This week In ’70s Throwback’ 03/52

Warren Zevon, T. Rex, 10cc, David Gates, Lou Reed, MC5, Jackson Browne, Carpenters, Bob Dylan, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Harry Nilsson

They are the ’70s Throwback’ artists selected among the 308 Posts we publish this week.

Here, they are reunited in one glorious playlist. Enjoy!

WATCH IN FULL

TW 70s 38

AUDIO ONLY

Tracklist

1 . Warren Zevon . Night Time in the Switching Yard

“Night Time in the Switching Yard” stands out on Warren Zevon’s 1978 album “Excitable Boy” like a mirrorball suspended in a dive bar.

Leaving behind his usual sardonic songwriting for a moment, Zevon dips into a funk-infused groove that owes as much to the disco era as it does to the hard-edged rock of its surrounding tracks.

Jeff Porcaro’s meticulous drumming and Bob Glaub’s pulsing bass line lay the foundation, while Waddy Wachtel’s guitar work threads just the right amount of grit into the slick production.

Co-written with Jorge Calderón and David Lindell, the track swaps lyrical sharpness for rhythmic repetition, centering the mood on the music itself rather than Zevon’s trademark narrative complexity.

Jackson Browne’s and Wachtel’s production captures this unexpected side of Zevon’s artistry, though its departure from his usual sound could feel disorienting for die-hard fans of his biting storytelling.

The track’s legacy extends to reissues, including a 2007 remastered version and a remix by the Flying Mojito Bros, who play with its grooves while keeping its core flavor intact.

Though not a towering cultural staple like “Werewolves of London,” this song reflects Zevon’s willingness to swerve into uncharted territory, proving there’s more to his music than just wit and macabre lyricism.


Lifted from : Warren Zevon releases his third album . ‘Excitable Boy’ featuring ‘Werewolves of London’ (1978)

2 . T. Rex . Get It On

Released in 1971, *Get It On* by T. Rex remains a cornerstone of glam rock, blending swagger and grit with just a touch of camp.

The track slyly nods to Chuck Berry’s *Little Queenie*, a source of influence that Marc Bolan once unabashedly demonstrated to producer Tony Visconti at a Sunset Strip hotel.

Its irresistible groove is cemented by Bolan’s sultry vocals and guitar work, supported by a rhythm section that keeps everything sleek yet unrelenting.

On percussion, Mickey Finn proves less a showman and more a precision player, keeping the track on its rails without overshadowing the star.

Ian MacDonald’s saxophone and Rick Wakeman’s nuanced piano add embellishments that give the track a sense of flamboyant grandeur but never tip it into excess.

As for the lyrics, Bolan paints a vivid, if slightly surreal, character study of a woman who’s “dirty and sweet” with a “hubcap diamond star halo,” making poetry feel like a back-alley confession.

The song gained a second life stateside under the rebranded title *Bang a Gong (Get It On)*—a peculiar compromise to market an already confident anthem of desire and defiance.

Its lack of subtlety is part of its charm, channeling primal energy into a three-minute statement that defined an era and etched Bolan’s name into rock’s glittery history.


Lifted from : Today on German TV, T. Rex at ‘Hit Kwiss’ (1977)

3 . 10cc . The Things We Do For Love

Released in December 1976, “The Things We Do for Love” by 10cc emerges as a pristine slice of pop rock craftsmanship, embodying both the polish of studio artistry and the emotional tug of serenades past.

The song ricochets between wistful vulnerability and playful romantic musings, buoyed by the harmonically rich interplay of Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman’s vocals.

Stewart’s layered instrumentation—combining piano pitter-patters with soaring guitar leads—conspires with Gouldman’s rhythmic command on bass and acoustic flourishes to create a track that’s deceptively simple yet intricately built.

Paul Burgess’s percussive touches, from his tambourine snaps to the unexpected gong, inject a cheeky grandeur beneath the bubblegum sheen.

Beyond the music, the song tells of the exasperations of love with a wink rather than a pout, its lyrical blend of snark and tenderness endearing it to anyone who’s sighed their way through a quarrel yet stayed put in devotion.

Commercially, it blitzed its way into the charts, scoring top-five placements across continents while epitomizing 10cc’s post-Godley and Creme phase with a curiously Beatles-esque yet unmistakably self-assured identity.

Its influences are easy to trace yet never wear thin: bits of Abbey Road dapples meet the no-nonsense pop mettle of the ’70s, producing a track both of and ahead of its time.

If its subsequent covers—ranging from Amy Grant’s understated take to Tina Arena’s swooping 2014 rendition—prove anything, it’s the kind of staying power that only emerges when it feels like a song might be smiling right along with you.


Lifted from : On TV today, 10cc at ‘TOTP’ (1977)

4 . David Gates . Make It with You

Released in 1970, “Make It with You” stands out as a hallmark of Bread’s musical venture, capturing a distinct mix of soft rock and pop sensibilities.

The track, penned and performed by David Gates, merges lush instrumentation with a tender narrative about the aspirations of love and connection.

Its breakthrough to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1970 underscores its resonance with audiences, even amidst a period saturated with music vying for attention.

Lyrically, the song walks a fine line between heartfelt sincerity and mild sentimentality, leaning heavily on Gates’ evocative vocals to deliver its emotional weight.

The arrangement is understated yet nuanced, with acoustic and electric guitars mingling seamlessly alongside subtle string flourishes and Mike Botts’ steady hand on the drums.

Despite Bread’s reputation as a band firmly within the soft rock territory, this particular piece offered a depth that resonated across genres, evidenced by diverse cover versions that followed.

Ralfi Pagan’s Latin-soul interpretation and Let Loose’s modernized take decades later are testaments to the song’s ability to cross stylistic boundaries.

At its core, “Make It with You” reflects the musical zeitgeist of the 1970s, a blend of introspection and romance wrapped in accessible melodies.

Though some might find its approach too polished, there’s no denying the song’s enduring charm as a relic of an era when earnestness in music could still dominate the charts.


Lifted from : On English TV today, David Gates at ‘BBC In Concert’ (1972)

5 . Lou Reed . Kicks

“Kicks” bursts forth as an unsettling standout on Lou Reed’s 1975 album “Coney Island Baby.”

The track veers sharply away from the record’s otherwise sentimental tone, offering a grim narrative about a compulsive thrill-seeker with violent inclinations.

Reed’s storytelling here is raw and unflinching, as he channels the psyche of a killer deriving sick pleasure from brutality, an aspect underscored by lyrics far too graphic for casual listening.

The rhythmic structure is jagged and fragmented, simulating the intoxicating unease of adrenaline coursing through the veins of someone on the edge.

Bob Kulick’s jagged guitar complements this off-kilter energy, while snippets of ambient conversation thread into the track to heighten its chaotic and voyeuristic effect.

Compared to the wistful ballads on “Coney Island Baby,” this song seems almost deliberately antagonistic, refusing to offer solace or resolution.

It’s a grim portrait wrapped in gritty sonic textures—a piece that forces listeners to sit with discomfort and confront the grotesque nature of its narrative.

While “Kicks” might alienate casual fans, it sharpens the album’s dynamic tension, revealing Reed as an unapologetic provocateur who revels in challenging conventions.


Lifted from : RCA publish Lou Reed’s sixth solo album . ‘Coney Island Baby’ (1976)

6 . MC5 . Tonight

MC5’s “Tonight,” from their 1970 album “Back in the USA,” is a burst of proto-punk energy compacted into a stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll framework.

The album swaps the raw ferocity of their earlier work for a tighter, more polished sound, trading wild abandon for sharp discipline—a move that irked some purists but hinted at the band’s ambition to redefine their approach.

Produced by rock critic Jon Landau, the track epitomizes the album’s nod to the concise, no-frills style of 1950s rock, eschewing the sprawling jams of their live debut.

While “Tonight” leads the album with a relentless drive, it lacks the overt political bite of other tracks, creating a sonic juxtaposition that divided opinions within the band and among fans.

Measured against their chaotic anthem “Kick Out the Jams,” which hit #30 on the charts, the album’s commercial stumble signals a risk that didn’t quite ignite.

Nevertheless, “Tonight” stands as a snapshot of MC5 trying to refine their rebellion into three-minute bursts, bridging the gap between garage rock roots and punk’s barebones ethos.


Lifted from : Atlantic publish MC5’s debut studio album . ‘Back in the USA’ (1970)

7 . Jackson Browne . Something Fine

Jackson Browne’s “Something Fine” walks the line between introspection and restraint, a quintessential example of his early-’70s folk-rock ethos.

It’s culled from his 1972 self-titled debut, and while the song doesn’t bask in the studio glam of heavy collaboration, its simplicity works in its favor.

The piano feels unhurried, almost meditative, as it anchors Browne’s reflective musings on longing and connection.

There’s an understated melancholy in the melody, softly betraying the emotional push-and-pull at the song’s core.

While later material would lean into a broader, perhaps more ambitious canvas (like the sociopolitical turns in *The Pretender*), here Browne sticks to the personal, weaving poetry and melody with equal weight.

From the imagery-laden lyrics—“I hear your voice and it keeps me from slipping away”—to the understated arrangement, it feels intimate, almost like reading someone’s torn-out diary page.

No, it’s not revolutionary, but it doesn’t aim to be.

Rather, “Something Fine” excels in carving out a quiet, reflective space—a hallmark of Browne’s early catalog and a reminder that sometimes restraint is its own kind of impact.


Lifted from : Asylum publish ‘Jackson Browne,’ his eponymous debut album featuring ‘Doctor My Eyes’ (1972)

8 . Carpenters . Bacharach/David Medley (w/ Carol Burnett)

The Carpenters team up with Carol Burnett for what can best be described as a hybrid of precision and pizzazz in this Bacharach/David medley.

The whole act feels like an odd yet captivating marriage of Burnett’s theatrical playfulness and the Carpenters’ laser-focused harmonies—a union that oddly works.

Performed during the fifth season of “The Carol Burnett Show,” this six-song lineup pulls from the catalog of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, heavy hitters in crafting radio-ready, emotional gut punches.

The selection includes hits like “Walk on By” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” each song steeped in the existential crises of the everyday person, but wrapped in a lush, easy-listening package.

Richard Carpenter’s arrangement sacrifices none of the meticulousness that defines the duo’s studio recordings, even as Karen Carpenter’s buttery voice glides effortlessly over the live accompaniment.

Burnett, meanwhile, leans into her comedic instincts, injecting a touch of levity into an otherwise elegant musical moment, though there’s a slight sense of tonal push-and-pull between her and the siblings.

This isn’t merely a medley—it’s a cultural snapshot that captures the transition of Bacharach/David’s adult contemporary dominance from the swinging ’60s into the melancholia-laden ’70s.

More fascinating is its connection to the Carpenters’ heavyweight album “Carpenters,” where their studio-cut Bacharach/David medley turns inward, adding another layer of tension between Richard’s precise arrangements and Karen’s plaintive delivery.

A reflection of their earlier brush with Bacharach himself, when they opened for him in 1969, this televised moment underscores their knack for translating iconic material into their own brand of pop tranquility.

It’s not without its quirks, and Burnett does sometimes feel like a spritz of soda in an otherwise still glass of water, but the collaboration works best in its quiet collisions rather than in its attempts at seamlessness.


Lifted from : On TV today, The Carpenters with Carol Burnett (1972)

9 . Bob Dylan . Tangled up in Blue

Released in 1975, “Tangled Up in Blue” opens Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” with an intricate, non-linear narrative that feels like flipping through memories in a scrapbook, only to find a few pages missing or rearranged.

Dylan’s characteristic nasal drawl carries the weight of fragmented love stories patched together, painting a picture both vivid and intentionally ambiguous.

The lyrical shifts between first and third person create a kaleidoscope of perspectives, blurring the lines between autobiography and fiction, as if Dylan himself is sorting through what’s real and what’s embellishment.

The recurring image of Montague Street nods to Shakespeare’s doomed lovers, adding a touch of literary flare to an already emotionally dense track.

Musically, its folk-rock arrangement feels stripped yet purposeful, placing emphasis where it matters most: on Dylan’s lyrical labyrinth.

Over the decades, Dylan tweaks the song during live performances, altering lines like swapping a book of poems for the Bible, turning it into a living, breathing piece of art in constant flux.

For all its narrative zigzags, “Tangled Up in Blue” captures something startlingly straightforward—the universal bewilderment of love lost and moments lived in hindsight.


Lifted from : Bob Dylan releases his fifteenth album . ‘Blood on the Tracks’ featuring ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ (1975)

10 . Deep Purple . Rat Bat Blue

Deep Purple’s “Rat Bat Blue” is a curious beast, caught somewhere between the band’s signature hard rock swagger and a bluesy weariness that permeates their seventh album, *Who Do We Think We Are.*

Released in early 1973, this track appears as the product of a band grappling with internal tensions and creative fatigue, yet still capable of moments of brilliance.

The song kicks off with a gritty riff that feels equal parts cocky and restless, while Jon Lord’s keyboard solo provides a rare flash of baroque flamboyance amidst the album’s otherwise grounded tone.

Ian Gillan’s vocals, tinged with the kind of theatrical yelps and snarls fans expect, pair well with the track’s blues undercurrent, though the scat-singing sections border on indulgent.

Critics at the time were split on the album, and listening now, “Rat Bat Blue” stands out as both a highlight and a roadmap for the fraying dynamics that would see Gillan and bassist Roger Glover exit later that year.

It’s also a track where historical curiosities linger; rumors of a jazz guitarist claiming to have laid the foundation for the riff decades earlier add mystique, even if the specifics remain murky.

Perhaps this song lives best in its contradictions: a snapshot of a band simultaneously at odds with itself and still capable of delivering a rough-edged gem.


Lifted from : Deep Purple release their seventh album . ‘Who Do We Think We Are’ featuring ‘Woman from Tokyo’ (1973)

11 . David Bowie . Drive-In Saturday

“Drive-In Saturday” is David Bowie’s cinematic postcard from a future both desolate and bizarre.

The track, nestled within 1973’s *Aladdin Sane*, arrives with a sheen of glam rock excess, yet what lingers is its eerie narrative—a post-apocalyptic society so disconnected from intimacy that they turn to old videos to remember seduction.

With Bowie’s rich tenor weaving lines that name-drop Mick Jagger and Twiggy, there’s a sardonic flair under the melancholy.

The instrumental ensemble is as eclectic as the concept.

Mick Ronson’s electric guitar lines curl around Trevor Bolder’s bass, while Mike Garson’s piano provides jazzy ornamentation—always teetering on the edge of chaos without falling in.

The track climbed to number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, a testament to how Bowie’s visions of dystopia still found their place in the mainstream.

Yet, for all its polish, there’s something delightfully unsavory in the idea—love and connection reduced to a rehab project for disillusioned 22nd-century survivors.

Only Bowie could turn catastrophe into such an engrossing spectacle, complete with an ARP synthesizer.


Lifted from : On TV today, David Bowie at ‘Russell Harty Show’ (1973)

12 . Harry Nilsson . Without Her

“Without Her” from Harry Nilsson’s 1967 *Pandemonium Shadow Show* offers a melancholic, baroque pop lament wrapped in a sparse arrangement of cello and flute. The song’s charm lies in its understated orchestration and wistful simplicity, circling through a minimal set of chords while Nilsson’s vocals evoke a longing as gentle as it is piercing.

It meanders through the emotional landscape of nightly dreams filled with hope, only to confront the aching void of absence by morning. There’s a quiet resignation in its tone, a kind of heartbreak that neither screams nor whispers, just acknowledges its own weight with a sigh.

What makes “Without Her” especially sticky in the ears of critics and artists alike is its adaptability; its quiet sadness has crawled through countless covers. From Glen Campbell to Astrud Gilberto to José José reimagining it en español, the song morphs effortlessly across genres and languages.

Blood, Sweat & Tears brought their layered artistry to the track, spinning it into the kaleidoscope of their *Child Is Father to the Man*. Lulu and Julie London, alternatively, perform it as “Without Him,” a slight gender-flipped twist that doesn’t alter the song’s sorrowful core. Okay Kaya’s nearly whispered 2021 cover and Eddy Mitchell’s French rendition further demonstrate its elasticity, though neither improve on Nilsson’s concise heartbreak.

Rick Jarrard’s production keeps the arrangement clean, giving Nilsson’s voice and lyrics room to sting softly. And though it may not have set the charts ablaze, “Without Her” quietly resonates, filling the spaces of loss with a singular, unforced beauty.


Lifted from : We Remember Harry Nilsson

For THE FULL 70s THROWBACKS COLLECTION click here

This week Top 20 New Music on RVM *

(*) According to our own statistics, upadted on February 9, 2025

Comments are closed.