Guest
1978 is such a fertile year for interesting artists, and Joan Armatrading was one such discovery for me at that time. Her 1977 released LP 'Show Some Emotion' was a slow burner on the Australian charts, and while it did not yield any hit singles, the album remained in the charts for several months. The title track is a classic pop/jazz/r&b melange of a recording. It still gives me 'goosies' all these years later. On my radar were a whole bunch of 'new' performers - not just one hit wonders and novelty acts, that had dominated my first 4 year love affair with the culture, but real 'artists' - acts that came with some depth and craft. 1978 would see the debut in the pop scene of many great acts, and i plan to honour at least 3 of them - with treatments of multiple tracks from their albums: first recordings by Kate Bush, Meatloaf and Gerry Rafferty's breakthrough second solo LP. I was 13 for most of 1978, and although i was sucked in to the disco hits and the one hit wonders, i evidently had a hankering for something more boutique - something more organic. I'm sure it had been available before, (Billy Joel. Fleetwood Mac, Doobies, Eagles,Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond) but i was not as aware of it. 1978 seemed to generate more interesting music, than I had heard before. 'Simple Dreams' was a mainstay on my turntable in early 1978, as Linda Ronstadt's million seller continued to generate radio hits, and my beloved Renee Geyer's 'Moving Along' was played to death on my personal cassette player in my room. and I playacted I was on the National Broadcaster's music show 'Countdown' performing tracks from Renee's funky album, prancing and jiving around the room to 'Heading in the Right Direction'. Pop music gave me some much needed solace through my rites of passage and turbulent teens. Listening to the Radio countdown of the Australian and American Top 40's was a childhood favourite pasttime. I would hide the transistor under my blankets after my bedtime, and quietly await the revealing of the #1 hit in the land. The Top 40 Album chart became just as interesting to me, as the Singles one, as I would flick through the sleeves in the record bar, and discover what songs were on what album, and what face matched what voice! It was a wonderful time of discovery. Jackson Browne, Rodriguez, Foreigner, Alan Parsons Project, John Cougar, Patti Smith, Warren Zevon, Pablo Cruise, Todd Rundgren - these were just some of the new artists that encircled me during these halcyon days. Some of them didn't even issue singles - they were album artists! Get out! I was growing up. A little I hope those that weren't previously acquainted with the sublime Joan Armatrading, are enjoying this clip and song as much as I am in posting it, and waxing lyrical about the rise of the singer/songwriter. For everybody else, enjoy reconnecting with a great artist!
