How the Holland LP stands up in 1973

[8o8o]

Other (now considered classic) albums that came out in 1973:

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Tom Waits - Closing Time
John Cale - Paris 1919
Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star
John Martyn - Solid Air
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
Little Feat - Dixie Chicken
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Catch a Fire
The Who - Quadrophenia

A very adventurous and varied year, I think "Holland" stands up well to each of these (and the ones mentioned before), and fits in perfectly well with its adventurous and slightly experimental character.

[mtaber]

It's a little-known fact but That Band on the Run cover features two members of Wishbone Ash... and David Leaf...

[Fun Is In]

More from 73

Countdown to Ecstasy- Steely Dan
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road-Elton John
Let's Get It On-Marvin Gaye
The Joker-Steve Miller
The Harder They Come-OST

I listened to Holland and most of the above a LOT....but didn't play Mt Vernon and Fairyway even monthly.

[Menace Wilson]

Sigh...look at all of that great stuff.  Those were the days. 

[the captain]

Sigh...look at all of that great stuff.  Those were the days. 

I think most any year eventually resembles this, though. Given enough time, the first-overlooked albums shine through, the slow burners have had a chance to heat up, and the hits have had time to prove their durability. The best eventually is remembered; most of the perceived shortcomings in modern music have more to do with us not having had time to develop critical detachment. (Not that the in-the-moment enjoyment isn't really important, too. And probably just as important, if not more so. Having fun is what it's all about anyway.)

[Menace Wilson]

most of the perceived shortcomings in modern music have more to do with us not having had time to develop critical detachment.

I'll bump this thread in 20 years to see where we stand.

[the captain]

most of the perceived shortcomings in modern music have more to do with us not having had time to develop critical detachment.

I'll bump this thread in 20 years to see where we stand.

Sounds good. See you then.

[matt-zeus]

1973 is a great year for albums, aside from the aforementioned Floyd, Lou Reed and Zeppelin, there was also Queens debut album (great), Genesis' 'Selling England by the pound' (my favourite of theirs), Black Sabbaths 'Sabbath bloody Sabbath' (brilliant) - those 6 albums are some of my favourite albums of all time and I don't think Holland comes even close to them...
I much prefer CATP to Holland which I was primed not to like after reading AGDs book in the 90s but then was pleasantly surprised by it.

Nice call, surely evokes some memories. I loved the odd Queen single back then (Seven Seas Of Rhye), a bit of Led Zep, singles by Lou Reed, Sabbath's Paranoid, and I preferred Yes over Genesis. Floyd, I never 'got'. My tastes have changed a lot over the years, but that is hardly the issue here. I was a pubescent young lad and found it all very exciting.

I wished i'd been a pubescent young lad in that time period...

[Big Bri]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned what might well be Genesis' best studio LP that came out in 1973:

"Selling England By The Pound"

Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
Firth of Fifth
Cinema Show
I Know What I Like(In Your Wardrobe)
Battle Of Epping Forest

A Classic LP!

 Bri

[PS]

Arriving smack in the middle of my college years, HOLLAND was a rather artistic occasion, an album that I could play for my DeadHeady roomate and could turn the ladies onto the Boys with and get them to go see them with me (especially with Blondie and Ricky's hipster cred). We were all terribly excited when they arrived at Harpur College for what turned out to be two shows in the gym (the huge outdoor event planned was rained out). I was hitchhiking to school (another era, kids...) and a Winnebago type van pulled over to pick me up. At the wheel was none other than Dennis Wilson, with a bevy of young student beauties already on the bus (and if memory serves, a piano...). What a great way to get to school.

When Holland arrived, it was the back cover that was so striking - that picture of Brian, turning around in the car. His face hadn't been in public much during those years, and it was a shock to see the - let's call it aggressive - look on his face, the length of his hair, etc. But it was the SOUND of Holland on lp that was so exciting at the time, with heady cuts like Steamboat, Trader, and Leaving This Town. And, of course, the great love song, Only With You (with its most sublime reading at Carnegie, '72, IMHO). The mini record felt like it was giving clues to the long lost Brian mysteries ( I remember a lady friend of mine in college went to Bellagio and talked about Tandyn being there and what a wild, anarchic mess it was...). I love the isolated tracks from PIED PIPER. And CALIFORNIA was such a rolling good time blast (other albums like the New Riders' POWERGLIDE and Poco's GOOD FEELING were around then too) after the beaks of eagles...

HOLLAND was a great record to get high to, with SELLING ENGLAND, DARK SIDE, and especially WIZARD saved for acid...

[Big Bri]

Sorry about that, "Selling England" WAS mentioned!

 Bri

[Shady]

Arriving smack in the middle of my college years, HOLLAND was a rather artistic occasion, an album that I could play for my DeadHeady roomate and could turn the ladies onto the Boys with and get them to go see them with me (especially with Blondie and Ricky's hipster cred). We were all terribly excited when they arrived at Harpur College for what turned out to be two shows in the gym (the huge outdoor event planned was rained out). I was hitchhiking to school (another era, kids...) and a Winnebago type van pulled over to pick me up. At the wheel was none other than Dennis Wilson, with a bevy of young student beauties already on the bus (and if memory serves, a piano...). What a great way to get to school.

When Holland arrived, it was the back cover that was so striking - that picture of Brian, turning around in the car. His face hadn't been in public much during those years, and it was a shock to see the - let's call it aggressive - look on his face, the length of his hair, etc. But it was the SOUND of Holland on lp that was so exciting at the time, with heady cuts like Steamboat, Trader, and Leaving This Town. And, of course, the great love song, Only With You (with its most sublime reading at Carnegie, '72, IMHO). The mini record felt like it was giving clues to the long lost Brian mysteries ( I remember a lady friend of mine in college went to Bellagio and talked about Tandyn being there and what a wild, anarchic mess it was...). I love the isolated tracks from PIED PIPER. And CALIFORNIA was such a rolling good time blast (other albums like the New Riders' POWERGLIDE and Poco's GOOD FEELING were around then too) after the beaks of eagles...

HOLLAND was a great record to get high to, with SELLING ENGLAND, DARK SIDE, and especially WIZARD saved for acid...

Posts like this are why this board rocks.

And the endless die hards

[Jonas]

At the wheel was none other than Dennis Wilson, with a bevy of young student beauties already on the bus (and if memory serves, a piano...). What a great way to get to school.

Why isnt this story elaborated on in its own post? Hell, its own forum!

[mtaber]

I can just picture that van bouncing up and down as it careened down the road...

[MBE]

I think music was starting to decline a bit by 1973 but it was still a fine year if you strayed away from certain areas of the top 40.
My favorite LP's of that year
Elvis Fool, and Raised On Rock
Jerry Lee Lewis The Session, and Southern Roots
Beach Boys Holland
McCartney Band On The Run
Stones Goats Head Soup
Ike And Tina Nutbush City Limits
Jackson 5 Get It Together
First Edition Monumentel (only a hit in New Zeland it is their hardest rocking album)
JB's Doin It To Death
Willie Nelson Shotgun Willie

[The Heartical Don]

I think music was starting to decline a bit by 1973 but it was still a fine year if you strayed away from certain areas of the top 40.
My favorite LP's of that year
Elvis Fool, and Raised On Rock
Jerry Lee Lewis The Session, and Southern Roots
Beach Boys Holland
McCartney Band On The Run
Stones Goats Head Soup
Ike And Tina Nutbush City Limits
Jackson 5 Get It Together
First Edition Monumentel (only a hit in New Zeland it is their hardest rocking album)
JB's Doin It To Death
Willie Nelson Shotgun Willie

Nice call. I could get really emotional by hearing good singles on AM radio then (well, I still can, but it has changed). I recall: 'Angie', 'Maggie Mae', 'Reason To Believe', 'Angel Fingers', 'See My Baby Jive', and also those great Gamble & Huff productions (Billy Paul, Three Degrees, and so on). And 'Amoureuse' by Kiki Dee was such an enduring favourite...

[MBE]

Glad you liked my selections. Now you have me wanting to pick out my favorite singles from the year.

Elvis-Raised On Rock
Jerry Lee Lewis-Drinkin' Wine Spoo-Dee O'Dee, No Headstone On My Grave
Jan Berry-Don't You Just Know It. (It's sloppy but I love to hear Jan and Brian having fun)
Beach Boys-Sail On Sailor, California Saga,
American Spring-Shyin Away
Bob Dylan-Knocking On Heavens Door-A Fool Such As I
Wings-Helen Wheels- Jet-Band On The Run
George Harrison-Give Me Love
Rolling Stones-Angie-Heartbreaker
Ike And Tina-Nutbush City Limits
JB's-Doin' It To Death-If You Don't Get It The First Time
James Brown- I Got Ants In My Pants-Down and Out In New York City-Think-Sexy, Sexy, Sexy-Stone To The Bone
Jackson 5 Get It Together
First Edition-Lena Lookie
Willie Nelson-Stay All Night-Shotgun Willie

[rogerlancelot]

I noticed that nobody has mentioned Mind Games by John Lennon. I am very fond of that album actually and find it very underrated. Check out "Out The Blue" or "I Know (I Know)" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Dark Side Of The Moon is probably the best album of that year but not my favorite Floyd album (that belongs to Piper of course!).

I was born in 1972 so I have no recollection of Holland other than hearing "Sail On Sailor" in the grocery stores. There are some really great songs there but they are very quiet and understated.

[matt-zeus]

Sorry about that, "Selling England" WAS mentioned!

 Bri

No worries, it's a great album. Genesis always get a slagging from a lot of people but they were head and shoulders above all the other prog bands in my opinion, by virtue of being all about the songs as opposed to just the solos and all that. I think fans of Brian and the Beach Boys would find much to enjoy in the music - particularly in relation to the interesting chord structures and melodies and multi-sectional long songs. Tony Banks was a big Beach Boys fan and you can certainly hear that in his compositions.

If people ask me what music is my favourite it's hard to mention The Beach Boys and Genesis without having to justify it afterwards as the 'average joe's perception of these bands is generally quite poor - The Beach Boys being a cheesy Surfing band and Genesis doing 'We can't dance' and all their terrible 80s stuff. I'm also a massive Queen fan, and again I have the same problem there - though fortunately not as difficult as a lot of their prime 70s stuff is pretty well known (Queen II being my favourite album of all time).

[Menace Wilson]

Tony Banks was a big Beach Boys fan and you can certainly hear that in his compositions.

I'm still waiting for Genesis to reunite and take "The Lamb" on the road again.  Doubt Peter can fit into his Rael costume...   

[matt-zeus]

Tony Banks was a big Beach Boys fan and you can certainly hear that in his compositions.

I'm still waiting for Genesis to reunite and take "The Lamb" on the road again.  Doubt Peter can fit into his Rael costume...   

Unfortuneately I don't think it'll ever happen as they seem to have spent too long dithering over it all...also it always comes up as doing 'The Lamb' but personally I would prefer the slightly earlier material overall to be revisited - again, don't think it will happen...

[Mike's Beard]

Two things would be needed for a full Genesis reunion

1) Phil would need successful spinal surgery and therapy because his backs blown and he can't drum anymore.
2) Peter would need a knock on the head sufficient enough to wipe the last 30 odd years of his memory because he's adamant that he doesn't wish to relate to the past.

Sorry to be a downer, I'd love to see Genesis reform if for no other reason than to stop them putting out anymore ghastly solo records!

An underrated but great album from '73 would be Roger McGuinn's solo debut. Best thing he'd done in years.

[donald]

Holland is among my favorite albums ...period.   And oddly enough, in 1973, I was just discovering Surfs Up, and wouldn't hear the entire Holland album for a few years.   I was listening to Dead, Airplane/Tuna/Baron Von Tollbooth, A new band called the Eagles, Neil Young et al.  A lapse in my Beachboy fandom. But I DID joyfully rediscover the Beachboys with the In Concert album as it was getting heavy airplay for a while on the hip album oriented stations in the Baltimore/DC area.

In retrospect, Holland is among the very best of its era and maybe the only thing I still listen to from that time with any regularity.  It is hard for me to connect with the fact that it was that good, that late in the game for the band.  I much prefer it to Sunflower or Surfs Up or any thing thereafter (with the possible exception of Love You).


The Beatles were disbanded, Stones were doing Goats head Soup ..yeeech!, and Neil Young was heavy into his burnout phase......and the Beachboys released this gem in the middle of the train wreck that pop was becoming at the time.

More amazing, ......just around the corner was Endless Summer...and the end of such beauty and creativity.

[Menace Wilson]

1) Phil would need successful spinal surgery and therapy because his backs blown and he can't drum anymore.
2) Peter would need a knock on the head sufficient enough to wipe the last 30 odd years of his memory because he's adamant that he doesn't wish to relate to the past.

That knock in the head would also have to convince Peter that he's british again...he's been a "world" musician for so long now...doubt he still relates to the absurdist humor of the old days.

Somebody mentioned "A Wizard, A True Star" earlier.  I love that era of Todd Rundgren. 

[Big Bri]

I do believe that Matt-Zeus hit it right on the head!
Him and I both share the Genesis/Beach Boys as our 2 favorite bands. And the Genesis I'm talking about is anything BEFORE "Duke"(which was their last real Genesis LP).
It's the structure of the chords and song craftsmanship by Brian Wilson and Tony Banks/Mike Rutherford/Steve Hackett that actually make these two bands very "akin" to one another.
But above all...........it's the Heartfelt EMOTION that both bands bring to their music that has always been the real draw to myself.

 Bri