​1968 - 1974 MEMORABILIA

A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY BACK IN TIME

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L-R: John Sanders, Jack Goldblatt, Martin Graham and Brian Berelowitz : 1973

Angus MacLennan, Gordon Lennox and Martin Graham

During the annual Rag, toboggan races are held down the 75 granite steps of the Jameson Hall. This daredevil was captured in 1977.

UCT "Anything that Floats" competition at Clifton Beach 1971 : The Oil Rig

The Pig and Whistle

UCT Rag : 1968

Waiting for the Rag procession : March 1968

The Parade 1973

1970 vintage

Hartleyvale Stadium

1973 Porsche Targa : Didn't one of the registrars at GSH own one?

1973 : NZ cancels Springbok tour : NZ newspaper cartoon

Cape Times : July 21, 1969

Even with poor reception on my AM radio, I loved to listen to LM Radio.

Two girls wearing mini skirts attracting attention as they walk down Adderley Street in 1968.

A Dawie De Villiers' montage

For you car enthusiasts.....

Back in 1973 Britain joined the EU : Now in 2019 Brexit

1973 : Ali vs Norton

1972 : Spassky vs Fischer : Reykjavik, Iceland

Green Market Square in 1967

The Grand Parade 1968

The Opening of Parliament in 1970

Moon landing : 50 the anniversary this year.

1968

The Three Arts Theatre 1969

October 1973 : The Yom Kippur War

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1973 Secretariat winning the Belmont Stakes and the third leg of the Triple Crown in the USA
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This song was released in 1973. As I get older I appreciate more the lyrics to the song "Time" by Pink Floyd. It has a message that I think our kids and grandkids should hear. It’s a life lesson especially for teenagers and people who are in a quarter-life crisis


Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find, ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say......................

https://youtu.be/-EzURpTF5c8

       50 Albums From 1973 That Turned 50 In 2023


​Bob Seger, 'Back in '72' (January 1973)
One of Bob Seger’s early albums is also one of his rarest. It was never released on CD or digital format, reportedly because the songwriter was unhappy with his vocals. But Back in '72 features notable highlights, including the original version of "Turn the Page."

Bruce Springsteen, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (Jan. 5, 1973 ) Columbia
With his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, Bruce Springsteen gave a hint at his future direction, mixing solo cuts with full band performances. After the record was initially rejected by label president Clive Davis, who didn't hear a viable single, Springsteen swiftly wrote two additional tracks, recording them on the same day: "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night."

Aerosmith, Aerosmith (Jan. 5, 1973) Columbia
Aerosmith wanted to look "like a rock band that would sell a million records" with their self-titled debut, as guitarist Joe Perry shared in the liner notes for the early demos collection1971: The Road Starts Hear. It took a few years to accomplish that goal, but "Dream On" and the rest of Aerosmith would eventually help them get there.

Deep Purple, Who Do We Think We Are (Jan. 12, 1973) Warner Bros.
Who Do We Think We Are was Deep Purple’s final album with vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover for over a decade (until 1984’s Perfect Strangers). Songs like "Woman From Tokyo" kept the band's usual hard rock beat, but as a whole, the collection found them exploring more of a bluesy direction.

Little Feat, Dixie Chicken (Jan. 25, 1973) Warner Bros.
Dixie Chicken found Little Feat expanding their ranks, adding guitarist Paul Barrere and percussionist Sam Clayton. Guitarist Lowell George remained a heavy influence on the group's sound and songwriting, also handling lead vocals on the bulk of the album's tracks, including the signature "Fat Man in the Bathtub."

Elton John, Dont Shoot Me Im Only the Piano Player (Jan. 26, 1973) MCA
Elton John released two albums in 1973, grabbing his second No. 1 album in the U.S. with the first, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. (It was also his first No. 1 LP in the U.K.) The album, boasting a title inspired by Groucho Marx, added "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock" to John's growing stack of hits.

Alice Cooper, Billion Dollar Babies (Feb. 25, 1973) Warner Bros.
Alice Cooper snared their best-selling album at the time with Billion Dollar Babies, which went to No. 1 in both the U.S. and U.K., eventually going platinum. The group's sixth studio record spawned four hit singles, including the title track and "No More Mr. Nice Guy."

Faces, Ooh La La (March 1973) Warner Bros.
Growing discord in the Faces ranks was evident in 1973, with Rod Stewart calling Ooh La La "a bloody mess" during a promotional interview with Melody Maker. The tempestuous vocalist reportedly missed the first two weeks of recording and the album's sessions were similarly chaotic. Guitarist Ronnie Wood sang the lead vocal on the title track, which remains one of the band's best known songs.

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon (Mar. 1, 1973) Capitol
With Dark Side of the Moon, there was a sense that Pink Floyd "had done their best work to date," as engineer Alan Parsons told UCR in 2016. The band wove together an album conceptually addressing the struggles within their own lifestyles and the lingering effects of the loss of former member Syd Barrett.

Electric Light Orchestra, ELO 2 (March 2, 1973) United Artists
ELO 2 grew out of a previous album project initially dubbed The Lost Planet, a concept scuttled when Jeff Lynne's longtime collaborator Roy Wood decided to exit the ELO fold in the middle of 1972. Left to his own devices, Lynne used ELO 2 to instead stretch out and focus on longer pieces, including a sprawling take on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven."

The Doobie Brothers, The Captain and Me (Mar. 2, 1973) Warner Bros.
The sessions for the album that became The Captain and Me found the Doobies leaning on a mix of jamming and revisiting older material that hadn't been used. "Long Train Runnin,'" and "Without You" are two eventual fan favorites that made it to The Captain and Me, which went double platinum.

Todd Rundgren, A Wizard, a True Star (Mar. 2, 1973) Bearsville
Todd Rundgren called A Wizard, a True Star "unusual" when he spoke with UCR in 2011, a feeling that rings true now, hearing the experimental spirit of the material. Spanning 19 tracks and nearly an hour in length, it's one of the longest albums that has ever been released on a single vinyl record.

Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy (Mar. 28, 1973) Atlantic
Recording in a mobile studio located on Mick Jagger's property, the members of Led Zeppelin crafted songs for Houses of the Holy such as "No Quarter," "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Rain Song." (The album's title track ultimately did not make the final cut.) Though critics were split on their opinions of Houses of the Holy, fans connected with the record, which has sold over 10 million copies.

Bob Marley and the Wailers, Catch a Fire (April 13, 1973)Tuff Gong/Island
Catch a Fire helped to extend Bob Marley’s popularity to an international level. Boasting tracks like the ambling "Concrete Jungle," the album's success came at a cost, with Marley parting ways with core members of his band, the Wailers, after only one more album.

Eagles, Desperado (April 17, 1973) Asylum
Desperado fulfilled Eagles guitarist and vocalist Glenn Frey's wish to make a concept album. Working again with producer Glyn Johns, the group concocted a Western-themed set of songs including the now-classic "Desperado," which surprisingly was never issued as a single.

David Bowie, Aladdin Sane (April 20, 1973) RCA
The songs on Aladdin Sane drew from a cornucopia of influences, including the Rolling Stones and David Bowie’s own experiences touring the U.S. for the first time as a mega-star. Aladdin Sane became his biggest album to that point, boasting now-familiar singles including "The Jean Genie" and "Drive-in Saturday."

Funkadelic, Cosmic Slop (May 1973) Westbound
Funkadelic, 'Cosmic Slop' (May 1973)Cosmic Slop saw the arrival of Garry Shider, to be known as "Diaper Man," who often appeared onstage donning such a garment. The album also featured Funkadelic's first Pedro Bell-designed gatefold album cover. As George Clinton later told Songfacts, the title track for the group's fifth album offered a supportive view regarding the plight of "women who have to prostitute themselves in order to take care of their kids."

Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin Simon (May 5, 1973) Columbia
There Goes Rhymin’ Simon embraced a multitude of styles, from Dixieland to gospel, receiving two Grammy nominations as a result. Paul Simon’s third solo album featured "Kodachrome," which ran up against a unique barrier in the U.K. where the BBC was unable to air the hit single due to its trademarked name.

Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells (May 25, 1973) Virgin
 Mike Oldfield recorded Tubular Bells when he was only 19, an LP on which he played most of the instruments himself. The instrumental progressive rock album received a big bump at the end of 1973 when the opening theme was used for The Exorcist. Tubular Bells went on to spawn three sequels in following decades.

Harry Nilsson, A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night (June 1973) RCA
Harry Nilsson recorded A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night at a time when making an album of standards was hardly popular. The record's title was in part a nod to Shakespeare, while the album notes also featured a dedication to the security guard who had helped to uncover the Watergate breach. It was produced by Derek Taylor, best known for serving as the Beatles press officer, a role that made him one of several individuals often referred to as a "fifth Beatle."

Joe Walsh, The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (June 18, 1973) ABC/Dunhill
Proving that you never know when inspiration will strike, Joe Walsh was mowing his lawn at his home in Colorado when he got the initial idea for "Rocky Mountain Way." The moment gave the guitarist his first Top 10 album with The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get and ultimately helped to solidify his subsequent solo career.

Steely Dan, Countdown to Ecstasy (July 1973) ABC
Countdown to Ecstasy was Steely Dan's second studio album and the first to feature Donald Fagen exclusively as the lead vocalist. Though it didn't perform well commercially, it features well-known catalog tracks like "My Old School" and "Show Biz Kids."

Golden Earring, Moontan (July 1973) MCA
Golden Earring’s ninth album, Moontan, spawned one of their biggest radio hits, "Radar Love." As vocalist Barry Hay later told American Songwriter, the rowdy tale of late night trucker love "just manifested itself as a jam." "Radar Love" took shape in moments, successfully addressing their nagging need for a single.

Queen, Queen (July 13, 1973) Elektra
Queen recorded their eponymous debut during off hours at Trident Studios. They spent nearly half of 1972 recording before they arrived at an album they were happy with, including the landmark "Keep Yourself Alive" and the record's closing track, an instrumental version of "Seven Seas of Rhye," which they later properly finished for Queen II.

Grand Funk Railroad, Were an American Band (July 15, 1973) Capitol
We’re an American Band marked an important transition for Grand Funk Railroad, who had parted ways with longtime producer and manager Terry Knight. As drummer and vocalist Don Brewer told UCR in 2021, their new producer, Todd Rundgren, gave them "freedom" to capture the album they had in mind, including the title track, which became a signature song for the group.

Jethro Tull, A Passion Play (July 23, 1973) Chrysalis
On the heels of their successful Thick as a Brick record, Jethro Tull continued to write conceptually for their sixth studio album, A Passion Play. Though A Passion Play faced harsh criticism upon release, the band still secured their second No. 1 album in the U.S.

ZZ Top, Tres Hombres (July 26, 1973) London
Tres Hombres found ZZ Top relocating from their Texas homebase to Memphis. As vocalist/guitarist Billy Gibbons later told Classic Rock, the move gave them a "psychological advantage" The group’s third album, their first with engineer Terry Manning, was packed to the brim with future classics, including the indelible “La Grange," and became their commercial breakthrough.

The Allman Brothers Band, Brothers and Sisters (August 1973) Capricorn
The Allman Brothers weathered the loss of Duane Allman in 1971 and suffered the tragic death of bassist Berry Oakley barely a year later as they were working on Brothers and Sisters. (This was the last LP Oakley played on.) Guitarist Dickey Betts penned over half of the album's tracks, including eventual set list staples "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica."

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd (Aug. 13, 1973) MCA)
Pronounced 'Leh-'nerd 'Skin-'nerd was Lynyrd Skynyrd's first album and helped the group break nationally. "Free Bird," which closes the record, became an unofficial requiem for fellow southern rock icon Duane Allman, as Skynyrd dedicated the song to him nightly from the concert stage.

The Rolling Stones, Goats Head Soup (Aug. 31, 1973) Rolling Stones Records
Goats Head Soup marks the Rolling Stones final collaboration with longtime producer Jimmy Miller. The sessions were complicated, with bassist Bill Wyman only appearing on three of the 10 tracks. Though the album received a mixed reception, it features a number of notable Stones tracks, including the lead single, "Angie."

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Over-Nite Sensation (Sept. 7, 1973) Discreet
Over-Nite Sensation was only one half of a productive period for Frank Zappa, who also recorded his solo album, Apostrophe, during the same sessions. Zappa's ninth studio album with his longtime band, the Mothers of Invention, draws stylistically on rock, jazz and pop, with "Zomby Woof" even taking on a hard rock tone.

Gregg Allman, Laid Back (October 1973) Capricorn
Internal struggles within the Allman Brothers Band led Gregg Allman to begin stockpiling songs for a planned solo album. Laid Back marked his official solo debut, featuring a fresh take on the Allmans' "Midnight Rider" as well as his recording of Jackson Browne's "These Days."

Jackson Browne, For Everyman (October 1973) Asylum
Jackson Browne's second album, For Everyman, found him beginning a long association with multi-instrumentalist David Lindley. Browne wrote the title track as a response to Crosby, Stills and Nash’s "Wooden Ships" and also shared his recording of "Take it Easy" (penned with Glenn Frey), which separately became an Eagles hit this same year.

Genesis, Selling England by the Pound (October 1973) Charisma
Selling England by the Pound took shape during a time in which, although mostly peaceful, the band was worried that Phil Collins might leave the group, seeing as he'd recently formed a pick-up band with former Yes guitarist Peter Banks. He didn't, though, and Selling England by the Pound emerged as a No. 3 album in the U.K. "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" and "Firth of Fifth" are among the best-known tracks from the LP, which, as guitarist Steve Hackett later admitted in 2015, remains his favorite Genesis release.

Lou Reed, Berlin (Oct. 5, 1973) RCA
Lou Reed built Berlin as a concept album shaped around a couple's drug addiction. He remained fiercely defensive of the record, which was savaged by some critics, telling Spin in 2008: "Do I feel vindicated? For what? I always liked Berlin."

Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Oct. 5, 1973) MCA
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, a double album that's sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, remains an emotional listen for Elton John. Featuring numerous classics, including "Candle in the Wind" and "Bennie and the Jets," John told Today in 2012 that he still cries when he listens to the record, recalling he was "very innocent."

Neil Young, Time Fades Away (Oct. 15, 1973) Reprise
Time Fades Away highlights a rigorous 1973 tour (with support from the Stray Gators) where Neil Young performed previously unreleased material, eschewing his better known songs. He later described it as the "worst record I ever made" during a 1987 British radio interview, but noted in that same conversation that it was "documentary" of the period.

Montrose, Montrose (Oct. 17, 1973) Warner Bros.
The self-titled debut album from Montrose, produced by Ted Templeman, was the recording debut for vocalist Sammy Hagar. The future Van Halen frontman said in 2019 that the album, featuring "Rock Candy," was crucial in his development, crediting the sessions with Ronnie Montrose as where he learned "how to sing."

David Bowie, Pin Ups (Oct. 19, 1973) RCA
Pin Ups, David Bowie's second album of 1973, arrived at a difficult time, when his band, the Spiders from Mars, were splintering. At the same point, Bowie was reconfiguring his publishing and hesitant to record any new material. Pin Ups was the result, a covers set designed to keep his record company happy with fresh recordings.

The Who, Quadrophenia (Oct. 26, 1973) MCA
For their third rock opera, Quadrophenia, the Who traced the story of young mod Jimmy's search for self-worth and importance. Guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend admitted during a 2012 interview that he was close to the source for the double album and "could still remember the feeling of struggling to fit in."

John Lennon, Mind Games (Oct. 29, 1973) Apple
John Lennon’s fourth solo album, Mind Games, was also his first without Phil Spector, as the former Beatle opted to self-produce. The record, anchored by the impactful title track, brought an end to a period where Lennon, who was facing difficulties in his marriage to Yoko Ono, had ceased writing songs for nearly a year.

Black Sabbath, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (November 1973) Vertigo
As Black Sabbath entered the writing process for their fifth album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, the members were suffering from writer's block. As guitarist Tony Iommi reflected in the liner notes for 2004's Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978, a single riff planted the seed for the title track and got the Birmingham metal legends back on track.

Hall & Oates, Abandoned Luncheonette (Nov. 3, 1973) Atlantic
Hall & Oates found themselves, as John Oates put it to UCR in 2015, "in the epicenter of what was going on" at the moment, as they relocated to New York City to record their second album, Abandoned Luncheonette. Songs like "She’s Gone" helped secure the Philly-bred duo their first Top 40 success on the Billboard album charts.

Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (Nov. 5, 1973) Columbia
Though Bruce Springsteen’s second album, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle took shape over a period of several months, there were individual moments that happened more quickly. Notably, "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" was one of two tracks recorded and completed in full on the final day of tracking.

Billy Joel, Piano Man (Nov. 9, 1973) Columbia
Piano Man, Billy Joel's second album, contained what would become one of his most famous songs. Speaking to the Library of Congress in 2017, Joel recalled being "flabbergasted" by the success of the title track, which he noted was depressing, long and written in waltz time. These days, he added, it's become a "karaoke" song when he performs it live. "It's kinda cool," he summarized.

The Kinks, Preservation Act 1 (Nov. 16, 1973) RCA
Preservation Act 1 marked the start of what would be termed as a theatrical period for the Kinks. Looking back, guitarist Dave Davies told UCR that Ray Davies was "a very prolific observer of life" and "perceiver of the world around us." He felt letting his brother pursue the unexpected characters that emerged in that time was important.

Alice Cooper, Muscle of Love (Nov. 20, 1973) Warner Bros.
Muscle of Love was the second album of 1973 from the Alice Cooper Group, this one signaling the end of the original band and a temporary break with producer Bob Ezrin. Paired instead with Jack Richardson and Jack Douglas, Cooper focused on recording songs that jettisoned the usual theatrics in favor of more simply structured compositions.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Brain Salad Surgery (Nov. 19, 1973) Manticore
Emerson, Lake & Palmer distanced themselves from Atlantic Records and formed their own label (though Atlantic remained the distributor) for the group's fourth album, Brain Salad Surgery. "Karn Evil 9" reflects the goal the band members had to write material they could reproduce live, opening with the lyrics, "Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends…"

Paul McCartney and Wings, Band on the Run (Dec. 5, 1973) Apple
The Nigerian sessions for Paul McCartney’s third album with Wings, Band on the Run, were almost as adventurous as the story depicted by the album's title track. In one incident, assailants stripped McCartney of a bag containing song lyrics and demo tapes. (Things had already been rocky — just before the band was due to depart to Nigera, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough both left the group, leaving only McCartney, his wife Linda and Denny Laine to make the album happen.) Eventually, McCartney returned to London to finish the LP, which remains one of his most popular.

Yes, Tales From Topographic Oceans (Dec. 7, 1973) Atlantic
Drummer Alan White makes his debut on Tales From Topographic Oceans, the sixth studio release by Yes. A double album, vocalist and songwriter Jon Anderson was on tour earlier in the year when he devised a concept for the planned release, based around a series of ancient Hindu messages.


Read More: 50 Albums That Turned 50 in 2023 | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/albums-turning-50-in-2023/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral