My Top 20 Lists that I compiled as a kid 1973-1990

[Catfish]

June 1979 List
---------------------
1. Boston (No change)
2. Styx (No change)
3. Aerosmith (No change)
4. Led Zeppelin (+1)
5. Rush (-1)
6. Foreigner (No change)
7. Van Halen (No change)
8. Bad Company (+1)
9. Emerson Lake and Palmer (+1)
10. Bob Seger (-2)
11. Eagles (No change)
12. The Cars (New)
13. Kansas (-1)
14. Moody Blues (No change)
15. Fleetwood Mac (No change)
16. Foghat (No change)
17. Chicago (No Change)
18. ToTo (-5)
19. Steve Miller (-1)
20. Ted Nugent (No change)

Vinyl/Tape added
--------------------
None

 

[TACdtf]

An anecdotal item on this band too. In my first job out college, I worked for the State Dept. of Health. Part of my many duties was to inspect Day Cares. One day, I just happened to check this one place in Vinton, Louisiana, and it happened to be Lead Singer Bobby Kimball's mother. She had a Platinum album on the wall, so that was pretty cool to see.

Awesome!

 

[Catfish]

July 1979 List
---------------------
1. Boston (No change)
2. Van Halen (+5)
3. Styx- (-1)
4. Aerosmith (-1)
5. Led Zeppelin (-1)
6. Foreigner (No change)
7. Rush (-2)
8. Bad Company (No change)
9. Bob Seger (+1)
10. Emerson Lake and Palmer (-1)
11. Eagles (No change)
12. Fleetwood Mac (+3)
13. Cars (-1)
14. Kansas (-1)
15. Moody Blues (-1)
16. Foghat (No change)
17. Steve Miller Band (+2)
18. Toto (No change)
19. Chicago (-2)
20. Alice Cooper (New)

Vinyl/Tapes added
---------------------
None

 

[Catfish]

August 1979 list
-----------------------
1. Boston (No change)
2. Van Halen (No change)
3. Styx (No change)
4. Aerosmith (No change)
5. Rush (+2)
6. Led Zeppelin ((-1)
7. Foreigner (-1)
8. Bob Seger (+1)
9. Bad Company (-1)
10. Fleetwood Mac (+2)
11. Emerson Lake and Palmer (-1)
12. Eagles (-1)
13. Cars (No change)
14. Moody Blues (+1)
15. Foghate (+1)
16. Kansas (-2)
17. ToTo (+1)
18. Steve Miller (-1)
19. Bachman Turner Overdrive (New)
20. Chicago (-1)

Vinyl/Tapes added
-------------------------------
Blue Oyster Cult - Spectres

Back in the '70's when we had KAAY in Little Rock's Beaker Street, the DJ (Clyde Clifford) would throw some epic long gems out there for listeners. I guess he was going out on some kind of break. One of his "go to" bands, in this situation would be Yes. In the spirit of Beaker Street, I am throwing a couple of Yes tunes that shine their virtuosity like a bright beacon. Enjoy

 

[Catfish]

September 1979 List

1. Styx (+2)
2. Boston (-1)
3. Van Halen (-1)
4. Aerosmith (No change)
5. Led Zeppelin (+1)
6. Rush (-1)
7. Journey (New)
8. Foreginer (-1)
9. Bob Seger (-1)
10. Fleetwood Mac (No change)
11. Bad Company (-2)
12. Cars (+1)
13. Eagles (-1)
14. Emerson Lake and Palmer (-3)
15. Moody Blues (-1)
16. Kansas (No change)
17. Foghat (-2)
18. Toto (-1)
19. Steve Miller Band (-1)
20. Chicago (No change)

Vinyl/tapes added

Queen- A Day at the Races
Kansas - Self Titled

One of the bands that really got me interested in Rock in about '70 besides Cooper and Sabbath was a fairly forgotten band that has seemed to be lost to sands of time. Bloodrock. I am not sure if many of you have seen this rarity , but I think this is the only live clip of the band in their original form. Why so much of history of the band was lost always a mystery to me. Bloodrock for some reason got overshadowed by its managment stablemate Grand Funk, and never seemed to get much traction past regional fandom. Talent wise, I would have had them on par with Mark, Don, and Mel.

If I had done lists in 1970 this band would have likely been my No.1 90% of the classic rock fans out there probably remember Bloodrock for the track D.O.A., which was a macabre, graphic and explict narrative of plane crash. The song was just for shock IMO, and has little muscial redeeming value. The rest of album (Bloodrock 2) is highly charged fantastic rock and roll, with searing dueling guitar and keyboard solos, that are well worth the price of admission.

 

[Catfish]

October 1979-
-------------------------
1. Styx (No change)
2. Boston (No change)
3. Journey (+4)
4. Led Zeppelin (+1)
5. Aerosmith (-1)
6. Van Halen (-3)
7. Foreigner (+1)
8. Rush (-2)
9. Bob Seger (No change)
10. Bad Company (+1)
11. Cars (+1)
12. Fleetwood Mac (-2)
13. Kansas (+3)
14. Emerson Lake and Palmer (No change)
15. Eagles (-2)
16. Moody Blues (-1)
17. Foghat (No change)
18. Chicago (+2)
19. Toto (-1)
20. Steve Miller (-1)

Vinyl/Tape added
-------------------------
Journey- Evolution
Journey- Infinity
Styx- Cornerstone

This was one of the absolute biggest disappointments I ever had in anticipation of an album. This was the follow-up to the legendary Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight masterpieces. This LP was a wretched unmittigatted piece of garbage. Dennis DeYoung had criminally hijacked the band into thinking they were pop stars, and the results absolutely SUCKED!!!!! Want an example of how bad this garbage was?

 

[Catfish]

November 1979 List
----------------------------------
1. Styx (No change) ??? Figured the Cornerstone disaster didn't change my mind too much on their status
2. Boston (No change)
3. Journey (No change)
4. Led Zeppelin (No change)
5. Foreigner (+2)
6. Aerosmith (-1)
7. Van Halen (-1)
8. Rush (No change)
9. Bad Company (+1)
10. Bob Seger (-1)
11. Kansas (+2)
12. Cars (-1)
13. Eagles (+2)
14. Emerson Lake and Palmer (No change)
15. Chicago (+3)
16. Moody Blues (No change)
17. Fleetwood Mac (-5)
18. Foghat (-1)
19. Toto (No change)
20. Steve Miller Band (No change)

Vinyl/Tape additions- What a great month for albums, after the previous month's disaster with Styx

Foghat- Stone Blue
Styx- Crystal Ball
Foreigner- Head Games
Led Zeppelin- In through the Out Door
Eagles- The Long Run

In Through the Out Door, as all classic rock fans know, is sadly the last studio album for the great Led Zeppelin. It is so apt that the Band's record company name is Swan Song, and this particular album sure fit the bill. When I first put this LP on the turntable in 1979, I was truly puzzled in thinking what and why Plant and Page would go off on so many tangents. And I'll admit, I really wasn't that impressed after my first listen. Now, I place this album as their best post Physical Grafitti. I always wondered that if Plant/Page had known that Bonham would be gone, if they had played a. more of the mainstream Zep sound. In any case, this LP grew on me with age, as I understood better what the band had in mind in expanding their scope and chops.

It was a fitting end to the band that will always be known as the act that knocked the Beatles off the pedestal.

The Long Run by the Eagles, is im my opinion their finest work. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you Eagles purist will probably point to one of the first four albums which were all monstrous sellers but catered to a countryish folkish rock fan base. I hear you, they are the gold standard of that genre.

This album is black for a reason. There is a darkness that permeates the sound and lyricsm. I used to like to play Disco Strangler around my disco loving neighbors in the dorm. Like i have said earlier, Joe Walsh added such a great edge to the band, and they reached a much bigger audience, with a heck of a lot of success with his contributions.

 

[Catfish]

December 1979 List

1. Styx (No change)
2. Boston (No change)
3. Led Zeppelin (+1)
4. Journey (-1)
5. Foreigner (No change)
6. Aersosmith (No change)
7. Bob Seger (+3)
8. Rush (No change)
9. Van Halen (-2)
10. Eagles (+3)
11. Bad Company (-2)
12. Kansas (-1)
13. Cars (No change)
14. Foghat (+4)
15. Emerson Lake and Palmer (-1)
16. Chicago (-1)
17. Moody Blues (-1)
18. Toto (+1)
19. Fleetwood Mac (-2)
20. Steve Miller Band (No Change)

New Vinyl/Tapes
-------------------------
Rolling Stones- Some Girls

Concert- Kiss- December 6, 1979, price on stub $10.00. (No opening act)

Three thumbs down to the band on this concert. First, the stage act was apparently significantly downsized due to the (I guess) smaller venue, (even though my ticket number was 02753). I had seen pictures and film of their show, and believe me, we were shortchanged. Secondly, the sound production was awful, loud, and distorted. And last, you can tell when the band doesn't care, and are mailing it in. This show sucked. Lone highlight was catching one of Ace Freley's guitar picks, which I promptly gave away to a friend who was a bigger Kiss fan than I was. What an auspicious end to the '70's.

 

[recgord27]

One of the bands that really got me interested in Rock in about '70 besides Cooper and Sabbath was a fairly forgotten band that has seemed to be lost to sands of time. Bloodrock. I am not sure if many of you have seen this rarity , but I think this is the only live clip of the band in their original form. Why so much of history of the band was lost always a mystery to me. Bloodrock for some reason got overshadowed by its managment stablemate Grand Funk, and never seemed to get much traction past regional fandom. Talent wise, I would have had them on par with Mark, Don, and Mel.

If I had done lists in 1970 this band would have likely been my No.1 90% of the classic rock fans out there probably remember Bloodrock for the track D.O.A., which was a macabre, graphic and explict narrative of plane crash. The song was just for shock IMO, and has little muscial redeeming value. The rest of album (Bloodrock 2) is highly charged fantastic rock and roll, with searing dueling guitar and keyboard solos, that are well worth the price of admission.

Excellent band. There's a thread as well https://www.classicrockforums.com/threads/bloodrock-official-thread.9751/

 

[Catfish]

Excellent band. There's a thread as well https://www.classicrockforums.com/threads/bloodrock-official-thread.9751/

Thanks. That's is one of the points that I think makes this forum so fantastic. 14 year old threads that captured the thoughts of so many that are/were so knowledgable on the subject matter but also prescient on the state of the industry, Kudos to all of the participants, and I am saddended I didn't find this place much earlier.