Meat Loaf was always a curiosity to me. And I don’t mean his non-traditional rock look (i.e. not skinny and scraggly).
He comes out with an album that is one of the better albums in, well, history. Then he decides not to make anymore? I mean, Bat Out Of Hell was an album that stayed on the charts for nine years. NINE! To this day it still sells 200,000 copies per year. It was released 43 years ago. It sounds like he had a difficult time getting his next albums recorded, but he came out with four underwhelming efforts between 1981 and 1986. Then after a seven-year break he releases Bat Out Of Hell two? This is 16 years after Bat Out Of Hell and it was his next huge hit. I can’t think of another example of such a large gap between hit albums.
I think this year, at least for my tastes, had several really great songs led by Meat Loaf, Fleetwood Mac and Steve Miller. Two of the most amazing albums in history (Fleetwood Mac Rumours the biggest selling album of all time). But the quantity of good songs was low. Too much disco influence. I don’t even mind the disco sound, but I think this was overkill. I was only three years old at the time, but I can imagine what the radio was flooded with and I can’t imagine that being good. Perhaps that allowed albums like Bat Out Of Hell and Rumours to get so many great songs to air – because it was a refreshing change? I can’t say for sure, as I was only three!
Unlike most rankings, I won’t be simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment. So I’ll group them:
Awesome
Great
Solid
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.
First, some audio/video of my favorites from that year…
18 Great Songs from 1977
Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad – Meat Loaf
Black Betty – Ram Jam
Gold Dust Woman – Fleetwood Mac
Great album, top to bottom. There is a reason why it’s the best-selling album.
Cocaine – Eric Clapton
I appreciated Clapton because of Time Pieces. Back in high school I pretty much bought every ‘Greatest Hits’ CD I could get my hands on and that’s primarily how I was introduced to all the greats. Another great example of this is Foreigner (next song below).
Cold As Ice – Foreigner
Helpless – Neil Young
It’s a Heartache – Bonnie Tyler
Lay Down Sally – Eric Clapton
Star Wars (Main Theme) – John Williams
Yes, this counts as a song released in 1977! And any red-blooded rock fan (or music fan) will still perk right up when the song kicks on. This song played during the cutting of the cake at my wedding 😉
Three Little Birds – Bob Marley and the Wailers
Easy – The Commodores
You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth – Meat Loaf
Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
I Don’t Want To Know – Fleetwood Mac
True Fine Love – Steve Miller Band
Waiting In Vain – Bob Marley and the Wailers
Anarchy In The U.K. – The Sex Pistols
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer – George Thorogood and the Destroyers
17 Truly Awesome Songs from 1977
Bat Out Of Hell – Meat Loaf
Closer To The Heart – Rush
Come Sail Away – Styx
Give A Little Bit – Supertramp
Love this song. It was a real highlight when this came on over the speakers at Zellers when I was working shifts as a stock boy. In fact, I bought Supertramp’s Greatest Hits because of hearing this song, The Logical Song and Dreamer so often at work. The buildup in this song that begins at 1:46 through 2:15 is my favorite.
Never Going Back Again – Fleetwood Mac
I remember buying Rumours because of several songs. This was not one of them. I played the CD, I was 15 or 16, and heard this song for the first time and right off the bat I was like “whoa”. A lot of songs on this album got that reaction.
One Love – Bob Marley and the Wailers
This may not be the first video I ever saw on the newly-launched Much Music channel, but it’s definitely the first video I remember seeing.
Unfortunately, the one version on Youtube of this video that exists – they won’t allow me to play in this blog. So here is…just the song.
Paradise By the Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf
Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
Take A Chance On Me – ABBA
We Will Rock You – Queen
Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
We’re Here For A Good Time (Not A Long Time) – Trooper
Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
Jet Airliner – Steve Miller Band
The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
We Are The Champions – Queen
You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) – Rod Stewart
Silver Springs – Fleetwood Mac
Rumours was such a great album that this song – which would probably make my personal Top 500 songs of all time – didn’t even make the cut. It wasn’t on the album! Instead, it became a B-side to the single Go Your Own Way, and wasn’t “really” released until 1997 when it received a Grammy nomination! Here is that 1997 version.
All of the above songs are put together in a Best of 1977 playlist on YouTube here.
Here is the complete list of songs that I enjoy from 1977…
| Awesome – 1 | Closer To The Heart | – | Rush |
| Awesome – 1 | Come Sail Away | – | Styx |
| Awesome – 1 | Give A Little Bit | – | Supertramp |
| Awesome – 1 | Never Going Back Again | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Awesome – 1 | One Love | – | Bob Marley and the Wailers |
| Awesome – 1 | Paradise By the Dashboard Light | – | Meat Loaf |
| Awesome – 1 | Stayin’ Alive | – | Bee Gees |
| Awesome – 1 | Take A Chance On Me | – | ABBA |
| Awesome – 1 | We Will Rock You | – | Queen |
| Awesome – 1 | Wonderful Tonight | – | Eric Clapton |
| Awesome – 1 | Silver Springs | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Awesome – 1 | We’re Here For A Good Time (Not A Long Time) | – | Trooper |
| Awesome – 12 | Don’t Stop | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Awesome – 12 | Jet Airliner | – | Steve Miller Band |
| Awesome – 12 | The Chain | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Awesome – 12 | We Are The Champions | – | Queen |
| Awesome – 12 | You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) | – | Rod Stewart |
| Awesome – 12 | Bat Out Of Hell | – | Meat Loaf |
| Great – 18 | Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad | – | Meat Loaf |
| Great – 18 | Black Betty | – | Ram Jam |
| Great – 18 | Gold Dust Woman | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Great – 18 | Cocaine | – | Eric Clapton |
| Great – 18 | Cold As Ice | – | Foreigner |
| Great – 18 | Helpless | – | Neil Young |
| Great – 18 | It’s a Heartache | – | Bonnie Tyler |
| Great – 18 | Lay Down Sally | – | Eric Clapton |
| Great – 18 | Star Wars (Main Theme) | – | John Williams |
| Great – 18 | Three Little Birds | – | Bob Marley and the Wailers |
| Great – 18 | Easy | – | The Commodores |
| Great – 18 | You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth | – | Meat Loaf |
| Great – 30 | Go Your Own Way | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Great – 30 | I Don’t Want To Know | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Great – 30 | True Fine Love | – | Steve Miller Band |
| Great – 30 | Waiting In Vain | – | Bob Marley and the Wailers |
| Great – 30 | Anarchy In The U.K. | – | The Sex Pistols |
| Great – 30 | One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer | – | George Thorogood and the Destroyers |
| Solid – 36 | Dreams | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Solid – 36 | I Want You To Want Me | – | Cheap Trick |
| Solid – 36 | Lucille | – | Kenny Rogers |
| Solid – 36 | Only The Good Die Young | – | Billy Joel |
| Solid – 36 | God Save The Queen | – | The Sex Pistols |
| Solid – 36 | Lust For Life | – | Iggy Pop |
| Solid – 36 | The Name Of The Game | – | ABBA |
| Solid – 36 | Fly at Night | – | Chilliwack |
| Solid – 36 | The Passenger | – | Iggy Pop |
| Solid – 45 | Barracuda | – | Heart |
| Solid – 45 | Because The Night | – | Patti Smith |
| Solid – 45 | Dust In The Wind | – | Kansas |
| Solid – 45 | Heroes | – | David Bowie |
| Solid – 45 | Jungle Love | – | Steve Miller Band |
| Solid – 45 | Night Fever | – | Bee Gees |
| Solid – 45 | Solsbury Hill | – | Peter Gabriel |
| Solid – 45 | That Smell | – | Lynyrd Skynyrd |
| Solid – 45 | What’s Your Name | – | Lynyrd Skynyrd |
| Solid – 45 | Second Hand News | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Solid – 45 | Jamming | – | Bob Marley and the Wailers |
| Solid – 45 | More Than a Woman | – | Bee Gees |
| Not Bad – 57 | Two Tickets To Paradise | – | Eddie Money |
| Not Bad – 57 | Hot Legs | – | Rod Stewart |
| Not Bad – 57 | Movin’ Out | – | Billy Joel |
| Not Bad – 57 | How Deep Is Your Love | – | Bee Gees |
| Not Bad – 57 | It’s So Easy | – | Linda Ronstadt |
| Not Bad – 57 | Swing Town | – | Steve Miller Band |
| Not Bad – 57 | Feels Like The First Time | – | Foreigner |
| Not Bad – 57 | Running On Empty | – | Jackson Browne |
| Not Bad – 57 | Sometimes When We Touch | – | Dan Hill |
| Not Bad – 57 | You Make Loving Fun | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Not Bad – 67 | American Girl | – | Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers |
| Not Bad – 67 | Baby Hold On | – | Eddie Money |
| Not Bad – 67 | Breakdown | – | Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers |
| Not Bad – 67 | Cinderella Man | – | Rush |
| Not Bad – 67 | Just The Way You Are | – | Billy Joel |
| Not Bad – 67 | Mainstreet | – | Bob Seger |
| Not Bad – 67 | Margaritaville | – | Jimmy Buffett |
| Not Bad – 67 | Mr. Blue Sky | – | Electric Light Orchestra |
| Not Bad – 67 | Nobody Does It Better | – | Carly Simon |
| Not Bad – 67 | Oh Daddy | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Not Bad – 67 | Peg | – | Steely Dan |
| Not Bad – 67 | Psycho Killer | – | Talking Heads |
| Not Bad – 67 | Songbird | – | Fleetwood Mac |
| Not Bad – 67 | Star Wars Theme / Cantina Band | – | Meco |
| Not Bad – 67 | Watching The Detectives | – | Elvis Costello |
| Not Bad – 67 | Fool’s Overture | – | Supertramp |
| Not Bad – 67 | Winter Time | – | Steve Miller Band |
| Not Bad – 67 | The Stake | – | Steve Miller Band |
| Not Bad – 67 | All Revved Up With No Place To Go | – | Meat Loaf |
| Not Bad – 67 | Baby What A Big Surprise | – | Chicago |
| Not Bad – 67 | Like A Hurricanes | – | Neil Young |
| Not Bad – 67 | Lovely Day | – | Bill Withers |
Dobber's Take 
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