20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best of the '70s

by B.o. 70'S: Millennium Coll - 20

Overview

No album containing only 12 songs with a running time of 52 minutes can claim anything like a comprehensive look at the 1970s, much less present "the best" of the decade. But Hip-O's discount-priced compilation, part of Universal Music's 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection series and drawing upon the major label's vast archives, plus a couple of licensed songs from other companies, can attempt to be representative of the diverse musical styles of the '70s. Major trends in popular music included singer/songwriters (Cat Stevens' "Wild World") and Southern rock (Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"). R&B music (often referred to as "soul" in the '70s) continued to be broadly popular, but it had expanded its styles to include social concerns (Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," Edwin Starr's "War") as well as easy listening (Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia") and bubblegum (the Jackson 5's "ABC"). Similarly, the British Invasion that had begun in the '60s continued to lap American shores, but it was diverse, touching on everything from reggae (Eric Clapton's "I Shot the Sheriff") to creamy pop (Elton John's "Daniel") and even folk-rock (Rod Stewart's "Maggie May"). All of these songs were popular, but the only two titles to rank among the most successful records of the decade are the final two on the disc: Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World," a piece of pure pop, and Don McLean's epic "American Pie." Annotator Sal Nunziato says of the latter that it "could be the 'anthem' of the decade," which is both ironic and fitting, since the song's lyrics actually constitute a musical history of the '60s, the decade from which most people spent the '70s recovering. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	08/22/2000
Label:	Hip-O
UPC:	0731454183529
Rank:	5359

Tracks

1. What's Going On  - Renaldo Benson  - Al Cleveland  - Marvin Gaye
2. Wild World  - Cat Stevens
3. Sweet Home Alabama  - Ed King  -  Lynyrd Skynyrd  - Gary Rossington  - Ronnie VanZant
4. Maggie May  - Martin Quittenton  - Rod Stewart
5. War  - Edwin Starr  - Barrett Strong  - Norman Whitfield
6. I Shot the Sheriff  - Eric Clapton  - Bob Marley
7. Show Me the Way  - Peter Frampton
8. Daniel  - Elton John  - Bernie Taupin
9. Midnight Train to Georgia  -  Knight  -  Pips  - Jim Weatherly
10. ABC  - Berry Jr. Gordy  -  Jackson 5  - Alphonso Mizell  - Freddie Perren  - Deke Richards
11. Joy to the World  - Hoyt Axton  -  Three Dog Night
12. American Pie  - Don McLean

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Pips   Primary Artist
Edwin Starr   Primary Artist
Gladys Knight & the Pips   Primary Artist
Elton John   Primary Artist
Three Dog Night   Primary Artist
The Jackson 5   Primary Artist
Peter Frampton   Primary Artist
Don McLean   Primary Artist
Eric Clapton   Primary Artist
Cat Stevens   Primary Artist
Rod Stewart   Primary Artist
Marvin Gaye   Primary Artist
Lynyrd Skynyrd   Primary Artist
Tony Camillo   Conductor

Technical Credits

Bernie Taupin   Composer
Renaldo Benson   Composer
Al Cleveland   Composer
Al Kooper   Producer
Bubba Knight   Producer
Dave Schultz   Digital Mastering
Gladys Knight & the Pips   Composer,Performer
Barbie Insua   Design
Laura Graven   Art Direction,Project Coordinator
Sal Nunziato   Liner Notes
Edward King   Composer
Elton John   Composer,Performer
Tony Camillo   Arranger,Producer
Paul Samwell-Smith   Producer
Gladys Knight   Producer
Edwin Starr   Performer
Berry Gordy, Jr.   Composer,Producer
Dana Smart   Producer,Assistant Producer
William Guest   Producer
Edward Patten   Producer
Freddie Perren   Composer,Producer
Deke Richards   Composer,Producer
Vartan   Art Direction
Ronnie Van Zant   Composer
Three Dog Night   Performer
Tom Dowd   Producer
Gus Dudgeon   Producer
Norman Whitfield   Composer,Producer
Dennis Lussier   Composer
Bob Marley   Composer
The Jackson 5   Performer
Barrett Strong   Composer
Ed King   Composer
Alphonso Mizell   Composer,Producer
Pat Lawrence   Executive Producer
Ed Freeman   Producer
Lynyrd Skynyrd   Performer
Don McLean   Composer,Performer
Gary Rossington   Composer
Eric Clapton   Performer
Cat Stevens   Composer,Performer
Hoyt Axton   Composer
Rod Stewart   Composer,Producer
Marvin Gaye   Composer,Producer
Peter Frampton   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Jim Weatherly   Composer
Richard Podolor   Producer
Martin Quittenton   Composer