40 Year Itch : Play Something Sweet

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   In October of 1974, Maria Muldaur followed up her gold-selling debut with Waitress in the Donut Shop. Produced by Joe Boyd and Larry Waronker, Waitress is a showcase for Muldaur's ability to sing jazz, blues, jug-band etc. with both talent and enthusiasm. Guests on the album include Linda Ronstadt, Kate and Anna McGarrigle ( on "Cool River"), Paul Butterfield ( on the single "I'm a Woman") and Dr. John. Allen Toussaint wrote "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues) which was a hit that year for Three Dog Night.

   It may sounds like a bit of a hodgepodge overall but taken one song at a time, Waitress is a delight. The album just snuck into the Village Voice's Pazz and Jop critics's poll.

The 1974 Pazz And Jop Critics Poll Albums 
1. Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark (Asylum) 186 (14)
2. Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic (ABC) 157 (13)
3. Randy Newman: Good Old Boys (Reprise) 154 (13)
4. Stevie Wonder: Fulfillingness' First Finale (Tamla) 153 (15)
5. Rolling Stones: It's Only Rock 'n Roll (Rolling Stones) 150 (12)
6. Bob Dylan and the Band: Before the Flood (Asylum) 139 (10)
7. Roxy Music: Stranded (Atco) 106 (7)
8. Jackson Browne: Late for the Sky (Asylum) 85 (6)
9. Eric Clapton: 461 Ocean Boulevard (RSO) 83 (7)
10. New York Dolls: In Too Much Too Soon (Mercury) 76 (8)
11. Linda Rondstadt: Heart Like a Wheel (Capitol) 69 (8)
12. Gram Parsons: Grievous Angel (Reprise) 65 (5)
13. Raspberries: Starting Over (Capitol) 50 (7)
14. Bryan Ferry: These Foolish Things (Atlantic) 47 (5)
15. Ry Cooder: Paradise and Lunch (Reprise) 42 (4)
16. Average White Band: Average White Band (Atlantic) 40 (4)
Velvet Underground: 1969 Velvet Underground Live (Mercury) 40 (4)
18. Bob Dylan: Planet Waves (Asylum) 38 (3)
19. Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets (Island) 35 (2)
20. Van Morrison: It's Too Late to Stop Now (Warner Bros.) 34 (3)
21. 10cc: Sheet Music (UK) 28 (3)
22. Willie Nelson: Phases and Stages (Atlantic) 25 (3)
Lou Reed: Rock n Roll Animal (RCA Victor) 25 (3)
24. Spinners: Mighty Love (Atlantic) 20 (3)
25. Blue Magic (Atco) 20 (2)
Little Feat: Feats Don't Fail Me Now (Warner Bros.) 20 (2)
27. Big Star: Radio City (Ardent) 18 (2)
28. Bad Company: Bad Co. (Swan Song) 17 (3)
29. Ohio Players: Skin Tight (Mercury) 17 (2)
Kinks: Preservation Act 2 (RCA Victor) 17 (2)
Maria Muldaur: Waitress in a Donut Shop (Reprise) 17 (2)

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   A month earlier, Bonnie Raitt released another solid album, her fourth,  called Streetlights, featuring her signature cover of John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery" and our second Allen Toussaint tune today, "What is Success". Yet another good Bonnie Raitt album marred by a bad album cover. 

40 Year Itch: The Campus Report

What a few college radio stations were playing in December 1973

                    WSND- AM U of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana

1. Lou Reed Berlin

            2. Lighthouse "Pretty Lady"

3. Maria Muldaur

             Though best known for "Midnight at the Oasis", Maria Muldaur's debut album is a delightful collection of rock, blues, jug band, feel good music that will brighten anyone's day.

WTUL-FM Tulane University, New Orleans LA

1. PFM Photos of Ghosts

2. Billy Cobham Spectrum

             3. John Coltrane Concert in Japan

Concert in Japan is the original two disc live set released in 1973 but recorded in Tokyo in July of 1966. Coltrane's wife Alice plays piano. Pharoah Sanders, Rashied Ali and Jimmy Garrison make up the rest of the band. It's now part of a four CD box set.

WECI-FM Earlham College , Richmond, Indiana

1. Public Foot the Roman

2. New Heritage Keyboard Quintet NHKQ

3. Hawkwind Space Ritual

   Cambridge England prog rockers Public Foot the Roman  found a sweet spot between Wishbone Ash's double guitar attack and Yes's vocals and keyboards. 

40 Year Itch : Those We Missed in August of '73

 

[Purchase] 

"Midnight at the Oasis" is the big hit, but this album, featuring assistance from the likes of Dr John, Ry Cooder and, again, Clarence White is a tasteful delight all the way through. 

For Rolling Stone Jon Landau wrote "One of the half-dozen best albums of the year, the kind of glorious breakthrough that reminds me why I fell in love with rock and roll -- even though there isn't much straight rock here."

[Purchase]

One of rock's great eccentrics, Exuma 's final album for Kama Sutra , Life, didn't sell much but the Bahamian musician had achieved legendary status around New Orleans by the time I attended college there in the 80's so I bought this on cassette.  Life has two Rolling Stones covers, "Paint It Black" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

[Purchase]

Former Byrds drummer Gene Parsons's first solo album, Kindling, is almost a one man band effort. He gets some support from Clarence White , Gib Guilbeau and a few others on this tasteful but low key tribute to the music of Appalachia.

[Purchase]

Captain Beyond follow up their spectacular debut by changing direction with a sound they described at the time as "Space-Latin rock". Some have also called it "Acoustic Prog". In any case it's a far cry from the founders' former bands Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly. An intelligent and rewarding listen

[Out of Print]

On their third album, Pressure Cookin', Labelle were still a year away from achieving their  "Lady Marmalade" chart success despite the presence of a Stevie Wonder penned single ("Open Your Heart") Noteworthy for its melody teaming up Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" with Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air". (Thunderclap Newman's 1969 album was re released in '73).

[Out of Print] 

 

Stevie Wonder wrote and plays the keyboards on the 8 and a half minute title track for B.B. King  who also covers The Staple Sisters "Respect Yourself" and bends plenty of blues notes on his most commercial effort yet.

[Purchase]

Todd Rundgren produced this seventh, slickest and most successful of Grand Funk (Railroad) albums. By late September the title track , sung by drummer Don Brewer, would be the #1 song in the land. And the four members would have enough money to buy some gutdam clothes. And that's a natural fact!