Check this out. The stereo we had at my house in the early seventies was made up of the inner workings of a jukebox that my grandfather absconded 😉 from a work site restoration of a closed-down restaurant. Dad made some beautiful wooden cabinets for the speakers, and sprung for a brand new Garrard turntable. It sounded great, I guess, and we listened to it for years.
I’ve always been a listener, and my life is filled with music. My first real nice albums (yes, albums!) I inherited from my older brother Will, after he left for the Air Force in 1974. His collection of albums included Osibissa, Barrabas, Gypsy, King Crimson, Isley Brothers, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and a whole slew of other artists, like Malo and Santana, Yes, and Caldera. Before that, I had a few 45’s, and I even listened to my dad’s music, like The Sandpipers, Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass, etc.
Nevertheless, I had friends with really nice components. I remember Junior ‘Lagarto’ system with like 75 watts and AR 2ax speakers. Awesome sound! There I listened to Tower of Power, Al Di Meola, Four Seasons and others. His dad was retired military and we would buy packs of Marlboros from him, at a discount, thru his bedroom window. Weird….
Anyway, it wasn’t until the mid to late 70s, when I was turned on to Chick Corea and Return to Forever, that I discovered my favorite music style: Fusion. I would listen to music at my friends’ Peter Fernandez and Bobby Olson. I spent many an afternoon and evening listening to their great collection of albums of John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Tania Maria, Passport, Return to Forever, Jeff Beck and Weather Report with Jaco Pastorius (probably the best bass player in the world). I listened to some of the best Reggae, Brazil and New Wave music with those two guys too.
Late 60s/Early 70s
I loved the rock ‘classics’: Procol Harum’s Conquistador, Cream’s White Room, Uriah Heep, Steely Dan, and can remember where and with whom I was when I first heard these songs.
One of my favorites was (and is) Three Dog Night’s Eli’s Coming. I remember, around 1971, going to Teddy Mayo’s house and listening to that song on a 45 RPM record, and many others like Rare Earth’s ‘Get Ready’, Guess Who’s ‘No Time’ or Uriah Heep’s ‘The Magician’s Birthday’.
Late 70s
I love such diverse music artists as Bread, Alan Parsons, Crusaders, Van Halen, Larry Carlton, Blood Sweat & Tears, Elton John, Gino Vanelli, Barry White… Yeah, I’m all over the place, but I can’t help it. These are all great artists, and music is such a beautiful thing. Head on to the Top Songs of the 70s page and see if some of those are your favorites.
My 70s were about the music, and I want you to share what your music was like.
As my brother Luis, I always was a listener too, but I liked singing, that was my passion. Although I was more into latin or Spanish music than my brothers I grew up with hits such as Yummie, Yummie, the Beatles, The Carpenters and The Monkeys and many more. My taste? Still the same. When I listen again to those songs I relive the good times around it. Like a time machine, back to the past.
How can I forget when it is so impregnated in my soul and my heart… Nothing like that music, nothing like tose beats, nothing like those lyrics.
Exciting as Yummie Yummie being the first song I dance with the first boy I liked at the first party I went and WITHOUT MY MOM!.
Nothing like the 70’s