Caribou/Main Course
On today’s program we feature two long players from the mid-70’s … we will begin with Caribou from Elton John- Do you know why it was named Caribou? We will follow that with Main Course from Bee Gees, an album that may be considered a breakthrough lp from the Brothers Gibb.
Caribou
Caribou is the eighth studio album by English singer Elton John, released this very weekend in 1974. The album was Elton’s fourth chart topper in the US and third in the UK. The lp delivered two top twenty singles … The “Bitch Is Back,” and “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” …Caribou was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards, even though reviews for the lp were luke warm at best… Now, I’ll never claim to be a critic, and Elton delivered many albums that I considered to be better than Caribou … but, I am a fan … and, I really enjoy this lp. I saw the tour that supported Caribou, and in the 70’s, if you saw Elton John, you loved him.
Caribou got its name from The Caribou Ranch in Colorado where some of the lp was recorded … side two offers up, in my opinion, two of Elton’s best ballads … “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” and “Ticking” … In 2015 Rolling Stone readers voted the song their second-favorite “deep cut” of lesser-known Elton John songs. Caribou also includes many well-known musical guests … The Tower of Power Horn Section, Dusty Springfield, Ray Cooper, Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys and Daryl Dragon of Captain & Tenille. Best Ever Albums Dot Com considers Caribou and the 111th best lp of 1974 and Digital Dream Door Dot Com ranked the lp at #56 in their Top 100 of 1974.
Notable Tracks – “The Bitch Is Back” “Ticking” “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” “You’re So Static”
Main Course
Main Course is the thirteenth album released by Bee Gees … it could be said that, without Main Course … there would not have been a Saturday Night Fever soundtrack … at least, not the one we remember that smashed all of the sales records … This album marked a great change in the Bee Gees sound, the first to include mostly funk oriented songs …. The album peaked at No. 14 on the on Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart and delivered three top twenty singles … all of which are included on side one.
It does seem silly to call their 13th lp a breakthrough album, however, that is exactly what it was … The Bee Gees formula prior to Main Course was romantic ballads and beautifully crafted songs … The lp was recorded in Miami at Criteria Studios, a suggestion made by Eric Clapton, who recorded 461 Ocean Boulevard there, or it may have been Robert Stigwood … depending on which of the brothers Gibb you believe… Best Ever Albums Dot Com considers Main Course the 69th best lp of 1975 … Digital Dream Door Dot Com gives it one better at 68 in its Top 100 for the year.
Notable Tracks – “Nights On Broadways” “Jive Talkin'” Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)” “Wind Of Change”