Description
1973 was the year rock hit its peak while splinteringjust like the rest of the world. Ziggy Stardust travelled to America in David Bowies Aladdin Sane. The Dark Side of the Moon began its epic run on the Billboard charts, while all four former Beatles scored top ten albums, two hitting #1.
FM battled AM, and Motown battled Philly as protest soul gave way to disco, and DJ Kool Herc gave birth to hip hop. The glam rock of the New York Dolls and Alice Cooper split into glam metal and punk. Hippies and rednecks made peace in Austin thanks to Willie Nelson, while country rock and Southern rock pointed toward modern country. The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, and the Band played the largest rock concert to date at Watkins Glen.
Led Zeps Houses of the Holy reflected the rise of funk and reggae. Singer songwriters inspired by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell flourished at the Troubadour and Maxs Kansas City, where Bruce Springsteen and Bob Marley shared bill. Elvis Presleys Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite was NBCs top-rated special of the year, while Elton Johns albums dominated the number one spot for two and a half months.
Just as U.S. involvement in Vietnam drew to a close, Roe v. Wade ignited a new phase in the culture war. While the oil crisis imploded the American dream of endless prosperity, and Watergates walls closed in on Nixon, the music of 1973 both reflected a shattered world and brought us together.
Author Information
Andrew Grant Jackson is the author of 1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music, Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of the Beatles’ Solo Careers, Where’s Ringo? and Where’s Elvis? He has written for Rolling Stone, Slate, Yahoo!, and PopMatters. He directed and co-wrote the feature film The Discontents starring Perry King and Amy Madigan. He lives in Los Angeles.
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