The year 1972 was quite an eventful one for me. I turned 18 that year. We re-elected the most hated president ever. I was #5 in the provisional Vietnam draft lottery and graduated high school to start my freshman year at the University of Illinois. But it was there that I discovered college radio after just being introduced to a new format at an FM station in Chicago – progressive rock at WXRT.
In those early days of FM rock stations, they typically ran classical music or ethnic programming during the day and experimented with a format WXRT called ‘freeform rock’ at night. FM was uniquely suited for broadcasting the new stereo recordings. Today, WXRT hosts the weekly Saturday Morning Flashback. On a recent Saturday, they flashbacked to 1972, the year they introduced Rock music to their new audience.
I’ve written in the past about the incredible rock music releases from 1971.
After listening to Flashback, there’s a case to be made for 1972’s output.
There were several debut albums that year. Jackson Browne’s Saturate Before Using featured the hit “Doctor My Eyes” with the incredible, career-launching solo by Native American Jesse Ed Davis (reportedly in one take).
Another debut was Paul Simon’s eponymous first solo effort, where he introduced us to the sound of reggae on “Mother and Child Reunion.” He utilized Jamaican Jimmy Cliff’s backing band and members of Toots & the Maytals to get this new sound.
The Eagles debuted their first album in 1972, featuring the mega hit, “Take it Easy.” Co-written by Eagles founder Glenn Frey and pal, Jackson Browne, it brought the fledgling country rock genre into the mainstream. In Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, they commented: "… it created a new template for laid-back L.A. country-rock style."
And in yet another debut, Steely Dan introduced us to their eclectic sound on Can’t Buy a Thrill. They scored an immediate FM-friendly hit with “Reelin’ in the Years” and its lengthy, jazzy, and intricate solo by session player, Elliott Randall (another one take overdub). Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has called it his favorite guitar solo. (Check this post for a deeper dive into Steely Dan)
But it was some of the more established artists who released their most introspective works in 72. Neil Young’s Harvest became the best-selling album of the year propelled by his only #1 single, “Heart of Gold.” Featuring spare instrumentation from Nashville session players, the mood created was mellow and reflective, belying his 27 years of age. (I wrote about Harvest on its fiftieth anniversary)
Joni Mitchell followed up Blue with the more upbeat For the Roses. When asked by her record company to write a radio-friendly song, she sarcastically came up with “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio,” which became an unlikely hit song. Blue chronicled her life with Graham Nash and James Taylor. But For the Roses was heavily influenced by her breakup with Taylor, whose fame was rocketing. Her song, “Woman of Heart and Mind” is clearly aimed at Taylor who was deep into heroin at the time:
After the rush when you come back down
You’re always disappointed, nothing seems to keep you high
Drive your bargains, push your papers, win your medals, fuck your strangers
Don’t it leave you on the empty side?
(Do her personal lyrics remind you of a contemporary confessional singer-songwriter?)
Santana recorded and released the mystical Caravanserai. Each song seemlessly segues into the next making it perfectly suited for the new freeform FM format. And with no clear single off this album, only FM stations would consider playing it. (For another 50th anniversary milestone, here’s my take on Caravanserai)
And then there was the inevitable band who ‘rose like a phoenix from the ashes’: Mott the Hoople (one of my favorite band names ever). After releasing a few albums in the early 70s to very little success, they were about to fold when David Bowie threw them a lifeline. He encouraged them to stay together, wrote them a song, and produced their next album. “All the Young Dudes” became their first hit in 1972.
The Rolling Stones released what many critics and fans have called their greatest album, Exile on Main Street. The songs leap off the double LP in bursts of joyful garage band noise and garbled lyrics beginning with “Rocks Off.” The murky mix was almost revolutionary at a time when studios were intent on using audio processing to perfect a certain sound.
A young folk/blues singer and guitarist named Bonnie Raitt hit the airwaves first in 1971. But it was her sophomore release in ‘72 that drew attention. Particularly forceful was her anthem “Love Me Like a Man” which gave voice to a new power dynamic for women in relationships.
Soul Music had its roots in traditional African-American Gospel music and rhythm and blues beginning in the 1950s. By 1972, the genre had been influenced by psychedelic rock and hadn’t transitioned yet to disco. Al Green, who has been called “The Last of the Great Soul Singers,” recorded his signature song, “Let’s Stay Together.” It became a massive hit in 1972 and spawned countless cover versions including one by Tina Turner.
Funk and Soul came together from the band War on The World is a Ghetto. The first song, “Cisco Kid” was all over the airwaves in 72. War, with its deep bass grooves, could be credited for launching the sub-woofer-in-the-trunk craze of the 70s. Soul singer Bill Withers released his second solo album that year, Still Bill, combining Soul, Funk and R&B. “Lean on Me” and “Use Me” were ever-present on both AM and FM dials. He sang what we teenagers were thinking but could not possibly enunciate:
I want to spread the news, if it feels this good getting used
You just keep on using me until you use me up
And at the height of their powers, the Allman Brothers Band lost their founder and lead guitarist, 24-year-old Duane Allman, after achieving cult status with their previous At Fillmore East album from 1971. His death occurred during recording sessions for their follow-up LP, so they pulled together one record with and without Duane and another full record devoted to one song, “Mountain Jam” from the Fillmore recordings. The resulting double album, Eat a Peach was primed for the new FM rock format that would regularly feature album sides without interruption.
As college freshmen cooped up in a dorm room, we often listened to WPGU, our college radio station. I was so impressed that I joined the largely unpaid staff there as a DJ. Many of the songs featured on WXRT’s Flashback would not have seen much airplay on AM radio just a few years before. FM introduced us to stereo broadcasts and a whole new world of extended jams like the complete “Layla” with its gorgeous piano coda, and album deep cuts like Duane’s instrumental “Little Martha” on Eat a Peach, or obscure bands like Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks and their haunting “I Scare Myself.” It was a good time to be alive.
Hi Pete, My 3 favorite albums from '72 were "Eat a Peach", "Caravanserai", and "Stills and Manassas". Probably no surprises there. 😎
Wow! Well done Pete!👏What a fantastic playlist! Recently my son chose “Lean on Me” for our dance at his wedding!