friday random ten, 1973 edition

1973 was a big year for us … we got married on May 26, 1973.

1. Mott the Hoople, "All the Way from Memphis." If Bob Dylan had used T.Rex as his backup band, it might have sounded like Mott. Add Andy Mackay's sax and you've got a great song from a great album. It's a mighty long way down rock 'n' roll.

2. El Chicano, "Tell Her She's Lovely." Hard to believe these guys weren't more popular nationwide … I feel like this song was ubiquitous. It's also kinda bland, to be honest.

3. Buckingham Nicks, "Don't Let Me Down Again." I'm no seer … I had no idea these guys would get famous. Let's be honest, I never heard of them in 1973. Just to state the obvious, if you loved the super-popular version of Fleetwood Mac, you should hunt down the Buckingham Nicks album. I liked that band, too, but I confess I'd rather hear "Shake Your Moneymaker" than Buckingham Nicks.

4. Jeanne Pruett, "Satin Sheets." I don't suppose there was a radio station in the country by 1973 that would have played all of these first four songs … glam metal, Chicano rock, folk-rock, country-pop. Pruett wasn't exactly a one-hit wonder, but this was her only #1 tune. I can't say that it matters, but Pruett later had a cooking show on teevee.

5. Diana Ross, "Touch Me in the Morning." OK, make that five songs, none of which would have been played on the same station. (I suppose Ross and El Chicano might have made Top 40 together.) So far, this is not exactly my favorite Random Ten … outside of Mott, I don't really like any of these songs. Diana Ross is easily my least-favorite Motown star, which doesn't help.

6. Taj Mahal, "Frankie and Albert." When Taj showed up on earlier Random Tens, I liked his unassuming charm. This list, though, is in serious need of something stronger. Unfair to Taj, unfair to this track, but whattyagonnado?

7. Gladys Knight & the Pips, "Midnight Train to Georgia." This is more like it, Miss Ross. Video link is lo-fi (video AND audio), but the performance is hot. I love how Gladys keeps vamping even as the canned backup track fades out … girl can't help herself!

8. The Wailers, "Get Up, Stand Up." Things are picking up now. The last album under the Wailers moniker, the last with Tosh and Bunny, and is there a greater Wailers song than this one? Hell, is there a better song, period?

9. Elton John, "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting." Is there a more unlikely singer for such a monster fight song? Sucker could rawk! This is my very favorite Elton John song, bar none. Tip of the cap to guitarist Davey Johnstone, who played those killer power chords. This song always brings back memories of my first summer working in the factory. That wasn't so bad … it was the subsequent ten years that nearly killed me, and made every night alright for fighting. Video link at the top should be especially illuminating for you youngsters out there who think of Elton as an aging twerp singing maudlin crap about Diana (Princess, not Ross).

10. Bruce Springsteen, "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)." And so we finally make it to Bruce. If you're not a fan, you'll be bored regularly over the next 30+ editions of the Random Ten, because Bruce is likely to show up in a lot of them. "Rosie" is my favorite song by my favorite artist. OK, "Born to Run" probably matters more … my wife and I always cry when he plays that one in concert … but "Rosie" is my fave. I've always thought he was singing to his audience … "I'm comin' to liberate you!" I can't think of a better way to end three hours of joy than with this song. The video link is from the greatest tour of my life, the 1978 Darkness tour (c'mon, Bruce, release the DVD!). We saw him three times on that tour … I even touched his boot once. Yeah, I know, pathetic. It didn't seem so at the time. Bruce Springsteen got me through a lot of bad years. He's still getting me through, although the years are better than they used to be, I suppose.