COMPREHENDING 70's MUSIC

My name is Scott E Hall, I'm 24 years old, and I finally understand 70's music.
This is saying a lot considering I spent the entire 12th and 13th years of my life listening to 104.1 The Hawk: Stockton-Modesto's Classic Rock! I went through a phase where the 70s didn't make any sense at all- not in a critical or enjoyable manner. The 70s have become a close second this summer. Following the modern music scene has been apart of this love for 70s music.
You see, I hate the majority of bands making 80s-throwback music right now. The 80s were OK. The 60s were Prolific. The 70s have been looked at as a crappy decade. What does 70s music have that couldn't be done in the 60s yet paved the way for the 80s? Who do we look at? Led Zeppelin? Pink Floyd? David Bowie? Which albums were the best? Now: I HAVE ANSWERS.
If you don't feel like reading this entire post, here's a simple formula to sum things up:

Steely Dan x Fleetwood Mac = The 70s

I think these 2 bands are truly The Most 70s Bands of the 70s. Not necessarily the best, nor the most popular. But their work within the decade summarizes what could have only be done in the 70s. Pop songs with actual jazz chords, folky electric guitar leads, unique vocal melodies, shiny keyboard solos and a whole lot of cocaine!

Lots of amazing artists won't be mentioned in this post. To clarify some future arguments, there is a LONG list of 70s artists I have nothing against. I started making one, but it went too long. Seriously, ask me about most any 70s artist not mentioned here and I'll have an answer. Everyone from Elton John to Herbie Hancock. Everything from P-Funk to Can. I have developed strong opinions.
Fact is, it's easier for artists to make more cohesive albums as time goes on. It was a true challenge to make a thoughtfully structured, pieced-together "album" back then. (By the way, you should google a Brian Wilson interview where he claims The Beatles' Rubber Soul was the first "album" ever made). A couple months ago, my favorite music critic Anthony Fantano challenged his fans to "try listening to a rap album from before 2010." This is hilarious, because it's true. Most people I talk rap music with doesn't know much about what happened before Kanye West-- nor the many artists he samples. Anyways, it's been a fun summer for me to re-explore the past; not as the classic rock radio lover I used to be, but with an understanding of musical production progress in the 70s.
Instead of my original plan to write 3000 words worth of unreadale stuff, I made a 16-seed bracket of what were probably the best albums of the 70s. If you don't know the artists from any of the albums listed below, I recommend google-ing them.
Here's a list of 70s albums that almost made my extremely nerdy 70s albums bracket tourney:

Super Close to Making the Tourney

The Wall, Who's Next, Low, Unknown Pleasures, Another Green World
Personal Faves
Fear of Music, Tapestry, After the Gold Rush, Aja, My Aim Is True, Loaded
Mandatory Honorable Mention
Marquee Moon, Pink Flag, Singles Going Steady, Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, Tago Mago, Plastic Ono Band, Neu!

And here's my extremely nerdy 70s albums bracket tourney... brought to you by challonge.com, a website made for stuff like this!
The Bracket

I Don't Want The Past Anymore

This is probably the most positive-- if not the most self-confident-- blogpost I've ever written. So bear with me. Here's some cheesy background music...

I've had a lot of revelatory positive thoughts these past couple of weeks. Which is kinda weird because I get paid to work on bikes, which I actually don't know how to do. I belong to a church that persuades members to help convert others, which I haven't done. I have always lacked the courage to ask out girls who actually know me. I have been playing guitar and writing music for years, but have lacked the chutzpah to take my music to a public level. Not a day goes by that I don't feel like an underachieving, wishy-washy piece of crap.
SO... I've recently been running and hiking habitually. I have more-than-fond memories of hiking in the Sawtooths as an 18 year-old. The hiking experiences from my 2nd experience at Redfish are overridden by the negative memories of that summer. I have since lived in Logan and have tried hiking in Logan canyon in the summers. It's just not the same. You reach a peak and you can see civilization only a few miles away. So have my hiking endeavors for the past 6 years been some attempt to re-live my past?

NO.

My last 2 runs have felt freaking great, My body hasn't felt so free in months! My body feels great and my mind feels confident both during and after the run. I want to hug the world! My last particular run started out incited by pure angst. I had been pissed all day because nothing was going my way. So I began daily run with multiple chips on my shoulder and a desire to punch things. I ran, and I ran fast for miles. I don't know how far I went. I eventually reached a trail with a set of hills. After every hill, I told myself: "After this hill, I'll stop at the top and I'll feel better about myself!" But I was always hungry for more. 

I eventually stopped in the middle of nowhere and realized that I had forgotten what I was so angry about. My body was just riding for the feeling. I stopped and thought for about 20 minutes then ran back. It wasn't a dramatic experience at all. I thought about everything... reasonably.

I DON'T WANT THE PAST ANYMORE.

Look Scott: You're a self-conscious guy. That's OK. But perhaps you can do a better job at living in the moment and practicing anything you've preached. You never preach anything; hence you practice nothing. I know things were rough when you were 19, 20, 21, heck, Halloween last year was terrible. Right now, this summer, you could easily be building your stage management resume. But inside you're living by this beautiful freaking lake in the middle of these beautiful freaking mountains (pictured below). You're obviously here for a reason. 

Are you trying to re-live your teenage glory days? Are you trying to redeem something from the past? Are you trying to start some new life adventure? Because you can't do all 3 at once. Which one are you trying to do?

This time, the answer was obvious. 

I will probably continue to live a life of mistakes and regret. I'll probably never strike the courage to tell people to shut up so I can sleep at night. I'll probably still feel an inner-bitterness towards this one obnoxious guy I see everyday. I'll probably never be able to fix a bike's shock cable. I'll probably continue to suck at friendships and relationships. But for cryin' out loud, I'm tryin'!
I've had this testimony of having fun with what I do, no matter what I do... Now it's time to actually do stuff.

My 33 Favourite Canadian Songs

Before you read this, I hope you understand that I don't know every Canadian artist/group that ever lived. But from the music I do know, I have a profound connection with it.
Here's an unedited list of my favourite Canadian artists who didn't make the songs list:

F***ed Up
Neko Case
The Tragically Hip
And for the youngins, no, I don't feel any connection to Grimes or Drake.

Also, I'm looking for feedback, not criticism. What Canadian stuff am I missing here? LIST:

33 The Piano Drop Tim Hecker
This hardly counts as a "song," but I like this guy so much, I had to squeeze him in.
32 One Hand in My Pocket Alanis Morissette
This song is quoted in the prologue of Neil LaBute's "Reasons to be Pretty."
31 Misguided Angel Cowboy Junkies
Everything about Trinity Sessions is a great idea.
30 Hallelujah Leonard Cohen
This is MY list, not yours. (humph!) I like "Bird on a Wire" and "Tower of Song" better anyway...
29 Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) Arcade Fire
The first word of this song is "and," which is still cool to me.
28 Your Ex-Lover Is Dead Stars
I miss the 2000s.
27 I'll Believe Anything Wolf Parade
Fact: They broke up while I was in Canada.
26 Odessa Caribou
I like Swim better than Our Love. Don't
25 The Jungle Line Joni Mitchell
This is legitimately one of the weirdest songs I've ever heard.
24 Letter from an Occupant The New Pornographers
So I guess Neko Case is technically on the list.
23 Brian Wilson Barenaked Ladies
These guys were my favourite band growing up. I kid thee not.
22 1,2,3,4 Feist
AKA That one happy song that got mass U.S radio airplay for 2 weeks then disappeared.
21 Takin' Care of Business Bachman Turner Overdrive
I met some Canadian LDS people who knew Randy Bachman. I also saw him in concert once. But I'll still never know if he ever actually had a job.
20 Lover's Spit Broken Social Scene
"You know it's time that we grow old and do some shit."
19 River Joni Mitchell
I used to love the Sarah McLachlan version until I realized it had 0 personality.
18 Born to be Wild Steppenwolf
Classic rock forever!
17 Summer of '69 Bryan Adams
When you find out what he means by "69," you look at this in a whole new light...
16 If You Could Read My Mind Gordon Lightfoot
My favorite memory of this song: The Johnny Cash version came on our car radio and my mom tells my dad, "Oh gosh, Wes, it's that awful Gordon Lightfoot song! It's so freaking sad!"
15 American Woman The Guess Who
Classic riff, but really, how bad was America bugging Canada in the 60s?
14 Sleep Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Respectively, not everybody has time to listen to a Godspeed song.
13 Stars and Sons Broken Social Scene
On that note, I wish THIS song was 20 minutes long.
12 Spirit of the Radio Rush
Don't talk crap about Rush.
11 Suzanne Leonard Cohen
One of my directors/professors at the College of Southern Idaho Tony Mannen claimed Leonard Cohen was music for electrocuting yourself in the bathtub. This is evidence.
10 The House That Heaven Built Japandroids
Japandroids have died off on me over the years, but seeing them live was an incredible experience and this song is still a personal favorite.
9 The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down The Band
I used to be convinced this song was a traditional piece. But it's just that good.
8 Cortez the Killer Neil Young
I'll never forget hearing this song for the first time.
7 After the Gold Rush Neil Young
I'll also never hearing THIS song for the first time.
6 Crown of Love Arcade Fire
And here we have my ultimate "break-down-and-cry-then-run-away-in-a-fearful-tantrum" song.
5 Kaputt Destroyer
Don't judge me. This is the 2011 farewell to true indie. A heartbreaking lyrical mystery wrapped in lazy, hazy discotheque. Dan Bejar wrote a song for America. Who knew?
4 All I Want Joni Mitchell
And thus begins the unraveling of Joni Mitchell's soul. According to this song, she doesn't want much... she just has a lot to say about it. That's the beauty of Joni.
3 Ambulance Blues Neil Young
I like Neil Young a lot.
2 Last Year's Man Leonard Cohen
This song has stuck with me for a long time. It's about Jesus, it's about hookers, I'm not always sure what it's all about, but it's about him. It's like conquering your past via accumulating as much self-doubt as possible... then adding a children's choir. The perfect self-reflection song.
1 The Weight The Band
Well, duh.