Most Beautiful Songs - 1960 - 1979

[Robin L]

Inspired by an interaction on the "Most beautiful and famous songs of the 40 years". I think that one's supposed to be about 80's music, an era worth a re-exploration. A lot of musically interesting experimentation during those years. But someone included a Sandy Denny tune from Fairport Convention's "What we Did on Our Holidays" and that's from 1969. So I decided to set up a space for beautiful songs from that era. Mind you, I don't insist something has to be popular to belong here. There's a lot of songs that might not have hit the Toppermost of the Poppermost but still influenced a lot of musicians anyway.

In any case, here's the one item most qualified to be here, Sandy Denny's first recording of "Who Knows Where the Time Goes". recorded when she was just 18:

 

[Robin L]

A track produced by Paul Simon when he was in England, before Simon and Garfunkel. There are covers by both Simon and Garfunkel and Nick Drake. "Blues Run the Game", Jackson C. Frank. Sounds like the inspiration for "Inside Llewyn Davis":

 

[Robin L]

This version of Nick Drake's "Time of No Reply" comes from the "Five Leaves Left" Sessions of 1968/1969:

 

[mhardy6647]

I'll add White Bird by It's a Beautiful Day. October 1969 if the internet is to be believed.
Here's a YT video that may or may not be accessible everywhere in the world -- nor can I vouch for its accessibility on the ISS.

Unfortunately, @Robin L, I may add many more.

 

[GD Fan]

 

[mhardy6647]

OK, only one more for now...
Richard Thompson's Dimming of the Day (1975).

The original:

A more recent quasi-cover -- with ahem a different female vocalist.

(same caveat re: the YT videos, sorry!)

 

[Robin L]

OK, only one more for now...
Richard Thompson's Dimming of the Day (1975).

The original:

A more recent quasi-cover -- with ahem a different female vocalist.

(same caveat re: the YT videos, sorry!)

Richard Thompson's some kind of wonderful. "Night Comes In" from "Pour Down Like Silver":

 

[anome]

Beauty in the eye / ear of the beholder and all, but the old Stan Rogers tunes still resonate with me.

Hard to believe it has been so many years since the fatal AC incident where he lost his life.

 

[mhardy6647]

Two off-kilter but lovely to me (at any rate) choices from aoxomoxoa (1969, remixed in, IIRC, 1971)

Mountains of the Moon as performed for Playboy After Dark

Rosemary

 

[mhardy6647]

Now I am going to cheat. A beautiful version of a beautiful song from the right era (1970), but this recording is much later:

The Dead's To Lay Me Down as covered by The Cowboy Junkies for the tribute album Deadicated (1991)

I will not repeat this intransigence!

 

[Power Pop 23]

Dionne Warwick's recording of 'Anyone Who Had A Heart'

 

[Zedly]

From 1970, The Carpenters, "We've Only Just Begun".

 

[Doodski]

From 1970, The Carpenters, "We've Only Just Begun".

Here is another video of the song that you may like.

 

[Robin L]

Two off-kilter but lovely to me (at any rate) choices from aoxomoxoa (1969, remixed in, IIRC, 1971)

Mountains of the Moon as performed for Playboy After Dark

Rosemary

Lookie dere! Tom Constanten on a double-manual Harpsichord. I remember him from KPFA, had an evening show there. Sometimes our programs would cross in the night.

Speaking of Dead things, John Philips of the Mamas and Papas (of all people), came up with this tune, the first by Joni Mitchell before she made the BigTime, the second by you know who:

 

[Robin L]

From 1970, The Carpenters, "We've Only Just Begun".

I think this was the first thing I heard from the Carpenters when they first emerged on the scene: "Ticket to Ride":

 

[Robin L]

Watched Rick Beato's interview with Billy Strings yesterday. On You Tube. He mentioned how Doc Watson is his principal influence, and you can clearly hear it here, Doc Watson on Stage "Brown's Ferry Blues":

 

[mhardy6647]

From 1970, The Carpenters, "We've Only Just Begun".

Written for a bank commercial, if memory serves.

The bank commercial that became a hit song - Wells Fargo History

Originally written for a bank commercial, this song became a huge hit — and one of the most popular wedding songs in the 1970s.

history.wf.com

(but, yes, a beautiful song, and very much of its time)

OK - since topics like this are, unfortunately for all y'all, irresistible to me, here's another pair.
Two beautiful, rather elegiac songs by the late Ronnie Lane, as recorded for the remarkable little album he did with Pete Townshend (ca. 1975), Rough Mix.
Annie

April Fool

bonus cover of the latter that I stumbled onto one day some years back on YT looking for other things...

 

[August West]

Lookie dere! Tom Constanten on a double-manual Harpsichord. I remember him from KPFA, had an evening show there. Sometimes our programs would cross in the night.

Speaking of Dead things, John Philips of the Mamas and Papas (of all people), came up with this tune, the first by Joni Mitchell before she made the BigTime, the second by you know who:

Me and My Uncle was the most played song the Grateful Dead performed. 605 times!

 

[mhardy6647]

One more for now (honest!).
So... I am not a huge fan of Bruce Stringbean... umm, I mean... Springsteen, but there are a number of his songs, especially early ones, that I do like.
But... from my perspective, if he'd only ever written one song, and given one performance of it, he'd still be in the rock 'n' roll pantheon. That song is Thunder Road (1975), and the live version that opens his 5-lp (remember those?) live anthology (1975-85), the performance.

The recording sounds quite good, too, whereas many of his early recordings did not.

 

[JustJones]