Have You Ever Been Mellow: Four Great Soft Rock Albums from the 1970s
I’m Not Always a Rocker
I have a confession: I was not (and am not) always a rocker. If you read my articles on the best live albums of the 70s or the albums that got me through my Army days you might find this surprising, but I assure you it’s true. As proof, I give you four so-called soft rock albums from the 1970s that I played repeatedly, sometimes immediately after blasting KISS or Boston.
I say so-called soft rock, because there is much debate about what belongs in this category, or if the category should exist at all. It could be argued that the greatest soft rock album of all time is Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, but then what of songs like “Go Your Own Way” “Second Hand News,” or “The Chain?” In the end, Rumours remains above classification.
Every song on the four albums below may not be soft rock, but they lean heavily that way. Please allow me to introduce you to the mellower side of me.
1. The Stranger by Billy Joel (1977). This album deserves a post of its own and may eventually get one. It was inescapable in the late 70s, particularly for one of my least-favorite songs, “Just the Way You Are,” which won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1978 (when is the last time the Grammy’s got anything right?). Unfortunately, this sappy ballad overshadowed some truly outstanding songs, including the title track, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” and “Vienna.” I rank this last one as the best Joel ever wrote (yes, better than “Piano Man”) and it contains advice I’ve remembered for four decades:
Slow down you crazy child Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while It’s alright, you can afford to lose a day or two When will you realize… Vienna waits for you?
2. Out of the Blue by Electric Light Orchestra (1977). Better known today as ELO, some would fault me for dropping this one in the “mellow” category, but a band that includes a cellist and a violinist as core members (not to mention the word “orchestra” in their name) is not likely to be confused with Black Sabbath. Regardless, both this band and this album are special to me because they were the first live act I ever saw (at the tender age of 12) during the 1978 tour to support the album. The album itself has some great tracks, including “Turn to Stone,” “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” and “Mr. Blue Sky.” This last one introduced the band to a whole new generation when it was featured in the opening credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (the one with baby Groot dancing). Roughly 50 times more people saw the film than bought the record, so good publicity.
3. Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez (1975). This album contains not one, but two, of the most haunting songs ever written, and both were written about Baez’s old flame Bob Dylan. The title track, “Diamonds and Rust” is something of a lament after the end of their relationship, and one of my favorite songs ever. It is rightly famous for being about Dylan. Less well remembered is the even more specific “Winds of the Old Days.” The song recalls their time together in the 1960s, specifically referencing Dylan’s “Visions of Johanna,” which Baez believed was written about her (with Bob, who ever knew for sure?). If there’s any doubt who she was writing about, consider this verse:
So thank you for writing the best songs Thank you for righting a few wrongs You’re a savage gift on a wayward bus But you stepped down and you sang to us And get you down to the harbor now Most of the sour grapes are gone from the bough Ghosts of Johanna will visit you there And the winds of the old days will blow through your hair
Oddly enough, it is her cover of Jackson Browne’s “Fountain of Sorrow” that will have the longest impact on me: my kids have already been instructed to play it at my funeral.
4. Hotel California by the Eagles (1976). I put this one last for a reason: if I had put it any earlier there are certain hardcore fans who would not have finished the article and would even now be making voodoo dolls in my likeness. Sorry, but it’s true...this one belongs here. Take off “Life in the Fast Lane” and there’s not a true rocker on the album. What remains are some of the best songs ever written, with Don Henley and Glenn Frey at the height of their collaborative brilliance.
Most people never listen to more than the obviously amazing title track (with the most recognizable intro this side of “Stairway to Heaven”) and “Life in the Fast Lane,” which is a shame. They miss gems like “Wasted Time,” “The Last Resort,” and “New Kid in Town.” If you’re going through any kind of breakup, play “Wasted Time” on repeat and you will feel better about your situation. That’s because it’s highly unlikely your heartbreak comes close to the despair in this song (Boston’s “Man I’ll Never Be” is another one of these). If it does, then at least you found a kindred spirit in Don Henley, which is nice.
So that’s four “soft rock” albums for you to explore. Add your favorites in the comments…I know Keith R. Higgons, Alex Markham, Terry Barr, Kevin Alexander, David Acaster, and Noah Levy are bound to have some.