Various Artists - Super Hits of the '70s: Have a Nice Day, Vol. 11 (1990)

Disc 11 of 25. This disc contains singles that peaked on the charts in 1973. Almost unlistenable, but I gotta have this country-shaded volume so I can have the complete series in my collection.

Tracks:

• Playground In My Mind - Clint Holmes (#2 in June 1973)
  Not too bad until you get to the saccharin chorus with the kiddie sing-alongs with Michael, Cindy. Agh! The glockenspiel! Make it stop.
• The Morning After - Maureen McGovern (#1 in August 1973)
  Harps and harpsichord. I've never liked this love theme from The Poseidon Adventure which shows that even at age 7, I had better musical taste than most of the listening public (and Academy Award voters).
• Dueling Banjos - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell (#2 in February 1973)
  To be fair, this isn't a bad little bluegrass tune and it is performed expertly. Because of its use in the movie Deliverance, it has been overplayed and mocked so much that it has become a parody of itself. Reminds me of this LP my father had of a different performance:
  
• Funny Face - Donna Fargo (#5 in January 1973)
  I'm not much for country music, yet somehow I know this boring western waltz. So I'll sway from side to side while I sing along with the chorus then put this one away.
• Also Sprach Zarathustra - Deodato (#2 in March 1973)
  I really want to hate this one, but that groove and electric piano work grab me and won't let me go. Herbie Hancock meets Strauss. Bonus points for its use the wonderful Peter Sellers film Being There. Best song on the disc.
• Big City Miss Ruth Ann - Gallery (#23 in March 1973)
  I don't remember this one and was indifferent to it until the slide guitar kicked in where the horn section should have been. Then I didn't like it so much.
• Daisy A Day - Jud Strunk (#14 in May 1973)
  I feel bad piling on this sentimental waltz because of its subject matter, so I'll just say it's not for me.
• Get Down - Gilbert O'Sullivan (#7 in August 1973)
  This is a bouncy little tune with funny lyrics about a dog owner who doesn't want his dog to jump on him (at least I hope he's singing about an actual dog and not his girlfriend).
• The Free Electric Band - Albert Hammond (#45 in June 1973)
  Another one I don't remember. Dated sounds, dated lyrics. And I'm not sure they were that timely in '73.
• Uneasy Rider - The Charlie Daniels Band (#9 in August 1973)
  One of Daniels's story songs about a hippie that ends up in a redneck bar in Mississippi. As with most story songs, the music takes a back seat to the lyrics (offensive lyrics, in this particular case. No PC in '73!). No verses, no chorus, just a repeated 3 chord vamp. Clever title, though.
• My Maria - B.W. Stevenson (#9 in September 1973)
  The liner notes call this single "likeable but unremarkable." I concur, but the chorus sure is fun to wail along with.
• Tell Her She's Lovely - El Chicano (#40 in December 1973)
  Like the earlier Deodato tune, this track doesn't fit in among the rest of the songs here. Funky groove in the vein of Santana and War. I don't remember it from '73, but I'll rip it to mp3 so it will pop up occasionally on a shuffle.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

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Previously revisited for the blog:

Volume 1	Volume 2	Volume 3
Volume 6	Volume 9	Volume 12
Volume 14	Volume 15	Volume 16
Volume 17	Volume 18	Volume 19
Volume 21	Volume 22	Volume 25