A History of Pop Music – Albums 1975

Featured Album:

ABBA – ABBA

This is a series of articles looking at albums from 1960 to whatever year we end up in.

I will select a featured album for each year and the link for the whole album, Plus list the songs on it.

As before, it is not just about the songs and tunes, it is very much about memories, and good ones, I hope.

Not everyone will like my choices of course, and you may remember some from each particular year that you feel should have been included, so do please post a link to the song.

Let’s not get depressed about the happenings in the USA. Many of us will now not bother with what is going off there. We will always have GEOTUS, (God Emperor of the United States) in our minds, and he said he ain’t going away. Sometimes you lose a battle, but we can win the war,

Lockdown is getting to me, and I am very stoic in the face of this. Try and keep your chin up, make sure you laugh several times a day. One of the beauties of the GP site is not only do you get real news, but you also get a laugh as so many people have excellent wit, albeit sometimes just half of it!

In 1975 I had finished basic training at Farnborough, near Aldershot. I did find it tough, but I was incredibly proud that I got through. My first posting was 29 Fd Sqn RE in Hameln, home of the Pied Piper. Loved it bigly. Maggie became leader of the Conservatives. Music came from BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Corporation). I would also like to thank Tommy Vance for playing some great tunes on his shows. I had money to spend on beer, women, and a record player, what was left I just wasted. Happy days.

ABBA of course first appeared for us in 1974 with Waterloo. I have just always liked them and do not think they have ever released a bad song.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	“Mamma Mia“	Andersson Ulvaeus Stig Anderson	3:32
2.	“Hey, Hey Helen“	Andersson Ulvaeus	3:16
3.	“Tropical Loveland”	Andersson Ulvaeus Anderson	3:05
4.	“SOS“	Andersson Ulvaeus Anderson	3:22
5.	“Man in the Middle”	Andersson Ulvaeus	3:04
6.	“Bang-A-Boomerang“	Andersson Ulvaeus Anderson	3:05

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	“I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do“	Andersson Ulvaeus Anderson	3:15
2.	“Rock Me“	Andersson Ulvaeus	3:03
3.	“Intermezzo No. 1“	Andersson Ulvaeus	3:48
4.	“I’ve Been Waiting for You“	Andersson Ulvaeus Anderson	3:39
5.	“So Long“	Andersson Ulvaeus	3:06
Total length:			35:56

ABBA

Agnetha Fältskog– lead vocals (4, 10), co-lead vocals (1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 18), backing vocals
Anni-Frid Lyngstad– lead vocals (3, 18), co-lead vocals (1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 18), backing vocals
Björn Ulvaeus– guitars, lead vocals (5, 8, 17), co-lead vocals (18), backing vocals
Benny Andersson– piano, marimba, clavinet, synthesizer, co-lead vocals (5, 18), backing vocals^[9]

Such great talent.

More writings on this album here: ABBA – ABBA

So, on we go with 1975:

The Top 10 Albums with a You Tube hyperlink on the title:

Top Tip: Right-click and open in new tab

Top Albums of 1975
1	Stylistics	The Best Of The Stylistics
2	Bay City Rollers	Once Upon A Star
3	Rod Stewart	Atlantic Crossing
4	The Carpenters	Horizon
5	Elvis Presley	Elvis’s 40 Greatest Hits
6	Jim Reeves	40 Golden Greats
7	Mike Oldfield	Tubular Bells
8	Elton John	Elton John’s Greatest Hits
9	Wings	Venus And Mars
10	The Carpenters	The Singles 1969-1973

I had the Rollers album but kept it at home. Tubular Bells was always being heard up and down the corridors of the barracks. I was tempted to get Jim Reeves, I like his stuff, but the urinal-based commenting would have been unbearable. I did get this many years later though. Elton with a great “best of” is of course a contender, however I have opted for ABBA who took us by storm with Waterloo last year, which to this day is in my view the best ever Eurovision song.

Overall, this top 10 from 1975 is not that great in terms of depth. I think many of you will find the ones I have selected below to be better.

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here – I was very tempted to have this as the featured album, but I had the iconic DSOtM earlier. Shine on you crazy Diamond.

Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run – One of his finest. I am sure many will appreciate this one.

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac – Utterly superb, includes Rhiannon (frequently posted here) and Say You Love me, a personal favourite of mine. Very easy to be the featured album from one of the best bands ever, however, we shall have to wait for Rumours.

Queen – A Night At The Opera – Includes Bohemian Rhapsody. Awesomeness of course. I remember being home on leave and this was played non-stop on the radio and juke boxes.

Roxy Music – Siren – Love is the drug – Another great band from the 70’s, so much still played today as well.

David Bowie – Young Americans – I am a big fan of Bowie.

Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years – Every track a gem.

Art Garfunkel – Breakaway – Like the Still Crazy album from Paul Simon above, I played this a lot.

Bee Gees – Main Course – Nights on Broadway, Jive Talkin. Super band, another that band who’s tunes will be played in another 100 years.

Eagles – One of These Nights – My most favourite band ever, slightly edging Smokie out. Includes the title track, Lyin eyes and Take it to the Limit.

Supertramp – Crisis? What Crisis? – I suspect a big favourite of many.

Scoring:

As you know I like to review your “tunes” that you post.

*Note. Anyone scoring a Morrissey (lowest score possible) will be reported and blocked.

Hat tips to:

https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/8-all-music-highest-rated/1975/1 these give the top 100 selling charts for each year