by Moe Zilla

Created on: January 28, 2008   Last Updated: September 21, 2009

"Rock and roll attained perfection in 1974," at least, according to Homer Simpson.

In the early 60s listeners suffered through the sweet sounds of teen idols and syrupy vocalists. But the world was about to be changed by the post-war "baby boom" - the largest generation of young people ever in American history. In the 1970s they hit their twenties, and the decade brought a mature "adult" pop sound.

Some of the greatest songs ever recorded were released in that decade, creating a kind of scrapbook for the undeniable changes that were happening in the world.

* "Won't Get Fooled Again" by the Who - 1971. This legendary band was at the height of their career when they released this cynical take on revolution. The song features an amazing synthesizer solo which was ahead of its time, building up to one of the greatest screams ever recorded in music history. It acknowledges that the world is changing, but includes a line about a prayer that "We won't get fooled again." After the full eight minutes, the song concludes with a discouraging line that doubles as a warning. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

* "Heroes" by David Bowie - 1977. David Bowie is one of the great personalities in modern rock. 1972 saw him releasing his famous concept album, the "Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars," but he continued experimenting throughout the 70s, eventually recording this amazing song with guitarist David Fripp (and co-written by Brian Eno). Using an innovative technique to mix feedback and reverb, they created Bowie's anguished wail about separated lovers who long to be heroes, "just for one day" - recorded in a studio just 500 yards from the wall which still separated East Germany from West Germany.

* "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed - 1972. Lou Reed had earned a place in rock history for his role in the Velvet Underground, but he brought his cool vocals to a gentle ballad about life in New York City. The characters he's describing were regulars at "The Factory," Andy Warhol's famous studio, and the song received expert production support from David Bowie. (Bowie added its familiar background chorus and brought in his friend Ronnie Ross to play the saxophone).

* "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono - 1971. The legendary Phil Spector had already produced John Lennon's "Imagine," but it's this single that brings Lennon's hard-edged voice back to the radio every December. Lennon expresses his faith that the will of the people would be enough to bring peace, and this song reminds us of a time when there was still a national audience for songs of political protest. Though the U.S. would remain in Vietnam for another three years, Lennon even rented billboards in eleven cities around the world with the song's chorus "War is over (if you want it)...from John and Yoko"

* "Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones - 1976. The Sex Pistols had released their sneering punk anthem, "God Save the Queen." But the Ramones are widely credited as being America's response, a low-fi New York group playing their own three-chord epics. They had a real affection for pop radio standards, later serving up an album which was composed entirely of their covers of songs from the 1960s. But they're more familiar for fusing the familiar rock chords with a gritty stories about New York and rock and roll oblivion. This song appeared on their first album, and it's over-the-top lyrics hint at the fierce indie scene that was to become even more important in the decades to come.

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