1972 – The Year I Got Turnt

1972-The year I got turnt. In the year 1972, I was 17 years old.

At that point in time, I was still mostly into Rock ‘n’ Roll. I was a “Beatle boomer”…While there was a lot of great rock ‘n’ roll out in 1972 I began to become very dissatisfied with what I was hearing on the radio. I’m not knocking any of that music but it just wasn’t mine. I couldn’t lay claim to it. My favorite active bands at that time were Jethro Tull, the Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Yes and Roxy Music. Individuals like Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Nick Drake, and Bruce Springsteen appealed to the songwriter in me. Growing up in Colorado the music surrounding me was John Denverish and Eagley…Lynyrd Skynyrdish…where I preferred The Band & Stephen Stills. Smoke on the Water was everywhere but my favorites got little airtime. I was aware of Santana but Abraxas was such a standout nothing else from them really moved me…until Caravansarai.

The album was transformative in a way that had only previously happened to me with Abbey Road, L.A. Woman, Madman Across the Water, Days of Future Passed (Moody Blues), Meddle (Pink Floyd) and Who’s Next. Albums that I played over and over. I literally played those albums again and again. As soon as I finished I dropped the needle back down on it. It drove my musical Mom to distraction….so I got a room in the basement far away from the other rooms (in the rec room part of the basement)….black light and waterbed….that’s another story. Fall 1972 I’m at the Denver Folklore Center and with my newly cashed paycheck in my pocket I bought Yes’ “Close to the Edge” and Santana’s “Caravansarai” (back then the Folklore Center had a huge record shop and was on 17th avenue). I played Caravansarai so much it was worn out within a year. It was the mixture of Jazz and Rock and Latin music that opened me up to new ideas in music. I remember how fascinating Bitches Brew had been but not enough for me to buy it….the next paycheck, Weather Report’s “I Sing the Body Electric” and “Return to Forever” and Miles Davis “On the Corner” came home with me. Harry Tufts (Folklore Center Founder) noticed my purchase and remarked about a kid my age listening to this music.