Max Picks …songs from 1973

1973

Pink Floyd released one of the biggest albums of all time…Dark Side of the Moon.

Roger Waters put together the cash register tape loop that plays throughout the song. It also contains the sounds of tearing paper and bags of coins being thrown into an industrial food-mixing bowl. The intro was recorded by capturing the sounds of an old cash register on tape and meticulously splicing and cutting the tape in a rhythmic pattern to make the “cash register loop” effect. Waters also wrote the song.

Like many of their songs, this was not released as a single in the UK, where singles were perceived as a sellout…but it was released as a single in America in 1973

Another positive song that was written by George Harrison. “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” replaced Wings’ “My Love” at number 1 on the Hot 100 singles chart…For the week ending 30 June that year, the Harrison and McCartney songs were ranked numbers 1 and 2 respectively.

This song was based on a true story that happened to the band. Smoke On The Water took inspiration from a fire in the Casino at Montreux, Switzerland on December 4, 1971. Deep Purple was going to start recording their Machine Head album there right after a Frank Zappa concert, but someone fired a flare gun at the ceiling during Zappa’s show, which set the place on fire when Deep Purple was watching. It was released in May of 1973.

Music stores would not be the same without this song. It was written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice.

Allman Brothers released this song in August of 1973. It was the band’s biggest hit that almost didn’t get released. The band thought it was too country and almost didn’t release it. This one was written by Dickey Betts.

My sister had a Jim Croce greatest hits album and I played it non-stop. This one is easy for kids to remember. This song has been played to death but I still love it. This one remains one of the most remembered songs from the early seventies. Jim Croce wrote this one.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

46 thoughts on “Max Picks …songs from 1973”

  1. good list. What a year! For me, I would have to start with at least one track from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick road’, but that’s just me. I don’t know what track I’d pull from ‘Dark Side of the Moon’… probably ‘Time’ but it’s a rarity in that its one album that I really find I do want to hear start to finish rather than one track at a time. But it had to be on there in some capacity. Totally agree with the George song and ‘Ramblin Man’. so many good ones to choose from … a problem that would work itself out and not be a problem two or three decades later.

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    1. Yea with Pink Floyd…I just picked one…I picked Daniel by Elton to begin with and the next thing I know he is gone.
      You know what is odd Dave? Of all the Allman songs I have covered plus album tracks…I have NEVER covered Ramblin’ Man…ever. So that will be coming. I couldn’t believe it but I double checked…nope.

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  2. I love the guitars in both Harrison’s and Allmans’ songs. Dickey Betts, like Gary Duncan in Quicksilver, was underrated and eclipsed by a more famous guitarist in the band. I liked 1973’s two meta songs – “Cover of the Rolling Stone” (which got Dr Hook onto the cover) and “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. While neither rank among my favorite songs, their cleverness overcame that.

    Stevie Wonder released “Innervisions” in ’73, maybe his second best album and head and shoulders above almost anything else by anyone else – too many good songs to list, but I have to mention “Living for the City”. Springsteen burst onto the scene with “Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ”. The Wailers released “Burnin” with “Get Up, Stand Up” and “I Shot the Sheriff” among the cuts – and that was only one of three albums by them that year. “Trenchtown Rock”, “Lively Up Yourself”, “Stop That Train”, “Stir it Up”, and “Kaya” were all released in the US that year.

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    1. I had Carly Simon on here but I had to take her off…I did an American Pie on her…that was released in 72…I had that on here til last night when I checked. I missed it in 72…the one I missed that I regret the most is Elton John.

      I hear you on Greetings…it’s my favorite Bruce album hands down…I know I’m in the minority on that one…”It’s Hard to Be A Saint In The City” and Growing up.
      I DO regret Stir It Up…my favorite Marley song.

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  3. It’s always tough trying to compile a short list from any year. I don’t know that I’d have picked all the same songs but I can’t argue with the ones here. It’s a great way to reminisce about the year.

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    1. There are some I regret…Bruce Springsteen…I wish I could have worked him him because his debut album is my favorite by him…but I’ll get him in 1974…and 75 of course. Some…if I know there are more coming I will hesitate.
      Yea…with 5 songs…it’s hard.

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      1. I’m guessing 15 songs might be just as challenging. The more we know the more decisions. With me the more I learn the more I realize I don’t know. But that’s what you guys are doing, keeping in the know, you know?

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      2. I wanted to do twenty but the page would have never loaded although I could have linked them…but I dont’ see anyone clicking on 20 links. I will make a post on the big ones I missed at the end…which will be around 1994 or 95.

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  6. A friend that I didn’t know very well at the time bought the Dark Side of the Moon album when it first came out and a bunch of us went over his apartment to listen to it at that time. He played ‘Money’ at top volume, because he wanted us to listen to all of the different sounds in it. His amplifier over heated and stopped working because it was so cranked up and he did his little trick to get it to play again. He poured ice cubes into a bag and placed it on his amplifier to cool it down, and then we listened to the rest of the album. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) is really a great song.

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    1. Wow…cool story Jim! I should have tried that on my old guitar amp in the 80s when it over heated….really the same thing. That sure made it memorable for you.

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    1. I went to one of those at our planetarium…a Sgt Pepper…I want to go again.
      They are so cool to relax at and just stare into the goodness.

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  10. Music stores would not be the same! lol….Nailed it. What an opening riff. Frank when he used to run our local bar Crocks had a policy that if anyone played that riff the stage power would be pulled on them lol. Truth!

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  12. That list is totally 1973. I’m always surprised to be reminded that DSOTM is that old. I can’t stand the song Money, but I appear to be the only one in the world who doesn’t love it. I pretty much love the rest of the album. The rest of your picks sum up that year so well I don’t have anything to even comment on. ‘Give Me Love’ is one of my most fave George songs.

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  13. Holy cow, Max, these are all dynamite picks!

    “Dark Side of the Moon” is one of my earliest albums I heard on vinyl many moons ago and remains one of my favorites. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. Not sure I can say the same about Roger Waters’ reimagined version I recently reviewed.

    “Give Me Love” by George just is a beautiful song. I’m okay it knocked off Wings’ so-so “My Love” from the top spot. Sorry, Paul, I still love you!

    While “Smoke On the Water” must feel more like “Nightmare in the Guitar Store” to many music/guitar store employees, that riff remains a classic off what continues to be my all-time favorite hard rock album “Machine Head”. Of course, one would wish the stupid with the flare gun wouldn’t have had the brilliant idea to fire it inside a building with a wooden roof!

    I also love your two remaining picks!

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    1. I like Machine Head also…my favorite song by Deep Purple is My Woman From Tokyo…I was going to use that one instead…that riff is so cool…but so is Deep Purple.
      It’s not a bad song on here period…all of them are great. Next week is great also.
      Oh yea…Ramblin’ Man…man out of all the album cuts and songs I’ve covered by the Allman Brothers…I’ve NEVER covered that song…I’ll do it soon

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  14. You can’t go wrong with this playlist. In a bit of coicidence, Jim Croce’s sun is going to be playing his father’s music at a place not far from here in the near future. I wonder if he’s as good as his dad?

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  16. We’ve now entered my lifetime! When I turned 40 (almost 10 years ago, lol!), I made lists for every year of my life. None of your songs were on my 1973 list, but I’d consider adding Jim Croce. Love his voice!

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    1. He did have a unique voice…one that could not be mistaken for another. Maybe I’ll come close in the next one. I was 6 years old when this happened…but I like music really before my time more than my time…especially my teen years. I should have been born 10 years earlier.

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