For the 1975 Hideaway 100, we waited until we had written up the Bottom 50 (100-51) before we began publishing them. The reasons for this were twofold:
- It put a degree of pressure on us to finish the other entries promptly so as not to break the chain because we all know you should never break the chain
- As soon as the viewer feedback starts flowing in, we can respond quickly if needed, whether with a clarification, a correction, or a suggestion
The texts and emails (no one uses the Comment function anymore) began to flow in immediately after the first ten songs had been published, so let's dig into them:
- For everyone asking about the 1975 Hideaway 100 official artwork, yes it was done by AI, specifically Google's Gemini. Some folks guessed as much and there have been more than a couple "AI = BOOOOOO!" comments.
- For those who wondered about the lack of Spotify or YouTube playlists or links in recent posts, all we're gonna say is that despite our 15-year relationship and the creation of exactly 4,999 unique playlists, Spotify is no longer part of our lives. YouTube also did us dirty so we no longer use that service either.
- And, lastly, to all of the folks attempting to correct us by saying this or that song is "actually from 1974" or "technically that song is from 1976", we look forward to reading your lists.
Here are ten more of our favorite songs from 1975 or 1974 or 1976:
Though the origins of "Lovin' You" can be traced to before their daughter Maya was born in 1972, Minnie Riperton and her husband Don Rudolph soon adapted the song to a lullaby for their newborn before finally recording it in 1974 with Stevie Wonder. Riperton can even be heard chanting Maya's name as the album version of the song fades out. I've always appreciated the sounds of the song including the sound of birds and Riperton's whistle register voicing but never realized some people were annoyed by those same qualities until we featured the song a couple of times on The Drive. The overwhelming majority of listeners favored the song but there was a very vocal minority that claimed we were either damaging their hearing or giving them headaches.
Possessing a great melody and an easily sung chorus, I was hooked on "Island Girl" from the first time I heard it. Now that I know Bernie Taupin's lyrics, it makes no difference — I still really enjoy the track. If my wife, daughter or anyone I cared about in my immediate vicinity said the song bothered them or made them feel uncomfortable in any way, I wouldn't play it around them. That hasn't happened yet and I don't foresee it ever being an issue. As I write this, "Island Girl" has ended up being our second-most-played song for April 2025.
According to ARSA, a handful of stations across the country played the 3:47 "Love Is Alive" album cut in the autumn of 1975 shortly after The Dream Weaver was released. In April 1976, a 3:24 edit of the song featuring an early fade-out was released as a single but WLS didn't add it until May 1976. We liked it then but we've grown to love it. The track is downright funky and the vocals have always reminded us of Peter Frampton from the same era. Without checking the HERChives, I am inclined to say The Dream Weaver was one of those albums that took too long to come out on CD.
Led Zeppelin's epic "Kashmir" is unlike any other song in their catalog. Though listed at 9:41 on the label, the song's actual runtime is about a minute shorter. I've written several times about how some songs have taken years to click with me or rather time for me to click with the songs as I'm the one changing, the songs stay the same. "Kashmir" was one of those songs, finally clicking in 1982 and 1983 as I made my way through Led Zeppelin's albums one by one, picking up used vinyl copies wherever I could. Physical Graffiti was the last Led Zeppelin album I found. That copy already had a visibly worn spot on side 2 of the first disc exactly where "Kashmir" was located.
Dad was a big Eagles fan and had their albums on vinyl, but he also owned one of their albums on 8-track and later on cassette. The album Dad owned three different formats of was Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, currently the biggest-selling album in US history. On the cassette and vinyl formats, the third track on side one is "Lyin' Eyes"; on the 8-track, the song plays as the second song on the third program. Dad played "Lyin' Eyes" more than any other Eagles song I recall so I know it inside out and upside down. The first time I heard the 45 edit of the track, probably on the Cow Talk jukebox I noticed the story the lyrics told didn't make sense. They had taken out an entire, integral verse. Give me the full 6:22 album version or play another song.
"She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" was another Cow Talk jukebox discovery though when I heard it playing at the Bashful Bandit just the other day, it sounded so good amongst all the smokey smells that I fully expected a jukebox to be sitting in the corner. There is nothing like Stewart's quivering voice and that (steel) guitar riff.
Something about "Jive Talkin'" pulls me in each time I hear it. It could be the scratching syncopated guitar or that rumbly, pumping four-on-the-floor rhythm. Sometimes it's Barry Gibb's soulful scolding vocals and sometimes that spacey simple-sounding keyboard solo played by Blue Weaver. It's a great song, with a lot of moving parts, all arranged and produced to perfection.
On the Wish You Were Here album, the title track fades in on the "Have A Cigar" fade out. There's the sound of wind blowing and the faint sound of an AM radio being tuned through several stations before the signature acoustic riff of the song begins to play. The muffled sound leads to another guitar about a minute in, this one up front in the mix, playing the same riff but a couple of beats behind, and then David Gilmour begins to sing before the rest of the band kicks in around two minutes in. The single line of the sparse lyrics that stuck in my head after the first few listens was "We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl/year after year". I used to think the song was about missing another person but have since come to think of it as missing a part of myself while longing to feel whole.
My infatuation with Mavis Staples' voice is on record. "Let's Do It Again" may be the most sensual, sultry use of her voice ever committed to tape. I really love hearing this song.
Originally released in 1973, "Chevy Van" did not chart and there is no evidence that the song got any airplay. In 1975, the single began to get airplay and charted. Then it was used as the theme song for the 1977 vansploitation film The Van, with Sammy Johns providing all the other songs for the movie's soundtrack as well. I still hear this song with my nine-year-old ears and brain. Like several other songs listed on the 1975 Hideaway 100, "Chevy Van" is available on the K-Tel album Music Express.
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