For the Record: The 70s Amy Lively

What IS an opera, anyway? It is a dramatic story told with music rather than acting. The songs tell us the story. The 1970s was not only a golden era for classic rock, it was especially a golden era for the rock opera. This episode of For the Record: The 70s examines some of songs from the iconic rock operas of the decade, most of which have the similar theme of youth angst and desire at their core. Artists and bands such as The Who, Meatloaf, and Pink Floyd created characters and told stories with their songs and, in the process, created some of the best rock that the 70s had to offer.


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Is it possible that the combination of the live music and the community that was created at The Troubadour in Los Angeles can ever be replicated? There are few clubs that have the cultural impact that The Troub had on 70s popular culture. This episode examines a wide spectrum of artists, of both the music and comedic variety, that saw The Troubadour help launch their careers. 

Playlist:


Ol’ 55 (Live) by Tom Waits (1975)
A Song for You (Live) by Donny Hathaway (1971)
Solitary Man (Live) by Neil Diamond (1970)
Take Me to the Pilot by Elton John (1970)
Doctor My Eyes by Jackson Browne (1972)
Live at the Troubadour by Steve Martin (1976)
Chuck E’s In Love by Rickie Lee Jones (1979)
Sad Cafe by The Eagles (1979)


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After Olivia Newton-John died, her broad reach was evident. Tributes poured in from all corners of the entertainment world. Even at the music festival for the late Taylor Hawkins in September, organized by his friend and Foo Fighters bandmate, Dave Grohl, there Livvy was, her smiling face on the drum kit.  is impossible to imagine pop culture of the 1970s and 1980s without Olivia Newton-John. That all changed, of course, when Olivia took a page from the fictional character that she brought to life, Sandy Olsson, in “Grease.” With the twist of a red pump on a cigarette butt and a growl of “Tell me about it, Stud,” she threw off her countryish-pop/soft rock persona. She burst into the 80s as a woman not afraid to sing about sex and to have some fun while she did it. From the ethereal roller disco muse in “Xanadu” to the sexy aerobics instructor in the ubiquitous “Physical,” Olivia shaped the early 80s just as she did throughout the 70s. Can you imagine either decade without her? Nope. Me, either.


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If anyone could make following the Billboard Top 40 a friendly competitive sport, it was Casey Kasem. His national radio countdown show, American Top 40, is a vital part of 70s and 80s music history. This episode discusses AT40 in the 70s, including the first and last #1 songs played in the decade, the first long distance dedication, and Casey's tribute to The King, Elvis Presley, following his death in 1977. Part 2, covering AT40 in the 80s, will appear on For the Record: The 80s in September.

You can also read this essay Amy wrote about AT40: https://amy-lively.medium.com/american-top-40-is-part-of-music-history-a6c0ab80e9eb




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Southern rock from bands such as the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd was not just loved by Americans from the South. Southern rock had broad appeal. For many white southerners, though, this form of rock tapped into a desire for nostalgia, rebellion, and reclaiming the South as a distinct region. The 1970s was a time when regional distinctions in the United States were fading and as the South became more like the rest of America, the rest of America became more like the South. This episode discusses the question of how we should think about that music now, as well as the very thorny question of what the Confederate flag has to do with any of it. 


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Mainstream hip hop burst onto the scene with "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang in 1979, but hip hop's roots go deeper than that into 70s music. Hip hop godfathers Gil Scott-Heron and James Brown helped pave the way for rap and hip hop to become a commercial success, as did Chic with their funky disco smash, "Good Times" in 1979. There is some irony in "Good Times" being liberally "borrowed" by Sugarhill Records for "Rapper's Delight" as it was disco's (and Chic's) last big hit, while it was just the beginning of what was to come for hip hop.


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