Bobby Shad and The Bad Men - A 65-Piece Workshop (1973)

"I Want You Back" by Bobby Shad and The Bad Men

Before they were Skip & Flip, Clyde Battin and Gary Paxton played as The Pledges and then Gary and Clyde. It was when they were signed to Bob Shad's Brent Records that they got the moniker that stuck. Bob Shad was a producer and small label boss who worked across genres. He organized A 65-Piece Workshop, a Big Band Rock album as Bobby Shad and The Bad Men and released it in 1973 on his own Mainstream Records label.

Great song choices constitute an album of luxuriant covers played as big as the 65 orchestra pieces portend. Shad's comfort with an array of genres (jazz, blues, rock and roll, orchestral) and the arrangements by Ron Frangipane work together to keep the songs fresh and playful, if not nimble, as they are engorged with brass and strings, interludes and slick solos by some outstanding session players. The bass, about as heavy as the rest of the band put together (despite the brass's best efforts,) sets the album in contemporary funk and prevents the various sections from floating the album's conceit too far away from its rock and roll roots.

Here is Bobby Shad and The Bad Men's discography:

Bobby Shad and The Bad Men

"Pinball Wizard by Bobby Shad and The Bad Men

"Up on Cripple Creek" by Bobby Shad and The Bad Men

Pass the Headphones!!

The Pointer Sisters - The Pointer Sisters (1973)

"Yes We Can Can" by The Pointer Sisters


Ruth Copeland was married to record producer Jeffrey Bowen though the marriage did not last.  Bowen would end up marrying again to Bonnie Pointer of The Pointer Sisters.  The Pointer Sisters released their debut album The Pointer Sisters in 1973 on the Blue Thumb record label.

Here is the discography surrounding The Pointer Sisters's debut album:

Don't Try to Take the Fifth (1971 single)
Destination No More Heartaches (1972 single)
Yes We Can Can (1973 single)
The Pointer Sisters
Wang Dang Doodle (1973 single)

"Don't Try to Take the Fifth on Me" by The Pointer Sisters


"Wang Dang Doodle" by The Pointer Sisters


"Jada" by The Pointer Sisters


Pass the Headphones!!

The Rocky Horror Show - Original London Cast (1973)

"Science Fiction - Double Feature" by the 1973 Original London Cast


Jonathan Adams, who was one of the four cast members to perform Tom Foolery originally in London, was most famous for his cult role as the narrator in the original production of The Rocky Horror Show.  The Rocky Horror Show is a musical tribute to science fiction B movies and fifties rock and roll written by then-out-of-work actor Richard O'Brien.  The show was championed and directed by Jim Sharman who wanted to put the show on Upstairs at The Royal Court Theatre, a place for experimental theater.  Sue Blane (costume design) and Richard Hartley (musical director) completed the creative team.  The original show premiered in the summer of 1973 and ran for a month at Royal Court starring Tim Curry, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Julie Covington and Richard O'Brien to great success.  The show would move throughout 1973 to the Chelsea Classic Cinema and then King's Road Theatre.  The Rocky Horror Show won the 1973 Evening Standard Award for Best Musical.

Here is the discography surrounding The Rocky Horror Show's first cast recording:

The Rocky Horror Show

"Sweet Transvestite" by the 1973 Original London Cast


Pass the Headphones!!

Queen - Queen (1973)

"Keep Yourself Alive" by Queen


It is very important that listeners not confuse Duran Duran's drummer Roger Taylor with Queen's drummer Roger Taylor.

The origins of Queen start with guitarist Brian May and bassist Tim Staffell. Both were members of the band 1984 in the late sixties that drew some success by recording a demo and opening for legendary acts Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Tyrannosaurus and Pink Floyd. The two dropped from the band in order to pursue further education at Imperial College and Ealing Art College respectively, but decided to form there own band while there. They recruited drummer Roger Taylor (not to be confused with the drumming Roger Taylor of Duran Duran) to round out the trio. Together, they formed Smile in 1968 and earned a record deal with Mercury Records a year later. Their single "Earth" reached no chart positions and Smile was promptly dropped from the label. At the same time, the band Humpy Bong recruited Tim Staffell as their bassist spelling the end of Smile. The band had a big fan, however. Farrokh "Freddie" Bulsara, an immigrant from British Zanzibar who went to boarding school in India, was a pianist and vocalist in and out of bands. He was a friend of Staffell's at Ealing and formed a close relationship with the band. After Staffell's departure, he, May, and Taylor recruited bassist John Deacon to reform as Queen.

Bulsara led the band with an air of the theatrical as Freddie Mercury, a last name he derived from one of his own songs. His influence extended over both their stage performances and songs as he'd provide a bulk of their material in the early years. Queen quickly caught the attention of Trident Studios producers Roy Thomas Baker and John Anthony (who had previously produced Smile's work). The studio connected, with some difficulty, the band with EMI Records and a strong record deal signed with the bad label experience they had with Mercury Records.

Their debut record Queen was recorded during the downtime hours of Trident when the studios were not in use. They already had a solid backlog of live songs to record and did the bulk of recording in mid to late 1972. Their first single "Keep Yourself Alive" was released by July 1973 with the delay due to the search for a record label. The album featured several songs that dated back to the pre-Queen Smile-era ("Keep Yourself Alive", Staffell's "Doing Alright") and Mercury's eccentric fantasy-laden epics ("My Fairy Queen", "Great King Rat"). The band's sound had a strong taste of the contemporary progressive rock and heavy metal movements (with traces of the popular glam and fledgling punk movements). The songs stood apart at the time because of the caliber of the musicianship amongst the members, Mercury's powerful vocals and unique arrangements, and the band's harmonies. The album was well-received by critics and noted for its Led Zeppelin-influenced rock and roll and Brian May's incredible riffs throughout. Certified gold, the album was a promising debut.

Here is the discography surrounding Queen's debut album:

Thames Television Studios Demo Tape (1967 demo by 1984)

Live at the Liverpool Sink Club (1967 live recording by Ibex)
Earth (1969 demo as Smile)
Gettin' Smile (compilation as Smile)
Ghost of a Smile (compilation as Smile)
In the Beginning (1971 demo)
I Can Hear Music (1973 single by Larry Lurex)
Keep Yourself Alive (1973 single)

Liar (1973 single)
Queen
Queen Will Be Crowned (1973 live recording)
At the Beeb (1973 live recording)
BBC Sessions (1973-74 sessions)

"Liar" by Queen


"Doing Alright" by Queen


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

Tom Waits - Closing Time (1973)

At the age of 21, Tom Waits signed with manager Herb Cohen who also managed Tim Buckley, Lenny Bruce, Alice Cooper, and Frank Zappa among others. After several attempts in the recording studio, Tom Waits, working with Jerry Yester, finally came out with his debut Closing Time.

Closing Time is an album best played during the dark of the morning when the calendar shifts from Saturday to Sunday without notice. Mr. Waits collects a series of lonely ballads, remorseful blues, and contemplative jazz strung together by his rough, drunken croon and soft melodies. The album is quiet and subdued and acts as a retrospective on the memories of the days before while dwelling on those lingering emotions as the night deepens.

Here is the discography surrounding Tom Waits's debut album:

Closing Time
Ol' '55 (1973 single)
The Early Years, Vol. 1 (1991 compilation)
The Early Years, Vol. 2 (1993 compilation)

The two "Early Years" albums are a collection of two recording sessions done for Herb Cohen's Bizzare/Straight record labels in August and December of 1971.



Remember to throw your recommendations for the next band this way. The next band has to be connected to Closing Time era Tom Waits in some way.