Coming home after work only for it to get dark an hour later has been rough these past few months. I have been counting down the days until we spring forward and get that extra sunlight in the evenings. I am certainly ready for some more blue skies and warmer weather. I’ve been listening to a lot of '70s music these past few months and have a couple favorite tracks that have been getting me through the winter. Here’s a list of some you may have heard and hopefully some you have not.
1) "Fallin’ Rain" by Link Wray
I know I just talked a whole lot about sunshine and warm weather, but what is the spring season without rain showers? This song has been stuck in my brain and it’s made to be so. The second verse talks about the Kent State massacre and Wray being incapable of thinking of anything else despite other people moving on with their lives. It’s a very topical song that I think it will resonate with a lot of people. It’s a great song to listen to in the shower and pour your heart out to.
2) "Franny" by Marc Benno
This is a track from a largely unknown blues rock artist from the ‘70s. The album, Minnows, is really worth a full listen and is strengthened with its great production. This is a laid-back track that reminds me a lot of "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan in the sense that it coul
d be a lullaby. This is the type of song that makes me want to fall asleep under a tree on a warm, breezy day. Roll down your windows and let this one play on a calm, sunny day.
3) "The Road" by Danny O’Keefe
Probably best known for "Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues", Danny O’Keefe is an American folk artist with two really solid albums from his early solo career in the ‘70s. His work has been covered by a lot of great artists including Elvis Presley, John Denver, Judy Collins, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, to name a few. I would say this is his second most well-known song and it’s a great one. It describes his experience traveling on tour during his career in a lot less glamorous light than most artists describe it. The lyrics are somewhat jaded, describing how all the people and hotels have begun to blend together. It feels like the antithesis of Almost Famous, but in the best way possible.
4) "Jane S. Piddy" by Rodriguez
If you have no idea who Rodriguez is, I’d say he’s best described as the Bob Dylan that never was. While his music was largely unpopular in America, he became a sensation in South Africa, unbeknownst to him. There’s a great documentary called "Finding Sugar Man" that describes his unique music journey. He has top-notch lyricism and it’s hard to believe he didn’t get the acclaim he deserved in the States. There’s a lot to unpack in this song, in particular I love the line, “the mocking court gesture claims there is no proven cure”, because "gesture" could also be heard as "jester". Everything in Cold Fact is clever, politically charged, and the lyrics roll off the tongue, as good poetry should.
5) "Now She’s Gone" by Felt
Felt is probably the biggest most niche artist on this list. An Alabama-based rock band, until last year, it had only ever released music under one album in 1971. There isn’t a whole lot of information on them besides a handful of interviews with some of the band members. They were really just a group of kids with limited production equipment, who somehow put out a fantastic album. This song in particular feels on par with what the psychedelic-rock greats had put out in the '60s. It’s a great jam and the whole album is a fun, quick listen.
Hey y’all my name is Dylan Kunkel and I’m originally from Florida, the land of harassing alligators and gas station felonies. Big Gizzhead, fan of divorced dad rock, and all kinds of jazz. When I’m not at the station you can normally find me in the lab or the gym. Please email me for information or involvement with events and fundraising!