1977:  A Classic Year
by Bucks Burnett

Keep in mind I have not researched anything regarding 1977; this essay rests entirely on memories and emotions which relate to what is, so far, the most impressive year of any I have lived through. Let me share with you now a few memories of what it means to me to have been alive in 1977.

In 1977, I graduated from both Carter and Skyline highschools in Dallas, having taken part in the commercial art program at Skyline arts magnet program. I skipped my own graduation ceremony because it felt more like breaking up with school than graduating from school. I hated every minute of highschool. Desegregation orders had brought havoc and destruction to the Dallas school system, and most of my friends disappeared along with their parents to whiter pastures. My parents were among the few to remain behind in increasingly diverse neighborhoods. So by the Spring of '77, I was among a small number of white students at my highschool. I had no problem with mixing with the black kids, but it was a drag to watch almost all of my old friends from junior high leave town at a time when we should all be entering the world together.

I had just landed a really cool gig at Peaches Records and Tapes, located at Central Expressway and Fitzugh. In retropsect, I will say it's the coolest record store I've ever worked at, and it took place at a very critical time in rock history as well as retail history. The 8 track was outselling the cassette and gaining on the LP. All three formats are basically extinct in 2007, having been replaced by the compact disc, which itself is being threatened by the mp3. Peaches was a national chain based in Los Angeles, with about 50 stores nationwide. During the heydey of music retail in the 1970's, Peaches was absolutely the best gig in music retail, and I was thrilled to be working at the store. It was an amazing cast of characters, probably about 30 full time staffers in a single store. Each employee had their own specialty and department; I managed the 8 Track section of the store. It was a colorful, fantastic time of opportunity and optimism, which, sadly, will never be seen again in the music business.

One day, while straightening a row of 8 tracks, I was approached by a customer asking for Elvis 8 tracks. I handed him the tapes, and he said, "Sunnuvabitch died today about 3 o'clock." Elvis - dead?? No way, Jose. But it was true. Within hours, our vast selection of all things Elvis was on E for Empty. This was when my adulthood shifted into drive. Two weeks later I was living on my own for the first time in Tyler, Texas, hoping to start the new Beatles with my guitarist friend Jimmy Taylor. I remember stopping in a convenience store in Tyler right after I moved there and buying the issue of Rolling Stone commemorating Elvis' death. If you can find a copy, note the faint image of a crown by Elvis' head; it's the ink from the back cover which featured the Crown Royal logo. As the issues were printed, the ink of the crown on the back cover placed a ghostly crown on every front cover. Very fitting, and strange.

Tyler is not the best place to live if you're a long haired musician, but I made some of the best friends I'll ever have there, and I'm still friends with them today. We would all get stoned and play LPs, or drive around stoned and play 8 tracks, or get stoned and imagine being sober. And we did it all to the most amazing soundtrack of any year I can remember. Without critical review, let me present off the top of my head just some of the albums that came out that year. Most of these I love to pieces and a few of them I hate, due to overexposure. But just check this out; in one year, all of these albums were released:

There are many more, but I want to make the point that these are just a few that come to mind. We're looking at a minimum of one absolutely classic or gigantic rock release per month, and now we're lucky to get one per YEAR. Something has changed. In the world of touring, you had Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Television, Elvis, Grateful Dead...a ridiculous amount of talent available for viewing, usually in the $10 range per ticket, with plenty of FREE PARKING. Now you can't even park for $10 at your $100 rock show. It's amazing to think that fans could see Led Zeppelin on their last American tour or Talking Heads on their first.

Magazines of this era were fantastic. Rolling Stone was not slick but a hugh slab of comforting soft newsprint. Just as great but no longer with us were CREEM, Trouser Press and National Lampoon. Rolling Stone published its sister magazine, Outside, which although under different ownership, is still around today. Also still around is Circus, which now focuses on heavy metal. Better deaf than dead.

And movies...I remember going to see Saturday Night Fever just to see what all the fuss was about (I hated disco but what a great film) and hearing "We Will Rock You" by Queen on the radio for the very first time while driving back from seeing Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Yes, I was stoned. So were Queen and E.T.

And so was my favorite year of all time, 1977. There will never be another like ye.

- - September 15, 2007