Free - All Right Now

What a classic rock single to mark my 100th post on my blog. Released in May 1970 and hit number 2 in the charts in June, this well known single from the Paul Rodgers led band hit the top of most of the charts around the world in 1970. The single was taken off the album Fire And Water which was a huge hit too thanks to the single. Free had mixed fortunes over the few years they were together and were formed in 1968 but had split up by 1973 due to personal differences and drug problems. All Right Now has taken on a life of it's own and continues to be played today. The single has various UK & US awards for the amount of radio play it has had since 1970. The song has been featured in various TV shows and adverts and has had it's fair share of cover versions too! It was re-released 1973 when it got to number 15 and again in 1991 when it got to number 8 thanks to a remix. Here's the single on the classic pink Island label

Alice Cooper - From The Inside

I'm not a huge Alice Cooper fan, although I saw him live in the late 80's and he was awesome, but I really like this unbelievably over looked album by Alice. Released in 1978 it was a concept album based about his stay in a New York institution for his alcoholism. This is a raw Alice, with help from Elton John's side kick Bernie Taupin and a couple of Elton's band mates, they helped create an album with each track with a storyline of a situation and character who he had met in the institution. From The Quiet Room about a guy in a padded cell to avoid self harm (also my favourite track on this album), with Millie And Billie which is a tale of two lovers which one is married who kill her husband to be together. There's Nurse Rosetta about a nurse that tuned on the inmates with a verse describing just what happens when he sees her! There is also the single How You Gonna See Me Now about an unsure Cooper wondering how a partner will treat him once he is freed. The single was a fairly big hit in the US but only managed 61 in the UK charts.

The album didn't chart in the UK which is a real shame as I think it is a classic. The album artwork was great too, featuring opening doors on the front cover and doors on the back which opened too all revealing Alice in various shots of the institution. To me, when I listen to this album it seems such a personal album but also bringing the other inmates to life too, where those people he sings about really there? I think it also a lot more of a softer rock album with, dare I say strings added to a couple of tracks! An album I think should be listened to from start to finish and follow the story to the final track singing about the inmates in Inmates (We're All Crazy). Originally released on Warner Brothers, try and listen to it if you can as it is a shame it wasn't such a bigger hit. Here is the sleeve from the cd!

Tears For Fears - Shout

With news this week that Tears For Fears are going to be back in action this year, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of their first album, I thought I'd feature this single that shot the band into superstardom around the world. Released in November 1984 and got to number 4 in January 1985 and hit the top spot in America the same year. It was off the classic album Songs From The Big Chair and Shout was a change of sound as the band sound was going more towards a synth pop, rock, stadium band sound. The song was basically about protesting rather than keeping quiet, but to think about what you are protesting about rather than just going ahead and just have no idea why you are protesting, also the single lasted over 5 minutes but was still played heavily on the radio. A classic single for classic times, I think it is from one of the last great years for UK pop music!

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Tomorrow (January 28th) sees the release of a deluxe version of Rumours celebrating the 35th anniversary of the album coming out. As everyone knows the album when originally released was a masterpiece and has sold around 40 million copies, so expect that number to rise from tomorrow.

It is amazing really when you read about how the album was recorded amongst the relationships in the band breaking down, the McVie's had just divorced and only talked to each other about music. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were in an on off relationship too. These troubled times come through in many of the lyrics and John McVie suggested the title of the album as he reckoned that everyone in the group was writing about each other in the band. To learn more about this classic album I suggest you look on Wikipedia, the full detailed story is there and it is quite a read!

Several singles were released off the album but didn't really do a great deal here in the UK as everyone was buying the album, which helped push it to the top of the charts. Over the years each track off the album has become a classic in it's own right and I think all the tracks at one point were often played on the radio.

My story of the album came in mid 1985, I had been staying with friends just outside of London. I had taken my Walkman with me for the journey home and I remember saying to my friend that I would like to buy a cassette for the bus ride home but couldn't think of one I wanted. She suggested Rumours as it was such a good album as she had a copy, so I bought it, I didn't play it till I was on my way home. When I started listening to it, I realised I knew the album, never heard the album before but all the tracks were often on the radio but never knew who it was. I loved it and played it several time that ride home so when I listen to the album it reminds me of that time!

Here is the cover of this classic album

Kiss - I Was Made For Lovin' You

This is Kiss in their disco era! Paul Stanley had wanted to write a disco song, to prove how easy it was to write one. So he wrote it with Desmond Child and Vini Poncia, changed it around a little and this rock disco song took shape. Paul took it to the band proclaiming he had a disco song to record. The band recorded it but weren't too happy with it as it didn't sound like Kiss but the track sold over a million in the States and managed to reach the top 50 here in the UK. It is off the album Dynasty which also came out in 1979.

Kiss never really had many hits, singles or albums here in the UK in the 70's but it would be the 80's when they did better and became huge concert draws, I saw them live twice in the 80's and they blew me away with the shows, not bad concidering I didn't really like the band till Lick It Up came out in 1983! Here is the scan of my record and label, an Italian import!

Queen - We Are The Champions - We Will Rock You

A huge hit for Queen, this power ballad and stomping anthem single was released in October 1977 as a double A Side. These tracks came off the album News Of The World which was released shortly after the single came out.

We Are The Champions was written by Freddie Mercury and has become one of the most played songs in the world, is one of the most played sporting anthems too. The idea of the song came from audience participation, having a live crowd chanting and waving arms to a song. The video of the song was the first one to use fans from the fan club as the audience to a ''live'' show of the band playing the new track. At the end of the video shoot, the fans were then treated to a real live show by the band and a copy of the new single. The band were to use the fans in videos of future releases!

We Will Rock You is also one of the most well known songs ever and also is often used in sporting arenas, A backing track of claps and stomping with the band singing on top, was such a simple idea and the classic Brian May guitar solo at the end finished an awesome track. The video to this track was recorded on a very cold snowy day in October in the back of Roger Taylor's garden. You can see just how cold the band were as they mimed the track.

The single reached number 2 in the UK and went gold, the single got into top 10 charts around the world too. We Will Rock You is the first track on the album with Champions following along, in America they still play both tracks as one from the album!

Here is the cover and label from the single

Nazareth - This Flight Tonight

This powerful reworking of a Joni Mitchell album track hit the charts in 1973 and got to number 11. Originally off Mitchell's album Blue, the band completely changed the sound of the song, turned it into a hard rock track and basically made it their own. It was produced by Roger Glover from Deep Purple and was the band's third hit of 1973 and was off their album Loud N Proud. By this time the band had a huge fan base, which is still present today as they are still together touring and recording.

John Miles - Music

John Miles 6 minute epic might only contain 2 verses (one repeated) but what a single. One of the first I remember to pair off a rock band with an orchestra (I don't want to include ELO here). To me the lyrics say it all how I feel about music and I guess the record buying public of 1976 agreed to as this went to number 3 and to me is a classic single that always seems to get over looked when they compile these classic singles TV shows.

John only really had 4 hit singles in the UK but he is more known for working with other musicians and worked with Tina Turner quite a lot. If you get a chance, listen to this track, it still is an awesome song!