Masterpiece 70's Studio Albums

[darklands]

BJH - yes, arguably a bit slow and boring, but some nice tunes! Called 'The poor man's Moody Blues' - maybe 'the poor man's Supertramp' would've been closer to the mark? They have a somewhat melencholy bent, that i guess i err towards.... I really like some of the stuff off the first four albums (when they were repackaged as a three album Best Of series in the late 70s - bought cheap in Woolies) - 'Song for Dying', 'Someone There You Know', 'After The Day' - and I can't understand why their track 'The Joker' wasn't a hit (back in '73).
Les Pritchard and 'Woolly' Woolstenholm both dead, the latter through depression / suicide; the other two are now involved with two separate versions of BJH!
I think the rifts within the band occurred in the 80s - related to gayness and religion (but I may be totally talking through my arse!) - pity. I guess thay lacked the charisma, the star quality - they were more of a working-man's band (albeit, above many others).

 

[E-Z]

You would no doubt know this darklands being a BJH fan but I did way back in 1980 get a bit interested in a band that had a link with BJH called The Enid. The Enid was a British progressive rock band formed in 1973 lead by Robert John Godfery who had a connection with BJH from the early 1970s. I only became interested in the band after seeing a picture of them in a music paper which showed a bunch of hippies looking like they were from 1970 instead of 1980 which interested me plus they said in the music paper that they wanted rock fans to write to them and join there fan club so I wrote to them and a couple of weeks later received a hand written letter back from one of the band members (maybe Robert Godfery himself?). The band was based around Herford in Hertfordshire about 30 miles north of London at that time and as for Robert Godfery I believe he's still alive but maybe his health isn't to good 40 years on?.

Another subsequent thing that I found out about the Enid was the drummer played on Kim Wilde's debut first album including the hit single Kids In America which was a big hit for Kim and possibly Robert Godfery participated on Kim's debut album as well?.

 

[darklands]

With BJH, at least the 'boring bits' fitted in with the songs, they weren't just soloing and going off on one for the sake of it (showing off). Their songs are all very melodic (perhaps sometimes without that spark.... So many bands just kind of stopped the song for a while to do some showing off bits - Deep Purple and Led Zepp for example (give me Black Dog, Immigrant Song and Rock n Roll anytime - short and to the point and full of energy) [I like some of the longer stuff too - but sometimes I wish they'd have just cut out the crap from the middle and released an excellent four or five minute song!]. Sorry, going off on one myself! and I'm sure many of you could point out that I'm missing the point of LZ (and all prog rock?!). Played Light in the Black (Rainbow Rising) the other day and realised why it had never been among my favourites - it's quite OK, until the keyboards kick in! - and even Blackmore's soloing doesn't really make up for it (sounds a bit keyboard-y and pedestrian!). Whereas in Stargazer, all the 'instrumental breaks' fit into the body of the song and just add to it (and the keyboards are less to the front) - maybe because the bass and drum parts are stronger, more to the point.

 

[darklands]

You would no doubt know this darklands being a BJH fan but I did way back in 1980 get a bit interested in a band that had a link with BJH called The Enid. The Enid was a British progressive rock band formed in 1973 lead by Robert John Godfery who had a connection with BJH from the early 1970s. I only became interested in the band after seeing a picture of them in a music paper which showed a bunch of hippies looking like they were from 1970 instead of 1980 which interested me plus they said in the music paper that they wanted rock fans to write to them and join there fan club so I wrote to them and a couple of weeks later received a hand written letter back from one of the band members (maybe Robert Godfery himself?). The band was based around Herford in Hertfordshire about 30 miles north of London at that time and as for Robert Godfery I believe he's still alive but maybe his health isn't to good 40 years on?.

Another subsequent thing that I found out about the Enid was the drummer played on Kim Wilde's debut first album including the hit single Kids In America which was a big hit for Kim and possibly Robert Godfery participated on Kim's debut album as well?.

Have heard of 'The Enid', but that's all (the name would've probably put me off! - that's only as bad as you saying you were interested cos of a picture you saw [I think!]). You didn't mention whether they were any good....!
Ah, Kids in America - Scout and Guide discos....

 

[darklands]

'Masterpieces' - difficult that one - the masterpieces are all well known (Rumours, Ziggy, Born to Run, etc, etc.). What we're probably getting at is those albums which we think should be considered masterpieces - again, back down to personal favourites and very subjective.
Was gonna list Billy Joel's Streetlife Serenade ('74) - clearly not one of his more recognised albums (i.e. The Stranger) [not sure any of his individual albums would be considered as 'masterpieces', regardless of my PoV] - but it's not a masterpiece, just one of my favourite albums. Joel gets slagged off a lot but his lyrics are excellent in places (albeit a bit naff in other places) - the first side is excellent (except Root Beer Rag?) - and the opener on side two [The Entertainer] - brilliant lyrics (that are so well crafted that they sound obvious and 'easy'). Billy Joel would maybe be better respected if he hadn't been so successful (and a bit of a smart-arse?!)? Turnstiles and The Stranger should also be mentioned (I'm sure they have been in similar threads)

 

[E-Z]

I did pick up The Enid album called In Touch from 1979 back in 1980 but to be honest I don't remember anything about it 40 years on other than it being a progressive rock album?. Funny though I did see a Enid live recording from Leicester recorded back in 1980 in a HMV shop earlier this year which according to what I read 'on line' was a widely bootlegged recording that the Enid's small group of fans would already know about and apparently it was giving the ok for release by Robert Godfery himself.

 

[darklands]

I'm biased (big [early] Springsteen fan), but from nichodido's original list, I'd pick Born to Run as the masterpiece - focus, drive, cohesion, lyrics.... Not overly keen on She's the One and Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out but they fit in with the rest as a whole - and what more can be said about the rest - Thunder Road, Backstreets, Jungleland!! [Oh, ...., er, and the title track!] Love Meeting Across the River (like a forerunner to Nebraska) - this is the album that Bat Out Of Hell wanted to be (tho that's excellent in it's own [slightly naff, in places] way.
I like Darkness on the Edge of Town and some rate it higher but, for me, it never came close to BtR.
I'll throw in a pic of Bat Out of Hell too - a serious contender to be rated as a 70's masterpiece.

 

[Nai Noswad]

Would you believe i had a The Enid T.shirt made late last year when back in England..saw them live in 1979..and nabbed a tour T.shirt for £2.50p...all of the good times

 

[E-Z]

I am NOT a Springsteen fan but have all the earlier albums from Ashbury Park N.J. in 1973 up to Nebraska but rarely play them. As some people would know Manfred Mann's Earth Band did a great version of Blinded By The Light better than the bosses version and even Alvin Stardust done a great version of Growing Up again better than the bosses version in my humble opinion(?) and even 1950s rock & roller Link Wray did a good version of Fire as well.

 

[E-Z]

I'm biased (big [early] Springsteen fan), but from nichodido's original list, I'd pick Born to Run as the masterpiece - focus, drive, cohesion, lyrics.... Not overly keen on She's the One and Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out but they fit in with the rest as a whole - and what more can be said about the rest - Thunder Road, Backstreets, Jungleland!! [Oh, ...., er, and the title track!] Love Meeting Across the River (like a forerunner to Nebraska) - this is the album that Bat Out Of Hell wanted to be (tho that's excellent in it's own [slightly naff, in places] way.
I like Darkness on the Edge of Town and some rate it higher but, for me, it never came close to BtR.
I'll throw in a pic of Bat Out of Hell too - a serious contender to be rated as a 70's masterpiece.

I may have a listen to Bruce's Born To Run soon. You have a good way of articulating what you hear on a record.

I liked Darkness On The Edge Of Town and didn't realise Because The Night was a Springsteen song I always thought it was a Patti Smith original??.

I picked up Darkness On The Edge Of Town because I wanted to hear Fire after Link Wray covered it?.