Time was, there was a kind of space reserved in pop music for the ballad. Harry Chapin was one of the better known practitioners of the form, but there were many others. Being a storyteller by inclination, I have a soft spot for ballads and balladeers, and I miss them.
Way, way back in the dim, dark Seventies – the early Seventies, at that – balladeers were riding high. Still, a few who had worthy contributions to make received no significant attention. One was an English band called Tranquility. They did make and release two records, but except for one “single,” they didn’t get much notice. It didn’t help that their second disc was an undisguised attempt to trade their lyrical gifts for a kind of glam-rock notoriety.
Still, I replay their first album, the eponymous Tranquility, now and then, and I remember those years before the disco wave drowned all that I loved in popular music.
Here’s a track from that first album. Remember along with me.
2 comments
Harry Chapin was my go-to music in high school and college. I had seen him in concert 5 times, and even got to chat with him once for a minute (some years later, I got to talk to his brother Tom for about 20 minutes — and equally impressive guy). I still remember being devastated when I heard of Harry’s death on the LIE.
Like you, I am dismayed when I hear the “music” of today vs. what we had in our youth. I’ll have to give Tranquility a listen.
Side note: Some of the guys that DJ’d our local AM station in Dover NJ back in the 70’s (WRAN, 1510 AM) started streaming commercial-free music from that era (complete with original station ID jingles). It’s thebig1510.com if you’re interested. I often find myself listening to this while playing my 1979 Star Trek pinball machine and old video games on my retro arcade machine. (Side note to the side note: Cousin Brucie at one time had a controlling interest in the station, which has since gone off the air.)
Gordon Lightfoot was good.