“Crocodile Rocking is something shocking
When your feet just can’t keep still
I never knew me a better time, and I guess I never will”
– Crocodile Rock (Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
As a child, I would listen to the radio with my portable cassette player at my side, hitting “record” whenever a song I liked was playing. It wasn’t until I was 16 years old that I had a little money saved and was able to start my own record collection. How exciting it was for me to buy my own albums! I got hooked on going to the record store and checking out the newest releases each week. Whenever I bought a new album, I couldn’t wait to get home and rip off the plastic- did the album have a gatefold cover that opened up to reveal all sorts of artwork, liner notes, and song lyrics? Who wrote which songs? Who played what instruments? Did any special guest musicians play on the record? Did the album have any posters or decals or photos inside? What would be my favorite songs? Could I guess which songs would be hits? I was soon listening to records all the time- either by myself or hanging with friends listening to their latest album finds. Discovering new music was very exciting to me- those were great times. In today’s post, I present my favorite albums from that first year I bought records- 1973. They represent the soundtrack of my youth. Perhaps they aren’t the most critically acclaimed releases of the year, but these are the very first albums that I listened to as a teen. While I love music from every decade through to the present day, and my musical tastes have certainly changed over time, the songs of my youth hold a special place in my heart because of the memories they bring back to me.
1. Elton John – Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player (released Jan 1973)
For some reason (which escapes me today), I just loved the song “Crocodile Rock” by Elton John. Don’t laugh- if you are from my generation, I know you, too, were singing along when it was playing on the radio: “Laa, la-la-la-la-laa, La-la-la-la-laa, La-la-la-la-laa”. And so I bought my first album. Looking back, I’m still surprised that Elton was my first choice, but it was actually a pretty good album. Although I eventually got tired of “Crocodile Rock”, it had some other songs I still like today, including “Teacher I Need You”, “High Flying Bird”, “Blues for Baby and Me”, and “Elderberry Wine”. And my record collection had begun!
2. Beatles 1967-1970 (released April 1973)
While I didn’t really want to have any compilation albums in this list, I just have to include The Beatles “67-70” release, also known as “the Blue Album”. It was the second album I ever bought. I had been a Beatles fan from the time I first saw them on The Ed Sullivan show. It was now 1973, and I was starting a record collection- what Beatles album should I buy first? I didn’t have enough money to buy all 17 studio albums at once. And then I discovered a new Beatles double album at the record store which featured their greatest hits from time I was 10 to 13 years old. Perfect- it had all my favorite Beatles songs! I eventually went on to buy every one of their studio albums, but this collection was where it all started for me.
3. Doobie Brothers- The Captain and Me (released March 1973)
February 17, 1973- I remember seeing the Doobie Brothers on the Midnight Special, and I became an immediate fan. When I discovered their newly released album “The Captain and Me” at the record store, I had to buy it. I’m sure my tinnitus is in part due to pumping up the volume on my headphones for the first three songs on side one- “Natural Thing”, “Long Train Runnin’”, and China Grove”. I later went on to buy all of their future releases, as well as the two albums that preceded The Captain and Me. While I’ve enjoyed the Doobies’ changing musical styles over the years, the Tom Johnston era, and this album in particular, will always be my favorite.
4. Chicago – VI (released June 1973)
If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’m a big Chicago fan. I distinctly remember purchasing their sixth album, picking it up at Sam Goody’s record store the first day it went on sale, and excitedly listening to each new track as soon as I got home. I particularly loved the James Pankow compositions- “Just You And Me”, “What’s This World Coming To”, and “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day”. That same month I got to see Chicago live at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, in the tour promoting the album. It was my first concert, and I loved it! Chicago VI was the band’s second in a string of five consecutive albums to make it to No. 1 in the US. I eventually purchased all of their earlier albums as well, but I will always remember how I excited I was when I bought my first Chicago record in June 1973.
5. Hall and Oates- Abandoned Luncheonette (released November 1973)
I don’t recall the details around this purchase, but I’m sure it was because I loved the song “She’s Gone”. I continued to purchase many of their albums over the years, but this 1973 release will always be my favorite. I particularly like the John Oates compositions “Had I Known You Better Then”, “Las Vegas Turnaround”, and “I’m Just A kid”, and have always been a bit disappointed that he didn’t share more of the spotlight with Hall in subsequent albums. I may be a bit biased. Shortly after I started at Merck, I attended a party at a co-worker’s home. I forget the occasion, but I’ll never forget the surprise I experienced when I was introduced to John Oates’ parents. I didn’t realize they also worked at Merck. It was at the peak of Hall and Oates popularity, and it was so cool to hear Al Oates talking about Johnny. That experience, several years after I bought this album, made me love it even more.
6. Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon (released March 1973)
Well, you knew this had to be on the list. With over 50 million copies sold, Dark Side of the Moon is the greatest selling album of the 1970s. This was another one of those albums where I had to put those headphones on- there was so much to hear with special sound effects, thought-provoking lyrics, and Clare Torry’s soaring vocal performance on “Great Gig in the Sky”. The heartbeat, the clocks ticking, the cash register, the coins dropping, the background voices- it all blew me away. It was unlike anything I had heard in my music collection up to that point. And as many times as I listened to this record back in 1973, it probably means even more to me today. Now that I’m in my “golden years”, and the album’s themes of conflict, greed, time, death, and mental illness hit home now more than ever before. In 2013, Dark Side of the Moon was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Another classic record from 1973!
7. Billy Joel- Pano Man (released November 1973)
I undoubtedly learned of Billy Joel from listening to 93.3 WMMR FM radio in Philadelphia. Their live recording of “Captain Jack”, which Joel performed and recorded at the Philadelphia-based Sigma Sound Studio was played by the station and quickly became the most requested song in the station’s history. Once the popularity of this live recording was known, people working for Columbia Records heard the recording and signed Joel to the label. Little did I know that the title track of this album would be the first of 33 top 40 hits for Billy Joel, making him one of the most successful solo artists of all time. And I never would have guessed that the two relatively unknown young piano players (Elton John and Billy Joel) whose albums were among the first I ever bought back in 1973 would end up touring together some 20 years later in a series of Face to Face tours, grossing over 46 million dollars, making them the most successful concert tandem in pop music history.
8. Dave Mason- It’s Like You Never Left (released October 1973)
I don’t recall who first introduced me to Dave Mason, but when I heard this album, I absolutely loved it. At that point, I wasn’t aware of the band Traffic, so I didn’t really know who Dave Mason was at first, but I became an instant fan. There are many great songs on this album, but my favorite track is probably “Baby… Please”. There are some cool guest appearances on the record, too, as Mason is joined by George Harrison on slide guitar in “If You’ve Got Love,” and by Stevie Wonder on harmonica in “The Lonely One.” There were no hit singles on this album, so if you aren’t familiar with Dave Mason, check this one out. It still holds up well today. Another great 1973 acquisition for the record collection.
9. Yes- Yessongs (released May 1973)
I generally don’t like live albums, but Yessongs is an exception. After completing their Close to the Edge Tour in April 1973, Yes selected live recordings from their tours supporting Fragile (1971) and Close to the Edge (1972) for a live triple album release. I did not have any Yes records at that point, so this 3-record set was a great way to get into their music. Yes was my first real introduction to “prog-rock”, as it was time to expand my musical horizons beyond the top 40 hits of the Beatles, Billy Joel, and the Doobie Brothers. I really got into this album- everything from the artwork to the music to the lyrics- it was a bit deeper than hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock. “A seasoned witch could call you from the depths of your disgrace, and rearrange your liver to the solid mental grace, and achieve it all with music that came quickly from afar…” Let me think about that a minute. I didn’t quite get it, but it was fun to try! My favorite track was “Perpetual Change”- that opening got my heart pumping every time. If I was having a bad day, I’d go in the basement, put on the headphones, turn the volume up and listen to Yessongs. it took my mind off of whatever was bothering me at the time.
10. Alice Cooper- Billion Dollar Babies (released February 1973)
Last but not least, I’m going with Billion Dollar Babies. I was a pretty straight-laced kid in high school. I never expected I would become a fan of the guy named Alice with the crazy make-up and wild stage antics. But when a friend played this album for me, I surprisingly loved it, especially “Hello, Hooray”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Generation Landslide”, and “Billion Dollar Babies”. OK, “Unfinished Sweet”, “Sick Things”, and “I Love The Dead” were pretty bizarre, but still fun. I suppose part of the fun was the fact that my parents were repulsed by Alice. They just didn’t understand me listening to “I love the dead before they’re cold, their bluing flesh for me to hold” while they were listening to the Four Aces singing “Love is a Many Splendored Thing.” It was my teenage rebellion.
So that’s my list- a peek at my teenage years through the music I loved. I will say it was hard to narrow the list down- I tried to focus on the ones that still bring back special memories of that time of my life. Some other favorite 1973 releases that I also bought that first year of record collecting included McCartney’s “Band on the Run”, Harrison’s “Living in A Material World”, Todd Rundgren’s “A Wizard, A True Star”, Grand Funk’s “We’re an American Band”, and Steely Dan’s “Countdown to Ecstasy”. What a year!
You may wonder what happened to my record collection. Sadly many of my records are now gone. To quote Jim Boggia’s lyrics in “Listening to NRBQ”- “And now I’m older with a wife and kid, won’t believe what I did with my vinyl. Put it on eBay and sold all of it, and though I regret it, all sales final.” Records went away to be replaced by CDs. CDs went away to be replaced by streaming. Although I actually still do have a few of my old records, truth be told, I never listen to them. I can’t play them in a car or on a walk or doing yard work, and it’s now so easy to listen to several non-stop hours of my favorite artists on my phone with just a few clicks. For some reason in my “golden years” I don’t get the same emotional feeling putting a record on the turntable as I did when I was young. Nowadays, I prefer live music or streaming songs in the background while I’m doing something else. Who would have guessed back then that those albums I loved would be replaced by my phone 50 years later. It’s kind of sad. But I will always have the wonderful memories of listening to those records as a kid in 1973. I never knew me a better time, and I guess I never will.
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