AN: As with the Honorable Mentions, I added several songs to the Sins Of Omission while posting the list to the blog, after using the customary ten when I initially wrote the list last year. When I reviewed the list I decided it was too rock-oriented and wanted to account for my newfound interest in soul music, so I added the second and tenth songs on this list to add more variety. The tenth song is out of alphabetical order; this is because I thought the transition between the two songs listed before it worked well and I didn’t want to remove it from the final version.

To start off the proceedings… it was a big year for several artists that didn’t get a chance to show what they could do on the Billboard charts.  So let’s see where Billboard and the music industry screwed up in 1977…

“I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You” – The Alan Parsons Project feat. Lenny Zakatek & Ian Bairnston

#36 peak (October 8, 1977)
#180 year-end (adjusted), 13 weeks on chart (11 in 1977)

I had to, people.  I mean, how else was I going to introduce these guys?

One of only two songs on the Sins Of Omission I’m going over today that charted, “I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You” became the second Alan Parsons Project song to hit the Top 40 upon its release.  Other songs like “Sirius” may be better known and other songs such as “Time” and “Games People Play” may have been bigger hits, but I still believe this is The Alan Parsons Project’s best song.  

So why do I think this?  Well, part of it is bias, as this was one of the first classic rock songs I had in regular rotation when I was a Senior in high school.  But also, none of their songs were as perfect in composition from start to finish.  Listen to that ominous keyboard Woolson plays in the intro, how it immediately sets the tone for the paranoia in the lyrics and Zakatek’s lead vocal performance.  Zakatek really got a raw deal; while he was never an official member of The Alan Parsons Project, he was their frontman on several of their hits, with this and “Games People Play” being among them.  And he really helps sell the song with his performance, those “oh-oh-oh’s” really sound like he is being captured by the unnamed villain.

The other unsung hero of the song is Ian Bairnston, the guitarist on the song.  It’s been often said that this is The Alan Parsons Project’s disco song, with its hi-hat drum pattern and funk rhythm, and Bairnston does a pretty good job selling himself as such with his C minor chord.  But Woolston’s brooding keyboards and the final guitar solo brings us back to reality: it’s merely a progressive rock act proving they could perform more than one style.  Bairnston’s guitar solo is bright and piercing, much too weird and powerful for the disco.  And that’s exactly what The Alan Parsons Project were at their best.

One more tidbit: this may not be a true disco song, but play the 33 rpm album version at 45 rpm and it becomes the most amazing hot funk assault ever.  Trust me on this.

“A Love Of Your Own” – Average White Band

Did Not Chart

“Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” – Billy Joel feat. Richie Cannata

Did Not Chart

There were a lot of great albums released in 1977, and one of them was the piano man himself’s magnum opus The Stranger.  While the album wouldn’t impact radio until 1978 when “Just The Way You Are” hit the Top Ten, I dove into the album tracks now, as the album was released during the Billboard year.  And just as I suspected… one of Billy Joel’s greatest songs ever wasn’t released as a single.  Understandable, as it’s a seven and a half minute song with no real chorus, but at the same time, come on!

“Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” is, simply put, a piece of lyrical genius.  It tells several unrelated stories that intertwine at the titular Italian Restaurant, but somehow, it sounds like you’re right there, sitting right between Billy Joel and his classmate, as well as Brenda and Eddie, whoever they are.   Everything is so vivid, so vibrant, so alive: the awkward reunion of the two high school friends, the story of Brenda and Eddie with their blind optimism against common sense.  Some songs truly sound like they couldn’t have been written by anyone else.  And “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” is one of them.  Just listening to the scene, it has to be set in that neighborhood Joel grew up in.  And it has to be set somewhere on Long Island.

But what truly makes “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” one of the best overall songs of the year is that it’s a song featuring tons of moving parts: the opening piano ballad section, the jazz section about Joel’s new optimistic outlook, the upbeat “Brenda and Eddie” section, the closing reprise… and yet everything sounds so cohesive.  And the cohesiveness is because we come full circle, both musically and lyrically:  The mundane opening with the “bottle of red” and the “bottle of white,” the optimistic outlook, the nostalgia for high school and Brenda and Eddie, the revelation of their divorce, all back to the identical mundane opener at the same Italian restaurant.  Every musical element from Joel’s piano to Richie Cannata’s saxophone solo is pitch perfect, the transitions all match up well even when they shouldn’t.  Other Billy Joel songs may be better known, but “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant” may be the best example of Joel’s skills as a performer and songwriter.

“‘Heroes’” – David Bowie

Did Not Chart

Oh yeah.  That’s not a misprint.  Arguably the greatest song David Bowie, one of the most legendary artists of all time, ever released… and it didn’t even chart.  To this day, it still hasn’t made an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100.  Even as someone who hasn’t completely bowed down to the master yet… what a crime against humanity, because “‘Heroes’” is a truly great song.

“‘Heroes’” is one of those songs that I liked heading into this list, but didn’t truly love until I listened to it more closely.  It’s one of those songs, like “Higher And Higher” or “1999,” where I casually listened to it for years, then finally realized one day, “Oh yeah that’s right, this is a great song.”  Few songs in history have been able to emote so much from such a ridiculously simple composition: Bowie’s piano just steadily clamors through D and G, and then C and D in the chorus, while Robert Fripp’s lead guitar just lazily slides between A and B on the high E string.  But all of this works so well because “‘Heroes’” is so epic and gutsy – the musicians are playing as if the song’s going to save the world from eternal destruction.  And the song’s epic feel allows it to sustain its momentum throughout all six minutes of its run time.

But I think what makes “‘Heroes’” a truly great song is that there are few songs that are as universal in its message.  It may be, on the surface, a love song about two doomed lovers on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, but to me it is truly about overcoming adversity and making a name for yourself, regardless of how mundane the circumstances.  “‘Heroes’” is a song about standing tall in the face of adversity, a song about finding a way to matter regardless of status.  Whether it’s something as big as saving the country from a nuclear attack, or something as small as delivering a pie to the church that’s in danger of closing, this song makes me truly believe.  We can be heroes, just for one day.

“Victim Of Love” – Eagles

Did Not Chart

Some albums may be used as overkill, but with Hotel California being one of the biggest albums of all time with nearly 32 million copies sold, I figured it was worth it to discuss it on the sins of omission despite already containing two number one hits out of nine tracks.  With the massive success on the album, I could have picked almost any of the songs to represent the album on this segment, in particular the country rock of “Try And Love Again” – but upon re-listening to part of the album for this project (specifically Side 2, away from the hits), “Victim Of Love” in particular stands out as a devastating rocker about infidelity.  

While “‘Heroes’” is simple in its composition, “Victim Of Love” is exceedingly simple in the first two verses and choruses.  All it really is in the verses is a series of slow-moving power chords, which scarcely leave the third fret as they alternate between G and C.  But man… Don Felder and Glenn Frey play those guitars with such violent precision that they still sound like they’d blow me over quicker than a hurricane.  And that’s all before new guitarist Joe Walsh’s razor-slick slide guitar solo.  And then there’s the lyrical content, which may be even more brutal than the composition.  The ugly tale of a woman who’s hiding the fact that she knowingly cheated on the protagonist is scathing, and drummer Don Henley’s message to the heartbreaker pulls no punches.  When they went to the studio to record Hotel California, Eagles decided to steer the album away from country and in a more hard rock-influenced direction, and “Victim Of Love” is the album’s darkest moment, the song where all those goals came true.

“Rockaria!” – Electric Light Orchestra feat. Mary Thomas

Did Not Chart

I’m not going to hide my love for this band anymore… I love the Electric Light Orchestra.  And they hit their peak in 1977, the year their magnum opus A New World Record impacted the charts and the year they released their double album Out Of The Blue.  While Out Of The Blue is a good album, it isn’t quite as perfect as A New World Record and its singles impacted the charts in 1978, so I’ll get to it when I do 1978.  Four singles were released from A New World Record, with two, “Livin’ Thing” and “Telephone Line,” making the year end list.  While “Do Ya” also became a classic rock staple with its three chord riff, I had to include the least-known single from the album, “Rockaria!,” on this list.  “Rockaria!” is a opera-infused symphonic rock romp where it’s hard to stand still for its three glorious minutes.

The first big thing to note about this song is its preposterous energy.  “Rockaria!” blows through with all the force of a locomotive, with Bev Bevan’s huge drums and the string section coming through with tons of momentum and force.  And capping it off at the beginning of each verse is Jeff Lynne’s daredevil slide guitar playing.  And then there’s the story of the song.  “Rockaria!” is all about a cocky, arrogant blues rocker who meets an opera singer who he refuses to believe can perform rock and roll despite her vocal skills.

Sweet little lady sings like a songbird
And she sings the opera like you ain’t never heard
But she ain’t ready
No, no, no, she ain’t ready
No, no, no, she ain’t ready
And she ain’t gonna rock and roll

The vocals here are where Lynne really stands out on this song.  Using his cartoonish low register for “Rockaria!,” Lynne totally sounds like that brash, overconfident chump who boasted to you about how he bench presses 300 pounds on a regular basis, but can’t take on a guy bigger than him in a fight.  And what a surprise… turns out in the final verse that the opera singer can rock and roll.  It’s the obvious yet totally deserved conclusion to one of the most fun songs of the year.

“Alison” – Elvis Costello

Did Not Chart

A sad truth about me:  I’ve never really gotten into Elvis Costello.  I tried as a teenager, when I was obsessed with the then-current Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums list and saw his album This Year’s Model in the top 100.  While I do think This Year’s Model is a good album, I didn’t necessarily consider it “great,” and thus my listening to the other Elvis faded to nothing in adulthood.  But the main thing I can’t deny him is that “Alison,” from his debut album My Aim Is True, is a fantastic song.

“Alison” was inspired by a woman Costello saw working at a supermarket, envisioning what happened to her life.  It’s difficult to understand what exactly Costello was going for, but from my perspective it sounds like it’s about someone who ended up being put at a disadvantage by her no-good husband, resulting in why she’s here at this supermarket.  And based on the initial lyrics, Costello was once interested in her.  This could very easily be a vengeful story, but it never falls into that territory because it’s all about taking note rather than being another “I took your girl” song.  The whole angle of the “my aim is true” isn’t to say “I told you so,” it’s to sympathize with the woman and hope she can make it out of her current, non-ideal situation.  What could have been immature and disrespectful instead comes out as open and solemn.

But I think the main reason this song stands as Costello’s best song is because of those melodies.  Those harmonies on the chorus, how Costello and his bandmates descend from C# to B when they sing “Alison,” are to die for.  And John McFee’s lead guitar playing particularly stands out in the subtle instrumentation; his lead guitar riffs in the verses are always on point.  For one song at least, Costello’s aim was true.  Sorry for the obvious closing statement.

“The Chain” – Fleetwood Mac

Did Not Chart

While Fleetwood Mac scored three top ten hits off of their legendary diamond selling album Rumours, it’s startling to me that this song wasn’t released as a single.  And what startles me the most about it is that “The Chain” is the album’s thesis statement – Fleetwood Mac may be falling apart at the seams due to the breakups of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks as well as Christine McVie and John McVie, but they would not fall completely apart.

While so many songs on Rumours discuss the trials and tribulations of all members of the group, none are as powerful lyrically as this one.  It may be repetitive, it may be lyrically sparse – but it is the most direct statement about their bond as a band.

And if, you don’t love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain

They could have broken up.  Their self-titled album could have easily been their last.  But they kept going because they promised that they would continue.  And then they were rewarded with one of the biggest albums of all time.  It’s a song about how even though they may have gone through personal turmoil, there are certain things in life that are bigger.  And the band was one of them.

Musically, this song reaches a climax in the most unlikely way.  After bassist John McVie’s effective five note riff, Lindsey Buckingham performs… a one note guitar solo.  The greatest one note guitar solo of all time.  Yes, it beats out The Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated.”  Until the conclusion where a few other notes are played, all it is is a sequence of eighth notes with a singular E note.  I think why it’s the greatest one note guitar solo of all time is because of how it slowly builds, how it comes straight out of nothingness during McVie’s bass riff and hits a high point as the band sings about their unity.  Speaking of great guitar solos…

“Like A Hurricane” – Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Did Not Chart

As one of the first classic rock songs I got into as a young teenager, this was guaranteed a place on this list.  “Like A Hurricane” is a smoky, brooding epic that showcases why Neil Young, in my opinion at least, is one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

As we are talking about Neil Young here, I’m not inclined to discuss his singing, as he’s notorious for being a great artist who flat-out can’t sing (maybe I can take a lesson from him).  Nor am I here to really discuss the lyrics, which on the surface appear to be about a beautiful woman but honestly are probably about drugs.  Particularly cocaine, as this song was allegedly written in the back seat of a car during a cocaine-fueled night where Young’s vocal chords were busted.  I was trying to write the 100+ pages of this year-end retrospective without dropping a reference to cocaine, because I wanted to break from the tradition of it being mentioned every single time seventies music is discussed and save my cocaine references for when we get into the British nineties.  Thanks, Neil Young, for forcing my hand.  But I digress.

Neil Young’s guitar playing on “Like A Hurricane” is insane.  It may be his single guitar track ever, because so many of his riffs on this track, from the opening downward slide on the top E string to his melodic, catchy riff at the end of the first chorus, are instantly memorable and serve as gateway drugs for anyone attempting to get into the guitar.  But what is also so hypnotic about “Like A Hurricane” is how Young’s guitar playing progresses over that Am-G-F-Em progression.  It may start off as instantly recognizable and hypnotic, but then becomes increasingly chaotic and frenetic as the track progresses, climaxing with the high-pitched demented cackle at seven and a half minutes in, just before his guitar finally slows down to its finish.  But when I relistened to the song for this list, one thing that startled me was how effective Crazy Horse member Frank “Pancho” Sampedro’s synth is on the song.  It just adds to the haunting and hypnotic feel of the song, and oddly enough is the element that holds everything together.  “Like A Hurricane” is an eight minute mind-trip that stands as one of Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s best.

“Do What You Want, Be What You Are” – Hall & Oates

#39 peak (3 weeks, December 25, 1976-January 8, 1977)
#140 year-end (adjusted), 15 weeks on chart (14 in 1977)

“Anarchy In The U.K.” – The Sex Pistols

Did Not Chart

It is one of the great miracles in modern music history that a band put together less due to musical ability and more to appear as anti-corporate as possible, complete with a frontman who would receive three X votes on The X Factor in record time, made one of the all time great albums.  Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols is an absolutely perfect album, and I could have picked any of its tracks to represent the band here: the opening gunshot of “Holiday In The Sun,” the absolutely vicious and brutal “Bodies,” and the classic “God Save The Queen.”  But I had to go with the song that started it all.

“Anarchy In The U.K.” is the definition of an embarrassingly catchy song.  No matter how offended you are at the message at complete rejection of government, there is nothing that can stop you from singing along, or at least jumping up and down, to the “I wanna be an anarchist” chorus.  And knowing what the song is about, Johnny Rotten’s reprehensible vocals are justified.  There’s a reason Rotten’s vocals are so awful and tuneless, it’s because he’s going out of his way to be as anti-conventional as possible, to intentionally burn down the institute of good taste.

And the music backs up the fact that this is, in essence, a punk song with huge hooks that deserved to be a smash (well, in the UK at least).  Steve Jones’s guitar playing adds to the embarrassing fact that this song is so much fun, it’s equal parts bright and bouncy while being angry and menacing at the same time.  And that first guitar solo is one of the most inescapably catchy solos of all time, in any genre.  “Anarchy In The U.K.” was proof that The Sex Pistols’ hype was justified, and that behind that ugly image, they had songwriting smarts that most musical acts can only dream of.

“Isn’t She Lovely” – Stevie Wonder

Did Not Chart

So one of the most legendary albums from the time period was Stevie Wonder’s double album/bonus EP Songs In The Key Of Life, which was released in 1976 but made its impact on the charts this year, in 1977.  The album scored two more number ones for Stevie, with “Sir Duke” and “I Wish.”  And to continue my string of controversial picks I will be making… neither of them is going to be highlighted today.  I didn’t even nominate “Sir Duke,” I’ve always seen the song as good but not one I would want to listen to everyday.  As for “I Wish,” I’ve always admired that hypnotic funk groove and Stevie’s impassioned singing performance, but then I listened to the song’s lyrics and realized…

Sneaking out the back door
To hang out with those hoodlum friends of mine
Greeted at the back door
With ‘Boy thought I told you not to go outside’
Tryin’ your best to bring the water to your eyes
Thinkin’ it might stop her from whippin’ your behind

Yeah… this song’s celebrating the good old days of purposely causing trouble and getting punished.  Seriously, who has nostalgia about being a troublemaker and enduring punishments that may qualify as child abuse these days?

Now, to be fair, Songs In The Key Of Life is a very good album.  I listened to the album in preparation for this list and it does have a lot of good songs on it (particularly “Contusion” and “Black Man”).  But going through the singles, I made an objective reasoning.  “Isn’t She Lovely” is by far the best single from the album. 

So why is it the best single from Songs In The Key Of Life?  Well, it starts with the music.  The music sounds simple consisting of just seven chords, but it’s actually a pretty complex composition consisting of several 9th chords, with the third chord in the verse being a combination of A and B.  And that keyboard riff could go on forever.  “Isn’t She Lovely” goes on for six and a half minutes, and yet it never drags, not even during the extended outro of Wonder’s then-infant daughter Aisha receiving a bath.  It’s a testament to Wonder’s abilities as a musician and as a songwriter, his ability to make the most hypnotic keyboard riffs.

But obviously, this song shines because of its message of parenthood and childbirth.  It’s all about the joy of embracing a new responsibility and taking pride in your children, in this case Wonder’s first child, Aisha Morris.

I can’t believe what God has done
Through us, He’s given life to one
But isn’t she lovely made from love?

And I’m sorry for bringing up this next comparison, but I just have to say it.  Unlike another song about having a newborn – Paul Anka’s vomit-inducing “You’re Having My Baby” – Wonder actually gives proper credit to the woman involved in the childbirth, instead of presenting this song as one gigantic ego trip.

Londie, it could have not been done
Without you who conceived the one
That’s so very lovely made from love

Here’s a sad truth about me:  Even though I’m pushing 30 as I write this, I’m not ready to be a father.  Well, not right now at least.  It’s not that I’m immature or anything, it’s more because I understand it’s a huge responsibility and that means I can’t do it until I’m ready.  But whenever I hear “Isn’t She Lovely,”  it truly makes me think, “yeah, it would be kinda cool to have a kid someday.”  And that’s the greatest compliment I can give the song.  “Isn’t She Lovely” makes having a child and becoming a father sound like the most profound, fulfilling feeling.

UP NEXT: There were so many great songs in 1977, that a bunch of different styles would be jumbled up at #10.

MORE GREAT 1977 SONGS

1977 had lots of great songs that failed to make the Billboard, Cashbox, or ARC year-end lists. But a sampling of the other great songs of the year:

“Back In The Saddle” – Aerosmith
“Some Other Time” – Alan Parsons Project
“When Love Is New” – Arthur Prysock
“The Night Was So Young” – The Beach Boys
“Three Little Birds” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Main Street” – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
“Ma Baker” – Boney M
“Peace Of Mind” – Boston
“What Can I Say” – Boz Scaggs
“Sound And Vision” – David Bowie
“It Keeps You Runnin’” – Doobie Brothers
“Try And Love Again” – Eagles
“Saturday Nite” – Earth, Wind & Fire
“Do Ya” – Electric Light Orchestra
“Never Going Back Again” – Fleetwood Mac
“Back Together Again” – Hall & Oates
“Lust For Life” – Iggy Pop
“Here Come Those Tears Again” – Jackson Browne
“Slow Down” – John Miles
“Shock Me” – KISS
“Love Ballad” – L.T.D.
“See You When I Git There” – Lou Rawls
“I Know A Little” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Pigs (Three Different Ones)” – Pink Floyd
“Tie Your Mother Down” – Queen
“The First Cut Is The Deepest” – Rod Stewart
“God Save The Queen” – Sex Pistols
“Save It For A Rainy Day” – Stephen Bishop
“Another Star” – Stevie Wonder
“Do What You Wanna Do” – T-Connection
“I Love To Boogie” – T.Rex
“Love – Building On Fire” – Talking Heads
“Cat Scratch Fever” – The Human Piece Of Garbage Known As Ted Nugent
“Whole Wide World” – Wreckless Eric

SOURCES

McIntosh, Dan. “Don Felder.” Songfacts 4 February 2013. Web. 31 July 2022 https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/don-felder.

Costello, Elvis. Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink. New York City: Viking, 2015. Print. Pg. 179. Information gathered from Wikipedia.

“Like A Hurricane by Neil Young.” Songfacts 2022. Web. 31 July 2022 https://www.songfacts.com/facts/neil-young/like-a-hurricane.

“Isn’t She Lovely.” Genius 2022. Web. 31 July 2022 https://genius.com/Stevie-wonder-isnt-she-lovely-lyrics.

Chords for “Isn’t She Lovely” verified from Ultimate Guitar: https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/stevie-wonder/isnt-she-lovely-chords-213358.

IMAGE SOURCES

“I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You” single cover from IMDb

GIF of Dr. Evil in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me from GetYarn

“A Love Of Your Own” remix single cover from Traxsource

Back cover of The Stranger from One Final Serenade

“‘Heroes’” single cover from Genius

“Victim Of Love” single cover from 45cat

“Rockaria!,” “Alison,” and “Do What You Want, Be What You Are” single covers, and Rumors album cover from Discogs

“Like A Hurricane” single cover from Born To Listen

“Anarchy In The U.K.” single cover from SoundCloud

“Isn’t She Lovely” single cover from Wikipedia