Tag Archives: 1978

Aretha Franklin: Almighty Fire

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On April 13, 1978, “Atlantic” label released “Almighty Fire”, the twenty-fourth Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded January – March 1978, at “Curtom Studios” in Chicago, IL, “ABC Recording Studios” in Los Angeles, CA, “Whitney Recording Studios” in Glendale, CA, and was produced by Curtis Mayfield.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin – vocals, cover art concept
  • Curtis Mayfield– guitar
  • Gary Thompson – guitar
  • Joseph “Lucky” Scott – bass guitar
  • Donnell Hagan – drums
  • Henry Gibson– congas
  • Rich Tufo – keyboards, arrangements
  • Alfonzo Surrett – backing vocals
  • Mattie Butler – backing vocals
  • Ricki Linton – backing vocals
  • Denese Heard and the Jones Girls– backing vocals
  • Lenard Druss – horns contractor
  • Sol Bobrov – strings contractor
  • Roger Anfinsen, Fred Breitberg – engineer
  • Roger Anfinsen – remix
  • Dennis King – mastering

Track listing:

All tracks by Curtis Mayfield, except where noted.

  1. Almighty Fire (Woman of the Future)
  2. Lady, Lady
  3. More Than Just a Joy
  4. Keep On Loving You
  5. I Needed You Baby
  6. Close to You
  7. No Matter Who You Love
  8. This You Can Believe
  9. I’m Your Speed – Aretha Franklin, Glynn Turman

 

Todd Rundgren: Hermit of Mink Hollow

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On April 7, 1978, “Bearsville” label released “Hermit of Mink Hollow”, the eighth Todd Rundgren album. It was recorded 1977 – 1978, at “Utopia Sound Studios” in Lake Hill, NY, and was produced by Todd Rundgren.

Personnel:

  • Todd Rundgren – vocals, all instruments, arrangements
  • Mike Young – engineer
  • Daniel McCauley – photography

All tracks by Todd Rundgren.

  1. All the Children Sing
  2. Too Far Gone
  3. Out of Control
  4. Lucky Guy
  5. Onomatopoeia
  6. Determination
  7. Bag Lady
  8. Can We Still Be Friends
  9. Bread
  10. You Cried Wolf
  11. Hurting for You
  12. Fade Away

David Coverdale: Northwinds

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On March 1, 1978, “Purple” label released “Northwinds”, the second David Coverdale album. It was recorded March – April 1977, at “Air Studios” in London, and was produced by Roger Glover.

Personnel:

  • David Coverdale- lead vocals, piano, electric piano
  • Micky Moody- guitars, backing vocals
  • Tim Hinkley- keyboards, backing vocals
  • Alan Spenner- bass
  • Tony Newman- drums, percussion
  • Roger Glover- synthesizer, clavinet, cowbell
  • Graham Preskett – violin
  • Lee Brilleaux– harmonica
  • Ronnie James Dio, Wendy Dio – backing vocals
  • Jon Walls – recording engineer

Track listing:

All tracks by David Coverdale, except where noted.

  1. Keep On Giving Me Love – David Coverdale, Micky Moody
  2. Northwinds
  3. Give Me Kindness
  4. Time & Again
  5. Queen of Hearts – David Coverdale, Micky Moody
  6. Only My Soul
  7. Say You Love Me
  8. Breakdown – David Coverdale, Micky Moody

Bill Nelson’s Red Noise: Sound – on -Sound

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On February 11, 1979, “Harvest” label released “Sound-on-Sound”, the only Bill Nelson’s Red Noise album. It was recorded in 1978, at “Townhouse Studios” in London, and was produced by John Leckie and Bill Nelson. The music magazine “Sound on Sound” was named after the album.

Personnel:

  • Bill Nelson – vocals, guitar, drums, synthesizer, keyboards, bass, percussion, harmonica, vocoder
  • Rick Ford – bass
  • Andy Clark- keyboards, synthesizer
  • Dave Mattacks- drums, electronic drums
  • Ian Nelson- tenor and alto saxophone, Wurlitzer, string synthesizer
  • Haydn Bendall– engineer
  • Bishin Jumonji- front cover photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Bill Nelson.

  1. Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric)
  2. For Young Moderns
  3. Stop / Go / Stop
  4. Furniture Music
  5. Radar in My Heart
  6. Stay Young
  7. Out of Touch
  8. Better Home in the Phantom Zone
  9. Substitute Flesh
  10. Atom Age
  11. Art/Empire/Industry
  12. Revolt into Style

Pierre Moerlen’s Gong: Downwind

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On February 9, 1979, “Arista” label released “Downwind”, the third Pierre Moerlen’s Gong album (it was the first to be released under that name, the previous two having been released as Gong albums for contractual reasons). It was recorded June – September 1978, and was produced by Pierre Moerlen.

Personnel:

  • Pierre Moerlen– lead vocals, drums, vibraphone, marimba, concert toms, timpani, organ, synthesizer, electric piano, assorted percussion
  • Mike Oldfield- guitar, solina strings, bass, Irish drum
  • Mick Taylor- guitar
  • Ross Record – vocals, guitar
  • Steve Winwood– synthesizer
  • Hansford Rowe– bass
  • Benoît Moerlen– vibraphon
  • François Causse – percussion
  • Didier Malherbe– saxophone
  • Terry Oldfield– flute
  • Didier Lockwood– violin

Track listing:

All tracks by Pierre Moerlen, except where noted.

  1. Aeroplane – Pierre Moerlen, Ruan O’Lochlain
  2. Crosscurrents
  3. Downwind
  4. Jin-Go-Lo-Ba – Babatunde Olatunji
  5. What You Know – Pierre Moerlen, Ruan O’Lochlain
  6. Emotions
  7. Xtasea

Herbie Hancock: Directstep

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On January 21, 1979, “CBS / Sony” label released (only in Japan) “Directstep” the twenty-fourth Herbie Hancock studio album. It was recorded October 17 – 18, 1978, and was produced by David Rubinson & Friends, Inc.

Personnel:

  • Herbie Hancock– vocals, Fender Rhodes,  clavinet,  Oberheim,  Prophet, Yamaha CS-80, Minimoog  synthesizers, Sennheiser vocoder
  • Webster Lewis- Hammond B-3 organ; Prophet, Yamaha CS-40, ARP String Ensemble and Minimoog synthesizers; Fender Rhodes, backing  vocals
  • Bennie Maupin- soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone,  lyricon
  • Ray Obiedo- electric guitar
  • Paul Jackson- electric bass
  • Alphonse Mouzon– drums
  • Bill Summers- percussion

Track listing:

  1. Butterfly – Herbie Hancock, Bennie Maupin
  2. Shiftless Shuffle – Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, Bill Summers
  3. I Thought It Was You – Jeffrey Cohen, Herbie Hancock, Melvin Ragin

Scorpions: Lovedrive

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On January 15, 1979, “Harvest” label released “Lovedrive”, the sixth Scorpions studio album. It was recorded August – October 1978, at “Dierks Studios” in  Stommeln, Germany, and was produced by Dieter Dierks.

Personnel:

  • Klaus Meine– lead vocals
  • Matthias Jabs– lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Michael Schenker– lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Rudolf Schenker– rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Francis Buchholz– bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Herman Rarebell– drums, backing vocals
  • Dieter Dierks– engineer, mixing
  • Steve Fallone – mastering
  • Storm Thorgerson– design, artwork

Track listing:

  1. Loving You Sunday Morning – lyrics by Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell, music by Rudolf Schenker
  2. Another Piece of Meat – lyrics by Herman Rarebell, music by Rudolf Schenker, Herman Rarebell
  3. Always Somewhere – lyrics by Klaus Meine, music by Rudolf Schenker
  4. Coast to Coast – music by Rudolf Schenker, Michael Schenker
  5. Can’t Get Enough – lyrics by Klaus Meine, music by Rudolf Schenker
  6. Is There Anybody There? – lyrics by Herman Rarebell, Klaus Meine, music by Rudolf Schenker
  7. Lovedrive – lyrics by Klaus Meine, music by Rudolf Schenker
  8. Holiday – lyrics by Klaus Meine, music by Rudolf Schenker, Michael Schenker

Christopher Bell

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On December 27, 1978, Christopher Branford Bell died aged 27. He was songwriter and musician (guitar, singer), best known as founding member, guitarist and singer of the band Big Star. His work has inspired, and his songs were covered by many musicians and bands including R.E.M., Wilco, Teenage Fanclub, Primal Scream, Afghan Whigs, Pete Yorn, Beck The Posies, and The Replacements. In 2013, “Magnolia Pictures” released documentary “Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me”, which documented his life and work. In 2018, the book “There Was a Light: The Cosmic History of Chris Bell and the Rise of Big Star”, was published, also dealing with his life and music. Bell’s album “I Am the Cosmos” was posthumously released in 1992.

National Health: Of Queues And Cures

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In December 1978, “Esoteric Records” label released “Of Queues and Cures”, the second National Health studio album. It was recorded in July 1978, at “Ridge Farm Studio” in Ruspor, Surrey, UK, and was produced by Mike Dunne.

Personnel:

  • Dave Stewart- organ, electric piano, piano, minimoog
  • Phil Miller- guitar
  • John Greaves- bass, piano innards, crooning
  • Pip Pyle- drums, breakage, percussion, handclaps
  • Selwyn Baptiste- steel drums
  • Rick Biddulph – bass, bass and organ solo
  • Peter Blegvad- spoken word excerpt
  • Jimmy Hastings- clarinets, flute
  • Phil Minton- trumpets
  • Paul Nieman – trombones
  • Keith Thompson – oboe
  • Georgie Born- cellos
  • Mike Dunne, Brian Gaylor – engineer

Track listing:

  1. The Bryden Two-Step (For Amphibians), Pt. 1 – Dave Stewart
  2. The Collapso – Dave Stewart
  3. Squarer for Maud – John Greaves
  4. Dreams Wide Awake – Phil Miller
  5. Binoculars – Pip Pyle
  6. Phlâkatön – Pip Pyle
  7. The Bryden Two-Step (For Amphibians), Pt. 2 – Dave Stewart
  8. Paracelsus (Excerpt) (bonus track)
  9. The Apocalypso (bonus track)

John Scofield: Rough House

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In December 1978, “Enja” label released “Rough House”, the third John Scofield album. It was recorded on November 27, 1978, and was produced by Horst Weber and Matthias Winckelmann.

Personnel:

  • John Scofield – guitar
  • Hal Galper- piano
  • Stafford James- bass
  • Adam Nussbaum- drums

Track listing:

All tracks by John Scofield, except where noted

  1. Rough House
  2. Alster Fields
  3. Ailleron
  4. Slow Elvin
  5. Triple Play – Hal Galper
  6. Air Pakistan