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The Evening Show with Dan O'Connell 7pm - 10pm
17 May 2024, 19:00
Take a trip back to the summer of the Silver Jubilee, disco and punk with albums from Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Meat Loaf, Fleetwood Mac and the Sex Pistols.
The first instalment of Bowie’s “Berlin Trilogy” (although most of it was actually recorded in France), this classic was graced by a photo from the film The Man Who Fell To Earth and spawned a hit in Sound And Vision. The second side included some ambient soundtracks which Bowie worked on with Brian Eno.
The tenth album from the prog rock legends was a concept album about society and featured this memorable sleeve photo by design team Hipgnosis.
It went on to become one of the biggest selling albums of all time... and it was the eleventh album under the Mac name! It includes the classic motor racing theme The Chain, alongside Go Your Own Way, Dreams and Don't Stop.
It didn’t sell well in their native US, but over in Great Britain, Tom Verlaine’s art rockers has a surprise hit and their avant-garde guitar music cast a long shadow over post-punk. The epic ten minute title track remains a classic.
The London band released their debut album, which featured the first British punk single New Rose and the excellent title track.
The former Genesis frontman went solo with the first of a series of self-titled albums, which included the classic single Solsbury Hill.
James Osterberg’s first solo outing was recorded in Berlin and produced by his new best friend David Bowie. It wasn’t a huge hit, but influenced a number of post-punk bands and gave Bowie a hit when he covered this album’s highlight track China Girl.
The sixth album from the German electronica pioneers include the hypnotic title "suite" and the synthpop classic Showroom Dummies.
The debut album from Joe Strummer's punk pioneers included the singles White Riot and Remote Control, plus Career Opportunities, Janie Jones and a cover of Junior Murvin's Police & Thieves.
The Guildford punks released their debut LP, which included (Get A) Grip (On Yourself) and Hanging Around... it wouldn't be the last we hear from them in '77...
Released five days before Paul Weller's 19th birthday, the Woking band's classic debut featured the title track and a cover of the Batman theme.
The ninth album from the reggae legend made No 8 in the Uk charts and includes the fantastic title track and One Love.
The former Declan MacManus released his debut album, which included the classic tracks Alison and Less Than Zero. The US edition also added Watching The Detectives.
Both Bowie and Iggy were hugely productive once they’d moved to Berlin and released two albums each in ’77. The Igster’s second outing this year was his most popular, spawning the raucous title track, The Passenger and another track Bowie would later cover: Tonight.
The debut album from David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison included the classic single Psycho Killer, plus Pulled Up and Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town.
Another busy band in the year of 1977, the punks' second outing included the brilliant title track and the confrontational Something Better Change.
The debut album from the much-loved songwriter and performer features a brilliant shot of him posing with his son, Baxter Dury. The album includes some of Dury’s signature tracks including Billericay Dickie and Sweet Gene Vincent. Later pressings also included Sex And Drugs And Rock ’N’ Roll.
Bowie’s second album of ’77 featured the all-time classic title track, but there are plenty of other great songs on there: Beauty And The Beast, Sons Of The Silent Age, The Secret Life Of Arabia and some more ambient tunes, courtesy of Eno. Brilliant cover, too.
The debut album from the Texas-born singer was masterminded by producer Jim Steinman and went on to become one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. Aside from the epic title track, songs included You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad and Paradise By The Dashboard Light.
The legendary punk band issued their one and only studio album this year, which included all their hits: Anarchy In The UK, Pretty Vacant, Holidays In The Sun and God Save The Queen.
The sixth album from Freddie Mercury and co featured the double whammy of We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions and the underrated single Spread Your Wings. The sleeve was painted by American pulp sci-fi artist Frank Kelly Freas and went on to scare Stewie Griffin in Family Guy.
A classic double album from Jeff Lynne and his team, this monster LP included Turn To Stone, Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Wild West Hero and the Concerto For A Rainy Day which climaxes with the classic Mr Blue Sky.
The New York punks issued their second album of the year (the first being January's Leave Home), which included the classics Rockaway Beach, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker and a cover of Surfin' Bird!
One of the biggest albums of 1977 came from the soundtrack the John Travolta disco movie, which featured a number of hits from the Bee Gees: Night Fever, Staying Alive, How Deep Is Your Love and more. Also on the album - certified 16 times Platinum in the US - were Tavares, The Trammps, Kool & The Gang, KC & The Sunshine Band and Yvonne Elliman.
Another album that wasn't a huge hit at the time, but influenced a generation of musicians. In this case, Damon Albarn and Justine Frischmann were fans and Elastica's Connection bears a strong resemblance to Wire's Three Girl Rhumba.