The Best Albums of 1978

 

 

THE BEST ALBUMS OF 1978

Here’s my fourth retrospective. Based on positive feedback to three previous “Best Albums” lists from 1976 and 1977 and 1975, today focuses on 1978. I was age 17 then, which for most teens is a glorious age of musical awakening.

This was lackluster year in music. If this were a writing assignment, I’d turn it down. Insert criticism here.
Summation — I rate 1978 as one of the worst collections of music in the era 1960-1990, probably of this entire “best of” series. Sure, there were many excellent albums released which will be discussed. I just don’t see an abundance of greatness. I see a few dozen really good albums, then quite a drop off.

Three things stand out:
1. How dominant rock was this year, despite disco, new wave, punk, and other music crowding the pop charts.
2. How many excellent debut albums came out that year — Police, Van Halen, Cars, etc.
3. Brian Eno….what a year in music.

Your comments, additions, subtractions, criticisms, tips, and insults are all welcome. By no means is my list perfect, but it’s better than most.

See if you agree. Here’s my countdown of the “Best Twenty” albums of 1978:

20. Love Tracks …. Gloria Gaynor
19. Who Are You .… The Who
18. Outlandos d’Amour …. The Police
17. Stranger in Town …. Bob Seger
16. More Songs About Buildings and Food …. Talking Heads
15. Living in the USA …. Linda Ronstadt
14. City to City …. Gerry Rafferty
13. Excitable Boy …. Warren Zevon
12. Cheap Trick at Budokan …. Cheap Trick
10. Wavelength …. Van Morrison
9. Minute by Minute … Doobie Brothers
8. Waiting for Columbus …. Little Feet
7. The Last Waltz …. The Band
6. 52nd Street …. Billy Joel
5. Parallel Lines …. Blondie
4. Don’t Look Back …. Boston
3. Stardust …. Willie Nelson
3. Some Girls …. Rolling Stones
2. The Cars …. The Cars
1. Van Halen … Van Halen

Note: Oops, I missed #11.

NOTABLE OMISSIONS:

….Tom Waits’ Blue Valentine probably should be here, but barely missed
….Dire Straights debut album also merits consideration, and is a sign of great music to come (mostly in 80s)
….This Year’s Model is Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ second LP (I left off the first one, also)
…. Black Sabbath’s Never Say Die! divided most diehard metal heads and rock critics alike but it’s since grown in stature — still too uneven to be in the top-20 IMHO.
….Songbird was a nice effort by fem icon crooner Barbra Streisand, but there’s not enough depth nor memorable recordings aside from a couple of smash hits, including the famous duet with Neil Diamond.
….Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town will upset some readers by my omission (that record was fraught with problems)
…. Double Vision by Foreigner could be in the discussion, but just misses the cut
….Devo’s debut album is interesting and a new sound but not quite strong enough
….Brian Eno did just about everything impactful this year — releasing two albums (ambient music, anyone?), and produced another three (all massively successful), and yet he’s not on the list which seems wrong.
….Blondes Have More Fun (ala “Do You Think I’m Sexy?” is solid, but nowhere near Rod Stewart’s best work.

MY LINER NOTES:

….Gloria Gaynor released an anthem for the ages. Half a century later, millions remain empowered by her spirit. “I Will Survive” is the most memorable smash track from Love Tracks, but the entire album endures as a joyous breakthrough. Backed by session musicians at the top of their games, Gaynor’s voice is the divine word from above. Love Tracks is a flash in time and an invasive flag plant on the beach of common awareness. The most memorable song of the year was cut in 2 different versions, and some subsequent albums even have three cuts (radio version, dance version, extended version).
….Great in parts, but speckled with forgettable filler, this is one of the Who’s most potentially astounding but also uneven musical collections. Who Are You was the final album before legendary drummer Keith Moon’s death, just three days after its release.
….Outlandos d’Amour is the debut album by The Police, which launched Sting’s prolific musical career. Driven by catchy and funky reggae backbeats and scaled-down instrumentation, the blondish British trio put out one of the strongest debut albums of the decade. Incredibly, the band had been rejected by several record companies and had no recording contract. So, they borrowed the equivalent of $2,500 and recorded this album during odd times when they could get into the studio cheap. The Police then bolstered American interest in their album by renting a station wagon, loading up their musical equipment, and touring the USA in 1978, making these origins the stuff of legend.
….Bob Seger’s highly-anticipated follow-up to his previous smash album Night Moves was followed by Stranger in Town, which spawned four hit singles — “Still the Same”. “Hollywood Nights”, “We’ve Got Tonite”, and “Old Time Rock and Roll.” This is a fun album that delivers everything expected, and then some.
….Most of the early Talking Heads’ releases are automatic nominees in any year and this is no exception. Bolstered by collaborator Brian Eno who did their subsequent three albums, the band’s sound moved toward a more danceable style. Their quirky cover of Al Green’s R&B classic “Take Me to the River” is genius.
….Linda Ronsdtadt’s third and final #1 album spun off five hit singles and solidified her as one of the most popular female pop icons of the decade.
….Gerry Rafferty, previously with Stealers Wheel (“Stuck in the Middle With You”), released his second solo album that year titled City to City, which knocked “Saturday Night Fever” off the top of the charts and went on to sell 5 million copies. Who didn’t have “Baker Street,” blasting from a small hand-held transistor radio and car speakers cranked up that entire summer? We devoured this superbly well-crafted album. However, Rafferty never enjoyed lasting success after this album, mostly due to his distaste for touring and performing live.
….My best description of Excitable Boy, which was Warren Zevon’s biggest commercial success is — imagine Bob Dylan with a personality and sense of humor. Zevon’s mockery delivered in artful songwriting and whimsical lyrics have only grown in stature since his passing. This album contains the iconic “Werewolves of London” and “Lawyers, Guns, and Money.” He never seemed to take himself too seriously, though all the fans of his his music certainly did. Witty note by note playfulness is abundant throughout Zevon’s tumultuous career.
…..Cheap Trick at Budokan is an accidental success story. Reportedly recorded at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo (the site of the legendary Beatles 1966 concert), in fact it was recorded in Osaka as that audio quality was deemed superior. Cheap Trick was a great high-energy band (I saw them in a 100-person club abound 1985) and this live show on vinyl dominated FM radio for more than a year. They also released a studio album Heaven Tonight that year. which featured “Surrender.”
….in his uneven musical lineage, Van Morrison sporadically released multiple legendary songs, artsy albums, collaborations, bombs, cringeworthy money-grabs, and yet he may have still written more great music than anyone alive between 1970-74 (Elton John is close). Then, Van hit a creative wall and went into hibernation, and a after disappointing comeback album leaving fans bewildered, exploded onto the charts again with a new look, sound, style, and energy that surprised everyone. Synthesizers? Van Morrison? Isn’t this the guy drawn to mysticism, on stage rants, lengthy jam sessions, lyrics about suicidal Irish poets? The result is a shockingly commercial, timely, tight, catchy, fun album. Wavelength bolstered Van’s notoriety as pop’s most unpredictable songwriter. Lester Bangs gave his lukewarm assessment which he called “a very nice record. I’m sure all the people at Warner Bros. are pleased with it. Ditto the DJs… Still, though, it do confound how such a monumental talent can mire himself in such twaddle, fine as some of it may be.”
….Little Feat’s live double album is enhanced by the brassy horns from Tower of Power in this lengthy jam collection recorded on various (mostly) London stages, with notable hits mixed in with just enough unpredictability to keep things exciting. Other groups sold far more records and tickets, but Little Feat — much like the Grateful Dead — nourished a deeply devoted following through their creative concoctions of soul, country, rock, and blues. I won’t pretend to know Little Feat as well as I should, but they have been described as “your favorite band’s favorite band.”
…..The famed Martin Scorsese directed The Last Waltz film, widely-regarded as one of the best rock documentaries of the decade, and here’s the packed triple album released shortly thereafter documenting Robbie Robertson and The Band’s “farewell” concert which took place at Bill Graham’s Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving night the previous year. A star-studded lineup of superstars includes Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, Neil Young, et. al.. — and the highlights of those performances combine with 13 Robertson/Band tracks for a loaded album. The only drawback to the recording is — after seeing the movie it’s not as satisfying merely to hear and not see the performers.
….I was surprised to learn 52nd Street was Billy Joel’s first #1 album, despite so many previous hits and excellent albums. This might rank #4 or #5 among his overall career best, but in a lackluster year in music, it’s easily cracks the fringes of the top-10. Oh, and this won the Grammy for “Album of the Year,” so there’s that to consider, also.
…. Blondie’s Parallel Lives has been called by some critics “the perfect pop-rock record” and it’s frequently cited as Blondie’s best album. “One Way or Another” and “Heart of Glass” were the two standout hits, but all dozen tracks combine for an unmatchable soundtrack of the clubs and chic culture of the times.
….Boston’s Don’t Look Back has to be here, even though I was never a fan. Saw them live once, and this was one of the most popular bands of my high school years. They just never connected with me. This was the band’s best-selling album, which sold 7 million copies. Some might ask why I listed this album so high, but skipped their first album. Fair question. Often, top bands release great debut albums then have difficulty following up that success with equal (or higher) quality. Credit Boston for doing that, according to a universal consensus of critics. So, this is quite a feat and I can’t overlook its popularity.
….Willie Nelson was the first artist to launch into a full album rendition of what’s now referred to as “the classic American songbook,” which has since been done by other artists hundreds of times. Nelson’s scratchy, twangy, sometimes crackling voice seems almost annoyingly unsuited to the smooth easy-listening material, but then he nails it with gut instinct and authenticity. Neighbor Booker T. Jones (of the MGs) produced this album Stardust, giving the collection a very non-country sound. At one point during the sessions, Nelson was frustrated while recording Ray Charles’ famous “Georgia on My mind.” Jones told him, “Ray did it his way, and you’ll do it yours.” That comment broke the tension and constraints on trying to compare Nelson with essentially flawless previous recordings, allowing Nelson’s interpretations to shine. Again, Nelson had to argue with stubborn Columbia record executives who thought this idea was crazy: “Younger audiences would not know the old songs, older audiences didn’t listen to his music, and his country base would be alienated.” Stardust rocketed to #1, made multiple charts, and sold 5 million and remains one of Nelson’s most beloved collections.
….The Rolling Stones were sliding into the highest-paid nostalgia act in the world after two uneven previous albums. Critics began casting doubts if their sound and style could translate in an evolving pop music culture that had changed drastically. This wasn’t 1969 anymore. Incredibly, aided by Mick Jagger’s androgenous vocals and on-stage tics, which now suddenly fit the times so perfectly, the Stones launch into a much more dance-friendly, rock-driven, funky, punk, neo-disco sound. This makes Some Girls one of their very best albums, and certainly their most challenging. The fruits of so many clashing creative forces produced “Beasts of Burden”, “Miss You”, and “Shattered.” I mean, just look at these lyrics: “We’ve got rats on the west side, bed bugs uptown (Shadoobie, shattered); What a mess, this town’s in tatters, I’ve been shattered (Shadoobie, shattered); My brain’s been battered, splattered all over Manhattan (Shadoobie, shattered).” So bizarre and so staggeringly creative. Genius.
….I flipped flopped back and forth on the top three album choices this year. Two of them were debut studio albums loaded with familiar hit songs most of us know nearly five decades later. The Cars combined catchy guitar riffs and synthesizers, blending into new-wave fused “electronic rock.” Their very first song “Good Times Roll” is now played on TV commercials, yet the bigger hit was “My Best Friend’s Girl.” Frontman Ric Ocasek’s lyrics are often sarcastic and loaded with searing imagery. for instance, “Good Times Roll” stands as a poke at rock n’ roll fame and offers this: “Let them make you a clown; Let them leave you up in the air; Let them brush your rock and roll hair; And let the good times roll.” Most critics call this one of the best 250 albums of all time.
….Full confession: I wasn’t a Van Halen fan, even though I saw them live twice at the height of their popularity. But the power and influence and success of this first few albums cannot be dismissed nor overstated. The self-titled Van Halen contains some of their most famous songs, “Runnin’ with the Devil”, “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love”, “Jamie’s Cryin'”, plus a terrific cover version of the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” But it might be the instrumental “Eruption” by acclaimed guitarist Eddie Van Halen which still endures as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time. This is a daring, yet unpretentious album loaded with songs that have stood the test of time. However, not all critics agreed. Rolling Stone’s in-house critic fumed: “Mark my words: in three years, Van Halen is going to be fat and self-indulgent and disgusting, and they’ll follow Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin right into the toilet. In the meantime, they are likely to be a big deal.” Um……okay.

And with that, this year in best album is now complete. Next Up: Best Albums of 1974.

Comments welcome.