in popularity over the past few years in thanks to artists like The Band, Gram Parsons' era of The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Bob Dylan all releasing country-inspired albums. Thinking that they should have a full-fledged band to back them, Dawson (on acoustic guitar) and Garcia (on the pedal steel guitar) picked up David Nelson of Big Brother and the Holding Company to play lead electric guitar and Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead to play bass and drums, respectively. Although this lineup would change very frequently over the next forty-plus years, these noted musicians became the first lineup of the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

In 1970, Spencer Dryden of Jefferson Airplane replaced Mickey Hart on the drums while Dave Torbet of the Grateful Dead replaced Phil Lesh on the bass. In 1971, Buddy Cage replaced Jerry Garcia on the pedal steel guitar. The band’s second released album, titled Powerglide, was this new lineup’s first album together. It was the highest charting album released by any incarnation of the band, reaching number thirty-three on the Billboard 200 in 1972. Although the album featured guest appearances by Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, and Nicky Hopkins, this particular song only featured the new official lineup mentioned above. Written by John “Marmaduke” Dawson, this song was the second track and one of six original songs on the Powerglide album.



New Riders of the Purple Sage - Rainbow (1972)

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Lyrics:

Sing me a rainbow, shine me a dime
Drop in and see me any old time, honey
And if you love me, tell me you do
Reason I’m asking is ‘cause I love you, honey
Oh, don’t you know that I love you?

When I was living, I felt so ashamed
Well, now I’ve been giving and feeling less pain
So, honey

Sing me a rainbow, shine me a dime
Drop in and see m any old time, honey
And if you love me, tell me you do
Reason I’m asking is ‘cause I love you, honey
Oh, don’t you know that I love you?

Oh, yes, you are magic, I know that you are
‘cause I saw you riding last night on a star, honey

Sing me a rainbow, shine me a dime
Drop in and see me any old time, honey
And if you love me, tell me you do
Reason I’m asking is ‘cause I love you, honey
Oh, don’t you know that I love you?

Oh, honey
Oh, don’t you know that I love you?

Thin Lizzy - Whiskey in the Jar (1972)

Formed in Dublin, Ireland in December 1969, this band’s birth began when Phil Lynott and Brian Downey, who had met while still in high school, were playing a gig at a local pub. Attending the gig were two ex-members of Van Morrison’s Them, Eric Bell and Eric Wrixon. After the show, Bell and Wrixon asked Lynott and Downey if they’d like to come together as a group, and they agreed after Lynott was assured he would get to play bass and that they would record some of his original songs. Although Wrixon and Bell would eventually part ways with the group before they had released their first single and after unsuccessful records, respectively, the band would go on to great success in the early-to-mid ‘70s with songs like “The Boys Are Back in Town,” “Jailbreak,” and their first successful single heard below. They opened for many famous groups while touring, such as Queen, Aerosmith, REO Speedwagon, and Rush, all while recording new albums and having their lineup constantly rotate through new members. Finally, amid bickering and declining sales, the band called it quits in 1983. After their breakup, Lynott experienced a constantly mild solo career which was cut short after he was hospitalized for abscesses, pneumonia, and septicaemia in 1986. Caused by his drug dependency over the years, the illnesses resulted in Lynott’s death on January 4th, 1986. He was thirty-six years old.

With roots dating back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this traditional Irish folk song had been recorded by many artists, such as Burl Ives, The Seekers, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Dubliners, and others, before being recorded by this band. This version of the song, however, was immensely popular in Ireland when released in late 1972, staying at the top of the Irish charts for seventeen weeks. It also peaked at number six in in February 1973 in the UK and charted in many other countries around Europe. Released while the group was away on tour, the band had been angry that the song was released without their knowledge, feeling that it didn’t accurately represent a sound or image they wanted to be associated with. Soon after its immense success, they were happily performing it live at each of their shows.



Thin Lizzy - Whiskey in the Jar (1972)

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Lyrics:

As I was going over
The Cork and Kerry mountains
I saw Captain Farrell
And his money he was countin’
I first produced my pistol
And then produced my rapier
I said, “Stand o’er and deliver
or the Devil he may take ya”

Musha ring dum a do dum a da
Whack for my daddy, oh
Whack for my daddy, oh
There's whiskey in the jar, oh

I took all of his money
And it was a pretty penny
I took all of his money
And I brought it home to Molly
She swore that she loved me
Never would she leave me
But, the devil take that woman
For you know she tricked me easy

Musha ring dum a do dum a da
Whack for my daddy, oh
Whack for my daddy, oh
There's whiskey in the jar, oh

Bein’ drunk and weary
I went to Molly’s chamber
Takin’ my Molly with me
And I never knew the danger
For about six or maybe seven
In walked Captain Farrell
I jumped up, fired off my pistols
And I shot him with both barrels

Musha ring dum a do dum a da
Whack for my daddy, oh
Whack for my daddy, oh
There's whiskey in the jar, oh

Now some men like the fishin’
And some men like the fowlin'
And some men like to hear
The cannonball a’roarin'
Me, I like sleepin'
Especially in my Molly's chamber
But here I am in prison
Here I am with a ball and chain, yeah

Musha ring dum a do dum a da
Whack for my daddy, oh
Whack for my daddy, oh
There's whiskey in the jar, oh

I got drunk on whiskey, oh
And I loved, I loved, I loved, I loved, I loved, I loved my Molly, oh
And she’ll know we’ll never do that old dirty town
That dirty old town…

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show - Queen of the Silver Dollar (1972)

The beginnings of this band can be traced from Southerners George Cummings, Ray Sawyer, and Billy Francis, who had all previously played together in The Chocolate Papers. Formed in 1967, their name comes from the eye patch worn by Ray Sawyer (who had a near-fatal car accident in 1967), mocking Peter Pan’s Captain Hook, and referencing “medicine shows,” which sarcastically referenced a warning against drug use. Trying to make it big in New Jersey, they added Jersey-native Dennis Locorriere, who would eventually become the band’s lead vocalist. In 1970, the band’s demo was heard by Ron Haffkine, who was working on a movie that's soundtrack was being written by the legendary poet, cartoonist, and author, Shel Silverstein. Choosing their music for the movie, the band formed a relationship with Silverstein that would lead to them frequently singing songs that written by him. They had numerous hits throughout the ‘70s and even into the ‘80s, including, “Sylvia’s Mother,” “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” “Only Sixteen” (originally by Sam Cooke), “A Little Bit More,” and many, many more.

As the B-Side to "Cover of the Rolling Stone," this song was added to the group’s second album, Sloppy Seconds, released in 1972. Written by Shel Silverstein, it was overshadowed by other songs (that were also all written by Silverstein) from the album that became very successful, such as “The Cover of the Rolling Stone” and “Freakin’ at the Freakers Ball.”



Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show - Queen of the Silver Dollar (1972)

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Lyrics:

She's the Queen of the Silver Dollar
And she rules this smoky kingdom
And her scepter is a wine glass
And a barstool is her throne
And the jesters, they flock around her
And they fight to win her favors
And see which one will take the Queen
Of the Silver Dollar home

Yeah!

She arrives in all her splendor
Every night at nine o'clock
And her chariot is a crosstown bus
That stops right down the block
The old piano minstrel
Plays her song as she walks in
And the Queen of the Silver Dollar
She’s home again

She's the Queen of the Silver Dollar
And she rules this smoky kingdom
And her scepter is a wine glass
And a barstool is her throne
And the jesters flock around her
And fight to win her favors
And see which one will take the Queen
Of the Silver Dollar home

Aw
Yeah, alright!

Her royal gown is a satin dress
That's stained and slightly torn
And her sparklin' jewels are rhinestones
And her shoes are scuffed and worn
From the many roads she's traveled
And the wondrous sites she's seen
And I watch her and I pray
God save the Queen

She's the Queen of the Silver Dollar
And she rules this smoky kingdom
And her scepter is a wine glass
And a barstool is her throne
And the jesters flock around her
And fight to win her favors
And see which one will take the Queen
Of the Silver Dollar home

The Queen of the Silver Dollar
Is not as haughty as she seems
She was once an ordinary girl
With ordinary dreams
But I found her and I won her
And I brought her to this world
Yes, I'm the man who made a Queen
Of a simple country girl

She's the Queen of the Silver Dollar
And she rules this smoky kingdom
And her scepter is a wine glass
And a barstool is her throne
And the jesters flock around her
And fight to win her favors
And see which one will take the Queen
Of the Silver Dollar home

She's the Queen of the Silver Dollar
And she rules this smoky kingdom
And her scepter is a wine glass
And a barstool is her throne...

Raspberries - Go All the Way (1972)

Do you remember our post about a group called The Choir? If not, you can see it here. When The Choir broke up around 1970, three out of four of the members went on to form this group, a popular “power pop” group in the early ‘70s. They were labeled a teenybopper group for their clean-cut image and British Invasion influences (at that point, a thing of the past). Notable fans of the group include Jack Bruce (of Cream) and Ringo Starr.

This song was written by the group’s frontman and lead singer, Eric Carmen, who was the only member of the group not to formerly be in The Choir. The song reached the top five of numerous charts and sold over one million copies. The repeat of the phrase “come on” during the middle of the song is based on The Beatles’ use of the same phrase in their song “Please Please Me”. Taken as being sexually suggestive, it was banned on the BBC.



Raspberries - Go All the Way (1972)

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Lyrics:

Alright!

I never knew how complete love could be
'til she kissed me and said, “Baby…

Please, go all the way
It feels so right (feels so right)
Being with you here tonight
Please, go all the way
Just hold me close (hold me close)
Don't ever let me go”

I couldn't say what I wanted to say
'til she whispered, “I love you, so…

Please, go all the way
It feels so right (feels so right)
Being with you here tonight
Please, go all the way
Just hold me close (hold me close)
Don't ever let me go”

Before her, alone, I was cruel and mean
There ‘a hole in the place where my heart should have been
But now I'm changed and feel so strange
I come alive when she does those things to me

And she says, (“Come on)
Come on (come on)
(Come on)
Come on (come on)
I need you (come on)
I love you (come on)
I need you (come on)
(Come on)”

Please, go all the way
It feels so right (feels so right)
Being with you here tonight
Please, go all the way
Just hold me close (hold me close)
Don't ever let me go
Oh no!

Go all the way, yeah!

We All Together - It's a Sin to Go Away (1972)

Founded by brothers Saul and Manuel Cornejo in 1971, this rock group lived, recorded, and released all of their music from their hometown of Lima, Peru. With songs in both English and Spanish, their accent in English-sung songs is never a concern, if even noticeable. Their songs never managed to make much of an impact in the US or Europe, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t any good. Some of their music, such as the song heard below, could have easily held their own in the US and UK charts had they received more exposure.

This song is the fourth track on their self-titled album released in 1972. The album is solid all the way through and features four cover songs: two tracks from Wings’ Wild Life (1971) and two tracks from Badfinger’s Magic Christian Music (1970). This song, which is easily the best song put out by the group, is an original work that was later released on the second Nuggets compilation.



We All Together - It's a Sin to Go Away (1972)

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Lyrics:

Oh, it's a sin to go away
Oh, it's a sin to go away
Oh, it's a sin to go away
Maybe I'll return
I will

When I turn my head, I saw the lights
That disappeared behind the trees
Then I saw the moon
It was the same
I start to cry hiding my face

Oh, it's a sin to go away
Oh, it's a sin to go away
Oh, it's a sin to go away
Maybe I'll return
I will

Then I took the bread
She cooked for me
She said, “My son come back to me
Take my picture and remember this”
Those times are gone
Don't cry for me

Oh it's a sin to go away
Oh, it's a sin to go away
Oh, it's a sin to go away
Maybe I'll return
I will

Oh, it's a sin to go away
Oh, it's a sin to go away
Oh, it's a sin to go away
Maybe I'll return
I will