1972: The Year In Music

1972 – 27 unarmed citizens are shot in Derry, Northern Ireland, by the British Army in an event later coined “Bloody Sunday”. Richard Nixon becomes the first US President to visit China. The film “The Godfather” premiers in New York City. The TV series “M*A*S*H” also premiers. A year of commercial ups and societal downs, some would say!

I’ll be looking at the popular and highest-rated songs / albums of the year, giving my opinions on their musicality and longevity as well as an overall verdict for the year as a whole.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Billboard Top 10 (Popular) Singles

Source: Wikipedia

10 – Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast (Wayne Newton)

I wasn’t expecting a 60’s style crooner in 1972, which might be why “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast” doesn’t stand out much.

9 – Brand New Key (Melanie)

“Brand New Key” is nothing if not fun. It can get a little too whimsical at points, but I appreciate the bounciness of it all.

8 – Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me (Mac Davis)

Mac Davis seems like the kind of artist that was huge at the time and has since been forgotten to music history.

“Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me” has got soppy strings, a big chorus, an electric keyboard … all the clichés without any distinguishing features.

7 – Lean on Me (Bill Withers)

The first classic of 1972!

Bill Withers’ soulful vocal performance could elevate any song, but “Lean on Me” is memorable enough in its own right to make the whole package excellent.

6 – I GOTCHA (Joe Tex)

I love Tex’s energy throughout “I GOTCHA”, and the instrumentation is very slick.

5 – The Candy Man (Sammy Davis Jr.)

“The Candy Man” is in the same league as “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies – it can be too sickly at points, but the overall package is sweet enough for me to overlook it.

4 – Without You (Harry Nilsson)

It’s rare that you hear an artist put it all on the line for a vocal performance, but there are points in “Without You” where I swear I can hear Nilsson’s wounded soul.

I also really love the intense build to the choruses, and the strings touch all the right notes. Phenomenal track.

3 – American Pie (Don McLean)

Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens’ deaths in a tragic 1959 plane crash – now dubbed “the day the music died” – is one of the darkest days in music history, and Don McLean did the trio justice in “American Pie”.

It’s a powerhouse performance on vocals and guitar, and McLean’s lyrics are the perfect blend of artistic nuance and commercial appeal.

2 – Alone Again (Naturally) (Gilbert O’Sullivan)

Gilbert O’Sullivan’s work has never really struck a chord with me, but “Alone Again (Naturally)” is pleasant enough for me to enjoy it.

1 – The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)

A lot of 1972’s hits have felt cheesy at points and downright lazy at others, so it was nice that a well-constructed, intelligent, jazz-influenced song like “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” took the top spot.

Roberta Flack’s vocals are always subdued and divine, and the methodical approach to songwriting shows a maturity that pays off in dividends.

FAVOURITE – “Without You” (Harry Nilsson)

LEAST FAVOURITE – “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast” (Wayne Newton)

Top-Rated Songs

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

10 – Heart Of Gold (Neil Young)

Young’s vocals are still as grating as ever, yet its that raw performance that makes “Heart Of Gold” what it is.

It starts with a unique harmonica solo, and the chorus is easily one of Young’s best.

9 – Pink Moon (Nick Drake)

I wasn’t familiar with Nick Drake at all before starting this 1972 retrospective, but I’m immediately impressed.

“Pink Moon” has great guitar work throughout, and Drake’s vocals can feel lazy at times but I appreciated the subdued tone.

8 – Supper’s Ready (Genesis)

Early Genesis was a far different beast from the band we’d grow to expect – Peter Gabriel is their lead singer, for a start, and tracks like “Supper’s Ready” are 23-minute epics rather than short pop hits.

This song is bonkers. It starts slow, gets quicker, slows down again, speeds up again, and all along the way we’re treated to mesmerising performances all round.

7 – Moonage Daydream (David Bowie)

Is it weird that “Moonage Daydream” is the first song I think of these days when I remember the Ziggy Stardust era?

It’s Glam Rock at its absolute best, with amazing vocals and lyrics from Bowie and insane production – especially in the final minute.

6 – Perfect Day (Lou Reed)

Sure, Lou Reed’s vocals can be a little rough, but tracks like “Perfect Day” work because of his performance rather than in spite of it.

I love the piano and strings throughout. Even when David Bowie isn’t writing a top-rated song in 1972, he’s producing it!

5 – Superstition (Stevie Wonder)

“Superstition” starts with a perfect drum groove, adds a perfect clavinet groove, and then adds perfect vocals and woodwind on top of that.

Needless to say, Wonder smashed this track out of the park – I’m not sure he could have done any better.

4 – Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)

One of the most Rock-heavy tracks on “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust”, its title track is classic Bowie through and through.

Bowie was always the master of evocative lyrics that conjure up vivid scenes and imagery, and the chorus is heavy-hitting.

3 – Close To The Edge (Yes)

I know the full title is about five times longer than just “Close To The Edge”, but I can’t be bothered to type it all out – I’ve got deadlines to meet, y’all!

I don’t think any other Prog Rock band were perfecting the format quite like Yes in the early 70’s. The musical quality across all 18 minutes is stunning, and there’s enough variation to keep it engaging.

2 – Five Years (David Bowie)

All the great albums have great openers, and “Five Years” is the ultimate scene-setter.

Bowie’s lyrics are extremely vivid and perfectly set up the cosmic story to come, and his vocal performance is the first of many zingers on the album.

1 – Starman (David Bowie)

The ultimate Glam Rock song, “Starman” defined both this stage of Bowie’s career and this era of 70’s Rock as a whole.

I find its musical content to be a little simple at points, but the lyrics and iconic chorus more than make up for it.

BEST SONG OF 1972 – “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder)

Top-Rated Albums

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

5 – Harvest (Neil Young)

Neil Young’s work isn’t on Spotify which makes this musical retrospective a little tricky, but what I have heard from “Harvest” I like a lot.

“Heart Of Gold” is the clear stand-out here, but I appreciated others like “There’s A World” and “Words (Between the Lines of Age)”.

4 – Close To The Edge (Yes)

While not necessarily my favourite Yes album, “Close To The Edge” is nothing if not mesmerising. It drops off in the final few tracks, but many great albums do.

3 – Exile On Main St. (The Rolling Stones)

One of The Rolling Stones’ most critically acclaimed albums, and also one of their longest.

There are lots of great tracks here such as “Tumbling Dice” and “Shine a Light”, so I’m glad there’s so much music in the first place.

2 – Pink Moon (Nick Drake)

“Pink Moon” is unlike any other album of 1972 – Nick Drake’s style of vocals and songwriting is unique in the best ways.

A lot of the tracks get quite same-y by the end, but I like the vibe nonetheless.

1 – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (David Bowie)

Four of the tracks from “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust” made the highest-rated songs list, and yet two of my absolute favourites – “Rock’n’Roll Suicide” and “Suffragette City” – didn’t even make the list. Needless to say, this album is awesome.

Almost every track here has gone down in music legend, and the Glam Rock style suits Bowie down to a tee. A more iconic album of 1972 there is not.

BEST ALBUM OF 1972 – “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars” (David Bowie)

Final Thoughts

After a string of incredible years for music in a row, 1972 ended up feeling quite standard. The hits were passable, the highest-rated songs and albums were both good, but Bowie was the artist carrying most of it.

Overall Grade: B-

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: